Chapter 100

Chapter 100: His Legs Went Numb, But Gan Qiongying Felt Utterly Comfortable. "Of course we are! We're husband and wife," Gan Qiongying affirmed without hesitation. Gold and silver treasures come to my home, I and the God of Wealth are one family! I love wealth and wealth loves me, the God of Wealth arrives at my door! Lihua's expression suddenly relaxed. Despite all the words Gan Qiongying had spoken earlier—racking her brains, patching things up, mixing truth with falsehood—Lihua had remained unmoved. But this one acknowledgment that they were family gave Lihua's restless emotions and his sense of inferiority a place to land, filling him with boundless courage. Yes, they were husband and wife. At the very least, they were husband and wife, bound together by a marriage contract. As long as they did not divorce, no one could separate them. Thus, Lihua slowly revealed a faint smile, finally letting go of those temporarily unsolvable matters and remaining true to his innermost feelings. Lihua raised his hands to support Gan Qiongying's arms, pulling her up, then gripping her arms and hooking her waist, he made her sit directly facing him on his lap. Caught off guard, Gan Qiongying felt as if she were sitting on pins and needles after settling down, muttering softly, "Can your legs handle the pressure?" Lihua's arms indeed encircled her waist, and though his expression remained unchanged, the warmth in his eyes gradually intensified. He whispered, "It's fine, you're not heavy." Gan Qiongying was actually quite heavy. Though she had never weighed herself, she never ate lightly at any meal. Compared to Princess Duanrong's slender and delicate frame after she crossed over, Gan Qiongying had already filled out considerably. Lihua held Gan Qiongying, slowly tightening his arms to bring her closer. Gan Qiongying's hands had nowhere to rest, eventually settling on Lihua's shoulders. She stared wide-eyed into his gaze, only to fall into the depths of his tenderness. Gan Qiongying suddenly felt a bit dizzy, even wondering if she was getting motion sickness from the carriage's lack of shock absorption. She had no idea how things had progressed from earlier to this point. Which of her words had struck a chord with the God of Wealth, soothing him in an instant? "I should still get down. I'm afraid I might crush you..." Lihua suddenly chuckled softly, looking up at Gan Qiongying and asking, "Do you think I'm made of tofu?" Even with his physical imperfections, he was still a man over seven feet tall. His eyes were naturally beautiful. He looked exactly like the male lead of this book, so his features were top-tier. A human skin mask had slightly altered the contours of his eyes, yet they remained clear and bright, like autumn waters. When he gazed at someone with such affection, though his face remained unchanged, his eyes resembled whirlpools, almost capable of drawing one in. Gan Qiongying's breath caught for a moment, her thoughts briefly scattered by the ripples in Lihua's eyes. She stared at him until he pulled her tightly into his embrace, until her neck rested on Lihua's shoulder, before she snapped back to reality. She continued pondering the earlier question... Of course, she thought the God of Wealth was made of real gold, but the problem was that gold was soft—one bite would leave a mark. Thinking this, she reached out and touched Lihua's leg—the slightly twisted left one. With her face pressed against the side of Lihua's neck, she whispered, "Are you really okay?" Lihua buried his head in Gan Qiongying's shoulder, slightly arching his back, and let out a soft "Mm." Gan Qiongying didn't move again. The carriage continued forward, the two of them holding each other tightly, their bodies pressed close, neither saying another word. Lihua didn't know what else to say, while Gan Qiongying simply didn't dare to say anything. She couldn't figure out when the God of Wealth was in a good mood or a bad one, nor could she tell which action might have struck a nerve, making him suddenly angry and run off. Now, for some inexplicable reason, she had managed to soothe that nerve, and he had suddenly calmed down. But none of that mattered, as long as the God of Wealth was fine. As for the God of Wealth treating her like a body pillow, his arms tightening around her more and more, Gan Qiongying was more than happy to oblige. He could hug her all he wanted, as long as he came home with her. They held each other like this for a long time, Lihua keeping his head buried, savoring the fullness in his arms. His peculiar condition, which made him feel immense comfort whenever he was in close contact with someone, was now greatly satisfied. Unbeknownst to Gan Qiongying, a base and shameless pleasure spread throughout his body. Lihua restrained himself from making any unnecessary movements. But even if he could control his actions, some instinctive physical reactions were hard to suppress. Before Gan Qiongying could notice, Lihua suddenly loosened his grip, placed his hands on her waist, and shifted her seated position toward his knees, away from the dangerous area near his thighs. Then, without a word, he tightened his embrace again. Gan Qiongying, suddenly repositioned, thought Lihua's legs had gone numb and immediately struggled to get down. "Are you okay? Are your legs numb? I'm quite heavy, aren't I? Your legs shouldn't bear weight for too long—didn't the Imperial Physician say that? Let me down." Besides, this posture... wasn't exactly appropriate for adults. It was more like how you'd hold a child. But Lihua didn't let go, not even lifting his head, afraid that if he did, he would reveal the ugly desire in his eyes that was hard to conceal. This was the first time in his life he had felt such intense longing for someone. Yet, Lihua possessed an ingrained sense of propriety. Even though he hadn't grown up in the imperial palace like Zhongli Zhengzhen or received a prince's education, he was more disciplined than Zhongli Zhengzhen—a true gentleman. Even though he and Gan Qiongying were husband and wife, even though he was now indulging in the throes of passion, Lihua felt that exposing his desires before they had fully understood each other's hearts was a despicable and vulgar act. The strange thing was this: Lihua's upbringing was the kind that easily bred dark and twisted personalities. He was indeed prone to melancholy, overthinking, sensitivity, fragility, and even some extremes—his personality was far from healthy. Yet, his views on love were surprisingly wholesome. In his imagination, love should flow like a warm spring—gentle, tranquil, and comforting. It should be something that, when immersed in it, brings peace and ease to both body and soul. Thus, even before Gan Qiongying fully understood Lihua's feelings, she had already experienced the beauty of the affection he offered. Held in Lihua's embrace, Gan Qiongying felt warm and secure, as if soaking in a hot spring. It was so soothing that it even made her drowsy. They waited until the carriage finally came to a stop. Gan Qiongying had actually dozed off a little. After waking up and rubbing her eyes, Lihua finally relaxed his arm a bit. His legs were numb, but Gan Qiongying felt completely refreshed. "Are we home?" Gan Qiongying asked with a hint of a nasal tone. Lihua gave an "Mm." At that moment, Manyue came over and knocked on the door. Gan Qiongying immediately got off Lihua's lap and headed toward the carriage curtain. But after taking two steps, she stopped and looked back at Lihua. With a touch of post-nap laziness, she smiled and said, "Why aren’t you coming? Are your legs numb?" "I told you I shouldn’t have sat there..." Gan Qiongying turned back and very naturally went to help Lihua up. The two had held each other the entire way. Though they hadn’t delved into each other’s thoughts, nor had they bridged the vast distance between them or been completely honest with one another, their hearts seemed much closer now. Even their intimacy felt remarkably natural. Gan Qiongying tapped Lihua’s legs a few times. After enduring it for a moment, Lihua grabbed her hand and moved away. When limbs go numb, it already feels like thousands of ants are crawling all over. Being tapped in that state was an indescribable sensation. Lihua looked at Gan Qiongying, who couldn’t hide the mischief in her eyes—nor did she try to. Seeing her triumphant, sly expression, Lihua couldn’t help but laugh. By now, the two had finally reconciled. Lihua released Gan Qiongying’s hand and pointed to his legs, saying, "Go ahead, tap." But this time, Gan Qiongying didn’t tap. Instead, she took hold of Lihua’s legs and slowly massaged them, easing the stiffness and promoting blood circulation to help the numbness fade faster. Manyue grew impatient and called from outside, "Princess?" Only then did Gan Qiongying help Lihua up, and the two made their way to the carriage door. Gan Qiongying felt delighted—she had finally coaxed the God of Wealth back home. And she had been clever enough to seize the opportunity to tell the God of Wealth that she would handle the gentlemen in the rear courtyard herself. The God of Wealth hadn’t objected. Everything had gone perfectly. But when Gan Qiongying lifted the carriage curtain, her smile vanished. She realized the carriage hadn’t stopped at the Princess Manor at all! Gan Qiongying let out a groan of despair. "Why are we here? Weren’t we going home?" Lihua had already been helped down from the carriage by Manyue. Hearing her, he turned and looked up at her from below the carriage, a hint of amusement in his voice. "We are husband and wife. The Consort’s residence is naturally the Princess’s home as well."