Chapter 181
Chapter 181
When Ji Hanyi climbed into the carriage, Shen Si was leaning back against the seat with his eyes closed, resting.
His tall, slender figure carried an air of refined elegance. His handsome, distinguished face was tilted slightly upward, and beneath the flickering light of the lotus-shaped bronze lamp, his expression held a trace of weariness. It was difficult to make out clearly, yet that only made him seem all the more noble.
The carriage was indeed very dim – so dim that even the patterns embroidered on their clothes were nearly impossible to see.
Ji Hanyi’s gaze fell upon the lamp on the table. Its aperture had been narrowed to a slit. Shen Si must have deliberately turned down the flame while he rested.
He did not stir when she entered, so Ji Hanyi called softly, “Lord Shen?”
Shen Si gave a hoarse murmur of acknowledgment, then said in a low voice, “Hanyi, sit beside me.”
In truth, there was nowhere else to sit in the carriage except beside him.
Ji Hanyi couldn’t help remembering that Shen Si’s carriages used to be very spacious, with seats along both sides. Did he no longer use that large carriage?
There was a deep rasp in his voice that drew her gaze involuntarily to his exposed Adam’s apple. She quickly looked away and sat primly beside him.
But the moment she sat down, Shen Si reached over and took the hand resting on her knee.
The turquoise ring on his index finger was cold. When it pressed against her palm, the chill made her tremble faintly.
Ji Hanyi froze. Once she recovered, she instinctively tried to pull her hand away, but Shen Si kept a firm hold on it. She was no match for his strength. Surprised, she turned to him and asked cautiously, “Lord Shen?”
His eyes remained closed as his thumb stroked her palm. Feeling her attempt to withdraw, he silently tightened his grip. Only then did he slowly open his eyes and lower his gaze to meet hers.
His eyes traveled over her, taking in her alarmed, wary expression, but he showed no intention of releasing her hand.
Shen Si slowly leaned toward her, his gaze turning deep and somber. “Hanyi, you’ll have to get used to this sooner or later.”
“From now on, we must appear to be a deeply devoted husband and wife in public. Even if we hold hands, it will seem perfectly natural to everyone else.”
As he spoke, his warm breath, tinged faintly with wine, brushed Ji Hanyi’s face. She stilled for a moment.
She knew Shen Si was right. After all, they were deceiving His Majesty the Emperor. But there was no one else inside the carriage now. It was just the two of them…
She was about to speak when Shen Si suddenly lowered his head and pulled her into his arms. One hand pressed against her back, while he rested his chin lightly on her shoulder.
His warm breath spilled over her neck, and Ji Hanyi went completely rigid, not daring to move.
The last time Shen Si had gone to see Ji Hanyi, he had merely dabbed wine on himself. Tonight, however, he truly had been drinking.
News of his engagement had caused an uproar, and speculation was rife. Countless people had invited him to banquets. Today, His Majesty the Emperor had hosted another feast, which Shen Si could not decline, and he had been plied with wine. After leaving the palace, the only thing he could think of was seeing Ji Hanyi.
He wanted to hold her.
Ji Hanyi could not ignore the strong smell of wine on him, so she did not push him away. She simply remained still in his embrace and asked softly, “Lord Shen, are you drunk?”
If Shen Si truly was drunk, she would have to call Wen’an in at once.
But Shen Si shook his head. His high-bridged nose nuzzled closer to her neck. Ji Hanyi tilted her head away, enduring the ticklish sensation, and called for Wen’an to prepare some sobering soup.
Even after she called several times, however, Wen’an did not answer. She was just about to lift the curtain and see where he had gone – he had clearly been there when she climbed into the carriage – when Shen Si caught her half-raised hand in a firm, irresistible grip and pulled her back to him.
Shen Si tightened his arms around her, his hoarse voice falling beside her ear. “You’ve been invited to a flower-viewing banquet tomorrow. Don’t be afraid. I’ll go as soon as I’m done with my official duties.”
Ji Hanyi quickly recovered from her brief surprise and answered, “All right.”
She tried pushing at Shen Si’s waist again. He was holding her so tightly that she could not reach his chest, leaving his waist as the only place she could push.
But she had barely pressed against him, without using any real force, when a low, hoarse groan escaped Shen Si. Ji Hanyi immediately went still.
Then she heard his deep voice. “Hanyi, don’t move.”
Ji Hanyi stiffened. Even the fingers resting against his waist hovered there awkwardly, uncertain what to do.
Shen Si’s body was truly heavy, so heavy that she was beginning to find it difficult to breathe.
Aside from holding her, however, he did nothing else.
One of his hands still clasped hers, while the other rested firmly against her back.
His scent carried the mingled aromas of paper and agarwood, along with a faint trace of wine. Ji Hanyi did not find it unpleasant. If anything, she thought it smelled rather nice.
Her head felt a little hazy. She did not even know what thoughts were tumbling through her mind when Shen Si’s low voice sounded again. “If anyone wrongs you tomorrow while I’m not there, tell me.”
“I didn’t want you seeing anyone these past few days, but His Majesty the Emperor has issued a decree. You have no choice but to attend the flower-viewing banquet hosted by the Empress.”
After a moment’s thought, Ji Hanyi asked, “Am I going to the flower-viewing banquet tomorrow because Her Majesty the Empress wishes to see me?”
Shen Si gave a low, sensuous hum of assent.
He lowered his head and leaned closer to Ji Hanyi’s neck, breathing in her subtle fragrance before saying hoarsely, “Hanyi, remember what I told you. I chose you, so there can only ever be you. No matter what anyone else says or what you hear, you must always trust me.”
His steady voice held a reassuring strength. Ji Hanyi froze for a moment, then nodded gently.
She knew she could never be the daughter-in-law the Shen Family wanted. Even if Shen Si needed to find someone else to escape the imperial marriage decree, she certainly was not the best candidate.
But Shen Si had chosen her, and he needed her help. She had to do this well. Only then could she repay all the kindness he had shown her these past few days.
Ji Hanyi said earnestly, “Rest assured, Lord Shen. I’ll do my best to make a good impression.”
Hearing her speak so solemnly about making a good impression, as though she were facing some momentous ordeal, Shen Si found her soft voice unbearably adorable.
He could not help letting out a quiet laugh. His lips brushed the skin of her neck, and as he gazed at the tiny beauty mark there, warmth surged through his heart once more and his entire body tensed.
He truly wanted to be intimate with her right this instant. He wanted her to draw close to him, wanted her beside him every day – preferably without leaving him for even a moment.
Before, he had thought he could endure her absence. But now that he knew she would soon be his, every additional day of waiting felt like torment.
Ji Hanyi heard Shen Si’s quiet laughter but could not understand why he had suddenly laughed.
Shen Si lowered his head again and rested his chin against Ji Hanyi’s delicate shoulder. Such a small shoulder could never bear his weight, so he only leaned against her lightly. Closing his eyes, he lost himself in her soft, fragrant tenderness.
Here in the carriage, there were only the two of them.
This moment belonged to them alone.
He still could not enter her chambers whenever he pleased or glimpse every corner of her daily life. He did not know what she looked like while asleep, or what she looked like when she first woke in the morning.
Nor did he know what she was like when she was feeling lazy or showing a hint of temper.
He knew none of it, but he was more than willing to discover it all, little by little. The mere thought was enough to fill his heart with warmth.
For now, however, the wine was his only excuse to draw close to her.