Chapter 164: Furniture
Sheng Wanyan was absolutely unyielding, leaving Gu Tingxiao with no choice but to step outside and shut the bedroom door.
She listened intently until she was certain he had actually walked away. Only then did she strip off her clothes and slip into the steaming water.
Meanwhile, Gu Tingxiao pressed his ear against the wooden door. At the distinct sound of splashing water, his eyes darkened with intent. He quietly marched back to the kitchen, filled another half-bucket with hot water, and carried it right back to the bedroom.
Inside, Wanyan was trying to scrub her back with a towel. Her arms couldn’t quite reach the center, forcing her to awkwardly stretch her hands behind her shoulders.
The next second, the towel was smoothly taken from her grip. A low, rumbling voice vibrated directly over her head.
“Let me help you, wife.”
Startled, Wanyan spun around. Seeing him standing over her, she instantly realized her mistake—she had been so focused on him leaving that she had completely forgotten to bolt the door.
As she turned, her bare silhouette was fully exposed to his gaze. Gu Tingxiao’s throat rolled heavily. A deep flush crept from the corners of his eyes all the way to the tips of his ears.
“How did you get back in?” she gasped.
“I came to give you a bath, wife.”
“I don’t need it.”
“You do…”
His eyes burned red with desire. Reaching down, he took her hand and firmly guided it beneath his shirt, pressing her palm directly against the hard lines of his abdominal muscles.
Wanyan swore colorfully in her mind. Where on earth had this man learned such shameless tricks?
“Do you like it, wife?” he whispered.
Wanyan swallowed hard. She couldn’t deny it; hadn’t she married Gu Tingxiao partly because she was weak for his looks? His physique was flawless—far more rugged and striking than any of the pretty boys from the future. While his features weren’t classically delicate, he possessed a fiercely masculine charm with sharp, clean facial lines. Combined with his powerful frame, he radiated an overwhelming amount of raw magnetism. He was like a walking display of pure testosterone, yet handled himself with a disciplined, severe restraint.
Her face flared crimson, and before she could even process what was happening, he had climbed into the wooden tub with her.
She was pulled firmly into his chest. He pressed hot kisses against her collarbone while guiding her hands across his skin.
“Mmh…”
A sudden shiver ran through her. She had been completely relaxed in the tub, making it entirely too easy for him to seamlessly claim her right there in the water. The man truly had no sense of shame.
“Wife…” Gu Tingxiao rasped, his hands tightening around her slender waist.
Overwhelmed by his relentless rhythm, Wanyan couldn’t utter a single coherent word. She could only glare up at him with a flushed face and eyes full of silent reproach.
But that melting, breathless look only made Gu Tingxiao lose his final shred of control. This gorgeous little temptress was going to be the death of him.
By the time the ordeal finally ended, he had thoroughly dried her off and carried her to the kang to rest. Wanyan thought she was finally safe for the night, but deep in the early hours of the morning, she felt a heavy weight pressing down on her in her dreams.
She blinked her eyes open, only to find Gu Tingxiao tirelessly working over her once again. She parted her lips to protest, but he instantly blocked her words with a fierce kiss. By the time he finally let her rest, the dim morning light was already filtering through the window shutters. It was almost dawn.
It was well past noon when Wanyan finally woke up. Gu Tingxiao had already jogged back from the base cafeteria with lunch containers, and he carefully scooped her up into his arms.
“Time to wake up, wife.”
Wanyan felt completely hollowed out, lacking even the strength to hold herself up. She slumped all her weight against his broad shoulder, her voice a weak mumble. “I don’t want to get up… This is all your fault.”
Tingxiao leaned his head down to catch her faint murmurs, a helpless, delighted smile breaking across his face. “Yes, it’s all my fault.”
He accepted the blame instantly, causing Wanyan to snap her eyes open and glare at him. The man had spent the entire night burning through his energy, yet he looked utterly radiant and refreshed today. He had even completed a full morning of military drills without showing a single hint of fatigue. Meanwhile, she hadn’t lifted a finger and was currently paralyzed in bed.
Knowing how much she loved to lounge, Tingxiao expertly handled her routine. He dressed her in fresh clothes, slipped on her socks and sneakers, and carried her over to the basin to brush her teeth and wash her face.
“I brought back lunch for you,” he murmured as he wiped her face with a warm towel. “The furniture from Uncle Chen just arrived too. I’m just waiting for the guys to finish their midday meal so they can help haul it inside.”
Wanyan’s eyes brightened with instant excitement. The custom furniture she had been dreaming about was finally here; the bare house would finally feel like a proper home.
“The procurement truck also dropped off your bicycle, so I’ll bring that into the yard in a moment,” Tingxiao added. “Your dressing table is on a separate transport, but it should be here within the next few days.”
Thrilled by the rapid updates, Wanyan instinctively leaned forward and planted a firm kiss on his cheek. “That’s your reward.”
Gu Tingxiao touched his face, which was still flecked with white toothpaste foam from her lips. His wife’s version of a reward was highly unique, and he loved it.
“Do I get another reward tonight, wife?”
Wanyan immediately leveled a sharp glare at him. Was his mind permanently stuck on one thing? “Absolutely not. If you ask again, you can spend the night on the floor of the guest room.”
“I won’t ask,” he replied, wisely shutting his mouth. He had no intention of sleeping alone in a cold bed when he had a beautiful wife to hold. He wasn’t that foolish.
Wanyan shook her head, entirely amused by how quickly he could pivot into an obedient husband the moment his privileges were threatened.
Once they finished lunch, Tingxiao headed to the main gates to round up his comrades. Wanyan stepped into the kitchen to brew several large glasses of rich sugar water, wanting to offer a sweet refreshment to the men sweating over their heavy lifting.
Within minutes, a line of soldiers began marching through the front gate, carrying the wooden frames. Catching sight of her, they bellowed in unison:
“Hello, sister-in-law!”
“Good afternoon, sister-in-law!”
Five men had arrived to assist: the four soldiers who had built the kitchen enclosure the day before, and the enthusiastic young driver who had picked them up from the station. Wanyan smiled and stepped aside to give them room to maneuver.
She set the glasses down on the small table, gesturing toward them. “Thank you all so much for the help. Please, sit down and have some sweet water to cool off.”
As the men carefully positioned the heavy sofa and dining sets according to her list, Gu Tingxiao rolled her brand-new bicycle into the yard, walking behind the squad like a strict supervisor. Wanyan bit back a smile at the sight. The man truly knew how to command his subordinates.
“Thank you, sister-in-law!”
“Much appreciated, sister-in-law!”
The five soldiers eagerly grabbed the glasses, taking massive gulps of the iced sugar water. The young driver’s eyes lit up the instant the rich sweetness hit his tongue. The water at the captain’s house is heavenly! he thought, his mind rapidly calculating how many extra chores he could volunteer for just to secure another invite. If Gu Tingxiao had known what the kid was plotting, he would have kicked him right out of the courtyard.
Once the furniture was perfectly aligned, Tingxiao didn’t let the men leave right away, commanding them to sweep up the sawdust and wood shavings until the entire floor gleamed. Wanyan watched the display in silence, thoroughly impressed by how seamlessly he exploited his unit’s labor.
After a thorough cleaning, Gu Tingxiao dismissed the squad, turned to Wanyan, and picked up a broom himself to sweep the perimeter of the courtyard. “Rest inside, wife. Once I finish cleaning the yard, I have to head back to the barracks for afternoon training.”
“Alright, don’t overexert yourself,” she replied, heading out to the line to collect the dark blue sofa covers she had hung up the night before. In the intense summer heat, the thick fabric had dried completely.
She carried the textiles inside, organizing their wardrobe and hanging up their uniforms on the new freestanding rack. She hated folding clothes anyway, so having everything neatly displayed on hangers was a massive relief.
Outside, Gu Tingxiao finished sweeping the brick floor, called out a fond goodbye, and jogged back toward the training grounds, leaving his wife to happily arrange the final details of their new home.
