Jiang Zhuo raised an eyebrow and naturally wrapped his arms around her.
“Th-there’s a snake!”
Even in his embrace, she remained trapped in fear, unable to break free. She kept tiptoeing anxiously, rubbing herself against his chest, clutching his pajamas tightly as if she would never let go.
Little did she know how much Jiang Zhuo was enjoying her terror at this moment.
The mischievous smile on his face grew increasingly evident.
“Don’t be afraid. Take your time and tell me what happened?”
As he spoke, he held her even tighter, intoxicated by the softness swaying in his arms.
“There’s…” Cheng Sisi continued to stammer uncontrollably, “In that room… there’s a snake, a huge one! It scared me to death!”
With someone comforting her, her tears flowed even more pitifully, and her words became increasingly incoherent.
“It crawled onto my bed, then… then it disappeared, and then it crawled back up again. I ran out of the room to find Jiang Xin, but she… she wouldn’t open the door. I was so scared!”
“I’m sorry, Brother Jiang Zhuo, I was so scared!”
“I… I don’t know if it’s still in there now!”
“Brother Jiang Zhuo…”
She sobbed uncontrollably, while the smile on Jiang Zhuo’s lips grew even more unrestrained.
Yet he said softly, “I’m here, don’t be afraid!”
He patted her back gently, comforting her, “Don’t cry, it’s okay. I’ll go check it out. Don’t be scared!”
“No!” she shook her head frantically. “I don’t know if it’s venomous!”
“It’s fine, I’m here.”
With that, he bent slightly and scooped her up into his arms.
“Stay in my room for a while first. I’ll go take a look.”
The sudden feeling of weightlessness finally made Cheng Sisi realize that she might have acted inappropriately.
She couldn’t believe she had just rushed into Jiang Zhuo’s arms.
Especially now, as he was carrying her.
“I’m sorry!” she immediately apologized, struggling to get down. “I’m sorry, Brother Jiang Zhuo, I lost my composure!”
Jiang Zhuo continued to comfort her gently, “Don’t move, it’s okay. It’s normal to be scared when you see a snake. Be good, stop crying, and go sit in my room for a while.”
His soothing words gradually calmed her down. In the blink of an eye, she was in his room, gently placed on the sofa.
Then, he turned to leave again.
“Brother Jiang Zhuo!” Cheng Sisi grabbed his hand. “Please be careful!”
Jiang Zhuo patted the back of her hand. “Don’t worry, I will.”
Watching his figure disappear through the doorway, Cheng Sisi began to sob again, curling herself into a ball.
Thank goodness Jiang Zhuo was here!
Little did she know that Jiang Zhuo, whom she now saw as her savior, was utterly calm when he entered the room and saw the snake lying on the bed. He walked past it as if it weren’t there, heading straight for the window.
He took out the cigarette and lighter he had been holding in his palm, lit it, and held it between his index and middle fingers, taking a deep drag.
He had grabbed them from the table earlier while turning his back to Cheng Sisi.
As his lips parted, a slow stream of smoke escaped his mouth. Rings of smoke floated upward, veiling his slightly narrowed eyes like a thin gauze, softening the desire that threatened to spill from his gaze.
Recalling her tear-stained, pitiful appearance—how satisfying!
Indeed, she truly looked beautiful when she cried.
Fragile as if she would shatter at the slightest touch, yet it was precisely this fragility that stirred in him an even more intense desire to crush and dominate.
Cheng Sisi, truly remarkable!
Only after finishing a cigarette did he finally get up to deal with the snake in the room.
Three minutes later, he left.
When he returned to his own room, Cheng Sisi was sitting motionless on the sofa, hugging her knees.
Seeing him, she immediately jumped off the sofa and ran toward him, asking anxiously, “Brother Jiang Zhuo, are you okay?”
Jiang Zhuo shook his head and reassured her, “The snake has been thrown out the window. It wasn’t venomous, so don’t worry.”
“It’s also my fault for arranging that room for you. Most apartments here are near the mountains, and summer is when snakes and rodents are most active. Plus, there’s a tree outside your window—the snake probably climbed up through it.”
“I’m sorry for scaring you!”
He took the blame upon himself, which made Cheng Sisi feel uneasy.
He was just too kind—after all, he was the one who had helped her!
“Brother Jiang Zhuo, it’s not your fault. Please don’t apologize. If anything, I’m the one always causing you trouble. I really feel terrible about it.”
Is that so?
A flicker of light passed through Jiang Zhuo’s eyes as he chuckled inwardly.
If she knew that he was the one who had personally placed that snake in her room, would she hate him to death or cry even more pitifully?
Traces of tears still lingered on her face, and her eyes remained red.
She looked utterly pitiful.
How he longed to see her cry even harder!
“Let’s not dwell on this. The most important thing is that you’re safe. I won’t let you stay in that room anymore. How about this—move to the room next to mine. Jiang Xin can’t even take care of herself, let alone look after you. If you’re closer to me, you can come to me right away if anything happens.”
Cheng Sisi was tempted, but she found it difficult to agree.
It had only been a few days, and she had already changed rooms several times. After all, this was someone else’s home, and she felt she was causing Jiang Zhuo too much trouble.
Yet, she truly didn’t dare stay in that room again!
As always, Jiang Zhuo remained considerate. Sensing her inner conflict and knowing she wanted to agree but felt too embarrassed to say so, he made the decision for her.
“Listen to me, it’s settled. I’ll go check what’s missing in the next room. Wait here.”
With that, he turned and walked out again.
Left behind, Cheng Sisi gazed at his retreating figure with gratitude.
She couldn’t help but sigh again—if only Jiang Si were half as thoughtful as him.
She wondered, if Jiang Si had been here just now, what would he have done?
Before long, Jiang Zhuo had tidied up the room and brought Cheng Sisi in.
“I’ve checked every corner—everything’s fine. Rest easy here. If anything happens, just call for me. I’ll hear you.”
Looking at his sincere face, Cheng Sisi felt gratitude overflowing within her.
“Brother Jiang Zhuo, thank you so much. If it weren’t for you tonight, I don’t know what I would have done. I might have been scared to death.”
Hearing this, Jiang Zhuo, usually gentle, suddenly grew stern.
“Don’t talk about death. As long as you’re with me, I won’t let anything happen to you.”
His words, firm and resolute, carried a reassuring sense of security.
After offering a few more words of advice, he closed the door for her and left.
“Phew!”
Cheng Sisi let out a long sigh of relief. Finally, she could rest easy.
It really was getting late. Tomorrow morning was her first day at work, and she was still in the probation period. She absolutely had to be energetic on the first day to leave a good impression on the company’s leaders and colleagues.
Getting back into bed, drowsiness quickly washed over her.
However, Jiang Zhuo in the next room was still wide awake.
After returning to his room and locking the door, he walked to the wardrobe in front of the bed. Opening the wardrobe, he pressed a button hidden inside, and the entire wardrobe suddenly split open from the middle, dividing into two halves.
Revealing a moderately sized Secret Chamber in between.