Night transformed everything into a dreamlike state, making it all seem unreal. With her eyes tightly shut, she listened to the frantic beating of her heart.
Everything had happened so naturally.
Even she herself didn’t understand how it had occurred.
Her first time—this time it was truly gone, lost while he was drunk.
Tears streamed down instantly as she wept silently. He had once promised he wouldn’t touch her without her consent, yet now, everything was lost.
Curled up in that world filled with the aura of desire, she felt utterly helpless.
Tears continued to fall, soaking her cheeks and drenching her heart.
She had been wrong—she hadn’t resisted his temptation.
Though she knew he had many women, though she knew she shouldn’t give her heart away, at this moment, she realized everything had spiraled beyond her control. It seemed she had truly, deeply fallen for him.
Her fingers gently brushed the face of the slumbering man. In the darkness, the lines of his face had softened. She remembered the first time she saw him—she had been drunk then. This time, it was his turn to be intoxicated.
What burdens weighed on his heart?
She traced his brows as if trying to smooth away the faint sorrow at their corners.
No—she suddenly didn’t want him to know anything about what had happened this night.
She didn’t want to appear humble and pitiful in his eyes.
Groping her way up, she knew there must be bloodstains on the sheets. If she didn’t want him to discover what had transpired tonight, then…
She had to conceal the evidence of the blood.
Quietly, she stepped out of his room, the pain between her legs making even walking difficult. Staggering back to her own room, she entered the bathroom and switched on the light. The mirror reflected her flushed face. Turning on the faucet, she let warm water cascade down, slowly washing away the aches throughout her body.
It was the one experience every woman must go through in her lifetime.
Yet, giving it to him—she had no regrets.
At the very least, he had genuinely done much for her.
She was grateful to him for matters concerning the Bai Family and Jin Ruoxue.
Washing away the dried traces of blood between her legs, she stared at the faint red spots on the floor, her heart still unable to break free from the reality of what had occurred. She was truly a woman now.
Clad in her nightgown, she stepped out of the bathroom, when an idea suddenly struck her mind.
This way, he would absolutely never find out what had happened.
Zhong Wanqiu changed back into the clothes she had worn while drinking and stealthily slipped back into Leng Muxun’s room. Lying quietly beside him, she silently absorbed his presence and drifted into sleep.
Yet, she couldn’t rest peacefully—her mind was troubled, and even in slumber, she remained preoccupied.
At dawn, a slight movement beside her stirred her awake—the man was turning over. That faint motion jolted Zhong Wanqiu awake instantly. Lifting her eyes, she met Leng Muxun’s bewildered gaze. “Ah…” she let out a startled cry as if frightened.
“Wanqiu, why are you here?” he asked in confusion, seemingly genuinely unaware of what had transpired the previous night.
“You—put your clothes on,” she snapped, turning her face away, her expression shifting. Sitting up, she inspected her own clothes from top to bottom before sighing in relief. “Leng Muxun, you’re a terrible drunk. How could you drag me into your room to sleep?”
“I… I don’t know either.” He seemed to think hard for a moment, but ultimately spoke these words in a daze.
“Oh dear, my period came, Leng Muxun. Sorry for staining your bedsheet. I’ll wash it for you.” As he stood up wearing his morning robe, she quickly pulled off the bedsheet and hid it behind her back, as if trying to conceal the blood on her own clothes.
But in reality, there was no bloodstain on her clothes at all.
He said lightly, “Leave it there. I’ll have the housekeeper wash it later. I’ll make breakfast and then take you to school.”
“No need, I’ll wash it.” Zhong Wanqiu walked out of his room while secretly relieved—the pack of sanitary pads she bought yesterday had really helped her. He truly believed it without doubt.
Placing her hand on her lower abdomen, she suddenly thought how wonderful it would be if this time could give her a child. Then, even if she had to leave him, she would do so willingly.
It turns out that when you fall in love, you lose your heart.
She thought, she had truly fallen in love with him.
After breakfast, he indeed took her to school. She spent the whole day in a daze. That time at the hotel, she had been terrified and confronted him, but now, she was willingly covering everything up.
Human changes are really hard to understand—even she herself couldn’t explain it, but her heart had changed.
Suddenly, she began looking forward to the end of school every day, because then she could see him again in the evening.
Every night he would come back for dinner, and even if he was running late, he would call to let her know. Sometimes, she felt this was the life she wanted. Whether he loved her or not, the apartment truly felt like a home.
She loved that feeling.
A week passed like this, and she gradually grew accustomed to a world with him in it. However, he never touched her again like he did that night.
That evening, right after dinner, he pulled her to sit on the living room sofa. “Wanqiu, my grandfather is returning tomorrow. Please take a day off, and let’s go pick him up from the airport together.”
“Okay.” She agreed without hesitation—it was her duty after all. He had helped her resolve the Bai Family matter, so it was only natural for her to repay him.
“Wear that white chiffon dress, paired with those white mid-heels.”
“Okay.” Those were chosen by him, and his taste wasn’t bad.
“Wanqiu…” His eyes fixed on her. “Grandfather wants a grandson.” Hesitating, he finally spoke what was on his mind.
She understood what he wanted. Feeling somewhat flustered, she suddenly didn’t know what to say and simply lowered her head. “I… I’m not ready yet.” She was afraid—afraid of sinking deeper, to the point where it would become impossible to leave his world.
Having experienced it once was enough.
“Alright, I respect that. See you tomorrow, good night.” As he spoke, he stood up, leaned down, and pressed a light kiss on her forehead—gentle and slightly damp. Just as her body trembled instinctively, he had already moved his lips away, stood up, and walked toward his room.
Wanqiu sat blankly on the sofa, watching his retreating figure, and for a moment, she felt a sense of loneliness.
“XXXXXX Flight from Hawaii has arrived at the airport…” The pleasant female voice echoed through the airport broadcast. Zhong Wanqiu’s hand trembled; suddenly, she felt somewhat afraid of meeting Leng Muxun’s grandfather.
A large hand grasped hers, “Wanqiu, come, Grandfather is here.”
Taking the coffee cup from her hand, Leng Muxun led her out of the airport’s VIP Lounge, completely indifferent to the curious and probing stares from the crowd.
With her head lowered, staring at her own toes and Leng Muxun’s profile, the slight dampness in her palm made Zhong Wanqiu’s heart flutter anxiously. She wondered if Grandfather would like her.
Leng Muxun held his head high, while Zhong Wanqiu kept hers down. Given her status, the inevitable outcome of this meeting would be awkward—sooner or later, the truth would come out. She truly couldn’t understand why Leng Muxun was so stubbornly determined to deceive his grandfather.
“Wanqiu, we’re here. Look, that’s my grandfather.”
Without any luggage except for a small pull-along suitcase, the elderly man walked briskly toward Leng Muxun. His steps were as light and effortless as an athlete’s, complemented by his black T-shirt. If it weren’t for the complete absence of any bodyguards around him, Zhong Wanqiu would have suspected he was the Boss of T City’s underworld.
“Grandfather…” With a gentle tug, Leng Muxun pulled Wanqiu forward to stand before the old man. He reached out to take the luggage and then introduced her, “Grandfather, this is Wanqiu.”
Peering through a pair of oversized sunglasses, the old man scanned Zhong Wanqiu from head to toe before speaking unhurriedly, “Where is Ruoxin?”
“Grandfather, Ruoxin and I broke up long ago. Please don’t bring her up again.” Zhong Wanqiu had expected Leng Muxun to be somewhat more tactful, but instead, he directly announced to the old man that he and Liu Ruoxin had no relationship whatsoever.