The villa at the summit of Zitan Mountain.
On the soft, deep-blue bed, the girl’s jet-black curls spilled across the pillow; her thick, curled eyelashes cast a fan-shaped shadow over her eyelids.
Her face was innocent and beautiful, as delicate as a doll’s—yet after just a few hours apart, it now bore several glaring scratch marks.
Her cherry-red lips—which had looked so luscious and alluring when he kissed her last night—were now tightly pursed and drained of color.
Even in her deep sleep, she couldn’t help but furrow her brow, exuding a heartbreakingly vulnerable air.
She must have been mistreated by someone right after leaving his bed.
What a poor little thing.
Rong Junheng sat on the edge of the bed, lowering his gaze to examine the figure lying there closely. He unscrewed the tube of ointment the family doctor had brought and applied it to her face with his finger.
He’d had a bit too much to drink last night, but not enough to get completely drunk.
When a woman suddenly burst into his room and threw her arms around him, he would normally have his bodyguards throw her out immediately.
Last night, however, he’d made an exception for her.
Sensual images floated through his mind, and the scratch marks on his back—left by that little wildcat—throbbed faintly.
As he gazed at her, his eyes darkened slightly, and the finger applying the ointment began to unconsciously caress the soft skin beneath it.
Suddenly, her eyelashes fluttered, and his hand froze.
The next second, his gaze met a pair of bewildered, dazed almond-shaped eyes.
“You’re awake.”
He calmly withdrew his hand, his tone familiar,
“I just applied ointment to the cut on your face. Don’t worry, it won’t leave a scar.”
Ruan Zhi blinked. She felt a cool sensation on her cheek, and her mind cleared instantly; she sat up abruptly from the bed.
Realizing she was wearing only a pink crew-neck undershirt on top, she instinctively wrapped the blanket tighter around herself and pressed against the headboard, staring at the man who had stood up, feeling completely uncomfortable.
The lighting in that room last night had been dim, but she had clearly seen what the man looked like.
It was hard to tell his age, but the mature aura honed by the years made him appear significantly older than her.
His face had sharp, chiseled features—arched eyebrows sweeping back to his temples, a high nose, and thin lips—giving him an extremely commanding appearance. Yet he had a pair of beautifully shaped, almond-shaped eyes that held a bottomless, mysterious glow. The air of nobility he exuded unintentionally was enough to make anyone hesitate to approach him.
She must have just finished her bath; her short hair was slightly damp, with a few stray strands falling across her forehead, adding a touch of carefree, untamed charm.
His tall, muscular frame was clad in a high-quality black-and-red robe. The deep V-neck extended to his waist, loosely cinched by a black belt, leaving his well-defined pectoral muscles fully exposed, while his toned abs were faintly visible.
What made her heart race even more was the reddish toothmark on his prominent Adam’s apple.
A thought flashed through her mind, causing her heart to skip a beat; she looked away:
“…Thank you for saving me.”
The room was spacious, decorated in a dark, luxurious, vintage European style—clearly a man’s bedroom.
It wasn’t easy to hail a cab outside the Ruan family villa; after walking on and off the street for over ten minutes, not a single car was in sight.
She remembered a car had driven by just before she passed out; she assumed he had been inside it at the time.
“Are you thanking me for saving you last night? Or for saving you this morning when you fainted by the roadside?”
The girl’s evasive and distant attitude was all too obvious.
Rong Junheng’s thoughts stirred slightly. He sat down again by the bedside, his gaze casually sweeping over the dense network of reddish-purple marks on her fair neck. Suddenly, he felt an unbearable dryness and itch in his throat, and his Adam’s apple involuntarily bobbed.
The strong scent of male pheromones wafting from him hit her like a wave, and as it unexpectedly brought back the painful memories of last night, Ruan Zhi’s face flushed alternately red and pale, and she clutched the blanket even tighter.
She didn’t want to answer, but his intense gaze fixed on her, leaving her no room to back down.
She gritted her teeth. “Both.”
“You know, I was drugged last night. It was just an accident. As soon as I stepped out of that hotel, I’d already forgotten all about it. I’m very grateful you didn’t kick me out back then, but that’s all there is to it.”
Ruan Zhi did her best to stay calm,
“Please don’t bring it up again. Let’s just pretend nothing ever happened. We’re complete strangers with nothing to do with each other.”
The atmosphere grew tense.
Rong Junheng suddenly asked, “How old are you?”
Ruan Zhi paused for a moment before answering honestly, “I just turned twenty-one.”
She was sixteen years younger than him.
Rong Junheng felt an inexplicable tightness in his chest; he lowered his gaze and unconsciously twirled the black ring on his left ring finger.
He’d thought she just looked young, but it turned out she really was young.
Was he an old bull trying to graze on tender grass, only to be rejected?
Otherwise, why would she be so eager to distance herself from him?
Did she think he was too old?
Or did she think he…
wasn’t good in bed?
Ruan Zhi had no interest in delving into his intentions; she took the opportunity to let go of the blanket and try to get out of bed.
“If I’m not mistaken, last night was your first time.”
Ruan Zhi’s head buzzed; her body froze, and she suddenly couldn’t process what was happening.
What did he mean by that?
“Don’t you want me to take responsibility for you?”
Rong Junheng’s dark eyes fixed intently on the girl. Seeing her face flush bright red before gradually turning pale, he suddenly leaned in and tucked a strand of hair from the side of her face behind her ear.
With a sharp “smack,” she forcefully slapped his hand away before he could pull it back.
The girl leaped off the bed like a startled kitten and glared at him with a cold expression:
“I don’t need you to take responsibility—I have a boyfriend!”
Rong Junheng withdrew his hand; the hint of amusement in his eyes vanished instantly, leaving them deep and impassive.
He slowly stood up, towering over Ruan Zhi as he stared down at her, his tone utterly flat:
“Do you have a boyfriend, or are you still a virgin?”
“What’s it to you?”
Ruan Zhi’s face grew even paler and colder. “Who says having a boyfriend means you can’t be a virgin?”
She had originally planned to save her first time for their one-year anniversary with A Che, to share it with him.
But she never expected to be manipulated by Ruan Jiajia and her mother, ending up in bed with a complete stranger.
One week—just one week short.
How could she possibly accept that?
The two stood facing each other for several seconds.
Rong Junheng saw every trace of resentment and resentment in her almond-shaped eyes.
Suddenly, he wondered if it was a bit undignified to be butting heads with a little girl like this.
He tugged at the corner of his lips in silent self-mockery.
“I don’t mean anything by it. Don’t get worked up. Since you have a boyfriend, I’ll grant your wish—let’s just pretend nothing ever happened.”
He wasn’t the sort to force himself on a girl who was already taken.
Ruan Zhi’s tense nerves relaxed slightly; she’d genuinely feared this man might have ulterior motives.
It wasn’t her fault she’d overthought it—whenever his eyes, as deep as a dark pool, fixed on her, she always felt as if something might leap out and wrap itself tightly around her.
He was far too dangerous.
“Thank you.”
Her eyelashes trembled slightly, her voice barely audible.
No matter what, he had helped her.
Rong Junheng had heard her, though.
“Put your shoes on. There’s porridge cooking in the kitchen. Eat first, then leave.”
He tilted his chin slightly toward her, nodding at a pair of gray lambskin slippers on the floor.
Ruan Zhi followed his gaze and looked down. Her bare, pale, plump toes wiggled as she slipped them into the slippers, which were much too big for her feet.
Without stopping to think whether a man might have worn them, she politely declined:
“Thank you, but I’m not hungry yet. I’d like to leave now…”
“I advise you to eat before you go.”
Rong Junheng crossed his arms, his expression impassive.
“My family doctor said you have insufficient qi and blood, your body is too weak, and you fainted because you overexerted yourself.”
“You woke up less than two hours after fainting. I don’t want to have to pick you up off the side of the road again right after I’ve just sent you on your way.”
Ruan Zhi lowered her eyelashes: “……”
She had been born prematurely and had never been in the best of health since childhood.
But when it came down to it, if she hadn’t woken up that morning feeling weak and achy, and then gotten into a heated fight with Ruan Jiajia—with all the emotional ups and downs—she wouldn’t have been so drained that she fainted.
Sitting alone in the dining room, she finished a large bowl of congee with greens, Chinese yam, and lean pork, which soothed her stomach considerably.
Ruan Zhi looked up and saw the man leaning against the doorframe, staring at her—she hadn’t even noticed when he’d gotten there.
He was still wearing the same robe as before, one hand in his pocket, the other casually holding a cigar as he puffed on it, exuding a lazy, carefree air.
Shrouded in smoke, his chiseled features appeared even more mysterious and profound; his jet-black eyes were unfathomable, and Ruan Zhi dared not hold his gaze for long.
“Let’s go. I’ll have someone drive you down the mountain.”
Perhaps it was the smoke, but his deep, rich voice had taken on a hint of hoarseness.
Upon hearing the words “down the mountain,” Ruan Zhi swallowed the refusal that had been on the tip of her tongue.
She followed the man out the front gate.
A vintage green Phantom was parked in the courtyard, its rear door wide open.
A young man dressed in a black leather jacket and pants was leaning lazily against the car, glancing up at her with a strange, meaningful smile in his eyes:
“Get in, little sis.”
She hesitated slightly. This guy spoke with a Hong Kong-accented Mandarin, and his slacker-like demeanor didn’t inspire much confidence.
Rong Junheng sensed her hesitation, shot the young man a glance, and said warningly:
“Don’t say anything.”
The young man grinned and made a gesture of sewing his mouth shut.
Ruan Zhi was surprised by the man beside her’s authentic Hong Kong accent when she felt a gentle nudge on her back:
“Go on. Tell Ah Xing where you want to go—he’ll get you there safely.”
Ruan Zhi slid into the back seat. Just as the car door closed, a black Mercedes slowly pulled into the courtyard.
As the two cars passed each other, Rong Che cast a suspicious glance at the back seat of the Phantom.
It wasn’t until the car came to a stop in front of the villa and he saw the tall figure standing quietly on the steps that his confusion cleared, and he felt a faint surge of excitement:
“Dad—”[1]lol..I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Your dad just sent your gf away jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_3180793_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_3180793_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });
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