Thirty one

When the sun finally rose, all that was left was a bit of a drizzle hear and there. Most people rushed to their gardens to see the damage cause by the rain and fix it before the ground got hard.

Later, the sun rose generously into the sky, drying the ground enough for people to comfortably walk.

Dong Mei comfortably turned in her bed, having had a good night's sleep. Shortly, her entire body was drugged into a warm embrace. She snuggled into the embrace before her eyes snapped open.

She slowly turned and her head almost rolled over her shoulders off the bed at the sight.

Cang Mang's bare chest was completely exposed to her all the way to the Adonis belt. The rosy color of the nail marks, hickies, and bite marks were very prominent against his skin.

Dong Mei's head almost dropped off her body at the sight.

For the first time, she had a clear view of the magnificence of his body. There was an undeniable realness to the image of him. The warmth between them reminded her that she wasn't dreaming.

She felt blood rush to her head and her mind grew muddled. She wished desperately that nothing was real.

Under her gaze, the muscles of his body seemed to tighten.

"You! You didn't see enough?" Cang Mang asked sleepily.

Dong Mei face grew a bewildered expression as she looked up at his face. It was already hard enough to breath with such a situation on her plate yet he seemed so calm.

How did this happen? Why was it happening? What was happening?

"What's happening?" she asked in shock.

"You don't get tired of playing rogue, you must continue with it from last night?" He asked rhetorically.

Dong Mei;... !!!!

what 'last night'?

She tried to put aside her confusion to push him out and put on an attitude that said she wouldn't take his nonsense, "Cang Mang, you had better get out of my bed."

"Who was it that was begging me not to leave?" Cang Mang said with his eyes still closed, "dare to chase me now!"

"Cang Mang!" She warned.

"What is this? I can't recognize this name. Last night it was 'Mang'er' and 'love', 'sweet thing', 'fate', 'star on a moonless night' and even 'husband'," he said all the names mimicking a coquettish voice.

Dong Mei's jaw dropped, her eyes clearly showed her disbelief. She laughed with a little anxiety before asking, "are you looking for a beating?"

He continued, "where could anyone find that odd 'Cang Mang'? As you can see I have new names. I will only respond to 'Mang'er' 'love', 'sweet thing', 'fate', 'star on a moonless night' and 'husband'. Nothing else will move me."

Dong Mei was speechless. She could only scoff before grabbing his ear and pulling hard on it.

"Ou ou ou!" Cang Mang opened his eyes and raised his head towards her hands to lessen the pain.

His loud cry caused Dong Mei to stop pinching his ear and quickly tried covering his mouth.

"Can you not be so loud? What if someone hears you,"Dong Mei warned cautiously.

"Then let them hear! Are you so afraid of admitting? If you are, then I'll force you to," Cang Mang said.

Dong Mei drew her hands away from his lips and whispered, "admit what? I didn't do anything with you."

Cang Mang's expression became stiff. He looked down at his marked chest then slowly to hers.

When his eyes fell on her, she realized her nudity. From head to toes, she had nothing on. And because Cang Mang was holding her against his chest, she could feel every inch of his body- his very naked body.

That was it. Dong Mei knew she was finished.

Her mind dazed out, wondering whether she had really done it... with Cang Mang of all people. She really didn't recall anything like having actually done it. Her mind was really blank.

She slowly looked at Cang Mang with the same blank expression, "what are you doing naked in my bed?"

Cang Mang tsked and retorted, "what are you doing naked in a bed I'm in?"

"Get out!" She ordered, "hurry up and get out." She tried to avoid screaming but she was having a hard time controlling her voice.

why am I here with him? What's happening? 

"Me? Leave? Dong Mei, don't be so shameless," Cang Mang's face twisted in displeasure.

"First of all, I didn't do anything with you. As for why we're in the same bed, let's just consider it a loss on both ends and never talk about it," she signaled nervously with her hands as she quickly tried to close her case.

She went ahead to try pushing against him to get herself out of his arms.

Cang Mang laughed drily and pressed her against himself, refusing to let her go, "if you think you can just leave like that, you really don't know me."

"Cang Mang, don't be too much," Dong Mei ridiculed.

Cang Mang scoffed and raised himself up with the support of an elbow. He looked down at her and asked, "too much? Who is it that couldn't stop last night?"

Dong Mei looked away, refusing to admit anything.

Cang Mang sneered and said, "fine, then compensate me."

"Huh?"

He continued, "if you can put it behind you, then fine. But I won't. Dong Mei, you have to take responsibility for what you've done."

"Don't talk nonsense! What responsibility?"

Cang Mang replied, "husband and wife take responsibility for each other. Since you called husband first, you must take responsibility."

Dong Mei replied, "why are you referring to husband and wife?"

"You tasted this family's goods," Cang Mang answered.

Dong Mei looked away, her eyes dodging Cang Mang's.

"I'm not taking responsibility," she mumbled.

"Say it again," he threatened.

"Look at you, you're such a big man, where can I afford to take care of it?"

Cang Mang followed with a report, "last night you promised me gems, gold, silver and the entire empire, the moon, the stars, you promised your next life time to me in exchange, if I gave myself to you."