The dishes and utensils were gone from the table; he must have called a waiter to clear them away.
"Do you need me to help you bathe?"
"No." He placed the book back in its original spot, a faint smile curling on his lips as his dark eyes glimmered. "Just find me my pajamas, Mrs. Shen."
Hearing him call her Mrs. Shen, the knot of anxiety in her chest finally loosened.
An Ruo rummaged through the closet for his pajamas, then went to the bathroom to run the bathwater, placing everything he might need within easy reach by the tub, just in case he had trouble.
She stepped out to remind him, "It's ready."
The man maneuvered his wheelchair straight into the bathroom, the door closing behind him.
While he bathed, An Ruo took the chance to pull out some ointment from her bag, applied it to her wound, and carefully covered it with gauze.
Luckily, she was wearing a two-piece pajama set, so the injury on her leg wouldn't be noticed.
She had just pulled her pant leg down when her phone on the table suddenly rang. Picking it up, she saw it was a message from Yun Li.
[Remember to change the dressing on your wound and don't let it get wet, okay?]
He ended it with a smiley face emoji.
An Ruo pursed her lips with a soft smile, tapped into the chat, and replied.
[Sorry, I promised to be your tour guide tomorrow and show you around New Zealand, but I just got word that my grandfather wants me to accompany him on a business meeting tomorrow. I can't say no, so... I have to break my promise.]
Even through the screen, she could sense his embarrassment.
[But don't worry, the meeting won't last long. If you have time afterward, I'm free to catch up!]
An Ruo typed back, [Thanks, but if you're busy, I won't trouble you.]
As if he knew she'd say that, he replied urgently: [No trouble at all! Wait for me, I'll definitely reach out once I'm done.]
"..."
An Ruo hesitated on how to respond when the bathroom door swung open from inside.
Seeing the man in his pajamas after his bath, she quickly replied to Yun Li, closed her phone, and stood up.
"All done?"
The man gave a slight nod. "Mm."
"I'll clean up." He had specifically asked her to tidy up when he went in, telling her to come out quickly after his bath.
As she moved to step inside, passing by him, her wrist was caught.
"Mrs. Shen, if you do all this yourself, what are the waiters getting paid for?" He smirked, a roguish grin on his face. "We're here to enjoy, not to toil."
She sat down on his lap, staring at his handsome, mischievous smile, momentarily dazed.
"Who were you just chatting with?"
He had clearly seen her hurriedly replying to someone when he came out, then guiltily shutting off her phone.
An Ruo bit her lip. If she told him about Yun Li, wouldn't that expose her injury? After a moment's thought, she said lightly, "A friend."
"From back home?"
"...Mm."
The man's deep eyes studied her for a long moment before he chuckled and ruffled her hair. "Missing them already after just one day here?"
"Not really..." An Ruo pressed her lips together. "They just happened to need me for something."
"What about?"
Was this man determined to pry so deeply?
Shen Xiaoxing's eyes darkened, a strange glint flickering in his pupils. He smirked, his brow softening with tenderness. "Done talking to them?"
"Mm..."
"Then..." His gaze swept over her, carrying a seductive chill. "How about we talk?"
An Ruo blinked in surprise. "About what?"
The man said nothing, just smiled as he wheeled himself to the bedside, lifted her with strong arms, and placed her on the bed. Before she could react, his powerful body pressed close...
She froze, and as she turned her head, he seized her lips in a harsh, punishing kiss.
An Ruo was bewildered, unsure what had gotten into him today. Why kiss her without warning, and so... roughly?
In the midst of her confusion, she quickly came to her senses and shoved her hand against his, stopping it from slipping under her clothes. Breathless, she said, "Don't... I'm really tired today."
His hot breath grazed her neck, his voice hoarse and heavy with desire. "You don't need to do any work, Mrs. Shen."
He insisted, and An Ruo, afraid of exposing her leg injury, reluctantly pushed him away, her face flushed with shy crimson.
She turned her head, avoiding his eyes that seemed faintly hurt, and bit her lip. "I really don't feel well..."
His gaze suddenly darkened. He stared at her for a long while, then grabbed her shoulders and laid her down, his stern face looming over her.
"Where does it hurt?"
"..." An Ruo blinked her clear, light eyes, biting her lip, unsure what excuse to make.
After a moment's thought, she whispered a lie. "I... got my period."
The man's dark eyes bore into her, silent and unmoving, not letting her go.
An Ruo stole a cautious glance at him. Seeing him unresponsive, just staring at her with deep, unreadable eyes, she was baffled.
Just as she was at a loss, he suddenly asked, "Does it hurt?"
"Huh?"
"Your stomach." His voice was low. "Does it hurt?"
He remembered her last few times on her period, curled up in bed from the pain.
Her constitution was cold-natured. Every doctor who had examined her concluded she had a chronic condition that needed slow, careful treatment.
The file Han Chong had gathered on her showed that before Grandma An adopted her, she wandered the streets, starving and freezing in the dead of winter—likely when the damage was done.
After that, he had specifically looked into it and had He Su ask a colleague to prescribe Chinese medicine to regulate her system.
An Ruo snapped back to reality, pursed her lips, and said softly, "A little..."
The kitchen had been brewing her herbal medicine on schedule to regulate her body. The cook told her it was for period pain, and she knew it was his doing, which touched her deeply.
But last time it still hurt; there was no way it was completely fixed now—that would be too fake. So she had to lie.
Shen Xiaoxing took a deep breath, the desire in his eyes gradually fading. He lay down, extending his arm to signal her to rest her head on it.
An Ruo, seeing he wouldn't touch her anymore, obediently lay beside him. A large hand reached over, startling her into stiffness, but he only gently rubbed her stomach.
Strangely enough.
His lips were cold, like the man himself—aloof and indifferent. No wonder people said thin-lipped people are the most heartless.
But his palm was warm. Every time he rubbed her stomach during her period, it felt soothing and comfortable, saving her from needing a heating pad.
An Ruo grew drowsy. With him rubbing her belly so comfortably, she drifted off without realizing it.
In the darkness, the man's eyes were sharp and bright, like glittering gems in the shadows, a lingering mist in his gaze.
Listening to the girl's steady breathing in his arms, he moved his hand downward but didn't feel the sanitary pad she should have been wearing.
His dark eyes deepened, and he let out a heavy sigh.
Her unusual behavior today—it really must be tied to that foreign man.
He admitted he wasn't magnanimous, but that only applied to hatred. He was petty only with his enemies. Yet he never imagined that with this little girl, just seeing her talk and smile with someone else would make him damn jealous!
If he weren't afraid of hurting her, he would have called out her lie right then.
She pretended to have her period just to keep him away. Didn't she know he kept close track of her cycle?
The moment she lied, he already knew the truth.