Using power to force marriage

Ruan Fu found his reaction somewhat amusing.

"No, I like being cheeky and pushy."

What exactly is this "hot-faced jerk" thing?

His new wife seems to really like these internet slang terms.

"Hot-faced jerk..." Zhao Jingnian's mind conjured up the smug face of his childhood friend, Qi Xiao.

She actually likes this?

That's normal. Someone as bright and passionate as her would naturally not like a cold and dull man like him.

"However, if you're handsome enough, it doesn't matter if he's cold or warm-faced," Ruan Fu said, raising an eyebrow at him playfully.

Teasing older men is quite interesting, she pressed, "So, do you consider yourself a cold-faced flirt?"

Zhao Jingnian hummed in agreement. "Go to sleep."

Ruan Fu originally wanted to chat a little longer, but he abruptly ended the conversation.

How incredibly boring.

After the lights were turned off, the room was quiet, and the sound of the night wind could be faintly heard outside the window.

Zhao Jingnian silently lay down on the other side of the bed, his movements slow and gentle, as if deliberately avoiding any contact with her.

The small distance between them served as a clear reminder of their unfamiliar and awkward newlywed relationship.

He lay down on his side, with his back to her.

The air was filled with the faint fragrance of a post-bath, mixed with each other's warm breath, and a subtle, indescribable ambiguity subtly arose amidst the distance.

Ruan Fu was originally lying on her side, but she felt uncomfortable, so she adjusted her sleeping position and lay on her back.

It could be because she's not used to sleeping in a particular bed, or it could be because these aren't the bedding she usually sleeps in.

A little while later, she turned over again, still feeling uncomfortable.

I couldn't find a suitable and comfortable sleeping position no matter what I tried, and my body felt a bit itchy.

Her frequent turning over startled the man beside her. Once or twice was fine, but in such a short time, she had turned over more than ten times.

"If you feel itchy, go take a shower," Zhao Jingnian said in a deep, cold voice.

His words displeased Ruan Fu.

"Zhao Jingnian, how dare you yell at me!" she said, her voice sounding somewhat aggrieved.

Insomnia is bad enough, but this annoying old man is also yelling at her.

Zhao Jingnian's tone was not stern, and his voice was not loud.

"I didn't yell at you," he explained.

But Ruan Fu wouldn't listen, "You're just yelling at me!"

"I usually sleep on light-colored sheets at home; I'm not used to sleeping on dark ones. Also, the fabric of this sheet is uncomfortable; it's different from the ones I have at home."

Zhao Jingnian chuckled helplessly. His new wife seemed overly picky, extremely troublesome, and difficult to please.

"Make do for one night, and tomorrow we'll have someone change it to your preferred color and fabric."

Ruan Fu could have forced herself to endure it, but she was angry because Zhao Jingnian had spoken to her like that.

"I can't make do." She threw back the covers, her attitude firm.

Marrying a man you don't love is bad enough; why should you also have to endure the pain of uncomfortable bedding?

The man got out of bed, and Ruan Fu, with a furrowed brow like a cat, threw a pillow at him with a face full of resentment.

"I'm picky, fussy, and hard to please. If you can't stand it, then don't marry me!"

Watching her vent her emotions without restraint, Zhao Jingnian felt not annoyance, but overwhelming envy and emotion.

Laugh when you're happy, make a fuss when you're unhappy, do whatever you want. To live such a carefree and vibrant life is truly blissful.

As the designated heir of the family, Zhao Jingnian was rigorously trained by the family from the time he could remember.

He had been bound by responsibilities and rules for 30 years, and had long lost the right to do as he pleased. He was used to wearing a mask and suppressing his true nature.

Ruan Fu possessed a freedom that Zhao Jingnian had sought but could not attain throughout his life. Zhao Jingnian suddenly felt a strong urge to protect this rare innocence and straightforwardness for her.

His voice softened unconsciously, "What color do you like? What kind of fabric do you usually sleep on? I'll change it for you."

"Light-colored, made of mulberry silk."

The man gave a faint "hmm" and walked towards the dressing room.

Two minutes later, he returned to the master bedroom with the bedding that Ruan Fu had specified.

Not intending to help him change the bedding, Ruan Fu nestled into the sofa in the master bedroom, sat cross-legged, and glared at him angrily.

It's absolutely outrageous! His newlywed wife is tossing and turning and can't sleep well. As her husband, he should be concerned about why she can't sleep and gently ask her why.

Instead of coldly saying, "If you're itchy, go take a shower."

"Hate!"

Ruan Fu gave him a long, sullen look and muttered under her breath, "You deserve to die alone."

A few minutes later, Zhao Jingnian changed the bedding.

He called to her in a deep, mellow voice, "Come and sleep."

It was nearly 1 a.m., and Ruan Fu was already exhausted from the tedious and tiring wedding ceremony. After changing into comfortable bedding, she was finally able to get a good night's sleep.

"I didn't mean to be mean to you, I'm sorry." He was apologizing.

She accepted Zhao Jingnian's apology, but wanted to remind him, "At home, my parents, my brother and sister, they never speak harshly to me, and they never find me annoying."

Ruan Fu's voice, like her name, is soft, sweet, and clear.

"You should speak to me more gently in the future."

"Okay, I've got it." Zhao Jingnian replied.

The Ruan family's pampered little princess has no reason to suffer after marrying him.

When they met, she made it very clear to him that she had many bad habits, and what he saw that day was only the tip of the iceberg.

Since Zhao Jingnian insisted on marrying her, he naturally had to accept and tolerate everything about her, whether good or bad.

She and Zhao Jingnian slept in the same bed. When they first fell asleep, they kept a distance between them, tacitly leaving a boundary between them, and neither of them intended to cross it.

In the middle of the night, Ruan Fu unilaterally cancelled the Chu-Han border.

She was a restless sleeper; a person in a deep sleep is completely unaware of anything, and has no recollection that the person lying next to her was her newlywed husband, who was no different from a stranger.

The woman beside him had turned over at some point, her slender, smooth legs resting unceremoniously on his knees, and one arm loosely draped across his neck.

The man whose territory had been invaded slowly opened his eyes. He was a light sleeper, and since it was the first time he had shared a bed with Ruan Fu, he was not used to it and remained in a light sleep state.

The sudden touch made him stiffen slightly; the awkwardness of newlywed life stood between them. This intimate gesture at that moment truly crossed the line of their unfamiliarity.

He glanced sideways at Ruan Fu, who was fast asleep. Her long eyelashes cast light shadows, her breathing was even and gentle, and her rosy cheeks were flushed. She was sleeping soundly, with a touch of naive charm that she didn't realize.

Zhao Jingnian's gaze fell on her peaceful sleeping face, and his heart inexplicably softened.

The bedding was disheveled, and Ruan Fu's exposed porcelain-white skin shone with a soft glow under the moonlight.

He sighed softly, reached out and removed Ruan Fu's arm from his neck, placing it back in the correct position.

Then, he grasped her knees with his large hands, trying to remove her legs from his body.

But the leg wrapped around him was pressing very tightly.

Zhao Jingnian's touch disturbed her deep sleep, and Ruan Fu let out a dissatisfied whimper, her voice thick with nasal tone, as if she were throwing a tantrum.

Her reaction left Zhao Jingnian somewhat bewildered. The leg that was wrapped around his body not only didn't retract, but instead subconsciously tightened its grip, a posture of dependence and excessive intimacy.

Zhao Jingnian paused, his hand gripping her knee caught in a dilemma.

His new wife was just as spoiled, willful, and childish whether she was awake or asleep.

Seeing that she was sleeping soundly, Zhao Jingnian did not move her again, but gently tucked the blanket back in and covered her up.