You…
“You—”
Only that single word escaped Jiang Ji before the rest dissolved into silence.
His emotions were tangled, hard to sort.
“You what? Hug me.” Ye Li said it as if it were the most reasonable thing in the world.
“….”
That one sentence scattered every thought in Jiang Ji’s mind. What remained was a single, bewildered question.
“Have you no shame?”
“I do. But if I know you dislike me and still don’t take the initiative, when would we ever consummate the marriage?” Ye Li argued, entirely self-assured.
“You’re that eager to consummate it?”
The question slipped out before Jiang Ji could stop it. Ye Li’s temperament had changed—but his attitude toward this matter had changed even more.
“I’m curious,” Ye Li replied frankly. “I once overheard people saying it feels very good. So I want to try.”
It wasn’t entirely untrue.
He was curious.
In his previous life, he had neither the freedom nor the courage to experiment. Now, fate had dropped a handsome husband into his lap—if he didn’t seize the opportunity, what was he waiting for?
“Hurry up. Hug me,” he urged again.
“….”
Speechless, Jiang Ji complied.
He wrapped his arms around the person clinging to him.
As the warmth in his embrace gradually deepened to heat, his mood inexplicably lightened. For all his bold talk, perhaps Ye Li was still shy at heart.
Just as that thought formed, the person in his arms asked, a trace of worry in his voice, “You really know what you’re doing, right?”
“?”
Of course he did.
Though the private school was full of scholars, desire was no stranger to them—many were already married, and such topics were hardly rare in conversation.
And there was Bao Beiyuan—his incorrigible friend—who, upon learning Jiang Ji was to wed, had pressed a stack of illustrated manuals into his hands and urged him to study them well.
He knew.
Determined not to be looked down upon, he kept one arm around Ye Li’s back and, recalling what he had studied, let his other hand move carefully, tentatively.
The first touch drew a soft hiss from Ye Li.
It wasn’t exactly pleasure—Jiang Ji’s technique was still unsteady.
Jiang Ji froze at the sound.
Then, more cautiously this time, he continued.
Caution prevented mistakes. Ye Li’s face had been buried against Jiang Ji’s chest, but as sensation gradually took hold, he shifted slightly, suppressing a grin. When he felt the change in Jiang Ji’s body, he chuckled and let his own hand wander in answer.
This time, Jiang Ji stiffened.
Brazen!
And—
His brows drew together.
Why was Ye Li’s touch so assured?
Like something half-remembered from idle talk among classmates—phrases he had once dismissed without thought—now echoing in his mind.
Pleasure faltered under the weight of suspicion.
Through clenched teeth he muttered, “Why do you have so many… tricks?”
“I practiced on myself,” Ye Li replied honestly.
In his previous life, lacking any real partner, he had accumulated a certain amount of… experience.
Jiang Ji fell silent, at a loss for words.
The beginning of an insult escaped him—“Shame—” but he swallowed the rest.
Yet they were pressed close, breath mingling at each other’s ears. Ye Li heard clearly.
He rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’m shameless. You’re pure. Then why are you reacting?”
With that, he gave a light smack in protest.
Jiang Ji hissed—not from shame, but from the unexpected sting.
He had no retort.
He had spoken rashly first.
Drawing in a steadying breath, he resumed.
But Ye Li dodged him, protesting, “Look at you—upright and dignified. How could you do something so improper?”
Without thinking, Jiang Ji pulled him back firmly.
Whether to silence him, or out of some muddled mix of embarrassment and impulse, he pinned Ye Li’s waist with his legs and cupped his face.
In the dim oil-lamp glow, he leaned down and kissed him.
The moment their lips touched, Ye Li stilled completely, eyes wide.
Relief flickered through Jiang Ji.
It worked.
Another thought followed swiftly: his lips were very soft.
So soft that, recalling the manuals he had studied, Jiang Ji deepened the kiss instinctively.
Ye Li’s lips parted at once, and what followed was hesitant at first, then natural.
Warmth. Breath. The unfamiliar closeness of shared heat.
Ye Li closed his eyes and looped his arms around Jiang Ji’s neck, returning the kiss, savoring it.
Jiang Ji watched his lashes tremble, then shut his own eyes.
The quilt grew warmer, and warmer still.
At last, when breath ran thin and the heat grew unbearable, they broke apart.
Their gazes met—and both turned away almost at once.
“There’s nothing difficult about that,” Ye Li muttered toward the dark beams overhead. “First kiss and you were quite smooth about it.”
Jiang Ji said nothing.
After a moment, he gently turned Ye Li’s face back toward him.
“I spoke poorly before. I apologize.”
Ye Li had been avoiding his eyes—but at those words, he looked at him directly.
That easy?
Good.
Not stubborn at all.
A smile curved across his face, bright and unguarded. “If you apologize, I won’t be angry.”
He tapped Jiang Ji’s nose lightly.
So close. So unreserved.
In Jiang Ji’s eyes, Ye Li was undeniably attractive.
Their gazes held for several breaths before drifting downward.
The rest followed with increasing certainty.
Neither of them lacked theory—but practice was another matter.
At first, Jiang Ji was swept up entirely by sensation and instinct, reckless and unmeasured. It took a sharp protest to bring him back to himself.
Then he slowed. Learned. Adjusted.
Pleasure came fiercely and newness clung to every sensation.
Yet inexperience betrayed him; his timing faltered the first time.
Though nothing was said, a faint flush rose to his face.
The second time, he was deliberate—careful, patient—until even Ye Li’s strength gave out.
When it was finally over, Ye Li gave him a languid shove. “Go. Bring water. I need to wash.”
“There’s no hot water left.”
“Then heat some. It’s uncomfortable.”
Reasonable.
So Jiang Ji dressed, stepped down from the kang, and heated water.
When he returned, however, Ye Li had already fallen asleep.
Hesitating, Jiang Ji dampened a cloth and carefully helped him clean up.
Afterward, he washed himself as well—then stood, frowning faintly.
Should he remain here?
Or return to the east room?
After a long moment—and perhaps recalling too vividly what had just transpired—he cleared his throat and quietly returned to the east room.
They were, in truth, still unfamiliar with each other.
Waking face to face in daylight would be… awkward.
Better to sleep beside Jiang Mai and Jiang Ya.
—
At the first crow of the rooster, Ye Li awoke as usual.
But today there was no crisp clarity.
Everything ached.
Not only the places most recently overused.
He hissed softly and rolled over, listening.
There were sounds outside.
And both sides of him were cold.
So—Jiang Ji had returned to the east room.
Ye Li was neither surprised nor disappointed.
At present, what drew him was physical curiosity, nothing deeper.
After lingering a moment longer, he rose with a wince.
Jiang Ji hadn’t taken wages.
It wouldn’t do to leave all the work to him.
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