Ning Shangyu carried Lin Zhi Shui out of the master bedroom in his arms, his steps steady all the way, and headed toward the guest room.
When her knees and palms touched the clean, crisp sheets, Lin Zhi Shui froze for a moment before realizing that the master bedroom’s bed was soaked in a strong scent and a large damp patch—it was impossible to sleep there.
That scent had seeped into every inch of her fair skin, but it wasn’t unpleasant.
When she caught the faintest whiff in the air, her mind would involuntarily recall the scent of bald cypress after a violent storm.
Ning Shangyu went to fetch a wet towel to clean her up.
Lin Zhi Shui’s drifting consciousness finally returned.
She sat stiffly, her reddened eyes trembling as she quickly glanced up for a second, sneaking a look at him.
She saw that beneath Ning Shangyu’s calm and reserved appearance, he was single-mindedly performing a caring service that didn’t suit his status.
Even though his fingers’ movements were neither too light nor too heavy, wherever he touched her, the sensation was unmistakably strong.
But he didn’t intend to continue any further.
This made Lin Zhi Shui breathe a small sigh of relief, and she sensibly stayed still, lest things spiral out of control tonight.
She let Ning Shangyu patiently wipe her down with the towel, just like a porcelain doll in the finest silk that had almost been ruined, and then he tucked her into the soft, fluffy quilt.
She buried her flushed face into the snowy pillow, trying to make even her breathing as light as possible.
One second, two seconds, three seconds…
She silently counted almost a hundred times in her mind.
Ning Shangyu threw the towel back in the bathroom, returned, turned off the lights, lifted the quilt, and lay down beside her.
He turned his head, his gaze falling shamelessly upon Lin Zhi Shui.
The dimmer the room, the more prominent the small section of her back exposed outside the quilt became—so pale it looked like it was carved from fine jade.
Even with heavy marks, a casual wipe would restore it to flawless white.
Under his increasingly intense gaze… Lin Zhi Shui was not entirely unresponsive.
She muffled her voice and suddenly said, “Can you stop staring at me?”
Ning Shangyu seemed to chuckle.
“Not even allowed to look?”
Lin Zhi Shui was about to righteously refuse when her smooth body, which had been curled up for a long time, was suddenly pulled in by a much warmer arm, her back pressed against his chest.
Ning Shangyu’s voice came clearly into her ear, “You’re so sensitive.”
Lin Zhi Shui immediately tensed up but didn’t forget to retort, “Not as much as you… Ning Shangyu, I finally know why you always look so ascetic. With a need this big, and so much of it, if you spend all your time and energy on this, your Ning family will be finished.”
So, for the sake of your family’s prosperity, please continue your abstinence.
Lin Zhi Shui prayed silently, but gradually lost her voice.
In truth, Ning Shangyu hadn’t even truly indulged; it was obvious he lived up to being a young and high-ranking man—still full of energy at this late hour.
Though he didn’t go any further, his fingertip absentmindedly rubbed at the red mole at the corner of her eye—a spot he’d already rubbed red earlier.
Now, after a brief respite, he rubbed it red again.
The distraction made Lin Zhi Shui’s heartbeat race chaotically.
She wanted to complain about his suggestive actions, but couldn’t get the words out. Instead, a soft, sticky nasal sound slipped from her lips.
She quickly stopped herself and instinctively pushed at Ning Shangyu.
Then, she was caught off guard by the stark contrast in their sizes again.
Lin Zhi Shui unintentionally tugged Ning Shangyu’s loosely tied robe open, revealing his body underneath.
From the onlooker’s perspective—
The color of his skin was as pale as his usual cold demeanor, with sharp, mesmerizing contours, and the interlaced veins stood out distinctly.
Just one glance was enough to make her want to look away, yet unable to resist.
Lin Zhi Shui felt a bit intimidated by her little fiancé, especially after just now—trying to accommodate him had been a painful lesson…
She decided to just sleep.
In those few seconds, Lin Zhi Shui had already come up with a coping strategy.
She ignored his open robe, squeezed her long, curled lashes shut, and pretended to sleep.
But as soon as she closed her eyes, images of Ning Shangyu flashed through her mind.
Ning Shangyu was just too scary.
Lin Zhi Shui’s heart pounded anxiously.
She thought she wouldn’t be able to sleep, but before long, amidst a jumble of thoughts, she fell into a deep slumber.
Her last thought before sleep was:
Does Ning Shangyu have a hypnotic effect???
***
The next morning, Lin Zhi Shui woke up groggily in the unfamiliar guest room.
Ning Shangyu was already gone. Still feeling lazy, she instinctively pressed her forehead into the pillow and took a few breaths.
After lying there long enough, she got up.
Thankfully, apart from feeling a bit sore in her small, weak body from sleeping in a strange bed, everything else was fine—even the medicinal smell had faded a lot.
Lin Zhi Shui went to wash up, then picked out a white satin gown from the dressing room.
As she went downstairs, she heard the voices of men talking in the living room—likely Ning Shangyu’s secretaries from the port district.
As she stepped off the last stair,
Xi Yan happened to finish preparing a steaming, exquisite breakfast and said, “Miss Lin, good morning.”
“Good morning.”
Lin Zhi Shui greeted him naturally, then glanced—whether intentionally or not—at Ning Shangyu, who was obviously already finished with breakfast and sitting in the center of the sofa.
Compared to last night,
Ning Shangyu, now dressed in a suit, looked so noble and cold that strangers would keep their distance.
He was receiving an injection from Li Jin.
Perhaps he heard her voice; his eyelids lifted slightly, and his indifferent gaze swept past his secretary to her for a moment.
Lin Zhi Shui lowered her eyes, as if avoiding his gaze.
But she was still a bit confused.
Ning Shangyu is getting an injection again!
Is it because of her?!
Then Lin Zhi Shui guiltily recalled pulling open Ning Shangyu’s robe before bed.
Did he not take care of it all night, and now her “little fiancé” has caught a cold?
She couldn’t very well stare at Ning Shangyu in public to check for signs of a fever.
Otherwise, she’d look like a total pervert.
Thinking this, Lin Zhi Shui strolled to the dining table and sat down.
She raised her hand to start eating but found that Xi Yan had thoughtfully prepared a bowl of fresh fish porridge for her.
The porridge smelled delicious, cooked to a perfect, thick consistency that melted in the mouth.
It was served with style in a black porcelain bowl with delicate pink flower buds carved into it, placed neatly on the gleaming marble table.
But Lin Zhi Shui’s fingers gripped the porcelain spoon and hesitated.
Her clear eyes stared at the bowl, and in her mind, a powerful sense of association overwhelmed her.
She couldn’t help but link this fragrant, beautiful porridge with the large amount… that Ning Shangyu had released.
Suddenly, seeing her not eating, Xi Yan asked politely, “Miss Lin, does the porridge not suit your taste?”
Lin Zhi Shui blinked her lashes, still looking down.
Xi Yan knew about her extremely picky eating habits and tried to explain carefully, “The porridge is made with all-natural, very clean ingredients. The fish slices were freshly flown in from Jieluomu Lake at around four this morning…”
This time, Lin Zhi Shui listened, turned her face, pressed her fair fingers to her lips, and elegantly made a “shh” gesture.
Then, with a straight face, she said, “From today on, the word ‘porridge’ is banned for me. No one is allowed to mention it.”
Xi Yan: “Huh?”
In the end, Lin Zhi Shui didn’t eat the carefully prepared, precious-ingredient porridge, and she also decided not to return to Sì City with Ning Shangyu and his team.
She had already arranged for the Lin family’s chauffeur to pick her up at Taiping Peak when she went downstairs.
While Ning Shangyu was still in the meeting room for a half-hour online conference, she politely left a note, pressed under the now-cold bowl of porridge, and quietly left.
Forty minutes later.
Lin Zhi Shui returned to the familiar old house.
As soon as she entered from the corridor, her light steps came to a halt—because there were people talking business in the usually quiet living room.
Just as when she was a child, she liked to hide in some corner of the house, eyes wide with curiosity, watching Sheng Ming Ying, who lounged lazily on the sofa, discussing family business and shocking news from the outside world with her secretaries.
At that moment, the secretary was indignantly saying that Qin Yi’an’s tactics were shameless.
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