The person on the bed stirred, pressing a palm against her forehead, still feeling groggy.
The faint scent of sandalwood on the blanket made Li Zhenmian realize she seemed to be in an unfamiliar place.
The curtains blocked the room completely, and Li Zhenmian opened her eyes.
In the dim room, a man sat on the sofa by the bed, long legs crossed. Half his face was hidden in the darkness, but she could vaguely make out his distinguished, high-bridged nose and slightly pursed thin lips.
Li Zhenmian shot upright in bed. The man, sensing the movement, slowly opened his eyes—like a beast lurking in the dark locking onto its prey.
Li Zhenmian met those eyes. The red veins in them betrayed his exhaustion, but they still couldn’t mask the sharpness between his brows.
Her breath caught. “Where is this?” Her voice was still hoarse from just waking up.
“My home.” He actually wanted to say our home.
Li Zhenmian: “?”
What happened yesterday?
“How… how am I in your house?” Li Zhenmian’s eyes widened.
She remembered drinking a glass of wine, and then after that…
After that, she blacked out…
“You were drunk, and I didn’t know where you lived, so I brought you back here.” His deep, mellow voice reached her ears.
What terrified Li Zhenmian most was the way Qi Siyan looked at her—exactly like that day at Tianwaitian Club.
She’d slept, and now it felt like the whole world had changed. What on earth did she do last night?
Qi Siyan poured a glass of warm water and handed it to her, then gently stroked her hair and said softly:
“Go wash up first. Come downstairs for breakfast in a bit.”
Seeing that she was still dazed, Qi Siyan sighed inwardly.
He knew some things couldn’t be rushed, but he could no longer treat her with the same cold indifference as before.
“There are new toiletries in the bathroom. I’ll have someone bring you clothes in a moment.”
Actually, Jiang Zhi’s clothes were already in his room, but he was afraid she’d overthink it, so he had new ones bought instead.
Speaking of clothes, Li Zhenmian looked down at the pajamas she was wearing.
“I had the maid change you into those.”
Hearing this, Li Zhenmian breathed a sigh of relief.
Qi Siyan used the remote to open the curtains, and bright light streamed in from outside.
He stood in front of Li Zhenmian, shielding her from the harsh glare until her eyes adjusted, then stepped aside.
After Qi Siyan left, Li Zhenmian slowly got out of bed to wash up, her brain still completely offline.
When she came out of the bathroom, clothes were laid out on the bedside table, and she changed into them.
She wandered out to the balcony. The morning air carried the damp scent of soil mixed with the fragrance of gardenias.
She looked down, and that patch of gardenias suddenly came into view, making her lose herself for a moment.
Qi Siyan leaned against the doorframe, greedily taking in her silhouette. He’d just taken a shower in the guest room next door and came to check if she’d gone downstairs, only to see this.
He tapped lightly on the door to snap her out of it.
Li Zhenmian turned to look at him. “The gardenias are beautiful.”
“Then do you like them?”
Li Zhenmian’s lips pressed together slightly. If she guessed correctly, this patch of gardenias was probably planted for Jiang Zhi.
“Qi Siyan, I—”
“You don’t like them?” He cut her off, his tone dropping suddenly, carrying a barely perceptible disappointment—even a hint of hurt.
For some reason, seeing him like this made Li Zhenmian feel a tightness in her chest.
The vulnerable look on the man’s face made her reluctant to disappoint him. She lifted her lips and said:
“I like them very much.”
A smile crept into the man’s eyes. He took her hand and led her downstairs.
“Let’s go have breakfast.”
Li Zhenmian stood still, and Qi Siyan looked at her, puzzled.
She shook their joined hands. “Can you let go?”
Qi Siyan froze, a flicker of hurt passing through his eyes before he quickly masked it.
“Sorry.”
He released her hand.
Li Zhenmian walked downstairs side by side with Qi Siyan. The villa’s servants occasionally stole a glance, and one look was enough to leave them stunned.
The housekeeper wore a professional smile—no matter how many questions were in his mind, his expression remained flawless.
Su Pei had already briefed them yesterday. This young lady was called Li Zhenmian.
All they needed to do was mind their own duties—don’t say what shouldn’t be said, don’t look at what shouldn’t be looked at.
Qi Siyan sat across from her. The man ate with great elegance, unhurried and refined, a pleasure to watch.
The table was set with both Western and Chinese breakfast options. Li Zhenmian didn’t eat much—just one steamed bun and a glass of milk.
Qi Siyan peeled an egg and placed it in front of her. “Have an egg too.”
The utterly natural way they interacted gave her the illusion that they really had known each other for a long time.
In the end, she ate the egg.
“Qi Siyan.”
“Hm?”
“Why?” It was only one night, yet he’d become like a completely different person.
“You’ll find out. Can you trust me? A’mian?”
There was a pleading note in the man’s voice.
Li Zhenmian took a deep breath, pushing aside those strange, inexplicable emotions in her heart.
Seeing that she didn’t answer, Qi Siyan didn’t press further. He changed the subject.
“Are you going to the base today? I’ll drive you.”
“No, I want to go home.”
The man picked up his suit jacket from the sofa and put it on. “Come on, I’ll drive you back.”
Li Zhenmian was about to decline—she could just take a cab home.
“It’s hard to get a cab around here.”
Qi Siyan saw right through her.
“Address?”
“Lanshan Apartments.”
Li Zhenmian sat in the passenger seat, the window half-open, her long hair by her cheeks lifted by the wind. The two of them remained silent the entire way.