Shi Qingyin and Shen Xizhou exchanged horrified glances, a chill creeping down their spines. The thought of speaking ill of Qin Heye made their very breath catch in their throats. They fell silent, breathing cautiously, as if the man himself could hear their treacherous thoughts.
Back in the study, Shi Ning’s face was flushed, partly from the mouthful of sandwich, partly from playful triumph. She gazed at Qin Heye, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Qin Heye extended his hand, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “I’ll let you go this time.”
With a soft plop, Shi Ning deposited a small piece of the sandwich into his palm. Qin Heye chuckled, a deep, satisfied sound at her uninhibited behavior. “You got it all over my hand,” he teased.
“Hmph,” Shi Ning retorted, a playful defiance in her tone. The two of them, lost in their sweet interaction, were a world away from the simmering resentment on the other end of the line.
Over the phone, Shi Qingyin and Shen Xizhou continued to breathe with exaggerated caution, each lost in their own turbulent thoughts. Shi Qingyin’s initial fear morphed into a searing anger and, more powerfully, a gnawing jealousy. What Shi Ning had said, the very implication of their intimacy, was maddening. She had always imagined Qin Heye as cold, abstinent, and unyielding. She racked her brain, but she couldn’t conjure an image of him breaking his rigid rules. Just picturing him with his bare torso, sweat glistening on his chiseled abdominal muscles, sent her heart racing and a blush creeping up her neck, let alone imagining anything more. Yet, this intensely passionate, unrestrained Qin Heye was Shi Ning’s reality, every single night!
“Didn’t sister say that Master Qin is not with you?” Shi Qingyin’s voice, laced with barely concealed jealousy, broke the silence.
Shi Ning, ever so casually, replied, “Yes, he is not with me, but he is under me.”
With that audacious statement, Shi Ning playfully slapped Qin Heye’s hand. The loud snap resonated through the phone, and though a simple sound, it painted a vivid, imaginative picture in the minds of the listeners.
Shen Xizhou’s face turned a sickly green. He could no longer control his rage. With a furious sweep, he knocked the bedside lamp to the ground, its loud crash mercifully muffling his gritted curse: “Bitch!”
Shi Ning, feigning ignorance, simply pretended not to hear. Only bitches curse, she thought.
“If you’re okay, cousin,” Shi Ning said bluntly, “I’m hanging up now. Qin Heye’s waiting for me.”
Shi Qingyin was so enraged she wanted to hurl her phone across the room. “Sister, how could you do this to Master Qin…”
Shi Ning didn’t bother to listen to her prevarications. “We’re husband and wife. Not only do we have to do this, but we also have to do that, all kinds of things.” Her voice was laced with a deliberate, teasing implication. “Hanging up, I’m going to settle accounts with Qin Heye.”
With that, Shi Ning calmly ended the call.
Qin Heye tightened his grip on her slender waist, his eyes narrowing playfully. “Settling accounts with me?” A deep, mock grievance flickered in his dangerous eyes. “Wife, do you believe her words? I was with you the whole time last night. Don’t you know it better than anyone else ?” He toyed with Shi Ning’s small hand, his voice hoarse with suppressed amusement. “Are you still trying to relive last night, huh?”
Shi Ning swiftly withdrew her hand, tucking it behind her back. “I remember! I remember it very clearly. No need to recall it .!” If to do it again, she thought, her little hand will be useless all day, than Qin Heye would have to feed her everything.
Qin Heye’s gaze lifted to her red lips. “Too big?”
Shi Ning: …
“Can’t eat anymore?”
Shi Ning felt the intensity of his gaze and quickly covered her mouth with her small hands. “I was talking about the sandwich! Also, I didn’t believe Shi Qingyin.” She continued, “I’m not looking for a score with you. If you really hit Shen Xizhou, I will only give you a reward.”
“Oh?” Qin Heye lowered his head, his eyes aggressively fixed on her crimson lips. “What is the reward for me? Where will I be rewarded with?” Even with her hands covering her mouth, she couldn’t block his piercing gaze.
Shi Ning blushed, then raised her hands to cover his eyes. “You didn’t hit him, so no reward!” Really, she thought, ever since last night, Qin Heye has truly let himself go, his true nature was now fully exposed! otherwise how could he have become so brazen? And this is still her “safe period”! The thought of what he would be like after it passed made her dizzy. Ahhh!
Qin Heye remained silent for a moment. Then, he gently removed her hands from his eyes, looking at her with a complicated expression. “You want me to beat Shen Xizhou?”
Shi Ning nodded, her eyes gleaming with mischief. “Yes, he slandered you for beating him and trying to sow discord between us. Shouldn’t we prove his guilt?”
“She is the vicious female supporting role,” Shi Ning mused to herself. “He is the biggest villain in the whole book!” The word “biggest” brought a blush to her cheeks, and she quickly shook her head, trying to dislodge the errant, playful thoughts.
Qin Heye gently captured Shi Ning’s hand, his thin lips curving into a slight smile. “My wife has given orders, I listen to my wife.”
Shi Ning pointed to the composition paper on the table. “You haven’t finished writing 800 words yet. After breakfast, you can continue writing.”
Qin Heye pulled her closer. “Instead of reading cold words, it’s better to tell you with my own actions how I think of you.” With that, he lowered his head and kissed her red lips again .
On the other side after the call ended, both Shi Qingyin and Shen Xizhou were steeped in silence. Shen Xizhou leaned against the headboard of the bed, chain-smoking, plumes of smoke swirling around him, a testament to his foul mood.
Shi Qingyin also pulled her quilt higher, modestly covering herself, and looked at Shen Xizhou with feigned tenderness. “Brother Xizhou, what happened today was an accident. Let’s just pretend it never happened. I won’t let my sister know.”
Shen Xizhou merely exhaled a puff of smoke, a disdainful sneer twisting his lips. “You’re my fiancée. Who’s Shi Ning? What if she knows? Does she have the right to be jealous?”
“Brother Xizhou,” Shi Qingyin protested softly, “don’t talk about my sister like that. After all, your years of relationship were all stolen by Master Qin. We… we were just an accident.”
Shen Xizhou was sullen and unwilling to engage further. His mind was consumed by the phone call, by the vivid interaction between Shi Ning and Qin Heye. He tried, with agonizing effort, to imagine Shi Ning exuding such captivating charm, but he couldn’t. Yet, that very scene had unfolded before Qin Heye, beneath him! The thought felt like a knife, piercing his heart, tearing at his insides. It hurt, an all-encompassing ache. Shi Ning shouldn’t have treated him this way. Shi Ning shouldn’t have been so intimate with Qin Heye.
Shi Qingyin, observing Shen Xizhou’s darkening expression, quickly shifted her strategy. “Brother Xizhou, don’t be angry. Sister was just a little playful and couldn’t resist temptation, but she definitely loves you the most.” She leaned in, her voice a seductive whisper. “Besides, Sister is an adult. She must have needs and be lonely, so she’s like that with Master Qin.” Her eyes lowered coyly. “As long as Brother Xizhou and Sister tomorrow…” She paused, then finished, “Sister will know how powerful Brother Xizhou is, even more powerful than Master Qin.”
Shen Xizhou extinguished his cigarette and glanced at Shi Qingyin. “If I slept with Shi Ning, wouldn’t you be jealous?” He was annoyed. Shi Ning no longer seemed to love him, and Shi Qingyin’s attitude, while professing love, also felt strangely distant.
“Of course I’m jealous, but…” Shi Qingyin’s eyes welled up with tears. “It’s just for Brother Xizhou. I can’t be jealous. I’m willing to be the bad guy for Brother Xizhou.” Tears streamed down her face as she choked and sobbed. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have said those bad things about Master Qin just now. I helped you get my sister out. I just wanted to help you… woohoo.”
Shen Xizhou, whose mind had been consumed by Shi Ning, now saw Shi Qingyin’s tears. He quickly pulled her into his arms, kissing her forehead. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have thought of you like that. I know you love me the most.” He then made a promise. “Don’t worry, I won’t touch Shi Ning. I’ll just hug her, kiss her, and get the land in the west city from her .”
Shi Ning was merely a stepping stone on his ascent. A hug, a kiss, and she would willingly give him everything he desired. Yes! The person Shi Ning truly loved was him! And she was no longer “clean,” no longer worthy of even a moment of his sadness or guilt!
That night, Shen Xizhou received an important call from a client. He left the Shen family’s house, heading out into the late hours. The golf course in which he was supposed to meet his client was closed, shrouded in darkness, monitored only by security cameras.
“Mr. Zhou… ah!” Shen Xizhou’s voice was abruptly cut off as he was thrust into a dirty, foul-smelling sack. “Ugh!”