The New Year had just passed, and in February, the chill of midwinter had yet to recede.
In a small town about a hundred kilometers from the capital, inside a second-floor room of an inn, Liu Suisui had just submerged herself in hot water when a window was suddenly forced open, and a figure flew inside.
Her first instinct was to scream, but the intruder covered her mouth before she could make a sound.
The man leaned down beside her ear, his breath brushing against her as he whispered in a low, pressing voice, “Take off my clothes!”
Liu Suisui’s almond-shaped eyes widened in disbelief.
What kind of decent person demands their clothes be taken off the moment they arrive?
This damn lecher…
She tried to struggle and flee for her life, but the man’s voice bore down on her again: “Choose one: I kill you, or you take off my clothes!”
His gloomy tone terrified Liu Suisui, turning her small face deathly pale.
With trembling hands, she reached out to pull at his belt.
Commotion erupted outside, accompanied by shouting that seemed to be heading toward the second floor.
Liu Suisui moved slowly on purpose, hoping someone would discover she was being held captive.
But the man had already seen through her intentions. The moment Liu Suisui unfastened his belt, he reached up, tore off his clothes, tossed them under the bed, and stepped into the bathtub…
The door was kicked open.
Several men in official uniforms, clutching blades, burst in to investigate, only to be stunned by the erotic scene before them.
Under the dim, yellow glow of the candlelight, a fair-skinned young woman sat in the bathtub, held in the arms of a bare-backed man. The young woman let out a delicate, sweet cry: “Husband…”
With their “private moment” suddenly interrupted, the young woman ducked into the man’s embrace in a panic, her voice becoming even more coy: “Ah, bad men…”
The soldiers snapped back to their senses.
The murderous intent they had carried while chasing the fugitive was instantly replaced by a rush of blood to their heads.
One of the younger, inexperienced soldiers even pathetically developed a nosebleed.
As they stood there dazed, the man, who had kept his back to them the entire time, spoke up. “Have you gentlemen seen enough?”
His voice was deep and displeased, his patience clearly exhausted.
The soldiers recovered, their expressions sheepish as they turned and retreated.
As the door clicked shut and the footsteps faded into the distance, Liu Suisui’s face turned bright red. She struggled tremulously, “You… you let go of me first…”
Shen Gongshen did not move.
His sharp, cold eyes stared at the window, where shadows flickered.
Someone was still outside.
His long fingers moved, giving a firm pinch to a patch of soft, supple skin.
Liu Suisui gasped in pain, let out a sharp “Ah!”
Her voice was naturally sultry; though she was in genuine pain, the sound she made was enough to make one’s heart race and ears turn red.
The flickering shadow outside finally left, seemingly satisfied.
As soon as they were gone, Shen Gongshen immediately released the young woman in his arms, his hooded eyes showing not a hint of lingering attachment.
He was as cold-hearted as Yama.
His long, straight legs, clad in black silk trousers, stepped out of the bathtub. He picked up his clothes from under the bed and began to dress.
He moved with incredible speed. By the time Liu Suisui regained her composure, he had already fastened his belt and was making a move to leave.
Liu Suisui sat in the bathtub, her face flushed as she covered her eyes and wept.
What kind of sin had she committed to deserve this?
She had traveled thousands of miles from Jiangnan to the capital, and just as she was expected to arrive tomorrow, she encountered such a calamity today.
“If you intend to leave, sir, why not leave behind a length of white silk so I can end my own life?”
She sobbed, her voice choked with misery and resentment.
Shen Gongshen looked up at her, his gaze sweeping over her cream-white neck before settling on her trembling eyelashes, which were beaded with tears. “What do you want?”
His voice was indifferent, as if he wasn’t the one who had just treated her that way.
No matter how soft her personality was, Liu Suisui felt a spark of temper flare up.
She looked up at him.
Her beautiful almond eyes were slightly rounded, her long lashes trembled, and her cherry-blossom lips were pouted. Her willow-leaf brows were furrowed tight; she looked quite moving, yet she possessed not an ounce of intimidation.
“What can I do?” she said, on the verge of tears. “You burst in without a word. I… I wasn’t prepared at all.”
A different meaning flickered in the depths of Shen Gongshen’s dark eyes.
He quirked an eyebrow slightly. “Prepared for what?”
He thought she had been quite prepared.
She caught on instantly and seemed to know exactly what to do.
Though she was only at the age of her hair-pinning ceremony, she possessed a naturally seductive air. Just now, it hadn’t felt like an act at all.
The young woman spoke with righteous indignation: “You should have at least let me put on some clothes first! I’ve been completely seen by you like this!”
As she spoke, she wrapped her arms around her shoulders and sank deeper into the water, leaving only her palm-sized face visible.
Liu Suisui stared resentfully at the man, feeling extremely angry. “Anyway, I… I don’t care who you are, you must compensate me for my purity today!”
Who else could someone being chased by the government be?
Wasn’t he just a bandit?
Even if he was very handsome, it didn’t change the fact that he was a bandit at heart.
Although her father had passed away and her family had fallen on hard times, she was still born a proper lady of an official family. How could this low-status bandit be worthy of her?
She didn’t want him to take responsibility; she just wanted some money.
It was just a few glances and a bit of hugging, wasn’t it?
The young woman knew when to yield and when to stand her ground.
Besides, they would never see each other again.
With some silver to support her, she could live a better life once she reached the capital.
As the Imperial Guard Commander, what kind of people had Shen Gongshen not encountered?
He lifted his eyelids, able to guess exactly what she wanted the moment she opened her mouth.
Let alone a green girl like Liu Suisui.
The thought “I want money” was practically engraved on her face.
Shen Gongshen, who had been feeling a bit of a headache, suddenly laughed. He couldn’t help but take another look at Liu Suisui.
The corners of his mouth curled slightly in a thin, cold smile.
Quite interesting.
This made things easy.
He pulled a stack of silver notes from his robe and casually placed them on the table.
His long fingers rested on the silver notes, tapping them rhythmically.
He spoke in a leisurely manner, “I suddenly remembered something.”
Liu Suisui looked up at him, only to see him lean down. His thin lips brushed against her earlobe, his voice like Yama demanding a life: “I am being hunted by soldiers, and you are the only living person who has seen my true face…”
His fingers had moved to her neck at some point.
His thumb brushed carelessly against the nape of her neck.
Her slender neck was held within his large hand; it would snap with a single twist.
Liu Suisui turned deathly pale, so frightened she even forgot to cry. “I swear, I won’t tell anyone!”
Seeing that he didn’t believe her, she promised again with a trembling voice, “You have to trust me…”
Shen Gongshen gave a wicked smile.
“Trust you? We are strangers meeting by chance; why should I trust you?” He paused, his voice dropping low. “Unless…”
Liu Suisui looked at him with a glimmer of hope.
The next second, however, she heard him say, “I cut out your tongue?”
“…”
“That’s not quite right either,” he added, his lips curling as he continued to torture her with his voice. “Why don’t I chop off both your hands as well?”
Timid as a mouse, Liu Suisui trembled like a leaf in the autumn wind under his successive threats.
She stammered, filled with both terror and rage.
“You wouldn’t dare… I’ll haunt you as a ghost!”
After saying that, she covered her face and wept again under his dark, brooding gaze.
“You bandit… you’re repaying kindness with enmity, you’ll get what’s coming to you…” She wailed and pleaded, “I don’t want the silver anymore, just don’t kill me…”
She cried until she developed hiccups, then suddenly stopped.
The large hand that had been gripping her neck was gone.
The movement beside her had ceased.
Her eyelashes fluttered, and her eyes slowly opened…
Looking closely, the villain had disappeared at some point.
She glanced around; the window was wide open. He had entered through it and left through it, coming and going like a shadow, without a sound.
Liu Suisui’s heart finally relaxed, and all the strength left her body.
She slumped weakly against the edge of the tub, unable to recover for a long time.