Episode 24

Su Hang slammed his bedroom door closed. He took off his suit jacket and tossed it to the ground as he walked. He rushed into the connecting bathroom, turned on the shower, and gave himself an ice-cold shower in this early winter season.

As the cold water washed over his body, it extinguished his sudden desire and finally let Su Hang breathe a sigh of relief. Putting his back against the bathroom wall, Su Hang closed his eyes and began to reflect.

J-just now...just now he almost...almost...to Shen Xi...

Su Hang opened his red-tinged eyes and once again warned himself: You and Shen Xi have been married for only two months! Don't be too anxious, being too anxious would scare her.

But damn it, just the thought of her blushing face, her teary expression, the way she bit her lips...Su Hang returned under the cold spray of the shower.

Meanwhile, in the living room, Shen Xi sat on the sofa as the door slammed behind her. Shen Xi looked at the tightly closed door and felt that she had just experienced the saying 'don't even try to understand the mind of a man.'

After a silent sigh, Shen Xi took off her other high-heel, baring her two white-jade feet. She stood up, intending to go upstairs, and felt the long hem of her dress graze her medicine-covered right foot. Shen Xi thought of the way Su Hang meticulously coated her foot with medicine and couldn't bear to waste all his hard work. Shen Xi bent down and held up her long skirt, revealing her smooth legs. She continued to walk up the stairs.

Back in her room, Shen Xi opened her closet door to find some pajamas. When she finally attempted to remove her dress, Shen Xi realized that her dress was tied up with a ribbon on her back. For the sake of beauty, the ribbon was winded in a very complicated pattern and was very troublesome to untangle.

Shen Xi tried to undo the ribbon herself several times, but she couldn't find the correct knot. A little annoyed, she looked at herself in the floor-length mirror in a huff. Finally, Shen Xi carefully went downstairs with the skirt of her dress still in her arms. She walked towards Su Hang's room, and after a moment's hesitation, she knocked on his door.

Su Hang, who had just put on a bathrobe, heard a knock on his door. Surprised, he hastened to tie the belt of his robe and quickly opened the door.

"Hi!" Shen Xi awkwardly smiled.

"What's the matter?" Su Hang looked at Shen Xi, who was still wearing her gown.

"That...Mrs. Zhang is already off-duty." Shen Xi was too embarrassed to directly ask a man to untie her clothes. She always thought such actions were like an innuendo or a hint.

"Ah??" Isn't Mrs. Zhang off-duty every night? Su Hang was puzzled. He asked: "Are you hungry?"

"No." Shen Xi hurriedly shook her head. Gnashing her teeth, she finally said: "My...my dress...Mrs. Zhang helped me put it on. The ties are at the back, and I-I can't untie them."

Shen Xi was so embarrassed she lowered her head. Although everything that was supposed to happen already happened in their last life, Shen Xi still felt her words were too provocative just now.

Su Hang trained his gaze at the top of Shen Xi's head and desperately tried to control his overactive imagination. Then, with a hoarse voice, he said: "Then...I'll untie it for you."

"Thank you!" Shen Xi happily raised her head, her shining eyes inadvertently electrifying Su Hang. She then cheerfully turned around.

The bodice of her dress fits her quite well. At a glance, Su Hang could see Shen Xi's beautiful neck, followed by a pair of butterfly bones covered in shimmering tulle. Su Hang could feel the heat he had just managed to tamp down rise again.

"Is it too complicated?" After waiting for a long time, Su Hang still hadn't moved, so Shen Xi couldn't help but ask.

"No." Su Hang jolted into action. He hurriedly reached out and untied the delicate ribbon on her dress. But when the ribbon was released, the graceful curve of Shen Xi's back was unfolded right before Su Hang's eyes. Su Hang had to remove his gaze immediately, and his voice ended up sounding impatient as he replied: "I've untied it."

"Thank you." Truthfully, Shen Xi was just as embarrassed as he was. When she heard that the ribbon was untied, Shen Xi couldn't wait to leave. She took a step forward, and in her haste, Shen Xi ended up stumbling over her skirt. Shen Xi bent down to lift the hem of her dress, but she felt the top part of her dress collapse, and she immediately froze.

Seeing Shen Xi's back and legs exposed was too much for Su Hang. He finally succumbed to his body's impulses and took a step forward, pulled Shen Xi towards him, and lifted her up into a princess carry.

"Ah!" Shen Xi couldn't help but cry out.

"I'll take you upstairs." Su Hang didn't dare look down at Shen Xi. He marched up the second floor with his eyes firmly trained forward.

Shen Xi instinctively raised a hand to hold onto the man's chest, but the neck of Su Hang's robe was wide open, and she ended up touching his muscled skin. Thinking of her previous life, Shen Xi's face immediately turned into the color of cooked shrimp.

Su Hang carried Shen Xi into the master bedroom and carefully placed her down on the carpet.

"Thank you." Shen Xi placed her feet firmly on the ground, a hand still placed on Su Hang's shoulder to support herself.

"Then...I'll go back down." Su Hang withdrew the arm he had wrapped around her back and waist. It was just that...his actions also loosened the ribbon on her back even more. When he was carrying Shen Xi up the stairs, he had accidentally wrapped the ribbon around his finger. So when Su Hang removed his hand, the ribbon was pulled, and this caused the already loosened dress to directly slip straight down in an instant.

"Ah!" Shen Xi screamed and pulled the half-slipped dress back up. But it was already too late. The brief flash of white skin had already ignited the flames in Su Hang's eyes.

"Shen Xi." Su Hang's reason was being eaten up by his desire.

"Hn?" A flustered Shen Xi raised her head, but before she could even see the expression in Su Hang's face, a slightly rough palm pushed her against the wall. Then a tall and solid figure hovered over her, and any breath she would've exhaled was instantly plundered.

Shen Xi wanted to breathe, but he only moved closer and closer. It was as if her lips and tongue weren't her own. There was also a hint of the banquet's red wine in his mouth that made her feel dizzy.

The beast that Su Hang placed in the deepest depths of his heart came rushing out. He plundered the delicious feast in front of him. He slid a hand inside Shen Xi's dress and stroked her back...

Shen Xi knew what was going to happen next. She hadn't refused him in her last life, and she wasn't going to refuse him in this life. But before that, there was one last thing Su Hang had to admit.

Shen Xi tried to make an opportunity and turned her head to the side. She didn't stop the hand that slipped deeper into her dress. She simply panted against Su Hang's chest and asked: "Su Hang, do you remember the girl you're secretly in love with?"

Is it me? You tell me! Shen Xi kept her eyes on Su Hang. As long as he gave an affirmative answer, tonight will be the night they make up for all their past regrets.

Shen Xi's words were like a bucket of cold water pouring down on him. Su Hang looked down at the seemingly aggrieved expression on Shen Xi's face (which was only due to his almost-too-long kiss) and released his desperate hold on her.

"I'm sorry." After throwing these words up into the air, he escaped in a panic.

Shen Xi looked at his retreating figure incredulously. His warmth was still lingering on her lips and body, and what does the man do? He runs away!

"Su Hang, you humongous wimp!" Shen Xi almost wanted to cry. She slid to the ground and covered her face with both her hands. She slowly tried to calm down.

Su Hang's reaction just now had given Shen Xi a tremendous blow. She began to remember what Li QingYuan had told her at Su Hang's funeral in her last life. She tried to remember that particular moment several times. After making absolutely sure that she hadn't heard him wrong, she put down her hands and opened her now calm eyes. She said aloud: "Li QingYuan, if you dare cheat me and make me misunderstand the situation, I'm going to get you good."

"In the end, should I say 'do you like me' first, or 'I like you' first, ah!" Shen Xi's helpless voice sounded in the empty bedroom.

On the other side, Su Hang was rushing down the stairs. He ran into his bathroom, turned on the shower, and doused himself in cold water again. As he took a cold shower, Su Hang beat the tiled wall with his hands and scolded himself for being so shameless.

"You know. You fucking know it's only been a few months since you married her."

"Didn't you keep telling yourself to wait, wait, wait, and give her time? What the hell are you doing?"

"Besides, you haven't even told her you like her. You haven't told her that the girl you've always been in love with is her."

"What are you going to do now? She must feel disgusted, thinking that there's another woman in your heart while you do those things to her..."

"Su Hang, you pervert, your brain must be filled with nothing but sperm. You're nothing but a sex-crazed wolf."

When Shen Xi had asked him, Su Hang had naturally wanted to just tell her that the person he liked had always been her, that the person he had been secretly in love with was her, that there was no one else in his mind except her. But if he professed his love for her in that kind of situation, Su Hang was afraid that Shen Xi wouldn't believe him.

Su Hang had always felt that if he wanted to tell Shen Xi he loved her, he had to do it in a situation where everyone was sober and the atmosphere pleasant. He had to make it very clear to Shen Xi and make her believe his love for her without any doubt or reservation in her heart.

The farce this evening prevented the two from sleeping well. The two were wide awake until the next morning, and after hearing some sounds outside their door, they both got up. So when Mrs. Zhang saw them both arrive in the living room at the same time, she was quite surprised. "Sir, Madam. You're both early."

"Good Morning." Su Hang didn't dare look at Shen Xi.

"Mrs. Zhang, good morning...achoo! achoo!" Shen Xi sneezed several times in a row.

"Oh dear, I hope you don't catch another cold." Mrs. Zhang was worried,

Su Hang was also quite concerned.

"I'm alright..." Shen Xi's voice seemed to have a slightly nasal tone to it. She was a little surprised.

"You're not alright. I can hear that your voice is wrong. It's already so cold, why did you still wear such a thin gown to last night's banquet. If it wasn't for Sir putting a coat on you, it would definitely be a lot worse today."

"Mrs. Zhang, I'm fine. It's probably because I just woke up, so my voice sounds a little different." Shen Xi explained with a smile.

"Madam, you have to be careful. You've only been here for two months, but you've already had several colds."

"I..." Shen Xi wanted to keep arguing, but she couldn't beat Mrs. Zheng's air-tight logic.

"Madam, your body is a little weak. You should pay more attention and exercise more. I mean, look at me." Mrs. Zhang continued. "I don't even sneeze all year round. And that's mostly because I keep busy and constantly move. You have to find something that will make you move around."

"Okay...I understand. I'll go get a gym card later." Shen Xi knew that Mrs. Zheng was saying all this because she was concerned about her, so she agreed.

"That's just a waste of money." Mrs. Zhang glanced at Su Hang, who was dressed in sportswear. "Don't you go running every morning, Sir? There we go, ah. You can run with a partner."

Su Hang was stunned at first, but then his eyes lit up, and he looked towards Shen Xi.

But Shen Xi was still angry about last night's incident. She didn't want to deal with Su Hang right now, so she smiled at Mrs. Zhang and said: "No, I can't wake up that early."

Su Hang's eyes dimmed.

"So? Just ask your husband to wake you up every morning. You, youngsters, like to sleep in so late. Don't you know, you'll be more energetic if you wake up early."

"Woof, woof, woof!" Chu Wu had been waiting by the door to accompany his dad for their morning run. But after a long while, his dad still hasn't come out, so Chu Wu ran into the living room himself.

"Running in the morning also means you'll be able to run with Chu Wu." Mrs. Zhang added another sentence when she saw the dog run towards them.

This was the first time he saw his mother this early in the morning. He usually ran with his dad, but after seeing his mother, Chu Wu wanted to run with mom. Chu Wu made an effort to run around Shen Xi's feet, calling out non-stop.

"Let's run together." Su Hang finally stopped playing dead and spoke up. He said: "There's a ginkgo trail to the east, the scenery there is gorgeous."

"Bark, bark!" Chu Wu cheerfully barked.

"Madam, I saw that you have sneakers in your shoe cabinet."

Shen Xi finally acquiesced. Fortunately, Chu Wu was running around, so she wasn't too embarrassed about her previous deliberate actions of ignoring Su Hang.

Su Hang silently followed Shen Xi, watching her play with Chu Wu so intimately and ignoring him so completely. Su Hang understood that she was still very mad with him. But didn't he deserve it? Su Hang secretly sighed but didn't dare complain. So, in the end, he could only quietly follow them.

After running for 20 minutes, they arrived at the ginkgo trail Su Hang had described. The golden leaves on the ground seemed to have been deliberately forgotten by the cleaners, and they created a lovely pattern on the ground.

Shen Xi fell in love with the place as soon as she saw it. She happily hugged Chu Wu and told him: "It's so beautiful here. Too bad I didn't bring my phone, or I would've taken a bunch of photos for you."

"Bark, bark!" Chu Wu happily barked in reply.

"I've bought mine." Su Hang, who had finally found a use for himself, hurriedly took out his cellphone from his pocket and offered it to the person and dog in front of him.

"Hn!" Shen Xi hummed and continued forward with Chu Wu, totally ignoring the man.

Su Hang bit his lip and quietly put back his phone. He watched Shen Xi, and Chu Wu happily play a short distance from him. After a while, Su Hang saw that breakfast time was approaching and carefully reminded them: "We should go back now."

Shen Xi also knew that it was time to go back, but she was still stuck on this man who didn't even have an explanation for her this morning. Shen Xi was simply depressed to death. Now she had to seriously wonder if the girl Su Hang secretly loved really was her.

"Mrs. Zhang probably finished with breakfast already. If we don't go back soon, it'll turn cold." Seeing that Shen Xi was still ignoring him, Su Hang had to use Mrs. Zhang as an excuse.

"Woof, woof, woof!" Chu Wu thought his father was too pitiful and resolved to help him a bit.

"You go back." Shen Xi wanted to continue to ignore Su Hang, but there were only two people here. If she continued to ignore him so obviously, she would look too petty.

"What about you?"

"My feet hurt. Breakfast is going to be cold weather I hurry back or not, so I'm just going to walk slowly." Shen Xi said in a fit of pique

Her feet hurt! Damn it, how could he forget that he stepped on her foot yesterday? Everything but this one point flew from his mind, and Su Hang anxiously approached her. "How's your foot?"

Truthfully, Shen Xi was just talking nonsense. Last night, Su Hang had rubbed medicine on her foot and already good as new. She didn't even see a red mark this morning. But she was still angry with him, so Shen Xi didn't answer and turned away.

"I'll carry you back." Su Hang turned and crouched directly in front of Shen Xi.

"Don't worry about me!" Shen Xi continued to pout.

Su Hang didn't say anything and simply stayed crouched in front of her, waiting.

Shen Xi bit her lip and walked around Su Hang. After walking for about five or six meters, Shen Xi turned back around and saw Su Hang still crouching, as if saying that if Shen Xi wasn't on his back, he would stay crouching like a fossil.

Seeing this, Shen Xi's heart finally softened, and she slowly walked back. She put her entire weight on Su Hang and heavily pressed on his back.

Su Hang carefully stood up and carried Shen Xi home.

"I'm sorry!" Halfway out of the ginkgo trail, Su Hang suddenly said this.

Shen Xi's answer was to bite Su Hang's shoulder, hard. Seeing the bite mark on his thin sportswear shirt, Shen Xi smugly smiled.

Fine, if you don't want to say it, then don't say it. If you don't have the ability, then don't say it for the rest of your life. If you don't tell me whether you like me or not, I let you touch me again.

Shen Xi secretly swore this in her heart!

*****

Li QingYuan in the last life: Boss, you fool.

Su Hang in this life: *stupefied face*

Shen Xi, in this life: Li QingYuan, you better not be lying to me!

Li QingYuan in this life: Sister-in-law, why are you suddenly shouting at me?

Su Hang in this life: You bullied my wife?

Li QingYuan in this life: Help!