Young widow in her boudoir

It's getting late.

Xie Rutang returned to Cuiwu Courtyard, washed up, and then went to bed to rest.

However, she was awakened by thirst in the middle of the night. She called out softly to Jin Yue, who was on night watch, but there was no response from inside the room for a long time.

Xie Rutang had no choice but to get up and pour himself a glass of water at the table.

Feeling uneasy, she went to the servants' quarters to look for Jin Yue, but found only an empty bed.

It turns out that Jin Yue is still a child at heart, still unable to let go of the firefly cage that was blown away by the wind, and actually ran to that library on her own.

It was early morning, the night was at its darkest, and the moon was still nowhere to be seen.

Xie Rutang was worried and afraid that something might happen to her.

She took a ram's horn lantern, put on a pink silk cloak, and walked out of the courtyard with the lantern, intending to find it herself.

The night wind blew incessantly, causing the candlelight of the lantern beside her to flicker, leaving only a ring of warm light barely illuminating the surrounding darkness.

Xie Rutang had extremely poor night vision and felt a sudden sense of unease. She could only bite her lip and slowly walk along the base of the wall, carrying a lamp.

Just as she was getting anxious, a strong gust of wind blew in, knocking the lantern out of her hand, and the candle went out on the ground.

The world around Xie Rutang was plunged into complete darkness.

Even more strangely, faint human voices could be heard coming from the end of the road.

Xie Rutang's heart pounded wildly. She could only vaguely make out that the other person was an adult man from the general outline, so she assumed that he was a guard from the Shen family.

She forced herself to remain calm. "Are you a night watchman in the manor? I am Madam Xie, the First Madam. Please lead the way and escort me back to Cuiwu Courtyard."

The night was dark, and she couldn't see the person's expression clearly. She only noticed that the person stood still and didn't respond for a long time.

Xie Rutang's palms gradually became damp.

Until, the night breeze carried a wisp of cool, austere sandalwood to her nose.

Xie Rutang clenched his fist and tentatively asked, "Is it Second Master?"

As the night deepened and the dew grew heavy, these words silenced even the chirping of insects.

Until a moment later.

A deep, magnetic male voice came from above.

"it's me."

It turned out to be Pei Zhiheng.

Xie Rutang felt as if she had grasped a lifeline in her desperate situation and breathed a sigh of relief.

Xie Rutang's heart tightened, and she hurriedly said, "Second Master, I have night blindness."

"I dare not walk alone at night..."

She was afraid; the feeling of not being able to see was like that of a drowning person.

Pei Zhiheng paused, his cold gaze returning to her.

"Could you...stay with me for a while?"

Realizing the inappropriate context, Xie Rutang bit her lower lip even deeper and quickly said, "What I mean is, could you hold onto Second Master's sleeve and escort me safely to Cuiwu Courtyard?"

As for holding hands, she dared not hope for it, as it would be against propriety.

It's late at night, everyone's resting, and not a single servant can be found. The guards on night watch are all men.

Upon hearing this, Pei Zhiheng frowned slightly, unsure whether her words were true or false.

After a long while, he finally said, "Okay."

Xie Rutang could finally relax. She smiled slightly and said, "This concubine thanks you, Second Master."

Then, she subconsciously reached out to grab his sleeve, but unexpectedly touched his strong and muscular chest.

Xie Rutang's hand trembled in fright. Further down, there was his firm eight-pack abs. Who would have thought that he, with his scholarly and elegant appearance, was so alluring and seductive under his long robe, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist?

After realizing what the sensation under his hands was.

Xie Rutang pulled her hand back, her ears burning, and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

Pei Zhiheng stared at her coldly, repeatedly reminding himself that she was Shen Yuan's wife.

She was about to grab his sleeve when Pei Zhiheng suddenly turned away, thinking she was just pretending and unwilling to get entangled any further, so he simply left her behind.

Without support, Xie Rutang could only walk in the darkness. Her eyes were slightly red, and she hurriedly tried to catch up.

"Second Master, don't go..."

Pei Zhiheng was just about to return to Suxue Residence.

Suddenly, a staggering sound came from the darkness behind her. Xie Rutang couldn't see clearly and couldn't even see where she was standing. She tripped over the hem of her skirt and fell straight to the ground.

"Ugh..." A suppressed cry of pain escaped from her red lips.

My elbow hit a pebble, and a dull pain spread through me.

Pei Zhiheng suddenly stopped in his tracks.

After a long while, he slowly stepped forward, his black boots treading the ground as he stopped beside her.

Xie Rutang felt a slight sting at the tip of her nose and explained in a low voice, "My maid Jinyue was playing around and went to look for fireflies nearby. I was worried about her, so I went out to look for them. The strong wind just now blew out the lanterns. It was not intentional for her to go near Second Master's library."

The woman fell to the ground, her eyes hazy with a hint of sorrow, her gaze clear and bright. She was unaware that her collar had caved in, allowing him to freely explore her cleavage.

Pei Zhiheng looked at her coldly, his gaze blatantly falling on her figure, from her slightly lowered eyebrows to the delicate collarbone between her shoulders and neck, and then to the rounded curve of her waist gently cinched by the fabric.

But Xie Rutang's delicate eyebrows didn't even furrow.

Those eyes remained clear and bright, undisturbed and fearless, as if washed by moonlight, gentle and innocent.

Pei Zhiheng politely withdrew his gaze, only then realizing that she truly did have night blindness.

Suddenly I remembered what happened last night, only a day ago.

He refused the old lady's request, and soon she would be entrusted to another man for care, to conceive, and to have children.

Xie Rutang's flat and slender belly will gradually grow bigger day by day.

She just needs a husband.

It doesn't matter who it is, as long as they are men, men whose sexual abilities are even stronger than her deceased husband's.

Pei Zhiheng found it hard to imagine the scene of her being pinned down by another strange man.

Will she rebel, or will she obediently comply?

Given her quiet and timid nature, she would surely obey the old lady's words and accept that clansman.

When she conceived, did she blush and become as soft as water, just like when he kissed her?

Pei Zhiheng's eyes darkened completely, and he felt inexplicably agitated, even though this was the result of his choice.

Because she couldn't see, Xie Rutang felt tense and fearful. She subconsciously reached out, wanting to grab something, even if it was just touching a wall, or being as passive as she was now.

Pei Zhiheng's gaze was fixed on her beautiful but unfocused watery eyes.

If there were no lights in her room, she wouldn't even know who entered her boudoir and spent the night with her.

Xie Rutang remained trapped in the boundless darkness, her lips pale.

Suddenly, she was lifted into the air and carried away.

The man's embrace carried a cool yet reassuring scent, the faint pine ink fragrance emanating from his robes.

Xie Rutang, feeling weightless, couldn't help but tighten her throat and cried out in a kitten-like voice, "Second Master..."

Her sweet voice, escaping unintentionally, seemed capable of bewitching and captivating.

After the initial shock, Xie Rutang fell silent, but her voice remained soft and delicate as she said, "I can walk on my own, there's no need to trouble you, Second Master."

Pei Zhiheng glanced at her, then gave her waist a hard squeeze with his broad hand, as if as a warning. The man's eyes held a hint of something deeper, and he swallowed hard, his tone both sharp and gentle.

"Don't be so cutesy."

Xie Rutang trembled in his arms, biting her lip tightly in embarrassment.

Pei Zhiheng said nothing more. In the dead of night, he carried her into the backyard of the Shen residence.