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Jiang Jinnian gazed at her for a long moment. As she pleaded with him over and over again to stay, he gently pinched her chin, his eyes fixed on her delicate and beautiful face under the soft glow of the lamp.
“Nanzhi, when you wake up tomorrow morning, you’ll regret this.”
She hesitated for two seconds before decisively shaking her head.
Her red lips parted slightly, murmuring softly, “I won’t.”
Shen Nanzhi was actually exhausted. She had already been drowsy when drinking with Gu Qinghe at the bar earlier.
Not to mention, after an entire afternoon of turmoil, the fatigue had only piled up as night fell.
But she didn’t dare sleep.
And she couldn’t sleep.
If not for the sudden storm that had arrived tonight, she would have already thrown herself onto the bed, disregarding everything else and drifting off without a second thought.
But outside was the weather she feared the most.
Until the “lifeline” in front of her agreed to stay, she didn’t even dare close her eyes.
Jiang Jinnian looked at the girl clinging to him, clearly so exhausted that her eyes were red, yet stubbornly refusing to close them. His thumb brushed against the corner of her lips before his large palm rested on her waist, giving her a reassuring pat, guiding her to lie down.
“Close your eyes and sleep.”
Jiang Jinnian’s bedroom, like the man himself, was steeped in deep, cold tones—frosted and austere.
The girl’s dark hair spread out against the pillow, contrasting sharply with the deep black sheets, making her fair skin appear even more delicate and luminous.
Jiang Jinnian glanced at her twice before turning around to switch off the crystal chandelier overhead, leaving only a dim, warm-toned wall lamp with the softest glow.
The thick curtains, drawn tightly over the glass windows, could block out the flashes of lightning that intermittently tore through the pitch-black sky,
but they couldn’t muffle the rolling thunder rumbling through the storm outside.
Each time the sound of thunder echoed through the room, Shen Nanzhi, wrapped tightly in the blanket, would unconsciously inch closer to Jiang Jinnian.
In less than ten minutes, watching as she slowly crept toward him like a cautious little snail—until she was nearly pressed against him—Jiang Jinnian’s gaze darkened slightly.
In the end, he simply reached out and pulled her into his arms.
Only then did Shen Nanzhi finally feel secure enough to close her eyes and sleep properly.
A long while passed.
Seeing her lying still with her eyes shut, quiet and obedient, Jiang Jinnian assumed she had fallen asleep. He was just about to get up and take a cold shower.
The moment his arm lifted from her waist, the girl—who should have been fast asleep—shifted slightly under the covers, her brows furrowing as if in discomfort.
Jiang Jinnian glanced down at her just as she opened her dewy eyes and met his gaze.
“…I don’t feel well.”
Jiang Jinnian asked, “Where does it hurt?”
Shen Nanzhi furrowed her brows, shifting her wrist slightly under the dark-colored bedding as if trying to undo something. After a few failed attempts, her arm began to ache from stretching backward too much. She finally gave up, tilted her head back, and looked straight at him.
Then, with complete disregard for the consequences, she brazenly ordered him again—
“My dress is too tight… I can’t breathe. Help me change.”
Jiang Jinnian’s temple twitched slightly.
Lifting the blanket, he glanced at her dress.
Earlier today, when she left the house, she had been wearing a long autumn dress that reached mid-calf. The waistline fit her just right—neither too tight nor too loose.
But just now, this girl had rolled across the center of the bed like a snowball, tumbling all the way over to his side. In the process, her dress had twisted and bunched up, starting from the waist, wrapping tightly around her body. Of course, that would be uncomfortable.
Jiang Jinnian got up and switched on the crystal chandelier.
The sudden brightness made Shen Nanzhi squint her eyes.
He returned to the bedside, wrapped his arms around her from behind, and reached for the zipper on her dress, intending to help her take it off.
But halfway through, his movements came to an abrupt stop.
Maintaining his bent-over posture, Jiang Jinnian met her hazy, unfocused gaze.
Suppressing a deep breath, he lowered his head and pressed a firm, lingering kiss against her lips.
Then, without another word, he straightened up and strode toward the walk-in closet.
When Jiang Jinnian came back out, he was holding a clean dress shirt in his hand.
He helped the soft, drowsy girl up from the bed, slipping the shirt over her dress first before reaching inside to find the zipper. Only after securing a layer of fabric between them did, he unzip the dress and remove it for her.
Once he was done, Jiang Jinnian didn’t immediately turn off the lights.
Knowing this girl might start fussing again in a moment, he decided to settle everything at once before bed.
“Do you want to take a shower?”
Shen Nanzhi ignored him completely.
With the constricting dress finally removed, it felt as if a tightening spell had been lifted—just like Sun Wukong being freed from his golden headband. Her entire body relaxed in an instant.
But she was far too exhausted. Her head buzzed like it was about to explode.
The moment the dress was off, Shen Nanzhi didn’t waste a single second.
Without even answering him, she turned over, wrapped herself in the blanket, and lay back down—this time with her back facing Jiang Jinnian.
But barely half a minute after lying down, another thunderclap rumbled through the sky outside.
The young lady, who had just turned her back to him, instinctively scrunched up her delicate face at the continuous roar of thunder. Yet, despite her stubbornness, she ultimately followed her instincts and turned back around.
Watching her series of actions, Jiang Jinnian almost laughed in exasperation.
—
The next day, when Shen Nanzhi woke up again, the weather outside had already cleared.
Soft, radiant sunlight slipped through the gaps in the curtains, casting scattered beams across the room.
Buried beneath the dark-colored bedding, Shen Nanzhi had almost her entire face hidden under the blanket, leaving only a faint glimpse of smooth, porcelain-white skin.
The sunlight filtered in, illuminating the woman lying in the center of the large bed. She slowly opened her eyes, rubbing her throbbing forehead.
Her memory of last night was fragmented.
The moment she woke up, her mind was nearly blank, and she instinctively assumed she was in her own small apartment.
But as soon as she fully opened her eyes and was met with the sight of an unfamiliar room, her fingers—previously massaging her temples—suddenly froze.
In the next second, she bolted upright in bed.
Her abrupt movement caused the blanket to slip down, exposing most of her body.
On reflex, Shen Nanzhi glanced down at herself.
The moment she saw she was only wearing an oversized men’s dress shirt, her fingers instinctively tightened around the blanket, gripping it hard.
Just as she was struggling to recall what had happened last night, the bedroom door was pushed open.
Jiang Jinnian, who had just finished an online morning meeting, walked in with his usual composed expression.
“Awake?”
He seemed completely unfazed. Compared to last night—when Shen Nanzhi had clung to him like a sloth all night long—this scene hardly warranted any embarrassment.
Jiang Jinnian held a glass of water in his hand, his movements casual as he approached the bed and finally stopped in front of her, offering the glass.
“Thirsty?”
The moment the door opened, she instinctively gripped the blanket tightly, wrapping herself up completely.
When she saw Jiang Jinnian appear in her field of vision, dressed in casual loungewear, her pupils shrank in shock.
In the next instant, her gaze instinctively darted past the dark-colored bedding, scanning the rest of the room.
The bedroom’s decor was strikingly consistent with Jiang Jinnian himself—cold, indifferent, filled with cool tones.
There was no doubt. This was his room.
Jiang Jinnian maintained his posture, holding out the water glass, watching the pale-faced girl pressing her lips together tightly.
“What, not thirsty anymore?” His voice carried a hint of amusement. “Who was the one wailing about being thirsty at five in the morning?”
Shen Nanzhi didn’t dare to respond.
Because the moment Jiang Jinnian’s voice rang out, a fragment of her lost memory suddenly surfaced in her mind.
Not much.
But it was enough to make her freeze in place, stiff as a board.
The flashes in her mind flickered like broken film—she remembered last night, how she had clung to Jiang Jinnian, refusing to let him leave, occupying his room, even boldly ordering him around…
Shen Nanzhi swallowed hard.
She was absolutely horrified.
She never expected…
That she could be this outrageous after getting drunk?!
Not only had she barged into Jiang Jinnian’s bedroom—she had actually climbed into his bed?!