Su Liumeng seemed a little guilty, subconsciously glancing out at the dark night.
The environment was pitch black, and no one knew what she might have seen.
“Miss.”
“Why is there a noise inside the room?”
“Has something happened?”
The moonlight cast only a faint glow, still leaving Su Liumeng’s slender shadow on the floor.
Thinking about what she was doing with me, I gently pushed her toward the sides of the door, my voice trembling as I changed tone.
“There’s nothing going on inside. It must have been a stray kitten that just climbed out through the window.”
“Go look around in the grass, don’t let any cats disturb my rest again.”
Su Liumeng looked at the little hand covering her mouth; the girl’s frightened expression caught her eye.
The sweet scent lingered near her nostrils — the unique fragrance of a young maiden, drawing her into repeated intoxication with no escape.
“Chunqiao is one of us. It’s okay if she knows.”
“No, walls have ears. She’s just an ordinary person; how can she keep a secret?” I peeked through the crack of the door.
Chunqiao, who had been keeping watch outside, was already pushed farther away by me.
Without needing to hide my voice anymore, I whispered near her ear, “Maybe you should go back.”
“I’m afraid if others in the Su family find out, they’ll say I’m restless before marriage, seducing you, the Su family’s eldest daughter, making you distracted and sneaking out in the middle of the night to meet secretly.”
Su Liumeng knew what I was worrying about and pulled me into her embrace to comfort me.
“Don’t be afraid. No one will know about this.”
“The heavens know, the earth knows, you know, and I know.”
If not for my soft, delicate gaze, which was utterly harmless, Su Liumeng would have been pierced a hundred times under my deadly stare.
“Why exactly did you come to see me tonight?” I looked again through the door crack, lowering my voice.
“At least let’s keep up appearances. The official rules must be followed. Are you really planning to ignore everything?”
“Besides, it’s only three days. What’s so hard to endure?”
In the last three days before marriage, the two sides were strictly forbidden from meeting secretly.
“I missed you… so I came to see you,” Su Liumeng’s voice sounded a little wronged. “Don’t you miss me?”
Hearing that, my tone softened a hundredfold, and I tiptoed to plant a kiss on her cheek. “I miss you too when I see you.”
Su Liumeng was the easiest to soothe; just one kiss and all her little tantrums vanished.
I continued, “I just… don’t want others gossiping about you.”
“Look, it’s so late, and I still can’t sleep. Isn’t that the best proof?”
Sure enough, hearing my obvious favoritism, Su Liumeng immediately brightened, touching the wet spot on her cheek and giggling foolishly in the dark.
Those were the soft, fragrant lips of a young girl.
Su Liumeng had come all this way, obviously not easily satisfied.
Seeing her head slowly lower, panic surged in my heart.
My small hand pressed between us, trying to block what she was about to do.
“You’ve kissed me already, and I’ve told you everything. Now go back quickly.”
“If you stay any longer, Chunqiao will be back.”
“No~ just one more kiss.” Su Liumeng’s eyes pleaded pitifully like an abandoned kitten. “One more kiss, then I’ll leave…”
They say I’m clingy by nature, but I think Su Liumeng is just as bad.
My little body surely couldn’t push her away, and I couldn’t resist her insistence.
I relented.
Forget it, let her have her way.
Su Liumeng stared at the young girl before her, watching her trembling eyelashes flutter like an angel’s wings.
Every movement could touch one’s soul with holiness, even her crystal-clear eyes gleaming increasingly bright in the dark.
She was an angel suspended beneath the bright moon, falling to the mortal realm for only her.
I slowly closed my eyes.
This was undoubtedly the best way to give tacit consent, allowing Su Liumeng to lose all restraint and greedily savor the strawberry-like sweetness below.
The cool air in the room gradually settled but couldn’t compare to the girl’s burning skin.
The entangled feelings melted together like the brushing of clothes in the night, the cold moonlight radiating its beauty.
Two shadows merged, and the smaller figure was gradually retreating.
Just as the heated palm traced the cool edge of the clothes, seemingly trying to advance further, a mournful sound emerged from deep within the throat, clear in the darkness.
It wasn’t pain.
More like an uncontrollable, soft moan.
“Miss.”
“Are you… all right?”
Chunqiao stood hesitantly outside the door, uncertain whether to enter.
My lips and teeth no longer belonged to me.
From where I stood, I could see a figure outside trembling, about to push the door open.
I whimpered softly, wanting to respond immediately.
Su Liumeng apparently wasn’t going to let me off so easily.
Her hand grew bolder, already grasping the most sensitive spot firmly.
“Miss?” Chunqiao called again.
She was anxious, worried that her lady might be in trouble.
At this critical point before the wedding, if anything happened, all the servants would be doomed.
Chunqiao raised her hand, ready to push the door open.
My neat dress was already in disarray, a large area exposed to the air.
Su Liumeng knew not to go too far and slowly retreated a little.
Finally, I could breathe.
Talking while gasping sounded strange.
“Chunqiao, I’m fine… you don’t need to come in.” My hoarse voice trembled slightly as I forced out the words.
“I was bored tonight and just practicing.”
Seeing that her lady was still practicing, Chunqiao lowered her hand again. “Miss, please rest early. I won’t disturb your practice.”
So strange.
Why did her lady’s voice sound so odd?
Like she’d just finished some intense exercise.
Does practice have to be so grueling?
Hearing the footsteps retreating, my ears flushed bright red.
I glared fiercely at Su Liumeng. “Satisfied now?”
This time, I was close to tears.
Doing this kind of thing in front of my own maidservant, almost being caught.
I was the most nervous person.
Raised by the Su family, I wasn’t that different from the others deep down.
I had a conservative nature and adhered strictly to traditions.
Such rebellious, taboo-breaking, and wildly daring actions made my heart race uncontrollably.
Even now, I hadn’t calmed down.
A voice echoed in my mind.
Shouting, screaming.
If… if the rest of the Su family found out what Su Liumeng and I were doing —
What would happen?
The small girl in the dark, her beautiful dress in disarray, her enticing face stained with tear marks, bit her swollen lips tightly to suppress the tears about to burst forth.
Su Liumeng was so scolded she dared not speak, lowering her head like a child who had done something wrong.
Seeing her like this, I felt a bit bad.
Su Liumeng wasn’t doing it intentionally.
After all, this was partly due to my indulgence.
I took a deep breath and slowly embraced her, softening my voice.
“You haven’t done anything wrong. You just missed me too much.”
“It’s me… being too sensitive.”
Su Liumeng placed a deep kiss on my forehead.
The topic stalled, broken by me speaking again.
“How did you get out?” I lowered my gaze slightly, staring at the floor where only two blurry shadows intertwined.
“Didn’t get caught, right?” I added softly.
Su Liumeng chuckled, clearly nervous. “Don’t worry, no one will know… Besides, I’m the one inheriting the position of Grand Elder. Who dares to interfere with me?”
I tapped her lightly, hinting it wasn’t that simple. “Nobody’s taught you anything these days?”
Since coming to this manor, a woman who resembled an ancient nanny had been whispering in my ear about the rules I needed to follow.
The prohibition on seeing each other before marriage was the most emphasized.
Luckily, there was no cruel punishment like in dramas, or else I would have been driven mad by rules about how to walk.
I wasn’t someone who didn’t understand aristocratic etiquette.
But I wasn’t so strict that even my every step had to be perfect.
Hearing my grumbling, Su Liumeng knew exactly what I was doing: secretly tattling on her, telling her someone had upset her darling.
When I finished, I looked up and fixed her with a gaze.
“Actually—” Su Liumeng paused, “I’m the one who brought her.”
Hearing her short breath, I almost bit her.
“The reason I called her wasn’t to teach you the rules.”
“You see—” Su Liumeng answered patiently, “You need to know the details and procedures of marriage, right? You’ve never married before, so you probably don’t understand. You can’t be completely clueless about what happens when and what to pay attention to.”
“Marriage happens only once in a lifetime.”
“Of course, baby wouldn’t want anything to go wrong.”
I counted on my fingers, lowering my voice, “But she told me to get up at eight tomorrow morning to listen to her teachings so early.”
As long as it wasn’t some ridiculous correction of walking posture, I could accept most things.
But making me get up early — that struck another nerve.
“There are just over two days left.”
“The marriage process is quite complicated. Xinxin, are you sure you can remember all that in two and a half days?”
I paused silently before giving up the struggle.
“Fine, I won’t tattle.”
“Marriage is a big deal in life; I have to try a little.”
Su Liumeng kissed my forehead again. “Well done.”
I rolled my eyes at her way of praising a child.
“Don’t learn everything.”
“That’s what my baby taught me. If she sees you, she might get even angrier.” My voice was low, and Su Liumeng didn’t quite catch it, just saying “Hmm?”
Then I forced a somewhat bright smile. “You still haven’t answered my question: Has nobody taught you these things?”