He enveloped her, his presence both commanding and gentle, his low, magnetic voice whispering seductively in her ear.
“Baby, why did you take so long to come back?”
Ba-baby?
Mu Ci was taken aback by the endearment, while her nose caught a faint whiff of alcohol.
Mingled with the cool scent of pine on him, it was inexplicably pleasant.
Her long, curled lashes fluttered slightly. “Have you been drinking?”
“Just a little,” he spoke, his breath carrying a subtle, fragrant aroma of liquor.
Mu Ci: “…”
Just a little, and he calls her “baby”?
Clearly, he’s had more than a little.
Usually, if you ask a drunk if they’re drunk, they’ll insist they’re not.
Asking would be pointless, so Mu Ci decided to skip the question.
“Are you feeling unwell? Do you want me to go downstairs and make you some honey water?”
“I am unwell.”
He shook his head. “But I don’t want honey water.”
“Then what do you want?”
Qin Yan lowered his gaze, staring at her soft, pink lips as they parted, lost in thought.
Thinking he must be feeling very uncomfortable, Mu Ci turned toward the bathroom. “Let me go get a towel to wipe you… Ah…”
She hadn’t taken two steps before the man wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, pulling her firmly into his embrace.
He lowered his head, nuzzling against the pale curve of her neck, his slightly coarse black hair brushing against her skin.
A tingling mix of numbness, itchiness, and slight pain, the subtle sensations converging into a uniquely pleasurable feeling.
Like a tiny hook, tugging at her heart.
“I want to hold you.”
Qin Yan’s voice, softened by alcohol, was exceptionally husky and seductive. “Baby, we haven’t slept together since we got married. How about sleeping together tonight?”
Mu Ci: “…”
Why does that sound a bit resentful?
But then again, do aloof CEOs always have such a drastic change when they’re drunk?
Mu Ci simply assumed he wasn’t fully conscious. She reached up and patted his head, coaxing him gently. “Our relationship hasn’t reached the point of sharing a bed yet. Be good, okay?”
Qin Yan tilted his head and kissed her fingertip, his tone pleading. “Just for tonight, can’t we?”
Mu Ci was slightly stunned.
That pitiful tone, paired with his impossibly handsome face—it was hard not to be moved.
But Miss Mu was very clear-headed.
For two adults without feelings, sharing a bed just felt awkward.
Well, let’s not mention that one reckless night over a month ago.
Mentioning it only brings regret.
She wriggled out of his embrace but didn’t outright refuse, offering another option instead. “I can stay until you fall asleep.”
At this point, Qin Yan could clearly sense her stance.
No matter how much he wanted to claim her, he had to suppress the urge, afraid of frightening his little girl.
He conceded. “Alright, I’ll go take a shower.”
Mu Ci sat on the sofa in Qin Yan’s room, listening to the sound of running water from the bathroom, her thoughts drifting far away.
It’s no wonder they say male beauty is intoxicating. Qin Yan’s face, really, tsk tsk…
Her thoughts drifted even further, back to that passionate night a month ago.
Under the dim light, beads of sweat dripped from the man’s slightly defined chest down to his well-proportioned abs, then followed the line of his sexy V-cut, disappearing into the thicket below…
Mu Ci suddenly felt a bit thirsty.
She stood up to look for water, just as the bathroom door swung open, and their eyes met.
“Hmm?”
Qin Yan’s robe was loosely tied around his waist, revealing his pale collarbone and a glimpse of his well-defined chest.
Mu Ci felt even thirstier.
She averted her gaze, thinking that saying she was looking for water would sound too obvious. Instead, she blurted out:
“I was worried you might be in danger since you’re drunk, so I waited here.”
Qin Yan raised an eyebrow, seemingly quite surprised.
Then, staring at the little girl’s suddenly reddened earlobes, he thought of something and curved his lips.
Well, if she said she was waiting for him, then she was waiting for him.
He ruffled her hair, his voice low and magnetic: “Thank you, baby.”
It had to be said that Qin Yan, whether in looks, figure, or voice, hit every single one of Mu Ci’s aesthetic preferences.
On a night like this, it was downright dangerous.
The more Miss Mu feared revealing something, the colder her expression would become.
She turned around expressionlessly: “No need to thank me, it’s only right. You should get some sleep.”
One moment her ears were red, the next she turned cool and aloof.
His fingertips still seemed to retain the sensation of her hair. Qin Yan withdrew his hand and gave a helpless tug at his lips.
Mu Ci sat on the sofa by the bed and finally couldn’t take it anymore after Qin Yan stared at her for the twelfth minute.
“Qin Yan, are you going to sleep or not?”
“Yes.”
“Then close your eyes.”
Fresh out of the shower, Qin Yan wasn’t as sharp as usual. Soft black strands of hair fell across his forehead, and wrapped in the blanket, he gave off an inexplicable urge to ruffle him.
He propped his head lazily: “I’ll sleep if you chat with me.”
“…”
Now she had to entertain him too.
But the condition wasn’t unreasonable. After all, the God of Wealth had been generous, solving her family’s financial crisis in one go.
During the day, Ms. Dai Wanfen had even called specifically to remind her to get along well with Qin Yan and to nurture their marriage properly.
Even a plastic marriage was still a marriage.
Mu Ci decided that within her capabilities, she would fulfill all the demands of the great God of Wealth.
She put down the magazine in her hand: “What do you want to talk about?”
Qin Yan’s eyes were deep, his thick, long lashes fluttering slightly as he casually said, “Just talk about where you went today.”
Checking her schedule?
Mu Ci thought to herself, didn’t the driver tell you where I went?
She answered truthfully: “In the afternoon, I went to a show with Qi Qi, then came back after dinner.”
“Was the show nice?”
“Just average,” Mu Ci thought for a moment and said, “I ran into some annoying people, but I got back at them, and I felt pretty good about it.”
Qin Yan coaxed gently: “Only annoying people? Didn’t you run into anything else that made you happy?”
Without much thought, she replied: “Yes, I met a very close friend.”
“How close is ‘very close’?”
“It’s just very…”
Mu Ci paused, suddenly lifting her eyes to look at him: “Why do I feel like you’re not chatting with me but interrogating me?”
“…”
What to do when the little girl is too clever?
Qin Yan frowned, but before he could speak, he heard Mu Ci add: “Although we’re in a marriage, I’m used to my freedom and don’t like being controlled. Can you understand that, Mr. Qin?”
Miss Mu had never been restrained since childhood, and her family had few demands of her. In a marriage in name only, she didn’t want to feel tied down.
She called him “Mr. Qin,” her tone somewhat serious.
Under the dim light, Qin Yan tugged at his lips: “Of course I understand…”
Bullshit.
He had come home filled with anger, truly wanting to teach the little girl a lesson.
But the moment he saw her, all his anger and resentment vanished, and he couldn’t bring himself to say a single harsh word.
Qin Yan felt frustrated, with nowhere to vent it, and lay back on the pillow, staring at the ceiling.
Seeing him silent, Mu Ci thought he was going to sleep and picked up the magazine to continue reading.
A moment later, a slender hand suddenly reached over from beside her, snatched away her magazine, and then pulled her hand to rest against his cheek, rubbing it gently.
Her fingertips carried a faint fragrance.
“Baby.”
His voice was lazy, tinged with the haze of intoxication: “I won’t interfere with you, but can you promise me to keep your distance from the opposite sex?”
Mu Ci: ??
Why had his tone shifted back to that pitiful, aggrieved one?