“I want to eat first.”
From all the “options” in front of her, Nan Xu finally managed to pick one.
“And you’re not allowed to mess around,” she added.
Xie Hejing laughed. “And what counts as ‘messing around’?”
“It’s when…” Nan Xu spoke with embarrassment, “when we’re discussing things while eating. Who does that?”
“Not going to provoke me anymore?” Xie Hejing repeated her earlier words.
Nan Xu fell silent, speechless for several seconds before softening her tone. “Fine, I was wrong, okay?”
“I just want to eat in peace.”
Just saying that definitely wouldn’t convince Xie Hejing, so Nan Xu added another promise: “We can talk about the rest after dinner.”
The implication was clear, she had agreed to “discuss” it later. Satisfied, Xie Hejing set her down and gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
“Alright. Just don’t go back on your word later.”
Nan Xu: “…”
She would love to go back on her word, but with Xie Hejing’s personality, if she did, he would only “torment” her more.
“Got it.”
The dishes on the table were still steaming. This time, Xie Hejing watched her closely—every time Nan Xu picked up a piece of food, he had to make sure it was safe for her to eat first.
Nan Xu watched him carefully testing the temperature of each dish and couldn’t help laughing. “Are you treating me like I’m an emperor?”
Xie Hejing raised a brow, looking at her in confusion.
Nan Xu explained, “The way you just acted looked a bit like those eunuchs who used to test the emperor’s food for poi—”
She stopped herself immediately, clicking her tongue. If she actually finished that sentence, she already knew she’d be done for.
But just putting the pieces together was enough for Xie Hejing to understand what she meant. He let out a cold laugh. “Why don’t you finish your sentence?”
His expression gradually turned icy, even his voice carried a chill. Nan Xu couldn’t help but shiver.
“Uh… I meant that the way you looked just now was… very charming.”
Xie Hejing didn’t buy it. “Charming? Are you kidding me?” She didn’t look charmed at all.
“No, no!” Nan Xu immediately denied it. She had just spoken without thinking.
Just moments before, Xie Hejing had lowered his gaze, his long fingers brushing past each dish as he tested their temperatures for her.
He was meticulous to an exaggerated degree. He noticed details that Nan Xu herself often missed—rolling up her loose sleeves when she reached for food, patiently picking out fish bones when she avoided the fish because it was too much trouble to eat.
To Nan Xu, this version of Xie Hejing was the one she fell for—every small gesture overflowing with quiet, delicate care.
And each effortless act of thoughtfulness was slowly capturing her heart, pulling her deeper and deeper into him.
But the truth was, Xie Hejing had never been a patient person. It was exactly this contradiction in him that pulled Nan Xu in without her realizing it. She genuinely thought this version of him was incredibly attractive.
“I’m serious. I’m not joking,” Nan Xu said, meeting his eyes, her gaze clear. “I really thought what you just did was charming.”
Xie Hejing was stunned for a moment as he took in her earnest expression and the sincerity in her tone.
He wasn’t even sure what he’d done that she could possibly find charming.
His Adam’s apple moved. “What part was charming?”
All the deliberate teasing he’d done before had never gotten her to say the word charming, yet now she said it while they were just having a simple meal.
Naturally, Xie Hejing wanted to get to the bottom of it—so he could keep doing whatever worked.
Nan Xu didn’t know what was going through his mind, but she felt that this kind of charm only came out when he wasn’t trying. If he did it on purpose, it might lose its magic.
So she stayed vague. “Everything… kind of. I can’t really explain it.”
She even let out a soft sigh to smooth things over.
Surprisingly, Xie Hejing didn’t press further. Instead, he scooped up a small spoonful of silky tofu and placed it in her bowl. “Eat. This one’s not hot anymore.”
“Mm.” Nan Xu lowered her head and ate, but she could feel his gaze on her the entire time. After swallowing, she asked from the corner of her eye, “Why aren’t you eating?”
“Nan Xu, how do you even look good while you’re eating?” Xie Hejing said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Nan Xu: “……”
She thought Xie Hejing was still brooding over what she’d said earlier, and she’d been a little nervous about it. But instead, he suddenly came out with that line.
“Maybe beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” Nan Xu said. She’d been complimented before, of course, but never to the extreme that Xie Hejing took it—praising her even while she was eating.
Xie Hejing clearly enjoyed her words. He nodded. “Beholder… lover.”
He could feel that this “lover” was different from all the previous times she’d said it. This was the kind that came from someone who had truly let him into her heart.
With that realization, Xie Hejing felt invigorated—almost overflowing with energy.
Which, unfortunately, meant suffering for Nan Xu.
She’d finally managed to use the excuse of “you shouldn’t move too much right after eating” to win herself an hour of rest.
But Xie Hejing literally stood beside her with a stopwatch, waiting for the timer to run down as she tried to watch her drama in peace. It made her feel incredibly pressured.
She could try to ignore him, sure, but the ticking of that stopwatch was impossible to block out.
“What are you doing here? When the time is up, I’ll go to the bedroom myself.”
He didn’t respond, didn’t even move.
Nan Xu had no choice but to continue, “Aren’t you going to take a shower or something first?”
That got him to stand up. “Alright. I’ll wait for you in the room. You still have half an hour.”
Watching his back as he walked into the bedroom, Nan Xu let out a long sigh. That hungry, predatory look he’d been giving her just now had her on edge the whole time.
Even though that intense gaze was gone for the moment, Nan Xu no longer had the mood to keep watching her drama. She switched to music app instead and lay on the sofa listening to songs.
Since she’d taken a nap right after coming home from work, she was fully awake now—awake enough to pick up even the faint sounds coming from the bedroom. From the steady water noise, she guessed Xie Hejing was probably still in the shower.
When the half hour finally passed, she resigned herself, put away the tablet, and headed toward the bedroom.
The soft click of the door hadn’t even faded before a wave of cedar-scented heat wrapped around her.
Her back hit the cold door panel, and only then did Nan Xu open her eyes—just to see Xie Hejing wearing nothing but a low-slung towel.
“Where do you want to ‘discuss’?” he asked. “Here, or on the bed?”
Nan Xu swallowed. “On the bed.”
They were going to end up there anyway, she definitely didn’t want to do anything while standing.
“Alright.” With an easy motion, Xie Hejing scooped her up and slowly carried her toward the bed.
But as he lifted her, he let out a low grunt.
Nan Xu frowned. “What’s wrong? Did I get heavier?”
She hadn’t checked her weight in a while, and with all the good food Xie Hejing kept feeding her every day, she genuinely suspected she might have gained a bit.
“No.”
Xie Hejing shifted her lightly in his arms, bouncing her twice before saying in a teasing tone, “You brushed against me.”
After being entangled with him so many times, Nan Xu instantly knew exactly what he meant.
“You’re so annoying. Why did you have to say it out loud?”
Xie Hejing raised an eyebrow. “Weren’t you the one who asked?”
Nan Xu: “…”
Once again, she felt it was safer if she just kept her mouth shut.
The soft glow of the bedside lamp cast a warm halo around the room. Nan Xu leaned against the headboard, feeling her throat tighten.
Xie Hejing knelt in front of her, his damp black hair still dripping. Beads of water slid down along the strands, tracing a line over his skin before disappearing into the loose edge of his towel.
She had seen him like this before, yet her heart still pounded uncontrollably.
The air held the scent of cedar, mixed with something thick and intoxicating.
He still hadn’t done much—just let his gaze drift over her from time to time, enough to keep her nerves taut and impossible to relax.
In the end, she couldn’t stand the silence and spoke first. “How… how are you planning to…?”
Her fingers trembled slightly where they gripped the bedsheet, and her unfinished question was cut off by his sudden movement.
Xie Hejing lowered his head to bite lightly at her collarbone. His long fingers traced along the heated curve of her waist, then hooked gently at the base of her spine.
“I looked into it before,” he murmured. “Let’s try this position first.”
He reached for a nearby pillow and slid it beneath her.
Nan Xu blinked in surprise. “When did you even research that?”
“Last night when I couldn’t sleep,” Xie Hejing said. Then he paused and added, “And all day today.”
“What were you researching that for?” Nan Xu’s face flushed red.
“To take better care of you.”
The moment Xie Hejing leaned down, Nan Xu gasped. It felt like someone had suddenly switched on a bright light behind her eyes. Her whole body tensed, and her eyes squeezed shut on their own.
Knowing how easily she got embarrassed, Xie Hejing didn’t push her to look at him.
The first time feeling him this close, this unshielded and overwhelming, made her nerves go numb. Shocked, Nan Xu’s eyes flew open—and met Xie Hejing’s dark, intoxicating gaze.
He spoke in a low voice, “Good girl, tighten your legs a little.”
The moment those teasing words slipped out, Nan Xu trembled. Xie Hejing pressed close and let out a soft laugh against her ear.
Trying to suppress the rush inside her, Nan Xu asked, “What are you laughing at?”
“You sure you want to know?” he checked with her first—so she wouldn’t blame him later for saying it out loud.
Sensing it definitely wasn’t anything proper, Nan Xu turned her head away. “Forget it. I don’t want to hear it.”
“Alright.” But just then, Xie Hejing paused, his laughter shifting into a pattern of sharp breaths and low exhales.
The sound was so close—impossible to ignore—that Nan Xu’s curiosity finally broke through. “What’s wrong?”
Once he was certain she wouldn’t scold him for it, Xie Hejing deliberately let out a low hum next to her ear and said, enunciating each word: “You’re… a little too tight.”
But he didn’t stop there. He lowered his voice even further, sounding downright pitiful. “Wife… it actually hurts a little.”
!!!
Nan Xu’s heart hadn’t raced this fast in… she didn’t even know how long.
It raced so wildly that her whole body froze, trembling uncontrollably. And this time, Xie Hejing’s twitch was definitely real.
Her vision blurred to white for a moment, and she only snapped back when she heard Xie Hejing calling “wife” over and over again.
“What… what should I do?” Nan Xu bit her lip.
“Just relax a little,” he coaxed quickly. Her earlier reaction had genuinely startled him. “It’s alright if it hurts, I can handle it.”
It was the first time she’d ever heard Xie Hejing say he was the one who hurt. It made her want to get up immediately and run away to recover for a few days.
But that was obviously impossible.
She didn’t really know what he was feeling; she could only try her best.
“Then… I’ll try to relax.”
A smile tugged at Xie Hejing’s lips. All those times he had told her to relax, she never cooperated—every time she only got more tense.
But now she said it on her own.
His gaze darkened.
So being a little pitiful… playing soft… that was what worked.
Unfortunately for him, controlling himself like this was its own kind of torture.
“Wife,” he murmured again, deliberately lowering his voice, “you care about me that much?”
His breath brushed her ear as he added, “Wouldn’t it be nice… to let me hurt for you?”
His arms were braced on either side of her head, his damp breath brushing over the crown of her hair. Nan Xu could hear every single one of his breaths—each one landing sharply on her already-overstimulated nerves.
She could only gasp for air, trying desperately to ignore everything that was making her tense.
But the harder she tried to ignore it, the clearer those sounds became in her mind.
In her panic, her voice broke into a sob. “I don’t want you to hurt…”
That single sentence truly alarmed Xie Hejing. He immediately pulled her into his arms, not caring about anything else—only thinking about comforting her.
“Don’t cry. I’m not hurt, I was just teasing you.”
But the veins standing out on his forehead and his now-uneven breathing told a completely different story.
Hearing him say it only made Nan Xu cry harder. “That’s impossible. I can hear how bad you sound. And… and I’m hurting too.”
The moment he realized she was in pain as well, Xie Hejing forgot all about desire and tried to slowly withdraw.
But—
“Hss…” Nan Xu sucked in a sharp breath. “I think… that actually hurts more.”
Xie Hejing froze. He could neither move forward nor pull back.
Because this was their first time fully connecting like this, and with Nan Xu’s emotions running high, something that was usually so easy for him had suddenly become incredibly difficult.
Nan Xu could clearly feel how hot he was, and she could see the veins on his forehead—he wasn’t doing well either.
Tentatively, she whispered, “Maybe… maybe you should put it back in?”
What she said was probably the boldest thing Nan Xu had ever uttered in bed. And the moment the words left her mouth, she didn’t even dare look at his reaction—she simply ducked her head and buried herself against his chest.
“No,” Xie Hejing refused immediately. “What if it hurts you more?”
He still remembered her crying just moments ago. It wasn’t the shy, embarrassed kind—she had been genuinely upset.
Nan Xu’s muffled voice came from his arms. “If it hurts, I’ll tell you.”
Unlike him, who could somehow endure to this extent. Honestly, he was such an idiot.
“Just kiss me,” she said, tilting her head up. “Maybe then I can relax.”
She had no idea what was wrong with her tonight. She was even more nervous than before, unable to relax no matter what she did, making both of them miserable.
Xie Hejing slid a hand down to support her, lifting her up slightly.
Then he kissed her—softly at first, his teeth grazing her lips just enough to make her shiver.
“If it hurts, you tell me,” he reminded her.
“Okay…”
He coaxed her lips open, their heated breaths blending together. He caught her lower lip between his teeth and sucked gently, murmuring against her mouth, voice thick with desire, “Why are you so soft…”
Following the rhythm of his kiss, Nan Xu slowly loosened up, her breathing evening out again.
Once he felt her fully relax, Xie Hejing finally let her lips go and eased her back onto the bed.
“Is it better now?”
“Much better.” Nan Xu smiled at him, her eyes curving sweetly.
He leaned down again, but Nan Xu reached out to push him lightly, pointing at the pillow beside them. “Aren’t you going to use that?”
Xie Hejing turned his head. He’d completely forgotten about it. He pulled the pillow over and slipped it back into place, then praised her like she was being very sensible. “Such a good girl. You even remember to remind me.”
Nan Xu looked away in embarrassment. “I just… I just don’t want all that ‘effort’ going to waste, that’s all.”
Xie Hejing raised a brow. “Don’t worry. I can keep ‘putting in effort’ for as long as needed, as long as you can take it.”
If Xie Hejing really went all out and played however he liked, Nan Xu might truly end up moving back to her parents’ house tonight.
Sure enough, the moment she heard him say that, Nan Xu’s whole body trembled, nerves flaring again.
Xie Hejing had to slide a hand under her back, gently patting her in slow, steady motions to calm her down.
“Why are you so sensitive, hmm?”
Nan Xu refused to admit it. “Because the things you say are terrifying.”
“It’s just the truth,” Xie Hejing said casually.
“The truth is still scary.”
At that, Xie Hejing shut his mouth.
But even with the pillow under her, Nan Xu still felt uncomfortable. After a moment, she asked, “Is there… a way to do it without the pillow? My waist gets so tired like this.”
Good girl, walking right into his hands again.
Xie Hejing almost laughed out loud but forced himself to look serious, as if they were having an earnest discussion.
“Mm. There is. Let’s try it.”