Chapter 32

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Chapter 32: Title

Gu Hengbo peeled a peanut and threw it into her mouth while wandering around the room, touching this and looking at that, acting like a country girl who had never seen the world. She walked to the mirror and glanced at herself, tilting her head this way and that. The reflection of Gu Meisheng in a bright red wedding dress was unmistakable. Suddenly, she felt a bit melancholic. What if tonight she had to enter the bridal chamber? Even though she lived in a time when matters of intimacy were quite open, she was still a virgin. Although those courtesans seemed to be enjoying themselves thoroughly, she wasn’t one of them; people were different. Lian Rong was flawless in appearance, but how long had they known each other? Jumping into bed seemed a bit… strange.

After thinking for a long time without finding a good solution, she decided it was still early, so she might as well eat something, drink a little, and rest for a while. Then she could think of a strategy later in the evening. Gu Hengbo nodded and randomly stuffed some pastries into her mouth before lying on the bed. It was just right — a nap to refresh herself. She thought maybe when she woke up, the problem would be easily solved.

When Gu Hengbo awoke, the sky outside was already getting dark. She yawned and sat up, blinking sleepily as she looked around. Luckily, no one was in the room. Looking at the time, it was getting late, and soon after the guests left, someone would remember that the bride was still here and hungry. In fact, she was truly hungry; she hadn’t eaten all day, but she couldn’t just grab food from the table. After some thought, Gu Hengbo decided to suppress her hunger. She picked up the wedding veil she had tossed aside and put it on her head, sitting patiently. Fine, when in Rome, do as the Romans do; she could wait.

Not long after Gu Hengbo covered herself with the veil, she indeed heard a series of footsteps outside. She unconsciously squeezed the fabric of her wedding dress, and her palms grew slightly sweaty. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t nervous.

The door opened, and one by one, a line of smartly dressed maids entered. They formed two rows from the door to Gu Hengbo’s side, and just as they settled, another pair of footsteps approached from outside.

Gu Hengbo stared at the pair of boots trimmed with golden threads for a long time, feeling they looked increasingly familiar, but she just couldn’t remember where she had seen them. She struggled to balance her breathing, but the more she tried, the more difficult it became. It felt less suffocating without the veil, but the fabric made her feel a bit anxious. She didn’t have time to think much before her eyes lit up, and she exhaled a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, feeling so relieved that she almost cried out.

Lian Rong looked at the person who seemed to have been granted a great pardon; it was truly a shame the veil hadn’t suffocated her.

Gu Hengbo looked up at Lian Rong, who towered over her, and felt a moment of amazement. Lian Rong’s androgynous beauty was stunning, and with her makeup and this fiery red wedding dress, she looked astonishingly alluring, devoid of any masculine traits. Without realizing it, Gu Hengbo stared a little too long, before hearing a light laugh from above, both playful and joyful.

“Qian Yue,” Lian Rong called softly.

Qian Yue smiled, casually glancing at Gu Hengbo sitting on the bed. She offered a gold tray covered with red cloth to Lian Rong, who smiled and took the wine cup from the tray. Qian Yue then presented the gold tray to Gu Hengbo, who paused for a moment and glanced over at Lian Rong, carefully taking another wine cup.

Lian Rong sat down beside Gu Hengbo, who wanted to speak but couldn’t find her voice. The atmosphere felt so strange. The two exchanged glances and simultaneously downed the wine in their cups. Gu Hengbo wanted to savor the taste; surprisingly, the wine was a bit sweet, but reality told her that doing so would earn her the scorn of everyone in the room, so she kept her thoughts to herself.

After that, Qian Yue shared a lengthy speech filled with wedding blessings, while Gu Hengbo maintained a smile, listening to this long monologue until her face felt ready to cramp—it finally ended.

Lian Rong exchanged a meaningful glance with Qian Yue, who nodded in understanding before taking the rest of the maids out.

Gu Hengbo let out a sigh, feeling utterly deflated. While fanning herself with the large sleeves of her wedding dress, she looked over at Lian Rong. To her surprise, Lian Rong was also looking at her. Their eyes met, and Gu Hengbo quickly looked away, glancing around and blurting, “Ah, the weather is nice today.”

Lian Rong smiled, “Come, call me husband; let me hear you.”

Gu Hengbo swallowed hard, “Husband?”

Lian Rong laughed, “Not bad; it sounds quite natural.”

Gu Hengbo widened her eyes, “Are you tricking me?”

“Crown princess, we’ve had some wine, so…”

“Wait!” Gu Hengbo jumped up from the bed. “I… I have a psychological issue; tonight may not be good for me.”

“Oh? Does that mean the crown princess has problems in her head?” Lian Rong asked with a smile.

Gu Hengbo felt extremely frustrated. "You’re the one with the problem! Cough, I really need to go; where’s the restroom?" Oh my goodness, this was such a cliché feeling; why did she have an urge to jump off a building?

Lian Rong watched her for a moment, tilted her head, and seriously said, “There’s a chamber pot. Would the crown princess like to use it?”

No way, how could she? Gu Hengbo looked at her with deep disappointment, wondering if tonight she would really have to break her own rules and enjoy herself.

“Come, sit here,” Lian Rong patted her lap with a gentle expression.

Gu Hengbo glanced at Lian Rong’s elegantly shaped hand without saying a word, her face scrunching up like a bun.

“What’s wrong?” Lian Rong asked in confusion. “Are you uncomfortable or something?”

You androgynous freak, just stop pretending! Gu Hengbo glared at her, her head nearly steaming. “Let me put it this way, I’m not ready. I… I’m very nervous, so today is not going to work.”

Lian Rong patted her leg, looking troubled. “What can we do? The wedding night is something that couples must do together. Crown princess, we agreed that once you entered the palace, you would listen to this king. After a few days, I plan to bring your mother into the palace. If you had just entered the palace right away, brother (referring to the emperor) would not have allowed his son’s mother-in-law to enter with you.”

“You—”

“Is there another choice?”

Shameless!!!

Lian Rong’s smile did not fade. She stood up and walked to Gu Hengbo’s side. “I will ask you again, can we do it today?”

Gu Hengbo turned her face away, refusing to look at her, feeling flustered. “I don’t want to talk.”

“So that means we can!!” Lian Rong’s smile grew wider as she reached to unbutton Gu Hengbo’s clothes.

“What are you doing?” Gu Hengbo took a quick step back, looking at her warily.

“Taking off your clothes! Are we supposed to do it in our clothes?” Lian Rong said as if it were obvious.

Gu Hengbo was becoming a bit overwhelmed. After living for over twenty years, she finally felt lost. She forced a casual smile. “You are right, but is there no foreplay? Should we go straight to it?”

Lian Rong nodded. “You are correct, let’s start then. How about we don’t take off our clothes first?”

Gu Hengbo took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay.”

Lian Rong smiled slightly. “Come here.”

“What for?”

“Let’s have some foreplay first. Do you want to take the lead?”

Alright, it’s just getting into bed, who’s afraid of whom? She, a young woman from the 21st century, shouldn’t be scared of you, an ancient androgynous person. Gu Hengbo put on a brave front, almost making Lian Rong laugh out loud; that spirit was commendable.

Gu Hengbo stepped forward, pressed on Lian Rong’s shoulders, and with a push, sent Lian Rong onto the bed. Lian Rong didn’t expect her to be so straightforward and fell back onto the bed, luckily with a soft surface beneath; otherwise, it could have been problematic.

Gu Hengbo leaned over Lian Rong. Since they were going to bed anyway, she thought she should make the most of it; she didn’t want to let this woman—no, this man—get away easily.

Lian Rong looked at her with amusement. “And then?”

“What do you mean, and then?”

Is that all? Lian Rong stared at her for a moment; they were so close now, did she really not feel anything? She wrapped her arms around Gu Hengbo’s back and, before she could react, twisted her arms behind her back and flipped her over, pinning her down.

Gu Hengbo felt dizzy; her arms were painfully restrained beneath her, and the crown on her head was half-fallen. She looked up at the person holding her down, incredulously asking, “What are you doing?”

Lian Rong looked down at her. “I still think this feeling is better.”