Page 173

If Xiao Jinyan were lying on the bed right now, hands bound, the way Shen Chuwei was undressing would make her seem like a female bandit who had captured a handsome husband and was about to spend the night in the bridal chamber.

An unduly coerced melon is extra sweet!

Xiao Jinyan watched Shen Chuwei’s hasty undressing, as if she were afraid of being late.

She stripped off her outer robe and then her undergarment, uninhibited in her movements, pulling at the sash with one hand while she forcefully grabbed the lapels with both hands and yanked them apart, revealing a fair, muscular chest.

Xiao Jinyan’s eyes darkened.

Shen Chuwei paused, having not intended to take off her undergarment—

The fair chest, with its striking scar, was somewhat eye-catching and startling.

Even though she had never seen Xiao Jinyan’s body before, his firm pectoral muscles suggested that he had an impressive physique.

"Are you in such a rush?"

Xiao Jinyan’s voice, cool and deep, came from above, prompting Shen Chuwei to look up, a bit guiltily, "Isn’t Your Highness in a hurry to bathe?"

Xiao Jinyan’s meaningfully said, "It seems to Your Highness that you are the one who is rather eager."

"Concubine is not in a rush," Shen Chuwei held her clothes and urged, "Your Highness, please go bathe now, the water will get cold."

Xiao Jinyan observed Shen Chuwei for a while then turned and went behind the screen.

Shen Chuwei let out a sigh of relief and after hanging the clothes, she began looking for something. She took out some fine paper and spread it out on the desk, readying the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

Then she took out the brush Xiao Jinyan had given her; it had been a while since she received it, and she had never used it. Today would be a good opportunity for practice.

When Xiao Jinyan came out after his bath, he saw Shen Chuwei holding the brush, practicing her calligraphy quite seriously.

He walked over slowly, his gaze falling on the brush in her hand, recognizing it as the one he had given her.

The shaft of the brush was made of fine ink jade. Held in her pale, delicate fingers, it created a striking contrast of black and white.

He advised, "Your grip on the brush is incorrect."

"Is it?" Shen Chuwei examined her hand for a moment—there was nothing wrong with it; it was just the way Xiao Jinyan held his brush.

Xiao Jinyan took two steps forward and stood behind her, one arm looping around her slender waist, the other hand holding hers.

When Xiao Jinyan leaned closer, Shen Chuwei’s body stiffened. Fresh from his bath, Xiao Jinyan’s body was filled with a cool fragrance, and his temperature was unusually warm.

Her cheeks reddened involuntarily.

Just correct it, must a gentleman really resort to more than just words?

Xiao Jinyan did not notice that Shen Chuwei was mentally complaining. He looked down at the writing on the paper, his long eyebrows furrowing, "You’ve been practicing calligraphy for so long, how come there’s no improvement?"

Shen Chuwei guiltily replied, "Concubine is dim-witted and always fails to learn."

She hadn’t picked up a brush in almost two months; managing to write this well was already quite an achievement.

Xiao Jinyan said, "That’s alright, Your Highness will teach you."

Shen Chuwei nodded her head.

Xiao Jinyan held her hand, teaching her as he had done in the past, with more patience than he had ever had for his brother Xiao Jinyu.

With Xiao Jinyan’s guidance, the calligraphy she wrote looked much nicer and was more pleasant to the eye.

But Shen Chuwei had not forgotten the main reason for practicing calligraphy tonight.

She raised her head to look at Xiao Jinyan—the two of them were very close, close enough that she could smell Xiao Jinyan’s cool fragrance, familiar to her.

"Your Highness, Concubine should practice on her own for a while. You’ve been so busy every day, why don’t you go and rest first?"

Xiao Jinyan knew that learning calligraphy depended on one’s own patience and practice; being helped by his hand would not result in true skill.

"Alright, practice for a little while longer."

He let go of Shen Chuwei’s hand, stood up, walked over to the bed, and casually picked up a book, planning to read for a while on the bed.

Shen Chuwei breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that once Xiao Jinyan fell asleep, she would not need to attend to him in bed.

She picked up the brush and continued to practice.

Finding it dull after a while, she decided to draw instead.

After about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Xiao Jinyan looked over to the writing desk and noticed Shen Chuwei still holding the brush and practicing.

He reminded her, "Chuwei, it’s time to rest."

Shen Chuwei covertly yawned and turned to look at Xiao Jinyan on the bed, "Your Highness, Concubine wishes to practice a little more. If you are tired, feel free to rest first."

Xiao Jinyan was not sleepy either, and seeing her so diligently eager to learn, he felt it wasn’t right to disturb her mood, so he lowered his head and continued to read, waiting for her.

Another incense stick’s time passed, and Xiao Jinyan looked over at the desk again, Shen Chuwei was still practicing calligraphy—how had she suddenly become so diligent?

"Chuwei, it’s late. It’s time to rest."

At this point, Shen Chuwei was extremely sleep-deprived, yawning profusely. She was just about to turn around, thinking Xiao Jinyan must have fallen asleep, when she heard his voice.

She let out a sigh. Why wasn’t he sleeping yet?

Fighting against her strong drowsiness, she said, "Your Highness, Concubine wants to practice a little longer. You go to sleep first."

Hearing this, Xiao Jinyan put down the book he was holding, got out of the bed, put on his shoes, and walked over at a leisurely pace.

Unaware that Xiao Jinyan was approaching, Shen Chuwei yawned, covered her mouth, and then Xiao Jinyan’s cool voice rang out above her head, "Is this you practicing your calligraphy?"

Xiao Jinyan, curious about how Shen Chuwei’s writing was coming along, looked at the paper; it was not filled with writing but clearly a drawing.

That voice, so close by, scared away all of Shen Chuwei’s sleepiness. She jerked her head up and saw Xiao Jinyan’s deep, unfathomable eyes.

She quickly grabbed the drawing from the desk, attempting to destroy the evidence.

But Xiao Jinyan got hold of the drawing first and carefully examined what she had drawn.

On the paper were approximately six or seven figures, among them one was a man, the rest women.

The man was embraced by women on both sides, holding one in his arms and turning his head to kiss another.

One of the women was sitting in a chair, holding a watermelon in one hand and pastries in the other.

Shen Chuwei tried to explain, "Your Highness, Concubine was tired from practicing the characters, and on a whim, she decided to draw for fun."

Filled with trepidation, she hoped that Xiao Jinyan wouldn’t recognize the figures in the drawing.

Actually, the drawing depicted Xiao Jinyan and his women, surrounded and admired by many, a sight invoking envy in numerous men.

And the one eating melon seeds, that was her.

Xiao Jinyan looked at Shen Chuwei, pointing to the drawing, and asked, "What is this you’ve drawn?"