Sheng Li nudged his nose against Ying Lili's who closed her eyes while her head was tilted a little by Sheng Li to get a perfect angle to kiss her. Their soft lips met soon. Sparks ignited in their respective bodies. They could feel their heartbeats, which were kept on rising.
Sheng Li had insecurities towards Ying Lili, but every time he put them in front of her, she gave the most suitable answer, ending his worries.
The freehand of Sheng Li touched Ying Lili's hand, and he moved it over her. Soon, their fingers intertwined. He pulled her more towards her, not letting her go this time.
Ying Lili felt the kiss was delicate, with a million loving thoughts that had condensed at that moment. Sheng Li was not confessing to her, but she could feel that he also had fallen for her. Both were lost in the gravity of those kisses, forgetting their surroundings.
They both pulled away from each other as they felt the urgency of air. Their eyes were still closed, noses were still touching. Sheng Li's thumb was moving over Ying Lili's cheek. Gradually Sheng Li opened his eyes and moved them over Ying Lili's face.
"I want more next time," Sheng Li whispered against Ying Lili's lips who right away opened her eyes and looked at him with her doe eyes. "Next time the kiss will be intense and you will like it," Sheng Li pronounced. Ying Lili wondered what could be more there while Sheng Li read her eyes.
"Did you not like it?" Ying Lili queried Sheng Li. "Do I have to do something? I mean I d-did what you taught me. Is there something more left?" Ying Lili kept asking and unknowingly licked her lips. Sheng Li felt how his heart skipped a beat just seeing that.
"Are you dumb?" Sheng Li's sudden question baffled Ying Lili, and she drew her brows together.
"What do you mean?"
Sheng Li had leaned back and averted his gaze from her. The more he looked at her, the more he was losing control over himself. He just wanted to take everything slow and not want to go extreme until they confessed to each other.
"What are you thinking? Are you blaming me again? Are you…"
"Quiet" he turned to look at her and placed his index finger over her lips. "Don't speak any other word," Sheng Li sternly said.
'Those eyes! How could they be so hypnotizing?'
Sheng Li put his hand down, stood up, and walked inside the bathhouse, leaving Ying Lili in confusion. "What does he mean by that?" Ying Lili thought, but then she smiled and touched her lips.
Inside the bathhouse, Sheng Li removed his upper robes quickly and got into the cold water bathtub. He took a few dips in the water before settling down at its edge. "How could she do that? Dumb woman!" Sheng Li moved his hand from above his hair and then wiped his face using his hand.
He did not know how long he was there when he heard a knock at the door of the bathhouse. He heard Ying Lili's voice. "Sheng Li, I am going out with Governor Tzu's daughter and Hu Jingguo. In a while, we will be here," Ying Lili informed Sheng Li who got out of the bathtub and opened the door immediately.
Ying Lili was bewildered to see Sheng Li half-naked in front of her. Her focus was now on his chest and perfectly carved abs through which the water was dripping down. "How many times did I tell you not to take your friend's name in front of me? You are not going anywhere. Bring the towel and wipe my body," Sheng Li ordered Ying Lili who immediately lifted her eyes to look at him.
"Don't you have hands?" Ying Lili yanked at him.
"I have but I want you to wipe my body for me," Sheng Li stated.
"But I need to go out. I should not have told you," Ying Lili muttered but Sheng Li heard her.
"Do you want to have an argument with me? You are not an ordinary person. I would have let you go if any of the Generals were here," Sheng Li asserted.
"I can take care of myself. Why do you bother your Generals? Moreover, Hu Jingguo and other soldiers…" Ying Lili could not speak further as she was pulled inside the bathhouse by Sheng Li and the door was shut behind her.
She was trapped in between the arms of Sheng Li while his gaze was boring at her. "No means No. Put these words in your mind. I cannot let you go there with your friend. Understood?" Sheng Li asked her. Ying Lili nodded and put down his left hand. She went towards the wooden shelf and took out a clean towel from the shelf.
"Come here," Ying Lili said. Sheng Li walked to her and stood in front of her. Ying Lili wiped the water from Sheng Li's chest. "Would you like to tell me how you got this scar?" Ying Lili asked this for the third time from Sheng Li.
Getting no answer from Sheng Li, Ying Lili said, "You are still hesitant to tell me. Do you even consider me your wife?" Ying Lili complained to him.
"What do you mean by that?" Sheng Li inquired from her.
Ying Lili lifted her eyes to meet his gaze. "I mean don't you think as a wife I should know about this?" She waited for his response but like every time he was silent. 'Why can't he tell me? Does he think I will laugh at him? How could he think like that?'
"The Empress did this," Sheng Li finally told her. Ying Lili stopped wiping him as her eyes turned misty. She lifted her finger and traced the scar which was middle of the chest.
"Why did you stop? Tell me what she did to you," Ying Lili with a stern expression said.
"I mistakenly hurt the First Brother. I was bringing hot water in a porcelain jar for me as I was sick at that time. First Brother was coming from the front and I did not see him so, got hit against him. The hot water fell on his chest. As soon as the Empress found out about that and punished me," Sheng Li finally told the history of the scar on his chest.
"Don't tell me she…" Ying Lili paused, as it was difficult for her to complete those words.
"She was angry since the brother was crying in pain. A dagger was there so she just hit me with that and this happened. I think that was the first time when the thought of getting stronger came to my mind," Sheng Li pronounced and smiled.
He got a hit on his bare arm. "How could you smile in this situation? She was brutal to you! How could a mother do such a thing to a child?" Ying Lili started crying when her eyes fell on the tiny wound which she had given him on the wedding night. She felt awful upon seeing that and thinking that, like the others, she was also harsh on him. She threw the towel there and walked out from there, leaving Sheng Li behind.