The ride back was quiet. Xia Ruohan had been nervous when she went to the old family home earlier, and now she was in a bad mood on the way back.
After all, she was married to Jun Lin, which meant Jun Qingyu and Zhou Ying were now her father-in-law and mother-in-law. Although she had no feelings for Jun Lin, she didn’t want his family to dislike her.
She’d married Jun Lin because she’d hit his car and couldn’t afford to pay for the damage.
She’d tried to run away, but Jun Lin had told her she had to marry him—otherwise, the Xia family would vanish from City D.
That threat had truly frightened the Xia family. No matter how much her parents doted on her, Xia Ruohan had no choice but to marry Jun Lin.
Jun Lin was handsome and wealthy—he was practically every woman in D City’s dream man. Yet, for all these years, he’d never had a girlfriend or been linked to any scandals.
Xia Ruohan just couldn’t figure it out. Why would Jun Lin want to marry her? Wouldn’t that tie him down for the rest of his life?
Ten million was no small sum for the Xia family, but to Jun Lin, it was a mere penny—something he could whip out without a second thought.
That evening, Xia Ruohan sat on the edge of the bed and said to Jun Lin, “I have to go to school tomorrow.”
She still had classes to attend.
Jun Lin gave a faint nod, acknowledging her words.
“Um…”
“Hmm?”
“I’m staying at school, so I won’t be coming back Monday through Thursday nights,” Xia Ruohan said softly.
“Come back and stay here.” Jun Lin’s tone left no room for refusal.
Xia Ruohan looked taken aback. “Why?”
“Isn’t home more comfortable than school?” Jun Lin stepped closer to her, leaning down to look at her small face.
They were extremely close, their breaths mingling. Xia Ruohan’s heart began to race, the sound of it particularly clear in the quiet room.
Home.
Jun Lin said, this is home.
“Okay…”
Xia Ruohan lowered her head, her hands clasped nervously together. Her damp hair fell over her shoulders, a few strands framing her slightly flushed cheeks.
Jun Lin reached out and ruffled the top of her head, saying, “Blow-dry your hair and go to sleep.”
“Okay.”
She had to admit, Jun Lin really was enough to make anyone lose their head!
Just those two sentences and that gentle pat on the head were enough to make Xia Ruohan swoon.
“Last night, did you come back to sleep here?” Xia Ruohan asked.
“Yeah.”
With a young girl here, how could he possibly not come back to sleep?
“Did I sleep really badly?” As soon as she heard Jun Lin had slept with her last night, Xia Ruohan grew nervous again—she was worried about her sleeping habits.
Jun Lin looked at her thoughtfully for a moment before saying, “It was okay.”
“Huh? What do you mean, ‘okay’?”
“You didn’t kick me off the bed.”
“……”
Xia Ruohan felt embarrassed.
She found the hair dryer to dry her hair, then climbed into bed to sleep.
Jun Lin went off to handle business matters just like last night. Xia Ruohan looked around the vast room, realizing she was all alone, and felt a sense of emptiness in her heart.
Her room wasn’t as big as Jun Lin’s; it held only a bed, a wardrobe, and a desk. Though small, she felt it was enough.
She picked up a pillow and held it close to her chest. The scent that was uniquely Jun Lin’s drifted into her nose, and Xia Ruohan couldn’t help but lose herself in thought.
Jun Lin—how to describe him? He was cold, aloof, and seemed hard to get along with, yet he always gave her an inexplicable sense of security.
A sense of security—Xia Ruohan had never felt it with anyone else, only with Jun Lin.
When he held her hand, she felt that even if the sky were to fall, he would be there to catch her.
When Jun Lin returned, he saw the young girl cradling the pillow, her back against the headboard, the soft, pale yellow glow of the bedside lamp gently illuminating her face.
As he approached, he realized Xia Ruohan had fallen asleep.
Her pink lips were slightly parted, her breath shallow, and her long eyelashes cast a shadow beneath her eyes.
Jun Lin chuckled softly, leaned in, and gently kissed her forehead.
“My Ruo Ruo, good night.”