The antique girlfriend of a chaebol heir

"No!"

Shen Ci refused without hesitation.

"I can take a taxi back—"

She had intended to say she would take a taxi home, but before she could finish speaking, she immediately remembered that tonight was her father and Aunt Lin's wedding night, and it would definitely be inappropriate for her to go home in the middle of the night.

The tone abruptly changed, "I can stay at a nearby hotel."

Jiang Duo looked at her, his gaze calm.

"Did you bring your ID card?"

Shen Ci gripped her handbag tightly.

She didn't bring it.

She left home intending to simply watch a movie, never imagining she would be trapped outside the school gates.

Seeing her like this, Jiang Duo leaned closer, his masculine aura enveloping her along with the scent of the night breeze.

He looked down at her, his voice softening, "What are you afraid of? We're boyfriend and girlfriend, it's normal for us to live together. Besides, I promise, at least tonight, I won't do anything to you."

He paused, a hint of helplessness and seriousness in his voice, "If I really wanted to do something to you, I could have done it in the car just now."

Shen Ci didn't speak, but simply lowered her eyelashes.

As if even the heavens were deliberately working against her, raindrops began to fall softly from the night sky.

At first, there were only a few scattered spots, but in the blink of an eye, they became more frequent, hitting the ground with a soft, pattering sound, and a cool breeze swept over our faces.

"Get in the car quickly, don't catch a cold."

Jiang Duo urged her softly, then opened the car door and escorted her into the car.

The car door closed, shutting out the sound of rain and the darkness of night.

The carriage was quiet, with only the faint light emanating from the instrument panel.

Shen Ci leaned back in her chair, gazing blankly at the blurry rain scene outside the window.

Only at this moment did a tremendous sense of unreality overwhelm her like a tidal wave—

She never imagined that one day she would end up staying overnight at a man's house.

The car came to a smooth stop at the red light, the windshield wipers rhythmically swishing away the water that kept accumulating on the windshield.

The intersection was empty, and the red light numbers ticked down in the night.

Jiang Duo turned his head and his gaze fell unabashedly on Shen Ci.

There were still wet droplets in her hair, clinging to her temples and forehead, like tiny stars in the dim light inside the car.

But she wasn't embarrassed at all. Her back was still straight, her posture was upright, and her gaze was fixed on a vague point outside the window. The profile of her face was cold and aloof.

Even when she was just sitting there quietly, her otherworldly beauty was still clearly discernible, like a handful of fresh snow that could only be admired from afar, so pure that one dared not touch it, yet in the deepest part of one's heart, an uncontrollable desire arose to completely possess her.

He looked away, gazing at the neon lights outside the window, mottled by the rain, and silently admitted to himself that he had indeed acted somewhat despicably tonight.

At the beginning of the meal at the restaurant, he deliberately slowed down his eating and leisurely tried to find topics to talk about, dragging the time out until after ten o'clock.

Not only that, he even took a detour to pick her up from the south gate of the school—the only gate in the entire school that wasn't guarded by security at night.

But he insisted on taking her to see the closed door and the extinguished light.

He couldn't resist the urge to lure her to his territory.

Like a hunter setting a trap, watching the unsuspecting prey walk in step by step...

Shen Ci never expected that, not long after, she would step into Jiang Duo's private residence near the school again.

After changing into slippers, Jiang Duo naturally took her hand and led her to sit down on the sofa.

He leaned down slightly and gently instructed, "Please sit here and wait for me." After a pause, he deliberately softened his tone and added, "There are only the two of us here, so don't be shy."

However, Shen Ci still couldn't relax.

This residence was much more spacious than the house she and her father usually lived in. As night deepened, only the two of them remained in the empty living room. The silent tranquility felt like an impenetrable net, tightly enveloping her.

Every nerve in her body was taut, and she even unconsciously slowed her breathing.

A moment later, Jiang Duo brought over a glass of light brown water from the central island counter and handed it to her: "I made this with instant ginger tea. Drink some to prevent catching a cold."

"Thanks."

Shen Ci took it and only took a small sip. The ginger flavor was very spicy and pungent, burning from the tip of her tongue all the way to her throat.

She frowned slightly, but did not put down the cup; she simply held it with both hands.

Jiang Duo lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on her cautious and wary appearance, and sighed helplessly in his heart.

He felt that in her eyes at this moment, he was probably like a wolf that would pounce on her and devour her at any moment, and even taking a step closer would be a sin.

"Take a break."

He finally spoke, his voice low and deep, "I said I wouldn't touch you tonight, and I mean it."

Jiang Duo led Shen Ci to a room that was very clean and had a separate toilet and bathroom.

"A cleaning lady comes regularly to clean this room, and no one has ever lived here before. The toiletries and skincare products inside were just prepared by me."

He explained softly, took her hand and led her to the wardrobe, opening the door—inside hung all sorts of pajamas and outerwear, the tags still on.

He then opened the drawer, inside which were neatly stacked brand-new women's underwear.

Shen Ci stared blankly at all of this, finding it hard to believe that this was really what he had said he had "just had prepared."

Jiang Duo raised his hand and gently ruffled her hair: "Get some rest. I'm in the next room. Call me if you need anything."

"Um."

Shen Ci responded with a muffled sound.

She saw him to the door, and just as she was about to say goodbye, Jiang Duo suddenly stopped, staring intently at her: "Aren't you going to give your boyfriend a goodnight kiss?"

Shen Ci froze, immediately taking a step back. She looked like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, as if every inch of her skin was covered with defensive thorns.

Looking at her like this, Jiang Duo silently told himself: Take it slow.

He suddenly chuckled softly and took a half step back: "Just kidding. Go to sleep early."

"You should go to bed early too."

After saying that, Shen Ci quickly turned around, went into the room, and closed the door.

With a "click," the sound of the lock coming shut clearly reached Jiang Duo's ears.

He stood outside the door, staring at the tightly closed door for a long time before silently turning around and walking towards the next room.

The night was so dark it seemed impossible to see through.

Jiang Duo suddenly woke up from his deep sleep, a dry, hoarse feeling rising deep in his throat, as if it had been finely sanded.

He sat up, panting heavily. In the darkness, his hand with its distinct knuckles instinctively reached down, and where his fingertips touched, the sheet was sticky, damp, and cold.

He paused, then slowly raised his hand and covered his face tightly with his slender fingers.

That dream I just had was both absurd and incredibly real.

In his dream, the girl in the next room changed into the nightgown he had prepared.

She pushed open his door without resistance or wariness, and everything that followed happened naturally, like spring water breaking through ice.

He couldn't see her face clearly no matter how hard he tried; he could only hear her soft moans in the hazy darkness.

The voice was like a small brush with a hook, gently scratching at his heart, so soft it was almost killing him.