In the early morning light, the soft golden glow of the rising sun filtered gently into the room. The once cool and dim interior, dressed in deep gray tones, gradually warmed with the sun’s embrace. On the windowsill, a white porcelain vase held a few fresh stalks of green bamboo, their jade-like leaves gleaming under the light—vivid and full of life, as if they, too, had just awakened.
On the spacious bed, a slender, fair calf peeked out from beneath the quilt, half-pressed under the man’s long, lean leg. Their toes had unknowingly intertwined in their sleep.
Beneath the dark gray sheets, two silhouettes nestled close together, intimately entangled.
Su Yue slowly opened her eyes. The remnants of sleep still lingered in her gaze as her long lashes fluttered. Drowsiness clung to her as she blinked, her mind foggy and slow to wake. A weight on her waist drew her attention. Looking down, she saw a broad, masculine hand resting there—firm, possessive.
Memories of the previous night surfaced. Jiang Ci had graciously offered to share his pillow, and she had obediently nestled beside him.
Carefully, she attempted to move his hand away.
A low, husky voice—lazy yet magnetic—sounded behind her. “Awake?”
Startled, Su Yue greeted him, “Good morning, Jiang Ci. I’m going to get up.”
“But I still want to sleep.” Jiang Ci’s voice was a lazy drawl, drowsy with warmth. “Su Yue, I realized something… Sleeping with you in my arms, I sleep better.”
Su Yue blinked, confused. “What?”
“I sleep soundly,” Jiang Ci muttered again, drawing her even closer. His large hand at her waist tightened slightly, fingers brushing the soft curve of her slender waist. His fingertips, now warm from contact, kneaded the sensitive area gently. Then came a low chuckle from his throat, magnetic and playful. “You’re really soft.”
Su Yue’s cheeks flushed a brilliant pink. Her waist twitched. “Don’t… don’t pinch me!” she whispered, voice almost pleading. What was with this man’s obsession with her waist lately? He kept pinching it, always making her feel unbearably ticklish.
But Jiang Ci didn’t stop. Instead, his entire body shifted closer, his frame lightly pressing against her back. He nestled his chin at the crook of her neck, their posture intimately close. In a teasing tone, he added, “Su Yue, your body’s way too soft… It’s addictive.”
Her already flushed face deepened in color. She struggled to pry his hand off, flustered. “What nonsense are you talking about?”
The stubble on Jiang Ci’s chin brushed against the tender skin of her neck as he tilted his head lazily. “When I hold you like this, I can finally sleep peacefully.”
“You—let go! Who said you could hug me like this?” Su Yue fumed, her cheeks puffed out. Was she some kind of body pillow?
Surprisingly, Jiang Ci didn’t protest. Instead, he released her with ease, turned over, and lay flat on his back with a sigh. “You’re boring.”
Su Yue blinked in disbelief. That… was unexpectedly easy. Just as she turned, Jiang Ci’s voice floated over again with faint grievance: “If you don’t let me hug you, then make me mango cake.”
Su Yue stared at him, her teeth grinding. She turned and glared at the man lying there with an expressionless face, eyes shut tight, lips pursed like a child sulking.
All her anger fizzled out.
How was she supposed to argue with a blind man who sulked like a moody cat?
“It’s not that I don’t want to make it for you…” Su Yue tugged at his sleeve gently. “You ate so much cake yesterday. It’s not healthy to eat sweets every day.”
Jiang Ci didn’t respond, but she could tell he wasn’t actually upset.
Su Yue leaned closer, her lips just beside his ear. Her voice dropped into a soft, coaxing murmur. “Too much sugar isn’t good for you. You’ll gain weight. You’re so handsome now… If you get fat, you’ll turn ugly.”
Though she always tried to reduce the sugar content in her baking and substituted ingredients when possible, cakes were still rich and high in calories. He couldn’t indulge every single day.
Her breath tickled his ear. Jiang Ci, with his heightened senses as a blind man, was especially sensitive to sound and scent. Back when he had a private nurse, he’d been strict—he didn’t like unpleasant smells or harsh voices. It was always difficult to find someone who met his high standards.
But Su Yue was different.
She carried a faint, comforting scent of warm milk. Her voice was sweet and soft, like a lullaby. She matched all his peculiar demands perfectly, which was why she was the only one allowed to get close, the only one he would let touch him.
Now, as she whispered into his ear, her warm breath curled around his skin like a soft feather. Jiang Ci’s ear felt itchy again. He instinctively wanted to scratch it.
“Okay?” Su Yue asked again in a low voice, trying to bargain. “How about just twice a week? Making cakes every day is exhausting, you know…”
Jiang Ci finally opened his eyes. His voice was slow and flat, but every word carried weight. “No hug, no mango cake. Su Yue, don’t you think you’re being too heartless?”
“…” Su Yue was speechless.
She suddenly felt as if she were the one at fault—like she was the unreasonable one bullying someone vulnerable.
“But really, eating too much cake is—” she tried again, reasoning.
Before she could finish, Jiang Ci turned away, pulling the covers with him. He faced the other side, completely ignoring her, a picture of passive-aggressive indifference.
Su Yue stared at his back. This man… was completely unreasonable!
Fine. Jiang Ci wins!
With a sigh of resignation, she got up and walked toward the bathroom. Honestly, after dealing with his little tantrum yesterday, she didn’t even need to check the scale—she knew she must’ve lost five pounds.
She was now down to one hundred and five.
Standing before the mirror, Su Yue looked at her reflection. Her delicate features seemed more refined today, her almond eyes glowing like dewdrops under starlight—clear, luminous, and utterly captivating. Her nose was exquisitely shaped, her lips naturally tinted a soft red, her face dainty and pale as porcelain. She looked like she had been painted with snow and light.
She blinked at herself, then smiled faintly.
Even she had to admit—it was hard not to be stunned by her own beauty.Lowering her head, Su Yue’s gaze fell on her own arm—white, slender, and translucent like a jade-carved lotus root, delicate to the point of seeming fragile. Her fingers moved down, brushing over her legs. Just yesterday, they were already well-shaped and proportional, but now… her long legs appeared straight and graceful, the complexion a flawless, porcelain-like fairness. She imagined walking down the street in short denim shorts this summer—tsk, it would surely be a head-turning scene.
But what Su Yue was most satisfied with—was the upper curve.
Her figure had always been decent, but due to long-term dieting, even though her chest hadn’t been completely flat, it lacked this… fullness. Before she lost weight, it was generously endowed. And now, even though the overall body had slimmed down, the size remained quite respectable.
Her snow-pale face flushed pink. She shyly lowered her gaze, gently lifting her hands to support her chest. It was heavy… soft… and plush.
She gave it a small squeeze—her cheeks immediately deepened in color.
She really liked this new figure.
—
At the same time, Jiang Ci had just gotten up when his assistant’s call came through. On the other end, the assistant respectfully reported back regarding Jiang Ci’s earlier instructions.
“Mr. Jiang, the other party is already aware it was your doing. Do you want me to—”
“No need,” Jiang Ci interrupted coldly, “That old fox from the Xie family isn’t blind. His son took a hit this time—he’ll remember it. If not…”
He sneered, voice thick with disdain, “Then those good eyes of his are wasted. He might as well go blind.”
“Yes, Mr. Jiang. Understood.”
—
Su Yue came out of the bathroom just in time to see Jiang Ci fully awake, his face as emotionless as ever. She couldn’t help but smile to herself.
“Jiang Ci,” she said, her voice soft as a breeze, “the weather’s really nice today. Let’s have breakfast in the pavilion.”
With the wind gently rustling through the bamboo leaves, the air held a refreshing coolness. The peaceful atmosphere soothed the soul in a way that was hard to describe.
“Whatever you want,” Jiang Ci answered lazily.
He looked especially good this morning. In the past, he often suffered sleepless nights, dark shadows lingering under his eyes. But the last two nights—sleeping with Su Yue in his arms—had given him rare rest.
The only displeasure he felt was at the memory of Su Yue not allowing him to hold her again. His brows furrowed slightly as he gave a faint grunt of annoyance.
—
That morning, Song Nianyue arrived at the Jiang residence with her luggage in tow. She had claimed she wanted to stay for a few days to relax and spend time with Song Xiaoqing, and today, she followed through.
After greeting Song Xiaoqing, she headed straight to the small western-style building with a mango cake she had made herself.
She hadn’t expected the scene that greeted her.
Jiang Ci, Su Yue, and the child were sitting under the pavilion, eating breakfast. A cat lay lazily by their feet. The sunlight filtered through the edge of the roof, casting gentle shadows across the floor. With the breeze carrying the scent of fresh bamboo and early dew, the three of them—man, woman, child—looked so much like a peaceful, happy family.
Song Nianyue stood still, stunned.
The cool breeze lifted Su Yue’s soft, dark hair, fluttering it gently like silk ribbons. She sat quietly with no expression on her face, eating a few spoonfuls of porridge before placing the bowl down in front of Jiang Ci. Knowing he hadn’t had mango cake and might be in a bad mood, she opened her mouth to speak—only to be interrupted.
“Jiang Ci! So this is where you are.” Song Nianyue approached with the cake box in hand. Her gaze swept toward Su Yue. “Good morning, Miss Su.”
The moment her eyes landed on Su Yue’s face, her pupils shrank.
Perhaps it was the natural outdoor lighting, or perhaps Su Yue’s complexion had improved overnight—but in the bright light, Su Yue’s face appeared so stunning that it was difficult to look away. That flawless, fair skin, those soft, refined features—it made her breathtaking.
The smile at the corner of Song Nianyue’s lips faltered slightly. Her grip on the cake box unconsciously tightened.
Yesterday, she had still felt confident in her own appearance. But now? Looking at Su Yue, an uncomfortable irritation rose in her chest.
She hated being compared. Even more so when the one surpassing her had once been so beneath her.
Suppressing the emotions in her eyes, she shifted her attention to Jiang Ci. He’s blind, she reminded herself. No matter how beautiful Su Yue becomes, it’s all wasted on him. In Jiang Ci’s memory, Su Yue would always be that ugly girl. As for her—she was the bright and beautiful image of youth he once remembered.
“Good morning,” Su Yue greeted mildly, surprised to see her here so early.
“Jiang Ci, can I join you for breakfast? I woke up early just to make mango cake for you, and I haven’t eaten yet.”
Song Nianyue’s tone was gentle, almost modest. She was good at crafting her words just right—never arrogant, always measured. Even when she hinted at the effort she had put in, she did it in a way that didn’t make others uncomfortable. “I rushed over right after finishing it. Luckily, there was no traffic, or it would’ve cooled and the taste wouldn’t be as good.”
“Oh right—how was the cake yesterday?” Her eyes sparkled with expectation. She had put her heart into that cake. There was no reason Jiang Ci wouldn’t like it.
Jiang Ci lazily stirred the porridge in his bowl with a spoon, not even lifting his eyes.
Su Yue, who sat beside him, grew nervous. Oh no, she thought, heart pounding. This guy better not say something too blunt… doesn’t he care about hurting her feelings?
“You didn’t eat it?” Song Nianyue asked, blinking in disbelief.
Jiang Ci finally lifted his eyes. “Didn’t touch it.”
Song Nianyue froze for a moment but quickly smiled, ever gracious. “It was a little rough yesterday. That’s okay. I improved today. Want to try it?”
Just then, Jiang Ci turned his face toward Su Yue. His lips curled into a faint, lazy smirk. “Don’t want to.”
He rested his chin in his hand, his posture relaxed, but the next words out of his mouth stunned Song Nianyue even more.
“Su Yue won’t let me eat mango cake.”
He said it so naturally, as though it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
Song Nianyue stared at him in disbelief.
Since when… did Jiang Ci listen to someone else’s words so obediently?
—
The cat stretched its limbs under the table, purring softly. In the silence that followed Jiang Ci’s statement, the sound was the only thing that filled the still air—along with the subtle collapse of Song Nianyue’s expectations.
And Su Yue, seated beside him, gently stirred her spoon in her bowl of porridge, her expression unreadable.
But under the table, her toes curled slightly in satisfaction.