The Prisoner of Beauty - Chapter 89

Chapter 89

Nanny Chun, seeing Xiao Qiao frozen and motionless, helped her up.

Like a marionette with its strings pulled, Xiao Qiao bent her waist and crawled out of the carriage.

There was a heating stove inside the carriage, but it still could not withstand the freezing cold outside. Adding to that, she had been sitting in the carriage for a long, full day since waking up early that morning, and her calves and feet were already slightly numb. The moment she hit the ground, her legs buckled a bit, making her footing somewhat unstable. Without uttering a word, Wei Shao wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her into his embrace. Following this, he unfastened the thick cloak from his own body, which still carried his body warmth, and with a swift hu, shrouded her entire being securely from head to toe, guiding her straight inside.

The travelers who had laid out floor mats in the main hall of the inn did not manage to catch a glimpse of Xiao Qiao’s appearance. They only saw a tall man fast-walking through their vicinity toward the inner hall, his arm tightly holding someone whose head and entire body were completely concealed by a large cloak.

Everyone knew it was a woman. Even though her face and head were covered and her figure was hidden from sight, a section of her skirt hem still peeked out from beneath the cloak. The fabric was expensive, and the edge of the skirt was embroidered with exquisite cornel cherry blossoms on interlocking branches. A faint, elusive scent accompanied her as she passed by, lingering for a long time without dissipating.

At first, the main hall was dead silent. After the travelers watched the silhouettes of the man and woman disappear from sight, gradually, someone began to cough, someone turned over, and someone could not help but smack their lips in envy, wanting to discuss something scandalous with the person beside them. Suddenly, they saw a horde of robust, fierce-looking men surging through the doors, every single one of them formidable. Realizing these must be the attendants of the couple from just now, they instantly silenced themselves.

...

From the very start, Wei Shao's strides were a bit too large. Initially, while pulled along by him, Xiao Qiao could still keep up. But later, he walked faster and faster, and her steps turned into a stumble. If not for his arm clamping her waist, she would have fallen an unknown number of times already.

Upon reaching the bedroom door, Wei Shao dragged Xiao Qiao and stepped inside with one foot. Xiao Qiao's head and face had been covered all along, so she could not see the path clearly. Since he did not warn her either, both of her feet caught on the threshold, and her entire weight tumbled into his arms. She was practically half-carried and half-dragged inside by him. Feeling the grip around her waist loosen, he let go of her.

Losing the support of his strength, Xiao Qiao pitched forward directly onto the bed.

The drowsiness from earlier in the carriage and the daze from when she first saw him had long since vanished into thin air.

Xiao Qiao let out an "ouch" and raised her hand to brush off his outer cloak, which was still shrouding her head and face, revealing a slightly dizzy head. She turned around in annoyance and shouted at him, "What are you doing! Do I not have legs of my own? Can I not walk by myself?!"

Wei Shao stared at her, then suddenly dragged her over in one swift movement, flipped her over, and pinned her against the edge of the bed. Before Xiao Qiao could even react, pa pa, two resounding slaps landed as Wei Shao raised his hand and struck her upturned bottom.

Her skirt and undergarments had layers filled with soft silk cotton to ward off the cold. But even across that layer of silk cotton, her bottom still felt a wave of burning pain.

It was clear just how heavy-handed he had been.

These two slaps thoroughly struck Xiao Qiao dumb. At first, she lay there completely motionless. After a long while, she finally turned her head back slowly, widening her eyes as she glared word by word at the man who had beaten her and was still looking down at her with a somber face: "You... hit... me? You actually hit me?"

Her voice was filled with utter disbelief. There was also a trace of grievance, as well as the fury of being humiliated.

Having said that, she scrambled up from the bed in one nimble motion.

"You hit me? You hit me!"

Thinking of the humiliating scene where she had been mysteriously spanked on the bottom just now, Xiao Qiao's cheeks flushed crimson. While her mouth continued to shout erratically, she clenched both hands into fists, letting them rain down like a downpour upon his shoulders and chest.

Wei Shao stood before the bed opposite her, his eyes fixed on her as he allowed her two fists to thump continuously against his chest. Once her breath gradually grew ragged and her fists landed softly and powerlessly, his originally tightly strained expression finally eased up bit by bit. He suddenly extended his arms, pulling her tightly into his embrace in one go, then lowered his head close to her ear, saying in a hoarse voice, "Have you thrown enough of a tantrum?"

Xiao Qiao was in the heat of her anger. Even though she no longer had any strength, how could she willingly let him hold her properly? Shouting "No, no!" from her mouth, she struggled with all her might again. One of her fists accidentally struck the side of his arm, and seeing him let out a si with a look of pain on his face, she finally recalled that when her hand landed just now, the touch felt unusual, as if something was wrapped inside there. She stiffened slightly and finally ceased her struggling, glancing at his arm with a snort before asking him, "Injured again?"

After she finished asking, she saw that he did not respond either, merely continuing to stare at her in that manner. Slowly, he actually split his lips into a grin and began to laugh, his expression entirely filled with delight.

The hairs on Xiao Qiao's back suddenly stood on end. Following that, pulled along by him, the two of them tumbled onto the bed together.

This room was the new chamber vacated by the host family for their son, who had just married a wife last year. It was separated from the guest rooms in the front by a small courtyard in the middle, making it reasonably quiet. The furniture inside the room was also new, and the bed was made of a pine wood frame, but a mortise joint somewhere seemed a bit loose. The moment the two pressed down, the foot of the bed emitted a slight creaking sound.

Wei Shao then kissed her. Forcibly kissed her. He kissed her with extreme intensity, sucking her fragrant tongue as if trying to snap it, looking as though he wished nothing more than to swallow her into his stomach in one bite.

Xiao Qiao still had a stomach full of anger. Moreover, this method of kissing held absolutely zero appeal to her; it was practically torture. She refused to let him kiss her. Yet he insisted. Pinned beneath him like a fawn under a tiger's claws, she was forcibly kissed for a brief moment before she managed to wrench one arm free, raising her hand to pummel the injured spot on his arm.

This time, she did it on purpose. Wei Shao was likely stung by the pain. His body paused slightly, and he finally stopped.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Xiao Qiao broke free from his two clutching arms, scrambling up to shrink into the inner side of the bed against the wall, glaring at him.

Wei Shao rubbed his injured arm and let out a bitter smile. Following that, he slowly arose as well, leaning against the head of the bed, turning his face slightly to lock eyes with her.

"Are you not even going to ask how I happened to encounter you here?"

After a moment, he inquired sluggishly.

Xiao Qiao said, "I do not wish to know!"

Wei Shao said, "I came south specifically to receive you."

Xiao Qiao was startled, then immediately pouted her lips. "It must be Grandmother who ordered you to come. I also know you were unwilling. It must have truly been difficult for you."

Wei Shao shook his head. "It was I myself who wanted to come receive you."

Xiao Qiao cast a sidelong glance at him.

"I..."

Wei Shao seemed to hesitate. Halfway through his sentence, he paused for a moment.

"...missed you immensely. Missed you to the point that it pierced into my very bones."

Gazing intently at her, he spoke slowly, word by word.

She had never imagined that he would actually say such words, and furthermore, looking at him as he spoke, he was actually quite solemn and serious.

Xiao Qiao could not help but feel somewhat astonished, yet her entire body felt awkward.

Seeing that he had finished speaking, his two eyes stared at her without blinking even once. Her cheeks could not resist gradually heating up. Unnaturally twisting her face away to avoid his gaze, she hummed in a low voice, "I do not believe it. Using sweet words smeared with honey to coax people!"

Wei Shao gazed at her cheeks, which had already flushed with a rosy glow, and his voice unconsciously grew even tenderer: "When have you ever heard me use sweet words to coax a woman? I truly wished to see you as early as possible."

Xiao Qiao nipped a glance at him from the corner of her eyes, her beautiful, exquisite, pointed little chin still held high, uttering not a single sound.

Wei Shao said, "You do not know. When I returned from the campaign in Shangdang to Yuyang, before I even arrived, I abandoned the main army halfway, rushing day and night, finally managing to return home a full ten-odd days early. By the time I reached home, it was already midnight. The first thing I wanted was to see you. Only when I entered the room did I discover you were not at home. For those few nights, I could not sleep well. I was constantly thinking of you, and during the day, I had no mind for other matters. I missed you to the bone. Grandmother must have seen through it, so she told me to come receive you. I immediately headed south, again traveling day and night, nearly riding several horses to death, finally arriving at your home in Dong Commandery, only to find you had already gone to Lingbi. I rushed to Lingbi again, experiencing several twists and turns along the way, and when I arrived at the place, I heard you had already set out to return north. Unwilling to give up, I pursued you again without sleep or rest, following you all the way to this place, only to encounter the freezing over of the Yellow River. At first, I thought you had already crossed the river while I was trapped on the southern bank, and inside my heart..."

Frowning, he let out a long, deep sigh. "Fortunately, it was merely a false alarm. It turns out you travel slower than me. I have finally managed to receive you."

This time, Xiao Qiao was truly somewhat shocked. For a moment, she stared at him blankly.

"For me to treat a woman like this, you are the first."

After Wei Shao finished speaking, he leaned against the head of the bed and opened both arms toward her. "Come here!"

His appearance was exactly as if he were waiting for her to fly and plunge into his embrace.

Xiao Qiao was left somewhat between tears and laughter by his actions, her face burning hot and her heart pounding like a cornered deer. It had only thudded twice when she suddenly recalled the scene when the two first met. Instantly growing furious again, she slapped away the arm he extended toward her with a single strike, saying in anger, "Then when you saw me just now, why did you still hit my..."

The word "bottom" was truly too shameful to utter. Biting her lip, she stared at him with a disgruntled gaze.

Wei Shao said, "You call that hitting you? It was merely to give you a reminder! While I was out on a campaign, with my life and death uncertain, you actually left me without a word and returned to Yan Province! Furthermore, I chased you all the way like this during a time of war and chaos, terrified that you might suffer an accident on the road, wishing for nothing more than to receive you earlier. Now that I have finally seen you, who told you to be so ice-cold upon laying eyes on me! You truly have no conscience!"

Xiao Qiao's voice had already softened, but her attitude still refused to slacken. Letting out a snort, she said, "I just do not believe what you say! Last time, it was clearly you who deceived me first. Before leaving Yuyang, why did you still get angry with me?"

Wei Shao gazed intently at her. Suddenly, his two brows knitted slightly, and raising his hand to clutch that arm of his, a look of immense agony appeared upon his face.

Xiao Qiao was startled. Originally, she had not intended to pay him any heed. But seeing that he truly looked in great pain, she finally could not harden her heart after all, asking, "What exactly happened to you on the road? Did your arm suffer a very heavy injury?"

Wei Shao nodded. "I went to Lingbi to find you and encountered your elder sister's husband. A minor misunderstanding arose, we fought, and he injured me."

Xiao Qiao was shocked, hastily asking, "How could you two start fighting? Is he alright?"

Once Xiao Qiao finished asking, she noticed Wei Shao staring at her, his face turning displeased once more, and only then realized her slip of the tongue, shifting her words to make amends: "How is your injury?"

Only then did Wei Shao say, "He is fine. Originally, I was fine too. It is just that to pursue you these past few days, I did not care to properly tend to the wound on the road, and right now, it has started hurting again..."

Xiao Qiao gazed at him.

"Come over and help me look at the injury!"

He said. He extended a hand toward her once more.

Biting her lip, Xiao Qiao remained motionless at first. Seeing that hand of his constantly extended toward her, stubbornly frozen in midair, she hesitated for a moment, but finally crawled over to him slowly. Crawling to his vicinity, Wei Shao caught her arm in a firm grip, dragging her onto his chest, and let out a long, deep exhale of breath.

Xiao Qiao merely struggled a tiny bit before turning compliant, peacefully resting upon his chest, listening to the sound of his heart thumping against her ear, and slowly closed her eyes.

Wei Shao remained motionless at first, but suddenly flipped over, pinning her completely beneath his body, lowered his head, and once more began to kiss her.