Mistaken Husband After Blindness

The voice was extremely gentle, like a jade dropping into a mirror-like lake or a stone falling into a deep pool, warm and smooth with a hint of casualness.

Si, who had been half-asleep, suddenly opened her eyes.

"My husband, why is it you?"

"If you didn’t know it was me, why did you invite me to share your bed?"

Yan Shuheng picked up a strand of her loose hair, twirling it around his fingers. "Could it be that the man you wished to share a bed with isn’t me?"

Here he goes again, the jealous one.

If she kept refusing, he would start doubting the sincerity of her feelings for him. Si had no choice but to say, "This bed is narrow, even more fragile than the one in the mountain cottage. Please don’t break it, husband."

She brought this up to dissuade him.

Back in the mountains, Si and Jiang Hui had once shared a bed—on their wedding night.

After drinking the ceremonial wine, the two sat silently on the edge of the bed. After a long while, Si spoke first, tactfully saying, "Husband, tonight is supposed to be our wedding night, but I can’t see right now..."

Jiang Hui replied indifferently, "It’s fine."

This "it’s fine" left Si unsure whether he intended to consummate the marriage. Just as she was about to find a reasonable excuse to delay, Jiang Hui added, "You’re still blind. Let’s wait until I take you back to our hometown before we discuss anything else."

Si breathed a sigh of relief.

That night, out of respect for their wedding night, Jiang Hui didn’t leave. They shared the bed, but neither of them slept.

The second night, they slept together again, but a small accident occurred. As Si returned to the bed, she tripped and nearly fell. In that moment, Jiang Hui reacted swiftly.

His strong arms caught her, and they both fell onto the bed.

Si turned her head, and her lips brushed against his cheek.

Jiang Hui suddenly tightened his grip, quickly propping himself up to avoid being too close to her. He was about to roll off her when, with a sudden movement, the bed let out a loud creak and...

collapsed.

To make matters worse, Jiang Hui hadn’t yet moved away from her, and they collided heavily.

The next day, Si’s back ached terribly.

After that, Jiang Hui claimed he was too heavy and feared breaking the bed again, so one slept on the bed while the other slept on the floor.

Logically, this wasn’t their first time sharing a bed, and they were more familiar with each other now than on their wedding night. But this bed was pitifully small. Even lying still, his cool, refreshing scent surrounded her.

Earlier, Zhuyuan had read her some romantic tales, which made Si even more self-conscious. It felt as if at any moment, he might lean closer, like in those stories where lovers "entwined their necks and lost themselves in passion."

Si grew increasingly uncomfortable.

They needed to find something to do.

Something proper.

She propped herself up. "Husband, I really like your voice. Could you talk to me?"

Yan Shuheng, unsure what this little fox was up to, twirled her hair around his finger.

"What would you like me to say, my lady? Or perhaps...

"What would you like me to do?"

Si blushed. To prevent her husband from getting any ideas, she grabbed his wrist. "Zhuyuan brought over some storybooks. Since I can’t see, could you read them to me?"

"Fine, but only for half an hour."

Yan Shuheng got up from the bed and, following Si’s instructions, fetched a book.

It was a story about a fox spirit and a scholar.

He read a page, then glanced at Si, who was sitting on the bed with her knees drawn up, listening intently, her long hair cascading over her shoulders. Yan Shuheng suddenly felt the story was quite fitting—wasn’t the little fox pestering him to read just like the one in the book?

In the story, the fox spirit went to great lengths to seduce the scholar, just as this little fox kept hinting at their own romantic past.

The tale was about a scholar who was actually a celestial being sent to the mortal world to endure trials. He was poor and had a fiancée, but she was materialistic. Seeing the scholar’s poverty, she hesitated but couldn’t break off the engagement due to her parents’ insistence on keeping their word.

At her wit’s end, she encountered a fox spirit. The fox spirit used magic to swap faces with the woman and helped her win the favor of a wealthy young man. In exchange, the woman had to tell the fox spirit about the scholar’s personality and preferences so she could impersonate her and get close to him.

And so the story began.

Si listened intently, tilting her head up to ask, "Why do you think the fox spirit pretended to be the scholar’s fiancée?"

Yan Shuheng didn’t answer, instead looking down into her unfocused eyes.

He remained silent, just gazing at her.

The candlelight reflected in her charming eyes, giving her sightless gaze a glimmer of life.

It was as if she had regained her vision and was using the story to test him.

Yan Shuheng explained gently, "Perhaps the fox spirit was playful, or perhaps she had other motives."

Si wasn’t entirely convinced. "What could she possibly want? Probably the scholar’s vitality. But according to these stories, the fox spirit and the scholar are bound to fall in love. Would she regret it then? Once she fell in love, what would she do? Would she have to keep pretending to be his fiancée forever?"

Yan Shuheng shifted his gaze from the book to Si’s slightly trembling hair. "Why are you so sure the fox spirit would fall in love first? What if the scholar fell for her and willingly let himself be deceived?"

Si had never been in love before, but she believed love wasn’t as pure as people made it out to be.

At its core, it was still about human desires.

Whoever fell in love first would lose control.

"Then keep reading. I want to know who falls in love first."

Yan Shuheng read a few more passages. The story didn’t specify who fell in love first, only describing how "under the moonlight, their lips met, and their hearts trembled as one."

He abruptly closed the book.

The only sound in the cabin was the ship cutting through the waves.

Thankfully, the sound of the river acted as a veil, masking the subtle tension the story had stirred.

Yan Shuheng’s voice was calm and composed. "It’s late. Let’s stop here and get some rest."

Si, pretending to be unaffected, yawned. "I’m tired."

Yan Shuheng smiled. "Good, you’re tired."

That way, she wouldn’t have the energy to think about anything inappropriate.

Si lay down, but her ears were still attuned to his movements.

The young man sat quietly by the bed, motionless and silent, lost in thought.

It seemed she wasn’t the only one feeling shy.

Si comforted herself with this thought, but her mind kept replaying the way his alluring voice had read that suggestive line. It was like ink spreading across her mind, a few simple strokes painting a picture that stirred her heart.

She unconsciously reached up to touch her lips.

The man by the bed shifted, then lay down. They lay back-to-back, each on their own side of the bed.

The initial awkwardness was soon overcome by drowsiness, and Si quickly drifted into a half-asleep state. In her dream, she was descending a flight of stairs when suddenly she missed a step. Startled, she woke up and clung tightly to whatever was within reach. "Is it an earthquake?!"

The young man she was clinging to gently reassured her, "Don’t be afraid. The ship is just docking for supplies."

Si awkwardly moved her limbs away from him.

"So soon? I thought you said we wouldn’t reach the next port until dawn."

Yan Shuheng smiled. "We’ve changed course to Wuling."

Si had heard of this place and couldn’t help but feel excited. "When we were in Licheng, the neighbor’s aunt was from Wuling. She said the fish there is famous, and the local cuisine is varied."

"Would you like to try it?" Yan Shuheng turned to face her, resting his head on his hand as he studied her in the dim candlelight.

Si didn’t want to cause any trouble, so she suppressed her craving. "I’d like to, but it’s not a must. You have official business to attend to. We should hurry."

Yan Shuheng chuckled. "My work won’t be affected by a day or two. Since you can’t see the scenery, shouldn’t you at least indulge your appetite? Otherwise, life would be dull."

His tone was as casual as ever, but Si felt he was more tender now than ever before. She forgot her shyness and hugged his arm. "Husband, you’re so good to me."

The young man laughed softly. "Words alone aren’t enough."

Was he hinting that she should give him something more tangible?

Si thought for a moment. Coincidentally, she had a lingering question, and now seemed like a good time to satisfy her curiosity.

The question was about the storybook. Zhuyuan was too shy to read the intimate parts, and her husband had also stopped abruptly at those moments.

Surely, the parts they skipped were the romantic ones.

The book described those moments as utterly intoxicating, leaving Si itching with curiosity.

A little taste wouldn’t hurt, would it?

She tentatively asked, "Husband, you’ve read the later pages of that book, haven’t you?"

Yan Shuheng’s mind flashed with the suggestive words he’d seen. He frowned slightly and said softly, "Yes, I’ve read them."

Si propped herself up on one elbow. "What did you think?"

Yan Shuheng lazily raised his eyes.

Was she referring to the fox spirit deceiving the scholar?

Or was she testing him?

Or perhaps, hinting that it was time for him to fulfill his duties as a husband.

He gave an ambiguous response: "The seven emotions and six desires—greed, anger, obsession, and hatred—are all part of human nature."

Human nature, huh?

Si tilted her head slightly. It was a rather lofty statement, providing a dignified excuse for her curiosity and his suppressed yet shameful desires. She pursed her lips and said, "Could you sit up? Sit in front of me."

Yan Shuheng complied, sitting up with a casual yet elegant posture, as if engaged in a refined philosophical discussion.

Si placed one hand on his shoulder for support, while the other hand reached up to his temple, tracing a path downward.

An invisible ripple spread across the skin where they touched. Yan Shuheng's lashes lifted slightly, and he gazed quietly at Si, who was kneeling half a head taller than him.

Her fingertips moved with a hint of ambiguity, pausing to pinch the bridge of his high nose before finally settling on his brow.

Si didn't shield her eyes, and the thoughts and hesitations within them were fully visible to Yan Shuheng.

He watched her like a predator eyeing its restless prey, his hands resting lightly on his knees, fingers tapping gently.

Was it the fox spirit story that had reignited her suspicions?

Si continued to focus on tracing his face, while Yan Shuheng's hand moved tenderly to her hair, his palm sliding down to cradle the back of her head. His thumb stroked her silken strands, as if soothing a cat.

When Si finished her exploration, she swallowed nervously, her hands cupping his face, her fingertips trembling slightly.

"My husband, I..."

She was still timid, as if she were a naive young girl. If this were their first meeting, Yan Shuheng might have been fooled.

Fortunately, he already knew that behind this seemingly innocent rabbit-like woman hid the tail of a fox.

He asked softly, "What is it?"

Si didn't answer, but her hands tightened slightly on his cheeks.

His hand at the back of her head also tightened in response.

Their shadows, cast by the candlelight onto the boat's wall, looked like a rabbit wandering cautiously into a wolf's den, half-doubting and half-trusting, while the cunning wolf hid its fangs, following closely in a protective stance.

Suddenly, the slender shadow moved.

Yan Shuheng's long lashes lifted, and the image of Si in his eyes grew larger.

She had leaned in closer.

Her lips brushed against his moist ones.