Chapter 82: Du Shanü, the Master of Balancing Waters

The night was waning, the moon bright and stars sparse.

Outside, the mountains and rivers were splendid.

But indoors, the atmosphere could only be described as awkward.

Du Shanü held Yu Baobao, and Yu Baobao held Du Shanü; the two looked with fright at Chinu beside the bed, whose expression was unpleasant.

No matter who came, they would all say——

They were caught red-handed in adultery!

But they are a married couple who have gone through the proper rites!

Earlier, when Village Chief Huang sent off the refugees, he only registered Yu Baobao's birthdate!

How could they be being affectionate, yet still be caught in adultery by Chinu?

Is this right?

Is this really right?

Du Shanü's mind couldn't turn for a moment, but what made it even harder to turn was what came after.

Chinu held his breath and stared at them for a moment, then, as if nothing had happened, he turned over onto the bed and lay down beside it.

Yu Baobao: "Huh??? ∑(O_O；)"

Du Shanü: "Huh??? ∑(O_O；)"

Chinu has an overbearing temperament; he comes and goes as he pleases, makes trouble as he likes, and others can't control him.

These two weren't surprised merely because Chinu's sudden act of getting onto the bed was startling; it was purely because today's Chinu......

He wasn't even domineering enough!

One must know, after Yu Baobao had been here for over a month, Chinu had lain between them for over a month.

Don't ask; asking just means strict vigilance.

If the two ever tried to get a little closer, Chinu would harshly interrupt them.

And today......

Today's Chinu merely pulled the blanket that had been kicked off over himself, then immediately lay down in the corner, leaving only a silhouette gradually sinking into darkness.

He seemed to be making space for the two of them.

However, if that were truly his intention, how could he have gotten onto the bed?

This is the most formidable slave! Even his back exudes an intense pressure, impossible to ignore!

Yu Baobao couldn't figure out what was going on, and Du Shanü couldn't explain it either.

But she, after all, had thought one layer deeper than Yu Baobao......

Du Shanü recalled the unfinished kiss beneath the dense forest.

Whether that actually counted as a kiss, Du Shanü really couldn't say.

The two clearly had no skin-to-skin contact, yet recalling it still stirred the soul and seized the heart.

Chinu......

Perhaps he felt the same?

He spent a day using his lips and tongue, almost peeling open the bloody pains of the past.

But in the end, he still couldn't obtain a kiss.

If she were the Chinu who, since youth, had envied Yu Baobao, then upon returning home and discovering what he could not obtain, Yu Baobao could always easily obtain......

Jealousy.

That word flashed through Du Shanü's mind, leaving her momentarily dazed.

That's right.

Chinu had said that before.

He said, Yu Baobao, upon appearing, was favored and chosen by everyone.

Whether it was when he was the Young Emperor earlier, or after the old capital fell and he wandered here, being chosen by Du Shanü as a husband in an instant.

Yu Baobao should have been favored, but Chinu......

But the Chinu who doesn't know when he'll return.

What should he do?

Du Shanü dared not think further, yet she was unwilling to let go of Yu Baobao.

She thought, then quietly pulled the remaining corner of Chinu's blanket and, in the same motion, held Yu Baobao as she lay down.

The three's positions, formerly with Chinu in the center, completely shifted to Du Shanü in the center.

Yu Baobao, Du Shanü, and Chinu lay side by side on a bed, sharing a great blanket, letting the night fall over their brows.

The cool evening breeze, carrying a thin moonlight, slipped through the window cracks, casting a hazy glow inside.

The long night lingered, the moonlight extremely faint.

Only could one faintly discern each other's outlines.

Yu Baobao's brows and eyes were but a few strokes in the long night, yet they were drawn ever softer.

Du Shanü's shoulder pressed against his, the warm touch dispelling the cool of the autumn night.

He slowly turned his body, ever so slightly shifting toward her; his fingertips unintentionally touched the hand she held holding jade, then quickly withdrew, his ear tips glowing faintly red in the hazy moonlight.

Du Shanü didn't move, only gently shifting the hand that held the jade tablet toward him, then, under the blanket, reversed her grip to hold his hand.

The three lay still, silent.

Outside the window, the evening breeze softly hummed, the moonlight hazy, their breaths rising and falling in unison.

There was no overstepping touch, yet this green, tender companionship, in the hazy moonlight, was gentle and steady.

Perhaps because she felt too at ease, Yu Baobao, nestled in the warm blanket for a moment, holding hands, grew a little drowsy.

Du Shanü heard him softly yawn in her ear, then muttered:

"This life is truly so happy......"

"I want to sleep with the two of you for a lifetime."

Chinu: "......"

Du Shanü: "......"

What, what 【you two】!

Others sleep in pairs, but the three of them sleeping together for a lifetime—does that even make sense!

Du Shanü's just‑arisen sleepiness vanished at once from fright, and she gently pinched Yu Baobao's hand under the covers—

This little melon, if not stopped now, once Chinu hears later, both of them will get a beating from Chinu!

Du Shanü felt a bit flustered, and as expected, in the next instant she heard Chinu, who had been facing away from the two of them, sneer:

"Get lost!"

"As expected!"

"This brat has been pretending to sleep all along!"

Du Shanü thought to herself, "Alas," and saw Yu Baobao, who had been drowsy and about to fall asleep, suddenly perk up, sit up, and naturally ask:

"Why are you angry again, Nu Nu?"

"We three should naturally always be together!"

One must know, besides sunlight, there is also moonlight in this world.

The Wife Master is wonderful, important, shining brightly like a golden crow......

But Chinu is also an indispensable person!

We met in youth and grew up together.

Yu Baobao always remembers that year, that month, that day, when the Grand Ancestor's funeral bell tolled, in the vast imperial city, only Chinu was by her side.

Growing up is a lonely matter, and liking Chinu is not something unspeakable.

Chinu may seem improper in others' eyes, but he once did his utmost for the world— isn't that enough?

He early on recognized this youthful playmate as his lifelong bosom friend.

One side is a bosom friend, the other a wife bound by youthful hair.

Who in this life could he possibly part from?

This blanket is wide enough, the bed large enough— three of them sleeping together is just right!

Yu Baobao spoke with righteous confidence, while Du Shanü stared dumbfounded.

A moment of silence fell between heaven and earth; seeing Chinu's back shift slightly, clearly on the verge of erupting in anger, Du Shanü hurriedly pressed Yu Baobao back under the covers.

Yu Baobao, not understanding, crept close to Du Shanü and murmured:

"Wife Master, I'm serious!"

Du Shanü gently stroked Yu Baobao's back to comfort her; where her fingers passed, Yu Baobao felt a tickle, not grasping the meaning, and could not help but emit a series of muffled laughs.

Du Shanü had no choice but to withdraw her hand, lean close to Yu Baobao's ear, and whisper:

"But Chinu doesn't like to hear it."

For Chinu, love and hate are perhaps only a thread apart.

If Chinu's old heart‑ailment is not cured, he will forever hate Yu Baobao.

By then, let alone......

Chinu betraying his lord again might also just be a matter of time.

Du Shanü sighed in her heart, while Yu Baobao remained somewhat dazed, clutching the small blanket with both hands, covering half her face, then cautiously peeking at Chinu on the other side...

Chinu still lay with his back to the two of them, his vital energy not yet dissipated; even covered by the blanket, his frame appeared somewhat frail compared to an ordinary person.

Yu Baobao carefully withdrew her gaze, embracing the Wife Master while worrying and dozing off.

A gentle breath brushed Du Shanü's ear, the warmth intoxicating.

Although Du Shanü gained no major progress today, she loved this warm, ordinary scene; she narrowed her eyes and also wanted to rest here...

But in the next instant, her palm was hooked by a hand from the other side.

The fingertip was slightly cool; as it hooked Du Shanü's palm, the sensation was like insects gnawing ants, tingling from her palm all the way to her heart, body, and down to her soles.

Du Shanü instantly became fully awake; she opened her mouth to stop it, but saw Chinu, unbeknownst when, silently turn over and now lie facing her.

The last glimmer of daylight in heaven and earth had long faded, replaced only by a soft, flowing moonlight.

The autumn moon came to the window, unremarkable.

It fell between the brows and eyes of the man beside her, indistinct and indiscernible.

This night's thin moon is most alluring.

The breaths of the persons on left and right each sprayed onto Du Shanü's ear.

In just a breath, Du Shanü vaguely felt that her life...

... was likely to be completely ruined.

?? Truly lives up to being Shasha!