Chapter 67: The Real First Night Together
The room gradually fell into silence.
Outside, the chirping of insects drifted faintly through the closed window, while the candle beside the bed flickered gently before burning lower and lower.
Neither of them spoke.
After changing into their sleeping robes, Wang Gege carefully climbed onto the bed, deliberately leaving as much space between herself and Xie Rong as possible.
Only after both of them had settled down did an indescribable silence quietly fill the room.
The two of them lay flat on their backs. Neither moved or closed their eyes.
Both silently stared at the embroidered canopy hanging above them.
Although the bed was more than spacious enough for two people, Wang Gege somehow found herself lying as stiff as a wooden board. She did not even dare to turn over.
Every tiny movement suddenly felt unusually obvious.
Meanwhile, Xie Rong remained just as motionless beside her.
His breathing was steady, his hands neatly folded over the blanket, making him look as though he had fallen asleep the moment his head touched the pillow.
Only... He wasn’t asleep.
The silence continued for several more moments.
Unable to bear the awkward silence any longer, Wang Gege cautiously shifted her gaze toward the man lying beside her.
"Husband."
"Mm." His response came almost immediately.
Wang Gege hesitated for a brief moment before asking softly, "Won’t Husband feel uncomfortable sleeping with the blindfold on?"
She turned slightly toward him, her voice carrying a trace of concern.
"Since I already know Husband isn’t blind..." She smiled faintly. "There’s no need to keep wearing it in front of me."
Xie Rong remained silent.
The room gradually became quiet once more.
After several moments, he slowly sat up.
Without saying a word, he reached toward the candle burning beside the bed.
With a gentle wave of his sleeve, the small flame immediately went out. Darkness quietly filled the room.
Only the soft moonlight filtering through the window remained.
"It has become a habit." His calm voice broke the silence. "I have worn it for a year."
As he spoke, his fingers reached behind his head.
The knot loosened.
A moment later, the black silk blindfold slid away from his eyes.
He neatly folded it before placing it beside the pillow, "Good night, Furen."
Wang Gege quietly looked at him.
Even beneath the dim moonlight, she could still make out the outline of his face.
Somehow, without the blindfold, he seemed to look much younger than usual.
Wang Gege slowly turned onto her side the moment Xie Rong lay back down.
"Good night, Husband."
"Mm..." Xie Rong quietly replied.
He continued staring at the embroidered canopy above him.
Everything he had done from patiently explaining himself to confessing his thoughts, it was all for one purpose.
Favorability.
That was all.
At least, that was what he believed.
Yet, despite repeatedly reminding himself of that fact, his heartbeat refused to calm down.
Xie Rong’s brows gradually knitted together.
Why?
He had no feelings toward the woman lying beside him.
Everything he had done was merely to increase her favorability.
So, why was his heart beating so fast?
He quietly took a deep breath before slowly letting it out then another after another.
But no matter how hard he tried, the restless rhythm in his chest refused to settle.
He kept his eyes closed for what felt like a long while, yet sleep never came.
The silence within the room, coupled with the soft, even sound of Shen Taotao’s breathing beside him... Eventually made him turn onto his side.
"Furen?" His voice was barely above a whisper. "Have you fallen asleep already?"
Only silence answered him.
The gentle rhythm of her breathing remained steady, telling him she had long since drifted into sleep.
Xie Rong looked at her quiet silhouette in the darkness before a helpless smile unconsciously appeared on his lips.
"How can Furen sleep so soundly with a man lying beside you?"
Xie Rong remained quietly looking at her.
Under the faint moonlight, he could only make out her gentle silhouette, while the steady rhythm of her breathing told him she had truly fallen asleep.
After a brief moment of hesitation, he slowly leaned a little closer. Not because he intended to wake her or because he wished to do anything improper.
He simply wanted to take a closer look at the woman who had unknowingly occupied his thoughts for the entire night.
His gaze quietly traveled across her sleeping face.
Her brows had completely relaxed.
Her long eyelashes rested peacefully against her cheeks, while her lips were slightly parted as she breathed softly in her sleep.
"Beauti—"
The word almost escaped his lips.
Xie Rong suddenly stopped himself. His brows unconsciously furrowed.
’What am I thinking?’
He slowly withdrew his gaze from her sleeping face.
’I shouldn’t be doing this. Remember the mission... Increase her favorability... Collect enough time. Then... I will return.’
He silently repeated those words to himself several times before gradually forcing the restless thoughts from his mind.
The room once again fell into complete silence.
Only the gentle rhythm of Wang Gege’s breathing remained beside him.
Perhaps because of that peaceful rhythm or perhaps because exhaustion had finally caught up to him... His consciousness slowly began to drift.
Just then, a faint rustling sound came from beside him.
Before Xie Rong could open his eyes completely, something soft lightly brushed against his shoulder. His eyes slowly opened.
The distance between them had unknowingly become much closer than before.
Sometime during her sleep, Wang Gege had quietly rolled toward him.
Xie Rong remained motionless. His gaze instinctively fell upon the sleeping woman before him.
She showed no sign of waking.
Instead, she unconsciously nestled a little closer, as though simply searching for a more comfortable position in her sleep.
Xie Rong thought about moving slightly farther away. However, seeing that she remained sound asleep, he quietly abandoned the thought.
"Forget it." His voice was barely audible. "She’ll probably roll back on her own."
With that, Xie Rong slowly closed his eyes once again only to open them back five seconds later.
"Sleep without manners indeed."