In the dim room, he felt a soft, scalding-hot body panting faintly beside him, occasionally giving him a gentle kick.
“What are you doing?”
Just waking up, Shi Lijin’s voice was low and hoarse. He reacted swiftly, preparing to sit up from the bed, but because his limbs had not yet fully regained sensation, he was tackled right back down.
This woman was crazy.
He tried his best to suppress his anger, glaring fiercely at the other person with a chilling gaze. “Did Shen Kewen teach you to do this?”
Hearing that name, the small movements of Gu Qingjiao’s hands paused slightly.
Shen Kewen was the original character’s eldest aunt and Shi Lijin’s stepmother. This figure was extraordinary, standing as one of the most viciously ruthless individuals among them all; to achieve her goals, she could sacrifice anyone without even blinking an eye.
The little unlucky egg Gu Qingjiao was currently like a fish forced to lie on a chopping board. However, her sacrifice in the original text actually served no real purpose. In the original text, Shi Lijin refused to touch any woman and casually threw this fish away, resulting in her suffering a miserably painful death at the end.
That was why those novel authors were simply irresponsible; the fat did not grow on their own bodies, so they had no idea how much it hurt or itched.
That was exactly what Gu Qingjiao was thinking right now, so she decided that whether it was Shi Lijin or Jiu Lijin, surviving tonight was the most crucial thing, and at the very least, she could not die in such an agonizing way.
[Beep, the system detects that the host is in danger of death]
[Danger level: ★★★★★]
[Please prepare to kick the bucket at any moment]
[Also: In principle, the system does not support the host messing around, but as long as you are happy]
Gu Qingjiao ignored the system and did not answer Shi Lijin’s question either, instead gently pinching a button on his shirt and asking, “Do you have a condom?”
Shi Lijin: “? ? ?”
Hearing this frightened her soul right out of her body, causing him to sit up in shock in the middle of the night.
Gu Qingjiao’s upper body was dragged along with him, her head hanging limply against his chest.
“How could I possibly have that kind of thing, get off!” Shi Lijin pushed her back onto the bed, then quickly climbed down and sat on the edge of the mattress to regulate himself for a moment.
Fortunately, what Gu Qingjiao had drunk was not very much, and it had not reached the point where she desperately needed it. Moreover, since the man was single-mindedly trying to run away, and she was completely weak and too lazy to chase him, she simply hugged a pillow to calm herself down first.
Although Shi Lijin had calmed down more or less, that scene from just now kept lingering stubbornly in his mind. This bold girl had repeatedly teased him, so it seemed she really was in cahoots with Shen Kewen to plot and seize the family assets.
He turned on the desk lamp and casually picked up the glass of water on the nightstand, thinking for a moment while feeling somewhat unsettled inside.
“Even though the Gu family is beneath notice, they still count as half a prestigious family. As a daughter, you do not know how to keep yourself clean and self-respecting. Are you not afraid that if this matter gets exposed, it will completely ruin your reputation?”
After saying that, he rubbed his throat and drank the water in the cup in one gulp.
Strange, this was clearly a regular cup of water, why did swallowing it give off a burning, spicy sensation in his throat?
He slowly rotated the rim of the cup, observing it minutely.
Tiny bubbles clung to the inner wall of the glass, quietly popping. They were colorless and odorless, but once swallowed, they felt like thousands of tiny flames darting straight into his lungs and reaching all the way to his limbs and bones.
This water had a problem.
Shi Lijin’s brows were tightly locked, the glass cup gripped tightly in his hand, ready to shatter at any second.
She was trying to harm him.
No wonder she was acting so seductively, it turned out she used herself as bait, purposely placing the drugged water here just waiting for him to drink it. What truly malicious methods.
Shi Lijin looked at the woman on the bed, all sorts of wicked thoughts flashing through his mind.
He wanted to throw Gu Qingjiao out, dump her on the cold ground, and watch her die with his own eyes.
Shi Lijin’s eyes were filled with gloom as he prepared to stand up.
Suddenly, his legs went soft, and he tumbled back down onto the bed.
Shi Lijin: ?
What was going on?
Was not this drug specially formulated for men? Why were his limbs suddenly losing all strength?
While he was trying to figure out what exactly this stuff was, a slender pair of hands suddenly reached over from behind, pressing his entire body back down onto the mattress.
Gu Qingjiao seized the right moment to lean forward, straddling his waist with both legs, and looked down at the person beneath her with a heavily flushed face.
Their mutual body temperatures were rising higher and higher. Her eyes swam with a hazy mist as she panted lightly, making Shi Lijin’s heart beat faster and faster.
He wanted to escape, but could not escape; he wanted to move, but could not move.
Gu Qingjiao stared at him blankly, her mind lagging a little bit, not knowing what she should do next: do it, and he did not have a condom; not do it, and the atmosphere had already been hyped up to this point.
With a dizzy head, Gu Qingjiao gradually leaned closer against his chest. Her abnormally rhythmic heartbeat and blazing body temperature permeated through their clothes to reach his skin. Her single hand wandered, unbuttoning his shirt one button at a time.
“You dare…” Shi Lijin breathed like someone shivering with cold on the verge of death, wheezing in suffocation beneath her. “I will make you die…”
She turned a deaf ear to his words, easily pulling open the man’s shirt. Her five snow-white fingers crawled all the way from his chest across his abdominal muscles, pausing briefly below his waist. Her other hand happened to brush against the gauze wrapped around his wrist. On a whim, Gu Qingjiao unwrapped the gauze layer by layer and wound it around her own fingers.
Two inches above the wrist were bright red stamen-like scars.
Gu Qingjiao was getting extremely sleepy.
She stopped moving, lowered her body, and casually found a comfortable position to lie down.
The man’s breathing abruptly stopped, as if his entire life had been pinned down under her weight.
Shi Lijin had already made up his mind.
He was forced by circumstances to accept this humiliation today, but tomorrow would mark the beginning of Gu Qingjiao’s nightmare.
However, he waited for a long time, and never waited for the other person to make any further moves.
Gu Qingjiao bent her knees slightly, resting her hands casually on the man’s chest, gave a yawn, and fell into a deep sleep.
Shi Lijin: …
In his ears was the sound of her breathing, at the tip of his nose was her fragrance, against the side of his neck was her cheek, and on his chest was her gradually stabilizing heartbeat.
For him, this night was exceptionally long.
Gu Qingjiao slept all the way until the afternoon. She climbed out of bed and earnestly recalled everything that had happened last night.
Thinking back to that damn sparkling water, she felt fortunate that she had only taken a few sips, otherwise she would not have known what kind of crazy state she might have ended up in.
Actually, she had purposely left that cup of water behind, intending to use it the next day as evidence to expose the Northern Butler. Who would have known that by a twist of fate, Shi Lijin would be the one to drink it, and moreover, he had chugged the entire cup, what a brave soul.
Gu Qingjiao rubbed her empty stomach and decided to head downstairs first to find something to eat.
As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, a middle-aged man walked over from afar. He placed the prepared pastries on the dining table and said, “Miss Gu, you are awake. I am the butler of South Manor. If you have any needs in the future, please feel free to command me.”
The butler of South Manor? Then where did the Northern Butler run off to?
She was still waiting to settle accounts with that bastard.
“Where is Shi Lijin?”
“I was just about to tell you about this. The Second Young Master said that if you wake up, you should accompany me to the backyard. There is a hot spring there, and soaking in it during winter is good for your health.”
Gu Qingjiao’s eyelids twitched.
She did not believe that Shi Lijin would kindly invite her to soak in a hot spring.
Yep, there must be some new execution method waiting for her.
For example, drowning in the hot spring?
Or getting secretly sharked in the backyard?
After finishing her pastries, Gu Qingjiao changed into a bathrobe and followed the South Butler to the hot spring area in the backyard.
This place was spacious and quiet, but it was surrounded by small bamboo groves. Aside from the babbling sound of water, there was practically nothing left except for faint, intermittent bird chirps, very suitable for dragging someone over and secretly sharking them.
Carrying this exact thought, Gu Qingjiao was led step by step by the South Butler right up to Shi Lijin’s side.
Shi Lijin was wearing a dark gray bathrobe, his posture maintaining the same noble and aloof arrogance as usual. Seeing Gu Qingjiao arrive, he merely glanced at her indifferently.
Though he looked calm on the surface, his interior felt like it was burning with fire.
Why did she fall asleep so easily last night?
Under that kind of circumstance, how could she possibly fall asleep?
Thinking of this, Shi Lijin’s expression instantly darkened, and he quickly picked up the teacup on the table and downed it in one gulp.
“Second Young Master, the tea was just poured, it is hot.” The South Butler kindly reminded him.
“No matter how hot the tea is, there are still people daring enough to drink it.” Shi Lijin paid no mind to the warning. He turned toward Gu Qingjiao, tapping his index finger near the teacup in front of her. “Miss Gu, did you sleep well last night? Drink a cup of tea to wake up your brain.”
Gu Qingjiao was indeed a bit out of it; ever since drinking that cup of water last night, her head had remained groggy and was still foggy even now.
She glanced at the steaming tea and responded somewhat sluggishly: “I do not know how to appreciate tea, but I can drink milk tea. Does your place have milk tea? Coconut jelly, pearls, seventy percent sweetness.”
Shi Lijin’s expression turned murderous.
The South Butler stood to the side, not knowing how to reply, and could only look toward the Second Young Master for instructions.
“What are you looking at me for? If she wants to drink it, make it for her.”
The South Butler sharply sucked in a cold breath.
Why was the Second Young Master acting so strange today? He was actually willing to compromise for Miss Gu! He was not like this before, and in the past, the Second Young Master would not even spare a glance at the women sent to South Manor before dismissing them. Furthermore, this Miss Gu was someone planted here by Madam Shi; logically speaking, he should feel even more disgusted with her.
For a moment, the South Butler could not figure it out either, so he could only nod in agreement and went to order someone to make milk tea.
Without a word, Shi Lijin beckoned and called over a nearby waiting maid.
Holding a long tray, the maid walked respectfully up to Gu Qingjiao and asked her to change into a swimsuit.
Gu Qingjiao smiled and declined: “No need.”
“What, does Miss Gu plan to go down wearing her outer robe?” Shi Lijin asked contemptuously.
“No, I have my own swimsuit. Why would I need to trouble you to prepare one?”
“It looks like you came fully prepared. Do not tell me you brought your entire household belongings with you.”
Gu Qingjiao let out a light chuckle. “What household belongings? Having you is enough for me. Even though my fiancé’s mouth is unforgiving, his body is very honest, was it not? Thank you for your hard work last night.”
Shi Lijin: “…”
The maid standing nearby turned red with embarrassment, her hands holding the tray trembling slightly. Taking a large, inward breath, she said, “Since Miss Gu has her own, I will not prepare one. Where is your swimsuit? I will go get it.”
“No need, I am wearing it.” Gu Qingjiao put down her pastry, casually wiped her hands on her bathrobe, and then stood up, taking it off right on the spot.
A sky-blue swimsuit hugged her body, making her appear even fairer and more sensual. The maid, who had just lowered her head, could not help raising it again to take a peek, her gaze instantly getting glued to the spot.
Beautiful, simply too beautiful.
Shi Lijin raised the outer corner of his eye, not really watching much, but he could roughly guess her true intentions, thinking to himself that she was young and did not want to learn anything proper, only knowing how to flirt and put on airs.
Gu Qingjiao twisted her long hair into a bun and casually asked, “Fiancé, are we going or not?”
With a cryptic smile, Shi Lijin nodded.
He led her to the edge of the hot spring, cast an indifferent gaze downward, and signaled for her to enter the water.
Gu Qingjiao deliberately asked, “You are not coming with?”
“Why would I go with you?”
Gu Qingjiao shrugged. Fine, so you really are trying to drown me, right.
Whatever.
Just why did it feel like everything rising from the hot spring was cold air?
Gu Qingjiao carefully observed for a while and finally came to a conclusion: Good lord, it turns out he wants to freeze me to death.
What kind of hot spring was this? It was simply ice water inside!
Detestable!
Noticing her hesitation, Shi Lijin deliberately inquired, “You have never soaked in a hot spring before?”
Gu Qingjiao turned sideways to face him, blinked pitifully, and said, “I have, but I suddenly remembered something.”
“What is it?”
She sniffled. “Did you not pull the blanket over me last night? I think I caught a cold.”
With a sinister smile, Shi Lijin extended his index finger toward her cheek, feigning doting affection as he lightly stroked the bridge of her nose. “Precisely because you caught a cold, you need to soak in the hot spring even more.”
“Mm-mm, really?”
“Of course.”
“But I have one more thing.”
“Speak.” Shi Lijin was already losing his patience.
Gu Qingjiao beckoned lightly, gesturing for him to lean closer as if she had a secret to tell. Just as Shi Lijin lowered his guard, ready to see what tricks she was trying to pull, he unexpectedly had his neck hooked by a pair of hands.
He froze on the spot.
Tilting her head, Gu Qingjiao smiled charmingly, locking him tightly in her grip as she whispered, “I am afraid of water. I need you to accompany me.”
Immediately afterward, under Gu Qingjiao’s steady shove, the two of them tumbled headfirst into the hot spring together, sending water splashing in all directions.