The Prisoner of Beauty - Chapter 109

Chapter 109

Xiao Qiao gazed fixedly at Wei Shao, her eyes unblinking as a moist mist gradually veiled her vision. Suddenly, she extended both arms and threw them tightly around his neck. Murmuring a faint, muddled cry of "Husband," she buried her face deeply into his chest.

Wei Shao found his neck firmly clasped by a pair of jade-like arms, his own embrace holding a soft, delicate body. She had curled herself into a small ball, remaining utterly motionless in his arms, as tender and fragile as an infant.

The internal organs within his chest felt as though they were being wrung by an invisible hand, slowly knotting together in a tight bind. He felt an unbearable ache deep inside.

Instinctively, he tightened his arms around her even more, pressing his lips against her ear to coax her with gentle words: "Manman, do not be afraid anymore. It is all my fault. It was my wrongdoing to bring you here and leave you all alone. Strike me, hit me if you wish—any way you like. I will let you vent your anger..."

He repeatedly murmured such comforting words by her ear, his tone exceedingly gentle, as though he were soothing a child.

The more Wei Shao coaxed her in this manner, the more fragile Xiao Qiao’s emotions became. Closing her eyes, she shook her head fitfully as a sourness hit her nose. Unable to control herself any longer, her tears finally spilled over.

Seeing that his comforting had actually driven her to tears, Wei Shao fell into a frantic panic, his mouth running on with even greater urgency.

"Manman, what do you want me to do so that you will stop crying?"

Every piece of frantic nonsense he could possibly think of slipped from his lips.

Yet the more he coaxed her, the more fiercely Xiao Qiao’s tears fell. Though she made no sound, she kept catching her breath in his embrace with her eyes closed, her shoulders twitching up and down. Within moments, she had completely soaked a patch of Wei Shao's lapel.

Wei Shao froze. Suddenly, he laid her back down onto the bed, dropped to one knee beside the mattress, and leaned over to cup her face, bowing his head to press his lips against her mouth.

His kiss, just like his presence tonight, possessed an unprecedented gentleness, infused with a deeply comforting strength.

As their lips and tongues intertwined, Xiao Qiao finally recovered from the unsettling emotions that had gripped her when she first saw him, and her sobbing gradually subsided.

"Manman, what else must I do to make you happy?"

Ending the slightly salty kiss, Wei Shao trailed his lips all the way to her ear, taking her pale, jade-like, tender earlobe into his mouth as he continued to lick and kiss it gently.

Xiao Qiao felt a wave of shyness. Keeping her eyes closed, she rubbed her cheeks against the clothing on his chest a few times, quietly wiping away the residual tears and dampness still smudged across her face. Letting out a soft hum, she opened her eyes, pushed his face away, and said in a small voice, "I need to relieve myself."

Wei Shao blinked, then promptly scooped her up once more, turning around to carry her toward the washroom.

Upon reaching the door, Xiao Qiao noticed that he seemed intent on entering as well. She hurriedly caught his arm and said, "I want to get down."

Wei Shao had already stepped inside, saying softly, "You are still sick, let me help you."

Xiao Qiao’s cheeks flushed a deep crimson. She tightened her fingers to pull forcefully on his sleeve, shaking her head: "I do not need your help. Go out!"

Wei Shao gazed at her. Seeing her face entirely flushed with embarrassment, he hesitated a moment before finally, slowly setting her down, saying, "Then I will stay here to keep you company."

Xiao Qiao forcefully pushed him outside. Seeing that he still stood by the doorway, unwilling to leave, she bit her lip and said, "Stand further away from me. Otherwise, I..."

She wanted to say that otherwise, she would not be able to do it. But she could not bring herself to utter the words, and could only continuously urge him away.

Wei Shao let out a sigh. Intensely reluctant to part, he walked forward, looking back three times with every step.

Xiao Qiao closed the door. Never before had she felt this way—even a simple trip to relieve herself left her chest feeling as though a small rabbit were trapped inside, her heart thumping wildly. Yet, it also felt incomparably sweet. Exercising the utmost care, she tried her best not to make a sound as she finally finished. Letting out a soft sigh, she washed her hands and opened the door, only to be caught completely off guard when she saw that Wei Shao had returned at some unknown point, actually leaning against the doorframe.

"The sound of the Lady’s falling spring waters also delights me. I had barely heard a few splashes before the Lady was already finished?" he said, his face brimming with a teasing smile.

Xiao Qiao froze, two clouds of crimson instantly flying onto her cheeks once more. Bundling her hands into pink fists, she thumped his chest, scolding him for being a rogue.

After enduring a few thudding strikes, Wei Shao burst into a hearty laugh. Suddenly, he cupped his arms under her hips and lifted her high off the ground; her chest happened to align perfectly with his face.

As if deliberately playing the scoundrel, he pressed his face firmly against one side of her chest, rolling it against her.

Xiao Qiao’s sleepwear was thin and soft, making her instantly sensitive. She hurriedly raised her hands to push his face away. He took advantage of the motion to press against her other soft mound. This time he went even further, opening his mouth to take both fabric and flesh into his lips, his teeth and tongue gently licking and nipping.

Xiao Qiao let out a soft moan, and half of her body instantly went entirely soft, leaving her hanging limply against him. She giggled in a breathless, low voice, pushing at his head. The two of them scuffled in this manner all the way back to the bed. Wei Shao followed the momentum to lie down right beside her, continuing to tease her for a while longer. Xiao Qiao was ultimately squeezed into the corner of the bed by him, and just as she was laughing until her entire body lost all strength, she suddenly began to cough.

Wei Shao halted immediately, his palm shifting to gently stroke her chest.

Xiao Qiao coughed for a brief moment until the dry itch in her throat passed, bringing it to a stop. Raising her head, she saw him staring at her without blinking, his expression filled with tender pity. A sweet warmth spread through her heart, and she said, "I am fine now, I feel much better."

Gazing at her flushed, lovely cheeks that surpassed the beauty of blossoms, Wei Shao suppressed the desire that had long since burrowed out from within his heart—the urge to unravel her and swallow her whole. Helping her lie down, he pulled the quilt up until it was level with her chin, saying, "Sleep first. My body is covered in sweat, and I am afraid the scent will offend you. I will go take a bath, and once I come out, I will sleep with you."

Xiao Qiao nodded.

Once Wei Shao finished his bath and emerged, he extinguished the lamp. In the dim darkness, he climbed onto the bed, lay down, and extended his arm to pull Xiao Qiao into his embrace.

"Sleep."

Wei Shao spoke softly beside her ear.

...

Cradled in Wei Shao’s fiery embrace, Xiao Qiao slept soundly and peacefully for a very long duration. She did not experience even a single nightmare. The following day, she felt her mind clear and her spirits refreshed. Aside from a lingering touch of fatigue and a slightly dry throat, her body had nearly recovered in full.

Wei Shao accompanied her throughout the entire day. The two of them were truly inseparable, sharing every meal and bed. He personally fed her medicine and refused to let her walk a single step, doting on her to an unimaginable degree. Even when Xiao Qiao bathed after nightfall, he refused to let Chun Niang come to attend to her.

Previously, when Xiao Qiao was ill, Chun Niang had strictly forbidden her from immersing herself in water to bathe, merely giving her a sponge bath every day.

The weather in this region during late spring was highly volatile. A spell of rain a few days ago had brought a sudden chill, which was how Xiao Qiao had fallen ill again. But as soon as the skies cleared over these past two days, the weather instantly turned hot. Xiao Qiao felt entirely sticky and uncomfortable, and since her illness had practically cleared, she soaked herself in the hot water for a thoroughly comfortable bath.

Wei Shao joined her in the bath. Fearing that she might catch cold again, he did not tease her much while in the water. Once she finished washing, he lifted her out, dried her body, wrapped her in fresh garments, and promptly tucked her into the cozy quilt.

Xiao Qiao nestled comfortably within Wei Shao's embrace, her starlike eyes half-closed as she permitted his palm to stroke her back. Just as she was feeling so comfortable that she was about to drift off to sleep, Wei Shao sat up, lifted the corner of the quilt, and caught hold of her foot.

Xiao Qiao opened her eyes, seeing him cradling one of her feet and inspecting it repeatedly with a somewhat peculiar expression. She instantly guessed the reason behind this action.

Wei Shao raised his eyes to ask her, "Does it still hurt?"

That scene from before had frightened Xiao Qiao so severely that she had nearly lost her wits. Afterward, every single time she recalled it, her entire body would break into goosebumps.

As for the foot that Chen Rui had bitten, though the teeth marks had faded after a few days, for a long while afterward, a lingering, indescribable discomfort seemed to remain upon her skin.

"It no longer hurts."

She shook her head, speaking in a soft tone.

Wei Shao’s palm gently caressed her skin, and following that, he lowered his head, pressing his mouth against her pale, tender instep to plant a kiss, saying, "Blame my carelessness for allowing you to suffer such a massive fright."

The skin of her instep where his lips touched felt as though it had grown scalding hot.

Xiao Qiao curled her toes slightly, wanting to retract her foot. Yet he held it firmly, refusing to release his grip. He pressed his lips against it again, kissing her repeatedly, as though he wished to completely overwrite and conceal every trace that had ever been left upon her foot.

Xiao Qiao’s face gradually deepened into a crimson blush. Letting out a soft hum, she whispered in a small voice, "I am truly fine now. Do not be like this..."

She felt quite shy.

Wei Shao turned a deaf ear. Having kissed her instep, he proceeded to kiss her neat and beautiful toes one by one. Once he finished kissing both feet, his lips traveled along the skin of her ankle, slowly working their way upward.

Her calves, her knees, her thighs...

Watching his kisses move higher and higher, Xiao Qiao gradually felt a bit flustered and short of breath.

He was nearly at the absolute apex of her thighs, yet he appeared to have absolutely no intention of stopping.

Could he be planning to...

Her eyes grew wider and wider. At the very instant his lips were about to touch her lush, secret core, she hurriedly attempted to press her thighs together, but his palm steadily pinned them open.

He pressed his lips against her without the slightest hesitation.

"Do not..." Xiao Qiao was bashful to the extreme, her head shaking continuously. Yet that sensation was akin to a dense, intoxicating vapor; every single pore across her body felt as though it had snapped awake, and she moaned helplessly, her face completely flushed as her body writhed and trembled slightly.

"Please, do not—" she pleaded.

Yet Wei Shao refused to listen to her, continuing to please her with his lips and tongue.

A sudden wave of fluttering, ecstatic pleasure abruptly assaulted her, and unable to restrain herself, a torrent of celestial fluid gushed forth, thoroughly soaking through the heavy sheets.

At that exact moment, he entered her, and the two of them converged into a single entity.

...

Perhaps out of pity for her body having just recovered from illness, Wei Shao did not take her too fiercely tonight.

He concluded after just that single bout. Yet both of them felt as though they had been cleansed to the marrow, filled with incomparable joy.

"Manman, did you like it when I treated you in that manner just now?"

Wei Shao was still whispering against her ear, his voice tinged with a touch of smug satisfaction.

Xiao Qiao pressed the back of her hand over her eyes, shaking her head continuously.

Beholding her adorable appearance of saying one thing while meaning another, Wei Shao let out another hearty laugh. After his laughter subsided, he moved her hand away from her eyes, saying, "Manman, open your eyes."

Xiao Qiao obediently opened her eyes, her gaze still carrying the residual watery gleam of the spring tide.

"Hold me." He issued another command.

Xiao Qiao once again obediently wrapped her arms around him.

Wei Shao let out a deep, heavy sigh.

"In the future, no matter what occurs, do not hide it from me. You must inform me immediately, have you remembered?" Wei Shao said, his tone serious, completely discarding his prior playful manner.

Xiao Qiao gave a slight start.

"Just like this time, you clearly encountered such severe danger and suffered such a massive fright, yet why did you not mention a single syllable in your letter to me?"

His tone gradually grew a bit heavy.

Xiao Qiao said in a small voice, "I simply did not want you to..."

"Did not want me to be distracted?" Wei Shao interrupted her, his brow furrowing slightly. "Do you know how I felt when I finally learned of this matter a whole month later? It made me feel that within your heart, you have not truly regarded me as your husband. I would rather you had never rescued that Qiang youth than have you encounter a shred of danger. It is for the best that the Beihe tribe has submitted to me; had they not submitted, I would simply have fought them. Pacifying the western borders is merely a matter of time sooner or later. But if anything were to happen to you, how could I possibly bear it?"

His tone grew increasingly stern.

Xiao Qiao bit her lip: "Husband, I was wrong..."

Only then did Wei Shao's expression soften slightly, and he let out a huff: "In the future, do you still dare hide things from me?"

"I do not dare to anymore." Xiao Qiao shook her head.

Wei Shao’s countenance finally relaxed completely. Pulling her into a reverse embrace, he planted a kiss upon her forehead, saying, "That scoundrel Chen Rui—the previous time allowed him to escape by blind luck, yet this time he actually escalated things to such an extent against you. If I do not..."

He spoke halfway before suddenly catching himself.

"If the Husband does not what?" Xiao Qiao opened her eyes.

Wei Shao replied, "It is nothing. I was merely speaking at random." He caressed the hair at her temples, offering her a smile as his tone shifted back to gentleness: "You are tired, sleep."