An Ruo leaned gently against the man, trying to recall the scenes from her dream and the clear, elegant young man she had seen. Her head suddenly throbbed with pain.
"What's wrong?" Shen Xiaoxing noticed something amiss with the little woman in his arms. His palm gripped her shoulder as he watched her clutch her head in agony.
"My head hurts so much..." An Ruo felt like her skull was about to split open. Every time she tried to focus on the young man's face, she was hit with excruciating pain!
"Someone! Han Chong!" Seeing her writhing in pain, the man frantically pressed the call button by the bedside, gently massaging her temples with measured pressure, trying to ease her suffering.
"Han Chong!"
The servant who heard the call rushed up immediately: "Young Master..."
"Call the doctor, now!"
The servant dared not delay and turned to fetch the private physician.
By the time the doctor arrived, An Ruo was drifting in and out of consciousness in the man's arms, vaguely catching snippets of conversation.
"How is she?"
"The young mistress is fine. The headache is likely due to accumulated fatigue from overwork lately." The female doctor took several boxes of medicine from her kit: "Her constitution tends to be cold, which could affect fetal development. These are some pregnancy-stabilizing medications that will help the young mistress deliver a healthy young master."
She couldn't make out the rest of the conversation. Her eyelids felt heavy and droopy, and before she knew it, she had fallen asleep in the man's arms.
This time, she didn't dream. When she woke up, it was already past eight in the evening. The room was pitch black, lit only by a few wall sconces.
An Ruo furrowed her brows slightly, her head still foggy and aching.
As she stirred, the arm resting on her waist instantly tightened. The man's deep, mellow voice sounded above her head: "Awake?"
She paused for a moment, slowly turning her face to make out his cold, proud features in the dim light.
The man reached out and rubbed her head, speaking in an extremely gentle tone: "Hungry?"
An Ruo had no appetite, but her stomach felt tight with hunger—probably the little one inside demanding food. She didn't dare skip a meal.
Shen Xiaoxing pressed the call button to have dinner brought up, then braced himself with both arms to sit back in his wheelchair. Seeing the girl about to get out of bed, he frowned: "Stay in bed. I'll feed you."
Having had such a bizarre dream, she felt weak all over, her head heavy and throbbing. She decided to go along with the man's wishes.
Lately, everything she ate and drank was geared toward pregnancy care—very nutritious. No wonder Song Weiwei had said at first glance that she'd gained weight!
Her appetite was poor today, so she only ate half her usual amount.
When the man saw her lean back, signaling she was full, he coaxed softly: "Come on, a little more."
An Ruo shook her head. "I can't eat anymore."
She hadn't had much appetite to begin with. If not for the little one stirring inside her, she wouldn't have planned to eat tonight at all.
Seeing the girl's firm stance, Shen Xiaoxing put down the bowl and respected her wishes.
After the meal, he took out the pregnancy-stabilizing medicine the doctor had just prescribed, poured the proper dosage into the bottle cap as per the instructions, and handed her a glass of warm water.
"Take your medicine."
Without any hesitation, An Ruo took the medicine and popped it into her mouth, then gulped down several mouthfuls of water from the glass.
Seeing her so defenseless, the man let out a soft laugh: "You'll take anything I give you? Not even asking what it is?"
"It's not poison, is it?"
The man raised an eyebrow and asked coldly: "How do you know it's not poison?"
His question caught An Ruo off guard. She slowly turned her gaze toward him, her clear, transparent eyes rippling with complex emotions.
She suddenly remembered being coerced by Shen Tingfeng, and how she had poisoned the man's tea to ensure An Che's safety.
Though she had turned back from that path in time, stopping herself from committing such a sin and regaining her sanity by tricking Shen Tingfeng into thinking she had already poisoned him.
"Silly girl, I'm just teasing you." The man's dark eyes were deep. "I cherish you too much to ever hurt you."
Even though he had once misunderstood her, suspected she was a spy sent by the second branch, and nearly had her killed. But luckily, back then, he had shown a shred of mercy when he saw her being bullied, and his heart softened.
Hearing this, An Ruo didn't show the expected joy. Her expression remained calm and unchanged: "If I had poisoned you..."
"I would drink it without a second thought."
An Ruo froze, looking up at him in bewilderment: "Why?"
"Because I love you."
"..."
"I love you so much that I'd give my life for it." His voice deepened. "Just like how you ran back to take that knife for me, even knowing the danger."
An Ruo's gaze traced his handsome features intently. Her nose suddenly stung with emotion, and a heavy sense of guilt weighed on her heart. She didn't dare tell him about the poisoning.
After a moment of silence, she suddenly lifted her face: "Shen Xiaoxing, I love you too."
The man's body trembled violently.
"I'm not afraid of danger. If there's a next time, I'd make the same choice, because you're my hero, and I want to protect my hero too."
A flicker of shock passed through Shen Xiaoxing's dark eyes. He couldn't believe these words came from the usually quiet, reserved girl. Normally, even a kiss on the cheek would make her blush. Though she never denied loving him, she always expressed it very subtly.
She called him her hero?
The man gazed at her deeply, his large hand stroking her hair: "I'm a rough man, not good with pretty words. But I can promise you this: as long as I'm here, no one can lay a finger on you. I'll protect you with my life."
He had sent people to save her from life-and-death situations several times, so she believed he had the ability.
...
After dinner, An Ruo wanted to take a shower. She had changed clothes at the set, and she had a bit of a cleanliness obsession.
The man decisively picked her up, sat her on his lap in the wheelchair, and rolled into the bathroom. Realizing what he intended to do, An Ruo quickly stopped him.
"I can wash myself."
A thin smile curled on his lips: "Mrs. Shen is now a great contributor. How could we let you do it yourself?"
Great contributor? Just because she was pregnant, she became a great contributor?
But lately, Shen Xiaoxing had been watching over her closely. Since not many people knew about the pregnancy—even An Che was kept in the dark—he was afraid the servants wouldn't take good care of her, so he handled everything he could himself.
Seeing the doubt in her eyes, Shen Xiaoxing's lips twitched slightly: "Don't worry. I'm just a bit unsteady on my feet, not a complete invalid."
That shut An Ruo up instantly.
"Could it be that Mrs. Shen is disgusted with me?"
"That's not what I meant..."
This man had a dark side, always speaking with a sarcastic edge.
The water temperature was just right. An Ruo wanted him to leave; she didn't need his help washing. But the man stubbornly refused to go, staring intently at her as she undressed...
Every time she tried to shoo him away, he'd smirk like an old pervert and say, "You're the mother of my child now, and you're still shy?"
After being teased so often, An Ruo had lost the shyness of a naive girl. She stripped off her undergarments right in front of him.
Her bare feet stepped into the bathtub, where the water surface was covered with a layer of red rose petals, rippling in layers...
Her long hair was loose, some strands falling into the water and clinging to her elegant shoulder blades, like a water goddess from Greek mythology.
Enchanting, sacred, untouchable!
The sound of a zipper being pulled. An Ruo turned around and saw the man quickly shedding his clothes, bracing himself against the edge of the tub without any hesitation. His muscular body pressed close, and the water level rose.
"You, how did you get in?"
Wasn't he supposed to be helping her bathe? How could he do this?
He smirked wickedly: "How else can I make sure Mrs. Shen gets a thorough wash?"
The tub was big enough. Not just the two of them—even two more people could fit.