Throughout the banquet, except for occasionally casting a glance, she didn’t seriously engage with him.
Ning Shangyu’s status alone made his presence a favor to the Ji family.
After Lin Zhishui finished most of her wine, she left Ning Zhuoyu behind and exited first with Ning Shangyu.
With the two most watched guests gone, many at the banquet still hadn’t found a good chance to approach and could only sigh in regret.
Qin Wance, previously embarrassed, seemed unconcerned and casually toasted with Ning Zhuoyu from a distance.
Loosening his cuffs, he then looked coldly at the stiff Qin Wanyin.
“Has Lin Zhishui not yet sobered up from being pushed into the water tonight? Ning Shangyu even protected her like this. What are you still fantasizing about?”
Qin Wanyin, unknowingly having pinched her palm until it bled, held on until now.
Qin Wance’s provocation brought tears to her reddening eyes.
In a low, sarcastic tone, she shot back: “He protects her, and so do you, just because she’s the Lin eldest lady’s little sister? Qin Wance, who’s the one living in a fantasy? She has a proper brother-in-law. Do you think she’d acknowledge you?”
Unaware, Lin Zhishui and Ning Shangyu left, while the Qin siblings, though seemingly close, had just fought internally.
After drinking too much, Lin Zhishui was quiet, sitting neatly in the exquisitely crafted carriage like a delicate doll missing its winding key, stopped from functioning, only gazing downward at the vast, starry traffic outside.
Until they arrived at the private residence surrounded by dawn redwoods.
Ning Shangyu, tall and long-legged, got out first, leisurely opening a side door.
“We’re here.”
The warm summer night breeze suddenly rushed in. Lin Zhishui sat motionless, her lowered lashes trembling before she slowly lifted her head, those onyx-like eyes shimmering with moisture fixed on him.
She stared simply, while Ning Shangyu’s gaze was like a lion locking onto a small, innocent prey.
“Who said they wanted to see the dawn redwoods here?”
Lin Zhishui tilted her head slightly, as if seriously pondering, then after a moment, raised her pale, slightly flushed fingers and tapped herself.
“Me.”
Ning Shangyu hummed in acknowledgment but showed no patience to coax her out of the car.
After loosening some cuff buttons, he effortlessly lifted her from the carriage, holding her firmly as he walked toward the dimly lit entrance.
The bodyguards and secretaries following them stopped neatly.
Xi Yan, leading the group, held a tablet and activated the security system to illuminate the lake area, so Lin Zhishui could enjoy the lush greenery throughout the night.
Glancing at Ning Shangyu’s back, he instructed the secretary: “Notify all departments that any urgent business within the next twenty-four hours should be postponed. Director Ning has just finished an intense schedule and needs to rest properly.”
“Yes, sir.”
Inside the villa, the large, magnificent living room was quiet and unlit.
Only the enormous floor-to-ceiling window shimmered with moonlight and mottled shadows of trees.
The alcohol that had seeped into Lin Zhishui’s system on the way home slowly diluted her clarity and rationality, helping her forget the strange awkwardness she’d had with Ning Shangyu earlier.
When he stared at her in the dark, she even forgot to ask how her traditional tutorial lessons had gone.
Her eyes blurred as if veiled by a misty haze, she vaguely saw the man casually toss his cold, precious wristwatch onto the marble floor, utterly indifferent to its value.
The sharp chime startled her, causing her breath to falter.
“Kiss me.”
Ning Shangyu demanded, but his kiss was heavier.
His broad shoulders cast a black shadow over her, holding her like a doll since they entered, never letting go, all the way to the window.
Lin Zhishui nearly couldn’t breathe.
The alcohol’s effect dissolved under his kiss, her senses focusing entirely on him, especially when his hand, gripping her soft palm, slid down to her waist and abdomen…
Her nerves tightened suddenly, feeling a surge of vitality.
By her ear, Ning Shangyu whispered ambiguously, “Have you studied the tutorial?”
That question sounded familiar.
Lin Zhishui’s slow mind recalled he had asked before.
Her lips moved slightly, answering from memory: “Of course.”
Ning Shangyu’s amber eyes lowered.
Perhaps because of the black shadows cast by the trees outside, his expression was hard to read in the night.
He asked again, “Want me to teach you the most interesting lesson?”
Lin Zhishui stayed in that doll-like, half-wound state, her face exquisitely sculpted, even her curled lashes falling beautifully.
She seemed lost in her own world but consciously responded, “Of course.”
Ning Shangyu was silent for a moment, then his usual cold smile flickered for a few seconds, reflecting the innocence in her drunken, large eyes.
At that moment, the lingering awkwardness from the Ji family banquet seemed to melt away.
And soon, an even closer intimacy followed.
Lost and helpless, Lin Zhishui suddenly felt her back pressed against the floor-to-ceiling window, her raven hair spread around her.
Outside, the dawn redwood shadows overlapped, with fireflies’ warm lights flickering through the branches.
Little points of light reflected on the glass, painting the scene beyond:
She blinked her lowered lashes and saw Ning Shangyu’s intense eyes, as if light itself had leapt into his pupils, slowly burning into a deep amber glow.
Before she could feel surprised, the consequence of her drinking was a wildly active imagination.
She felt like a delicate doll in an exquisite music box, suddenly wound up by the largest gemstone-made winding key in the world, emitting sharp light and powered by unfathomable mechanical principles to restore her movements.
But this movement relied entirely on his strength.
With one turn of the key, Lin Zhishui spun suddenly.
“Still not used to it?”
Though the alcohol relaxed her nerves tonight, unlike that night when she resisted strongly, her occasional sharp intakes of breath did not escape Ning Shangyu’s gaze.
One arm held her tight while his long fingers gently touched her cheek, wiping away a silent tear falling on the red mole.
Behind her back, lines of dangerous power were palpable…
Within this beautiful doll’s mechanical structure, the winding was direct and forceful.
Lin Zhishui didn’t know whether to nod or shake her head, still somewhat dazed.
She felt a bluish flame spreading just beneath her skin, aided by the alcohol, as if burning and devouring a vital component.
Her brows furrowed tightly, unable to understand, she rested her heavy head on his shoulder, lips parted.
“Ning Shangyu… I’m going to die.”
The amber in Ning Shangyu’s eyes darkened, his teasing tone heavy with meaning: “Hmm, then what should we do?”
Lin Zhishui’s beautiful lashes drooped, shocked by his reply…
She vaguely sensed something was happening but had no room to refuse, only to keep being wound and spun on Ning Shangyu’s muscular arm.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to be.
She started tearfully accusing Ning Shangyu, finally remembering the carefully rushed tutorial she had earnestly obtained from Wan Lu in the Hong Kong district, wanting to question him about who’s tradition it was… to be held the whole time?
The harder she protested and pitifully complained, the less it mattered.
Ning Shangyu had no intention of putting her down.
From admiring the dawn redwoods by the window to casually walking upstairs, his back stretched elegantly.
His voice dropped low as he told her, “The master bedroom’s view is even better.”
The downside of intoxication appeared.
Lin Zhishui felt her soul drifting.
Her mind was full of complaints about his poor study attitude, no mood to admire any dawn redwoods.
By late night, she was already drowsy.
The wine’s effect from the Ji family banquet had completely worn off.
Without the wine’s help, she simply couldn’t last till the end.
The spacious, beautifully decorated master bedroom smelled faintly of fir.
When laid on the comfortable, soft bed, she felt like a finely crafted doll who had danced all night in a music box, now broken.
The misery of a hangover.
Outside the window, moonlight spilled in.
After some unknown time, Lin Zhishui subconsciously curled up slightly, knees drawn up.
Her pale skin looked as if broken.
Above, on the thin hips resting on the black velvet covers, a distinct reddish tint showed.
The contrast with her already fair skin and the rosy marks was striking.
When the moonlight faded, she finally recovered a little strength, drowsily raising her hand to touch her belly.
It felt full, as if she’d overeaten at the Ji family banquet, but her cold fingertips touched a flat surface.
A strange sensation…
At that moment, Ning Shangyu, draped in a bathrobe, approached.
Seeing her dazed, unconscious motion, he asked, “What are you doing?”
Lin Zhishui slowly lifted her eyes to look at him.
The man had returned to his usual noble composure.
She didn’t want to answer, but the next second she heard him say calmly beside her ear, “It’s not inside.”
Then where?
They locked eyes for over ten seconds before Lin Zhishui slowly realized, eyes widening as she followed his indication and looked sharply toward the nearby high-end transparent trash bin…
Her mind thought: “Oh, so it’s all there.”