The antique girlfriend of a chaebol heir

Xie Shuheng got up and turned on the bedside lamp.

Warm yellow light spread out, and he stood by the mirror, looking at his face in the mirror—

He is still the same person now, not the man in my dream who was tormented by love and filled with regret for the rest of his life.

He felt like he was having a nightmare lately.

I always have these unrealistic dreams.

He used to disbelieve in absurd ideas like past lives, reincarnation, and so on.

But those dreams felt so real.

He raised his hand to rub his temples, washed his face with cold water, and became more alert.

He admitted that he had a strong feeling for Shen Ci.

He had an idea when they played Go.

She pleased him in every way, both in appearance and temperament.

Cool yet not aloof, intelligent yet unassuming, like an ancient jade, warm and understated, yet possessing its own brilliance.

He had seen too many people who flocked to him, too many who were scheming, but she was different. She was as indifferent as a wisp of smoke, yet he wanted to reach out and grab her.

If Shen Ci weren't Jiang Duo's girlfriend, he would do everything in his power to keep her by his side.

But she is now Jiang Duo's girlfriend.

The Jiang and Xie families were on good terms. Jiang Duo and he grew up together. Although they weren't exactly inseparable, they had a long-standing friendship.

He understood the principle that one should not covet a friend's wife.

He turned and walked towards the bedside, but stopped halfway. After a long silence, he finally walked back to the bedside and picked up his phone.

He opened Xie Shuyun's Moments, scrolled down, and found the nine-grid post.

My fingertip hovered over Shen Ci's photo, and with a gentle tap, I zoomed in.

She was wearing a green dress, sitting by the piano, her fingertips still resting on the strings. She was healthier than in my dream; her cheeks had color in them, and her figure was no longer so frail.

But their expressions and demeanor were exactly the same—cool and indifferent, like a bamboo shoot stretching out from a great distance.

It stirred up unfamiliar emotions within him.

He placed his finger on the photo and hesitated for two seconds.

I closed my eyes briefly, then finally clicked save...

Xie Shuheng placed his phone face down on the bedside table, lay back down, and stared at the ceiling, wide awake.

……

In the suite, two single beds were placed at a distance that was neither too close nor too far apart in the quiet night.

The tranquility of the latter half of the night was broken by a suppressed cry of pain. Xie Shuyun curled up in bed in agony, her brows furrowed, and she made soft moaning sounds.

Shen Ci was startled awake from her sleep.

She turned on the bedside lamp, got out of bed, and sat next to Xie Shuyun. Seeing her frowning, she asked softly, "Shuyun, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"

Xie Shuyun half-opened her eyes, her voice trembling slightly: "Youyou, my stomach hurts so much, my period might be coming early."

As soon as she finished speaking, she felt a surge of heat flowing from below and said in despair, "Oh no."

This is the guest room that Xie Shuyun usually stays in when she comes to Xie Garden; her clothes are inside.

When she went to the bathroom, Shen Ci found new sheets in the closet and changed them for her.

When Xie Shuyun came out after changing into a new nightgown, Shen Ci had already made the bed.

She helped Xie Shuyun lie down again and poured her a glass of warm water.

"I wish I hadn't gone to the outdoor hot spring; my stomach hurt too much."

Xie Shuyun curled up in the quilt, her forehead covered in fine beads of sweat, her face as pale as paper.

Shen Ci rolled up the bed sheets and pajamas she had changed out of and said softly, "I'll take them to the laundry room first, and I'll be right back."

She had noticed that the suite was very close to the laundry room when she arrived.

The corridor was lit by a dim, warm yellow light, and all around was silent.

Shen Ci carried the rolled-up item and walked very quietly. After turning the corner, she saw the door to the laundry room.

She moved the clothes from one hand to the other, gripped the doorknob, and pressed down hard.

The door remained closed.

"What are you doing?"

A deep male voice suddenly rang out behind me, sounding particularly abrupt in the empty corridor.

Shen Ci was startled, and her hand suddenly loosened, causing the things in her hand to scatter all over the ground with a "clatter".

Xie Shuheng's gaze followed her movements downwards.

In the dim light, the blood-stained sheets and pajamas looked particularly glaring.

He stared intently at the object, an indescribable surge of malevolence welling up from the depths of his heart.

The blurry images in his dream surged up—a sickly girl, a pale face, wrists so thin they looked like they would break at the slightest touch, eventually turning into a handful of yellow earth… And now, this glaring red seemed to be pulling him out of the dream, or perhaps dragging him deeper into it.

Shen Ci was startled by his gaze; it was terrifying, as if he wanted to tear her apart.

She wanted to ignore the things on the ground and escape directly back to her room.

But as soon as she took a step to the side, Xie Shuheng quickly stepped forward and slammed his hand against the wall next to her ear, trapping her firmly between himself and the wall.

His anger intensified, and his chest heaved violently with suppressed emotions.

Shen Ci was trapped in a small space, and her breathing became rapid.

Her voice trembled as she asked, "Senior Xie... what's wrong? Have you been drinking?"

This Xie Shuheng was so abnormal, so unfamiliar, that it frightened her.

Xie Shuheng did not answer, but instead took another half step forward, his tall figure casting a shadow that completely enveloped her.

He lowered his head, his gaze falling on the blood-stained sheets rolled up at her feet. His warm breath brushed against her ear, his voice low and terribly hoarse.

"What happened to the bed sheets?"

He asked her, looking up and staring intently at her face.

His gaze was so complex, filled with anger, jealousy, resentment, and a hint of pain that even he himself was unwilling to admit.

Although he had never experienced matters between men and women, the glaring red color made him think too much.

Just thinking about the fact that she might have gone to Jiang Duo's room that night...

Just thinking that she and Jiang Duo were already a couple, that they might have just done those intimate things, and that she might still have traces of other men on her body—

Xie Shuheng tightened his grip on the wall, his knuckles turning white and the veins bulging faintly.

Shen Ci was forced to press her back tightly against the cold wall, with nowhere left to retreat.

He was so close that she could clearly smell his crisp scent and the oppressive, aggressive aura of a grown man.

"sheet……"

Shen Ci's mind went blank, and her heart began to pound uncontrollably.

She had only said two words when Xie Shuheng suddenly reached out and grabbed her wrist.

His palms were burning hot, and the force was so great that it felt like he was going to crush her.

Shen Ci frowned in pain, but couldn't break free.

She didn't know what was wrong with the person in front of her, so she could only take a deep breath and try to make her voice sound as steady as possible.

"These are Shuyun's sheets. Her period came early, and she soiled the bed and clothes. I... I just wanted to put them in the laundry room."

The corridor fell into a deathly silence.

Xie Shuheng's hand, which was holding hers, stiffened slightly.

It's not hers? It belongs to Xie Shuyun?

This realization was like a sudden gust of wind, instantly scattering the filthy and desperate fantasies that were driving him almost insane.

His taut jawline relaxed slightly, and the murderous aura that seemed to devour people quickly dissipated like the receding tide, replaced by an extremely unnatural stiffness.

He... is probably going crazy.