He had been truly afraid she was angry with him just now, and as long as she wasn't, that was all that mattered.
This kind of life was something he had longed for for so long. His wife, who cared for him and indulged him, made him unconsciously dependent.
He always wanted to draw warmth from her, and he didn't want to push his luck.
In his first sixteen years, he had never dared to show his true nature. The education he received was to be obedient and gentle, for only then would his future wife like him.
This was the first time he had heard such a thing – that she liked to see his true self, and that his little temper could be accepted by her.
Every time he felt uneasy or apprehensive, she would patiently comfort and guide him. These past few days, she had always been considerate of his feelings, thinking of him first.
She was truly good to him.
Wife, can you really accept all of me? Can I rely on you?
Gently patting Shen Xuan's back, feeling him slowly relax in her arms, Lu Yu knew that he had let down his guard.
"Alright, let's go to sleep. It's late today. If you want to hear more, I'll continue telling you tomorrow."
Listening to Lu Yu's soft coaxing, Shen Xuan nodded. For the first time, he lay down facing Lu Yu. Seeing Lu Yu look back at him as his gaze followed, he nervously lowered his eyes, then slowly raised them again, looking into Lu Yu's eyes.
This time, he didn't flinch away. Feeling a tickle in his palm, he grasped Lu Yu's hand, which was scratching his palm, and smiled softly.
The next day, when Shen Xuan woke up, Lu Yu was still deep in dreamland, smacking her lips as if dreaming of something.
The sky was still early outside, and Shen Xuan didn't want to leave the warm embrace of the covers. Their hands had either been clasped all night, or Lu Yu had woken up in the middle of the night and held his hand again. The warmth from Lu Yu's hand made his heart ache.
He stared blankly at Lu Yu, lost in thought. If she discovered everything about him, would she still be so good to him?
He didn't want to develop true feelings. In his opinion, marriage between men and women was a matter of circumstance. If he gave his heart, he would be wounded all over, just like his father. He didn't want to follow in his father's footsteps.
But everything she did for him slowly melted the ice in his heart. Perhaps he could try.
Lu Yu woke up to see this scene. She moved her numb hand and brought him back to his senses.
Both of them woke up quite late today. When they came out, A'Fu had already prepared breakfast. Seeing them come out holding hands, A'Fu winked suggestively at Shen Xuan.
This made Shen Xuan frown slightly, and he blushed involuntarily, gently withdrawing his hand from Lu Yu's.
Meanwhile, after Lu Yu left yesterday, Gu Yitong helped Zisu send his father home, and it was already dark.
Zisu had a performance that night, and Gu Yitong, worried about him walking alone at night, accompanied Zisu to Yuman Tang, as it wasn't much out of her way.
Upon arriving at Yuman Tang, she unexpectedly rescued Muxiang, who was also performing that night.
Muxiang had just finished his performance and was being surrounded by a group of women offstage, unable to escape.
"You're quite good-looking. Follow me, and I guarantee you'll live a life of luxury." The woman in the lead grabbed Muxiang's hand and was about to touch his face with her other hand.
Muxiang tried to dodge, but he was firmly held by the other women in the group, unable to move.
Seeing Muxiang still struggling, the leading woman glared at him fiercely, "It's your honor that I fancy you. Don't be ungrateful. Take him away!"
Muxiang saw that he couldn't break free, his eyes filled with despair. He had encountered such situations before, but never with so many people. He couldn't escape at all.
Being dragged to the door, he saw Gu Yitong, who was standing at the entrance, turning to leave. In his desperation, he couldn't care less and shouted towards Gu Yitong.
"Miss Gu, help! Save me!"
"You dare to shout?" The leading woman, seeing him cry for help, stepped forward and slapped him.
Gu Yitong turned back and saw this scene.
Seeing that she was about to deliver a second slap, she instinctively reached out to block the falling palm, saving Muxiang's other cheek.
"Let go!" Seeing someone dare to stop her, the woman cursed loudly, "What kind of trash is coming to meddle now!"
"Since this is happening on the street, then everyone has the right to meddle." Gu Yitong was not angry. She unfurled her fan and swayed it back and forth in front of her chest.
"You few, take him back with you!" The woman didn't want to waste more words with her and pointed at the person in front of her, giving orders.
"Hey!" Gu Yitong reached out again to stop them. "You are publicly abducting a man. If this is reported to the authorities, you'll be in big trouble."
"I am the daughter of the current town mayor. What right do you have to speak? Take him away!"
"The current Emperor advocates that 'even a royal princess is subject to the same law as commoners.' Do you intend to defy the Emperor's decree on the street? I also have some acquaintance with your mother. If you don't release him today, you'll be skinned alive tomorrow!" Gu Yitong, having no other choice, resorted to using the Emperor to pressure her.
Hearing that she had some acquaintance with her mother, the woman became frightened. If her mother found out about this, she would be in serious trouble, even if she wasn't killed.
Not wanting to give up, she gritted her teeth and said, "He is a man from a brothel, not pure to begin with. It doesn't matter if it's me. Even if I take him back, what can my mother do?"
"May I ask you, is he a male prostitute from that pleasure house? Even if he is a man from a brothel, he only sells his art, not his body. If you are looking for pleasure, I can take you to a nearby pleasure house to satisfy your desires. There's no need to make things difficult for him, and get yourself into trouble, don't you think?" Gu Yitong fanned herself, feigning an air of profound mystery.
This genuinely intimidated the woman. She sized Gu Yitong up and down, seeing her confident demeanor and complete lack of fear, she became even more convinced that she knew her mother. Reluctantly, she gave up and left with a disgruntled air.
Before leaving, she didn't forget to whisper in Muxiang's ear, "I'll come see you again another day."
Seeing them finally leave, Muxiang stumbled, and Gu Yitong caught him.
Muxiang quickly stood up and bowed to Gu Yitong with his head lowered, "Thank you for saving me, Miss Gu. Muxiang will take his leave now."
"Wait a moment!" Seeing Muxiang turn to leave, Gu Yitong hurried to catch up with him.
"You're called Muxiang?"
"Yes. This humble one's name is Muxiang." Still with his head lowered, he bowed again and turned to leave.
"Hey, hey, hey! What's the rush?" This time, Gu Yitong leaned forward to block his path, preventing him from leaving.
"Why are you in such a hurry? You just said I was your savior, why are you so indifferent to your savior?"
"This humble one has another performance shortly. If you are interested, please follow me." Saying this, he bypassed Gu Yitong and walked back, moving faster than usual this time.
"Interesting!" This was the first time she had met such a strange man. She had saved him, so shouldn't he at least thank her properly?
Since she had nothing to do, she decided to go in and see what piece he would perform.
Waving her fan, she lifted her foot and swaggered after him.