First Marriage Then Love 《先婚厚爱》Chapter 31 Translation

031. Just hugging you


“How did you get hurt?” Su Yi Cheng asks with a cold face. His usual expression, that’s normally gentle, is no longer present. It’s become much more stern, looking at An Ran. It was inexplicably scary.

Dazed, An Ran takes her hand back. She props herself up. Looking at him, she answers in embarrassment, “Wasn’t, wasn’t careful so I bumped it.” She definitely doesn’t dare to tell him that it was because she was frightened over how he would treat her when he came over, so that’s why she pretended to sleep. And it was in that process that she hit her hand against the cabinet, leaving behind an inflamed and bruised hand.

Su Yi Cheng looks at her. For a long time, he doesn’t say anything. When he sees that An Ran was restless and was about to say something, he turns around, lifts the blanket and gets off the bed, leaving behind a lonesome and dazed An Ran, not knowing what the heck is happening.

When Su Yi Cheng returned, he had a bunch of ointments in his hand, still expressionless. He simply gracefully pulls out a chair and sits by her bedside, pulls her hand out and gently applies the ointment at the inflamed spot on the back of her hand.

His strength was controlled, but even though Su Yi Cheng was applying gently, An Ran was still hurting just from the touch, causing the hand in his hold to tremble lightly, making a small whimper, “Chi--!” Her teeth was clenching tightly.

Su Yi Cheng frowns, asking, “Does it hurt when I touch it?”

An Ran purses her lips, desperately shaking her head, a faint blush on her cheeks.

Su Yi Cheng withdraws his gaze, squeezes some ointment onto his fingertip. This time, his actions were even more gentle, his expression even more serious.

Seeing him looking so serious, An Ran suddenly felt that this scene was a bit familiar. The scene right now and the one in her memory overlapped. She still remembers 6 years ago, that there was also a boy who was this attentive in applying medicine for her, but the her from back then wasn’t like the her now, firmly clenching her teeth and saying that it doesn’t hurt, but acting like a spoiled child and lamenting on how much it was hurting to the boy, how miserable she was, then exchanging a look of pity with the boy. Then she would sneer at how stupid the boy was in her mind, how easy it was to trick him.

Su Yi Cheng was finished with applying the medicine. He screws the lid back on and puts it aside. When he turns back, he sees An Ran with her head down, foolishly looking at her hand. Her eyes seem unfocused, as if she were thinking of something else.

“An Ran?” Su Yi Cheng calls her softly, but, as before, he sees that she’s still keeping the same position, as if she didn’t hear him.

“An Ran?” Su Yi Cheng watches her, and softly calls out to her again. Finally, An Ran hears him. She suddenly raises her head, and looks at him absentmindedly. Her eyes have traces of teardrops because of her reminiscing.

“What’s wrong?” Su Yi Cheng was surprised because of her expression. He really thought that he was acting really gently. It can’t be that he was hurting her just by touching her?

An Ran’s attention returns back to the present, raises her hand to wipe her eyes, and shakes her head. “It’s nothing. Thanks.”

Su Yi Cheng can see that she has some personal issues. He guesses that she was thinking of something she shouldn’t have been thinking about. But since she’s not saying anything, then he won’t ask. Wounds will slowly heal over time. This statement, he knows it really well.

He straightens his back, looking at her. A while later, Su Yi Cheng finally says, “An Ran, let’s have a talk.”

An Ran looks at him, asking, “Talk about what?”

“An Ran, I wanted to tell you that yes, I am a healthy, normal man. Having desires and urges is normal. You understand that, right?” Su Yi Cheng says as he looks into her eyes.

An Ran’s face suddenly flushes. Of course she understands what the ‘normal desires’ that he was talking about meant, and she knows that she should fulfill her duties as a wife. His request wasn’t unreasonable at all. Since he just brought it up, it’s only natural that she doesn’t have an argument to refuse him. But….. But she really, really isn’t ready for it!

So, having that in mind, An Ran’s body unconsciously leans back.

Su Yi Cheng sees that her cheeks is as red as a tomato, it really is quite amusing. His image must be that bad for her to panic and be that scared.

He sighs helplessly. He doesn’t know how to move forward with the discussion anymore, and having discussions is a work that he’s the most familiar with, but now, he doesn’t know how to start. Perhaps he really should get his political commissar father to help, so he can pass down some conversational techniques.

Ultimately he only looks at her, helplessly shaking his head. “Never mind, it’s nothing.” He rises, returns the chair back to its original place, and goes around the bed to the other side, lifting the blanket to go to bed. All the while, An Ran watches him as he does all these movements.

She feels a bit guilty. She thought of saying something, but she doesn’t know how she should say it. Ultimately, she hides her resolve. Next time, next time if he has needs again, it doesn’t matter if she was ready or not, she’s decided not to refuse him.

“Sleep.” Su Yi Cheng says indifferently, then he turns off the lamp and lies back down. An Ran nods, and lays down on her side.

In the dark, the two of them occupy both sides of the bed, in between them is a huge gap.

An Ran grips on the blanket as she lies on the bedside. Her eyes were still open, she hasn’t fallen asleep, on a bed with a stranger. She’s still nervous. Of course, yesterday was an exception, because when she slept yesterday, she wasn’t clear with the situation.

She only hears the breathing of the man beside her gradually steady itself, and An Ran’s worried heart gradually relieves itself. Succumbing to her sleepiness, her eyes close slowly, her breathing also steadies itself.

Right when An Ran was about to fall asleep, Su Yi Cheng suddenly turns around, and gracefully puts his arm around her waist, while his other arm sneaks under her neck, so that his arm became her pillow.

Because of these movements, An Ran’s body instinctually stiffens. The sleepiness that was about to overcome her was shattered into nothing. Her entire body quivers, yet she doesn’t dare to budge. She shuts her eyes, and right when she prepares herself to ‘sacrifice for the better good’, she hears his warm breath beside her ear, that gentle voice speaks into her ear.

“An Ran, don’t think that I’m going to force you. I just want to hug you while I sleep. Don’t worry.”

In the dark, An Ran opens her eyes, surprised. Because of what he said, for some reason she was moved. She feels even more guilty. After a while, she cries out, “Sorry, I, I’m still not ready.”

Su Yi Cheng nods. He pulls her body closer. “I know, I know. Don’t worry, I won’t force you. You can tell me when you’re ready, it’s no big deal.”

“Ok…..” An Ran replies, her body slowly loosening in his embrace.

Su Yi Cheng embraces her, only saying in a low voice, “Sleep.”

Sleepiness overcoming her, An Ran doesn’t take long, soon falling asleep in his embrace.


---END OF CHAPTER---


Previous Chapter Next Chapter