Marry Saina

A scorching hand slipped beneath the hem of his pajamas.

Su Li shuddered, and every trace of sleep vanished in an instant.

He was just about to move when a soft body pressed down on him.

At some point, Sena had pushed aside the blanket on his side of the bed, too. In the faint moonlight filtering through the window, Su Li caught sight of a patch of white.

So white.

It was skin that had spent years hidden beneath clothes, never seeing the sun. Like the finest mutton-fat jade, it glowed with a soft sheen in the dim room.

At some point, she had tossed her coarse nightdress to the foot of the bed.

She straddled Su Li, clumsily trying to undo the buttons on his pajamas with both hands. Her fingers trembled so badly with nerves that she still hadn't managed to undo the first button.

"Hiss—"

Su Li sucked in a sharp breath.

Although the girl had washed her fingers clean, years of hard work had left thin calluses on them.

Their rough texture against his skin only made it harder to bear.

"Sena..." Su Li called, his voice hoarse.

"Don't speak."

Sena's voice trembled, but her tone was unusually firm.

Giving up on the buttons, she grabbed Su Li by the collar and yanked hard in both directions.

"Riiip—"

His already flimsy old pajamas met their end.

Su Li's chest was exposed.

Sena lowered her head and pressed her face against his firm chest.

In that moment,

Su Li felt as if a red-hot iron had been pressed against his heart.

Hot.

So hot.

"Brother Su..." Sena murmured, sliding both hands down his waist. "If you don't want this... push me away."

"But I... I won't regret it."

Su Li stared up at the pitch-black ceiling beams.

Push her away?

How could he?

He was a man, not a saint.

Besides, the girl had gone this far with her words and her actions. If he kept holding back now, it wouldn't just hurt her—it would be an insult.

Who cared about an F-rank evaluation?

This Reincarnation could go to hell, for all he cared.

At that moment, in this little room filled with the scent of sweat and hormones, beneath a girl who cherished him, if he could still hold back, then all his years of living had been for nothing.

Su Li reached out and clasped Sena's slender waist.

It felt silky beneath his hand.

It was the kind of skin only a young woman had.

Sena stiffened, then went limp, collapsing against Su Li.

"You silly girl." Su Li sighed.

He rolled over, pinning the trembling girl beneath him.

The bed frame groaned under the strain.

That night,

even the wind in Wading Village seemed to grow warmer.

The next day,

the sun rose as usual.

Su Li woke early.

But he didn't get up.

Someone was curled up in his arms. Sena clung to him like an octopus, one leg draped over his waist and her head resting on his arm as she slept soundly.

A few strands of hair lay across her face, hiding half her cheek.

Su Li gently brushed them aside.

He looked at her face, which wasn't exactly beautiful.

That was true.

Under this rating system, the girl probably wouldn't score many points for her looks. She had no prestigious family background, nor any legendary adventures.

But this was real life.

Steady.

Warm.

Su Li shifted his arm. Sena murmured and slowly opened her eyes.

Still groggy from sleep, she looked at the face in front of her, and the memories of the previous night came rushing back.

"Ah!"

Sena cried out and yanked the blanket over her head, curling up like a shrimp.

Su Li laughed.

Where had all that boldness from last night gone?

He patted the head beneath the blanket.

"All right, don't hide."

There was no response from under the blanket.

Su Li stopped teasing her. He lifted one corner of it and climbed out first.

As he got dressed, he glanced at the bedsheet.

A dark red flower bloomed there, vivid and bright.

Su Li fastened his belt and took a deep breath.

A man had to take responsibility.

Breakfast was an awkward affair.

Old Buck probably hadn't sobered up yet; he looked utterly listless.

Aunt Martha, on the other hand, was full of energy. Her eyes swept back and forth between Su Li and Sena like radar.

Sena didn't dare look up. Her face was nearly buried in her bowl of porridge, and her ears were so red they looked ready to drip blood.

Su Li, however, was perfectly calm.

He finished his last mouthful of porridge and set down his bowl.

Clink.

The sound wasn't loud, but it stood out in the quiet room.

"Uncle, Auntie."

Su Li sat up straight and rested both hands on his knees. He looked more serious than someone meeting his future mother-in-law for the first time.

Old Buck raised his head, looking bewildered.

Aunt Martha's eyes lit up, and she tightened her grip on her spoon.

Here it comes!

Finally!

"I have something to say." Su Li looked at the two older villagers. His voice was steady, and every word landed like a nail driven firmly into place.

"I want to marry Sena."

"Pfft—"

Old Buck sprayed out the mouthful of hangover soup he'd just taken.

This time, he didn't even bother wiping his mouth. He stared at Su Li with his wide, bull-like eyes.

"Y-you said what?"

"I said I want to marry Sena." Su Li repeated himself, raising his voice a little. "I want her to be my wife."

"I'm not rich, and I don't own much. But I've got strong arms and a trade. As long as I have food to eat, I'll never let Sena go hungry. As long as I have clothes to wear, I'll never let her go cold."

"I want to share my life with her."

"For the rest of my life."

There was nothing fancy about those words.

He just wanted to share his life with her.

Beside him, Sena, who'd been pretending to be an ostrich, suddenly raised her head.

Her eyes were filled with tears.

She looked at Su Li, her lips trembling. She tried to smile, but the tears fell first.

She had won her gamble.

The girl in that story really had managed to keep her treasure.

"Good! Good! Good!"

Aunt Martha slapped her thigh and repeated the word three times. Then she tossed aside her spoon.

"I knew it! I knew you were a decent man!"

She turned and shoved Old Buck, who was still gaping.

"You old fool! What are you standing there for? Say something!"

Old Buck stumbled from the shove.

He looked at his daughter, crying her eyes out, then at Su Li, who wore an open, unflinching expression.

His bearded face shifted through a jumble of emotions.

At last, he let out a long sigh.

"All right."

Old Buck grabbed the flask and took a long swig.

"You've got yourself quite the bargain, boy."

He wiped his mouth. His voice was a little choked, but there was relief in it, too.

"From now on... if you ever dare mistreat my daughter, this old man's iron hammer won't show you any mercy."

Su Li smiled.

His smile was brighter than the rising sun.

"Don't worry."

"For the rest of my life, she'll be the only one who gets to bully me."

Under the table,

a small hand reached over and quietly took Su Li's.

It held on tight.