Chapter 151: [Unable to Bear Shame] (Part I)

Murong Feiyan bowed and said, "Madam Wan, I just heard a commotion over here and thought something had happened, so I came to check. I found Third Young Madam ill and was about to go get help, but I didn't expect you to come yourself."

Madam Wan looked at Murong Feiyan with a suspicious face: "Ill?" She had never heard before that Le Yao was ill.

Murong Feiyan said, "Madam Wan, what brings you here at this late hour?"

Madam Wan said, "The family heard cries for help, so we came to look." After saying that, she turned her eyes: "This is my home; is Captain Murong overstepping his bounds?"

Murong Feiyan said, "My lord previously ordered that no one may wander about after midnight; Madam Wan, have you forgotten?"

Madam Wan snorted coldly: "Do I no longer have the right to walk about in my own home? This is sheer nonsense." She finished, flicked her sleeve past Murong Feiyan and strode straight into the room where Le Yao was.

Murong Feiyan inwardly thought, "Oh no," seeing two servants following, she hurried forward to block their path at the door: "Third Young Madam is already resting; Madam Wan, please go back."

Madam Wan angrily said, "My daughter-in-law is ill; what's wrong with me, as her mother-in-law, visiting her?" The more Murong Feiyan refused to let her visit, the more curious she became. She turned to the four servants and said, "You wait outside; I'll go in and have a look."

Murong Feiyan now had nothing to say, and followed Madam Wan into the room.

In the darkness, Le Yao's weak voice sounded: "Mother-in-law has come… I, the daughter-in-law, am ill and cannot rise to greet you…"

Madam Wan grunted, and her personal maid brought a lantern to the table, lit the oil lamp, and the room instantly brightened. Madam Wan glanced around the room, saw nothing unusual, then slowly walked to Le Yao's bedside, looked at her, and softly asked, "How serious is your illness? Is it urgent?"

Le Yao shook her head, worried that exposing the quilt would reveal another person there. She lay on her side, her delicate body pressed close to Hu Xiaotian's, when she suddenly felt Hu Xiaotian behind her stir, his arm slipping over her slender waist, his palm hot and scorching. Le Yao's heart jolted—could he have woken at this moment? She felt both shy and afraid, thinking that if Madam Wan discovered the secret on the bed, she would never be able to face anyone again.

Fortunately, Madam Wan did not come too close; she turned back to sit at the table and coldly said, "Captain Murong, I have a couple of things I want to say to my daughter-in-law alone."

Murong Feiyan understood that they wanted her to avoid; the Wan Family lady had spoken, so she certainly could not refuse, and cupped her hands: "Madam Wan, I'll go out first."

Madam Wan said, "Go rest; I'll have Zi Ling stay behind to look after her."

Murong Feiyan acknowledged, turned, and left.

Le Yao's heart fluttered to the extreme; how did Murong Feiyan just leave? Did she really intend to wash her hands of it? If I were alone I wouldn't be afraid, but there's a man hidden on the bed—how foolish! Just now I could have hidden him elsewhere, why did I stupidly shove him onto the bed? Ah! His hand is on my chest. Is it intentional or not?

After Murong Feiyan and her personal maid Zi Ling left the door, Madam Wan said, "Le Yao, hasn't our Wan Family treated you well?"

Le Yao said, "Mother-in-law, you and my father-in-law have shown Le Yao kindness as heavy as a mountain."

Madam Wan gave a cold laugh: "Don't say those insincere words; although I'm old, my eyes aren't dim and my ears aren't deaf—I know what's in your heart, and you know it too."

Le Yao said, "Mother-in-law, I bear no ill will toward the Wan Family at all." Her heart trembled anxiously, after all a man was still hidden on the bed; if Madam Wan discovered it, she feared even jumping into the Yellow River wouldn't wash it clean.

"Whether you harbor ill will or not, since you married into our Wan Family, our Wan Family has never had a day of peace; you staying in our Wan Family is nothing but a bid for the reputation of a chaste and heroic woman. I have always wanted to fulfill that for you, and I once gave you a way out, but you refused." Madam Wan had previously forced Le Yao to choose between poison and suicide; fortunately Hu Xiaotian arrived in time to stop her.

Hu Xiaotian hid under the quilt, hearing everything clearly, and silently cursed Madam Wan's viciousness: "Le Yao has neither provoked nor offended you; why won't you give her a way to live?"

Le Yao said through tears, "Mother-in-law, it's not that I fear death; it's that I have received great kindness from you and my father-in-law, and I have not yet had the chance to repay it…"

Madam Wan interrupted her: "If you truly wanted to repay me, you wouldn't be alive now." She rose and said, "To the south of the city lies Jici Nunnery; its abbess, Mingjing Shitai, is my good friend. If you are thinking of our Wan Family's welfare, go there to devote yourself to Buddhist practice."

Le Yao grunted and said nothing more.

After Madam Wan finished giving instructions, she seemed to relax, rose and left; her personal maid Zi Ling followed her, apparently forgetting to attend to her. Le Yao heard the door close, gazed at the flickering lamp, and involuntarily began to weep softly. A pair of strong arms from behind embraced her, pulling her into an embrace; Le Yao then realized Hu Xiaotian had awakened. For some reason, she felt his embrace was the warmest, safest harbor, and turned to throw herself into his arms.

With a beauty in his arms, this intoxicating taste instantly aroused a physiological response, and he finally set his mind at ease. Le Yao's fierce bite earlier had not harmed his fundamentals, only left some pain; the skin was probably bitten through.

The two clung tightly together; having suffered humiliation all night, Hu Xiaotian finally got some recompense. Since Le Yao had literally delivered herself to his door, what reason did he have to refuse? This rascal hugged and groped her, reaping profit with interest. Le Yao might be seeking comfort, or feeling guilty over what she had done to Hu Xiaotian earlier; knowing he was taking advantage, she still did not push him away. But Hu Xiaotian is fundamentally a greedy sort. By day Le Yao feigned faintness, which he saw through, so he didn't take advantage; now the young widow Le Yao could wholly throw herself into his embrace—if he showed no reaction, would he still be a man? Moreover, having been stripped bare by Murong Feiyan and Le Yao tonight, a little compensation is only fitting.

Hu Xiaotian lifted Le Yao's lovely chin and this time kissed her lips without restraint. Le Yao let out an "Eh!"—not only did she not evade, she clung even tighter. On one hand, their skin touching left Le Yao bewitched by his teasing; on the other, the effect of the aphrodisiac had not yet worn off.

Hu Xiaotian's greatest strength is that he never lets lust cloud his judgment at any time. This guy knows his situation: although he holds Le Yao, a beauty capable of toppling states, with this opportunity, while she still bears some drug effect, even if he were a top scholar he likely wouldn't face strong resistance; seeing Le Yao's dazed, enamored state, I'd guess her whole body has gone limp, her defenses utterly collapsed. But this is the Wan Manor, and Murong Feiyan is almost certainly outside; even if it's tender, fragrant young meat, sniffing is fine, but actually taking a bite is absolutely not the time.

Hu Xiaotian reached a hand into Le Yao's collar, gently squeezing her soft, jade-like bosom. Le Yao, ashamed, buried her forehead into his chest, yet heard Hu Xiaotian say, "Miss Le Yao, wake up—I have to go!" After saying that, he truly released her, lifted the quilt, and sat up on the bed.

Le Yao's feeling now was worse than having been drenched with a basin of cold water poured over her head by Murong Feiyan earlier. What kind of person is this guy? He's been kissing and groping me, making my bones go soft, then suddenly says this? Clearly he's a lecher who's taken advantage of me, yet now he pretends to be a gentleman. Yet I feel no aversion at all; in fact I retain some lingering affection. When Le Yao realized her true thoughts, she blushed crimson with shame, wondering when she had become so unfaithful to her womanly duties.

Men like Hu Xiaotian are indeed rare; this guy, wearing only his underpants, had just come to the bedside when he heard the window tapped twice lightly, and from outside came Murong Feiyan's voice: "They've all left."

Hu Xiaotian wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, "Well," he thought, "luckily I held myself back at the crucial moment and didn't do anything outrageous, otherwise Murong Feiyan would have caught me red-handed."

Hu Xiaotian turned to Le Yao, but saw her ashamedly burrowing into the quilt, pulling the covers over her head—clearly she was embarrassed beyond bearing to face herself. Hu Xiaotian understood women's minds better than most; shyness and heartache are absolutely different. He edged up to the bedside again, gently patted the bulge at her lower waist, and whispered, "Rest assured, I will definitely protect you. Also, don't mention tonight's events to anyone."

After Hu Xiaotian finished speaking and left, Le Yao heard the door close, then sat up. Her flawless, beautiful figure cast a perfect silhouette in the dim light; due to her rapid breathing, her chest rose and fell violently.

Even the two words "embarrassed" cannot adequately describe Hu Xiaotian's ordeal tonight; fortunately this undergarment is sturdy enough, otherwise not even the last scrap of modesty would remain. The feeling of being stripped naked is most uncomfortable; Hu Xiaotian's gaze fell to the ground, and Murong Feiyan didn't look at him either—in fact she also felt guilty. Although she had blamed everything on Le Yao tonight, she too had a hand in stripping Hu Xiaotian's clothes, and the tooth mark on his chest is clearly her handiwork. However, the tooth mark on his underpants really bothers her—was it hers or Le Yao's? If it were truly hers, she feared she would never be able to lift her head before Hu Xiaotian in this lifetime.

The two now each harbor their own hidden thoughts; Murong Feiyan takes charge of scouting the way, quietly leading Hu Xiaotian back to Qingzhu Garden. Although the Wan Manor is vast with countless servants, there is no round-the-clock hot water, so Hu Xiaotian can only make do by soaking in the already-cold wooden tub, meanwhile checking his wounds—his body truly covered in injuries, the tooth mark on his chest deep enough to wonder if it will scar; this bite is courtesy of Murong Feiyan, who apparently favors his pectoral muscles, thick and meaty, but no matter how ample, it still can't compare to your own; someday I'll definitely demand double repayment.