When Zheng Wanning returned to Ningyun Mountain Villa, the enormous house was dark and gloomy.
This was the marital home she and Shen Yanqing had shared since they married.
The entrance had a stone-lion fountain and a garden. The five-story villa also had an artificial lake and a swimming pool in the backyard, and occupied an area of two thousand square meters.
But for a long time, it had been home only to her and the housekeepers.
Zheng Wanning was used to it. She guessed Shen Yanqing probably wouldn’t come back tonight, either.
Since returning to the country six months ago, he had come back to Ningyun Mountain only a handful of times. Anyone who didn’t know better would have thought it was a hotel.
She had never asked about his whereabouts.
But from the newspapers to the entertainment headlines, there was always news about him.
She turned on the lights, kicked off her high heels, and walked into the living room.
She hadn’t eaten all day and was starting to feel hungry, so she called the housekeeper, Nanny Li, on the intercom and told her to make dinner.
Nanny Li’s voice on the other end of the line was distinctly displeased.
Zheng Wanning couldn’t be bothered to respond.
Before, she would never have troubled Nanny Li over something so minor.
Not until a few months ago.
She had gotten up late one morning and was on her way to the law firm when she accidentally overheard Nanny Li on the phone.
Nanny Li was reporting every detail of Zheng Wanning’s daily routine.
That was when Zheng Wanning realized that, for the past three years, Nanny Li had been keeping tabs on her.
No wonder Huang Yumei summoned her to Shen Residence every few days to reprimand her.
After hanging up, Nanny Li answered another call.
“I’ll go shopping with you this afternoon. Why would I ask for time off? I may be a housekeeper, but I was hired by Old Madam.”
“She’s a woman with no power or influence, and her husband doesn’t even love her. She’s just a pretty ornament. It doesn’t matter.”
“Don’t worry about it. She can do the housework herself. She came from a poor family, too. She only got back on her feet thanks to the Shen family. If they ever stop wanting her, she won’t even be better off than me.”
That day, Zheng Wanning hadn’t interrupted Nanny Li. She had simply turned and gone upstairs. But from then on, she had taken a dislike to her.
Nanny Li emerged lazily from the servants’ quarters, her displeasure plain on her face. She muttered,
“Madam, the Young Master doesn’t come home anymore, so I haven’t been making dinner lately. And I’d just fallen asleep when you called me up.”
Zheng Wanning lowered her head to look at the case files she had to take to court tomorrow. “It’s not even eight yet. Aren’t you going to bed a little early?”
Nanny Li seemed entirely justified in her complaint, and spoke rather rudely. “I’m getting old, of course I need to rest early! You woke me up, and now I’ve got a terrible headache.”
Zheng Wanning stopped what she was doing and looked up from her phone. She saw Nanny Li walk into the kitchen with obvious reluctance, muttering under her breath as she went.
Already in a bad mood, Zheng Wanning spoke bluntly. “Since you’ve said yourself that you’re getting old, why not stop working? Our family can manage without a housekeeper like you.”
Nanny Li’s expression darkened at once, but she quickly shut her mouth and said no more. She only made a racket as she turned on the stove.
“It’s too late to make a proper dinner now, Madam. You’ll have to make do.”
A little while later, Nanny Li brought a plate of something resembling Korean bibimbap to the table.
It was really just leftover rice and dishes from lunch all mixed together.
Zheng Wanning raised an eyebrow and folded her hands. She wasn’t going to indulge Nanny Li’s bad habits.
“Make it again! Is this food for a dog?”
Nanny Li was taken aback. Zheng Wanning had never cared enough about things like this to make an issue of them. She usually turned a blind eye. Today, though, she seemed ready to explode.
“Get this straight: I’m one of the people who owns this house, too.”
The woman’s tone was blunt and cold.
This was the first time Zheng Wanning had ever scolded Nanny Li like this, and Nanny Li was left with no way to save face.
She might work for Old Madam, but this wasn’t the time to openly defy Zheng Wanning.
Reluctantly, she picked up the plate of bibimbap and went back to the kitchen to cook again.
A little later, she served two simple dishes and a soup.
But Zheng Wanning felt much more at ease.
There was a reason people said you shouldn’t make life difficult for others when you could avoid making it difficult for yourself.
Soon, there was a sound from the front door.
Shen Yanqing strode inside with measured steps.
He wore a gray English-style shirt and black trousers. Tall and lean, he carried his suit jacket casually in one hand. He looked every bit the elegant, distinguished man.
Shen Yanqing had striking features: deep-set eyes, a high nose, and thin lips. But his gaze was cold, like shards of ice beneath a glacier.
Zheng Wanning stole a discreet glance at him.
At least he wasn’t wearing the tracksuit from that photo today.
Good. She wouldn’t have to be disgusted by him coming home without changing.
She lowered her head and continued eating.
When Nanny Li heard the noise and saw Shen Yanqing had come home, her eyes lit up with delight and surprise.
“Young Master, why are you home today? No, never mind—you’re home, that’s what matters.”
“Have you eaten dinner? If not, I’ll make something right away.”
“No need,” Shen Yanqing said flatly.
As he passed the dining table, he caught sight of Zheng Wanning with her head lowered.
The atmosphere between them was heavy with tension.
Shen Yanqing glanced at her coldly, said nothing more, and went upstairs.
His icy look left Nanny Li trembling. Once he was gone, she let out a long breath.
Shen Yanqing’s sudden return had ruined the mood, and Zheng Wanning naturally lost her appetite.
A few minutes later, she went upstairs to take a shower.
Though she and Shen Yanqing had a poor relationship, they still shared a bedroom.
She had just opened the bedroom door when she saw Shen Yanqing’s tall figure standing in front of the walk-in closet.
He was undoing the last button on his shirt. When it came undone, the shirt fell open, revealing his firm, wheat-colored chest, all taut muscle and sensual strength.
He had also undone the belt on his trousers. They hung loose around his hips, giving him an inexplicably sensual, languid look.
Zheng Wanning folded her arms and leaned against the doorway.
She stared straight at his lean, toned body without looking away.
When had she last seen him? The month before last, or the month before that?
Chen Feng had been right: she couldn’t even keep her own husband at home.
If they ever got divorced, the only things she’d miss were his good looks—and his skills in bed.
“Had enough?”
Shen Yanqing glanced back at her. His voice gave away no emotion, though it held a trace of coolness.
“Not yet. You’re still my husband, so it’s perfectly legal for me to look at you.”
The corner of Shen Yanqing’s mouth lifted slightly. He took off his watch, too. “You’ve gotten pretty eloquent after being a lawyer for so long.”
“It’s not from being a lawyer for so long. It’s from being your wife for so long.”
Zheng Wanning’s tone was mocking. “Long enough that I can count on one hand how many times I’ve seen my husband in a year. Since you’ve finally come home, I need to get my fill.”
“Oh? Is Mrs. Shen complaining that I don’t spend enough time with her?”
Shen Yanqing gave a scoff.
“How could I dare? I’m already Mrs. Shen. Asking you to spend time with me on top of that would be unreasonable.”
Shen Yanqing’s expression remained cold. He didn’t bother answering her again and went into the bathroom.
As soon as the bathroom door closed, the faint smile on Zheng Wanning’s lips vanished.
She took a nightgown from the walk-in closet and went to shower in another room.
Besides the master bedroom, there were several other rooms on the villa’s second floor, each with its own bathroom.
After showering, Zheng Wanning returned to the master bedroom.
The room was dimly lit. Shen Yanqing had already showered and was leaning against the headboard in black pajamas, looking down at his phone as he dealt with work.
Even such simple pajamas couldn’t hide his cool, distinguished air.
Zheng Wanning shrugged and went straight to the dressing table to rub on body lotion.
Hearing her, Shen Yanqing looked up from his phone.
The woman’s long hair was jet-black, and her figure slender and graceful. She wore a pale pink slip nightdress that ended at her inner thighs, leaving her fair skin exposed to the air.
The room seemed filled with the fresh scent of her shower. Shen Yanqing’s Adam’s apple bobbed unconsciously.
When he first met Zheng Wanning, he knew she was beautiful.
He just didn’t know when that beauty had begun to seem edged with thorns, like a vivid rose.
After finishing her skincare, Zheng Wanning climbed into bed, lifted the covers, and lay down with her back to him.
She had court tomorrow and needed a good night’s sleep.
“I’m going to sleep,” she mumbled.
Hearing that, Shen Yanqing raised an eyebrow.
After sending a few final messages, he turned off his phone and set it on the bedside table, then switched off the light.
In the dim room, moonlight streamed through the window like silk.
Their breathing seemed to grow heavier, and an intimate tension filled the air.
Zheng Wanning hadn’t shared a bed with this man in a long time.
The last time they’d slept together was before he went abroad—that was three years ago.
She wasn’t used to having a man in the bed. It felt familiar yet strange, and she tossed and turned, unable to sleep.
Shen Yanqing, by contrast, seemed perfectly comfortable. His sleeping posture was steady, and once he lay down, he hardly moved.
But the woman was making so much noise that she was practically turning over the entire three-meter-wide bed.
His temple began to twitch.
After a moment, Shen Yanqing couldn’t take it anymore. He rolled over, pinned Zheng Wanning beneath him, and firmly held both her hands above her head.
He looked down at her, his gaze burning, a shadow of desire rising in his eyes.
“Looks like Mrs. Shen can’t sleep. How about we get some exercise to help you drift off?”
The man’s and woman’s hormones filled the room.
When Shen Yanqing saw her freeze, he kissed her earlobe.
He had wanted to tear off that bothersome nightdress ever since—
Zheng Wanning’s body shivered with a tingling sensation. Her heart began to race uncontrollably, and her toes curled with nerves.
She drew a deep breath. Suddenly, the woody scent of the man’s cologne reached her, mixed with another, unfamiliar fragrance.
Zheng Wanning snapped fully awake.
She sniffed again, more carefully.
The scent was distinctive, like lily perfume. It wasn’t hers; she rarely wore perfume.
Zheng Wanning’s racing heart came to a stop.
She tried with all her strength to push the body pinning her down, but couldn’t move him.
Her eyes were cold, the chill cutting to the bone.
“Even if we do it, wash up first. Don’t come at me smelling of another woman. It ruins the mood.”
“I’m not into that.”
At her words, Shen Yanqing stopped.
The desire in his dark eyes faded at once, and he lost interest completely.
He sniffed himself. There was indeed a strong perfume scent on him. It was the perfume Zhang Bo had left in his car, but he didn’t explain.
After a pause, he stared intently at the woman beneath him for a long while.
It was as if he wanted to see right through her, but in the dark, he could only make out the vague shape of her face.
Shen Yanqing rolled off the bed and straightened his pajamas.
“I’ll sleep in the next room.”
Zheng Wanning sat up and put the straps of her nightdress back on her shoulders.
Watching the man walk away without a backward glance, she picked up the remote from the bed and hurled it at him.