Chapter 140 -
Yueqing took one last, glorious bite, letting out a soft, contented sigh as she licked a tiny trace of sweet honey off her lower lip. Her belly was warm, her heart was dangerously satisfied, and her fluffiness was at an all-time high.
[Mmm... okay, I admit it,] her inner voice purred happily, her internal persona rubbing its belly on a cozy velvet pillow. [The block of wood actually has decent taste in food. Maybe 10% forgiven. But that’s the absolute limit!]
[System 009: Alert: Host, please be reminded of the fundamental laws of physics, narrative structure, and overbearing male leads. In this universe, high-grade northern walnut cakes do not come without a tax.]
[Tax? What tax?! I am the Young Madam! I don’t pay—]
Before her mind could even finish the sentence, Wenzhe’s long arm reached across the heavy wooden desk like a striking python. His large, calloused fingers wrapped securely around her waist, completely bypassing her thick, fluffy fur coat.
"Hey—!" Yueqing gasped.
With one swift, effortless tug, Wenzhe pulled her straight over the edge of the desk. Yueqing’s boots cleared the floorboards, her world spun around in a blur of white fur and dark silk, and she landed squarely right in his broad, warm lap.
Her fluffy coat puffed up around them like a giant marshmallow, trapping her completely against his hard, imposing chest.
"Wenzhe!" Yueqing squeaked, her face flushing bright, furious crimson as she pushed her small hands against his solid shoulders. "What are you doing?! Put me down!"
Wenzhe didn’t put her down. Instead, his arms locked firmly around her waist like twin steel bands, resting his chin comfortably near the crook of her neck. The deep, heavy scent of pine, snow, and faint tea radiated off him, completely surrounding her senses.
"You ate four of my pastries," Wenzhe whispered softly into her ear, his deep, raspy voice sending a sharp, electric shiver straight down her spine. "Nothing in my military camp is free, wife. You have to pay the price."
Yueqing’s breath hitched in her throat, her wide eyes staring into his dark, dangerous ones that were suddenly far too close.
[OH SHIT!] her mind shrieked in total, chaotic panic, her internal persona slapping its hands over its burning face. [SYSTEM NINE! HE’S COLLECTING THE PASTRY TAX! I WOULD LIKE TO RETURN THE WALNUT CAKES IMMEDIATELY! TAKE THEM BACK!]
[System 009: Warning: Refund request denied. Pastries have been fully digested. Please prepare to pay Target Wenzhe in full... with your dignity.]
[NINE, YOU TRAITOR!]
"I... I am the Young Madam!" Yueqing stammered, wiggling frantically in his lap, though her attempts were like a tiny kitten trying to push a mountain. "I don’t owe you anything! Let go of me, you arrogant block of wood!"
"Stop squirming," Wenzhe grumbled low in his throat, his grip tightening just a fraction, pulling her impossibly closer until she could feel the steady, powerful rhythm of his heartbeat against her own. "Or do you want me to call Dong Li back in here to see you sitting like this?"
Yueqing froze instantly, her jaw snapping shut as her cheeks burned so hot she was practically radiating steam.
Wenzhe looked down at her wide, furious, yet completely helpless eyes, the quiet smirk on his lips growing just a little wider as he raised his hand to gently tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
"Much better," Wenzhe murmured softly. "Now... tell me what you were doing with the Third Prince."
Yueqing’s eyes widened, a sudden wave of defensive panic cutting right through her embarrassed blush.
[OH! So THAT’S what this is about!] her mind shouted, her internal persona crossing its arms and stomping its feet in outrage. [The interrogation! He brought out the sweet pastries just to put me in a honey trap!]
[System 009: Correct. Host has successfully walked directly into Target Wenzhe’s tactical ambush. Current situation: Interrogation under hostage conditions.]
[NINE! I am not giving in!]
Yueqing raised her chin, her fluffy fur hood rustling as she glared down at him from her seated position on his lap.
"I wasn’t doing anything with him!" Yueqing declared stubbornly, resting her fuzzy mitten-covered hands right on his chest to keep some distance between them. "I was minding my own business, eating delicious snacks in a nice teahouse! He was the one who put on the comedy show! I didn’t even know he was a prince until you burst through the door like a wild bear!"
Wenzhe’s dark eyebrows pulled together into a tight, sharp line. His large hand remained firmly at her waist, his thumb subtly tracing a slow circle against her hip through the thick fabric of her coat.
"He was leaning close to you," Wenzhe murmured, his deep voice dropping an octave, heavy with a thick, possessive edge that made her pulse flutter wildly. "He was pouring your tea. And you gave him a gold tael."
"Because his performance was accurate!" Yueqing argued back, poking his broad shoulder hard with her index finger. "He was making fun of a stiff, cold, emotionally bankrupt General who ignores his wife! It was art, Wenzhe! A true masterpiece!"
The tent went dead quiet.
The moment the words "ignores his wife" left her mouth, Yueqing instantly caught herself, her expression hardening back into a cool, indifferent smirk.
Wenzhe froze. The low, lingering jealousy in his eyes flickered, shifting into a profound, intense silence as he searched her calm, defiant face.
He didn’t yell. He didn’t pull away. Instead, his dark eyes softened, the heavy tension in his broad shoulders slowly melting as he remembered the scene from earlier, how he had carried Li Mei away while Yueqing watched.
"You are thinking about Li Mei," Wenzhe said quietly, his raspy voice even.
Yueqing leaned back slightly, folding her fuzzy mitten-covered arms across her chest, her posture radiating absolute, unbothered detachment. She didn’t cry, nor did she let a single tear show.
[As if I’d let him see me act like a jealous, dramatic wife!] her inner voice scoffed, her internal persona flipping its hair and putting on dark sunglasses. [He can run off with his former lover all he wants! I am a cool, independent transmigrator!]
"I’m not thinking about anyone," Yueqing replied with a smooth, dry laugh. "You can fuss over your precious maid all day for all I care. It’s none of my business."
Wenzhe let out a long, quiet breath. His large hand slowly moved up from her waist, his calloused fingers gently resting near her jaw.
"She was my personal maid, Yueqing," Wenzhe explained softly, his dark eyes looking straight at her with unusual gravity. "We had a past together... before all of this. Back then, I thought what I felt for her was love but now I don’t even know. I don’t hate her and I don’t want her to be hurt but that doesn’t mean I’m cheating."
He paused, his jaw tightening slightly as if wrestling with thoughts he couldn’t quite put into words. He didn’t say he loved Yueqing, he wasn’t the kind of man to admit something like that, nor was he even sure of his own chaotic feelings yet.
"When she threw herself in front of that blade today," Wenzhe continued, his voice dropping into a low, quiet rumble, "I panicked because of our history and the responsibility I felt for her life. But that does not mean..." He trailed off, his thumb lightly brushing her cheek. "That does not mean you can run off to teahouses with other men."
Yueqing raised a single eyebrow, completely unfazed by his intense gaze, though her heart gave a traitorous little thump against her ribs.
"Oh? So you can carry your ex-lover around in your arms, but I can’t even watch a comedy show?" Yueqing smirked, her tone dripping with cool, playful mockery. "That sounds like a double standard, General."
Wenzhe’s dark eyes narrowed, a quiet, dangerous spark reigniting in his gaze at her stubborn, mocking mouth.
"It isn’t a double standard," Wenzhe murmured, his head leaning down until his lips were mere inches from hers, his grip around her waist tightening firmly. "Because you are my wife. And I am not letting you go anywhere."
Yueqing opened her mouth to shoot back another witty insult, but Wenzhe closed the tiny distance between them, pressing his lips firmly against hers to shut her up once and for all.