Chapter 20: Nightgown

After returning to her room, Song Qingyu took a thorough shower and washed her hair. Given what she had planned next, she paid extra attention to every detail.

Once she was done, she applied a fragrant body lotion all over her skin.

When she moved out, she had brought several sets of sleepwear from Lan Garden. Among them were two particularly sexy slip nightgowns—one black, one white.

She stood in front of the mirror for a long time, holding them up and comparing them. In the end, she chose the white silk nightgown.

The waistline of this gown was perfectly tailored, accentuating her delicate figure. The lace trim along the neckline was intricate and soft, exuding an effortless elegance with a hint of sensuality.

“Go for it, don’t chicken out!”

After psyching herself up, Song Qingyu turned around and walked out, knocking on Li Huaidong’s study door.

Li Huaidong was in the middle of a video conference. Thinking it was Uncle Kang bringing him coffee, he simply said, “Come in.”

To his surprise, the one who stepped through the door was Song Qingyu.

She looked like a pure white rabbit.

That was Li Huaidong’s first impression when he saw Song Qingyu. But the moment he adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses for a clearer look, he realized how utterly wrong he was. How could there possibly be such an alluring little white rabbit in this world?

On the other end of the video call, the overseas partners were anxiously calling his English name.

No one knew why, in the midst of a heated debate, he had suddenly lost focus.

Li Huaidong gestured to Song Qingyu to “wait a moment” before swiftly wrapping up the meeting.

Once he closed his laptop, he turned his gaze back to her.

“Something wrong?” Li Huaidong asked.

Song Qingyu nodded but didn’t say a word. Instead, she stepped forward, closing the distance between them.

The nightgown was short, and just one glance at her long, fair legs was enough to make anyone’s thoughts wander.

As she drew closer, the air instantly filled with a sweet, creamy fragrance.

A dark glint flickered in Li Huaidong’s eyes.

They were both adults—there was no need for unnecessary questions. When she walked into his study in such a provocative nightgown, wearing nothing underneath, he could no longer pretend to be oblivious to her intentions.

“You’ve been drinking?” Li Huaidong asked.

Song Qingyu had been a little nervous at first, but when she heard his question, she almost laughed. Had he developed PTSD from her drinking?

“I haven’t.”

“Then what’s going on today?” She was sober, yet pulling something like this—it threw him off.

“Isn’t this what you’ve always wanted?”

“You think just because I want it, you should give it to me?”

Song Qingyu thought for a moment before deciding to be honest.

“You’ve helped me so many times, I really don’t know how to thank you.”

Li Huaidong leaned back against his chair. “So you’re planning to offer yourself as a thank-you gift?”

“You could think of it that way.”

With that, Song Qingyu parted her legs and straddled him, pressing her body flush against his. She took his large hand and guided it to the lace on her chest, then leaned in close to his ear and whispered.

“So, Mr. Li, if you want, you can unwrap your gift right now.”

A sweet and delicate fragrance curled around Li Huaidong, lingering in the air.

He looked at her.

Song Qingyu was like a jasmine blossom, still in bud—waiting to be plucked.

Before she appeared in his study wearing that slip nightgown, Li Huaidong had never thought that white could be such a seductive color.

Now, with just a little force, he could tear the fabric away and taste the most hidden fragrance of this jasmine blossom.

But he didn’t move.

“You want to sleep with me—just to thank me?”

His gaze was indifferent, emotions buried so deeply that it seemed as if her daring move, her barely-there nightgown, and her sitting in his lap hadn’t stirred him in the slightest.

“Yes… and no.”

“Explain.”

“Thanking you is only part of it. The real reason, of course, is that Mr. Li is simply irresistible. A man like you—handsome, well-built, and skilled—what woman wouldn’t want to sleep with you? I was lucky enough to experience it once, and the taste of it has left me craving more.”

She spoke with confidence, but the flicker of uncertainty in her gaze betrayed her.

Li Huaidong saw through her instantly. “Listing all my strengths like that… it almost sounds like you’re trying to convince yourself.”

Song Qingyu denied it. “I’m not.”

“Do you know what expression you had when you sat on my lap just now?”

“What expression?”

“Like you were marching to your death.”

Anyone who knew what was happening would see she was trying to seduce him. Anyone who didn’t might think she was heading for execution.

“You’re imagining things,” Song Qingyu said.

“If sleeping with me was so unforgettable, then why did you reject me before?”

Song Qingyu wrapped her arms around Li Huaidong’s neck, subtly shifting her hips forward, pressing against his thigh.

“Mr. Li, in this position, are you sure you still want to dwell on the past?”

God knew how much courage it had taken for her to take this step. If Li Huaidong didn’t kiss her soon, she was afraid her reckless determination would dissolve completely.

So, she took the initiative—tilting her head up, she leaned in to kiss him.

But Li Huaidong turned his face away.

Instead of meeting her lips, he cupped her cheeks in his hands and asked again, “You want to sleep with me—just to thank me?”

Song Qingyu stared at him, bewildered. She had no idea what answer he was looking for.

Seeing her hesitation, Li Huaidong placed his hands on her waist and gently pushed her away, creating some distance between them.

“Go to sleep. I still have work to do.”

He had rejected her.

For a moment, Song Qingyu couldn’t tell if she felt relieved or even heavier inside.

There was a faint sense of disappointment, but even more than that—confusion. He had clearly shown his desire for her before, more than once. So why was it that now, when she was finally willing, he suddenly wasn’t?

A man’s heart was as elusive as a needle at the bottom of the sea.

“Since Mr. Li isn’t interested, I’ll be heading to bed then.”

Now that the heat of the moment had passed, embarrassment crept in, tinged with irritation. Without looking back, she turned and left the study.

Li Huaidong listened as the door slammed shut with a loud bang, then leaned heavily back into his chair.

He wasn’t some saint immune to temptation. With such softness in his arms, how could he possibly feel nothing?

But knowing that she was only willing to be intimate with him out of gratitude—it unsettled him.

Li Huaidong would have much preferred that she took this step because, even if just a little, her heart had been moved by him.

But she hadn’t.

Even though her delicate body in his embrace was as soft as melted honey, her gaze had been as resolute as if she were about to pledge allegiance to a cause.

He could have ignored it, taken her right then and there. But deep down, he didn’t want to force her.

That night, when they first spent the night together, it had been his way of creating an excuse—an undeniable reason to marry her. At the time, claiming her had seemed like the only way.

But now, they were already married. The future was long, and he had all the time in the world to wait for her to come to him willingly.

Knock, knock!

The study door was knocked on once more.

Li Huaidong thought Song Qingyu had come back. Instinctively, he straightened in his chair.

To be honest, he wasn’t sure if he could resist a second time.

“Young Master, I’ve brought you some coffee.”

It was Uncle Kang’s voice outside the door.

Li Huaidong exhaled quietly, relieved. “Come in.”

Uncle Kang walked in, carrying a cup of freshly brewed coffee.

“Young Master, I ran into Young Madam on my way up. She asked me for a car key, said she needed to go out.”

“Where to?”

“She didn’t say.”

Li Huaidong walked to the window and saw Song Qingyu hurrying toward the garage at a brisk pace.

She had thrown on an oversized trench coat, loose and draping all the way down to her ankles. Wrapped tightly within it, she looked like a pale wisp of smoke.

She seemed to be in a hurry.

“Which car did she take?”

“The white Mercedes,” Uncle Kang replied.

“You get some rest. I’m heading out for a bit.”

Grabbing his own car keys, Li Huaidong strode downstairs.

**

After being rejected, Song Qingyu had flopped onto her bed, burying her face into the blankets and rolling back and forth twice.

She must have lost her mind to try seducing Li Huaidong.

And now, how was she supposed to face him in the morning?

Shame, regret, and embarrassment flooded her all at once.

Honestly, the study should have just split open right then and swallowed her whole. That would have been much easier.

As she wallowed in frustration, her phone suddenly rang.

It was her mother, Qiu Yuexian.

“Hello, Mom.”

“Qingqing, something happened at the restaurant again.”

“What happened?”

Her mother sighed softly on the other end. “Tonight, a drunk customer caused trouble during the late-night service. They smashed the tables and chairs in the dining hall… and I got hurt too.”

“You got hurt?” Song Qingyu’s heart clenched. “Is it serious?”

“My foot got hit. A fracture. The doctor says I need surgery.”

“Send me the hospital’s location. I’m coming over right now.”

Song Qingyu didn’t bother changing. She simply threw on a loose trench coat, slipped into a pair of flats, and rushed downstairs.

It was late, and hailing a cab would be difficult. So she asked Uncle Kang for the keys to the Mercedes.

Li Huaidong had told her before that she could drive any car in the garage and just ask Uncle Kang for the keys if she needed one. She had never taken advantage of that offer until now. Fortunately, the car handled smoothly.

When she arrived at the hospital, Song Qingyu headed straight for the inpatient department.

Her mother, Qiu Yuexian, had a fractured instep and was in severe pain as she received an IV drip.

“Mom, are you okay?” Song Qingyu hurried to her mother’s bedside, noticing the redness in her eyes.

A nurse standing nearby spoke up. “Are you the patient’s daughter? Your mother needs surgery immediately.”

Song Qingyu immediately asked, “Can the surgery be scheduled for today?”

“It’s too late for that, and tomorrow is also unavailable,” the nurse replied.

“Why?”

“The fracture is quite severe, making the surgery complex. Not every doctor is qualified to perform it. It requires either our director or the deputy director to operate, but the director’s schedule is fully booked for tomorrow, and the deputy director is currently on leave.”

“Then what should we do?”

“There’s no other option. We recommend transferring to another hospital.”

Song Qingyu was momentarily stunned. Where could they transfer to in the middle of the night?

Just as she was considering asking Sheng Xingnai if she knew any skilled surgeons, her phone vibrated in her pocket.

It was Li Huaidong calling.

Why was he calling her at this hour?

Thinking about what had happened in the study earlier, Song Qingyu hesitated to pick up.

“Qingqing, who’s calling? Why aren’t you answering?” her mother, Qiu Yuexian, asked.

“I am, I am.” Song Qingyu walked to the window and finally answered Li Huaidong’s call. “What’s up?”

“No need to transfer hospitals. I’ve arranged for the deputy director to come over tonight for the surgery,” Li Huaidong said.

How did he know?

Instinctively, Song Qingyu turned to look at the door. Through the narrow gap, she saw a tall figure standing outside.

She jumped in surprise.

Li Huaidong had followed her to the hospital?

“Wait for me a moment.”

Pressing her phone tightly, Song Qingyu was careful not to let her mother notice anything. Pretending to be focused on the call, she naturally stepped out of the hospital room.

Li Huaidong stood in the corridor, dressed in the same outfit he had worn in the study earlier—a gray knit cardigan over black trousers. Simple and casual, yet it only accentuated his composed and refined aura. Passing nurses couldn’t help but glance his way.

“Why are you here?” Song Qingyu asked.

“I saw you rushing out and was worried something might happen to you.”

“You followed me?”

“Mm.”

It was the first time Song Qingyu had driven that white Mercedes, and she had been entirely focused on the road, carefully watching the oncoming traffic. She hadn’t even noticed that Li Huaidong had been trailing her the entire way.

“You just said you could get the deputy director to perform my mom’s surgery?”

“Mm. Go back in and stay with her—I’ll handle the arrangements.”

“Keeping Mom company…”

Song Qingyu recalled how, the last time something had happened at her mother’s restaurant, Li Huaidong had also called her, casually referring to her mother as “Mom” like it was second nature. He truly didn’t see himself as an outsider.

“The nurse said the deputy director is on leave. Can you really get him to come tonight?”

“The deputy director is Huo Siqi’s uncle. We often play golf together. If I call him, he shouldn’t refuse.”

Song Qingyu nodded. That made sense—given Li Huaidong’s connections, she had no reason to doubt him.

“Thank you.”

She owed him more and more favors, yet he didn’t seem interested in repayment of any kind—at least, not in the way she had once assumed. At this rate, she didn’t even know how she was supposed to return the debt.

Li Huaidong looked at her as if he could read her mind. He reached out and tousled her hair lightly. “We’re husband and wife. Stop overthinking.”

Song Qingyu returned to the hospital room.

Her mother, Qiu Yuexian, glanced toward the door. “Who were you whispering to out there just now?”