Chapter 14 A Thrilling Scenario

"Umm… Aunt Lingxi? Why are you looking at me like that?" The atmosphere felt rather awkward." Xiao Che cautiously asked after holding his tongue. Xiao Lingxi stayed her eyes and hastily shifted her gaze away before rebuffing him with her head down. "Aren't you afraid that your wife is going to hear you say that?" Xiao Che pretended to look around and innocently blurted, "There doesn't seem to be anyone around. What are you so scared for? I have nothing to fear even if she hears me say it. It's not like you don't know how she never truly wanted to marry me. I, too, never wanted to marry her. If she were you, I…" "Shut up… Not another word!" She clamped her hand against his lips to shut him up for a little while before letting him go. "I might be a year younger than you, Xiao Che," she said as she leaned back against him. "But I'm still your aunt in the flesh. Some things cannot be said to me… That's just not possible…It's more than enough for me to know your true feelings…" Her voice grew softer and softer until her words were barely an audible whisper. She sounded heartbreakingly sad. Even Xiao Che felt his heartstrings being tugged. He stopped speaking, closed his eyes, and quietly listened to the breathing and heartbeat of the girl beside him. "I was thin as a twig when I was a child. I wasn't pale like I wanted. I was also short. Everyone called me the ugly duckling. They laughed at me, picked on me…" Xiao Lingxi snuggled up to him and muttered dreamily, "The only one who played with me was you. You would always rush up to them asking for a fight to make them leave. You'd get bruises all over… Almost every injury you received then was because of me. I was used to and enjoyed the feeling of being protected. I believed that you would keep protecting me forever…" Her words brought back memories of the old. She was indeed as she described, an ugly duckling. As a boy who was older than her and her being his aunt, he was constantly on a desperate mission to protect her... Who could've imagined that she'd grow into such a beautiful woman today? Several men in the Xiao Clan were eager for her hand. "Then, you were found to have lost your arcane ability. I cultivated my own because…it was now time for me to protect you. I believed then that whether it was you who protected me or the other way around, it was all the same. I believed that we could be together… And then, I grew up. That's when I finally understood that you were going to marry one day. I was no different. It became impossible for us to be the same naive children we were before… Of all the girls in this world, I'm the only one you cannot marry. Of all the boys in the world, you're the only one I can't marry…" Xiao Che didn't seem to know what to say. "..." "I thought I'd have accepted that fact after such a long time. I should be happy that you got married but I've been so suffocated. From dawn to dusk, there's this indescribable discomfort I can't seem to find relief from. I want to sleep but I can't no matter how hard I try… Your words…made me so happy but so sad at the same time… What's wrong with me?" Xiao Che's breaths were heavy, but he still didn't speak. He was at a loss for words. There had always been a hazy line between him and Xiao Lingxi that was there from the very start. When they finally realized what it was, they acted as if nothing had changed. They got along well despite trying their best to shift their affection for one another to a more familial one. With no memory of his life in the Aderon Cloud Continent, his personality was inferior and cowardly. Escape was the only thing on his mind even to his death. He thought it impossible to ever speak of it until his feelings were completely buried away. Xiao Lingxi had never brought it up once until today. The difference now was that the Xiao Che of today was no longer the Xiao Che of the past. The shocking words he uttered left her unable to restrain herself from saying what she thought she would never be able to say. His heart was thumping erratically. He was getting drunk off her scent. He gently hugged her close, feeling her tremble against him. There was no ensuing struggle. She closed her eyes and leaned her body weight against him. She was soft like warm jade. Xiao Che didn't dare to hug her too hard, lest he accidentally startled her, though he immediately felt her arms wrap tightly around his middle. Her scent tickled his nose and tugged at his heartstrings. Xiao Lingxi closed her eyes tightly, buried her head into his chest, and remained motionless as if trying to prove that she had fallen asleep. Xiao Che followed suit. No movements. No words were exchanged. They simply nestled up against one another. Neither wanted to shatter the peaceful dream they had that outsiders weren't privy to. The night continued to march on. Both were still in the same position and deeply asleep when Xia Qingyue finally found them. Xia Qingyue had come looking for Xiao Che, assuming that he had just left to take a breath of fresh air, and likewise left the bed to lay out a blanket in a corner so that he could sleep there upon his return from his venture for air. Yet, he never returned. Judging from the direction of the noise, he seemed to have climbed over the wall and gone to the back mountains. He had gone to the rear mountains alone in the middle of the night with his weak arcane powers only at the Nascent Arcana stage with no sign of return… Xia Qingyue could no longer sit still and went looking for him. That was when she came across the sight that shocked her. Today was their first day as a married couple. When he picked her up on the road to the Xiao clan, his demeanor was tranquil yet proud. He held back his anger while in the ceremonial hall. Even though he was talkative and mean-spirited in the bridal chambers, the look in his eyes unceasingly swayed between confusion, resignation, and despondence. There was even melancholy that she didn't understand. Yet, the him nestled up with Xiao Lingxi, slept peacefully. There was clearly a warm smile framed on his face. He was relaxed and at peace, no different from a baby sleeping in his mother’s embrace. She suddenly felt uncomfortable… Of course, this in no way meant that she had any feelings for Xiao Che. It stemmed from how they were now husband and wife. She had always believed that their marriage was just a formality and their status as husband and wife nothing more than empty titles that wouldn't sway her. The heart, however, didn't always follow one's expectations. That was especially true for women, who were more prone to sentimentality. After all, they were now married. She frankly didn't care much for their union, but the fact that Xiao Che was now her husband was firmly imprinted into her mind. He should rightfully belong to no one but her since he was her husband. She had instead found him cuddled up with another woman until they had both fallen asleep, with such a warm and content expression on his face… Her emotions grew complicated and unfamiliar. The girl was supposed to be his aunt. This uncomfortable feeling caused irritability in her usually tranquil heart. It was that irritability that woke her from her reverie. She quickly collected herself. The tingling in her heart gradually faded away before long. She didn't bother Xiao Che and Xiao Lingxi and soundlessly left. Xia Qingyue returned shortly after with a thick red blanket in her arms. She carefully wrapped the blanket around Xiao Che and Xiao Lingxi and left once more. …………………… It was dawn when Xiao Che came to. Xiao Lingxi was still comfortably nestled in his arms, sound asleep. Her sleeping posture was charmingly sweet… if one could ignore the puddle of drool on his chest. As his fogged mind cleared, memories of what had occurred last night came rushing back at him. Despite his sore shoulders, he didn't move an inch to disturb Xiao Lingxi's peaceful slumber. It was also then that he noticed the red blanket covering him. "Oh…sh*t…" As he reached out to grab the blanket, an uncontrollable roar came spewing from Xiao Che. This was clearly the blanket that was prepared yesterday and laid on the bed in the bridal chamber. He groaned to himself as he looked in the direction of his own courtyard… Not only was he not in the bridal chamber on his wedding night, he had also gone out on his way and slept with another woman all night. His newlywed wife was also the one to personally deliver a blanket. This scenario…was truly one of a kind!