An Qing pouted. "I saw Shen Xiaoxing today. He's nothing like the terrible picture you painted. He's... very handsome."
"So you want to marry him just because of that?"
"He was always mine!" Thinking about An Ruo spending every day with Shen Xiaoxing, An Qing felt a fire burning inside her, unable to swallow the bitterness. "Mom, you didn't see An Ruo flaunting her power over me, relying on Shen Xiaoxing's favor. The position of the Shen family's eldest daughter-in-law should have been mine—she got it for nothing!"
Mrs. An sighed in frustration, poking her forehead with a mix of disappointment. "So what if Shen Xiaoxing is handsome? He's still an unloved junior in the Shen family. Once the second branch secures the inheritance, there won't be a place for him."
"..."
"Besides, he's crippled and blind. Marrying him would only bring you hardship."
"But I still can't accept it!"
She couldn't accept that An Ruo had stumbled into such a huge bargain, couldn't accept that such a good man had slipped through her fingers.
Mrs. An took her hand and comforted her, "Don't dwell on it. Once this storm passes, I'll find you the best young master in Shanghai."
Despite the words, An Qing grew angrier the more she thought about it.
-
That evening.
After helping Shen Xiaoxing wash up, An Ruo finally went to the bathroom to clean herself.
Sinking into the swan-shaped bathtub, every part of her body screamed with relief.
As she replayed the events of the past few days, drowsiness crept in, and she fell asleep leaning against the edge of the tub.
Shen Xiaoxing waited outside but couldn't hear her. He wanted to get up and light a cigarette but feared the girl might suddenly open the door and catch him.
Tossing and turning in bed, an hour passed, and she still hadn't come out!
He forced himself to get up, maneuvering his wheelchair to the bathroom door. "An Ruo?"
He knocked a few times but got no response.
Was this silly girl asleep in the tub?
Thinking this, he unconsciously knocked harder, the door rattling loudly. The girl in the tub turned over, slipped into the water, and accidentally swallowed a mouthful of bathwater.
An Ruo jolted awake, wiping the water from her face. Hearing the man knocking outside, she responded while scrambling out of the tub.
Only then did she realize she'd rushed in without grabbing her pajamas!
"Are you done yet?" Shen Xiaoxing stared at the blurry figure reflected in the frosted glass. "I need to use the bathroom."
"W-wait a moment!"
Thinking quickly, An Ruo grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself. Since the man couldn't see, she figured she could just change into her pajamas once she was out.
The man waited outside for a while, then suddenly noticed the pink pajamas on the sofa and immediately understood why the girl had been taking so long.
The bathroom door opened, and An Ruo came out timidly, wrapped in the towel.
"You... go ahead."
Shen Xiaoxing's eyelashes fluttered, and he subtly swallowed. "Mrs. Shen, you're really not doing your job as a wife."
Realizing what he meant—that she was being inconsiderate—An Ruo said, "Just wait for me a moment..."
The man raised an eyebrow. "I'm in a hurry."
"..."
An Ruo had no choice but to abandon changing her clothes and push him into the bathroom.
In front of the toilet, the biggest problem was that the man couldn't move easily, so she still had to help him...
Seeing her embarrassed expression, Shen Xiaoxing couldn't resist the urge to tease her.
"Not helping, Mrs. Shen?"
He emphasized "Mrs. Shen" slightly, as if reminding her of something.
An Ruo didn't have time to dwell on it. Suppressing her shyness, she helped him stand up. "You can... pull down your pants yourself, right?"
"You need to remember that your husband is a useless cripple who can't take care of himself."
His tone was sarcastic.
An Ruo couldn't just leave him there. Taking a deep breath, she suddenly yanked down his pajama pants, which only made the man chuckle.
"Mrs. Shen, pulling so hard—are you sure you're not trying to take advantage of me?"
Take advantage, my foot!
An Ruo couldn't be bothered to respond. "Just hurry up. The toilet's right in front of you... pee however you want. I'll clean up later."
Knowing she was shy and conservative at heart, Shen Xiaoxing decided to stop teasing her.
The bathroom fell silent. An Ruo held him up, turning her head far away and closing her eyes. "Are you done?"
The man grunted in affirmation. An Ruo bent down to pull up his pants, but suddenly her towel came loose, and a chill swept over her body.
Shen Xiaoxing's dark eyes caught sight of her delicate figure. The girl screamed, quickly crossing her arms and turning around—
Shen Xiaoxing froze for a moment, then snapped back to reality, already seated in his wheelchair. But his eyes lingered on her back, his gaze deep and unable to look away.
Her skin was snow-white and smooth as a baby's. Many times when she'd leaned against him, he'd accidentally touched her and couldn't bear to let go.
Her damp hair, glistening with water, fell over her shoulders in a futile attempt to cover herself. The elegant lines of her delicate shoulder blades were exquisite, and her impossibly slender waist sparked endless fantasies...
Shen Xiaoxing's eyes darkened. He unconsciously raised a hand to touch his nose, then looked up again to see a blooming tattoo on her right shoulder blade, with green vines spreading out, alluring and sensual.
He didn't remember the girl having a tattoo.
An Ruo frantically grabbed the towel and wrapped herself up, not daring to look back or at the man. Even knowing he was blind, she still shyly ran to find her pajamas, put them on, and then returned to push him out.