Chapter 12: Tingling

Tang Tian didn’t know how long he had been painting before she heard him say, “You can take a nap now.” Her consciousness was already drifting, about to sink into sleep.

On the terrace, sunlight poured in, filling the space around her.

A breeze swept in from behind, stirring her black hair. She had tied her hair up with a scarf while cleaning, but it had loosened somewhat. Now, the wind caught the scarf and let it flutter down from her hair.

In the sunlight-painted background, she sat on the wooden chair, her hair gently swaying in the breeze. Her beautiful, radiant face was bathed in light; her eyes closed softly, her sleeping expression peaceful and serene.

At that moment, Shen Yanli unexpectedly felt a ridiculous urge to hide her away as his own secret treasure.

His hand, gripping the paintbrush, unknowingly tightened without his awareness.

After a moment, he stood up and walked over to Tang Tian. He lifted his hand and brushed aside the strands of hair resting on her chest. Those strands seemed to be playing hide-and-seek with him—just as he moved them aside, the wind blew them right back to their original place.

Shen Yanli was patient this time. He pinned the hair behind her ear, and when his fingertips touched her skin—especially around her ear—she shivered slightly.

Tang Tian appeared to be sleeping soundly, undisturbed by his movements.

Shen Yanli withdrew his hand, ready to continue painting. Just as he turned, the wind blew again, scattering her hair back over her chest.

Shen Yanli: “…”

Not willing to ruin this rare, beautiful work, he patiently moved the hair away from her chest once more.

At that moment, Tang Tian felt a tickle and, half-asleep, thought it was a mosquito. She lifted her hand and pressed on her chest.

Startled, she immediately opened her eyes—only to realize she was pressing down on a rather large hand.

Shen Yanli was forced to feel the warmth and firmness beneath her palm.

Tang Tian looked clearly at the man before her, then glanced down at the warm, strong hand she was pressing against her chest…

She was extremely sensitive; the tingling sensation made her eyes suddenly well up with tears.

Shen Yanli met her eyes, shimmering like spring water, and his breath caught—like a tickle deep inside his heart.

Her cheeks flushed, and she quickly pushed his hand away.

Because her underwear was very thin, so…

“You… you… weren’t you painting?” How did you end up in front of me?

Shen Yanli put his hand back into his trouser pocket and explained, “You were asleep just now, and the wind blew your hair forward. I just wanted to brush that strand away.”

Tang Tian nodded faintly, realizing that was the case. She took a moment to steady herself and said, “Then please continue painting.”

She cooperated, wanting to see the finished look—it wouldn’t make sense to have only a half-completed painting.

“Mm.”

Shen Yanli took a few seconds to calm his hand, still stirred by the earlier “stimulus,” then quickly returned to his painting.

As fate would have it, just as Shen Yanli put down his final stroke, a knocking sounded at the door downstairs.

“Mr. Shen? Are you inside? Mr. Shen?”

Liu Xiaozhi’s urgent voice carried up to the terrace. Tang Tian stretched lazily, thinking finally, someone has come.

Shen Yanli calmly finished the painting before leading Tang Tian downstairs.

Tang Tian walked behind him. The door that had been locked earlier was now wide open, clearly unlocked from the outside by whoever had come looking for them.

Liu Xiaozhi hurried over, on the verge of tears. “Mr. Shen…”

Shen Yanli remained indifferent. “No one’s here.”

Liu Xiaozhi’s heart pounded anxiously. She was terrified that he already knew she had learned about the “plan” yesterday—and because of her, he and Tang Tian had been locked inside the sunroom.

Liu Xiaozhi deeply regretted it; no one had expected someone to come paint in the studio so early.

She glanced warily at Tang Tian behind Shen Yanli and felt her guard tighten even more.

Standing behind Shen Yanli, Tang Tian’s gaze flicked over Liu Xiaozhi, Liu Huahua, and Zheng Liyu one by one—who among them could it be?

Shen Yanli said, “Sister Wu will come later. You all get ready.”

He said this to unsettle Zheng Liyu’s mindset. He wasn’t interested in such theatrics, especially since it inadvertently involved him.

Both Liu Xiaozhi and Zheng Liyu’s expressions changed. The former maintained better composure, showing only a slight flicker of unease, while cold sweat broke out on Zheng Liyu’s back—she was truly afraid.

Tang Tian felt like a ghost among them; not one of these people asked her if she was okay or showed any concern.

But she had expected as much—since they normally ignored her, why would they care now?

It was likely that whoever had locked her in the sunroom didn’t realize Shen Yanli was inside with her.

Next, it was up to Manager 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 their meal.

Seeing Shen Yanli return, Wen Shaohan glanced at Tang Tian behind him.

“What happened?” he asked Shen Yanli.

Fu Xi paused mid-bite and looked over at them. When he noticed Tang Tian’s poor condition, he raised an eyebrow.

Pei Jue glanced up briefly, saw that everyone was fine, and continued eating.

Shen Yanli sat down and said, “Someone locked Tang Tian inside the painting studio.”

“So that person didn’t know you were in there too?” Fu Xi asked with interest.

“Yeah, they locked me in with her.”

Fu Xi looked meaningfully at Tang Tian and teased, “Looks like you didn’t make the most of that rare opportunity.”

Tang Tian: “…” Already annoyed.

“Master Fu, eat more,” she muttered bitterly under her breath.

Fu Xi was stunned the first time she snapped at him, then burst out laughing. “Actually, I kind of like it when you talk back to me. It’s amusing…”

Tang Tian: “…” He has this kind of fetish? Unbelievable.

Meanwhile, Shen Yanli, hearing Fu Xi’s teasing, recalled the left hand she had pressed against—how incredibly soft and full it felt under her palm. The sensation still sent tingles down his left arm, and he couldn’t forget the passionate look in her eyes and on her face…

Wen Shaohan noticed Tang Tian’s poor condition—her face was pale and lacked color.

“That’s enough, don’t tease her anymore.”

“Let’s eat first,” Shen Yanli said, coming back to his senses and addressing her.

Tang Tian felt a bit low on blood sugar and nodded listlessly, then headed alone to the staff cafeteria.

Seeing her like this was almost unheard of; even Pei Jue frowned slightly.

“Did you see who locked the door?” Pei Jue asked Shen Yanli.

Shen Yanli nodded. “I was on the terrace of the studio and saw it happen. I’ve already messaged Sister Wu to come handle it.”

The matter of hiring and managing the servants was under Sister Wu’s responsibility. Since she handled most of the related affairs, only Sister Wu fully understood the follow-up work required when dismissing a servant. It was most reliable to leave it to her to handle.

“Mm.”

Zheng Liyu could no longer maintain her composure. She never imagined that Shen Yanli was also inside the sunroom. Since this matter involved Shen Yanli, she knew she would be dealt with seriously!

She looked at Liu Xiaozhi desperately for help, but Liu Xiaozhi had already regained her composure and ignored her plea, not wanting to get involved.

In the staff cafeteria, after finishing lunch, Tang Tian drank a bowl of bird’s nest soup that the butler had given her. Just one sip was enough to tell that the quality was excellent.

Only then did she begin to recover somewhat from her low blood sugar. She sat on the sofa in a side room to rest for a while.

Sister Wu arrived and learned the full story from Shen Yanli’s message.

“Tang Tian, you should go back to your room and rest properly tomorrow. Take a half-day paid leave.”

Sister Wu first comforted Tang Tian, who was still feeling unwell.

Tang Tian nodded. “Thank you, Sister Wu.”

“Don’t mention it. Just go. If you want anything to eat, tell the kitchen.”

Tang Tian shook her head. “I’ve already eaten. I’ll just go back to my room and get some sleep.”

“All right.” Sister Wu felt a pang of sympathy for her—such a young lady, treated like this, locked inside the sunroom while still working. Prejudice really does cause so much harm.

Tang Tian returned to her room and took a shower before lying down on the bed to sleep.

Her dreams were far from peaceful—so vivid and unbelievable that they unsettled her deeply.

Her body trembled; the piece of jade as white as snow seemed to nearly melt in the other’s palm, as if trying to torment her, drawing soft moans from her lips.

Tang Tian looked up pleadingly at the man who had driven her to lose all reason. The man in her dream was tall and handsome, his expression wild as he closed in on her.

She suddenly woke up, gasping for breath several times before she realized—she had actually had a sexy dream.

It was probably because of that press from this morning…

Since it was summer, the underwear inside was very thin and breathable, so… it was basically like direct contact, without any barrier.

That tingling, prickly sensation… at the time, she had barely held back the soft moan that was about to escape.

The air conditioner was still set to cooling mode, but a wave of heat surged through her, making her uncomfortable.

Tang Tian had no experience with love—not even the experience of holding hands with the opposite sex, let alone anything deeper.

Was she really going to find a boyfriend? Forget it. Her current goal was to get through this probation period, keep away from those male leads, and safely escape the fate of a vicious female supporting character.