Previously, it was because she was not feeling well, and later because she had injured her leg. Nearly a month had passed since she arrived, yet Li Juechen had never touched her.
Tang Lichu had thought there was no way she would escape him tonight. To her surprise, however, the man merely escorted her into the washroom and gently rubbed her head.
“I know you’re scared. I won’t force you. When you’re ready, we’ll talk about it.”
With that, he closed the door and walked away.
Listening to his footsteps gradually fade into the distance, Tang Lichu couldn’t help but smile sweetly.
So, in front of him, she still had her dignity.
Li Juechen went into the washroom of the guest room and let the icy water pour over him, drenching his burning body.
Did he truly have no desire for Tang Lichu?
Naturally not.
Deep within him, his desire had long been burning like a raging fire, almost driving him mad.
But he was Li Xiao’s legitimate eldest son, and his mother came from a powerful royal family. His marriage was something he could never decide for himself. Under the traditional arrangement of parental authority and matchmaking, he could give her wealth, exclusive affection, protection, and even love—but there was one thing he could never give her: the legitimate status of a wife.
If she couldn’t be his legal wife, was he supposed to make Tang Lichu his concubine?
That would mean she would have to greet another woman every day, serve her tea, and live among the women in his household, scheming and competing with them for his favor.
He couldn’t bear to let her endure that.
Just imagining it made his heart ache.
She was timid and easily frightened, yet kindhearted, innocent, and pure. There was simply no way he could throw a woman like her into the midst of those coquettish, superficial women.
Then should he keep her hidden forever, making her a mistress who could never see the light of day?
He couldn’t bear that either.
As for what he should do, he didn’t know yet.
That was precisely why he couldn’t simply take her without giving it any thought.
It wasn’t that he was giving her an escape route. Tang Lichu was his. Even if he couldn’t have her, he would never allow another man to possess her.
The only reason he hadn’t touched her was because, deep in his heart, there was still the faintest glimmer of hope…
No matter how difficult the path might be, he wanted to try.
After washing up, Tang Lichu changed into a dark purple silk nightgown. Her long, waterfall-like hair fell loosely over her shoulders. She quietly climbed into bed, assuming Li Juechen had already left.
She never expected the bedroom door to suddenly open.
A tall figure, carrying a trace of coolness from outside, walked in.
Li Juechen was dressed in black silk pajamas, the collar slightly open, revealing a small patch of bronze-colored skin and the faint outline of his solid chest. His stern face showed a hint of weariness, but it did little to conceal the innate authority and domineering presence he carried.
Tang Lichu stared at him in surprise.
Before she could react, Li Juechen strode to the bed and lay down without ceremony. Closing his eyes, he lightly pressed his long fingers against his temples and said in a low voice,
“I had some wine with dinner. My head is killing me. Come over and massage it for me.”
Tang Lichu’s heart tightened, and she quickly sat up.
Although her cheeks were already burning, she forced herself to remain calm. She extended her fair arms and carefully placed both hands against either side of Li Juechen’s head.
When her delicate fingers touched him, a cool sensation traveled through her fingertips. The man’s tense nerves gradually relaxed.
After she massaged him for a while, Li Juechen began to grow drowsy. But since he hadn’t told her to stop, Tang Lichu naturally didn’t dare to stop on her own.
“That’s enough. Not bad. You’ve learned massage too?”
Tang Lichu softly hummed in response.
“I learned from an old Chinese medicine doctor. If you—if Brother Chen needs it, I can do it for you anytime.”
Li Juechen said nothing.
With one sweep of his long arm, he pulled her into his embrace. He lowered his head and kissed the crown of her hair before saying hoarsely,
“Go to sleep. Be good and don’t move around. I just want to hold you while I sleep. If you don’t behave, I can’t promise what might happen.”
Hearing the threatening tone in his voice, Tang Lichu was so annoyed that she wanted to bite him.
They slept soundly through the night.
The next morning, the first rays of dawn slipped gently through the gap in the curtains.
Tang Lichu slowly woke up. Still drowsy, she suddenly realized that her back was pressed against his firm, warm chest, while a muscular arm lay heavily across her chest, making it almost difficult for her to breathe.
Her heart immediately began racing.
She carefully shifted her body, hoping to escape the embarrassing position, but instead she woke the man behind her.
Li Juechen let out a muffled groan and tightened his arm, pulling her even closer until there was no space between them.
His slightly sleepy, hoarse voice sounded beside her ear.
“Awake?”
Tang Lichu’s face instantly turned bright red.
In a panic, she yanked the blanket over her head and buried herself underneath it.
Her muffled voice came from beneath the covers.
“Third Master, could you move your arm? You’re… you’re squashing me…”
Li Juechen couldn’t help but chuckle.
The laughter made his chest tremble slightly. Instead of releasing her as she wished, he seemed determined to tease her. After deliberately giving her a couple of playful squeezes, his hand slid down along her slender waist before finally settling on her rounded curves.
“Tsk. I never noticed. You look so slim, but I didn’t expect you to be so well-developed. Looks like my hands are too small.”
Tang Lichu wished she could find a hole in the floor and crawl into it.
What kind of shameless things was he saying first thing in the morning? He had already taken advantage of her, and now he was making sarcastic remarks about it too!
“All right, I won’t tease you anymore. Get up. I’ll have a car arranged for you later. Take Mrs. Smith out for a stroll. You might as well buy yourself some more clothes and jewelry. Wear them for me to see.”
For the first time, Tang Lichu experienced the full force of blushing and a racing heart.
Li Juechen also knew that the little woman was easily embarrassed, so he took the initiative to leave the room.
Only after she heard the door close did Tang Lichu emerge from beneath the covers. She quickly washed up and changed clothes.
She chose a long, short-sleeved cheongsam in a smoky blue-green shade. Her long, seaweed-like hair was loosely gathered into a low bun, secured with a jade hairpin. A pair of fan-shaped earrings adorned her ears.
Her waist was slender and delicate enough to fit within one hand, while her graceful curves gave her an alluring figure.
Her long, straight legs and rounded curves created near-perfect proportions, making her breathtakingly beautiful.
Li Juechen was sitting in the dining room when the little woman walked toward him.
For a moment, he forgot to breathe.
Was it too late for him to regret this?
His woman was this beautiful. How could he possibly let her go out and attract attention?
She was clearly better suited to being pampered by him, hidden away in his room where he could admire her all to himself!
“Feng An!”
Feng An hurried in, keeping his eyes respectfully lowered as he waited for his master’s instructions.
Li Juechen’s gaze remained fixed on Tang Lichu, utterly captivated.
“Take more men with you when you go out today. Make absolutely sure she’s protected. Apart from Mrs. Smith, no one is to get close to her. If anything happens…”
Before Li Juechen could finish, Feng An immediately raised his voice and assured him,
“Third Master, rest assured! I know what to do. Even if it’s a male mosquito, I absolutely won’t let it fly anywhere near Miss!”