Chapter 148: Dream vs. Reality
After all, there were bound to be some changes in her heart before and after becoming husband and wife. Bai Xiangxiu was a woman, so she had started depending on her man and stopped concealing all her thoughts and feelings. Meanwhile, Long Heng’s thoughts had turned even more domineering. The woman was his to begin with, so it was perfectly reasonable for him to act this way.
But he was just a little angry that his woman would reject him. It made him feel like there were things beyond his grasp, depriving him of the satisfaction of control. It was an inherent weakness of men, and one of the main reasons why women depended on them. The more domineering a man, the more of a sense of security he offered. They were controlling, but protective as well.
Bai Xiangxiu stayed angry for a while before feeling a little childish. She’d clearly wanted to yield a bit so she could have some peaceful days with the prince before she left these ancient times for the modern day. But that didn’t make her feel any better. Instead, she felt a stifling urge to cry that wouldn’t go away. Who knew what he was doing now? Was he already so angry that he was thinking of ways to punish her?
Perhaps she was too worried. Maybe she was simply too tired. In any case, she ended up sluggishly falling asleep. It didn’t take long for her to start dreaming. Interestingly, this dream even had a narrator. The narrator’s voice was none other than Huo’er, who said that this is what you wanted to see, Mistress…
What did she want to see? Bai Xiangxiu opened her eyes in the dream, only to discover Long Heng right in front of her. Right now, Long Heng was actually taking a bath, and she could zoom in and out freely to see him and his body soaking in the water. Shu’er was currently scrubbing his back, but Long Heng looked rather vexed. Shu’er had barely scrubbed his back before he was dismissed with a wave. After his servant left, Long Heng abruptly stood up from the water. Nothing was left to the imagination as water evaporated off his body.
Bai Xiangxiu flushed as she watched, even though she knew this was just a dream.
“Your Highness, how should we deal with Sun Hong’er’s corpse?” A voice sounded from an unknown source, but Bai Xiangxiu couldn’t find the source no matter where she looked.
Long Heng only gave a cold snort without paying heed, still showing off the firm, strong build of his body that resembled a statue of David. “This time, make sure they can’t find it even if they want to. They’re still inexperienced if they want to attack me with such things. She was just a servant, and one who committed a wrong at that. So what if they report it to the emperor?”
Long Heng waved a hand and added, “Take care of all the people who were supposed to clean up the corpse last time. Since they can’t control their mouths, it’s useless leaving them around.”
This was Bai Xiangxiu’s first time witnessing such a Long Heng. Even though he wasn’t wearing any clothes, his imposing manner startled her. Only now did she realize how much he normally held back in front of her. Otherwise, she would’ve fainted dead away from fright when they first met.
“Your Highness, we’ll offend a number of people if we steal that woman’s corpse.” The unseen subordinate carefully pointed out. Sun Hong’er’s body was evidence. But their master had told them to steal the body, clearly pitting them against the people who wanted to investigate the case. It would only end up increasing the likelihood that the prince might be convicted.
However, Long Heng didn’t care. He smiled coldly and said, “It’s precisely because they want to move against her that they don’t deserve an intact corpse.”
What a familiar line. He’d said that precise line in the novel before giving the order to beat the owner of this body, Bai Xiangxiu. At that time, the supporting female character had wanted to harm the female lead. Although she hadn’t succeeded in the end, she’d still infuriated the male lead. In the novel, those words had preceded the beating that had turned her into a wretched state.
She gave a violent shiver. The male lead was indeed a male lead. She’d been thinking too well of him recently. No, it was him who’d been extremely patient with her, leading her to reach for a yard after receiving an inch. Should I hold back a bit?
Long Heng finally got dressed shortly afterwards, but his long legs and sturdy chest were still exposed to the air. His subordinate seems to have left as well. Long Heng sat with his hair hanging loosely to drink wine and drown his sorrows, presenting a sexy sight.
“She should be asleep now, right…” The male lead stood up and paced around the room like a beast, heading for the door multiple times before stopping himself. Each time he hesitated, his expression looked more and more unsightly.
What is this? Is he constipated, or does he have to pee? Bai Xiangxiu was still puzzling over this when she heard a ding, as if something had fallen and shattered on the ground. She suddenly sat up and looked around curiously. “What is it?”
Then, she saw a figure hurrying in from outside. It was none other than Long Heng. He was clearly dressed in informal wear, his inner robes identical to the ones she’d seen in her dream. Even the wetness of his hair didn’t vary by much.
No way, did my soul leave my body just now? But Long Heng’s expression didn’t look good. He looked at the broken flowerpot off to the side and asked, “What happened?”
He’d ended up coming in anyways despite agonizing over his decision for a while. He was planning to return back to his rooms because he felt like showing up would lose him face, but had run over when he heard the sound of something shattering inside. He was worried that she was in trouble.
An alarmed Xiaoshi kneeled on the ground to admit her wrongs. “Your Highness, it was this servant who accidentally knocked over the flowerpot…”
“Go and receive your punishment. Call in the doctor as well.”
Perhaps it was because Bai Xiangxiu had just fallen asleep, the doctor had stayed outside the entire time, afraid to come in.
When Bai Xiangxiu heard that Xiaoshi was going to be punished, she quickly got off the bed and called for her from behind the folding screen. “Xiaoshi, just skip tonight’s dinner! Your Highness, are you satisfied with such a punishment?”
After that dream, she’d decided to act like before to avoid provoking him, but it hadn’t taken long for her to break that and call out.
How would Long Heng be angry over such minor things? Without saying a word, he stepped behind the screen and saw her dressed only in her underclothes, with nothing on her legs. He knew at a glance that she’d been in a rush because of that servant. Even if she was anxious, she should still cherish her body more. Becoming chilled was the most taboo of all for women. “Lie back down. If there’s anything you do, just tell them with a word.”
Bai Xiangxiu went back to lie on the bed and saw him personally reach out to pull close the bed curtains. The doctor entered the room before long. After he took her pulse, Long Heng asked, “Has she suffered from any fright?”
“In response to this prince, Fourth Madame… Fourth Madame is simply weak at the moment and just needs ample rest. As long as she takes some proper meals cooked with medicinal herbs, she’ll be fine. There’s no need to use medicine.”
It’s really strange. Why did everyone say this Madame Xiu was as fragile as paper? These clearly weren’t the signs of being afraid, but, cough… The doctor didn’t dare say anymore. If he told the prince to practice abstinence, wouldn’t he be giving up his life, if not his job?
Long Heng nodded before ordering the kitchens to make some food using medicinal herbs as a health-bolstering dinner. He didn’t allow the doctor to treat the injury on Bai Xiangxiu’s face. Her injury couldn’t be treated just by anyone. He’d actually long since found an extremely capable doctor who would arrive around tomorrow.
Bai Xiangxiu was still lost musing about her strange dream. She wanted to ask Huo’er how she’d dreamed twice about things she wanted to know. Was it all related to the little cactus?