The warm winter sun seeped through the gap in the curtains, a thin layer of snow blanketing the sky-blue roof, and the frozen sea shimmered even more beautifully under the sunlight...
Shen Xiaoxing couldn't sleep all night. Just as dawn broke, he finally closed his eyes for a bit, but his sensitive ears caught footsteps at the door.
Quick-witted and sharp, he immediately suspected someone was eavesdropping.
An Ruo pursed her lips. She had slept soundly all night, expecting the sofa to be uncomfortable, but it turned out to be much cozier than the hard bed at the An family home—she didn't want to get up.
But why did the bed feel so strange?
An Ruo blinked open her eyes and realized she was somehow lying on top of Shen Xiaoxing. Lifting her head, she met the man's face, barely suppressing his anger.
Oh no, I'm dead!
An Ruo scrambled up. How did she end up sleepwalking onto him again?
"S-sorry, Master Shen, I..."
Before she could finish, the man sat up with a dark, furious expression, yanking the blanket and tossing it right over An Ruo's head. She pulled it off, her view blocked.
Seeing him about to get out of bed, An Ruo kindly reached out to help: "Be careful."
Just as she helped him sit up, she noticed a small wet patch on his chest—it looked like her drool...
"Uh, well, Master Shen, you seem to be sweating. Let me wipe it off for you..."
She quickly grabbed a tissue to dab at the drool stain on his chest, but the mark had already set, and no amount of wiping could fix it.
Shen Xiaoxing watched her handiwork firsthand and shoved her away in disgust: "Stay away from me!"
Early in the morning, An Ruo was stunned by his towering rage.
Knowing he was angry, she immediately apologized and coaxed: "I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to—"
"Get out!"
She had made him angry again.
An Ruo knew she was in the wrong, so she obediently climbed off the bed, pouting as she headed to the bathroom to wash up.
When she came out, she saw the man sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window, staring at the frozen sea in the distance.
What a lonely and aloof man!
"Master Shen, do you want me to help you with your morning routine?"
Since she had agreed to marry into the Shen family, she should take on the responsibility of caring for him.
The man turned his wheelchair around. An Ruo was about to push him when he suddenly grabbed a teacup from the side table and hurled it at her—
"Bang!" The glass cup shattered on the floor.
An Ruo stared at the shards, breaking out in a cold sweat.
If that cup had been just a bit off, it would have hit her right in the head!
"What are you doing?!"
The man growled at her: "I said get the hell out! Didn't you hear me?"
An Ruo couldn't believe it.
So what if she had bad sleeping habits, ended up on top of him, and drooled a little? A few scolding words to vent his anger would be fine, but was this really necessary?
An Ruo curled her lip. "You're so petty, you're not even a man!"
She had her limits too!
"What did you say?" Shen Xiaoxing's thick brows furrowed. Who gave her the nerve to talk to him like that? Wasn't she afraid he'd shoot her dead?
"I said you're narrow-minded..."
No wonder so many women in Shen City didn't want to marry him.
"An Qing!"
The man's voice was furious. An Ruo dug at her ear, shot him a glare, and walked toward the door with a defiant air.
She yanked the door open, and a servant who had been eavesdropping nearly stumbled in.
"Mi-mistress..."
An Ruo was startled: "What is it?"
"Breakfast is ready. Please, Master and Mistress, come to the dining room."
An Ruo glanced back at the man in the room. He was still fuming, and even if she knelt to beg him, she wouldn't get a shred of kindness.
-
By the time Butler Chen wheeled the man into the dining room, An Ruo had almost finished eating. They didn't exchange a single word until they got into the car.
Winter in Shen City was bitterly cold, and with the snow over the past two days, everything in sight was a blanket of white.
An Ruo bundled up in her down jacket and dove into the car. A servant, worried she might be cold, handed her a pink hand warmer.
The car's heater was set just right, but she still couldn't help sneezing. She hugged the hand warmer and rubbed it against her frozen little face.
The long silence weighed on An Ruo, making her feel a bit stifled. Remembering their morning argument, she hesitated before deciding to speak first: "Master Shen, are you cold?"
Shen Xiaoxing turned his face and saw her nose red from the cold, her pointed chin resting on the pink bunny hand warmer. Suddenly, she looked both sweet and adorable.
Sure enough, she was most endearing when she wasn't talking back.
"No."
An Ruo "oh-ed" and secretly studied him while hugging the hand warmer.
She had to admit, his face was practically unparalleled in Shen City.
An Ruo rested her chin on the hand warmer, her gaze slowly drifting to his sexy Adam's apple. Just as he swallowed, she felt her cheeks flush and her heart race.
Thinking back to the day they accidentally kissed, she unconsciously touched her lips.
Shen Xiaoxing knew she was staring at him. From the corner of his eye, he caught her blushing and touching her mouth, and the memory of her soft lips pressing against his flooded back...
The car's heater suddenly felt scorching.
An Ruo recalled that morning when she climbed off him and couldn't help thinking: This man's lips are really soft!
-
The Shen family's old mansion.
With its antique design, An Ruo felt like she had stepped into another era as soon as she entered, as if walking through a mansion from the Republic of China period.
The Shen family had a century of history, their ancestors being a prominent household during the Republic era. It was said that despite the mansion's age, auctioning it off could fetch the price of an entire city.
Han Chong helped Shen Xiaoxing out of the car and into the wheelchair. An Ruo came over to take his place, pushing the man as the butler led them into the elegant hall.
But halfway there, the butler suddenly had to leave, casually pointing her in a direction. An Ruo had no choice but to keep pushing the man forward.