The aloof and restrained exterior was just a facade; deep down, he was actually a closet romantic.
“Otherwise, why is your heart beating so fast and your breathing so ragged?” Yin Shuyang deliberately whispered softly into his ear, her warm, gentle voice slipping in, her red lips brushing faintly against his earlobe, sending a tingling sensation through him.
Xie Guanlan’s breathing grew heavier.
Yin Shuyang buried her face in the crook of his neck. “Can I kiss you?”
“Yangyang, don’t~”
He was still holding back, so much so that the veins on his neck were bulging.
In the darkness, Xie Guanlan’s Adam’s apple bobbed. His palm, burning hot, pressed against her waist through the thin layer of her white shirt, preventing her from moving.
Yin Shuyang licked his neck. “Brother Xie, I really like you so much. You can like me too~”
Xie Guanlan tried to speak to her in a steady tone. “Stop fooling around. Go back to sleep.”
“You say to go back to sleep, but your hand keeps holding me so I can’t leave~” Yin Shuyang took a deep breath of his scent. “If you dare, let go.”
The hand on her waist abruptly withdrew.
He really could hold back.
He clearly had feelings too.
Angry, Yin Shuyang bit his neck, not daring to use too much force. “Xie Guanlan, are you really frigid? Can’t you do it~”
He remained restrained. “Even if you provoke me, it’s still not possible.”
Yin Shuyang was young and could act without considering the consequences, but he couldn’t.
He couldn’t let her continue like this.
Xie Guanlan prepared to forcefully push her away, but she clung to him, wrapped her arms around his head, and kissed his lips.
Sweet, soft, ambiguous, exciting, thrilling.
Listening to her soft, delicate moans, Xie Guanlan’s rationality slowly crumbled. He leaned over, pressing her beneath him, taking control.
Just as he was about to proceed to the next step, the dream abruptly ended.
Xie Guanlan slowly opened his eyes. The world before him was still pitch black, and the soft, delicate body beside him, along with the warmth she had brought in the dream, had vanished completely.
He let out a long sigh, closed his eyes again, and only fell asleep after a long while.
When his usual biological clock kicked in, Xie Guanlan woke up as always.
He got up to exercise. After finishing his workout, a slender figure slowly emerged.
Rubbing her eyes, her hair disheveled and her white shirt wrinkled, she sleepily greeted him before lying down on the sofa, hugging a cushion between her legs. “Brother, I’m hungry…”
The moment Xie Guanlan saw her, he thought of last night’s intensely sensual dream and guiltily turned away.
He took a shower, changed his clothes, and went out. Yin Shuyang was still sleeping on the sofa in the same position.
Xie Guanlan draped a blanket over her and was about to leave when Yin Shuyang wrapped her arms around his, pressing her fair, beautiful face against him. “Are you going to work now?”
Her series of actions couldn’t help but remind him of last night’s dream—obedient and clingy, just like a cat.
If he had a cat, would it be this well-behaved and this attached to him?
Xie Guanlan didn’t rush to pull his hand back. Instead, he leaned down slightly, allowing her to rest more comfortably against him. His clear, pleasant voice softened a little. “I’ll have someone bring you breakfast and clothes in a bit. The driver is waiting in the basement. If you want to leave, just get in the car.”
“What if I don’t want to leave~”
“Yangyang, running away from home will worry your family.”
Yin Shuyang became a bit more awake, her clear amber eyes fixed on his handsome, refined face. “You knew I was lying last night.”
He knew, yet he still brought her home.
Last night, I even had that kind of dream—truly sinful.
It also indirectly proved one thing: he wasn’t truly asexual.
Faced with Yin Shuyang, his reactions were intense.
Sharing a room with her turned him into a dangerous element.
Xie Guanlan withdrew his arm. “If you don’t want to leave, stay. I won’t be coming over tonight.”
Yin Shuyang’s eyes instantly welled up with tears, reddening at the rims. Like an abandoned child, she curled up on the sofa, her slender body wrapped in a blanket, burying her head in her knees as she sobbed quietly.
Yet she still heard the sound of the door closing.
The spacious house was suddenly empty, leaving only her alone.
The decor style of this house was as cold and detached as Xie Guanlan himself.
“So cold~”
After a while, she heard the sound of someone entering the passcode. Hopeful, she turned her head, only to see the housekeeper walk in.
The housekeeper was carrying a bag of clothes.
“Miss Yin, these were ordered by Mr. Xie for you.”
“And here’s breakfast. Have something to eat first, don’t go hungry.”
Breakfast was laid out on the dining table, and the clothes were placed beside her.
The hunger strike tactic only worked on family.
Yin Shuyang obediently went to eat breakfast but didn’t change her clothes, returning instead to the guest room.
Lying on the bed, she saw the message from Shi Man, so excited, yet she and Xie Guanlan had made no progress at all last night.
Should she stay here again tonight?
If Xie Guanlan wasn’t coming, there was no point in her staying here!
At noon, the housekeeper prepared lunch for her.
Yin Shuyang finished it obediently and then received a call from her mother.
Asking where she was.
“Sweetie, Mom will worry if you stay out all night. Your Brother isn’t even in the country right now, otherwise he’d come get you himself.”
So Brother was away on a business trip!
What a perfect opportunity!
“Mom, are you telling me to go out and relax? I’m just relaxing outside! I’ll be back in a few days, and I’ll check in with you every day! Mwah! Love you~” Yin Shuyang hung up the phone.
If Xie Guanlan wouldn’t come, she’d just have to lure him here.
The housekeeper only took care of cleaning and cooking, never asking about the affairs of the homeowner.
After preparing dinner, she left.
Yin Shuyang took a photo of the dinner and sent it to Xie Guanlan, along with a picture of his floor-to-ceiling window.
Still at his place!
Yin Shuyang ate while waiting, and it was an hour before she received Xie Guanlan’s reply.
[Xie Guanlan: Got it.]
Got it?
That’s it!!
Yin Shuyang began acting pitiful again, playing the victim.
[Yin Shuyang: The housekeeper left, and I’m all alone. I’m so scared, Brother Xie. When are you coming home?]
[Xie Guanlan: Not coming.]
[Yin Shuyang: /(ㄒoㄒ)/~~]
[Yin Shuyang: How long will your business dinner last? Can I wait for you? It’s been ten hours since I last saw you. I miss you so much~]
She missed him terribly.
If he didn’t come back tonight, she’d sneak into Xie Guanlan’s bed!
How perverted.
But why was she so excited about it?
Yin Shuyang finished dinner, but Xie Guanlan didn’t reply to her messages or come home.
After taking a shower, she tiptoed to the door of Xie Guanlan’s room, mentally preparing herself. She wasn’t deliberately trying to sleep in Xie Guanlan’s room—it was just because she couldn’t sleep, she was scared, and his room had a more masculine, secure vibe.
Yeah, that was it.
Yin Shuyang pushed the door open and walked in.
The decor was the same black, white, and gray as the living room, but there were quite a few green plants, and modern-style paintings hung on the walls.
Yin Shuyang lay down on the bed Xie Guanlan had slept in last night, grateful that the housekeeper hadn’t changed the sheets and pillowcases today. It seemed to still carry Xie Guanlan’s scent.
She burrowed into the covers, rolling excitedly back and forth, lying on the pillow Xie Guanlan had slept on, staring at the ceiling.
“Xie Guanlan, good night~”
Tonight she should be able to have a lovely dream!
In the quiet of the night, the sound of entering a password came from the front door, followed by a tall figure stepping inside.