Late at night, the wind and waves by the sea crashed against the rocks on the shore, especially clear in the silent night. Just like the two people who couldn't fall asleep at this moment...
An Ruo tossed and turned in irritation, letting out a heavy sigh. After counting eight thousand six hundred and twenty-five sheep, she still couldn't sleep.
In the next room, the insomniac opened his eyes, staring blankly at the ceiling lit by the warm lamp. He let out an equally heavy sigh.
Tossing and turning, unable to sleep, he waited for An Ruo to sleepwalk over and climb onto him. Who knew why this girl had stopped sleepwalking?
Had she secretly gotten it treated?
Wasn't she supposed to be attached to him when it came to sleeping? He'd stripped down and gotten ready, left the door ajar without locking it—why hadn't she come over yet?
He waited another half hour in silent anticipation...
Shen Xiaoxing was completely sleepless. He threw off the covers, got out of bed, and went to the balcony to light a cigarette, easing the sorrow of the late night.
In the other room, the girl turned over again, closed her eyes, and silently hypnotized herself not to overthink, but she still couldn't sleep.
She finally gave up resisting, got up, threw on a cardigan, and went to sit on the balcony for a while.
Just as she opened the window, she noticed the light was on in the next room, and a tall dark figure was leaning against the balcony.
The two rooms were right next to each other; any slight movement on the balcony could be heard by the other.
At that moment, Shen Xiaoxing noticed her too. Their eyes met, and they froze for over ten seconds.
The man instinctively stubbed out his cigarette, pushed open the side glass window with one hand, and spoke with a hoarseness filtered by smoke: "Why aren't you asleep yet?"
An Ruo pursed her lips: "Thirsty, got up to get a drink of water."
Before the man could say anything else, she pulled the window shut and coldly returned to her room.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, she sighed again. Just as she lifted the covers to lie down again, the door was knocked on—a sound neither too heavy nor too light, as if the knocker was certain she could hear it.
An Ruo hesitated for a few seconds, then walked over and opened it.
The man handed her a glass of warm water at the right temperature. "Drink it."
An Ruo was stunned.
"Aren't you thirsty?" The man raised an eyebrow slightly. "There's no water in your room. I added white sugar to it—it's sweet."
She had a quirk: she didn't like drinking plain water with no taste.
Every time she got thirsty in the middle of the night, no matter how tired or sleepy Shen Xiaoxing was, he would get out of bed to pour her water, always remembering to add white sugar.
Back when she was pregnant, he could never sleep soundly, getting used to taking care of her in the middle of the night. Now that the space beside him was suddenly empty, his heart felt hollow too.
An Ruo's nose stung uncontrollably. She clenched her fists tightly, suppressing that bitterness, quickly took the glass, and gulped it down.
Because she drank too fast, she choked, her small face turning bright red.
The man's warm palm gently patted her back, his tone tenderly scolding: "Why drink so fast? No one's competing with you."
"..."
"Childish nature."
An Ruo hugged the glass and glared at him.
The man immediately smiled and changed his tune: "Alright, alright, our Mrs. Shen isn't a child; she's a mature and sensible adult."
"..."
She felt like this man was subtly mocking her?
"I'm not thirsty anymore. You can go."
"Kicking me out already?"
An Ruo frowned: "What else do you want?"
"Can I... hold you while I sleep?" The man took the glass from her hand, pouted slightly, and blinked his bright eyes—very tempting!
This man...
Was he acting spoiled with her!?
An Ruo swallowed, suddenly feeling her heart race—
What a sin, what a sin!
How had she turned into this greedy, beauty-obsessed wretch!?
"No, get out." She ruthlessly gave him the boot.
Shen Xiaoxing pinched the corner of her cardigan with two fingers and tugged lightly: "Really not?"
An Ruo slapped his hand away, closed her eyes to avoid looking at his expression, "No!"
"Fine." The man's voice returned to normal, and he cleared his throat twice. "Get some sleep early."
He gave her a reluctant glance, then turned and left the room.
The moment he turned, An Ruo instinctively wanted to call him back.
But thinking about how she had no bottom line, she fiercely suppressed that impulse.
...
The next day.
The glaring warm sun seeped through the curtain gaps into the bedroom. On the milky white bed, the girl habitually turned over, groggily fumbling for the person beside her.
Feeling the empty space, she realized she was sleeping separately from the man.
An Ruo opened her eyes, yawning as she went to wash up, having only fallen asleep in the early hours.
Lin Zaozao came in every half hour to check if she was awake. This time, she found her in the bathroom washing up, and An Ruo bumped into her when she came out.
"Good morning, Young Madam!"
"Morning." An Ruo's expression was indifferent, hard to tell her mood today.
"Did you stay up late last night, Young Madam?"
An Ruo yawned again: "Yeah."
"Then tonight, I'll make you some nourishing soup to help you sleep, okay?" Lin Zaozao's eyes curved beautifully when she smiled. "It can also beautify your skin."
An Ruo applied her skincare products, listening to her talk, and nodded lightly: "Okay."
Lin Zaozao couldn't quite gauge her personality, so she just said a few things to cheer her up and quietly left the room to report to Shen Xiaoxing.
In the dining room, An Ruo bit into her bread without tasting it. She was too tired to even have much appetite.
"Young Master..."
The servants, seeing the man approach, bowed in unison.
Hearing those two words, An Ruo snapped awake as if doused with enlightenment.
She looked up at the man. He had also stayed up late, with faint dark circles under his eyes...
An Ruo quickly lowered her head, nibbling on the bread.
"Don't go to school today if there's nothing urgent. Rest at home."
An Ruo was taken aback: "Why?"
"Do you want to show off those two dark circles and let them treat you like a panda?"
An Ruo choked, quickly downing a few gulps of fresh orange juice to catch her breath: "Got it."
She'd stayed up too late last night; by the time she got up, it was already noon. Even if she went to school, it would be too late.
After finishing her brunch, An Ruo went to the yard to soak up some sun. The May weather was fresh and warm, the sunlight lazily draping over her—so comfortable.
Lin Zaozao saw her squatting on the ground and walked over softly: "Young Madam, the sun's nice today, perfect for a nap. Should I bring out a rocking chair for you to lie on in the yard?"
"No need. I'll sunbathe a bit and then go back to my room to catch up on sleep."
"Alright."
Not long after she left, An Ruo stood up, stretched, and walked weakly up the carpeted stairs to the second floor.
Passing by the man's study, she suddenly stopped, her drowsy eyes snapping open.
The study door was ajar, and faint voices of conversation drifted out.
"Young Master, the Second Master flew into a rage when he learned the Young Madam kidnapped the Second Madam. They say... he almost went to complain to the Old Master."
"And then?"
"He didn't have the guts. Everything went as you predicted, Young Master."
"Has Fang Yingxue been sent back?"
"She's been sent back. She should be at Ming Garden by now."
An Ruo stood frozen, unable to snap out of it for a long time.
Shen Xiaoxing had secretly sent Fang Yingxue back to the Shen family!?
Why?
Why did he keep helping the Second Branch? Wasn't he supposed to hate them?
An Ruo's stomach ached with anger. Rage burned inside her, and on impulse, she shoved the door open. The loud noise startled both people inside, who looked over at once.
The man was stunned, not expecting her to suddenly appear there. He furrowed his brows slightly: "Ruoruo?"
"Young Madam..."
An Ruo stormed in, glaring at him: "You sent Fang Yingxue away?"