“Put some clothes on.”
Instead of getting upset by his reaction, Sheng He burst into laughter.
“What are you so shy about? It’s not like you didn’t see everything last night.”
“Sheng He, do you have no sense of shame?”
Without turning around, He Xiao’s voice grew noticeably colder.
“What’s shame worth? Will it make you fall in love with me? If it will, then I’d be happy to learn.”
“Besides, I am planning to get dressed. That’s why I called you over.”
She smiled, then continued before he could interrupt.
“And don’t say you don’t want to. My dad pays you, remember? Besides, my whole body aches right now, and that’s all because of you. You should take responsibility.”
He Xiao had already decided to let last night’s events go. He wasn’t going to hold them against her.
Yet now she was taking advantage of that and ordering him around.
He couldn’t help wondering if he’d lost his mind.
He’d had every intention of ignoring her call…
Yet somehow, his feet had carried him here anyway.
He had been ready to turn around and leave.
But the moment she mentioned taking responsibility, memories of the previous night—and the bloodstained bedsheets he’d seen afterward—flashed through his mind.
In the end, he let out a weary sigh and turned back.
“What do you want to wear?”
His gaze remained fixed on her face, forcing himself not to look anywhere else.
Watching him maintain a blank expression while obviously pretending to stay composed amused Sheng He to no end.
They’d already done the most intimate thing two people could do.
Why was he suddenly acting so proper now?
“No hurry.”
“I want to take a bath first. After that, I’ll get dressed.”
“You can carry me to the bathroom.”
She held out both arms expectantly, waiting for him to pick her up.
His face darkened instantly.
“You can walk yourself.”
Carry her to the bathroom?
She wasn’t wearing a single stitch of clothing.
How was that appropriate?
He’d already decided not to argue over what happened last night.
After all, she hadn’t exactly come away with the better end of the bargain either.
She was still young.
Immature.
He could overlook it.
But what was this supposed to be?
He was only her bodyguard.
“I’d love to walk myself,” Sheng He said pitifully. “But my back aches, my waist is sore, and my legs are so weak I can barely move.”
“Every little movement hurts.”
“It feels like I’ve been run over by a truck.”
“I can’t even walk.”
She looked up at him with watery eyes full of grievance.
“I’m like this because of you.”
“So of course you have to take care of me.”
“Unless you’d rather I ask someone else.”
She tilted her head innocently.
“As long as you don’t mind everyone finding out about what happened between us, I don’t mind either.”
“You know how I am.”
“My mouth sometimes works faster than my brain.”
“I never know what might slip out…”
She chattered on without stopping.
The longer He Xiao listened, the more his head throbbed.
“Enough!”
At last, he snapped.
Sheng He knew exactly when to stop pushing.
She obediently fell silent.
He Xiao rubbed his temples before storming over to the bed.
Standing over her, he looked down.
The night before, when she’d been sitting on top of him, she’d seemed untouchable—completely in control.
Now, looking down at her, he realized how small she actually was.
She looked delicate.
Fragile.
Nothing like the domineering woman who had completely overwhelmed him the previous night.
Don’t let her fool you, he warned himself.
Have you already forgotten how awful she was last night?
Taking a steadying breath, he deliberately avoided looking at her body.
With one swift motion, he wrapped the blanket tightly around her, bundled her up, and lifted her into his arms.
Then he carried her to the bathroom.
Once inside, he kept his eyes shut as he gently lowered her into the bathtub before turning on the water.
As soon as he finished, he turned to leave.
He had barely taken a step when someone grabbed his hand.
Without looking back, he said in a low voice,
“I already did what you asked. I brought you here.”
In other words…
His job was done.
“But my arms don’t have any strength.”
“How am I supposed to wash myself?”
“Since you’ve already come this far, why not help me finish the job?”
A vein throbbed at He Xiao’s temple.
“No.”
His answer came without the slightest hesitation.
How could he possibly bathe her?
Suppressing the frustration building inside him, he finally said,
“I’ll call the housekeeper.”
Sheng He’s father was rarely home.
His business empire kept him traveling all over the world, and under his leadership, the Sheng family had become one of the wealthiest households in Kyoto.
Because of that, father and daughter saw each other only once or twice a year.
Her mother had never been able to accept a husband who was always away.
When Sheng He was still a child, her parents divorced.
Not long afterward, her mother remarried and moved overseas, where she had another family. Her second child was already in middle school.
She rarely contacted Sheng He anymore.
As far as Sheng He was concerned, she no longer had a mother.
Although her father couldn’t stay by her side, he loved her in his own way.
Money had never been an issue.
Whatever she wanted, she got.
When she started university, he bought her a luxury apartment near campus so she wouldn’t have to commute.
He also hired a housekeeper and a chauffeur to look after her.
Later, after he had once helped He Xiao’s father out of a difficult situation, he learned how skilled He Xiao was in combat.
He personally asked He Xiao’s father to let him serve as Sheng He’s bodyguard until she graduated from college.
The housekeeper and chauffeur both doted on her as well.
Growing up spoiled by everyone around her was exactly why the original Sheng He had become so willful and arrogant.
After inheriting the original host’s memories, even Sheng He had to admit…
The original owner had lived a happy life.
Unlike herself.
She had never known who her parents were.
She’d grown up reading other people’s moods just to survive.
As an adult, she’d relied on navigating relationships with men to carve out a better life for herself.
Just when she’d finally reached a point where she could relax…
One of her obsessive admirers had murdered her.
And now she’d woken up here.
Still…
Since she was already here, she might as well make the best of it.
Besides, an apocalypse sounded pretty entertaining.
She’d treat it like leveling up in a game.
Back to the present—
He Xiao was preparing to call the housekeeper upstairs.
“If you bring Auntie here, how are we supposed to keep our secret?”
She smiled knowingly.
“You don’t want my dad finding out about us, do you?”
The apocalypse would arrive tomorrow, making all of this meaningless.
But that didn’t stop Sheng He from using it as leverage.
Her father had once helped He Xiao’s father.
He Xiao was deeply filial—otherwise he never would have agreed to protect her in the first place.
No matter how much he’d disliked the original Sheng He, he’d always fulfilled his duties without complaint.
She was confident he wouldn’t want his father to learn what had happened.
Sure enough…
He Xiao’s expression darkened.
He shook her hand off but didn’t leave.
Sheng He wasn’t in the least bit anxious.
She simply watched his back with amused curiosity.
After a long moment, he slowly turned around.
His eyes remained tightly shut.
“Seeing you like this…”
“…reminds me of last night.”
Her voice carried a teasing note of nostalgia.
“Enough!”
“If you say one more word, I’m leaving.”
Knowing when to stop, Sheng He obediently fell silent.
By then, the bathtub had filled with water.
She curled up comfortably inside.
The tub was spacious enough that there was still room for another person.
Keeping his eyes firmly shut, He Xiao soaked a towel and carefully began wiping her clean.
Although he wore an expression of complete displeasure, the bright red tips of his ears betrayed just how flustered and embarrassed he really was.
Sheng He behaved herself this time, allowing him to help while quietly admiring him.
She had to admit…
As one of the novel’s male leads, He Xiao really was exceptionally handsome.
He had the classic look of an upright, dependable man.
Strong brows.
Bright, determined eyes.
Well-defined, masculine features.
An unmistakably commanding presence.
No wonder the original Sheng He, a pampered young heiress, had fallen for him so completely…
To the point that she’d even resorted to drugging him just to make him hers.