Gu Yue, Teased

When Gu Yue woke again, the bedroom was already brightly lit.

Sunlight streamed brazenly through the gaps in the curtains, casting bright, dancing patches across the floor. The warm scent of food filled the air, and from the kitchen came Tang Wulin's off-key humming.

She wiggled her fingers, then her toes, checking her condition—her waist was still sore, though much better than when she had first woken up. The burning, throbbing pain below had eased somewhat too, becoming a more lingering, secretive ache.

Then she sensed that something was wrong.

The blanket covering her had been folded neatly and spread squarely over her, rather than kicked into a mess like it had been when she fell asleep. What made her pupils quake even more was the chair beside the bed. The clothes she had changed out of yesterday—from her close-fitting underwear to her sweater and pants—now carried a faint scent of laundry detergent. They had been folded into crisp, distinct stacks, arranged so neatly that everything was visible at a glance.

Everything was there, from the inside out.

Except for her. She was still lying here completely naked, like a peeled egg exposed to the bright morning light.

Gu Yue's first reaction was to pull up the blanket and wrap herself tightly in it. Then her cheeks flared hot.

What was this?! That bastard Tang Wulin had cleaned her up, folded the blanket, even washed and folded her clothes—yet he had deliberately not dressed her?!

He had done it on purpose! He absolutely had!

A blaze of humiliation and indignation shot through her heart. Gu Yue forgot all about her sore waist, flung off the blanket, and planted her bare feet on the cold floor. Without even bothering to grab the clothes from the chair to cover herself, she stormed toward the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Tang Wulin wore an apron printed with a ridiculous cartoon pattern. Holding a spatula in one hand and a plate in the other, he was attempting to elegantly serve up a plate of golden fried eggs. Hearing the hurried, familiar footsteps behind him, footsteps charged with anger, he did not turn around. Instead, he spoke smugly.

"Wifey, you're awake? Breakfast will be ready in a moment! There's milk on the table, drink it while it's hot..."

"Tang Wulin!" Gu Yue snapped, cutting off his self-congratulation. "Turn around!"

Tang Wulin paused, then slowly turned. He saw Gu Yue standing naked in the kitchen doorway, arms crossed over her chest, cheeks flushed red, her eyes seemingly ready to spit fire. His eyes lit up. Rather than feeling embarrassed, he looked her up and down as though admiring a breathtaking view, smacking his lips. "Oh? Wifey, are you... trying to return to nature like some primitive human? Though honestly, your figure is getting better and better. Just be careful not to catch a cold standing there in the draft."

"You still have the nerve to say that!" Gu Yue stamped her foot furiously. That stomp sent another hidden stab of pain through her, making her suck in a breath, and her tone became even sharper. "Where are my clothes? Why did you wash and fold them all and leave them there, but not put them on me?!"

Tang Wulin blinked his innocent-looking eyes, wearing an expression of complete justification. "If I touched you, wouldn't you beat me up?"

That one sentence was like a bucket of ice water dumped over Gu Yue.

She... she really would have beaten him.

Thinking back to that morning, she had flown into a rage after getting smacked, and in her embarrassment and anger over her sore waist and nakedness, she had indeed threatened to beat and kill him. She had even said things like, "Touch me again and I'll chop off your hand." Tang Wulin had been grinning playfully at the time, but clearly, he had taken those words to heart.

And now, he had strictly followed her instructions—not touching her. He had even thoughtfully organized the clothes around her and folded the blanket, while deliberately not touching her at all.

Gu Yue suddenly felt as though she had swallowed a fly—disgusted and stifled. She opened her mouth, wanting to call him a bastard, but her reason for cursing him got stuck in her throat, and she could not force the words out. After all, she had been the one making all those threats first.

Tang Wulin watched her face shift from red to white. Her attempt to get angry while knowing she was in the wrong, forcing herself to endure it, was unbearably adorable. He finally could not hold it in any longer and burst out laughing. Setting down the spatula, he strode toward Gu Yue.

Gu Yue instinctively retreated half a step, wrapping her arms around herself even more tightly as she watched him warily. "What are you doing? I'm warning you, I don't have the strength right now, but if you dare to—"

"Alright, alright, I won't touch you. I won't touch you." Tang Wulin raised both hands in surrender. He smiled so broadly his eyes disappeared, yet his gaze, thick and sticky like syrup, swept over her body. "My wife's words are law. How could I dare disobey? But..."

His tone shifted. His gaze fell on her folded arms and bare legs, his voice teasing. "I really don't dare touch your clothes anymore. I'm afraid you'll chop off my hands. But if you're cold, or... if you find this inconvenient, you can always do it yourself. Of course, if you need help, I may be afraid of losing my hands, but for my wife's physical and mental health, I can consider overcoming that fear and reluctantly provide some 'non-contact' assistance. For example... handing you some clothes?"

Gu Yue: "..." She felt like this guy was going to either infuriate her to death or choke her to death.

She shot him a vicious glare. If her gaze could take physical form, Tang Wulin would probably have been sliced into a thousand pieces. But in the end, she merely let out a soft, heavily nasal snort, turned around, and marched back toward the bedroom in a huff.

Halfway there, she stopped, turned back, and viciously added, "Call me when the food is ready!... And bring my underwear over too!"

Tang Wulin watched her smooth back and reddened ears, his mood lifting greatly. He answered loudly, "You got it! I guarantee top-notch service!"

Watching Gu Yue disappear through the bedroom door, Tang Wulin's smile deepened. He turned back around, continued humming, and skillfully served the fried eggs onto a plate.

Mm, it seemed breakfast would be especially delicious today.

As for Gu Yue... after returning to the bedroom and seeing that neatly folded underwear on the chair, as though it were mocking her, she took a deep breath and resigned herself to reaching for it.

It was all because she had spoken too quickly! Next time... next time, she would definitely put on her clothes before settling the score with him!

As Gu Yue awkwardly tried to fasten the complicated clasp behind her back, she ground her teeth and swore inwardly. Yet whenever she thought of Tang Wulin's innocent expression as he claimed to be strictly following orders, along with her own fierce display that morning, she could not help feeling another wave of regret.

Fine. A gentleman's revenge could wait ten years.

Once she had eaten and drunk her fill and regained her strength, she would slowly settle this account of "mental abuse" with Tang Wulin!

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Tang Wulin was already plotting whether, when he brought the clothes in later, he could "accidentally" touch Gu Yue again while she was getting dressed, just to see whether she would truly strike him—or whether, like now, she could only rage helplessly.