Sensing the girl's reluctance, Shen Xiaoxing didn't press further. After all, this kind of thing required mutual willingness—only when both parties opened their hearts could it happen naturally. On the first night, he had taken her under a different identity, causing her to lose her virginity inexplicably. That must have left a shadow in her heart. Since he had signed the agreement to be her long-term husband, there was no need to rush. He would wait for her to slowly accept him and willingly entrust herself to him. "I'll wait until you're ready." Shen Xiaoxing kissed the top of her soft hair. Her freshly dried hair was fluffy and fragrant, bringing him comfort. His voice was slightly hoarse: "I'll hold you while you sleep." An Ruo was stunned for a moment, then slowly unclenched her tightly balled fists. Although he had been irritable, unpredictable, and coldly aloof when they first met, he had mellowed a lot as they spent more time together. More importantly, he never forced her into anything. Perhaps the barrier was within herself. When she would finally accept him, she couldn't say.
...
At a private villa on the outskirts of the city. A man in a white coat was beaten until his face was covered in blood. Thick liquid slid slowly down his temple, dripping onto the intricately patterned carpet. Shen Tingfeng took a sip of wine and raised his hand to signal the men to lift him up. Two bodyguards hoisted the man up on either side. His face was pale, blood staining his pure white coat, his delicate features made even more alluring by the vivid red. Shen Tingfeng used a whip to lift his chin, raising an eyebrow coldly. "Still won't admit you betrayed me?" He Su suddenly curled his blood-red lips into a sneer. "I told you, I don't know how Shen Xiaoxing's eyes recovered... If you're really curious, go ask him!" Damn it, this bastard Shen Tingfeng—the little brat had learned nothing good. The moment Shen Xiaoxing regained his sight, he had been kidnapped, whipped, and tortured, as if the guy had some kind of twisted hobby! Tch, that teammate-ditching Shen Xiaoxing. In his rush to recover his eyes, he had left He Su here to take a beating. Meanwhile, Shen Xiaoxing was off embracing a beauty—this was the price He Su paid with his own blood! Shen Tingfeng's dark eyes deepened. He had beaten him and vented his anger, but this guy kept insisting the man's eyes had nothing to do with him. That made him start to doubt the credibility. "Really nothing to do with you?" The man coughed violently, lifting his blood-streaked face to glare at him. "I said I don't know, so I don't know. Can't you understand, you son of a—" The bodyguards twisted his arm sharply, and He Su groaned in pain. This guy had a death wish, daring to curse their second young master so arrogantly! "Let him go." Shen Tingfeng couldn't be bothered to argue further. He Su was reckless and arrogant toward everyone—he was used to it and didn't take it to heart. With one hand open, a servant handed him a white handkerchief. He crouched down to wipe the blood and grime off the man's face, grinning lightly. "Don't blame me for being harsh. Shen Xiaoxing is too hard to handle. We poisoned him for so long, and he still managed to recover his sight. I really think something's off." "..." "If you had been more efficient, would I have had to treat you like this, hmm?" He Su lifted his cold gaze, holding back a mouthful of spit he wanted to hurl at that punchable face. How did the Shen family produce such a piece of trash! "Remember today's lesson. Go home and recover well, and be ready to act on my orders." Shen Tingfeng wiped his hands slowly. "Don't make me doubt you again. I'm tired too." He Su: "..." He tossed the wet tissue aside and instructed the bodyguards, "Take Dr. He home to recover. No need to call a doctor—he can handle it himself." That motherless ingrate! He Su wished he could curse him a hundred times over in his mind.
...
When An Ruo went to school that day, she noticed something very strange. Passing classmates stared at her with odd expressions, then whispered among themselves after she walked by, occasionally glancing over... Her intuition told her something was up. But it was common for students to post her photos on the school forum, comparing her to some department beauty, rallying votes to decide who was the campus belle. The one with the most votes was crowned the school beauty. An Ruo never paid attention to these things. Assuming they were just judging appearances again, she ignored it and returned to the classroom. No sooner had she sat down than Chen Keqiao rushed over in a flurry, plopping down beside her, panting and wide-eyed. She smiled lightly. "What happened? Why are you in such a hurry?" Chen Keqiao took a few deep breaths, trying to steady her breathing. Once she caught her breath, she pulled up the forum on her phone and showed it to her. "Yesterday, an anonymous account secretly posted about you being kept by a rich man. Pfft—no, I mean, slandered you. Look, there are pictures and everything. It's clearly trying to ruin your reputation!" Chen Keqiao opened the images. They were a few shots of Shen Xiaoxing's driver picking her up. The car was a luxury vehicle. Someone with ill intentions had taken the photos and made up a story, slapping on a headline that twisted everything. And now, the glaring headline read: "A University's Campus Belle Kept by a Famous Rich Man, Suspected of Being a Third Party in His Marriage, Chauffeur-Driven Luxury Car Picks Her Up Every Day!" "The whole school is buzzing now. They're saying that the reason you haven't been around lately is because you've been tangled up with the rich man... What do we do?" An Ruo frowned slightly, opening the forum on her phone. Sure enough, the hottest post on the campus board was this one.