Tomorrowโthose two words struck Lin Zhishuiโs heart bluntly, almost making her wobble in her seat at the desk.
Just as her palm steadied, she lifted her leg gently against him.
Ning Shangyu had casually wrapped a velvet towel around his waist earlier, the smooth, tight lines of his waist and abdomen faintly visible beneath it.
With her leg pressed there, even through the fabric, her toes could clearly sense the pulsing heat of his arousal.
Lin Zhishui shrank back slightly and looked up at him, saying, โNot allowed!โ firmly.
โNot allowed now, or not allowed tomorrow?โ
Ning Shangyuโs muscles tensed, but his expression remained calm and indifferent.
His long, strong fingers covered her ankle, and when his warmth seeped through her skin, he suddenly pulled back.
Lin Zhishuiโs whole body pitched forward, unexpectedly crashing into his chest.
Like surrendering into his arms, she was easily caught by Ning Shangyu.
So close, she could almost feel how his blood flowed.
She was startled and deeply affected.
Her wide, staring eyes seemed to glisten as if something wet was about to spill out.
Ning Shangyu pressed down gently, as if trying the same trick again to shake the tears from her eyes, half-smiling as he asked, โHmm? Arenโt you going to be clearer?โ
Lin Zhishui dared not explain in detail.
Her fingertips nervously pinched small marks into his shoulder, her voice occasionally trembling at the end, yet she still tried to act strong: โCanโt you just read my expression? Why do you need me to spell everything out? Ning Shangyuโฆ youโre such an unqualified fiancรฉ!โ
Not qualified enough to read her expression?
Ning Shangyu had held her like this last night in the same posture, only from the bottom up. She had been drunk and hazy, unaware. Even when she had been pushed to the limit of separation, he hadnโt gone halfway in, always considerate of her particularly delicate body.
Lin Zhishui deliberately glossed over the whole traditional tutorial incident.
By noon, she grew hungry and suddenly started whining, explicitly demanding, โI want to eat big fish and meatโroast duck, roast goose, abalone, Dongxing grouper, stir-fried crab, secret sauce char siu, sweet and sour porkโฆโ
All of these were dishes from the Hong Kong Cantonese cuisine.
She emphasized that she needed to eat meat to replenish herself.
โArenโt you worried about digestion?โ
Ning Shangyu leaned over to set her down on the sofa in the walk-in closet.
He didnโt forbid her from eating meat, but he immediately picked up the intercom and called the housekeeper, requesting a Cantonese chef to prepare her a light-flavored meal.
If it got any lighter, it might as well be just boiled vegetables in hot water, Lin Zhishui thought of protesting, but Ning Shangyu had already hung up and shot her a glance, fully wielding his authoritative and domineering side: โArenโt you cold being bare like that?โ
Following his calm, scrutinizing gaze downward, Lin Zhishui realized a beat too late that the towel wrapped around her in the study had slipped to her knees, meaning her snow-white, slender back, waist hollow, and even her chest were fully exposed to the air.
Ning Shangyu, however, was fully dressed in a sharp, handsome suit, gazing down at her.
โNo wonder I donโt feel safe talking to him.โ
Lin Zhishui came to this realization slowly, gently covering herself with her hands, showing a trace of shy embarrassment.
Luckily, before she could say a word about โnot allowed to look,โ
The intercom rang.
It was the secretary downstairs, respectfully reminding Ning Shangyu of a half-hour video conference in his busy schedule.
Obviously, although he stayed behind closed doors, he spared neither her nor his work.
Only after Ning Shangyuโs figure completely disappeared from the luxurious and spacious walk-in closet doorway did Lin Zhishui crawl out from the curled-up sofa.
Unexpectedly, even her slow, deliberate steps still pulled at the sore spot that had been stretched for so long.
That dense pain shot along her nerve endings, making Lin Zhishui furrow her brow.
On the second floor in the living room, she had been carried everywhere, and had applied ointment.
She had naively thought she could walk normally without depending on Ning Shangyu, the ruthless culprit who had done this to her!
After just a few steps, she had to lean against the wall and pause, steadying the faint pain with deep breaths.
Only after putting on a green satin long dress did she spend another ten minutes returning to the master bedroom.
She collapsed onto the large bed that had been tidied up, and once still, her mind was filled with the persistent thoughts of the medicine and the sexual addiction disorder.
Although Ning Shangyu hadnโt admitted using her like a living drug,
His stamina, pushing for more than ten hours on the first try, was another kind of overuse.
Thinking of this, Lin Zhishui grew intensely curious about the disease.
She sat up and grabbed the phone from the bedside table.
The Lin familyโs medical research team was not led by the mercantile and utilitarian Ms. Sheng, but by another: Cui Daiyun, a scientist and her late fatherโs classmate who majored in biopharmaceuticals.
Lin Zhishui had known Uncle Cui since childhood.
She decided to consult a professional, carefully composing a message without mentioning Ning Shangyu, biting her lip in hesitation before finally sending it.
It was during Cui Daiyunโs lunch break, and he replied quickly:
ใSexual addiction? Little Zhishui, why are you suddenly asking about this?ใ
Knowing the dangers of saying too much, Lin Zhishui tapped lightly: ใI saw it mentioned in a book and got curious.ใ
Cui Daiyun was well aware of her penchant for strange ideas ever since she learned to speak, often taken to the research institute to marvel at things with her big, bright eyes wide open.
So when she said she was curious, he took a moment to send her a detailed rare case report on sexual addiction disorder.
Receiving it, Lin Zhishui was amazed: ใUncle Cui, youโre incredibleโyouโve even researched this?ใ
Cui Daiyun replied: ใNot me, really. Iโm just borrowing flowers to offer incense. The original data came from your fatherโs school days but was never used. I only improved a few parts.ใ
Yet no effective treatment had been found.
Her fingertips hovered for a few seconds before opening the report and reading it carefully.
Her clear eyes occasionally widened as she scrolled back and forth on the screen, finally stopping on a passage: Patients with rare sexual addiction disorders, worse than simple high libido, lose all self-control, constantly feeling an uncontrollable surge of sexual impulsesโฆ
Lose all self-control?
Lin Zhishui gasped inwardly, inevitably recalling the rumors about Ning Shangyuโs extreme abstinence in public.
It wasnโt even a rumor anymore.
During her time living in Si Cheng, she had noticed Ning Shangyu was always swamped with official duties, with a schedule so packed he barely had time to rest.
His personal staffโthe secretaries, housekeepers, and chefsโwere all maleโฆ
His private life was as spotless as if he had severe obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Wait a moment.
Could Ning Shangyu really have some kind of severe cleanliness obsession?
Lin Zhishui pondered deeply and quickly picked up clues: for example, Ning Zhuoyu never set foot in Ning Shangyuโs residence when picking her up, always parking the car outside. Although Xi Yan and others visited, they rarely wandered around.
Whenever she slightly messed things up, as soon as she turned around, the butler promptly came to restore order.
So many small details, Lin Zhishuiโs delicate heart almost couldnโt take it. She picked up her phone again and asked Cui Daiyun:
ใUncle Cui, the bookโs male protagonist is chaste and has severe cleanliness obsessionโฆใ
Cui Daiyun replied: ใIn reality, rare sexual addiction combined with severe cleanliness obsession is like living in hell on earth.ใ
Lin Zhishuiโs emotions fluctuated.
After understanding the disorder, her natural empathy flooded over her.
On one hand, she felt sorry for Ning Shangyu, who so severely repressed his desires and at most relied on drugs to ease the tension.
On the other hand, she realized he had already broken his vow.
He hadnโt continued abstaining.
That night, the wine she drankโwho knew whose mood it really lifted?
Just the trace along his hormone-charged muscles was more than the alcohol.
Now, recalling every little detail.
Lin Zhishui lay face down on the boundless big bed, burying her increasingly pale face into the pillow, occasionally letting out soft gasps of breath.
Besides the lingering pain that flared up again like a bone-deep aftereffect, more than anything, she felt immense fear and helplessness in her heart.
More than pitying Ning Shangyu, she had to pity her own fragile body first.
Lin Zhishui didnโt stay in the master bedroom for long. Just as she was drifting off, the butler called her down for lunch. Her stomach was more sensitive than her body, but she couldnโt afford to be hungry.
Twenty minutes later,
She sat quietly at the dining table, looking like a beautiful plant nourished back to health.
From a distance, it was a pleasing sight. Ning Shangyu, having finished his meeting, stood at the staircase, observing her for a long time without disturbing her. Occasionally, when Lin Zhishui accidentally caught sight of him, she quickly straightened her back and tried to appear calm, which caused the faintest curve to appear on his thin lips.
The afternoon passed quickly. Ning Shangyu worked in the conference room or study area, rarely reappearing.
But as the sunset abandoned her outside, her anxiety grew.
Ning Shangyuโs usually hidden physical desires were so strong. He had said the chosen day was tomorrow. Surely not starting exactly at midnight and ending just before the next midnight?
She had even arrogantly insisted on strictly following the tutorial. It was playing with fire, courting disasterโฆ
Lin Zhishui could no longer empathize with her morning self.
As the night draped over the building, she quietly made her way to the tea room and quietly asked Xi Yan, who was brewing tea, โWhen does Ning Shangyuโs work end?โ
Xi Yan hesitated for a moment: โEleven thirty.โ
Eleven thirty.
That seemed early. Someone as much of a workaholic and ambitious as Ning Shangyu should be working until midnight, right?
Bathed in a warm orange glow, Lin Zhishui absently traced the doorframe with her fingertips, eyes lowered, lost in thought. Xi Yan seemed to understand immediately and smiled, โIโll mention it to Ning President.โ
Lin Zhishui blinked, thinking no wonder the secretary general rose through the ranks with his wit. She relaxed her fingers, letting them fall by her side. Before leaving, she softly hinted, โI donโt want to hold up Ning Shangyuโs work.โ
Xi Yan smiled knowingly, โUnderstood.โ
This โunderstoodโ eased Lin Zhishuiโs restless heart for the entire evening. She slowly returned to her room instead of lingering on the living room sofa to read or star-gaze.
After finishing brewing the tea, Xi Yan respectfully brought it to the brightly lit conference hall.
The light accentuated Ning Shangyuโs already sharp facial features, giving him a cold, severe look. Sitting in the black leather chair, his words were concise and efficient. After completing one agenda item, he laid his pen on the documents.
At that moment, Xi Yan leaned in quietly, lowering his voice: โNing President, Miss Lin just tested my response. It seems she wants you to finish work early. Would you consider shortening the meeting?โ
Ning Shangyu lifted his eyelids, eyeing him sharply.
Xi Yan appeared calm and composed on the surface, but inwardly felt heavy psychological pressure. Before the engagement, Ning Shangyu was all about absolute interests, intolerant of distractions from irrelevant people or matters during work.
Xi Yan knew this better than anyone.
Daring to convey Lin Zhishuiโs wishes showed he sensed she was no ordinary person, possibly entitled to privileges only a spouse could receive.
The atmosphere was subtly tense for a moment.
Ning Shangyu said nothing, calmly took the hot tea from Xi Yanโs hand, sipped, and then resumed the meeting.
Under everyoneโs subtle gaze, Xi Yan respectfully withdrew to the side, not bringing up the matter again.
But behind the scenes, the secretariesโ chat group buzzed with sly messages:
โSecretary Xiโs performance tonight is textbook-level, amazing!โ
โHard to imagine Ning President, whoโs usually devoid of emotion, abandoning work to accompany Miss Linโwhat must be going through his mind, haha.โ
โNot sending him off to Africa tonight is already very democratic!โ
โIn my lifetime, Iโve never seen Ning President be swayed by anythingโSecretary Xi is definitely gambling big tonight.โ
The private work chat was too noisy.
Xi Yan glanced and quickly muted notifications.
At exactly eleven oโclock, as the clock ticked,
Ning Shangyu closed his folder and lazily leaned back in his chair, his voice light and casual: โDismissed.โ
Those three simple words struck like thunder.
The biggest reaction was from the nearly shut-in Xi Yan, who snapped his head up and shot sharp looks at the secretaries who had slyly mocked him earlier in the group chat.
Half an hour!
Wasnโt that early?!
At ten past eleven, the master bedroomโs curtains were tightly drawn, only a warm orange lamp lit the room dimly, emphasizing the quiet atmosphere.
Lin Zhishui sat on the big bed, busy tying the belt of her warm, fuzzy robe.
She was precisely timing herself, planning to pretend to be asleep before Ning Shangyu finished work.
She even went all out, taking two sleeping pills from the emergency first aid kit the butler had given her and placing them conspicuously on the bedside table.
Just as she finished tying a neat bow, she suddenly heard the door opening down the hall.
Her expression flickered with surprise.
Wasnโt he supposed to finish at eleven thirty?
Almost instinctively, Lin Zhishui lay down neatly, closing her eyes just in time. The dim light cast a beautiful shadow of her eyelashes on her cheeks.
Moments later, Ning Shangyu slowly pushed the door open and entered.
Seeing her like this, he seemed unsurprised she was already asleep.
Approaching the bed, he also noticed the carefully placed sleeping pills on the nightstand.
In the deep silence, every movement was crystal clear.
Lin Zhishuiโs thick lashes fluttered slightly with her soft breathing. She vaguely sensed Ning Shangyu picking up the pills, inspecting them for a moment, then tossing them into the trash.
Then, instead of going to the bathroom to showerโdespite his severe cleanliness obsessionโhe began to undress, removing his suit and shirt piece by piece.
He didnโt bathe but sat down on the edge of the bed.
The intense pressure radiating from his imposing aura was impossible for Lin Zhishui to ignore.
The next second, she felt his long fingers lightly brushing her eyelashes, gently teasing them.
It tickled, nearly making her shiver.
Fortunately, Lin Zhishui held herself together, barely containing a breakdown.
โTwo sleeping pills should make you fall asleep.โ Ning Shangyuโs pleasant voice hadnโt quite fallen before he added slowly, โThe instructions say that sleeping pills cause eyelashes to twitch during deep sleep.โ
Really?
Lin Zhishui was genuinely confused inside. It was the first time sheโd heard of such a side effect, but sadly, she hadnโt looked carefully at the instructions.
Just as she was doubting herself,
Ning Shangyu bent closer, lowering his voice, โAre they twitching?โ
His warm breath fell on her snow-white forehead, making her heart race. Instinctively, she gave a twitch for him to see.
Ning Shangyu watched her fluttering lashes from inches away, like rare fragile butterfly wings resting in the forest.
A faint, almost imperceptible smile curled the corner of his mouth.
When Lin Zhishui calmed down again,
He spoke quietly with a low tone, โIโve heard that after taking sleeping pills, deep sleepers experience extreme body heat loss and lack of securityโฆโ
Lin Zhishuiโs breath caught.
โWonโt you raise your hand?โ Ning Shangyu asked softly.