Plan B
Mandarin Ducks 9
Lin Suhuai picked up the lifting pole that was placed on the table. The end of the small black pole was tied with a red flower, looking extremely festive.
She set aside the large, somewhat comical flower tied to her own body and used the small pole in her hand to lift her beautiful bride’s red wedding veil.
From her chin to her eyes, every part of her was beautiful.
There is a saying in the 《Rhapsody on the Luo River Goddess》1: “Rosy lips bright on the outside, pearly teeth fresh within. Luminous eyes, skilled in glances, with dimples to receive her power.”2
Lin Suhuai felt it was exactly so. Her beautiful, delicate bride was just like that.
Su Xin gazed at Lin Suhuai, thinking to herself that she was finally going to be liberated.
It didn’t seem quite right to undo it herself, so Su Xin looked expectantly at Lin Suhuai.
“What is it?”
“Help me undo my hair, please?”
“Of course.”
Lin Suhuai had also noticed the phoenix coronet3 on Su Xin’s head; it looked quite heavy.
The chignon was tied very tightly, and Su Xin felt her scalp was not in a good state.
After relaxing, Lin Suhuai took Su Xin’s hand and walked to the side of the table.
A porcelain wine cup with a blue pattern on a white base was placed into Su Xin’s hand, and the two drank with their arms intertwined4.
“With this, I am now yours.”
Su Xin swirled the wine cup in her hand. On its pristine white wall, there was still a red rouge lip print.
Lin Suhuai swallowed hard. She could smell the faint fragrance wafting from Su Xin’s body.
“May I eat something?”
Although Su Xin felt this might ruin the atmosphere a bit, this body of hers truly couldn’t endure hunger.
Lin Suhuai ruffled her hair and nodded.
“Should I have the kitchen make you something hot to eat?”
There were only some pastries on the table, which could barely fill one’s stomach.
“Don’t. What would it look like for a bride to ask for food on her wedding night?”
Su Xin was quite embarrassed. She was a little hungry, but it wasn’t that dramatic.
“Letting my wife go hungry, now that’s what wouldn’t look right.”
“I’ll just eat these pastries on the table. If you want to fill me up, then you should come do it yourself.”
Su Xin’s watery eyes shimmered. Because she had just drunk wine, her crimson lips were coated with a thin, moist sheen, looking utterly bewitching under the flickering red candlelight.
Lin Suhuai’s face immediately turned red, a nervousness that couldn’t be concealed no matter how hard she tried to feign composure.
Sometimes she seemed like such a proper lady, so obedient, someone who should be properly reciting the rules of female etiquette, demure and shy, who ought to be looking at her from under the candlelight with wide, hesitant eyes. But this person’s words were always startling when they came out, open and direct. It was she, instead, who felt a bit embarrassed, yet her heart was filled with delight.
Su Xin wiped her lips, placed the handkerchief on the table, and walked toward Lin Suhuai.
After sweeping all the jujubes, longans, and peanuts5 from under the quilt onto the table, Su Xin and Lin Suhuai took off their clothes, sat comfortably on the bed, and drew the bed curtains.
“What about the blood?”
Su Xin pondered. Should she do it, or should Lin Suhuai?
“I’ll prick my finger later. Don’t worry, it won’t be discovered.”
“You… don’t you plan to have me?”
Hahahahahahahahahaha, Su Xin inwardly howled, pounding a metaphorical table. Why is this person’s reaction always so amusing?
Su Xin was quite the flirt. Of course, she had to properly coax her sugar mommy, but she didn’t need to use herself as an exchange. She just liked this person, a feeling that was quite baseless, as if from the first glance she felt this must be a very good person.
Fourteen stood before the control console, looking at the sea of data, receiving data transmitted from various planes, analyzing it, and passing it on.
With so many planes and so many people, someone was committing suicide every day for all sorts of reasons.
Love, friendship, bankruptcy, illness…
Fourteen’s fingers swiped, switching the image displayed on the control panel, and saw two points of light shining together.
As the mission progressed, the bond between the two people grew deeper and deeper—not a superficial world-level bond, but a soul-level bond located in the depths.
The compatibility of their souls would get higher and higher. Even if they were meeting for the first time, they would develop a fondness for each other that was different from their feelings for others, and the direction of that feeling would be determined by them.
This should be a good thing, for a certain someone.
Fourteen performed a data screening, filtering out all sorts of options to select a suitable next mission for its two hosts. The other host was also doing very well. It was quite lucky; the hosts it selected all had high mission completion rates.
The spring night was warm in the curtained bed, figures nestled close.
“Don’t cry…”
Lin Suhuai touched Su Xin’s face, a bit at a loss, her fingers pressing the corner of her eye with a worried expression.
“I’m not crying.”
Su Xin turned her head, holding back her tears. She didn’t want to cry either. She wasn’t really such a delicate person, but she couldn’t control this body’s instinctive reaction.
“If it hurts, bite me.”
Su Xin didn’t hold back at all, biting down hard on Lin Suhuai’s shoulder.
The red candle shed its last tears, [REDACTED].
Xiao Qin and another maidservant stood at the door, waiting to serve. Su Xin had only brought Xiao Qin as her dowry maid, refusing the others that Master Xu had offered.
Su Xin propped herself up on her arms, her black hair cascading down.
“Why not sleep a little longer?”
Lin Suhuai ruffled her hair and kissed her forehead.
Both Su Xin and Lin Suhuai had quite a few marks left from last night. Lin Suhuai had comparatively fewer because Su Xin was rather lazy, but the marks on Lin Suhuai’s body were more severe—a bite mark on her shoulder was very obvious.
“Haven’t Father-in-law and Mother-in-law arrived? I have to go see them.”
Su Xin rubbed her eyes sleepily, still a bit drowsy.
“It’s alright, a little later is fine.”
Lin Suhuai got up and dressed herself. She had always dressed herself and didn’t like others getting close.
“No.”
Su Xin climbed up and leaned softly against Lin Suhuai’s body, clinging for a moment.
Lin Suhuai loved seeing Su Xin act spoiled; her heart could melt into a pool of water.
She finally understood why some men were so lost in the land of tenderness6. When facing the person they liked, even a tall man of eight chi7 with a stern face could blush red, stammering, not knowing where to put his hands. A hundred-times refined steel transforms into a finger-wrapping softness8; so this was the feeling.
After Lin Suhuai finished dressing herself, she then dressed the half-asleep, drowsy Su Xin before letting the maids enter.
After washing up, Su Xin sat with clear eyes before the dressing table, letting Xiao Qin do her makeup.
Xiao Qin was young, but her hands were very deft.
In no time, she had coiled the chignon and then proceeded to draw Su Xin’s eyebrows, apply powder, and dot her lips.
This body of Su Xin’s already had gentle features, and with this makeup, the characteristics of her face were further accentuated. Her lip color was faint, neither garish nor overly vibrant.
“Let’s go. After we serve them tea, we’ll go have breakfast together.”
“Mm, will they like me?”
Su Xin already fully understood the personalities of those two and was very happy inside, no longer needing to worry about any mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflicts. But even so, she still asked this, a look of apprehension on her face.
“Of course they will. You are so good. As long as it’s someone I like, they will like them. They won’t interfere with my decisions.”
Whether out of guilt or affection for her, they would not object to any decision she made, unless she was truly and ridiculously wrong, insisting on walking alone with her own idea9.
The General’s wife received the tea from her new daughter-in-law, she almost couldn’t stop herself from crying.
This was truly a “in my lifetime” moment for her. She had never thought she would be able to see this day. With all the boisterous celebrations outside yesterday, she had a dazed, unreal feeling.
“Good, good, good. This is a little something from Mother. Keep it well. Mother doesn’t ask for much, Suhuai…”
The General’s wife suddenly stopped, looking at Lin Suhuai with a very nervous expression.
“It’s alright, Mother. She knows what my real name is.”
“Good, good, good. Mother doesn’t ask for much, only that you and Suhuai live well together. You also know our family’s situation is a bit special, and we still don’t know when Suhuai will be able to appear as her true self. You’ll have to be more understanding, and we will also do our utmost to protect you.”
“Mother, Jinyan understands. But… protect? Could it be that there will be some danger? Suhuai did say she has some enemies, but no matter what, Jinyan will always stand by her side, advancing and retreating together with her.”
“Good child.”
The General was not skilled in speech, but his face wore a satisfied smile. He stuffed a pouch10 into Su Xin’s hand; it was heavy, likely filled with silver.
Su Xin expressed her fondness for her father-in-law; the gift he gave was more practical and direct.
Giving money was so cool. You could just go buy whatever you liked. Of course, besides receiving money, getting a few other gifts was also very delightful.
“Go have breakfast. You must be starving.”
The General’s wife took Su Xin’s hand, leading her to walk ahead.
Su Xin looked back at Lin Suhuai. Lin Suhuai nodded, and only then did Su Xin turn back to follow the General’s wife.
“She seems to listen to you very much.”
“She is very obedient.”
“True. Not every woman is as mischievous as your mother.”
“Mother is special. Of course, she is also very special.”
“This injury of yours was not in vain. Some people couldn’t hold back and have started to show their true colors.”
“It’s a bit faster than I expected.”
“Those people are too impatient, too radical. The old fox is still holding steady in the background. They’re all celebrating as if you’re finished for sure, and That One11 is also about to fall.”
General Lin walked slowly with his hands behind his back, shaking his head and chuckling.
“Rest assured, Father. Everything is under control. That One knows everything; I have already spoken with him.”
“Does our daughter-in-law know the true situation of our family?”
“No, I haven’t had the chance to tell her yet.”
“You’ll have to tell her sooner or later. It’s best for a husband and wife to treat each other with frankness and sincerity.”12
“Yes.”
Along the way, Lin Suhuai and her father chatted about the way of getting along as a married couple, and they stepped into the dining hall.
“Husband, come quickly.”
Su Xin waved at Lin Suhuai, her smile bright, comparable to the March peach blossoms in the courtyard.
Lin Suhuai stood there, dazzled and mesmerized.
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