Night had fallen, and as usual, Lin Guiming had laid out a straw mat in He Wanying’s room, preparing to sleep.
He Wanying had spent the entire day cultivating intensely and was utterly exhausted.
The moment she lay down, she began to drift into sleep.
Just then, a shadow appeared outside the room.
Mother He tiptoed toward the door, peering inside through the crack.
She found it quite strange.
Logically, a young man and woman sleeping together—especially as an engaged couple—there should be some intimacy, right?
Could it be that her unofficial disciple wasn’t up to the task?
Or was something else amiss?
That was exactly why she had deliberately arranged that little scene before dinner—to heighten the ambiguous atmosphere between the two.
Ever since that Great General had visited, Mother He felt a growing sense of urgency.
If Lin Guiming couldn’t be won over, Wanying might be forced to marry into the Qianming Sect…
So she resolved to create a situation tonight, giving Wanying a day off tomorrow.
Peeking through the door crack, there was indeed no sound inside.
Even with her intervention tonight, her precious daughter was still disappointingly uncooperative.
Mother He furrowed her brow and opened her eyes wide, scrutinizing the scene inside—and then froze.
She saw Lin Guiming sleeping on the straw mat he himself had laid.
Creak—!
The sudden sound of the door opening startled both about-to-sleep occupants.
Mother He stood there, hands on her hips, pointing at He Wanying like a village aunt scolding a naughty child.
“You little fool! How did I teach you before? How can you let your husband sleep on the floor?!”
“I…” He Wanying panicked immediately, her expression a mixture of grievance and innocence.
“Mother, it’s not like that, I…”
“Madam He, I insisted on sleeping on the straw mat myself. It has nothing to do with Wanying.”
At that moment, Lin Guiming stepped forward to defuse the situation.
He Wanying nodded repeatedly in agreement, pouting slightly and looking even more pitiful.
Mother He glanced at Lin Guiming, then back at He Wanying, and sighed deeply.
“Guiming, you can’t spoil this girl too much. She’s quite foolish—if you don’t remind her for a few days, she’ll act silly. When you marry in the future, you have to discipline her properly; otherwise, she’ll surely cause trouble!”
“Uh…” Lin Guiming twitched at the corner of his mouth. “But, madam, I really wanted to sleep on the floor.”
“Enough, Guiming, no more pleading. She’s yours now, so I won’t say anything further. But as husband and wife, you should share a bed, love each other. Tonight, no matter what you say, you have to sleep together!”
“Um…” Lin Guiming found himself in a bind.
He looked at He Wanying, whose face was filled with innocence and a hint of shyness.
“Why aren’t you helping take the mat away? What are you sitting there for?”
Mother He’s words made Wanying shiver all over.
It had been a long time since she’d seen her mother this angry.
“Mother, don’t be mad. It’s Wanying’s fault… I’ll clean up right away!” She hurriedly got out of bed without changing and started tidying the room.
Seeing this, Mother He’s expression softened somewhat.
She turned to Lin Guiming, saying, “Alright, Guiming, you go to bed first.”
“…Okay.” Lin Guiming held back a sigh and uttered only that one word.
A moment later, after He Wanying finished tidying, Mother He personally watched her crawl under the covers before giving them both a final warning, glancing back several times as she left.
Before she departed, she didn’t forget to give He Wanying a look filled with unspoken meaning.
“…” He Wanying stared at her mother’s expression, her own feelings complicated.
Her mother had taught her all those things before; she wasn’t completely ignorant… At least, she understood how to cooperate.
But…
It wasn’t that she rejected Lin Guiming as a husband.
After all, it was her own choice, and this senior disciple of hers did treat her well.
Still…
He Wanying just felt that she shouldn’t give herself to someone so easily.
She couldn’t explain why; it was simply a feeling—as if some distant voice from the far horizon was quietly warning her.
Outside, all was quiet.
It was safe to assume Mother He had left—she wouldn’t want her presence to interfere with the two of them.
“I’ll go set the mat back up,” Lin Guiming said as he prepared to get up.
“Senior Brother—” Just as he was about to climb down, He Wanying suddenly grabbed him.
Her expression was conflicted, but she said, “No need. Let’s just leave it like this…”
No matter what, her mother was right.
Letting her husband sleep on the floor was truly too much.