Chapter 32: Shen Yu Drunk

The white cat jumped out of Fang Rui’s arms, walked to Shen Yu’s feet, rubbed against Shen Yu’s leg, and softly meowed twice.

Hearing the sound, Shen Yu lifted her head from her knees. Her eyes weren’t red, but her nose was pale with a tender pink, and she looked toward that little white cat.

Fang Rui glanced at Shen Yu’s nose, then at the white cat’s nose, and inexplicably felt that Shen Yu and the white cat were very similar.

Fang Rui’s gaze moved down from Shen Yu’s nose. It was early autumn, the temperature sometimes cool and sometimes warm, and combined with the alcohol, heat surged inside her. It was sure to make her restless, and when restless, Shen Yu might undo her chest-binding.

Fang Rui saw the neatly folded chest-binding bands on the bed and suddenly felt his throat go a little dry.

He thought to himself: drunk and yet still so clear-headed, even knowing to take off the chest-binding and fold it neatly.

Then his gaze returned to Shen Yu, or rather to the somewhat loose opening of her collar.

There was no denying Shen Yu’s collarbones were really beautiful and delicate. Lingering over them for a moment, Fang Rui walked over and stood in front of Shen Yu.

Shen Yu looked up at Fang Rui, her eyes slightly hazy, and asked, “Why are you here?”

Shen Yu seemed drunk, yet not like a truly drunk person. What drunk person could think so clearly and behave so calmly?

Fang Rui bent down and reached out to carry Shen Yu, but she retreated cautiously, pressing her back tightly against the bed.

Though her movements were guarded, her gaze showed no real hostility. “What are you trying to do?”

Fang Rui was sure Shen Yu was truly drunk. Normally, if he got handsy, Shen Yu would glare and snap, “What do you think you’re doing?!” Not like now, her eyes lacking their usual sharpness and her voice soft and syrupy.

“The floor is cold and bad for your health. I’ll carry you to the bed.”

Shen Yu blinked and uttered a small “oh,” then suddenly opened her arms to Fang Rui.

Fang Rui stared at her for a moment. Shen Yu’s sudden obedience unnerved him. But facing this obedient Shen Yu, he felt he absolutely couldn’t play the rogue.

Lifting Shen Yu, she felt just as light and soft as before. The first time Fang Rui had held Shen Yu was back at the Court of Judicial Review when he was injured and resting in bed. Hearing her even breathing, he knew she was asleep and then carried her to bed. At that time, after Huyan Suoyun had punched him and nearly taken his life, he hadn’t had the chance to steal a look at her sleeping face or do anything else.

Now Shen Yu was drunk…

Of course, he absolutely wasn’t the sort to take advantage of someone in their vulnerability!

He felt a bit guilty even saying it himself.

He laid Shen Yu on the bed and the white cat jumped up too. Hearing the commotion, Fang Rui turned to the white cat and saw its eyes like two big lanterns staring at him. He felt mentally exhausted from its staring. With such eyes staring at him, he felt too guilty to do anything he shouldn’t.

He turned his gaze back to Shen Yu, who had been watching him all along, and asked, “Why did you drink?”

Shen Yu’s eyes were hazy as if covered by a very thin veil of mist. Combined with her delicate features, Fang Rui felt that a few more glances would draw him in. He couldn’t understand how Shen Yu, with such looks, could be so favored by young women. She dressed like a man, but clearly lacked the ruggedness of a man.

When Fang Rui asked why she drank, Shen Yu lowered her head and murmured, “Grandfather wants me to marry a woman, but… I’m a woman too. How can a woman marry a woman?” She then raised her head, looked at Fang Rui, and asked, “Don’t you think so?”

When Shen Yu said Old Master Shen wanted to give her concubines, Fang Rui first thought of that woman called Hengniang, who probably hadn’t left and was still in the Grand Guardian’s residence.

Fang Rui’s gaze cooled slightly. He reached out and took the chance to pat Shen Yu’s head, just like stroking the white cat’s fur. But compared to the one at the foot of the bed that made no sound and lay obedient like the current Shen Yu, the white cat watched Fang Rui’s lecherous opportunism from the foot of the bed.

Fang Rui reined in his usual flippant tone when speaking to Shen Yu, lowered his voice, and gently said, “You’re right, a woman can’t marry a woman. If she did, it would go against reason.” In his past life it might have been excusable not knowing Shen Yu was female, but in this life he wouldn’t allow Shen Yu to take concubines. If concubines were taken, it would be very hard for Shen Yu to revert to being a woman.

Whether Shen Yu heard him or not he couldn’t say. She went on recounting what Old Master Shen had told her today, with a touch of grievance, “Grandfather said I should take Hengniang as a concubine, and in a few years have a child to be the Shen family’s heir…”

Fang Rui’s eyes widened slightly, showing a stunned expression. Now he finally understood why in the past life Shen Yu had taken two sets of concubines. It wasn’t only a smokescreen for Shen Yu, it was also a cover for Shen Yu’s belly.

The cold in Fang Rui’s eyes intensified. In his past life… after he died, had Shen Yu really obeyed Old Master Shen and been with other men…

Fang Rui couldn’t imagine Shen Yu having had any relation with other men. His body and heart were bound to Shen Yu, and his Shen Yu’s body and heart could only be bound to him.

Shen Yu kept muttering. What she said at first was slurred and Fang Rui couldn’t catch it, but after a while she spoke more clearly and asked Fang Rui, “Do you know how men and women have children? I heard that as long as a man and a woman lie in the same bed, a child will come.”

It wasn’t Shen Yu’s fault for knowing nothing. Old Master Shen had disciplined her strictly since childhood: no playmates and even servants were chosen carefully. Even at her coming-of-age she didn’t know how men and women made babies. Out of curiosity she secretly asked the maid who taught her, and the maid awkwardly said that sleeping on the same bed produced children. When Old Master Shen found out, the maid was beaten and driven out of the house, and afterward Shen Yu never dared to be curious again.

At twenty years old, girls of that age could already fetch wine at taverns. Only Shen Yu, this twenty-year-old spinster, knew nothing.

Fang Rui fell silent. Not for any other reason, but because he was contemplating whether he should explain this to Shen Yu, to help her understand the whole process. Lying on the same bed could be the first step or the last, but those steps weren’t what mattered. The process in between was.

After thinking for a long time, Fang Rui still couldn’t decide whether to tell Shen Yu. If he explained while she was drunk, she’d probably forget by morning, making it pointless.

After his struggle, Fang Rui decided not to explain such nuanced matters to Shen Yu. Coming to himself, he looked at her and cleared his throat, “Ahem!”

The sight before him was too stimulating. It made Fang Rui cough twice, almost bringing up blood.

Getting drunk and pulling her clothes into disarray? What a dangerous habit!

Shen Yu fanned herself with one hand while the other tugged at her collar. Her face was slightly flushed, probably from the heat, and as she pulled at her neckline a small patch of snow-white skin was exposed.

Fang Rui swallowed with difficulty and said to Shen Yu, “Next time don’t do this in front of men. It was only because I’m decent that I didn’t do anything to you.”

Although Fang Rui said that he didn’t do anything, his eyes stayed fixed on Shen Yu’s chest as if he were a starving wolf who hadn’t seen flesh in ages and was unable to look away.

Unexpectedly, Shen Yu treated Fang Rui like he was invisible. She only said two words: “Hot. Thirsty.” She stood up to get out of bed for water, but the dizzy drunk swayed when trying to rise and toppled toward the floor. Quick-eyed and quick-handed, Fang Rui caught her as she stood. He did catch her, but where his hands landed was a bit unfortunate.

The softness in his palms made Fang Rui, who had been studying many anatomical drawings lately, flush instantly. Though he pretended to be a flirt to tease Shen Yu, deep down he was only theoretically knowledgeable and utterly inexperienced.

If his throat had only been dry before, now it felt as if it were on fire.

In the current position his left hand held Shen Yu’s waist while his right hand somehow rested on Shen Yu’s… chest.

Fang Rui looked up at Shen Yu. Her eyes were hazy, unaware of what had happened, and she stared blankly at him.

That very look made Fang Rui lose control. As if possessed, he leaned in and kissed Shen Yu’s pale pink lips.

The picture books only taught crude and simple techniques, there was no guide to a romantic kiss. So Fang Rui pressed his to Shen Yu’s lips and gradually put his so-called talent to use, slowly tracing and licking the outline of her lips. His hands grew more restless and began to fidget.

This was the boldest thing Fang Rui had done to Shen Yu across both his past and present lives. The dreams he’d had were nothing. Only in person did he realize real life was far more fragrant, softer, and more real.

Once the wolf tasted flesh, it lost reason and wanted to swallow it whole.

Fang Rui didn’t even notice when he’d pulled Shen Yu’s clothing past her shoulder and gently nibbled at her shoulder. After Shen Yu made a soft sound, suddenly a “meow” resounded.

Fang Rui snapped back to his senses, eyes wide, and immediately let Shen Yu go, stepping back twice. Seeing Shen Yu’s even rosier face and her disheveled clothes, he cursed himself as a beast. Such things should be mutual, not one taking advantage of the other.

He sighed as he thought: Shen Yu when drunk was terrifyingly obedient!

To avoid further temptation, Fang Rui quickly left a, “I’ll go now, we’ll talk when you’re sober,” then grabbed the mischief-making white cat and fled in a panic.

As he fled, he realized that he had always thought that if in his past life he’d known Shen Yu was a woman, he’d have boldly seized the chance to do whatever he wanted to her. But judging by how things went now… he was truly cowardly and truly lacked nerve.

At the same time, if he actually did that to her, he was afraid Shen Yu would resent him for life.