In the stillness of the night, Su Yue stirred in her sleep. Drowsy and half-awake, she felt as though something had wrapped around her, pressing her in a tight embrace. It was so warm—too warm. The weight of it made her breath hitch. Yet, her drowsiness overpowered her confusion. Her eyelids remained shut, and she drifted off again.
As dawn broke, the early morning sun spilled gently across the land. The mist from the night still lingered in the air, and the tender flower buds in the garden swayed softly with the morning breeze. The world slowly awakened, full of quiet vitality.
When Su Yue opened her eyes, her whole face crumpled with worry.
She blinked. Right in front of her was a broad, muscular chest—solid, warm, and comforting. Her eyes trailed upward to see the faint outline of an Adam’s apple and a sharp jawline. Her heart sank. Again?
Why… why had she ended up in Jiang Ci’s arms?
She clearly remembered putting a quilt between them last night. A physical barrier. A line that should not have been crossed.
So… where was the quilt now?
Her cheek was resting against Jiang Ci’s bare chest—firm and radiating a comforting warmth. She could even catch a faint whiff of gardenia. That was her shower gel. He had used her body wash last night. Su Yue felt a mix of confusion and embarrassment burn beneath her skin.
She carefully shifted her body, trying her best to extract herself from his embrace without waking him. If she moved slowly, maybe she could escape without a fuss.
But just as she was halfway through her stealthy operation, a low, husky voice rolled past her ear.
“Don’t move.”
Jiang Ci’s hand slid around her waist, his strong arm tightening naturally, possessively, drawing her even closer. His voice was rough with sleep, lazy and heavy. “Still sleepy…”
As he spoke, he even leaned his head down to nuzzle her shoulder.
Su Yue was stunned. Her mind instantly sobered up, and whatever lingering sleepiness she had left vanished into thin air.
Was Jiang Ci still dreaming? Did he know what he was doing? Was he aware he was holding her?
She hesitated, then whispered cautiously, “Jiang Ci, I…”
“Don’t talk,” he interrupted. His breath was hot against her ear, the rasp in his voice making her heart skip. “Do you know how many days I haven’t slept?”
His tone was slightly gloomy, and his arm around her waist tightened even more before he relaxed again, drifting off once more.
Su Yue’s face was buried in his chest, her body wrapped in his. She couldn’t move at all. In the end, she could only lie there, quietly held in his embrace.
The sun climbed higher, casting warm golden rays through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The white curtains fluttered gently in the breeze. Inside the room, soft light spilled across the floor, illuminating two figures entwined in stillness.
Breaths mingled. Time slowed.
She didn’t know how long had passed when Su Yue, beginning to grow restless, finally whispered a soft protest. “I want to get up…”
Jiang Ci didn’t respond.
“Jiang Ci…” she called again, a little louder this time.
After a pause, the arm around her waist finally loosened. Jiang Ci turned over, lying flat on the bed with one long leg straight and the other lazily bent. He opened his eyes slowly, blinking into the light.
“You’re so noisy,” he grumbled, voice lazy and deep, though his tone held no real blame.
Su Yue’s face flushed with heat. His body’s warmth still clung to her skin. She turned away, flustered. “You were the one holding me so tight—I couldn’t even move.”
Jiang Ci cracked open his eyes and lazily placed his hands behind his head. His posture was careless, his expression sleepy but unguarded. “You fell asleep on your own last night. Even hugged me first.”
His shirt had ridden low, revealing a patch of fair skin at his neck and a glimpse of his defined chest. The corner of his lips lifted in a slow, teasing smile. “You hug me, I hug you. Seems fair to me.”
Su Yue was speechless. What could she even say to that?
She glared at him, then silently mouthed: Rogue.
When she got out of bed, she finally saw the missing quilt—crumpled at the foot of the bed, lying in a heap on the floor.
She bent down and picked it up, frowning slightly. Had she thrown it off in her sleep?
Dusting it off, she folded it neatly and placed it on the nearby sofa.
Last night, she had just managed to coax Jiang Ci out of his bad mood. She didn’t need a scale to know she had shed another five pounds in the process. She remembered weighing 115 pounds during her hospital stay. If she had really lost five more, she’d be down to 110. For someone with her 1.68-meter height, that was thin.
She quickly made her way to the bathroom. Standing in front of the mirror, she stared at herself.
Whatever irritation she still had toward Jiang Ci vanished in an instant.
Her reflection… was beautiful.
Her once average features had become strikingly delicate. Her almond-shaped eyes were large, bright, and sparkling with clarity. She blinked once—so lovely, so full of spirit.
Her nose had become more defined, its tip as delicate as a snowflake—petite and cute, almost asking to be pinched. She opened her lips slightly. No lipstick, yet her lips were already rosy and plump, with a glossy sheen that made them look utterly kissable.
This was terrifying!
Compared to her previous bewitching appearance, the difference wasn’t drastic—but now, there was a refinement to her beauty. After all, she had once been the face of the flower vase crowd, a beauty who drew eyes wherever she went.
And now… she was still that, only better.
What thrilled her most, though, was her skin. It had become noticeably fairer—not just in tone, but in texture too. Translucent, glowing, like porcelain kissed by morning dew. It looked like she could squeeze water from it.
What kind of magical golden finger was this?
Sure, Jiang Ci was temperamental and exhausting to deal with… but so easy to coax. With a face like this as a reward, Su Yue felt she could handle it. After all, what woman didn’t want to be beautiful?
Her mood instantly soared.
When she stepped out of the bathroom, she saw that Jiang Ci was finally getting up. Her tone softened. “I already squeezed the toothpaste for you. The cup’s filled. I’ll help you in.”
She said it gently. Almost too gently.
Jiang Ci paused. His brows drew together slightly. Why did he suddenly feel this woman was acting a little too considerate?
Just as Su Yue was about to head next door to call Xiao Haohao, the little guy was already toddling over, clutching his fluffy coriander , his small steps swaying adorably.
“Xiao Haohao, good morning,” Su Yue smiled as she bent down to pat his head and smoothed the tuft of hair standing up from sleep.
“Good morning,” the little guy replied, his big round eyes lighting up at the sight of her, though he tried to play it cool and pouted slightly.
Then, he toddled over to Jiang Ci, tilted his head up, and spoke in a milky voice, “Daddy, morning. Did you sleep well?”
Hearing the question, Su Yue’s heart skipped a beat.
She had slept in Jiang Ci’s arms again last night. She must have disturbed his rest…
But Jiang Ci lowered his eyes, the corners of his lips curling with subtle satisfaction. “I did.”
A pause.
Then he added, “Very well.”
Xiao Haohao nodded cheerfully, his little face beaming. “Haohao slept well too!”
Su Yue’s cheeks turned crimson. She shot Jiang Ci a sidelong glance, full of disbelief. But his face remained expressionless—giving away absolutely nothing.
Suppressing her embarrassment, she reached out and took Jiang Ci’s arm with one hand, and gently held Xiao Haohao’s little hand with the other. “Let’s go downstairs for breakfast.”
On the first floor, Su’s father and mother were already awake and sipping tea in the living room. Even Su Zhi was present.
When Su Zhi looked up and saw his sister coming downstairs—one hand holding a blind man’s arm, the other grasping a child’s tiny hand—he felt an indescribable sense of injustice rise within him.
No matter how he looked at it, it just didn’t sit right.As Su Yue walked over, Su Zhi’s peach blossom eyes widened in disbelief. “Whoa, Sis… did you get prettier overnight or what?”
Su Yue raised an eyebrow and coughed softly, imitating Jiang Ci’s calm and brazen demeanor. “Can you listen to yourself? I’ve always been pretty, thank you very much.”
Su Zhi wanted to roll his eyes but held back, fearful of getting smacked for his sass.
Meeting her parents’ curious gazes, Su Yue smiled playfully. “Did I really become more beautiful? I’ve been diligently using whitening masks these past few days, just so I could dazzle at the banquet. Looks like it’s paying off.”
She wasn’t worried about them reading too much into her sudden transformation—after all, no one in their right mind would guess that her radiance had something to do with Jiang Ci.
“Yueyue has always been beautiful, with or without any mask,” Fang Ru praised, her heart brimming with delight at her daughter’s regained glow. At today’s banquet, their daughter’s beauty would surely slap the faces of those who once mocked her.
Su Jindong chimed in, right on cue. “She’s a bit too thin now. Yueyue used to look even prettier when she had more flesh on her.”
Fang Ru shot him a sideways glance. “What do you know? Slim is the trend.”
After breakfast, Su Yue was about to go change into her dress. Glancing toward Jiang Ci, she said gently, “Jiang Ci, my parents and Su Zhi are going to someone else’s wedding today.”
She assumed they’d all be gone, leaving only Jiang Ci and little Haoyan at home. Somehow, the thought tugged at her—she didn’t want to leave them behind.
Jiang Ci didn’t respond. He already had a hunch about what she’d say next: she would either ask him to return to the Jiang family home or wait for her here at the Su residence. Either way, it was bound to be boring.
She stepped closer, her voice soft like a whisper. “Jiang Ci, do you and Xiao Haohao want to come to the banquet with me?”
There was a hint of milk in her scent—faint yet comforting, richer than before. Jiang Ci’s usual indifference flickered for a moment, his expression dazed by her unexpected invitation.
“Sis, what are you doing?” Su Zhi blurted out, the first to object. “Are you kidding? You’ll be the talk of the town if you take them!”
“Yueyue, it’s not convenient to bring them along,” Su Jindong added with a frown, clearly unwilling to see his daughter weighed down by a blind man and a child.
Fang Ru didn’t voice her opinion, but the look in her eyes said it all. She wasn’t on board either.
Arms crossed, Jiang Ci leaned against the back of the chair, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Take me? Doesn’t look like your family agrees.”
“At least you’re self-aware,” Su Jindong scoffed. He never did like Jiang Ci’s cocky, unruly attitude. No matter how he looked at him, he just couldn’t understand what Yueyue saw in that man.
Su Yue pressed her lips together and turned to Jiang Ci. Her voice was gentle. “So, does that mean… you don’t want to go with me?”
Still, Jiang Ci didn’t answer.
Su Yue nodded slowly. “Got it.”
Su Jindong, Su Zhi, and Fang Ru all breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness. They had been worried he’d actually agree to go.
“Anger Value: 5.”
A dull ache throbbed faintly in her head, as if a small bell had rung somewhere deep in her mind.
Su Yue’s lips curled into a smile. Just five points of anger? So, Jiang Ci was definitely a little upset.
She glanced at the man, his expression cold and unreadable, his mood clearly sunken. In a sweet, coaxing voice, she murmured, “But I really want you to go with me. I’ll be wearing such a pretty dress… If you’re not by my side, what’s the point?”
“Yueyue!” Su Jindong stood up abruptly, his tone sharp with disapproval. It drove him mad to see his daughter speaking up for Jiang Ci like this. “How can you take care of a blind man and a child at a social event!”
“Sis!” Su Zhi looked as if he’d been struck by lightning. Since when did his sister start sweet-talking people? And most importantly, she’d never said anything that nice to him! This was betrayal!
Father and son were suddenly united in outrage.
“Anger Value: 0.”
Su Yue’s smile deepened, brilliant and confident.
“Don’t worry, Dad. Xiao Haohao’s very well-behaved. He won’t run around or cause trouble. And Jiang Ci—he’s my husband. There’s no reason I should be going alone and leaving him behind.”
Su Jindong opened his mouth to protest but ended up just glaring daggers at Jiang Ci, swallowing his words with a huff.
Su Yue turned back to Jiang Ci and asked again, “Jiang Ci, are you coming with me?”
The corner of Jiang Ci’s lips tugged upward. His voice was smooth and low, tinged with a lazy grin. “If you want me to go with you… I’ll go.”
Later, in the room, Su Yue held up a sleek black suit she had borrowed from her father and approached Jiang Ci. “Dad’s build is similar to yours. This should fit you just fine.”
Jiang Ci was lounging on the sofa, looking like he couldn’t be bothered to lift a finger. He raised his eyelids slightly and replied flatly, “Not wearing it.”
“Why not? You don’t have a suit here. And this one’s brand new—Dad hasn’t even worn it yet.”
“Why should I wear someone else’s clothes?” Jiang Ci’s lips curved into a smirk. “Also, Su Yue, you really need to get your eyes checked. How am I even close to your dad’s size? I’m obviously taller than him.”
He had seen Su Jindong once at the mall and still remembered how average the man had looked—mid-fifties and already paling with age.
“You’re not that much taller,” Su Yue shot back, arms crossed as she stared at the smug man in front of her. “Dad’s 1.83 meters. You’re 1.87. Just four centimeters—barely noticeable.”
“Still taller,” Jiang Ci snorted. “Which means I’m better.”
Su Yue: “…”
She tossed the suit onto the side of the sofa, exasperated. “Fine. Suit yourself.” With that, she turned around and made her way to the wardrobe, reaching for the long gown she’d carefully hung up the night before.
From behind her, Jiang Ci’s voice rang out as he casually called someone to have clothes delivered.
Su Yue smiled faintly. Her lips curled with amusement as she began to unbutton her top, getting ready to change into her dress.
Jiang Ci might be blind, but it didn’t mean she needed to hide. In fact, she felt completely unbothered in his presence.
As he ended the call, the quiet sound of a zipper being pulled down reached Jiang Ci’s ears, followed by the rustling of fabric.
Zzzp.
His mind blanked.
The realization struck like a thunderclap—Su Yue was changing clothes… right in front of him!
Though his eyes saw nothing but darkness, his senses stirred, and the very air between them seemed to crackle.
For the first time in a long while, Jiang Ci sat up straighter, stunned.
This woman… was truly driving him insane.