Breathing in her scent, Jiang Shaocheng was taken aback by how his self-control had practically crumbled before him. If he didn't do something, she would surely notice his body's reaction. "Let me do it myself," he said, his voice rough.
Tang Qiu immediately got to her feet. Her heart was still thundering against her chest, and her breaths came hot and heavy.
When he tried to pull on his pants, it seemed like his legs were giving him trouble, so she extended a hand to help him. He eyed her, and she said solemnly, "I said I would take care of you, and I mean it." She still remembered what it was like to look after her grandmother in the hospital. It didn't make her current situation easy by any means, but it did make it easier.
"Dear, don't feel bashful or humiliated. I'm your wife. This is nothing unusual," she added, thinking that he was trying to preserve his dignity.
Her voice was soft, but her actions were firm as she helped him pull on his pants. Jiang Shaocheng stared at her, his eyes smoldering.
"I'm going to go back to translating those documents, dear. If you're tired, go to bed first."
"I'll stay up with you." For some reason, a warmth was blossoming in his heart, and he found it impossible to take his eyes off her.
After some time, Jiang Shaocheng lifted his eyes to her, only to see that she had fallen asleep at the table. He was dumbfounded for a moment. "Wake up, Qiu. Let's go to the bedroom."
She was deep in sleep, and didn't stir. Jiang Shaocheng had no choice but to carry her back to their bedroom. He pinched her nose with mock-disapproval. "You didn't wash your face, kitten." He was particular about cleanliness, but he decided to let it slide; she was his wife, after all. He dutifully dipped a towel in water and helped her wipe her face and hands, then stripped off her socks and cleaned her feet.
Tang Qiu felt a ticklish sensation and batted away his hands sleepily. "Go away," she mumbled. "Want my husband… Want him to kiss me…"
Jiang Shaocheng's ears perked up, straining to hear her muffled words. "Want my husband to kiss me…" she murmured. "Want to be in his arms… want him to pick me up…"
Jiang Shaocheng stared at his wife's fair face, heat flooding his cheeks, utterly flummoxed.
The next morning, Tang Qiu awoke and hastily made her way to the toilet. When she stumbled upon Jiang Shaocheng sitting on the toilet bowl, she shrieked and rushed to shield her eyes, mortified. "Why… why are you here?"
Helplessly, Jiang Shaocheng raised an eyebrow at her. "Is there somewhere else I should be using the toilet, my darling wife?" he asked flatly.
Tang Qiu had no reply to that, so she scurried out of the bathroom. She was suddenly struck by a memory of last night's dream. She had been nestled in her husband's arms, embracing and touching him without reservation, and… begging for him to kiss her.
Tang Qiu ruffled her hair, embarrassment flooding her. She had had a dream about her husband… and a suggestive one, at that!
Her husband's legs were crippled. He had proved that much when he hadn't so much as reacted to having hot water spilled on him. He wasn't capable of… doing it. She had to accept that reality, having married him already.
She tidied herself up and returned to their bedroom to see that Jiang Shaocheng had already washed up and was seated in the wheelchair, smiling at her. "What happened?" he asked. "Your hair's a mess."
Tang Qiu scratched her head thoughtlessly. "Nothing happened. I just got out of bed, that's normal."
Jiang Shaocheng nodded solemnly. "And here I thought you were getting all flustered because you remembered how wantonly you behaved towards me last night. Seeing as how your face is so red."
Tang Qiu had been about to go take a shower. His words made her stop in her tracks and bury her face in her hands. She wanted to crawl beneath the earth and never come out. It wasn't a dream?
Her husband was studying her like he would a particularly interesting theater performance. She met his gaze and said in complete seriousness, "That wasn't me. It was my twin sister. We look exactly alike. But it wasn't me!"
"I see." Jiang Shaocheng nodded along in earnest. "You must be the elder twin, then. You two really do look alike. She was so demanding though, trying to kiss me, clinging onto me, I couldn't get rid of her."
Tang Qiu was about to lose her mind. She couldn't keep a straight face anymore, so she pretended not to hear him. Changing the subject, she asked, "Didn't I fall asleep in the study last night, dear? How did I end up in the bedroom?"
Jiang Shaocheng was left floundering for a second. Good question, he admitted, before coughing several times. "You went back yourself, and immediately flopped onto the bed, refusing to go shower. Don't you remember?"
"I went back myself?"
Jiang Shaocheng took a moment to rack his brain. "You fell asleep at the desk. You probably sleepwalked back to the bedroom."
"Sleepwalked?" She was perplexed. Never before had she known herself to sleepwalk.
Jiang Shaocheng could see that she didn't quite believe him, but he didn't want to reveal that he wasn't crippled just yet. "Maybe you were sleepwalking when you hugged and kissed me too," he added.
Tang Qiu nodded instantly. "That's right. I was sleepwalking, otherwise I wouldn't have thrown myself at you like that." She clenched a fist over her heart, as if to stamp out her lingering guilt.
Between them both, only Jiang Shaocheng knew the truth of the matter, but he said nothing.
In school, once Tang Qiu had sat down in the classroom, Xie Qingqing seized her by the arm.
"Qiu, my poor Qiu, what were you thinking? You walked right into the living hell that the Fengs laid out for you, and now that you have a chance to escape, you won't even take it?"