Chapter 11: Another Night of Spring

Ling Siyue smiled helplessly. "If you’re able to sleep so peacefully tonight, shouldn’t you be thanking me?"

"Did you send someone to beat up that scumbag?" Shi Yi’s tone shifted. "Even if you did, I wouldn’t thank you. I could have beaten him to a pulp myself."

A smile played on her lips, her phoenix-like eyes shimmering with a subtle allure, unaware of her own charm.

Ling Siyue took a few steps closer, his breath momentarily caught. After a brief pause, his expression returned to normal as he teased, "Yi Yi, are you trying to seduce me?"

Shi Yi blinked in surprise, her cheeks flushed as she retorted, "What kind of seduction is that? I’m just stating the facts."

"And last night? You tried to dismiss me with just a hundred bucks?" Ling Siyue’s eyes narrowed slightly, a roguish curve tugging at his lips, both tender and dangerous.

"Then how much do you want?" Shi Yi frowned.

He stepped forward, sitting on the edge of the bed beside her, whispering close to her ear, "A hundred years to share the same bed, a thousand years to share the same pillow. After last night... I’m already yours. Your money is mine; no need to make such a fuss, right?"

Shi Yi shot him a cold glance and spat out four words: "Shameless audacity."

Ling Siyue rested his chin on his hand, pondering seriously. "If you want to keep me, it’s not impossible."

A thicker skin is needed to win a wife.

Shi Yi was momentarily speechless.

"Then I’ll take care of you!" Ling Siyue dotingly ruffled her hair, pulling out a food box hidden behind his back and presenting shrimp dumplings, steamed rice rolls, steamed ribs, and custard buns...

"I noticed you haven’t eaten much, so I just grabbed some for you. Try it, quickly."

As he spoke, he handed her a rice roll. "This one’s steamed soft and delicious."

Shi Yi pressed her lips together, swallowing hard. She was indeed hungry but wary of the man possibly poisoning her, hesitant to eat.

"Eat quickly, I didn’t poison anything," Ling Siyue said with a faint, almost imperceptible smile.

Shi Yi’s nose tingled with emotion. After a moment's hesitation, she raised her hand to accept it and opened her mouth to eat.

"Thank you," she said politely.

She wasn’t sure what intentions this man held, but since arriving here, he was the first to show genuine concern for her.

Watching her eat ravenously yet seeing her slender frame, Ling Siyue’s heart ached.

His eyes reddened suddenly. "Eat slowly. This is all yours; no one’s going to snatch it away."

For a moment, it felt like childhood again when he would secretly bring treats to little Yi.

He had promised to be her knight. Little Yi smiled, saying, "Brother Ling, if you’re my knight, I’ll be your princess."

Back then, little Yi clung to him, but the woman before him now was guarded and polite.

If he hadn’t gone abroad and returned to learn that Shi Yi had suffered a severe illness, forgotten their past, and was now madly pursuing Chu Yifan...

How could he let go?

How could she endure such hardship?

Ling Siyue’s heart ached deeply.

After they had eaten their fill, Shi Yi promptly issued a dismissal: "I’m going to sleep. Please leave."

"Sending me away after I’ve eaten?" Ling Siyue’s smile vanished. "Yi Yi, you’re so practical."

"I’m just realistic. Now go. If we really fought, you wouldn’t be a match for me," Shi Yi said with carefree laughter.

"Is that so?" Ling Siyue grabbed her arm, pulling her into his embrace. "After spending the whole night with me, you think you can just brush me off and walk away unharmed?"

This man was always hugging and holding her. Shi Yi found it hard to resist, especially since he was too handsome—she feared being bewitched.

"Let go."

Shi Yi raised her hand to his chest, but he grabbed her waist with his other hand, trapping her in his arms.

After last night, seeing the desire welling in his eyes, she noticed his Adam’s apple moving as if restraining himself.

Ling Siyue looked down at her adorable, innocent face and murmured suggestively, "Do you need me to serve you another night? Free of charge?"

"No, I don’t," Shi Yi’s face burned as her small fists pounded his chest. "Go away quickly. I’m married now. Aren’t you afraid of being laughed at?"

Through her thin nightgown, Ling Siyue gently stroked her creamy skin.

The taste of indulgence.

After last night, he constantly longed for another night with her.

"Are you really going to send me away? Are you sure you don’t want me to stay and keep you company?" His voice was thick with longing.

Shi Yi glared at him. "Don’t even think about it. Men and women should keep their distance. Go now, don’t ruin my reputation."

"You can pretend I don’t exist. I won’t take up space," Ling Siyue pleaded pitifully.

"Are you homeless?" Shi Yi studied his handsome face. She sensed something strange in his dark eyes, yet vaguely felt no ill will from him.

"Yes. Yi Yi, will you let me stay?" Ling Siyue nodded like a chick pecking grain.

Shi Yi kicked the blanket from the bedside onto the floor. "You can rough it for one night. Find your own place tomorrow. No clinging."

Ling Siyue frowned, laying the blanket on the floor and lying down. "Yi Yi..."

Shi Yi rolled her eyes. "What now?"

"The blanket’s too short, and the floor’s cold. I’m afraid I’ll catch a cold sleeping here."

Ling Siyue’s thin lips pressed together, his handsome face full of grievance.

Shi Yi rubbed her forehead. The man was tall; sleeping on the floor did seem unfair.

She closed her eyes and turned over. "Then sleep on the bed! But I warn you—I won’t tolerate any misbehavior. Otherwise, I’ll kill you."

Ling Siyue’s lips curled slightly; a sparkle gleamed in his eyes.

He quickly wrapped the blanket around himself and settled comfortably on the big bed.

Shi Yi’s brow furrowed as she caught a faint scent of cold sandalwood on him.

For some reason, the fragrance soothed her deeply, lulling her into drowsiness.

Ling Siyue gazed at her back, lifting a strand of her hair to twirl it between his fingers, a hint of delight shining in his eyes.

He thought to himself: Yi Yi must like me, or she wouldn’t have let me sleep here.

She was a traditional woman, surely worried about gossip since she hadn’t divorced Chu Yifan yet...

...

"Shi Yi, you wretched woman, get out here now! Two days without tidying you up and you think you can revolt?" Song Yashi’s scolding exploded from downstairs.

Her son was badly injured, yet Shi Yi had the nerve to stay away all night?

At dawn, Shi Yi was roused from a daze by the shouting below.

She lifted her heavy eyelids and met the sight of the man’s handsome, refined face—the sharp contours, furrowed brows, and deep black eyes.

Ling Siyue’s eyelids were tinged with red, as if he was suppressing something.

Shi Yi looked down and saw her small hand resting beneath his shirt.

Four buttons were undone at his collar, revealing broad, smooth skin and the enticing outline of his chest muscles.

Instinctively, she tried to withdraw her hand but ended up touching his chest once more, awkwardly scratching her head.

"Ahem, ahem... You should leave quickly. My terrible mother-in-law is coming. If she catches us..."