Chapter 008: Mortified to This Extent

Chapter 008: Mortified to This Extent

Ruan Qinghuan let out a startled cry and hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand. As she tried to sit up from the bed, she saw He An open the window.

He then swiftly got onto the bed and pulled the bed curtains closed.

Ruan Qinghuan: “……”

Is he helping her fake it?

Lying in the same bed as a man, Ruan Qinghuan felt frozen in place, not daring to move. Fortunately, He An didn’t make any advances after getting onto the bed.

Just as Ruan Qinghuan began to breathe a sigh of relief, He An suddenly spoke, startling her: “My lady, aren’t you changing clothes yet?”

Did he want everyone to hear?

Ruan Qinghuan lowered her voice. “This is just a performance; don’t overdo it. Ruan Xiaoyue isn’t that perceptive; she’ll probably leave soon.”

By the window, Ruan Xiaoyue, hearing this, examined the room by moonlight. Indeed, she didn’t see the clothes Ruan Qinghuan had worn earlier that day and felt smug.

Mother was right, after all. How could the esteemed Prime Minister ever look favorably upon a spoiled and arrogant woman like Ruan Qinghuan?

He An suddenly turned to his side, and Ruan Qinghuan tensed. She heard his low, restrained voice by her ear: “If you don’t want your mother to worry, you’d better be obedient.”

Was he threatening her?

A pair of strong hands touched the buttons near her neck, but his words were gentle: “Let me help you.”

Whether He An overestimated himself or the buttons were just too difficult to undo, he fumbled for a long time without success. A noise from outside the window suggested someone had stepped on a stone.

Ruan Qinghuan suppressed her anger. “I’ll do it myself.”

Just as she was about to take off her outer garment to deceive Ruan Xiaoyue, a tearing sound came, and her upper garment split open. Ruan Qinghuan stared at He An in disbelief, and he was looking at her too.

His gaze was like that of a vicious wolf.

Ruan Qinghuan realized then that he seemed to be angry.

But why was he angry?

He roughly pulled at her outer garment, and before Ruan Qinghuan could react, he had already reduced her to wearing only a thin undergarment.

Furious, Ruan Qinghuan grabbed the blanket and covered herself. “Enough.”

He An was indeed somewhat angry.

Earlier in the Prime Minister’s residence, when he accidentally stumbled upon her bathing, he left instinctively. But Ruan Qinghuan’s unconcealed desire to distance herself from him left him puzzled.

Even if she was upset because of Liu Yueru’s matter, with all he had done today, she should have calmed down by now.

“Who is it?” Xia Lian’s voice came from outside the door, followed by hurried footsteps.

Knowing that Ruan Xiaoyue had left, Ruan Qinghuan felt relieved and was about to get up, but He An pulled her back onto the bed. “Where is my lady going?”

“Back to my room to sleep.” Ruan Qinghuan’s heart raced like a runaway train, and her instincts told her that He An was dangerous right now.

Before she could leave, He An stood in front of the door. His eyes, filled with displeasure, scrutinized her. “If you’re playing a game of cat and mouse, then you’ve succeeded. I’ve already said that Liu Yueru will move out of the Prime Minister’s residence soon.”

Ruan Qinghuan: “I didn’t. Actually, if you really like Miss Liu, I would agree to her joining the household.”

Feigning indifference?

What kind of reasoning is this?

He An: “……”

She’s surprisingly magnanimous, just married and not even having consummated the marriage, yet she’s already thinking about finding a concubine for him.

Watching him step closer, Ruan Qinghuan felt her heart leap into her throat. “Um, maybe you should tell me what I did wrong. I’ll change it.”

He An clenched his fists. “Then be a good Prime Minister's wife.”

Ruan Qinghuan: “……”

What counts as doing it well?

At almost thirty, she had never been seen as a man who couldn’t control himself around women.

He pinned Ruan Qinghuan against the wall, leaning close with one hand braced beside her. “Other women aside, tonight, shouldn’t the wife be the one to serve me as we rest?”

After holding her breath, she managed four words: “Sir, please behave.”

In the stalemate, sounds came from the courtyard again. It was Liu Sao, from the Prime Minister's wife's quarters, speaking to Xia Lian. “The lady asked me to stay with you while you’re on watch, so you won’t be flustered if you need water in the middle of the night.”

“No need, Liu Sao. I’ll manage on my own.” Xia Lian didn’t realize her voice lacked confidence.

As they spoke, a sudden exclamation came from the room. Both women froze, then Liu Sao gave a meaningful smile and led Xia Lian into the side room. “This will take a while. They’ll call us when they need us again.”

Ruan Qinghuan allowed He An to carry her to the bed. She thought he was going to make a move, but instead, he pulled the blanket over her and stayed still.

Tense and determined to stay awake all night, Ruan Qinghuan eventually dozed off. He An, listening to the even breathing beside him, turned over.

His night vision was excellent. The sleeping Ruan Qinghuan lacked the sharpness and wariness she had when awake, no longer fearless in arguments. Her delicate features were relaxed, her breathing light, a picture of serenity.

But He An couldn’t understand why she was so defensive of him, even wanting to sleep in a separate room.

He remembered she had said he wouldn’t return to Changchun Garden and seemed quite accustomed to their nominal relationship, not worried that the servants in the Prime Minister's residence would look down on her.

In the side room, Liu Sao and Ding Xiang, while on duty, also dozed off. Liu Sao wondered, “Did the Prime Minister and the wife call for water last night?”

Xia Lian shook her head.

Liu Sao grew serious. The Prime Minister's wife had sent her to check if their relationship was truly harmonious. A newlywed couple should be inseparable, yet there was no call for water that night...

Ruan Qinghuan turned over, half-opened her eyes, then lazily closed them again, nestling her head into the pillow.

Today, why is the pillow so hard?

As she shifted, she realized something was wrong...

Her mind, already alert from worry, quickly woke her. With a sudden jerk upwards, she met He An’s deep gaze.

Her eyes traveled down, seeing her arm draped over him and her leg thrown across his body. She wished she could sink into the floor.

Almost fleeing, she pulled her arm and leg back. Before Ruan Qinghuan could apologize, He An remarked with disdain, “Do you always sleep like this?”

“I... I’m sorry. I don’t sleep very well...”

“Not only do you toss and turn, but you also talk in your sleep and drool all over me?”

"I never drool, you're accusing me falsely." Qinghuan's face turned red as if it were about to drip blood. "To be this embarrassed is beyond belief."

"Qinghuan, oh Qinghuan, do you ever think? How could you fall asleep in a situation like this? Did you never sleep before?"

She mentally berated herself. "I’ll step out and have someone bring some clothes."

"You’re going out like that?"

Qinghuan didn't react at first, but following He An’s gaze, she glanced down and realized her simple robe's collar was almost completely open, with her chest moving slightly with her movements.

"Let’s get some water and clean up before changing."

Just as Liu Sao reached the door, she heard the call for water from the room and hurriedly returned to instruct the kitchen.

Taking the opportunity to deliver the water, Liu Sao entered the room and took a look around. When she saw the shredded dress on the floor, her heart sank.

"The Prime Minister, wasn’t he a bit too rough?"