Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Later, Xiao Lin arrived, looking a little awkward upon seeing Ye Shuang. Just as he was about to say something to ease the tension, Ye Shuang sat down as if nothing had happened.

"Why are you standing there? Come eat!"

Xiao Lin paused for a moment, then took his seat.

Wen Xiang was about to serve Xiao Lin soup when Ye Shuang rose, took the spoon from her, and personally ladled the soup for him.

Seeing this, Nanny Liu began to leave, nudging the dazed Chun Tao and the slow-to-react Wen Xiang, whispering, "Let's go. They probably don't need us anymore."

The three of them quietly exited, and Nanny Liu closed the door behind her.

Ye Shuang served Xiao Lin a bowl of rib soup and placed a plate of Peach Blossom Pastries in front of him.

Xiao Lin: "This is... Peach Blossom Pastries?"

"You remember?"

Xiao Lin nodded, picked up a piece, tasted it, and frowned as he ate.

"Not good?"

Xiao Lin shook his head: "Better than when we were children, just too sweet."

"Is it?" Ye Shuang also picked up a piece and took a bite. "It is sweet. This Peach Blossom Pastry—once, when we had a fight, I ignored you for three days. You ran to the Chengji Pastry Shop, bought warm Peach Blossom Pastries, and waited at my doorstep. Then you followed me to school, carrying them the whole way. I couldn’t bear it anymore, so I reluctantly accepted them."

"I never understood back then how anyone could like something so sweet." Xiao Lin eventually set down the pastry.

Ye Shuang smiled: "Do you remember when I turned twelve? It was my birthday, and you forgot to prepare a gift. So you picked a ginkgo leaf from the schoolyard and gave it to me. That was the best birthday gift I ever received. No matter how many rare treasures I’ve gotten since, none were as precious as that ginkgo leaf from when I was twelve."

Xiao Lin listened silently, the intensity in his eyes softening slightly: "I didn’t expect you to still remember."

"I didn’t realize my past actions would make you think that way. You’ve carried so much all these years. I’m also truly sorry about what happened with Marquis Xiao and the old madam. If I’ve ever fallen short before, I apologize. Can we just let bygones be bygones and start over?"

Mentioning the past, Xiao Lin was less resistant this time and even softened his tone to apologize to Ye Shuang: "What I said that night was indeed too harsh. I know you didn’t mean it that way. But so many years have passed now, and once things happen, they can’t be undone. I’m not the same Xiao Lin I used to be, and there are many things about each other we don’t know. Perhaps it’s better to leave things as they are."

"I know you’ve been through a lot over the years. Everyone in Lin’an says the Marquis of Yongding is ruthless and cruel—they respect you and fear you, and some even despise you deeply. But I know that’s not who you are. Xiao Lin, I’ve known you longer than any of them. I know what you were like before, and I want to know what you’re like now and what you’ll be like in the future. Can we give each other a chance? Let go of the past and start anew."

Xiao Lin stared at Ye Shuang, clearly moved. He lowered his gaze, glancing at the plate of Peach Blossom Pastries on the table.

After a long while, he finally nodded.

Ye Shuang relaxed her clenched fists and smiled gently, seizing the opportunity to suggest: "Then stay here tonight!"

Xiao Lin glanced back; the bed was empty. He lowered his eyes in thought, a faint shadow crossing his brow, then turned to Ye Shuang with a questioning look.

Ye Shuang didn’t avoid his gaze, meeting it openly: "You once said that if I was willing, it could be anytime. Does that still hold true?"

Xiao Lin was stunned but nodded slightly: "Of course it does."

"Then sleep on the bed tonight."

Xiao Lin blinked uncomfortably and said very softly: "Alright."

-

They had a simple meal, and the servants came in to clear the dishes. Mei Qin and Lan Zhi prepared hot water. Ye Shuang bathed first, then Xiao Lin. Most of the candles in the room were extinguished, leaving only two. Ye Shuang also had them replaced with silk lantern shades, softening the light in the room.

When Xiao Lin returned from his bath, Ye Shuang was already leaning on the bed reading a storybook, her dark hair spread out, her features gentle in the flickering candlelight, casting soft shadows on her face.

With just one glance, Xiao Lin found himself unable to look away and walked closer softly.

Seeing him approach, Ye Shuang closed the book and placed it on the small stool by the bed, asking: "Which side would you like to sleep on?"

Xiao Lin coughed lightly, hiding his earlier fluster: "Either is fine."

Since Ye Shuang usually slept on the outer side, she let Xiao Lin take the inner side. Xiao Lin had no objections and slid in carefully, mindful not to step on Ye Shuang’s legs.

Ye Shuang’s cheeks were already flushed. She had extinguished most of the candles precisely to avoid showing her nerves in front of Xiao Lin. She could sense that Xiao Lin was also tense. When Xiao Lin lifted the covers and got in, his cold legs brushed against hers, sending a shiver through her.

Xiao Lin apologized and adjusted his position, scooting away slightly.

Ye Shuang shook her head lightly: "It’s fine."

The room fell silent. Shortly after, they both spoke at the same time.

"Um..."

"Well..."

"You go first."

"No, you first..."

After an awkward back-and-forth, Ye Shuang spoke first: "I don’t have much experience in this. What should we do next?"

Although Nanny Liu had taught her some things, she hadn’t experienced it firsthand and didn’t fully grasp it.

Xiao Lin was also nervous and stumbled over his words: "I... I’m also doing this for the first time."

Ye Shuang glanced at him silently, and the atmosphere grew subtly awkward.

Ye Shuang considered drinking some wine and made to get up.

Xiao Lin held her back: "No need."

Xiao Lin looked up, his eyes holding something she couldn’t quite decipher.

"I want to be sober."

Before she knew it, Ye Shuang was pulled toward him by Xiao Lin.

They revealed their most genuine and vulnerable selves to each other. At first, Ye Shuang was still nervous, but under Xiao Lin’s guidance, she gradually relaxed.

It was more painful than she had imagined.

At the peak of the pain, she gripped Xiao Lin’s arm tightly, her fingers leaving faint red marks as they slid down.

Slowly, she could feel nothing else, only lost in those dark, intense eyes—so fervent and deep that she wanted to drown in them.

His starlit eyes swam before her; sweat dotted on Xiao Lin’s temples, a few drops falling onto her smooth skin.

-

After bathing, they lay down again.

Ye Shuang was too awake to sleep and thought to talk to Xiao Lin, so she asked: "Those scars of yours... do they still hurt?"

Xiao Lin’s chest was solid but covered with scars of varying lengths, both old and new. The deepest one was just an inch from his heart.

"It's fine, they stopped hurting long ago. Living in comfort in Lin'an, these scars could have been removed, but I simply chose not to deal with them." Xiao Lin tugged at his collar, covering the scar on his chest.

"Can you tell me about your experiences during these years of military campaigns?"

"Would you like to hear about it?"

Ye Shuang nodded. "I would."

Later, Xiao Lin began telling her about his experiences on the battlefield. At first, Ye Shuang listened attentively, but gradually, irresistible sleepiness took over, and she had no idea when she fell asleep.

In the following days, Xiao Lin never left the west courtyard. All the tasks that needed to be handled before the New Year had already been taken care of, and the emperor had granted him leave just the day before he returned.

For some reason, ever since they consummated their marriage, Xiao Lin insisted on sleeping with her nightly. Apart from some discomfort on the first night, Ye Shuang found it quite pleasurable afterward. However, with it happening every night, she began to feel overwhelmed and started trying to avoid him. On a few nights, she went to bed early, but as soon as Xiao Lin lay down, he would pester her, refusing to sleep until they had been intimate several times. Ye Shuang felt quite helpless about it. She didn’t dislike it, but she was puzzled—why had Xiao Lin changed so much? She wondered, was this how other couples were?

Naturally, Ye Shuang had no way of knowing. She could only focus on recuperating, switching her daily meals to tonics, which proved quite effective. However, it seemed Xiao Lin was benefiting from the nourishment as well, which made him even more insistent at night.

Later, she noticed that whenever Xiao Lin touched her body, his eyes would light up with desire, and things would quickly spiral out of control. To avoid this, she realized she had to start from the source—by reducing their physical contact. So that night, Ye Shuang deliberately lingered in her bath. Xiao Lin urged her several times, but she only told him to go to bed first and not wait for her.

After a while, when there was finally no sound, Ye Shuang thought her plan had worked and was secretly pleased. Suddenly, a cold breeze swept through, making her shiver.

The next moment, the door curtain was pushed aside, and Xiao Lin walked straight in.