Gu Yun: “……”
Gu Yun calmly replied, “Winter has arrived, and I’m wearing thicker clothes. It’s all the weight of my clothes. If you don’t believe me, look.” He reached out and loosened the fur collar of his outer garment, then tugged open the collar of his inner clothes. As he did so, he explained how many layers he was wearing and what materials each garment was made from.
Chao Yan said, “Take them off. I’ll weigh you.”
Gu Yun: “……”
Gu Yun struggled to get down and said, “I’m tired. I want to sleep.”
Chao Yan tightened his hold and smacked him on the backside. Gu Yun was dressed so thickly that he could not feel any pain at all and continued struggling, looking as though someone was about to devour him. The smile disappeared from Chao Yan’s face as he said coldly, “If you move again, I’ll do it right here.”
Gu Yun froze and stared at him with wide eyes.
The other man’s expression was unusually calm; he did not look as though he was joking.
Gu Yun gave a short laugh, his anger rising rapidly. “Are you insane?!”
Chao Yan said, “It isn’t as though this only started today. Do you want to try?”
Gu Yun glared at him furiously, but eventually became obedient.
After remaining still for a while, he saw that Chao Yan was carrying him towards the warm chamber. His heart immediately trembled, and he panicked.
“This is something only people who love each other can do. I haven’t fallen in love with you yet. Can we talk about it later? Besides, my period has come.”
It was only after arriving at the Eastern Palace that Gu Yun realised how huge a flaw he had created when pretending to be a woman.
Unlike other women, he did not have his monthly period. To cover this flaw, he had forced himself to say that his health was poor, which was why his period had stopped. Chao Yan knew this and told him to take good care of himself. Zhang Zhangshe and the others had even comforted him, telling him not to worry, as missing his period for a while would not make him age.
Gu Yun had hoped that once his period “stopped”, it would remain “stopped” for the rest of his life. But the current situation no longer allowed that.
He hurriedly said, “Your Highness is right. My health really has recovered. My period came this month, yesterday in fact, and I’m very dirty right now…”
His words were cut off by a kiss.
Gu Yun turned his head aside, avoiding the other’s lips. “Your Highness, between us there is…”
Chao Yan pressed him onto the bed, pushed apart his closed legs, and chased after him with another kiss.
Gu Yun had nowhere to escape. He pushed against the other man and let out two muffled sounds, but that warm tongue slipped into his mouth, caressing his palate, pressing against the base of his tongue, kissing him deeply.
The other person’s technique had become far more skilled through their many kisses, but Gu Yun had not changed. He had never once responded to him. The only time he had taken the initiative had been when he was forced into it, and even then the kiss had been extremely perfunctory.
His tears were forced out a little. His anger reached its peak and turned into grievance. He opened his eyes, his vision blurred, staring at the other person. Chao Yan kissed him with complete concentration, his half-covered eyes revealing intoxication.
He thought he had misjudged this person. This man was not a gentleman at all. He did not keep his word.
His lips were bitten twice, and the other person’s kisses moved down to his neck.
It seemed that he was determined to consummate the marriage. His gender would be exposed.
Regret surged over him like a tide. Gu Yun thought that he should not have acted on impulse and said those things. If he had not said anything and simply gone along with the other person’s wishes, at worst he would only have been kissed. How had things developed into this? He thought again that he should have left with Xu Jingzhou, should not have craved comfort, should not have…
His thoughts were a mess. In the end, his hand reached up towards his hair. The cold hairpin brushed against his fingertips.
He slowly tightened his grip on the hairpin and pulled it out slightly.
—No, this would implicate Xu Jingzhou. If his identity was exposed, at worst he himself would be in trouble. He still had other things he could use as bargaining chips.
He pushed the hairpin back into place.
Calm down a little. Think carefully. Perhaps he could use something else as an exchange right now? No matter what, the other person would not refuse something that could further increase his prestige, would he?
“Your Highness, I have a way to increase the grain supply…”
The other person’s lips pressed against his again, and his tongue once more slipped into his mouth.
He was almost on the verge of collapse. His teeth itched, and he bit down, wanting to pierce holes through that dog’s tongue.
However, the instant his teeth touched that tongue, his reason took over and forcibly stopped him.
He released it, tilted his head back slightly, closed his eyes, and waited for the kiss to end so that he could continue speaking.
This kiss lasted even longer than the previous one. His breathing grew heavier, and his clothes loosened. Gu Yun felt his entire body becoming hazy and dizzy. He took a deep breath, the warm, fresh air filling his lungs, and regained a little clarity. He wanted to speak, but what came out was only breathless panting and warm air.
He spread his fingers and covered his face. His eyelashes trembled, but warm tears rolled down from his eyes in large drops. Some gathered in the corners of his eyes, while others flowed along the corners of his eyes towards his temples. Too many tears blurred his vision completely.
He was utterly miserable.
Feeling that even his hands could not hide his current state, he moved them away and turned his face towards the quilt, wanting to bury himself in it and wipe away his tears.
Chao Yan held his face and stopped him.
Gu Yun did not dare speak. Expressionless, he reached out to push away the other’s hands. Chao Yan caught his hand and leaned closer. A gentle kiss landed on the corner of his eye.
“Don’t provoke me. I can keep my promise,” Chao Yan said. “If you don’t want to consummate the marriage, then we won’t.”
Gu Yun moved his eyes towards him and could only see the fine hairs on the other’s face. A warm, damp sensation touched the corner of his eye. The other person was licking away his tears.
“So salty,” he said.
Gu Yun pressed his lips together.
After the overwhelming anger and sorrow passed, his entire mind became blank. He felt nothing at all.
Feeling the faint movements of the other person licking away his tears, he slowly relaxed. His raised left leg naturally lowered and rested on the bed.
At that moment, a hand followed the disordered edge of his clothes and touched his smooth, firm abdomen.
That dry, rough palm felt like a branding iron, making his abdomen burn unbearably. His body instantly tensed. He grabbed the other person’s hand and stopped him from moving further.
“You…”
Chao Yan licked away the last of his tears and slightly raised himself. “I don’t like women.”
Gu Yun had never expected to hear such a sentence. He stared at him in shock, his mind unable to process it. “What did you say?”
“I said I don’t like women,” Chao Yan repeated.
Gu Yun’s throat felt painfully dry. He stared at the other person for a long time before saying, “Then what were you doing before, and tonight?”
Chao Yan laughed. He pressed close to his ear, his lips brushing against it and leaving behind a glistening trail of moisture. “Being close to you.” His voice was low and slightly hoarse. “I knew you were a man. I knew it a long time ago.”
