The Runaway Bride in a Substitute Marriage 37

The consequence of drinking too much fruit wine at the palace banquet was that Chen Yao woke with a start in the middle of the night.

...She was woken by the urge to pee.

Somewhat annoyed, she rubbed her eyes, slowly sat up in bed, draped a robe over her shoulders, and got out of bed.

"Creak." The door, which had been closed, was gently pushed open.

Chen Yao pulled the robe tighter around herself, gathered her skirts, and stepped out of the room.

After all, it was late at night, and the temperature outside was much lower than during the day. The cool night breeze on her face helped sober her up a bit.

Even though the moonlight was bright tonight, she still carried a lantern in her hand, and, still half-asleep, padded her way toward the washroom on the east side of the courtyard.

After relieving herself and washing her hands in the copper basin, as Chen Yao walked back, still drowsy, she suddenly noticed a tall, blurry figure standing at her doorstep.

...What the heck, a tall ghost?!

She felt as if all the sleepiness in her head had vanished in an instant.

Just as she widened her eyes, scared almost to the point of screaming, the figure standing there like a pillar finally moved.

Then Xie Qingyan's gentle voice spoke, tinged with cautious pleading, "Has my lady's anger subsided? May I now enter the room to accompany my wife to sleep?"

Chen Yao: "..."

Not only had her anger not subsided, but now she was even more furious at being scared like a ghost!

She calmly hung the lantern on the bronze hook under the eaves, then, with a stern face, like a spitting kitten, pounced at the man, flailing her arms and legs.

"Xie Qingyan, you jerk! Are you trying to scare me to death?"

Xie Qingyan reached out and naturally caught his pouncing wife in his arms, then lowered his head and admitted his fault with practiced ease, "It's my fault."

In an instant, she was enveloped by the man's warm aura, as if even the chill of the deep night was dispelled.

But Chen Yao was in a huff, and only grabbed his collar, her pretty brows tinged with anger, "Standing here in the middle of the night to scare people—how is that admitting fault? You clearly did it on purpose."

"Not on purpose," Xie Qingyan lowered his voice, gently soothing her, "It's just that I heard your door open, and I was afraid you might be scared in the dark, so I waited here."

And, if possible, see if there was a chance to be allowed into the room...

Yes, because of the Mid-Autumn banquet incident, Chen Yao was not only angry at Madam Xie but also took it out on Xie Qingyan.

So, naturally, she had forbidden him from entering her room tonight, and probably tonight, tomorrow night, and the night after—anyway, he was not allowed in.

Thus, after being kicked out of his wife's room, Xie Qingyan could only spend the night alone, cold and sleepless, in the study.

"You waited here just to deliberately scare me, more like it," Chen Yao said, still with a dark face, poking his chest with her delicate fingertip, "Why else would you stand still and not even make a sound?"

"My lady, calm down. I'll be sure to pay attention next time," Xie Qingyan held her hand, gently squeezed it, and continued to coax in a soft voice.

Chen Yao gave a light snort and immediately seized on the loophole in his words, "You dare have a next time?"

"No, I promise there won't be a next time," Xie Qingyan said.

He watched as she pulled her hand back and covered her mouth with a small yawn, her eyelids drooping continuously, clearly still very sleepy, and sighed inwardly.

"If my lady is sleepy, it's better to go back to the room and rest early."

"Mm, carry me to the bed," Chen Yao said, as drowsiness surged, loosely wrapping her arms around his neck and mumbling the order.

"Alright." Xie Qingyan bent down slightly, lifted his wife horizontally in his arms, and gently pushed the door open with the tip of his shoe before walking inside.

He sat on the edge of the bed, holding Chen Yao in one arm, and with the other hand dutifully helped her take off her shoes, then bent down and gently laid her on the bed.

As soon as she touched the soft mattress, the girl curled up like a kitten into a ball, clutching the corner of the brocade quilt and rolling toward the inside.

A smile tugged at Xie Qingyan's lips. He stared at his wife on the bed, feeling as if his entire heart had softened into a puddle.

He had originally planned not to disturb Chen Yao's rest, but seeing her like this, he couldn't help but hesitate a little.

"My lady, can I stay?"

Xie Qingyan propped his arms on the bed, deliberately leaned down a bit closer, his warm breath falling on the girl's neck, and then asked in a low, tentative voice.

"Mm," as if in a whisper, Chen Yao instinctively shrank her neck. Her mind hadn't completely fallen asleep yet.

So, at the words, she just sleepily opened one eye, glanced at the man above her, and lightly refused him, "No, I said I'd sleep alone tonight."

"Alright," Xie Qingyan replied helplessly.

He didn't look too disappointed, though. He just leaned over, gently kissed his wife's forehead, tucked the quilt corners in for her, and then lightened his steps as he slowly walked out.

Gently closing the door, Xie Qingyan stood outside, looked up at the full moon in the sky, and finally, helplessly, lowered his head and rubbed his brow.

*

When Chen Yao woke up the next morning, she rarely felt refreshed and full of energy.

At this time, Xie Qingyan had already gone to the Crown Prince's residence for duty, so in Fufeng Courtyard, apart from the servants, only she was around.

Chen Yao's days were actually quite routine, so she had Chuntao and Xia He place her reclining chair in the courtyard, and set a round table beside it with a pile of pastries and fruits, as well as a newly developed milk tea creation.

Then she lay comfortably on her stomach, continuing to read a travelogue of landscapes she had found in the study recently.

But after flipping through only a few pages, Chen Yao pursed her lips and, with a frustrated expression, closed the book again, pressing her forehead gently against the cover.

She found that she couldn't calm down at all.

"Miss, try this freshly steamed eight-treasure cake. The young master specifically ordered the kitchen to make it before he left. It's said to nourish the middle and boost energy, and it's good for the body. Also, it's sprinkled with a layer of icing sugar, so the taste must be quite good too."

Chuntao noticed that her mistress had put down the book, and immediately pushed the plate of eight-treasure cakes she had just brought from the small kitchen toward her, speaking cheerfully.

Chen Yao glanced at the flower-shaped pastries on the porcelain plate and gave a faint "Oh," "I see."

"Is miss not in the mood to eat today?" Chuntao asked, noticing that she had only responded lightly and, after glancing at the pastries, hadn't even touched a finger to them, her tone slightly worried.

"It's fine," Chen Yao replied casually, a bit distractedly.

But since she had nothing to do, she thought about it and opened the travelogue again.

It must be that the mountain and river chapters were too boring; she decided to skip ahead to the folk customs section later.