When Bai Muchuan came back, Xiang Wan was already sleeping.
In the bedroom, only a dim light was switched on. The orange hue of the light was warm, which added a touch of coziness to this winter night.
The woman on the bed was curled up in the quilt with only her head visible. Her hair rested gently on the pillow like black silk, smooth and soft. The moment he saw it, he was unable to look away.
Bai Muchuan stood beside the bed for a long time.
He was looking at her.
And kept looking at her.
A long while later, he sighed in his head and went to take a bath quietly.
When he came back, the woman on the bed had turned over, still asleep.
She was sleeping soundly.
Bai Muchuan walked over gingerly, slipping quietly into the bed to lie beside her but not going too near her…
He had just taken a bath, his body was still cool and the obvious difference in temperature might wake her up…
Nonetheless, an arm landed on him.
It flopped on his waist with a soft thud and she even scratched him a little.
Bai Muchuan: “…”
He was stiff as he didn’t dare to move. He stared at her sleeping face as he waited till she was in a deeper sleep.
“Mm…”
Xiang Wan made a soft sound and suddenly, she opened her eyes slowly.
When she saw Bai Muchuan, she seemed confused as she was half-awake.
“You… you’re back?”
“Mm.” Bai Muchuan then covered her with the quilt.
“Did I wake you up?”
“No.”
Xiang Wan let out a yawn and seemed sleepy.
“… I think I went to bed without washing my face.”
Bai Muchuan pulled her closer. “Then don’t wash. Just sleep.”
“Umm…”
Xiang Wan thought for a moment.
“Nope. I better wash my face. I can also use my whitening essence!”
“…” Women’s logic.
After that, Xiang Wan got out of bed hurriedly. She seemed to think of something as she turned back to look at Bai Muchuan.
“Have you eaten dinner?”
“I did.” Bai Muchuan smiled. “Grandma made some dumplings and insisted that I had to eat them before I could come back.”
“Oh…” Xiang Wan nodded her head and examined his expression. “So… Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
Bai Muchuan was taken aback for a moment.
Under the light, they looked at each other.
Bai Muchuan’s eyebrows seemed slightly furrowed.
“What do you want to ask?”
“I wanted to ask you that. Do you have anything to tell me?”
“…” Bai Muchuan was dumbfounded.
Pffft! Xiang Wan pursed her lips then burst into laughter. “Do you know who came to visit today?”
Bai Muchuan looked at her.
A moment later, he asked hesitantly, “Bai Lu?”
Wow, that’s spot on!
Xiang Wan smiled as she got up to wear her slippers. “Correct!”
Bai Muchuan seemed a little unhappy. When Xiang Wan looked at him, he even seemed to be a little nervous.
“What did she say?”
“What else could she say? She was trying ways and means to make me leave you. She blabbered a lot of nonsense. Hur, this girl really tried hard.” Xiang Wan then yawned and headed straight to the bathroom.
Bai Muchuan took a look at her slender back view and felt relieved.
Yet Xiang Wan suddenly turned around which startled Bai Muchuan for an instant.
His nervous look made Xiang Wan let out a chortle, there was a mischievous look on her face.
“Aye! Sir Little Bai, the feelings that your niece has towards you is pretty unusual.”
“…”
“You didn’t notice it?” Xiang Wan winked.
“Don’t spout nonsense!” Bai Muchuan mulled over for a moment. “Actually, Bai Lu is rather pitiful.” That sounded a little like an explanation.
Her parents divorced when she was little and she lived with her mom, Bai Musi. Her dad never cared about her.
As Bai Musi felt guilty towards her daughter, she indulged and coddled Bai Lu to the extreme.
These two aspects were devastating to a child’s growth…
“Exactly, she lacked fatherly love. It’s actually normal to develop some ambiguous feelings towards her dashing and handsome little uncle.”
“…” Bai Muchuan gave her a glance. “What are you talking about? Hurry up and go wash your face.”
“Hah! You’re embarrassed?”
Xiang Wan laughed, gave him another glance and entered the bathroom.
Soon enough, Bai Muchuan heard the sounds of running water.
He sighed, placing his arms under his head and leaning against the bed.
After a while, he took out a cigarette.
He deliberated for a moment, then returned the cigarette back to where it was.
Xiang Wan didn’t spend a lot of time on her nightly beauty routine. After washing her face, she only used the toner and went back to bed. She quickly held Bai Muchuan and heaved a comfortable sigh as her limbs were all cold.
“You’re like a warmer in winter… So, why would I want to give you up?”
Hmph! Bai Muchuan had a half-smile on his face, glaring playfully at her before pulling the quilt upwards. “Hurry up and sleep.”
Xiang Wan rested her head on his shoulder.
“Darling…”
“Mm?”
“Why didn’t you ask about what Bai Lu told me?”
Xiang Wan’s fair face was like smooth porcelain. It seemed so delicate that he felt like stroking it.
Bai Muchuan then reached out a hand but before his hand touched her face, she asked a question. “Did you already know what she said to me, so that’s why you didn’t ask?”
Bai Muchuan avoided her gaze for a moment before touching her cheek.
“Woman, you’re always giving me a hard time.”
Hmph! Xiang Wan scrunched her nose. “You’re really good at avoiding my questions.”
“Hah!” Bai Muchuan stroked her smooth neck. “If I asked you, you would say things like ‘Are you guilty? Why are you nervous? Are you very eager to know what we talked about? Do you harbor any unusual thoughts about your niece?’. And when I don’t ask, you sound like I’m up to something…”
The corners of his lips curled upwards.
“Hur! Women.”
Xiang Wan rolled her eyes. “Hur! Men!”
The two of them started a staring contest.
And suddenly, they cracked up.
“Aye!” Bai Muchuan sighed and pulled her into his arms, talking softly at her ears. “Alright, tell me then. What did Bai Lu say to you?”
Seeing that he gave in, Xiang Wan giggled.
“You want to know?”
“Mm…”
“Try asking me nicely?”
“…”
His grip tightened and his lips brushed past her ear.
He kissed her ear and the tongue rolled in.
“Mm.” His voice was extremely provocative.
“Are you telling me or not?”
It was ticklish and made her feel numb.
She felt like ants were crawling inside her bones…
Xiang Wan surrendered. “I’ll talk, I’ll talk…”
Bai Muchuan let go of her ear and raised her eyebrows. “Mm?”
“She claimed that my dad caused your mom’s death.” Xiang Wan blinked her eyes. “She even said that all your subsequent misfortunes were my dad’s fault, that he was the one who imposed them on you. She mentioned that you didn’t know about this yet. And when you do, you will hate me and leave me…”
Before she could finish her words, she broke into a laugh.
“Bai Muchuan, will you do that?”
Bai Muchuan patted her head gently. “I won’t.”
“Hah!” Xiang Wan rested her head back on him. “Then everything is fine. We need not be troubled about this anymore. Let’s turn in now.”
She closed her eyes and her breathing was even.
Bai Muchuan looked at her face, his adam’s apple moved down and back up.
“Little Xiang Wan.”
“Mm?”
“You haven’t told me, how did you feel when you heard that?”
When Bai Muchuan came back, Xiang Wan was already sleeping.
In the bedroom, only a dim light was switched on. The orange hue of the light was warm, which added a touch of coziness to this winter night.
The woman on the bed was curled up in the quilt with only her head visible. Her hair rested gently on the pillow like black silk, smooth and soft. The moment he saw it, he was unable to look away.
Bai Muchuan stood beside the bed for a long time.
He was looking at her.
And kept looking at her.
A long while later, he sighed in his head and went to take a bath quietly.
When he came back, the woman on the bed had turned over, still asleep.
She was sleeping soundly.
Bai Muchuan walked over gingerly, slipping quietly into the bed to lie beside her but not going too near her…
He had just taken a bath, his body was still cool and the obvious difference in temperature might wake her up…
Nonetheless, an arm landed on him.
It flopped on his waist with a soft thud and she even scratched him a little.
Bai Muchuan: “…”
He was stiff as he didn’t dare to move. He stared at her sleeping face as he waited till she was in a deeper sleep.
“Mm…”
Xiang Wan made a soft sound and suddenly, she opened her eyes slowly.
When she saw Bai Muchuan, she seemed confused as she was half-awake.
“You… you’re back?”
“Mm.” Bai Muchuan then covered her with the quilt.
“Did I wake you up?”
“No.”
Xiang Wan let out a yawn and seemed sleepy.
“… I think I went to bed without washing my face.”
Bai Muchuan pulled her closer. “Then don’t wash. Just sleep.”
“Umm…”
Xiang Wan thought for a moment.
“Nope. I better wash my face. I can also use my whitening essence!”
“…” Women’s logic.
After that, Xiang Wan got out of bed hurriedly. She seemed to think of something as she turned back to look at Bai Muchuan.
“Have you eaten dinner?”
“I did.” Bai Muchuan smiled. “Grandma made some dumplings and insisted that I had to eat them before I could come back.”
“Oh…” Xiang Wan nodded her head and examined his expression. “So… Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
Bai Muchuan was taken aback for a moment.
Under the light, they looked at each other.
Bai Muchuan’s eyebrows seemed slightly furrowed.
“What do you want to ask?”
“I wanted to ask you that. Do you have anything to tell me?”
“…” Bai Muchuan was dumbfounded.
Pffft! Xiang Wan pursed her lips then burst into laughter. “Do you know who came to visit today?”
Bai Muchuan looked at her.
A moment later, he asked hesitantly, “Bai Lu?”
Wow, that’s spot on!
Xiang Wan smiled as she got up to wear her slippers. “Correct!”
Bai Muchuan seemed a little unhappy. When Xiang Wan looked at him, he even seemed to be a little nervous.
“What did she say?”
“What else could she say? She was trying ways and means to make me leave you. She blabbered a lot of nonsense. Hur, this girl really tried hard.” Xiang Wan then yawned and headed straight to the bathroom.
Bai Muchuan took a look at her slender back view and felt relieved.
Yet Xiang Wan suddenly turned around which startled Bai Muchuan for an instant.
His nervous look made Xiang Wan let out a chortle, there was a mischievous look on her face.
“Aye! Sir Little Bai, the feelings that your niece has towards you is pretty unusual.”
“…”
“You didn’t notice it?” Xiang Wan winked.
“Don’t spout nonsense!” Bai Muchuan mulled over for a moment. “Actually, Bai Lu is rather pitiful.” That sounded a little like an explanation.
Her parents divorced when she was little and she lived with her mom, Bai Musi. Her dad never cared about her.
As Bai Musi felt guilty towards her daughter, she indulged and coddled Bai Lu to the extreme.
These two aspects were devastating to a child’s growth…
“Exactly, she lacked fatherly love. It’s actually normal to develop some ambiguous feelings towards her dashing and handsome little uncle.”
“…” Bai Muchuan gave her a glance. “What are you talking about? Hurry up and go wash your face.”
“Hah! You’re embarrassed?”
Xiang Wan laughed, gave him another glance and entered the bathroom.
Soon enough, Bai Muchuan heard the sounds of running water.
He sighed, placing his arms under his head and leaning against the bed.
After a while, he took out a cigarette.
He deliberated for a moment, then returned the cigarette back to where it was.
Xiang Wan didn’t spend a lot of time on her nightly beauty routine. After washing her face, she only used the toner and went back to bed. She quickly held Bai Muchuan and heaved a comfortable sigh as her limbs were all cold.
“You’re like a warmer in winter… So, why would I want to give you up?”
Hmph! Bai Muchuan had a half-smile on his face, glaring playfully at her before pulling the quilt upwards. “Hurry up and sleep.”
Xiang Wan rested her head on his shoulder.
“Darling…”
“Mm?”
“Why didn’t you ask about what Bai Lu told me?”
Xiang Wan’s fair face was like smooth porcelain. It seemed so delicate that he felt like stroking it.
Bai Muchuan then reached out a hand but before his hand touched her face, she asked a question. “Did you already know what she said to me, so that’s why you didn’t ask?”
Bai Muchuan avoided her gaze for a moment before touching her cheek.
“Woman, you’re always giving me a hard time.”
Hmph! Xiang Wan scrunched her nose. “You’re really good at avoiding my questions.”
“Hah!” Bai Muchuan stroked her smooth neck. “If I asked you, you would say things like ‘Are you guilty? Why are you nervous? Are you very eager to know what we talked about? Do you harbor any unusual thoughts about your niece?’. And when I don’t ask, you sound like I’m up to something…”
The corners of his lips curled upwards.
“Hur! Women.”
Xiang Wan rolled her eyes. “Hur! Men!”
The two of them started a staring contest.
And suddenly, they cracked up.
“Aye!” Bai Muchuan sighed and pulled her into his arms, talking softly at her ears. “Alright, tell me then. What did Bai Lu say to you?”
Seeing that he gave in, Xiang Wan giggled.
“You want to know?”
“Mm…”
“Try asking me nicely?”
“…”
His grip tightened and his lips brushed past her ear.
He kissed her ear and the tongue rolled in.
“Mm.” His voice was extremely provocative.
“Are you telling me or not?”
It was ticklish and made her feel numb.
She felt like ants were crawling inside her bones…
Xiang Wan surrendered. “I’ll talk, I’ll talk…”
Bai Muchuan let go of her ear and raised her eyebrows. “Mm?”
“She claimed that my dad caused your mom’s death.” Xiang Wan blinked her eyes. “She even said that all your subsequent misfortunes were my dad’s fault, that he was the one who imposed them on you. She mentioned that you didn’t know about this yet. And when you do, you will hate me and leave me…”
Before she could finish her words, she broke into a laugh.
“Bai Muchuan, will you do that?”
Bai Muchuan patted her head gently. “I won’t.”
“Hah!” Xiang Wan rested her head back on him. “Then everything is fine. We need not be troubled about this anymore. Let’s turn in now.”
She closed her eyes and her breathing was even.
Bai Muchuan looked at her face, his adam’s apple moved down and back up.
“Little Xiang Wan.”
“Mm?”
“You haven’t told me, how did you feel when you heard that?”
