Red Bellyband

Bo Ling was puzzled. Why, time after time during their lovemaking, did Yu Boling always wrap a strip of red silk around his waist?

A slender waist bound in red silk, a beauty reclining on the bed.

He thought it was his wife's way of keeping him by her side.

Only later did he learn it was to hide the traces of having once borne a child for someone else.

This was a political marriage neither of them had wanted.

On their wedding night, Bo Ling strode into the bridal chamber with a cold expression, then came out with unsteady steps.

The face beneath the veil was truly beautiful: fair skin, dark hair, gentle eyes, and pale lips.

Bo Ling slept with his new wife, then left her with a stern warning to know her place and not entertain any other ideas.

&

One month into the marriage.

His wife never fought or clamored for anything, and managed the household for him. Bo Ling was reasonably satisfied.

His wife was a delight in the drawing room, and even more so in bed.

Lying with his head on his wife's soft, snowy-white belly, Bo Ling began to understand how a tyrant could die in a woman's arms. Even if his wife was a man, and not at all wanton, perhaps even a little dull-witted.

&

A year into their marriage, Bo Ling had completely forgotten that his marriage to his wife was political.

Bo Ling obtained a Childbearing Pill and began to look forward to having a child with his wife.

His wife was very gentle.

Knowing that men who gave birth had a high chance of bleeding to death, he still agreed without hesitation.

Bo Ling was deeply moved. For the first time, he kissed his wife's lips. They were soft and sweet.

Bo Ling's heart raced. He regretted not having tasted them sooner.

Feeling the red silk around his wife's waist, Bo Ling was suddenly overcome with guilt. He decided to treat the wife who had been his alone from beginning to end a little better.

&

He thought they could go on living peacefully like this.

Until one day,

After getting drunk, Yu Boling threw himself into his arms and clung to him, his soft lips sticking to Bo Ling's face like a melting jar of candy.

"Husband, I miss you so much. Be sweet to me. Come visit me in my dreams, even if only for a moment."

Bo Ling couldn't help feeling secretly pleased.

So his wife's cool voice could sound so sweet, those melancholy eyes could curve into crescent moons, and even his bitter tears could taste sweet.

Bo Ling buried his face against his wife's chest and admitted defeat.

But the next day, once his wife had come to his senses, he stared at Bo Ling blankly and murmured, dazed, "Why isn't it him..."

The smile on Bo Ling's face froze in an instant.

Theme: Love yourself before loving someone else.