Chapter 29

When Zhang Weixin was "betrayed" by everyone at the Jade Void Palace moon-watching party, in the east wing of the Yuelai Inn in Liangxiang County, Xu Shaohan, Liu Wendong, Hong Yan, and Lin Xiaoyu were also sitting around a square table in the courtyard, eating mooncakes and admiring the moon. Of course, there were far fewer people here than at the Jade Void Palace, and the atmosphere was much less lively.

After sitting together for a while, Lin Xiaoyu felt the atmosphere was a bit cold, so she suggested singing a song to liven things up. The others naturally welcomed her enthusiastically. Perhaps it was fate, after thinking for a while, Lin Xiaoyu also chose to sing "When Did the Bright Moon Appear."

Lin Xiaoyu had a very good voice. If it weren't for her parents' opposition, she might have entered the entertainment industry. Her beautiful voice naturally produced a much better effect than Zhu Xiaoyuan's. However, most of the people from the穿越group couldn't appreciate it. After she finished the song, the other three gave her a warm round of applause, with Xu Shaohan clapping the loudest. Even after the others stopped clapping, he continued to clap happily, making Lin Xiaoyu blush and pull his arm to make him stop. Seeing Lin Xiaoyu's embarrassed look, Hong Yan naturally wouldn't miss the chance to tease her, saying, "As the saying goes, 'husband sings, wife follows.' Today, we should change it to 'wife sings, husband claps.'"

Lin Xiaoyu was greatly embarrassed by this comment and wanted to find Hong Yan to settle the score, threatening to tickle her. Hong Yan laughed and ran around the table to avoid her revenge. The small courtyard was filled with laughter and joy. No one noticed that two women outside the courtyard were secretly praising the song and the lyrics, which they considered a masterpiece. They wanted to enter the courtyard to investigate but were afraid of disturbing the others' moon-watching. After much consideration, they decided to return to their room and visit the next day. With this decision made, the two women quietly left, leaving a faint fragrance lingering at the door for a long time.

The four people in the courtyard continued to joke for a while. Since Liu Wendong was injured and couldn't sit for long, he was the first to leave. Hong Yan, of course, couldn't leave him alone, so she apologized and helped him back to his room to rest.

In Liu Wendong's bedroom, after Hong Yan wiped his face with a towel, she helped him lie down on the bed—because of his back injury, he could only lie on his stomach. Then she lay down next to him, fully clothed.

Since Liu Wendong was injured, Hong Yan had taken on the responsibility of taking care of him. To make it easier to care for him, she had been sharing a room and even a bed with him. Although lying next to a beautiful woman was very pleasant, Liu Wendong felt somewhat uncomfortable. It wasn't that he had any improper thoughts, but he felt that since they hadn't officially announced their relationship, it might damage her reputation.

Seeing Hong Yan lying next to him again, after some thought, he finally mustered the courage to sit up and express his concerns to her.

After listening, Hong Yan also sat up and said straightforwardly, "The relationship between the two of us is decided by the two of us, not by a committee or a general assembly. I ask you, do you love me?"

Liu Wendong thought, "Isn't this a rhetorical question?" He wouldn't have taken a bullet for her if he didn't love her. However, he couldn't show any impatience or hesitation, so he nodded vigorously.

Seeing him nodding like a chicken pecking, Hong Yan smiled in satisfaction and said, "That's settled. You love me, and I love you. As long as we love each other, that's enough. If we want to live together, we will. We don't need to care what others think. From the moment I decided to stay and take care of you, I decided to take care of you for the rest of my life. Are you willing?"

Liu Wendong, of course, had no objections and continued to nod his already dizzy head. Just as he was about to rest his head, Hong Yan's slightly blushing face approached his, and she said gently and shyly, "Since that's the case, when we return to the Jade Void Palace, you should go to Wang Xiaojun and explain the situation, asking him to arrange a good day for us to have a wedding ceremony. What do you think?"

Liu Wendong's head, which he had wanted to rest, continued to nod. By now, he was seeing stars. Fortunately, Hong Yan, seeing how hard he was nodding, used her delicate hands to support his head and gave him a light kiss on the lips. This kiss invigorated Liu Wendong, and his dizziness and blurred vision disappeared. His hands began to explore Hong Yan's slender waist, intending to give her a firm hug and a passionate kiss. However, before he could pull her closer, her small body pressed against him, and her cherry lips came closer. Just as their lips were about to touch, she suddenly stopped and said in a very gentle voice, "Wendong, since we are going to be husband and wife, there's something I need to make clear."

Although Liu Wendong was eager, he had to patiently listen to her, so he nodded again.

Hong Yan continued in a gentle, water-like voice, "Wendong, you know we are in a feudal society, and we should follow the laws and customs of this era. However, I have lived in modern society for thirty years, and some of my ideas can't be changed. So, some things that are common in this era, I may not be able to accept. Therefore, you must remember that there are certain common things in this era that you cannot do. Do you understand?"

Liu Wendong, seeing her fresh, red lips so close but unable to kiss them, was very anxious. But Hong Yan's words were a bit vague, and he couldn't figure out her intentions. So, while secretly tightening his arm around her to prevent her from escaping, he asked patiently, "Yan, what do you mean? What common things can't I do? I don't understand. Can you be more specific so I can follow your instructions?"

Hong Yan, seeing that Liu Wendong still didn't understand her meaning—she didn't realize that her explanation was unclear—became annoyed. Her gentle expression began to fade, and she said a bit discontentedly, "After all that I've said, you still don't understand. Are you deliberately pretending not to understand?"

Liu Wendong quickly shook his head, indicating that he truly didn't understand.

So, Hong Yan firmly held Liu Wendong's head with both hands and said seriously, "Since you don't understand, I'll be straightforward. Although men in this era can have multiple wives, you, Liu Wendong, can only have one wife—me. You are not allowed to love or marry any other woman unless I die. Do you understand now?"

Hearing this, Liu Wendong was both amused and exasperated. As a modern man, he didn't accept polygamy and had never thought about having multiple wives. Since he loved Hong Yan, he was devoted to her and wouldn't pay attention to other women. He never imagined that Hong Yan would think about this issue. It seemed that women were indeed petty. However, no matter how petty this woman was, her intentions were out of love for him, so he couldn't show any resistance. So, Liu Wendong hugged her tighter and said sincerely, "I understand. Don't worry, I'm not a playboy. I love you, only you, for the rest of my life."

Satisfied with his answer, Hong Yan resumed her gentle demeanor, wrapped her arms around Liu Wendong's neck, and offered her sweet lips for him to taste. If it weren't for his injuries, they might have gone further.

While Liu Wendong and Hong Yan were expressing their love, only Xu Shaohan and Lin Xiaoyu were left in the courtyard. Although it was a bit quiet, they had fewer inhibitions. Xu Shaohan moved his chair next to Lin Xiaoyu's, sat down, and put his arm around her shoulder. Lin Xiaoyu leaned into his embrace, finding a comfortable position to rest in his arms. Xu Shaohan's right hand gently caressed her back, while his left hand lifted her chin and kissed her tender lips. Lin Xiaoyu not only didn't resist but also wrapped her arms around his neck and responded enthusiastically.

After a long kiss, both were breathing heavily. Lin Xiaoyu, now limp in Xu Shaohan's arms, had a dazed look in her eyes under the moonlight. The scene made Xu Shaohan unable to hold back. With a low growl, he lifted her soft body into his arms and carried her to his room. Lin Xiaoyu, knowing what he was about to do, didn't object but held onto his neck even tighter.

On the morning of the 16th of August, Hong Yan got up early. To avoid waking the still sleeping Liu Wendong, she quietly got out of bed and tiptoed out of the bedroom. She quickly washed up in the outer room and went to prepare breakfast for Liu Wendong.

Leaving the room, Hong Yan went to the door of Lin Xiaoyu's room, knocked lightly, and called softly, "Xiaoyu, are you awake? I'm going to buy breakfast. Do you want to come?" Hearing no response, she called a bit louder, but still no answer. Hong Yan was puzzled; how could Lin Xiaoyu be sleeping so soundly? She knocked harder, and the door opened by itself. Hong Yan noticed that the door wasn't locked. She was surprised and thought, "How can Lin Xiaoyu sleep without locking the door? What if someone sneaks in at night?" She decided to play a prank on the carefree Lin Xiaoyu.

So, she quietly entered the room, went to the bedroom door, and peeked inside. The bedroom was quiet, and the curtains on the bed were hanging on both sides, but there was no sign of Lin Xiaoyu. Hong Yan was very curious and wondered where the beautiful woman had gone so early in the morning.

After checking the bedroom and finding nothing unusual, she went to the other empty rooms in the courtyard but still found no trace of Lin Xiaoyu. Now, Hong Yan was too worried about buying breakfast and hurried back to her room to wake Liu Wendong and tell him the situation. Liu Wendong, after hearing her, was also puzzled and worried about her safety. At this point, Hong Yan, a bit anxious, said, "I think you should find Captain Xu and ask if he knows where Xiaoyu is or have him look for her. We can't go out easily. I'm afraid those performers who injured you might have been punished by the authorities and are seeking revenge on Xiaoyu."

Hearing "Captain Xu," Liu Wendong suddenly had a thought and a faint smile appeared on his lips, which Hong Yan, worried about Lin Xiaoyu, didn't notice. Liu Wendong quickly comforted her, "You don't need to be so worried. Doctor Lin isn't a child; she won't get lost. Besides, we didn't hear any unusual sounds last night, so she couldn't have been kidnapped. I think you should go buy breakfast. I promise Xiaoyu will be back by noon."

Although Hong Yan didn't understand why he was so confident, she trusted him and decided to put aside her worry about Lin Xiaoyu and hurried out of the inn to the nearby breakfast shop.