Chapter 40: Slept Together
Wang Gege’s eyes flew open. She immediately sat upright, her heart pounding as she instinctively looked around the room.
Only after recognizing the familiar surroundings did she let out a slow breath. She was back in Xie Rong’s room.
"Young Madam is finally awake."
The calm voice immediately drew her attention.
Turning toward the source, Wang Gege’s gaze landed on the figure seated beside the round table.
Unlike his usual dark attire, Xie Rong was dressed in a lilac robe today. The soft color somehow suited him surprisingly well. It made his already handsome features appear even more refined and elegant.
Yet... The black blindfold still covered his eyes, and the indifferent expression on his face remained exactly the same as ever.
For a brief moment, Wang Gege found herself staring blankly at him.
Probably expecting her to respond to his greeting, Xie Rong remained seated in silence.
Instead, Wang Gege suddenly threw the blanket aside, climbed off the bed, and strode straight toward the door without saying a single word.
Xie Rong’s brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. "Where is the Young Madam going?"
Wang Gege halted her steps. After a brief silence, she answered without turning around, "Reflecting."
"Reflecting?" Xie Rong unconsciously repeated the unfamiliar reply. "What does the Young Madam mean?"
Only then did Wang Gege slowly turn her head. She smiled politely. "I mean... I should properly reflect on my own identity." She lowered her gaze. "After all... I slept on a bed that I was never worthy of sleeping on."
She spoke every word gently but each sentence landed like a tiny needle.
"So I thought... It would be better for me to return to my own room. I wouldn’t want to overestimate my place again."
The room fell into silence.
Xie Rong remained seated but his calm expression subtly changed as he realized she was still remembering every word he had said the previous day. Not a single one had been forgotten.
After a brief silence, he spoke as though changing the subject altogether. "We are going to the marketplace this morning."
Wang Gege’s frown deepened. Then, without turning around, she answered politely, "This Young Madam believes, she is not worthy of accompanying the Young Master."
Xie Rong quietly looked at her back. After a brief silence, he rose from his seat and walked toward her. "We will leave after the Young Madam is ready."
His footsteps stopped a short distance behind her and in a calm voice, he added, "And... I believed we had already put yesterday’s unpleasantness behind us."
Wang Gege slowly turned around. Her brows immediately knitted together. "When did we agree to that?"
Xie Rong paused. "You accepted my apology."
"I did?" Wang Gege pointed at herself. "When?"
Xie Rong took two unhurried steps forward, naturally shortening the distance between them.
"Last night." His calm voice was lower than usual.
For some reason... It sounded almost... teasing.
Wang Gege blinked, ’What does he mean? And why is he talking like that?’
She instinctively took a step back.
"Young Master..." Her expression turned complicated, "Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed today?"
The room fell silent.
Xie Rong frowned slightly, "The wrong side... of the bed?"
Wang Gege immediately realized what she had just blurted out.
She cleared her throat awkwardly, "I mean... Did the Young Master perhaps hit his head while sleeping?"
Xie Rong stood quietly for a moment, seemingly giving her question genuine thought.
Then he answered matter-of-factly, "I am a light sleeper. If someone... or the Young Madam were to strike me while I slept..." His head titled a bit, "I would awaken immediately."
The words echoed inside Wang Gege’s mind. Her eyes widened and then she blinked hard.
Slowly, she raised a trembling finger toward him. "W-Wait... What do you mean... while sleeping?"
A terrifying possibility suddenly surfaced in her mind. Her face instantly turned scarlet.
"We... We didn’t..." Her voice became quieter and quieter, "sleep together... did we?"
Xie Rong looked at her for a brief moment before answering honestly, "We did."
Silence.
Wang Gege’s pupils trembled violently. Her face turned even redder.
And a moment later, she screamed her lungs out.
"AHHHHH!"
She covered both cheeks with her hands.
"I knew it! I knew the wine was dangerous!" She paced a few steps left and right, "I shouldn’t have drunk so much!"
She frantically tried to recall what had happened last night. Unfortunately, her memories only consisted of scattered fragments.
The servants, wine, ’Rock, Paper, Scissors’, After that, everything was blank.
She looked at Xie Rong again, her voice trembling. "Young Master..." She gulped, "When you said we slept together... did you mean... ’slept together’?"
Xie Rong pondered her question for a brief moment before replying, "If Young Madam is asking whether we merely shared the same bed... Then yes."
The moment those words left his mouth, Wang Gege let out a long breath of relief.
"Oh... So that’s what you meant..." She patted her chest several times, "You nearly frightened me to death."
Seeing her obvious relief, Xie Rong continued calmly, "You occupied most of the bed. I merely rested beside you."
Wang Gege’s hand froze halfway to her chest, "Beside me?"
Xie Rong nodded, "You kicked me twice during the night... You also stole my blanket."
The relief on Wang Gege’s face slowly disappeared. Her cheeks gradually turned crimson once more before she covered her face with both hands.
"I-I apologize..." She lowered her head in embarrassment, "I mean... I’ve always been a terrible sleeper..." She bit her lip, "I move around a lot when I—"
"But..." Xie Rong interrupted calmly, "The Young Madam stopped moving after holding onto me."
The room fell silent.
Wang Gege slowly lowered her hands, "Holding onto you?"
Xie Rong nodded. "You held onto my arm and Young Madam’s legs were basically—"
"Young Master!" Wang Gege cut Xie Rong’s words instantly. She stood there motionless for several seconds.
Then, without warning, she covered her face again. "Please... Forget everything that happened last night." She swallowed hard, "Every... Single... Things."