Tang Tian didn’t know how long he had been painting. When she heard him say, “You can take a nap,” her consciousness quickly sank into a dream.
On the terrace, sunlight streamed in, spilling all around her.
The wind that blew in rustled her dark hair from behind. Perhaps the scarf she had tied her hair with while cleaning had loosened a bit, and now, as the wind blew, the scarf drifted away from her hair.
Against the sun-drenched backdrop, she sat on the wooden chair, her hair swaying gently in the breeze. Her beautiful, radiant face was illuminated by the light, her eyes softly closed, her sleeping expression serene and peaceful.
At that moment, Shen Yanli was struck by the absurd thought of wanting to keep her hidden away for himself.
His hand gripping the paintbrush unconsciously tightened, though he was completely unaware of it.
After a moment, he stood up and walked over to Tang Tian. He reached out to brush away the strands of hair that had fallen across her chest, but they seemed to be playing hide-and-seek with him—no sooner had he moved them aside than the wind blew them right back into place.
Shen Yanli was patient. This time, he tucked the strands behind her ear. As his fingertips brushed against her skin, especially her ear, she trembled slightly.
Tang Tian seemed to be sleeping soundly and didn’t wake from his touch.
Shen Yanli withdrew his hand and was about to return to his painting when he saw the wind blow her hair back onto her chest again.
Shen Yanli: “…”
Not wanting to ruin this rare and excellent work, he patiently brushed the hair away from her chest once more.
At that moment, Tang Tian felt a tickling sensation. In her sleep, she thought it was a mosquito and instinctively pressed her hand against her chest.
She jolted awake, startled to find that what she had pressed down on was a rather large hand.
Tang Tian’s eyes met Shen Yanli’s, and he was momentarily breathless, as if something had scratched at his heart, leaving a tingling sensation deep within.
Her face flushed, and she immediately pushed his hand away.
“You… you… weren’t you painting?” How did you end up right in front of me?
Shen Yanli slipped his hand back into his pocket and explained, “You were sleeping just now, and the wind blew your hair forward. I was trying to brush that strand away.”
Tang Tian nodded vaguely, realizing what had happened. She took a moment to collect herself. “Then you should keep painting.”
She was cooperative and also wanted to see what the finished painting would look like—it wouldn’t do to leave it half-done.
“Mm.”
Shen Yanli took a few seconds to calm his “stimulated” hand before quickly returning to his painting.
As luck would have it, just as Shen Yanli put the finishing touches on the painting, a knocking sound came from the door downstairs.
“Mr. Shen? Are you in there? Mr. Shen?”
Liu Xiaozhi’s urgent calls reached the terrace. Tang Tian stretched lazily, thinking to herself that someone had finally come.
Shen Yanli calmly finished the painting before leading Tang Tian downstairs.
Tang Tian followed behind him. The door, which had been locked earlier, was now wide open, clearly having been unlocked from the outside by the people who had come looking for them.
Liu Xiaozhi hurried over, looking as if she was about to cry. “Mr. Shen…”
Shen Yanli responded coolly, “It’s fine.”
Liu Xiaozhi’s heart was pounding, afraid that he might find out she had known about this “plan” since yesterday and that it was because of her that he and Tang Tian had been locked in the sunroom.
Liu Xiaozhi was filled with regret. Who could have guessed that someone would come to the studio to paint so early?
She glanced at Tang Tian, who was standing behind Shen Yanli, and couldn’t help but feel even more guarded.
Tang Tian, standing behind Shen Yanli, let her gaze drift over Liu Xiaozhi, Liu Huihua, and Zheng Liyu one by one. Which one of them could it be?Shen Yanli said, “Sister Wu will be coming later. You all should prepare yourselves.”
He said this to unsettle Zheng Liyu’s state of mind. He disliked such dramas, especially when he was unintentionally dragged into them.
Both Liu Xiaozhi and Zheng Liyu’s expressions changed. The former had strong control over her emotions, showing only a slight hint of unease, while Zheng Liyu broke into a cold sweat down her spine. She was terrified…
Tang Tian was like an invisible presence. None of them asked her if she was okay or showed any concern.
But she had expected this. They usually ignored her, so why would they care about her now?
Whoever locked her in the sunroom probably didn’t know Shen Yanli was inside as well.
Now, it was up to the agent, Sister Wu, to resolve this matter.
By the time they returned from the sunroom to the villa, it was already noon. The three men in the dining room were having lunch.
Seeing Shen Yanli return, Wen Shaohan glanced at Tang Tian behind him.
“What happened?” he asked Shen Yanli.
Fu Xi paused his meal and looked at them as well. Noticing Tang Tian’s poor condition, he raised an eyebrow.
Pei Jue glanced up briefly, saw that everyone was fine, and continued with his lunch.
Shen Yanli sat down as he spoke, “Someone locked Tang Tian in the art studio.”
“So, that person didn’t know you were inside too?” Fu Xi asked with interest.
“Yeah, they locked me in as well.”
Fu Xi looked meaningfully at Tang Tian and teased, “Seems like you didn’t take advantage of the rare opportunity.”
Tang Tian: “…” Already annoyed enough.
“Eat more, Young Master Fu.” Hope you choke on it.
It was the first time Fu Xi had been retorted by her. He was taken aback, then burst into laughter. “I actually like it when you talk back to me.” How amusing…
Tang Tian: “…” Does he have that kind of preference? Unbelievable.
Meanwhile, amid Fu Xi’s teasing, Shen Yanli recalled his left hand being pressed by her. The sensation of extreme softness and fullness under his palm still lingered, leaving his left arm tingling even now. And then there were her eyes and face, flushed as if with passion…
Wen Shaohan could tell Tang Tian wasn’t in good shape. Her face was pale and lacked color.
“Alright, stop teasing her.”
“Go eat first,” Shen Yanli snapped out of his thoughts and said to her.
Tang Tian felt a bit hypoglycemic and nodded listlessly before heading alone to the staff dining room.
They had rarely seen her in such a state. Even Pei Jue furrowed his brows slightly.
“Did you see who locked the door?” Pei Jue asked Shen Yanli.
Shen Yanli nodded. “I happened to be on the balcony of the art studio and saw it. I’ve already sent a message to Sister Wu to handle it.”
Hiring and managing staff fell under Sister Wu’s responsibility. Dismissing an employee involved many follow-up tasks, and Sister Wu was the most familiar with them. Entrusting her with the matter was the safest approach.
“Mm.”
Zheng Liyu could no longer maintain her composure. She never imagined Shen Yanli would also be inside the sunroom. With him involved, she was certain to face severe consequences!
She looked pleadingly at Liu Xiaozhi, but Liu Xiaozhi had already regained her composure and ignored her plea, not wanting to be implicated.
In the staff dining room, Tang Tian finished her lunch and drank a bowl of bird’s nest soup the butler had handed her. One taste was enough to tell it was of excellent quality.
Only then did she recover slightly from her hypoglycemic state. She rested for a while on the sofa in the side hall.
Sister Wu arrived. She had learned the whole story from Shen Yanli’s message.
“Tang Tian, take the rest of the day off and rest in your room. It’ll be paid leave.”Sister Wu first comforted Tang Tian, who was not in a good state.
Tang Tian nodded, “Thank you, Sister Wu.”
“No need to thank me. Go ahead, tell the kitchen if you want anything to eat.”
Tang Tian shook her head, “I’ve already eaten. I’ll go back to my room and rest for a while.”
“Alright.” Sister Wu felt pity for her. Such a good girl, being talked about like that and even locked in the sunroom while working. Prejudice truly harms people deeply.
Tang Tian returned to her room, took a shower first, and then lay down on the bed to sleep.
Her dreams were far from peaceful, even leaving her feeling incredulous.
She looked up pleadingly. In the dream, the man was handsome and tall, approaching her with an uncontrollable expression.
She woke up from the dream abruptly, gasping for breath several times before realizing she had actually had that kind of dream.
Tang Tian had no experience with romance, not even holding hands with someone of the opposite sex, let alone… deeper experiences.
Did she need to find a boyfriend? Or perhaps she should just forget it. Her current priority was to get through the contract period and stay away from these male leads. Only then could she safely escape the fate of a villainess.