Chapter 354: Chapter 355: Can’t Hold Back

Shao He stepped backward, slipping, her body leaning back, behind her the icy pond water.

Pei Huaian yelled out in shock, “Be careful!”

Shao He felt a tightness around her waist, her body suddenly pulled forward, the hurried and slightly disheveled breathing of the man beside her echoed in her ears, her heartbeat thunderous.

She looked up to find herself crashing into his deep and handsome features, eyebrows slightly furrowed, seemingly a bit anxious.

She pressed her lips together and, when she met the man’s black, ink-like gaze, an inexplicable joy surged within her, and her previously flustered heart gradually calmed down.

“Are you okay?”

Pei Huaian’s voice was gentle, tinged with concern and inquiry, his eyes gazing directly into hers.

“No… No problem,” Shao He said, looking down.

She could feel her heart pounding so fiercely, she could hear its thumping.

Pei Huaian raised his eyebrows slightly, a faint smile curving the corners of his mouth, as he reached out to take her slender, delicate fingers.

She felt the heat in the palm of her hand, her heart skipped a beat; somehow, when faced with his touch, she always felt a little flustered.

“We should go back,” Shao He managed to steady her mind, forcing herself to calm down.

“Alright,” Pei Huaian considerately pulled out a cloak and draped it over her, fastening it carefully.

Side by side, they walked along the path when Shao He suddenly asked, “Why could Qi Jiayuan, a mere woman, go to the battlefield and even reach the position of a Great General?”

You should know that here, the women have always taken pride in supporting their husbands and instructing their children, considering public exposure to be shameful.

Yet she, a mere woman, was able to fight on the battlefield and even received the Emperor’s commendation, which was truly no easy feat.

Even her consultations at Anji Hall had led to much insult and verbal abuse, with many people believing that as a woman, she should properly stay at home and take care of her husband and children.

Pei Huaian chuckled softly, explaining, “General Qi joined the battle disguised as a man. She later performed several outstanding feats, but falsehood is always falsehood, and one day it would be discovered.”

“When the officials of the Imperial Court learned that she was a woman, they mocked and humiliated her in every possible way, saying that concealing her identity was a capital offense. The most infuriating part was that at the time, not a single person in the court dared to help her, fearing getting involved.”

Speaking of that past event, Pei Huaian still felt some indignation that was hard to quell.

“Qi Jiayuan was staunch and tough, she had requested several times to be reassigned back to the Capital City but was refused by the Emperor, and was even demoted to the southern frontiers for military service.”

“Her father pleaded for her, but to no avail. However, Qi Jiayuan did not shrink back because of this. On the frontier, she continued to perform outstanding feats, using herself as a decoy. She never flinched in the face of the slanders from the officials and the enemies’ contempt.”

Pei Huaian admired this woman, so they had stood shoulder to shoulder in battle.

After listening to Pei Huaian’s account, Shao He admired her even more and could not help but exclaim, “Such an extraordinary woman is not worthy of you.”

“Indeed she isn’t, but General Qi has no intention of marrying. She has no interest in romantic relationships between men and women, preferring instead the thrill of battle.”

They had clashed many times, and thus knew each other fairly well–this was why those rumors circulated in the Capital City.

“Princess Huimin seems to want to matchmake the two of you, even saying that The Emperor and Empress Dowager greatly favor her as the Fifth Prince’s Consort,” Shao He stopped, glancing sideways at the person next to her.

Pei Huaian quickly waved his hands, distancing himself from the implication, “I have never harbored any special feelings towards her; our relationship is purely that of superior and subordinate.”

“Besides, I don’t even have a concubine to warm the bed; in the future, if we get married and you enter my household, everything will be up to you.”

Pei Huaian gazed at her affectionately, causing Shao He’s face to turn red suddenly. She placed her hands behind her back and turned her face away.

“What nonsense are you talking about? When did I ever agree to marry you?”

No sooner had Shao He’s words fallen than she felt her mouth covered, Pei Huaian’s voice coming low in her ear, “This is an agreement between us, regardless of the past, you must consent to marry me.”

Shao He pushed him away irritably, “Let me go!”

Pei Huaian let go, and seeing her flushed with anger, he couldn’t help but curve his lips in a smile, then straightened his face again and asked earnestly, “I truly want to marry you. What do you say?”

“Nothing at all,” Shao He huffed and turned her head away from Pei Huaian.

Just as he was about to step away, suddenly his arm was seized and pulled violently, and he was dragged into a warm embrace.

Pei Huaian wrapped his arms tightly around the person in his embrace, his lips brushing close to her ear in an intimate murmur, “Whether you’re willing or not, you’ll never escape me in this lifetime.”

“After all, it was my fate to have met you!”

Shao He was dying of shame and struggled to get up, but she felt the grip around her waist tighten, and she couldn’t move at all.

“Quick, let me go!”

Shao He glared fiercely at the culprit, wishing she could bite him a few times.

“No,” Pei Huaian said, stubbornly shaking his head.

Feeling the softness of the beauty in his arms, Pei Huaian’s gaze darkened, and he bit down lightly on her tender skin, causing Shao He to shiver all over.

He looked at her blushing cheeks with satisfaction and whispered, “If you keep moving, I won’t be able to control myself.”

Shao He instantly behaved, glaring at him with shame and anger.

But Pei Huaian was not at all intimidated by her glare, instead, revealing a radiant smile.