Child Bride（7）

"You don't have to."

The simple words felt like a stab on Ling Chuxia. 

Her heart began thumping in her chest. Oh no, Young Master Shi is still angry, isn't he? Ling Chuxia swallowed her saliva harshly and felt her heart become weak. 

She looked around and suddenly noticed the cup of milk that she had brought upstairs. 

She picked up the cup and brought it in front of Shi Che. In a careful but tender voice, she said, "Young Master, here is some milk to relieve from the alcohol." 

Shi Che cut to the chase this time around. He threw the towel to the side and grabbed the blanket while shifting to a lying position before closing his eyes. 

He could not have been clearer in his actions. 

Ling Chuxia's slender fingers appeared a bit stiff as she held the cup in her hand. 

She had borne just a bit of hope that Young Master Shi had returned home after his anger cooled off. From what she could see, this was not so. 

Ling Chuxia stood frozen on the spot for a while. Finally, she resigned to her fate and put the cup down. She skirted lightly to her side of the large bed. Gently, she lifted the blanket and lay down. 

The bed in the bedroom was really big, with a characteristically vintage European design. Shi Che did not like fancy ornaments, so their bed was minimalist in design. Both the bed sheets and quilt cover were of a homogenous cold color. 

The bed was so big that even when the two slept on it together, another two or three could fit in the middle. They looked not like a couple, but rather two strangers sharing a bed. 

 -

Ling Chuxia did not have a good sleeping posture. She liked to roll around and spread her limbs out on the bed, taking up the whole area. 

Since she was so tired from being overly careful in her waking hours, she thought it would make sense to sleep comfortably and as she wished. 

That was why when they first got married, Ling Chuxia was not used to sleeping beside Shi Che since she did not control herself well. She would often, in the middle of her sleep, be kicking him, pushing him off the bed, or end up with her limbs all over his body and resting on his stomach.

During that period, Ling Chuxia was shocked out of her wits every single morning after waking up. The scariest part was none other than seeing Shi Che's extremely unpleasant expression... 

From then on, no matter how unwilling she was to change her bad habits, she had to force herself to do so. She had to be as careful in her sleep as she was when awake. 

That was why her sleeping posture had now become so standardized. She carefully occupied her designated area and never crossed the line. 

After lying down in her position, Ling Chuxia placed her hands on her underbelly customarily and slowly closed her eyes. 

 -

In a muddled state of mind, the nightmare from just now seemed to have continued for Ling Chuxia. 

"Xia, you've been married for three years now, but your relationship with Che is still so tame. What have you not been doing all this while? A woman must be able to retain her husband's heart and not let it drift out of the house. Shouldn't you be doing the same as a married woman?" 

"Forget it, it's difficult to read Che's mind, so I understand your pain. But then again, the two of you have been married for three years without any news of a child. That's a little unacceptable." 

"You must know that the most direct way to keep a man's heart is with a child. A child will give the man a sense of responsibility. It will anchor him to his family and guide his heart back home."

"Back then, I chose you and not your elder sister because I thought you had great potential. Xia, please don't disappoint me...!"