As soon as she called out, “Lu Mingye! A’Ye!”
Whoosh— the man bolted out instantly, startling her so badly she slammed the door shut with a bang.
Lu Mingye froze at her reaction. Thinking something had happened, he hurriedly asked, “Miss Ruanruan, what’s wrong?”
“M-My pajamas… I forgot to bring them.”
The girl’s tiny voice came through the door, soft and shy. The man outside heard every word clearly.
So the reason she shut the door so fast was because she… wasn’t wearing…
Boom.
His brain short-circuited. He suddenly had no idea where to put his hands or feet.
“I’ll get them for you.”
He turned to leave, awkwardly moving the same hand and foot together, when her timid voice came again, sounding close to tears.
“And my underwear too…”
Lu Mingye: “!”
His voice turned hoarse. “Okay.”
Saying it was easy. Doing it was another matter entirely.
First came choosing her pajamas.
There were so many—white, blue, red… it made his eyes spin.
In the end, he chose the pure white short-sleeved nightdress with lace trim—the one she’d worn on the first night she arrived.
Holding the soft fabric tightly in his large hand, he lost focus for a moment.
What he never told her was that the moment he saw her wearing that nightdress that night, he’d wanted to pin her beneath him and kiss her senseless…
He knew he was twisted.
But he couldn’t help it.
Ever since she entered his life, every first romantic dream, every awkward moment washing his sheets, every mention of marriage—all of it had been tied to her.
How could he possibly resist?
Especially now that the woman he’d longed for day and night was truly standing before him.
The fact that he’d managed to pretend to be a normal man at all had already taken every ounce of self-control he possessed.
Lu Mingye let out a long breath and began searching for the even more embarrassing items she couldn’t bring herself to mention directly.
He checked the wardrobe first but found nothing.
Then he remembered—when she’d unpacked earlier, he hadn’t seen her put away her undergarments.
Sure enough, after digging through one of the unopened bundles, he found them wrapped inside a white bedsheet.
How to put it…
Those private little garments were even more dangerous than the pajamas.
The sight nearly dazzled him.
Years of military discipline barely held together. Lu Mingye slapped himself once to clear his mind, forced his gaze away, randomly grabbed two pieces, stuffed them into the pajamas, and awkwardly walked back to the washroom.
“Ruanruan, I got them. Here.”
“Turn around. Don’t look.”
Ruanruan tightened the old shirt she was using to cover herself. After hearing his obedient “Mm,” she carefully cracked the door open a tiny bit.
Seeing that he really wasn’t looking, she grew bolder and quickly snatched the clothes from his hands.
The moment the door shut again, both of them secretly let out sighs of relief.
…
A while later, the washroom door opened once more.
Shen Ruanruan walked out wearing the pajamas, clearly having calmed herself down inside. Seeing Lu Mingye still standing there, she even found the mood to tease him.
“So A’Ye likes this nightdress, huh? When I wore it before, you didn’t even dare look at me. I thought… maybe you didn’t like it.”
Lu Mingye had indeed picked it because of his own selfish thoughts.
Since she’d already exposed him, he simply gave up pretending.
“Yeah. I like it.”
As soon as the words fell, he started reaching toward her.
Shen Ruanruan’s danger radar instantly went off. Hugging the towel she’d been using to dry her hair, she turned and ran for the room without looking back.
He didn’t chase her.
Instead, he stared at her fleeing figure and chuckled softly.
“With nerves that small, and you still dare tease me?”
A man’s bath routine was nothing like Shen Ruanruan’s careful process.
He simply stripped off his clothes and poured water over himself with a ladle.
Whether intentionally or not, he didn’t lock the washroom door.
After returning to her room, Shen Ruanruan suddenly remembered—she’d forgotten to take her underclothes.
Thinking Lu Mingye probably hadn’t started washing yet, she hurried back.
“Lu Mingye, I just need to grab—”
The moment she pushed the door open, she froze.
The man stood there completely naked, pouring water over himself with the ladle. Some droplets even splashed onto her nightdress.
Neither of them cared about that right now.
Shen Ruanruan stared at him.
She’d only ever seen him wearing a tank top before. She had never seen him completely bare.
Water slid down his broad shoulders.
His chest muscles were obvious but not exaggerated—just enough to radiate strength. His eight-pack abs looked firm and tight.
And lower down…
She finally understood the phrase dangerously attractive.
Especially the huge beast hidden beneath the shadows of the night.
She swallowed hard.
Lu Mingye had never expected her to suddenly walk in, but he wasn’t flustered.
His dark eyes fixed on her.
“Miss Ruanruan… are you getting impatient already?”
As if burned, Shen Ruanruan snapped back to reality.
She completely forgot why she’d come.
Turning to flee, she was still too slow.
Before she could take a step, the man grabbed her from behind and pulled her into his arms.
The dampness from his body instantly soaked through her nightdress.
The moon hung high above the courtyard, casting silver light over the entire yard.
“Lu Mingye…” Her voice trembled.
She truly hadn’t expected him to be this shameless—hugging her completely naked in the semi-open courtyard.
She was embarrassed on his behalf.
“Again and again… and none of it was intentional?” He bent his head against the side of her neck. “So, Miss Ruanruan… you’ve decided, haven’t you?”
His voice was unusually serious, carrying a trace of uncertainty.
Shen Ruanruan understood exactly what he meant.
Then she did something even she herself hadn’t expected.
She turned around, pushed against his chest muscles, shoved him farther inside, and slammed the door shut.
Standing on tiptoe, she wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered breathlessly:
“What do you think?”
“I’m not giving you a chance to regret it.”
The man gripped her slim waist, lifted her onto the washroom table, held the back of her head, and kissed her hard.
Fiercer than before.
More intense.
And Shen Ruanruan could clearly feel certain impossible-to-ignore things pressing against her.
The beast had finally been unleashed.
Unable to help herself, she pressed a hand against his chest.
The feel was incredible—firm muscle with a slight elasticity, something she’d never experienced before.
So she squeezed it lightly.
Lu Mingye let out a muffled groan and immediately became even more aggressive.
Her breathing was stolen away, leaving her feeling as though she were drowning.
Only after a long while did he finally loosen his hold slightly.
“Your clothes are wet. They’ll feel uncomfortable sticking to you. Want me to help?”
It sounded like a question, but he clearly had no intention of accepting refusal as an answer.
His hand reached out directly.
The damp nightdress clung tightly to her body, making it difficult to remove. His rough fingers brushed across her skin, sending a shiver through her.
“Lu Mingye! You did that on purpose!”