No matter what they say outside, Shen Zhiyi was dumbfounded.

Especially when she heard the Oiran continuously making movements and uttering soft, coquettish sounds that made her feel her bones would melt.

For example.

"Thank you, Princely Heir, for choosing Yingying again. Yingying will definitely serve you well."

And then.

"Be gentle, my lord. I’ll undress myself."

So charming and alluring.

???

But it wasn’t the same as she had imagined!

Xiao Huaian: "Seeing is believing. I’ve told you before, I’ve never been with another woman, and you didn’t believe it. Now do you?"

"I only do this every time. How can I make her pregnant?"

Shen Zhiyi’s mind seemed to be smeared with glue.

This clearly touched on her blind spot of knowledge.

She declared she didn’t know.

Xiao Huaian stopped playing with the fan in his hand and gestured for the servant to send the Oiran back.

The Oiran took the labor fee from the servant, weighed it, and smiled.

She didn’t have to serve a man but still got paid.

She understood clearly.

Although she didn’t understand, she liked such strange business practices and left happily.

Seeing her leave, Xiao Huaian lifted his chin towards Shen Zhiyi: "Brothels also have their own rules. Those who sell their bodies and sign death contracts must take medicine to prevent pregnancy for life."

"Even if they didn’t sign a death contract, someone would bring birth-prevention medicine and watch them drink it, to prevent any issues from occurring."

If the girls in the brothel were all getting pregnant, even getting rid of a child would cost money, and they would have to rest for a while. Could they continue doing business?

Shen Zhiyi listened, but she didn’t understand.

"Then why? What’s your purpose?"

Xiao Huaian: "To confuse the public."

He was about to explain.

Shen Zhiyi said with difficulty: "You even had her shake the bed all night?"

Are you sick?

"I couldn’t just have her shake it a few times and then let her go, could I?"

Besides, I gave her a lot of money, enough to keep her mouth sealed.

Xiao Huaian, who cares about his reputation: "What would others think of me then?"

Anyway, since my reputation is already bad, why can’t I have a reputation for lasting a long time and being amazing?

Though Xiao Huaian never thought there was anything wrong with it in the past. He even thought he wasn’t wrong.

But saying these things to the girl he likes now, he felt a little ashamed.

Shen Zhiyi: "You just let her go. Aren’t you afraid of being looked down upon?"

Xiao Huaian: ???

"If I didn’t let her go, and the three of us walked out together, they’d say I’d gone mad with lust!"

Xiao Huaian: "I don’t care what they say anymore. Whether it’s a gimmick or not, once we’re married, you’ll know."

Shen Zhiyi murmured, "I understand now."

"As long as you understand."

Shen Zhiyi’s gaze shifted downward, stopping at the man’s crotch.

"I thought Wei Zhao was the problem, but it turns out it’s you."

She had worried about Yu Tingwan for nothing.

Xiao Huaian: ?

"You’re like half a eunuch but refuse to admit it. It’s your male pride at work, so you cover it up with such affairs."

It actually sounded logical.

Xiao Huaian: ??

"I didn’t expect this, yet you’re willing to be honest with me before marriage. No wonder you insisted on letting Yu Tingwan and them leave. It’s shameful, after all."

Shen Zhiyi, unafraid of being tired, kindly said, "It’s fine, I don’t mind. In the future, I can rock the bed for you all night too."

Xiao Huaian: ???

Thank you.

Hmm, as always, seeing is believing.

He pulled Shen Zhiyi’s hand.

Being a gentlewoman from the boudoir, she had never experienced this. She was so terrified her complexion changed, and she tried to pull her hand back.

But the man didn’t let her have her way.

Xiao Huaian leaned slightly towards her.

Under the light, their fingertips were still a distance apart, but inside the cabin, their shadows were entwined, a pose of possession.

"If you still don’t believe it, want me to undress and verify it for you?"

No, no, no.

Shen Zhiyi shook her head in shock, her face quickly turned red, embarrassed.

"You...you..."

She stammered.

Being looked at and touched by her, especially with her struggles against him, Xiao Huaian could barely take it.

He pulled her hand away but instead intertwined her fingers firmly with his.

Talking about these days, he had thought deeply about it many times.

He had really refined it over and over.

No sloppy words.

Afraid of saying the wrong thing, scaring away the bride he finally got.

"I can’t tell you all the details about things outside. But my father has military power, so I can only play the foolish playboy. It’s all for the palace."

"You’re right, we had little contact before, and I really didn’t understand you well. My thoughts aren’t as meticulous as Wei Zhao’s, and I can’t decipher the thoughts of you girls. But so what? You’re the girl I want to marry, and that’s just perfect for me."

"And you don’t know the real me either. That’s why you believed there was something between me and the Oiran."

"You studied since you were young, maybe not the best in the girls’ school, but you weren’t bad. Raised in comfort, proficient in poetry and song. But others think I’m a rotten scoundrel, yet you’d still willingly marry me with your eyes closed."

Xiao Huaian: "The previous marriage issue, it was caused by your father. It’s not your fault, but society has too many prejudices against women. Marriage is a lifelong thing for women. I admit I was overjoyed when you agreed, but I was also cowardly. The chance was right there, and I couldn’t refuse, nor play the fool who waits until you really like me, to then discuss marriage."

He feared that opportunity would slip away.

So, he didn’t let it pass.

In Da Jin, no matter the class, there’s a tradition of matching birth dates before marriage, setting a date, as if only this ensures a smooth relationship.

But is it really the case?

There are very few women who live well with their in-laws.

Thus.

"I don’t believe in matching birth dates, but I let my mother do it. The words about granting a good marriage were to reassure you."

"We have plenty of time ahead to let you know I’m someone you can rely on."

He said so much.

No sign of a spoiled playboy appearance.

Also vastly different from what Shen Zhiyi had thought.

Although...he wanted the Oiran to shake the bed all night.

Shen Zhiyi thought of something: "I remember seeing you coming out of the brothel a few times with lipstick marks on your face."

Xiao Huaian: "Did you see that servant just now?"

"I did, why?"

"I made him apply lipstick and kiss me. Though it’s a bit disgusting, it worked."

"Want to see it? I can call him back in."

You see, there are still many issues after all.

!!!

But could this man actually be really capable!

Even Shen Zhiyi found it somewhat overwhelming.

Her brain even stopped thinking.

She once had a bit of a daughter’s emotional length without any real benefits, yet the Shen Family’s back house gradually wore it down. Now there wasn’t any left, but this man told her it seemed like if she just reached out, maybe she could... easily have it.

Shen Zhiyi wasn’t used to him speaking without being annoying or irritating.

Wait.

In a flash, she remembered something.

"I seem to not have had the chance to tell you the birth dates."

"Correct."

But he somehow knew.

He smiled a bit.

"Isn’t it obvious?"

So slow.

"I’ve been desiring you for a long time."