Lin Qingdai's back was pressed against the cabin wall, and she slid down two inches.
Why does your stomach and mouth hurt?
Murong Xue looked at her with a serious expression. "Do you also want him to massage you?"
The scabbard struck the deck with a clang.
"Roll."
Murong Xue was driven to the stern of the ship.
Inside the cabin, Liu Ruyan had already woken up.
She was lying on her side, the blanket pulled up to her chin, her eyes closed, and a very faint smile on her lips.
Xie Wanqing lay down next to her, the blanket pulled over her head.
Under the covers, her fingers were twisted together, and her face was so hot it could fry an egg.
The words, "Woman, you asked for this," pierced through the two wooden planks and clearly reached her ears.
She bit the corner of the blanket.
Her mind was filled with the poem he recited that night in front of the monument, and the hand that covered the back of her hand.
Outside the cabin, the sound of water was very loud.
What was louder inside was her own heartbeat.
Su Yao's patience reached its limit when Gu Moran out his final muffled groan.
She slammed the ledger shut, pushed back her chair, and stood up.
She went around the screen and rushed in, yanking off the curtain.
The oil lamps inside the cabin were dim.
Gu Moran leaned against the headboard, and Shen Ling'er nestled in his arms, her lips swollen.
The undergarment she wore hung loosely, revealing a large expanse of her fair shoulders and back.
Gu Moran completely at ease.
The image freezes.
None of the three people moved.
Su Yao's face went from white to red, and then from red to ashen, all in just two breaths.
" Gu Moran." Her voice was very low, each word sounding like it was being spat out from between her teeth.
"Make a little noise, a little less."
Like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, Shen Ling'er sprang up from Gu Moran's arms, pulling up the blanket, straightening her clothes, and covering her face in one smooth motion.
Gu Moran looked completely innocent. "I was warming her stomach."
"You don't need to make such a fuss to warm your stomach." Su Yao took a step forward, the light shining on her face, her jawline so taut it could bounce a chess piece.
"She's on her period," Gu Moran added.
"I heard it." Su Yao's voice was even colder. "Everyone next door heard it, those on deck heard it, and there are two more in the through cabin. Do you want to go out and shout it out so the whole ship knows?"
Gu Moran watched her approach step by step, the light casting a frayed edge around her back.
She was wearing a nightgown, her hair was loose, the sash at her chest was tied somewhat haphazardly, and the neckline was slightly open as she walked.
Madam Su is quite beautiful when she's angry.
The ship suddenly swayed.
The hidden shoals are not yet over.
Su Yao lost her footing and stumbled forward a step.
Gu Moran out his hand.
He gripped her wrist with his fingers and pulled her along the direction of the boat's sway, causing Su Yao to lose her balance and fall onto his lap.
"You!"
Gu Moran raised his index finger and gently pressed it against her lips.
"Shh."
His breath was almost touching hers, and his gaze swept over her shoulder towards the cabin door.
" Madam Su, please keep your voice down." Her voice was barely audible. "Our Guard Lin outside is quite fierce. Do you want her to come in and watch?"
Su Yao's body stiffened.
Her posture while sitting on his lap was extremely ungraceful; one hand was on his shoulder, and the other hand was being held by his wrist.
His arm was behind her waist.
Beneath...
How does this man recover his strength so quickly?
Shen Ling'er watched this scene from the side, her mouth opening and closing repeatedly, finally managing to squeeze out only one sentence. " Sister Su, he... he really was just helping me warm my stomach at first."
"But later... my mouth really hurts. Sister Su, can you help me out?"
Su Yao looked at Gu Moran with a face full of embarrassment and annoyance.
"Divide my ass! Didn't you say he was sick? Why is he causing all this trouble every day?"
The light shone on his face from the side, making the lines of his cheekbones and nose very clear.
There was a smile in his eyes.
"Let go." Su Yao's voice finally returned to its usual cold tone.
Gu Moran didn't relax.
His other hand came around from behind and placed on her lower back.
My palms are very warm.
He was still circulating his internal energy.
Warmth seeped into her lower back, climbing up her spine, and when it reached her shoulder blades, her waist involuntarily slumped slightly.
Gu Moran.
"Um."
What exactly do you want?
Gu Moran tilted his head and looked at her, his gaze moving from her loose hair to her chin, and then to her slightly trembling Adam's apple.
"Didn't Madam Su say before that the poem was only given to Xie Wanqing?" His voice was very soft. "Are you angry?"
Su Yao's eyelashes trembled.
"I don't."
"The ink you used here is enough to write three poems." Gu Moran released her wrist and touched the ink stains on the back of her hand that she hadn't wiped off with her fingertips.
Su Yao looked down at the back of her hand.
Black ink spots are clearly visible next to the wrist bone.
She quickly slipped her hands into her sleeves.
"I got splashed while writing in the ledger."
"Hmm." Gu Moran didn't expose her, but lingered his hand on her lower back for a couple more breaths.
Su Yao tried to get up from his lap, but as soon as her feet touched the ground, the boat rocked again.
This time, the tilt was significant, and Su Yao was thrown back to her original position.
Her arm was draped over his shoulder, and their foreheads nearly collided.
Shen Ling'er, wrapped in a blanket, watched for a long time before finally speaking up, "You two... can you stop flirting and get down to business?"
Gu Moran his head and smiled at Shen Ling'er, " Ling'er, does your stomach still hurt?"
Shen Ling'er snorted, "It doesn't hurt anymore, I'm so sleepy, I'm going to sleep."
After saying that, she huddled in the corner, her small body pressed tightly together with her eyes closed.
Gu Moran smiled and looked at Su Yao.
Su Yao rubbed her throat and finally gave in.
Half an hour later.
Su Yao held onto the table for a while before she could stand up.
She straightened the collar of her nightgown, tidied her sideburns, and regained the demeanor of the temporary leader of the alliance.
Then she picked up a thin blanket and threw it in front of Gu Moran.
"Are you comfortable now? Go sleep on the floor in the communal cabin."
Gu Moran looked at her.
" Ling'er and I are really tired," Su Yao added quickly, giving him no chance to refute.
Shen Ling'er pretended to be asleep for a long time before finally opening her eyes and nodding vigorously.
Gu Moran slowly took the blanket and stood up.
As he passed by Su Yao, he lowered his head and whispered something in her ear.
The sound was so soft that only she could hear it.
"Madam is very talented."
Su Yao's ears turned bright red instantly.
Gu Moran, clutching the blanket, was pushed out the door.
The moment the door closed behind him, he heard Shen Ling'er's voice coming from inside.
" Sister Su, have I been giving my husband too many tonics?"
"Shut up."