After letting the cool breeze wash over him for a few moments, Xu Shiyan finally regained his composure. He rolled up the window and instructed the driver to keep driving.
Beside him, Huai Yin was meticulously folding Shen Xiaozhou’s shirt. Her movements were deliberate and neat, pressing down along the edges until it resembled a tight, tidy square before laying it reverently on her lap.
She intended to take it home, wash it properly, and return it to him.
Xu Shiyan flicked his eyelids open, his gaze casually sweeping over her with palpable frustration.
It’s just a piece of clothing. Does she really need to treat it like a sacred treasure?
He let out a sharp, dissatisfied click of his tongue.
Reaching out, Xu Shiyan extended an open palm toward her.
Huai Yin raised her head sluggishly, looking at him with a bewildered expression.
Xu Shiyan had beautiful hands—fair, long-fingered, and defined, with the faint outline of veins coursing over the back of his hand that gave off a subtle sense of raw power. His palm was broad, a stark contrast to her own tiny hands. It felt as though he could easily snap her neck with just one grip.
“Give me the shirt,” Xu Shiyan said, his voice laced with annoyance.
Huai Yin shook her head. “No. I have to return it to Shen Xiaozhou.”
As if fearing he might reach out and snatch it, she crossed her arms over her chest, guarding the shirt like a mother hen protecting her chick. Her round, almond-shaped eyes widened, filled with wary alertness.
Xu Shiyan was almost amused by her fiercely protective stance.
He licked his lips, a forced, emotionless smile breaking across his handsome face. Gritting his teeth, he squeezed out, “I’ll return it for you.”
He was trying his absolute best to come across as considerate and gentle, but on the inside, he was practically bursting with rage. He had yet to settle the score with Shen Xiaozhou for taking matters into his own hands earlier.
Huai Yin hesitated.
Honestly, there was no need to go through all that trouble. She and Shen Xiaozhou lived under the same roof, so returning it to him was effortless. Besides, she knew Xu Shiyan never had anything good to say about Shen Xiaozhou. They were rivals, after all—why would he suddenly offer to do something so kind?
“N-No need,” she stammered in refusal.
That only fueled Xu Shiyan’s anger. The vein at his temple throbbed violently. He took a deep, forced breath, desperately trying to rein in his volatile temper.
“I said I’ll return it.”
He leaned in close, looming over her until his tall frame completely swallowed her in his shadow.
“Fiancée, I don’t want to see you having any contact with other men,” Xu Shiyan said, narrowing his eyes as he enunciated every single word. “Especially that Shen Xiaozhou.”
Guilt crept over Huai Yin. She lowered her head and pouted silently.
But we live under the same roof now. We see each other every time we look up—avoiding him is literally impossible.
Yet, because of the plot requirements, she couldn’t tell Xu Shiyan about their living arrangement just yet.
“But I still need to wash the shirt first,” Huai Yin offered weakly, attempting a vague excuse.
Xu Shiyan’s mouth twitched violently.
Did he hear that right? She actually wants to wash Shen Xiaozhou’s clothes?
A pampered, delicate young heiress doing laundry for a scholarship student—what was she, Shen Xiaozhou’s wife?
His knuckles cracked as his fists clenched tightly. He genuinely felt like punching someone.
“Wash what? Throw it out!”
Losing his composure entirely, Xu Shiyan ran out of patience. He roughly yanked the shirt straight out of Huai Yin’s hands and tossed it carelessly onto the empty seat beside them.
Huai Yin stared at him, dazed and aggrieved, as tears slowly pooled in her dark pupils.
Why did he have to shout at her?
His fiancée was crying—bullied to tears by him.
She’s so cute. I want to bully her even more, until her whole body turns flushed red.
Shaking the dark thought out of his head, Xu Shiyan inwardly scolded himself for his sinister impulses.
Accustomed to being the arrogant young master, he couldn’t easily shed his unruly, short-tempered nature. Everyone around him usually catered to his every whim, so whenever things didn’t go his way, he lashed out. In the past, even if he knew he was in the wrong, he would never offer an apology.
Yet today, the girl sitting in front of him was Huai Yin.
For the first time in his life, Xu Shiyan panicked.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
He blurted out an apology, frantically taking her soft, delicate hand into his own. Seeking to soothe her, he gently squeezed and stroked her palm over and over again.
“I’ll wash it for you. I’ll return it for you.”
The usually arrogant young master was now humbling himself to the extreme.
Getting up from his seat, Xu Shiyan dropped to one knee right in front of her and looked up at her face.
She was still heartbroken. Huai Yin bit her lower lip fiercely, trying her best not to cry, but tears betrayed her and spilled down her cheeks anyway.
She looked so strong, yet so pitiful.
Xu Shiyan’s heart ached for real now. A sharp, rhythmic pain throbbed in his chest as he reached out to wipe her tears away.
“Stop biting your lip. Bite my hand instead—use me to vent.”
He thrust his hand toward her mouth. Seeing her remain motionless, he gently poked her soft cheek with his finger.
“Go on, bite me. Get your revenge.”
He slipped his finger past her lips. It felt cool against her tongue—uncomfortable, but not entirely unbearable.
Sobbing lightly, Huai Yin took his finger into her mouth. She had found a new distraction, but she still felt deeply wronged. Looking at the handsome yet infuriating face before her, she summoned her courage and bit down with a bit of force.
Her teeth pressed into his finger. It didn’t hurt in the slightest; instead, it sent a fleeting, maddening itch straight through his heart.
“Harder,” Xu Shiyan encouraged her. “It’s fine, you won’t bite it off.”
He slid his long finger a little deeper—deliberately so—restlessly stirring against her soft, wet tongue.
Huai Yin shook her head, letting out muffled protests.
No.
She was going to drool at this rate!
A vibrant blush spread across her fair face. As she swallowed back her saliva, her tongue accidentally brushed against the pad of his finger.
Xu Shiyan’s body froze instantly, his gaze darkening with unreadable desire.
He locked his eyes onto her every expression, refusing to miss a single detail. Cruelly, he even toyed with the idea of pushing his finger deeper down her throat.
Pfft.
Huai Yin spat his finger out.
Xu Shiyan lowered his eyelids, staring intently at his wet hand. A glistening sheen of her saliva remained on his finger.
Unconsciously, he swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing dramatically up and down.
A rich, sweet fragrance surged into his nasal passages, leaving him dizzy and practically unable to think straight.
He desperately wanted to taste his fiancée’s saliva.
The moment the thought crossed his mind, he acted on it.
Extending his bright red tongue, he lowered his head and slowly brought his finger closer, blissfully licking the saliva into his mouth.
He swallowed.
The audible gulp rang out with startling clarity in the enclosed car cabin.
It really was sweet—as sweet as pure honey.
Huai Yin’s eyes widened in sheer shock. She stared at him, utterly bewildered.
He, he actually licked it?
Her face flushed crimson in an instant.
What on earth just happened?
Her brain felt completely fried, unable to process the situation for quite some time.
However, that tiny drop of saliva was far from enough to quench his thirst. Xu Shiyan craved more.
He looked up at her, his dark eyes locked onto her soft lips, brimming with raw greed—like a starved predator eyeing its prey.
Sense warned her that something dangerous was brewing.
Huai Yin nervously wrung her fingers together, lowering her head, not daring to meet his eyes. Just then, the car pulled up and stopped in front of a grand villa.
They had arrived.
Huai Yin finally let out a long sigh of relief.
“Thank you for dropping me off,” she said, blinking up at him with an expression full of gratitude.
Her voice was soft and airy, fluttering against his heart like a stray feather. Xu Shiyan felt his pulse skyrocket, a faint flush creeping up to his ears.
Were they already here? A wave of disappointment washed over him; he desperately wanted to stay with her a little longer.
“Aren’t you going to invite me inside for a bit?”
Seeing no sign of an invitation, Xu Shiyan was forced to drop his pride and drop a direct hint.
Unfortunately, his fiancée was far too dense.
“I don’t really have anything to entertain you with, though.”
Huai Yin rejected him politely. Her main concern was keeping him from finding out that Shen Xiaozhou was currently staying at her house. If Xu Shiyan discovered that, there was no telling how violently he would lose his mind.
“Well then, I’m heading in. See you tomorrow!”
Saying goodbye in a cheerful tone, Huai Yin reached for the door handle, only to find it locked. Startled, she turned her head back to look at him.
Xu Shiyan sat in his seat with his arms crossed, his face dark and sour.
What is it this time? Huai Yin grumbled softly in her heart.
“That’s it? You don’t have anything else to offer?”
Discarding me the moment I’ve served my purpose, how cruel, Xu Shiyan thought gloomily.
What a heartless fiancée.
He’s so childish, Huai Yin thought, feeling completely helpless.
“How about I buy you dinner next time?”
Xu Shiyan choked on his words.
What he wanted was a goodbye kiss—why couldn’t Huai Yin understand that? That was what normal couples did: the wife gave her husband a kiss before leaving.
Whatever.
Xu Shiyan suddenly had a change of heart.
A dinner date sounded pretty good, too. After all, it meant another chance to see her.
With a soft click, the car doors unlocked.
Huai Yin stepped out of the vehicle and waved at him. “Get home safely.”
She really does care about me after all. A faint smile touched Xu Shiyan’s lips. He watched her walk into the villa, refusing to let the driver pull away until her figure had completely disappeared inside.
As the car rounded the corner, something in his peripheral vision caught his eye—a familiar figure.
It was Shen Xiaozhou.
Xu Shiyan’s expression instantly darkened.
Why is a scholarship student hanging around a luxury residential area?
Is he following her?
He ordered the driver to pull over and block the guy’s path.
“Shen Xiaozhou, you really are like a bad penny, aren’t you?”
A voice dripping with mockery rang out. Shen Xiaozhou raised his head to see the car window rolling down, revealing Xu Shiyan looking down at him from inside like a high-and-mighty lord.
“Can I help you?” Shen Xiaozhou asked, his tone cold and detached.
Xu Shiyan let out a quiet scoff. “Scholarship boy, this isn’t a neighborhood where you belong. Are you lost, or do you have ulterior motives—like stalking someone?”
Shen Xiaozhou stood straight and rigid as a snow-dusted pine. The gentle breeze ruffled his hair, casting flickering shadows over his eyes, while his pale, handsome face remained entirely devoid of emotion.
“If you don’t have anything useful to say, move out of my way,” he said, his voice as chilling as a deep ice cellar.
Xu Shiyan curled his lip. His eyes flicked to the shirt resting on the seat beside him. Snatching it up, he tossed it straight out the window.
“Oh, right—your stuff.”
Shen Xiaozhou instinctively caught it. But the moment his eyes landed on what he was holding, his expression shifted radically.
“I’m returning it on behalf of my fiancée,” Xu Shiyan said, towering over him in a clear stance of victory.
“Though I really have to wonder if your parents ever taught you.” Xu Shiyan’s tone abruptly turned vicious, his face contorted in utter disgust. “Shen Xiaozhou, being a home-wrecker is shameful.”