Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Shen Chi glanced at her, the corners of his lips curving up slightly. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
He started the car and drove towards the villa. Xu Chaomu didnât speak, so he remained silent as well.
The coolness of the night was like water, with large trees swiftly receding behind the car window and the lotus-shaped street lamps flickering dimly along the roadside. The closer they got to the villa, the fewer people there were.
Soon, they arrived at Jinxiu Tianxia.
The lights outside the Shen Family villa were still on, all vintage
European-style lily copper chandeliers, exquisitely beautiful in this tranquil night. Everything around was calm and quiet; the Shen Family was never a lively place to begin with, but at night, it was even more deserted.
Shen Chi parked the car in the garage and glanced at Xu Chaomu beside him,
âWeâre home.â
Xu Chaomu ignored him, continuing to look out the window with her head turned away.
Shen, amused, chuckled to himself. The little girl was giving him the cold shoulder.
He got out of the car, opened the passenger-side door, and bent down to look at her.
Xu Chaomu then turned her head the other wav, determined not to look at
Shen Chi.
Shen Chi reached out his arms to hold her, lifting her from the car in a perfect princess carry.
The girlâs body carried a faint fragrance that somewhat resembled the scent of the breast-enlargement essential oil, could she have retrieved the bottle he had thrown away?
âMen and women should not touch hands when giving or receiving things, donât you know?â Xu Chaomu muttered, glancing at him.
âHold on to me tightly, donât fall off,â Shen Chi said.
Walking towards the house with deliberate steps, Xu Chaomuâs small hands encircled his neck, burying her head in his chest.
This was the first time he had held her for so long on his own initiative, and the first time she leaned against his chest without him pushing her away.
But the price seemed to be high; her head still hurt. She didnât know if Shen Chi felt guilty; otherwise, he wouldnât have let her hold on to him.
She decided to make the most of it and snuggle against him more. Lying against his chest, she could hear his steady heartbeat, unhurried and calm. Her own little heart, though, was already thumping wildly!
His chest was warm, and his unchanged refined aura carried the maturity of a man.
âWeâre here,â Shen Chi said as they reached Xu Chaomuâs room.
âAh? That was fastâ¦â Xu Chaomu felt that the journey was all too short.
Shen Chi looked down at Xu Chaomu in his arms, âHow do you plan on getting down?â
âCan I just not get down?â Xu Chaomu asked.
âWho was it that just said men and women should not touch hands when giving or receiving things?â Shen Chi raised an eyebrow.
Alright, it was her.
She didnât speak, clinging to his neck, refusing to let go. Shen Chi had no choice but to walk over to the bed and gently set her down, yet Xu Chaomu still wouldnât release her hold.
âLet go of your hands,â Shen Chi said with a frown and a faint tone; though his voice was soft, his manner was as imperious as ever.
âIâm a patient!â Xu Chaomu pouted.
âSo what?â Shen Chi asked.
âSo, I have a few demands,â she stated.
âLetâs hear them,â he responded.
Xu Chaomuâs small hands remained on Shen Chiâs neck as she looked into his eyes. How is it possible for him to be so handsome, his eyes as profound as endless oceans?
âLook at how severely youâve hurt me. I might wake up from the pain during the night. What if no one is around to take care of me and I faint?â
Xu Chaomu blinked at him, the subtext probably being, just accept it and sleep with me tonight!
âThe doctor said itâs nothing serious,â Shen Chi replied indifferently.
âBut what if, I mean just ifâ¦â Xu Chaomu persisted.
âYou sleep like a log every night, rest assured, you wonât wake up,â Shen Chi assured her.
Sometimes at night, when Shen Chi couldnât sleep and walked out of his room, he would go and take a look at Xu Chaomu.
Xu Chaomu was very restless in her sleep, he saw her ten times, and seven or eight of those times, her blanket was on the floor, and even her pillow had ended up there as well.
Every time, he helplessly walked over to cover her with the blanket.
She slept deeply, and sometimes, he would sit at her bedside for a while.
âWhy are you scolding me againâ¦â Xu Chaomu became unhappy, she claimed it was because she was too tired from studying, how could she sleep like a pig.
Shen Chi slowly pried open Xu Chaomuâs fingers one by one, âSleep nicely, donât fuss.
Xu Chaomu wouldnât give up just like that, this was something she had almost traded her life for!
Taking advantage of Shen Chiâs rare tenderness, she became even more shameless, wrapping her small hand around his waist as he turned to leave.
âDonât leave, Fourth Brother, stay with me for the night, just one night. Look at my head, ow, it hurts, it hurtsâ¦â
Shen Chi turned around, his face showing helplessness.
âCall me if you need anything.â
âBut if I faint from the pain, how can I call you? Ouch, my head really hurtsâ¦â Xu Chaomu held his sleeve with one hand and covered her head with the other.
She looked just like Sun Wukong being tormented by Tang Sengâs tightening spell, but she lacked the skills, clearly pretending.
âGo to sleep!â Shen Chi, out of patience, pried her hand away and walked to the door, turning off the light to her room as he left.
The moment he left, Xu Chaomu, deflated, sat on the bed shedding tears. He either disliked her so much, or she was incredibly annoying.
Crying herself to sleep, Xu Chaomu drifted off.
After Shen Chi returned to his own room, he saw the reference book Xu Chaomu had left on the table.
He quietly flipped through the book. This Xu Chaomu, her reference books were basically pristine. At this rate, how was she going to get into university?
Shen Chi shook his head hopelessly and closed the book.
As he approached the bed, he noticed the blood on the coffee table had congealed. He wiped the bloodstain with a tissue, feeling a slight pause in his chest, as if blocked by a stone.
In the middle of the night, when all was quiet around the Shen Family villa, only the light in Shen Chiâs room remained on.
He lay on his bed with his arms crossed behind his head, eyes fixed on the crystal chandelier above.
After watching for two hours, unable to sleep, he slowly got up and stepped onto the balcony.
Pulling open the curtains, a chill breeze swept in, and he took a bottle of red wine from the rack. With the cork removed, the wine flowed down the glass wall, settling like gleaming rubies, exuding an enticing fruity aroma.
The spring breeze was intoxicating, the night hazy, the crescent moon hanging askew.
It wasnât until he had drunk most of the bottle that he finally left the balcony.
He pushed open Xu Chaomuâs room door, and the girl seemed to be having a nightmare.
âMom, come back, I miss you, I want to hug youâ¦â
Her little hands flailed in the air, catching nothing, and she cried, mournfully.
Shen Chi walked over, picked up the blanket from the ground, and gently covered her.
âMom, come back, Chaomu really misses you so muchâ¦â Tears streamed down her cheeks as she sobbed painfully.
Shen Chi grabbed her cold little hand and held her, âDonât be scared, Iâm here.âupda@te by new novel.o r g
Xu Chaomu clutched tightly to Shen Chi, thinking that her mother was no longer leaving. She called out âMomâ a few more times in a low voice before finally falling into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Shen Chi simply slept beside her; that night, Xu Chaomu was well-behaved, no longer having nightmares or kicking off the blanket.
He touched her forehead, his eyes filled with heartache.
When the first ray of dawn shone on the green curtains of Xu Chaomuâs room, Shen Chi gently laid her down from his arms, tucked her in again, and then quietly stepped out..