Chapter 122: Coaxing

With just that one sentence, Bao Ning could tell it was him.

Bao Ning’s eyelids fluttered and slowly opened. Pei Yuan had rushed back through the night; his eyes were heavily bloodshot, and a dark stubble had sprouted on his chin, making him look incredibly rugged and unkempt.

Bao Ning gazed at him quietly for a moment, reached out to touch his cheek, and asked softly with her eyes closed, “What time is it? Aren’t you supposed to be on patrol in the capital suburbs? Why are you back?”

“It’s noon. I received news on the way that an intruder broke into your room, so I rushed back immediately.”

Pei Yuan answered her very calmly.

He pulled Bao Ning into his embrace, his palm continuously stroking her arm as he said softly, “It’s my fault. The personal guards I left behind weren’t elite enough, and there weren’t enough of them, which allowed you to be frightened like this. What happened just now? Did you have a nightmare? Nanny Liu told me you didn’t eat breakfast—how did you become so lazy? Eat something before you sleep. I’m not leaving; I’ll stay with you.”

He repeated, “Baby, I’m not leaving. I’ll stay with you the whole time.”

Bao Ning felt the burning heat of Pei Yuan’s palm. He apologized incessantly, bowing his head to kiss her eyes.

His tone was more tender than ever before, yet his movements were also more rigid than ever before.

Bao Ning knew his every gesture; she could see through him at a glance. Pei Yuan’s current calm was all a facade. His breathing betrayed him—when he was nervous, he would hold his breath. He must have heard from Wei Meng what Chang Xi said yesterday, and he was afraid.

Otherwise, given his temperament, he wouldn’t be this peaceful and restrained.

He would be kissing her lips, not her eyes.

Bao Ning didn’t speak. She leaned against Pei Yuan’s chest with her eyes closed and listened to his heartbeat; it was very fast.

Last night, just as Chang Xi had expected, his words had stirred up a massive turmoil in her heart.

In her half-asleep state, Bao Ning had been wondering what kind of tone and expression she should use to face Pei Yuan when he returned. Could she still be as natural and close as before? She couldn’t find an answer. But now that Pei Yuan was back and she was leaning in his arms as usual, she was surprised to find that she felt no repulsion or other negative emotions. She was still willing to hold him and kiss him, without any resentment.

Chang Xi said Pei Yuan was a brutal, evil man. He might have been right, but Bao Ning wasn’t afraid at all.

Like a strange kind of confidence, Bao Ning just knew for certain that Pei Yuan would not hurt her.

Even if she hadn’t consciously thought about it, through the small details of their life, she must have understood what kind of person Pei Yuan was and had long ago accepted it. They had been together for so long and experienced so many things; this trust and mutual understanding shouldn’t be broken by a few flimsy sentences from an outsider revealing so-called secrets.

She wasn’t a fool; why would she think Pei Yuan was a piece of pure, flawless white jade? She had never had such expectations of him. Perhaps she had resisted at the very beginning, but gradually, that resistance had melted away.

She loved Pei Yuan and was willing to live with him not because of how kind or perfect he was, but simply because he was the right person—someone who could understand her and stay by her side, walking through the darkness, traveling day and night, through wind and rain in the same boat. As for how he treated others, Bao Ning thought she was selfish; what did it matter to her how Feng Yongjia and Xu Guang died? It was enough that Pei Yuan treated her well.

She had always been like this, never wanting to be a Bodhisattva saving all living beings. Her love was only a small amount, just enough to share between her family and herself.

But Pei Yuan didn’t seem to know that.

His palms were already seeping with sweat.

Pei Yuan unconsciously held Bao Ning even tighter. His heart was panicking so much that he could only distract himself by talking continuously.

He swallowed hard, forced a small smile, and told her, “Baby, when I came back this morning and walked past West Street, I saw that dumpling shop again. The one I mentioned to you last time, remember? I saw two stray cats in front of the shop and thought they were so cute. I thought I should take you there to bring them some food. Also, I saw many beggars at the city gate, probably refugees from the south; I had Chen Jia give them some money. And during the patrol, I happened to find a wild goose nest in a corner of the city tower. A few new recruits were gathered there wanting to take the eggs, but I scolded them…”

“Birds are so likable; I like birds very much. Your sheep and dogs—I like them all too.” Pei Yuan pressed his forehead against Bao Ning’s and asked her, “Baby, actually, I have a soft heart deep down too, right? People can change, and I will change too.”

Pei Yuan didn’t dare mention the incident from last night directly. He was afraid of seeing a look of loathing in Bao Ning’s eyes, but he was also afraid not to mention it. Right now, he only wanted to tell Bao Ning that he wasn’t someone with extreme, brutal, and unpardonable methods. He wanted to pretend as he did before, as if nothing had happened.

But after saying those words, Pei Yuan regretted it; his intent seemed too obvious.

He didn’t dare look into Bao Ning’s eyes, nor did he dare wait for her answer. He gently lifted her and placed her on the quilt, reached into his chest to pull something out, and said, “I saw the wildflowers by the road were blooming beautifully when I came back. I picked a bouquet for you.”

Bao Ning sat with her knees hugged to her chest, watching him quietly.

His armor was too hard, and the road was bumpy; the flowers had already been crushed into a mess of mud. An expression of frustration appeared on Pei Yuan’s face.

Bao Ning laughed softly.

Pei Yuan gazed at her face, momentarily lost in thought. A thousand ideas popped into his head, but for a moment, he couldn’t distinguish truth from falsehood. Was she not angry? Did she not feel disgust? Or was there a deep meaning hidden beneath that smile—what was she thinking? She had put on a good show for Chang Xi last night; was she putting on a show for him now, trying to fool him before finding a way to get a divorce?

Pei Yuan suddenly remembered that Bao Ning still had that damned divorce letter in her possession!

With a flick of his hand, he threw the mangled bouquet onto the floor, his lips curving slightly as he comforted her: “Baby, you’re already hungry, aren’t you? I’ll go call Nanny Liu to bring lunch.”

With that, Pei Yuan started to walk out. His steps were hurried as he thought about where that divorce letter might be hidden; it should still be in the main house, and he had to find it and tear it to shreds immediately!

Bao Ning called out to him, “You’re still wearing dirty clothes, where are you running off to? Come back here.”

In an instant, Pei Yuan had reached the door. Hearing the words behind him, his footsteps paused for a second. Just as he was debating whether to defy Bao Ning’s command, he heard another sentence.

“Although I don’t care about what you’ve done in the past, in the future… still, don’t do things like that anymore.”

Pei Yuan didn’t react for a moment, standing there blankly.

Bao Ning put on her shoes and slowly walked up behind him, saying with a smile, “Aren’t you a big man who’s always so majestic? Why were your thoughts so delicate and sensitive like a young girl’s just now? I haven’t even said a word, yet your mind has twisted and turned a hundred times. What were you thinking—were you afraid I was going to report you to the officials?”

Pei Yuan’s heart thudded. He took a deep breath, turned around to press his hands on Bao Ning’s shoulders, and asked softly, “You don’t care?”

Bao Ning asked him back, “Do you know why I like raising dogs?”

Pei Yuan shook his head.

Bao Ning said, “Because dogs protect their food, and I protect my own. “

After a long silence, Pei Yuan let out a sigh of relief as if all his strength had left him. He stepped forward and held Bao Ning tightly, burying his head in the crook of her neck, murmuring, “You scared me to death…”

Bao Ning said, “Don’t do things like that again in the future.”

“I won’t,” Pei Yuan said as he leaned down to hook his arms under her knees, carrying Bao Ning back to the bedside. He took off her shoes and tucked her into the quilt. “It’s time for you to eat.”

His lips were very dry as he pressed them gently against Bao Ning’s forehead for a moment. “Sit here and wait for me to come back.”

Bao Ning watched him hurry out, still forgetting to take off his armor, covered in the dust of travel. A short while later, he came back in carrying a tray of food. It was very light, with a hard-boiled egg that hadn’t been peeled yet.

Pei Yuan placed the small table in front of her and laid out the dishes one by one, but he didn’t give her chopsticks.

“I’ve already washed my hands; they aren’t dirty.” Pei Yuan spread his fingers and waved them in front of Bao Ning, then cracked the eggshell and peeled it in a few strokes. The smooth egg slid from the rim of the bowl to the bottom. Holding the bowl, he scooped a spoonful of porridge, tested the temperature against his lips, and brought it to Bao Ning’s lips. “Open up.”

He started playing the game they used to play: “The supply carriage has arrived at the city gate. General, please open the gate and let it through!”

Bao Ning obediently opened her mouth. Pei Yuan fed her a bit of a side dish and scooped another spoonful.

When some porridge stuck to her lip, he didn’t wait for her to speak before taking a handkerchief and wiping it clean himself. He didn’t stop until Bao Ning said she’d had enough. He took the dishes away and brought in a bowl of soup, tirelessly feeding her spoonful by spoonful, acting with extreme care as if trying to arrange everything perfectly.

Bao Ning wasn’t used to this side of Pei Yuan, but she saw the unease in his heart. If this made him feel at peace, she would let him be.

After the meal, Pei Yuan went to the kitchen to grab a few hurried bites himself and immediately ducked back into the room. Bao Ning told him to go take a bath; at first he refused, only agreeing after much stalling on the condition that Bao Ning sit in the bathroom with him. Bao Ning helplessly agreed. It was the first time she had seen Pei Yuan bathe; she felt a bit awkward at first, but later got used to it. It was a body she was familiar with anyway, and after watching for a while, she even felt a bit bored.

Pei Yuan didn’t use a tub; he stripped naked and scooped water to splash over himself, his entire body exposed before Bao Ning’s eyes.

He intentionally kept his chest and abdomen toward her, letting the water flow over them to show off his bulging muscles, but in the warm steam, Bao Ning was actually starting to fall asleep.

Pei Yuan frustratedly threw the water ladle back into the bucket, wiped himself dry in a few strokes, and silently picked Bao Ning up to carry her back into the room.

Bao Ning woke with a start. Sensing Pei Yuan’s intent, she hurriedly used her hands to push against his chest. “That’s enough, that’s enough. You haven’t stopped fussing. Have you had enough of your tantrum? General Wei is still waiting for you. Where is Chang Xi?”

Pei Yuan placed her on the bed and pushed the bedding to one side, answering in the middle of his task, “He should be hanging from the roof rafters.”

Bao Ning said, “I think you should go see him now.”

“No rush.” At the mention of Chang Xi, a trace of ruthlessness flashed in Pei Yuan’s eyes, but it was quickly replaced by desire. He closed his eyes, leaned down to gently take Bao Ning’s lips in his, and coaxed her, “My heart is panicking so much right now. Stay with me a while so I can feel better; otherwise, my ‘poison’ is going to flare up again.”

Sansukini: This is a great development in the relationship. 100% TRUST!

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