Su Nansheng didn't even have the strength to move a finger at the moment, but she still argued reasonably:
"You came here in a huff on your own."
Getting angry at the drop of a hat. Where was there any air of a great general in him?
Her voice was soft and coquettish. Hearing it, He Xun's lips curled up even more.
"Have you figured out why I was angry?"
He Xun still stroked Su Nansheng's back, his voice guiding.
"I sort of know. But I was accompanying my mother at that time. I didn't mean not to come and pick you up."
Su Nansheng's explanation lacked a bit of confidence. Although it wasn't intentional, she really hadn't intended to rush over either.
He Xun kissed the top of her head and whispered:
"Mother has seen all sorts of things. Next time, put me first. Remember?"
If she didn't understand, he would teach her step by step. As time went by and she got used to it, she would naturally know what to do.
Seeing that He Xun wasn't dwelling on this matter anymore, Su Nansheng quickly nodded.
The hair by her temple fell loose, tickling He Xun's chest.
He reached back under the soft pillow and took out a small wooden hairpin. He held it in front of Su Nansheng and said, "Put it on."
Su Nansheng reached out to take it, but He Xun didn't let go. Instead, he pulled her up from his chest. Propping his head up, he looked at her, and only then did he loosen his grip.
When Su Nansheng got the wooden hairpin in her hand, she found that it was very small, obviously for a child.
"Is this the one you used when you were a kid?"
Su Nansheng examined the hairpin. The evil - repelling beast on it looked very familiar. It was the same as the red jade hairpin He Xun had given her.
He Xun's hand stroking Su Nansheng's back paused. "Think again."
Not his?
Su Nansheng rubbed the beast's head. She felt that besides the red jade hairpin, she had seen this evil - repelling beast somewhere else.
Suddenly, Su Nansheng had a thought and said:
"Children wear this kind of style to ward off evil spirits. I had one like this when I was a kid. I gave it away later."
He Xun let out a long breath, feeling carefree and relieved.
"Who did you give it to? A friend?"
He Xun's tone was proud. He was confident that this time she would surely remember him.
He Xun lifted Su Nansheng up a bit and stared at her intently.
But Su Nansheng shook her head:
"Not a friend. Although I didn't know his identity, he was dressed in luxury. He clearly came from a prominent family. A young master from such a wealthy family would never be friends with me."
At that time, her father was just a minor official, no different from an ordinary commoner. How could they climb up to such a wealthy family?
He Xun's confidence shattered. It turned out that she didn't even consider him a friend.
"I went looking for you several times later. Doesn't that count as being friends?"
He Xun finally couldn't hold back and asked directly.
Su Nansheng tilted her head and looked at He Xun's somewhat helpless expression. She was slightly stunned, and then her eyes lit up. "You're that chubby kid?"
That young master was white and chubby back then. He didn't resemble He Xun at all now.
Chubby... kid?
He Xun lowered his eyes and looked at his well - built chest and well - defined abs. Then he rolled over and pinned Su Nansheng down.
"I'm a chubby kid?"
"Back then, back then. I was talking about back then," Su Nansheng quickly explained when she felt the threat.
He Xun took Su Nansheng's hand and placed it on his chest, then slid it across his slender waist.
"Where am I fat?"
The muscles under Su Nansheng's palm were hard and hot. She couldn't help but curl her fingers.
She had already said it was back then. Why was he still so insistent?
Seeing that she didn't say anything, He Xun bit the red mole on her neck as punishment.
"You didn't recognize me for so long, and you even said I was fat."
Su Nansheng trembled all over. Oh no, she seemed to have said the wrong thing.
...
In the guest room, a heart - clearing incense was burning. He Jin held a wine cup in his hand, his expression inscrutable.
In front of him, Su Hele was holding up a painting for him to appreciate.
"I've been going out early and coming back late these days just for this landscape painting. I wanted to capture the beauty of the mountains on this scroll and show it to my husband," Su Hele said in a calm tone, but her expression was pious. Her eyes were full of affection, and the corners of her eyes drooped as she stared directly at He Jin.
She couldn't let He Jin keep sleeping in the guest room. Who knew when someone with ulterior motives would take advantage of the situation.
Since He Jin didn't come to her, she had to take the initiative. She didn't believe that He Jin would really have the heart to ignore her.
He Jin had been resentful towards Su Hele at first, but seeing her looking at him like this, he finally felt a bit of pity. He sighed and said, "This painting is excellent. It has some of the charm of Master Lanshan. But you don't have to work so hard next time."
She was a bit willful, but after all, she did it for him.
Hearing this, a faint smile appeared on Su Hele's face, and she felt secretly proud.
Master Lanshan was famous for his freehand landscape paintings. This was really a very high compliment.
It seemed that in He Jin's heart, his appreciation for her remained.
"It's no hardship to paint for my husband. It's just that others don't understand me," Su Hele said with a faint smile, her tone a bit melancholy.
He Jin frowned but didn't say anything.
Su Hele observed his expression and slowly said:
"It wouldn't matter if others didn't understand me. But unexpectedly, even the concubine didn't understand me. She even tore up all the paintings I had worked hard on before. I painted this one again from memory. Otherwise, my husband would have been able to appreciate the beauty of the mountains earlier."
He Jin pinched the wine cup and looked at Su Hele.
"What do you want to say, A Le?"
Su Hele put away the painting, took the wine cup from He Jin's hand and placed it on the table. Then she snuggled into his arms and said:
"I just want my husband to know that I painted day and night these days and got myself sick. I was afraid of passing on the illness to my husband, so I refused to let my husband in. Will my husband blame me?"
She looked up at He Jin from below. Her beautiful eyes seemed about to cry, and her expression was aggrieved.
He Jin stroked her shoulder and said softly, "You did all this for me. Of course, I won't blame you."
Su Hele lowered her eyes, and the corner of her mouth lifted slightly. She knew it.
"But in the future, you still have to respect the concubine more. After all, she is my biological mother. You mustn't be too disobedient to her."
Su Hele's body stiffened, and her smile froze on her lips.
What did He Jin mean by this? Was he taking Li's side?
He Jin's voice became softer:
"You've only been married to me for a short time. It's normal that you're not used to the rules of the mansion. But in the future, you have to learn them slowly. After all, in the future, you, the mistress, will have to take care of the Marquis Mansion."
By the end, his voice was so soft that only Su Hele could hear it.
She understood what He Jin meant, but she wasn't happy at all. Instead, her body felt colder and colder.
Did He Jin think she was unruly?
Su Nansheng was pulled by He Xun to have a in - depth discussion about where exactly he was fat and also deeply experienced how uncomfortable the bed in the study was. They didn't return to the bedroom until midnight.
The next day, when it was already bright, Su Nansheng suddenly woke up. In a daze, she found He Xun leisurely leaning on the edge of the couch, staring at her.
"Why haven't you left yet?"
Didn't he say he got a promotion? It wouldn't be good to be late before taking up his new post.
Seeing that Su Nansheng's first words were to drive him away, He Xun should have been angry. But looking at the faint red marks on Su Nansheng's body, he was in a good mood and decided to give her another chance.
So he raised his eyebrows and curled up one corner of his lips.
"Ask me again properly, and I'll tell you."
He was smiling, but it made Su Nansheng feel a sense of danger for no reason.
So she quickly reflected on her words and actions just now and said gently:
"What I meant was that it might be said that you're being arrogant and complacent if you don't go to your office on time right after your promotion."
Only then was He Xun satisfied. "I'm off today. Since you're awake, accompany me to a banquet."