Сhарtеr 3: Be Gооd
Еvеrуone obеdiеntly stoрped fоllоwing, ехсеpt fоr thе snоw fоx, which dаshed forward, trying tо kеeр uр.
Zhuо Fеng knеw that аt this mоmеnt, everуthing оther thаn Shen Ciying wаs a disturbаnce to Shеn Rangсhen.
Не immediatеly strode аftеr thе snоw fox, intеnding tо рiсk it up, but somеonе beat him tо it, cradling thе fox in thеir arms and evеn snарping соldly at him:
“A Ying’s рet is nоt sоmething yоu can tоuch.”
Аs Shеn Rаngchеn’s chief sеcretаrу, Zhuо Feng often represented him in mаnу situations, and few dаrеd to speаk tо him like this. His expression instantly turned cold as he prepared to retort, but upon seeing who stood before him, his defiance vanished entirely.
It was Fu Ye, the gloomy and taciturn figure by Shen Ciying’s side, who disregarded even Shen Rangchen and cared for no one but Shen Ciying.
Extreme, loyal.
He resorted to violence more often than words.
Last time, after being beaten by her, even the boss hadn’t sought justice for him.
He couldn’t afford to provoke her.
None of those in the Immortal Fox Garden were to be trifled with.
Shen Rangchen carried Shen Ciying all the way into a two-story retro-style pavilion that served as their living quarters.
As soon as he settled with Shen Ciying on the sofa, a servant approached with a medical kit to tend to the fox scratches on his face.
Shen Ciying, sitting in his lap, tilted her head and watched for a moment before losing interest and rising to go upstairs to change out of her cumbersome Daji costume.
But she had barely taken two steps when she heard the man’s cold, low voice behind her: “Come back.”
Once the scratches were treated, the servant, at Shen Rangchen’s signal, led the others out of the room, gently closing the door behind them.
Shen Ciying, who had only taken a few steps, turned back with an air of haughty pride and tossed out a defiant reply: “I won’t!”
The closing of the door seemed to also shut away the last of Shen Rangchen’s patience. He reached out with a long arm and pulled the girl back.
“Ah!”
Shen Ciying let out an unprepared gasp as Shen Rangchen pressed her firmly into his lap, leaving no room for resistance.
The next moment, he pinched her cheek without mercy, forcing her to meet his eyes as he spoke in a voice icy with anger:
“Shen Ciying! No one dares to treat me like this! You’re becoming less and less obedient, and it’s driving me mad!”
Shen Rangchen still remembered clearly their first meeting, when she knelt pitifully at his feet, her small hands timidly tugging at his pant leg, tears streaming down her face as she pleaded:
“Young Master Shen, please keep me. I can do anything, I’ll do anything.”
She gazed up at him with tear-filled eyes, repeating over and over, “Please…”
It was after his coming-of-age ceremony, when his grandfather had assigned him a separate residence and allowed him to choose servants.
Shen Ciying became his youngest servant, raised by his side.
That year, he was 18, and she was 10.
Back then, he never imagined he would raise her into the willful and spoiled girl she had become.
It was as if the pitiful image from their first meeting had all been an act for his benefit.
Then again, she was always skilled at pretending. Perhaps willfulness and spoilt behavior were her true nature.
Shen Ciying could clearly feel the man’s arm tightening around her waist, his grip on her cheek causing a slight sting. His gaze was sharp and cold.
Hmm… he really seemed angry.
It made her a little happy.
She loved seeing him angry.
She loved watching the man who, in the eyes of outsiders, always appeared calm, composed, and dignified, have his emotions stirred by her.
Shen Ciying wasn’t the least bit intimidated by his cold fury. Instead, she smiled coquettishly and provocatively:
“Angry? Then why don’t you finish me off tonight?”
Her tone was ambiguous and seductive, her words laden with suggestive meaning.Shen Rangchen didn’t know what images had surfaced in his mind, but his thoughts swayed uncontrollably for a moment, his Adam’s apple bobbing lightly.
Having been abroad for over half a month, his body truly longed for… her.
Yet the next second, the little vixen before him, noticing the shift in his expression, added triumphantly with a twist:
“I believe President Shen has plenty of ways to make me vanish from this world without a trace.”
Shen Rangchen’s face instantly darkened, feeling played. The hand around her waist tightened abruptly, and his voice grew colder and more oppressive under the girl’s teasing gaze, brimming with danger:
“Do you think I don’t dare, or that I can’t bear to?”
Shen Ciying met his dangerous gaze without flinching, pleased to see the anger in his eyes still simmering. Suddenly, she smiled brightly and seductively, as if possessed by a fox spirit, sticking out her tongue to lightly lick the webbing of his hand where it pinched her cheek.
Her eyes were bewitching and coquettish, her soft tongue teasingly provocative—utterly a seductive fox spirit stirring desire.
Shen Rangchen’s body stiffened abruptly, as if a faint electric current surged through his limbs in that instant, numbing his body and mind. The hand pinching her cheek loosened.
Seizing the moment of his stiffness and relaxation, Shen Ciying threw herself against his chest, planting a fleeting, dragonfly-touching-water-like kiss on the man’s lips.
After the girl’s series of actions, the fire in Shen Rangchen’s eyes dissipated by nearly half.
Then he saw the little vixen tilt her head and flash him a smile that was both innocent and alluring, deliberately drawing out her words:
“I bet President Shen can’t bear to part with me~ After all, I was raised by you~”
Shen Rangchen looked at the girl in his arms, his brow furrowed tightly. Once again, he realized that even though she infuriated him, a simple kiss from her could extinguish his anger.
In fact, ever since he saw her tonight, all his emotions had been led by her.
He disliked this feeling of being controlled.
He was unwilling, and could not afford, to be controlled by anyone.
And she, it seemed, was always testing his limits.
Growing increasingly spoiled—it had been too long since he disciplined her.
He knew she never feared death; what she feared was not being able to live well.
Shen Rangchen lifted his hand to pinch her chin, his tone cold and detached: “You still remember I raised you. Stop being so troublesome; be more obedient.”
His thumb gently brushed her lips as he lowered his gaze to meet her eyes, his voice deep and low: “Otherwise, try me. See if I’ll spare you tonight.”
Under his gaze, Shen Ciying’s body trembled involuntarily for a moment, but she quickly regained her haughty demeanor. Seeing the man’s lips about to descend for a kiss, she directly covered his mouth with her hand, refusing him, and pouted unhappily:
“You’ve been abroad for so long—are your mouth and body still clean?”
Shen Rangchen didn’t answer her. Instead, he removed her hand, pinned both her hands behind her back, and forcefully captured her tempting red lips.
“Mmph!”
Shen Ciying tried to struggle but was kissed even more deeply and fiercely.
Their relationship was subtle—not that of lovers, yet they did everything lovers do.
If called a canary, she wasn’t one to humble herself.
He could answer her question, but he saw no need to prove his loyalty to her.
And Shen Ciying understood this as well.
Between them, it was a matter of mutual benefit.
She sought his protection.
He used her for amusement.
It was just that she couldn’t accept it.
Shen Ciying was proud and willful, yet she knew when to advance and retreat. She didn’t press relentlessly about the question he hadn’t answered.Instead, while being kissed until her eyes were hazy with desire and her demeanor was utterly coquettish, she managed to ask:
“You… mmm~ will you marry… Fu Yutang?”
Her voice continued, soft and seductive: “Not for love, but for profit, for the family.”