Ziyue gritted her teeth in pain. Sure enough, one had to pay the price for the lie they told.
She knew Muchen was beating himself up. She had voluntarily shielded Shichu then, and Muchen didn't deliberately hit her. Hence, she didn't want Muchen to see her bruise.
The pain faded instantly when Muchen retracted his finger. At the same time, Ziyue quickly grabbed the blanket and covered her body before staring at Muchen alertly.
Muchen wasn't bothered by her reaction and only spoke up after remaining silent.
"Is it very painful?" He asked difficultly in a soft voice.
"Not really if you don't touch it…" Ziyue mumbled.
Muchen cast his eyes down to hide the emotions in them. Then, he turned to take the ointment he had put at the side and stood beside the bed.
Ziyue's whole body was covered by the blanket, exposing only her head in the air as she stared at Muchen with alluring eyes.
Muchen lifted his hand slightly but pulled it back quickly.
He lifted his eyes to look at Ziyue with a calm countenance. "Lift the blanket so I can apply ointment for you."
"It's… I can do it myself."
Initially, Ziyue wanted to tell him she was okay, but the bruise hurt. Besides, if she refused him, Muchen wouldn't leave her alone.
"Let me help you." Muchen said firmly with an earnest look.
Ziyue couldn't bring herself to reject Muchen again, so she bit her lips and pulled the blanket down slightly to expose the bruise. Then, she turned her head away to avoid Muchen's gaze.
The latter sat down by the bed and gulped at the sight of her tender skin. However, when Muchen saw the bruise, he frowned and dismissed his distracting thoughts.
There was a cold sensation on her skin. She instinctively looked at Muchen when she felt him massage her bruise with his slightly calloused fingers. His eyes were downcast but focused.
Ziyue continued staring at him for a few seconds until the man lifted his head to look into her eyes and croaked, "Stop staring at me."
Ziyue was tongue-tied. What's wrong with me staring at you?
After that, she could feel her body tense up when Muchen applied more pressure on the bruise.
Having a sudden realization, Ziyue closed her eyes. However, she became more sensitive after closing her eyes.
Muchen exerted slight force against her skin, which made her feel a slight of tingling sensation besides the mild pain. Before she realized it, goosebumps popped on her skin and her heartbeat accelerated.
Finally, Muchen's finger left after a slight pause.
Ziyue was relieved. As she was about to open her eyes, warm breath gushed at her face. She opened her eyes to see Muchen's handsome face right before hers.
Closing his eyes, he pressed his lips against Ziyue's. The kiss was so gentle and heartfelt that Ziyue couldn't bear to push him away.
As Muchen kissed her more fervently, he placed one arm on the bed to support his body so that he wouldn't fall on her and held the back of her head with the other hand.
When Ziyue reached out her hand to hug Muchen, the latter suddenly lifted his body and stopped kissing her.
Panting softly, he pecked Ziyue's lips when he saw her confused yet charming look. "You looked amazing today." He hummed.
Ziyue was perplexed at the sudden praise while Muchen continued kissing her. "Many men couldn't take their eyes off you." He croaked with a subtle tinge of displeasure in his tone.
"You… Mm…" Ziyue was stunned. Before she could raise her question, Muchen sealed her lips again with his.
Women can't take their eyes off you whenever you go out, too. Should I stop you from heading out, then? Ziyue thought to herself in a daze.
Their relationship had been lukewarm during this period, and they weren't intimate. Nevertheless, Muchen's kiss became the right trigger that night. Moreover, it happened at the perfect place and time, so the subsequent action happened naturally.
…
The next morning, Muchen could sense something crawling on his chin while he was still asleep. Awakened by the tingling sensation, he opened his eyes to see Zixi lying beside him on the bed and brushing his chin.
Seeing that Muchen was awake, Zixi was startled for a second before he pulled his hand back quickly and muttered softly, "Daddy."
Only then did Muchen recall Zixi slept in the nursery last night. He pinched the toddler's cheek and asked, "How did you come here?"
Zixi answered with a blurred look. "I walked here."
Muchen nodded at the childish response and didn't ask further questions.
It seems like our worry is unnecessary. Zixi has strong adaptability. It was his first time sleeping alone in the room, yet he didn't throw a tantrum after waking up and could even come and find us.
While Muchen was pondering it, Zixi rubbed Muchen's chin again and prattled, "Daddy, prickly… here…"
"It's called a beard." Muchen explained softly.
A stubble had grown overnight. Zixi's hands were tender, so he could feel the stinging sensation when he touched the stubble.
"Beard." Zixi nodded and repeated after Muchen.
He was at the age of learning to speak, so he would subconsciously repeat after someone when he heard the person seriously saying some words.
"Not so loud. Mommy is still sleeping; let's not wake her up. Go back to your room first. Daddy will come and help you brush your teeth later." Muchen uttered slowly in a soft tone.
Zixi paused for a while and only nodded a few seconds later. Nonetheless, he still looked confused as he couldn't understand the instruction completely.
Muchen didn't bother to explain himself further and said, "Alright, get going."
"Okay. I'm going back…" Zixi mumbled and trotted away.
Muchen could hear Zixi's uneven footsteps as he scurried back to his room.
He turned to look at Ziyue, fast asleep in his arms. He kissed her forehead gently before carefully pulling his arm out and swiftly leaving the bed.
He knew Ziyue was exhausted from last night. He put on his shirt and went to Zixi's room without bothering to shower.
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