Morning Results

The first rays of dawn slipped through a gap in the curtains and into the bedroom. The instant Tang Wulin opened his eyes, they landed precisely on the smile at the corner of his lips.

He was awake almost immediately. His internal clock was absurdly accurate—or rather, with a soft, fragrant body in his arms, he had no desire to sleep in even a moment longer. He turned his head slightly and looked at Gu Yue, who was resting in the crook of his arm.

Gu Yue was sleeping deeply, one hand unconsciously resting on his chest. Her long hair lay scattered across the pillow, covering most of her face.

The blanket had long since been kicked into a mess by the two of them during the night. Now, she was practically sprawled atop him, with much of her smooth back and rounded shoulders exposed to the air. Her skin gleamed delicately in the morning light, and faint red marks left from the night before could still be seen.

Not bad. Tang Wulin silently praised her, his gaze openly filled with appreciation and possessiveness as it lingered from her flawless back down to the perky curve half-hidden beneath the blanket.

"Wifey..." he called softly, his voice carrying the huskiness unique to waking up.

Gu Yue did not react at all. Her breathing was even and deep; she was clearly still fast asleep.

Tang Wulin's eyes shifted as he remembered something, and a mischievous smile curled across his lips. He carefully pulled out the arm that had gone slightly numb beneath her, then curled his fingers and gave a neither-light-nor-heavy—smack!

The crisp sound was especially clear in the quiet bedroom. His mischievous hand had landed precisely on Gu Yue's bare backside.

"Wake up, the sun's shining on your butt!" His voice was full of teasing.

"Ah!" Caught off guard, Gu Yue cried out in pain and her body jolted. Almost reflexively, one of her long legs kicked backward with considerable force. If Tang Wulin had not already pulled back in anticipation, it would have struck its target.

"Tang Wulin! Are you looking to die?!" Gu Yue propped herself up, the pain and anger instantly driving away her sleepiness. Covering her burning backside where he had smacked her, she glared at the culprit with wide eyes.

Yet, her murderous posture collapsed in less than two seconds. An intense ache suddenly burst from her waist and shot up along her spine to her head, making her vision go dark as she nearly fell back down. She sucked in a cold breath, one hand instinctively covering her lower back.

Only then did she realize that she was... completely naked. As the blanket slipped away, the cool morning air touched her exposed skin, instantly waking her up—and bringing an even stronger sense of embarrassment.

"You...!" Gu Yue's cheeks flared red. Forgetting even the ache in her waist, she yanked the fallen blanket over herself and wrapped herself tightly from head to toe, leaving only a pair of eyes blazing with fury as she glared at Tang Wulin. "Get out! Go make breakfast!"

Her voice was hoarse and trembling from anger and some unmentionable physical reason. Rather than sounding threatening, it came off more like an alluring, petulant complaint.

Tang Wulin, however, looked as though he had received an imperial decree, his face breaking into a broad grin. Not only did he not leave, he leaned toward the bulging blanket bundle and, through the blanket, lightly kneaded a certain spot beneath it. "As you command, my wife! I'll make breakfast right away! What do you want? Fried eggs? Bacon? Or..."

"Tang Wulin!" Gu Yue shrieked from inside the blanket, her voice on the verge of collapse. "Touch me again and I'll chop your hand off! Get out and cook already!"

She felt awful. Her entire body felt as though it had been taken apart and put back together, with no part of her free from soreness. Especially... that difficult-to-mention place. As she moved just now, a distinct, burning pain shot through it, reminding her exactly how certain someone had "performed well" last night.

Tang Wulin finally obediently rolled out of bed, swiftly pulling on his pajama pants. Before leaving, he did not forget to look back and whistle at the blanket bundle. "Wifey, get some more sleep. I'll make breakfast and call you when it's ready."

Only after hearing Tang Wulin humming as he walked out of the bedroom did Gu Yue finally relax completely. She sprawled limply across the bed, pulled the blanket over her head, and let out a muffled groan.

How humiliating! So humiliating!

She had actually slept until dawn without any guard up at all, only for him to... smack her! Gu Yue buried her burning face in the pillow, trying to ignore the protests coming from every part of her body, especially the faintly aching spot below.

It was all Tang Wulin's fault! That bastard! That jerk! Was this what he meant by "performing well"? This was simply... simply beastly!

Gu Yue gritted her teeth and cursed Tang Wulin eight hundred times in her heart. Yet deep within her body, there seemed to linger that strange afterglow of having been filled and conquered the night before, leaving her with an indescribable sense of shame and... fluttering excitement amid her anger.

No, I can't think about this anymore! Gu Yue shook her head sharply, trying to drive those messy thoughts away. With difficulty, she moved her fingers, found her phone, and checked the time.

It was still early.

She decided to stay in bed a little longer. Tang Wulin had already gone to cook, so she was safe for the moment.

However, the discomfort in her body made it impossible for her to fall asleep again. Her waist ached as if it were broken, and every breath tugged at the muscles in her abdomen and lower back. Worst of all, whenever she moved even slightly or recalled certain moments from the night before, a distinct sting came from below, reminding her that although that "little mushroom umbrella" had offered protection, it had done nothing to lessen the physical impact.

Gu Yue's cheeks reddened again, this time from anger.

The sounds of pots and pans clattering came from the kitchen, along with Tang Wulin's off-key humming. He sounded to be in an exceptionally good mood. Gu Yue turned over to face the wall and curled herself up, trying to ease the pressure on her waist.

"Damn Tang Wulin..." she muttered under her breath, but there was no real hatred in her voice. Instead, it carried a trace of pampered laziness and helplessness that even she did not notice.

Perhaps after she had eaten and regained some strength, it would not be too late to settle this score with him properly.

As for now... Gu Yue closed her eyes. Listening to the increasingly enticing scent of food drifting from the kitchen, her stomach let out an uncooperative growl.

Fine. Food first.

As for "settling the score"... that depended on her mood.