Noble Son-in-Law - Chapter 37.2

Chapter 37.2

Although the sun was scorching, the group of people continued their journey.

While inside the carriage was shaking with every bump on the road, Shen Qingqing was peacefully dozing on the couch.

However she could not sleep peacefully not because of the rough journey, but because images from last night kept coming to her mind.

Li Zhi had tried to slip his hand into her collar, but she had pushed him away.

At that moment, Shen Qingqing was only wearing a light coat.

So when Li Zhi’s hands wandered lower, there was nothing to stop him.

What followed was a mix of anger and embarrassment.

To keep quiet, Shen Qingqing bit down on her pillow.

Yu Chan was kneeling beside the couch, fanning her mistress with a round fan. While fanning, she noticed Shen Qingqing, who was lying with her back to her, gently rubbing her legs as if trying to soothe an itch.

‘Did Miss get bitten by a mosquito last night?’ Yu Chan wondered.

The journey was dull and monotonous, but the thought of stopping for the night was a relief.

However, today Shen Qingqing didn’t want to stop at all; she preferred to stay curled up in the cramped carriage.

She had no desire to see Li Zhi again, not even in this lifetime!

But as night fell, it was inevitable.

Shen Qingqing lost her appetite and went to bed early. She knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep if Li Zhi came now, so she wrapped herself in the quilt, plotting how to avoid any interaction with Li Zhi that night.

Since she could remember, she had never wet the bed, but after what Li Zhi did last night…

The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. And soon enough, her annoyance turned into tears.

‘Damn Li Zhi! I’ll never be able to raise my head in front of him again!’

Shen Qingqing was quietly sobbing, trying her best to maintain silence.

Suddenly the blanket on her body was pulled away, revealing Li Zhi’s handsome and sun-kissed face hovering above her!

As their eyes locked, Shen Qingqing noticed the worry in Li Zhi’s gaze, and her tears just started flowing even more!

She quickly turned her head, hiding her face in her sleeves.

Li Zhi frowned, touching her shoulders as he asked, “Why are you crying like this? Are you feeling sick, or did someone upset you?”

Shen Qingqing tensed up. ‘Who could possibly upset me other than you? How dare he even ask?’

“Don’t touch me!” Shen Qingqing snapped, angrily pushing his hand away.

Li Zhi: ‘… So it is about what happened last night.’

Casting a glance at the door, Li Zhi first pulled down the sheer curtain, then wrapped his arms around his wife, who was struggling.

Shen Qingqing was furious with him, clenching her tiny fists and hitting him.

But Li Zhi felt pretty good after last night, so he didn’t mind the hits.

When Shen Qingqing finally got tired and collapsed in his arms, sobbing and catching her breath, Li Zhi leaned down, rubbed her head, and said, “We’re husband and wife; there’s nothing to be embarrassed about.”

“Shut up!” Shen Qingqing didn’t want to hear any of it.

Li Zhi chuckled and said sincerely, “I went too far last night. I promise I won’t do it again.”

Shen Qingqing covered her ears and refused to listen.

Li Zhi sighed and said, “I was afraid that you would have wild thoughts and be absent-minded all day, so I took leave early to come back to accompany you.”

After that, Li Zhi kissed the back of her hand and said in a low voice, “Silly, you acted like that because I served you well. I like you so much that I can’t wait to pamper you.”

Shen Qingqing: ‘…How can there be such a shameless and vulgar man in the world?’

“If you say another word…” With her face flushed with anger, Shen Qingqing suddenly raised her head.

Li Zhi immediately shut his mouth.

Even if he kept his mouth shut, he couldn’t dispel Shen Qingqing’s anger.

Pushing Li Zhi away, she grabbed the quilt and threw it on the ground, saying hatefully, “You sleep there tonight.”

The little fox was furious, so how could Li Zhi dare to provoke her again?

He got off the bed without saying a word.

The gauze curtain fell again; he bent down and picked up the quilt first before saying, “Put it back first and spread it out after dinner so as not to arouse the suspicion of the maids.”

Shen Qingqing pursed her lips and hummed.

After dinner, the maids all went out, and Li Zhi took the initiative to spread the quilt on the ground.

Shen Qingqing lay on the bed, still unable to sleep, not knowing why she was irritable.

With a “pop”, Li Zhi sat up.

Shen Qingqing was startled and asked him coldly, “What are you doing?”

Li Zhi said helplessly, “There are mosquitoes.”

Shen Qingqing didn’t believe it, so she continued to pretend to sleep.

When she heard Li Zhi lie down again and never hit the mosquitoes again, Shen Qingqing became more and more certain that he was acting.

‘He was dishonest, so he deserved to sleep on the floor.’

Shen Qingqing was inexplicably no longer annoyed and gradually fell asleep.

When she woke up the next day, Li Zhi had already gone away early, just like the past two days.

Li Zhi returned during the second watch that night.

As he reached for the gauze curtain, Shen Qingqing quickly said, “You’re sleeping outside tonight.”

Li Zhi pushed aside the quilt she tossed at him, jumped onto the bed, and pinned his wife down as she tried to sit up.

Just when Shen Qingqing was about to get mad, Li Zhi suddenly took her hand and placed it on his cheek. “Feel this.”

As he guided her fingers, Shen Qingqing was startled to discover two small bumps on Li Zhi’s right cheek.

“They were all from mosquito bites last night,” Li Zhi said with a sigh. “Because of these two lumps, the emperor and the ministers made fun of me today, and I totally lost my dignity.”

Shen Qingqing: ‘…So he wasn’t just acting last night; there really were mosquitoes.’

It was pretty embarrassing for the commander of the imperial guards to show up with two mosquito bites on his face.

Shen Qingqing bit her lip and turned away, saying, “I thought you were just pretending. You are usually like that…”

Even though it was dark behind the gauze curtain, Li Zhi could still see her teary eyes.

He let out a soft sigh and said quietly, “I mentioned there was a mosquito, but you didn’t say anything. I thought you didn’t care, so I kept quiet to let you rest.”

Hearing this, Shen Qingqing’s heart melted. ‘Li Zhi was willing to put up with mosquito bites just to keep me comfortable?’

Shen Qingqing wasn’t the type to be unreasonable. When Li Zhi showed her genuine kindness, she’d make sure to leave him some melon slices to help with his thirst.

He had embarrassed her, and now he was facing ridicule from the emperor and his officials because of her.

All the anger she had bottled up for the day vanished in an instant.”I’ll grab a plaster from the room,” she said, pulling her hand back.

Li Zhi smiled quietly. ‘A young wife has her perks: she can get mad easily, but she’s also quick to forgive.’　　

End of chapter 37

Have a nice day!