Quick Wear: Cousin, Come to the Bowl Quickly

The world spun around me, and my vision was turned upside down.

Shen Jingyuan's back slammed solidly against the door with a "bang".

"Why are you so late? I'm so sleepy!" Before he could react, a woman's voice, filled with sleepiness and obvious annoyance, came almost right next to his chest.

A strange yet familiar fragrance wafted over him, instantly filling his senses. Shen Jingyuan's breath hitched, and he snapped out of his daze at being suddenly pulled into the room. He subconsciously looked up and, by the dim light of the nightlight on the bedside table, looked at the person standing close to him.

Lin Xi was wearing a dark green silk slip dress. The soft fabric hugged her body, and the thin straps hung loosely on her fair shoulders, revealing large areas of delicate skin on her shoulders and neck.

Her thick, seaweed-like waist-length curly hair was loosely draped over her shoulders, with a few strands lazily clinging to her cheeks and neck, making her unadorned face appear breathtakingly beautiful in the dim light.

The light from the nightlight outlined a fuzzy silhouette around her, giving her a dreamlike, ethereal quality.

At this moment, she was glaring at him with her face upturned, her beautiful eyebrows slightly raised, her eyes full of annoyance. However, perhaps because the light in the room was too dim, her delicate and somewhat sharp eyebrows and eyes were softened.

Therefore, her aggressive and accusatory demeanor, far from being intimidating to Shen Jingyuan, actually made him...so cute that his heart skipped a beat.

Shen Jingyuan's gaze uncontrollably slid over her shoulders and neck, where the skin seemed to glow in the dim light, its presence so strong it was almost dazzling.

His gaze was immediately stung, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he awkwardly looked away. "It's so late, why aren't you asleep yet?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Xi huffed angrily, reached out, and cupped his face without saying a word. With a little force, she turned him back and forced him to look at her.

"Don't change the subject!" she said in a low voice, trying to make her question sound fiercer. "Shen Jingyuan, you've gotten bolder, haven't you? Don't think that just because you're back and have your parents backing you up, you can act with impunity!"

"You avoided my gaze at the dock, and just now at the dinner table, I gave you so many meaningful glances and even kicked you, and you just pretended not to see any of it? Hmm?"

The two were very close, with Lin Xi almost half-crouched in his arms, as she recounted his "crimes" word by word.

Shen Jingyuan's face was cupped in her hands, his nose filled with the warm fragrance emanating from her body that made his heart race. The warmth of her fingertips traveled through his skin, like a fire being lit there, the heat spreading rapidly until his ears burned.

He instinctively tried to create some distance and took a step back, but forgot that there was a door behind him. So the next moment, his heel hit the door with a dull thud.

Lin Xi was startled and instinctively reached out to cover his mouth, put her index finger to his lips, and quickly shushed him. Then she carefully pressed her ear to the door to listen to the sounds outside.

She was so focused on the sounds outside the door that she didn't notice that the already close distance between them had become even more impenetrable because of her movements.

Summer clothing is inherently thin, and Shen Jingyuan could almost clearly feel her warm body temperature, which was seeping through her slightly cool silk nightgown and mixed with her unique fragrance, enveloping him completely.

His body stiffened, his Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably, and his heart pounded like a drum.

Lin Xi pressed her ear to the door and listened for a long time. When she confirmed that the corridor outside was completely silent and her parents were not making any noise, she finally breathed a long sigh of relief, released her hand from Shen Jingyuan's mouth, and glared at him with a look of disappointment.

Shen Jingyuan felt a dryness in his throat. He cleared his throat, trying to break the overly ambiguous atmosphere in the room, "Ahem... Why aren't the lights on?"

As he spoke, he subconsciously reached out and touched the spot next to the door where he remembered the light switch.

"do not move!"

Seeing his action, Lin Xi gasped, grabbed his wrist, and glared at him as if he were an idiot. "Are you stupid? If the light is on, what if Dad and Mom get up in the middle of the night and see a sliver of light? They'll know I'm still awake. What if they find out about you...?"

As she spoke the last few words, she seemed to realize something, and her voice unconsciously lowered, carrying a hint of embarrassment and annoyance that she herself was unaware of.

Her hand was still gripping his wrist, her palm warm and slightly damp. Shen Jingyuan was pressed down by her, and his body stiffened again, his breathing became noticeably more rapid, and his chest rose and fell slightly.

Lin Xi, however, seemed not to notice his strange behavior. As if afraid that he would do something foolish again, she grabbed his wrist and pulled him away from the door without saying a word. She led him a few steps to the center of the room and then forcefully pressed him down onto the cushioned chair in front of the dressing table by the bed.

After doing all this, she let go of her hand, looked around, and finally her gaze fell on a dark green silk headband that was casually draped over the edge of the dressing table and matched the color of her nightgown.

She picked it up and looked at it, as if estimating its length, then smiled with satisfaction, turned around, and looked back at Shen Jingyuan sitting in the chair.

"Hold out your hand," she commanded succinctly, raising her chin.

Shen Jingyuan was puzzled, but obediently extended his hand as instructed.

Seeing that he obediently did as she was told, a hint of satisfaction flashed in Lin Xi's eyes. Suddenly, she bent down, took the smooth silk ribbon, and wrapped it around Shen Jingyuan's clasped wrists, finally tying what she thought was a very secure knot.

After doing all this, she straightened up, tugged at the other end of her headband, and revealed a threatening smile.

She leaned forward slightly, holding the hairband in one hand and bracing herself on the armrest of the chair with the other, trapping Shen Jingyuan between herself and the chair.

"Alright," she lowered her voice, her tone dangerous, and spoke each word clearly, "Now, you tell me clearly, what exactly do you mean by our relationship? When and how do you plan to tell Dad and Mom?"

As she spoke, she shook the other end of the hairband in her hand, her words carrying a strong threat, "If you don't explain yourself clearly... hmph, you'll be sleeping in this chair tonight!"

But as soon as she finished speaking, she seemed to realize that her words were too "eager" and "concerned," which was not in line with her usual attitude of wanting to gain the upper hand.

So she cleared her throat, straightened her back, raised her chin, and added arrogantly, trying to cover up her misunderstanding.

"However, I... I'm not in a hurry! Shen Jingyuan, you need to understand, this is Shanghai. The young men who are pursuing me could line up from the Lin Mansion all the way to the Huangpu River! I'm... I'm giving you a chance, so don't be ungrateful, or you'll regret it!"

Although she spoke with a strong tone, her eyes couldn't help but steal glances at Shen Jingyuan's face.

That insincere look of caring so much, yet pretending to be "I have many choices, and you are just one of them," appeared particularly vivid and... adorable in the dim, ambiguous light.

Shen Jingyuan's gaze fell heavily on her.

Lin Xi, standing before him, had skin as white as porcelain, tousled curly hair, and her cheeks flushed a faint pink from her movements. Her expression, though clearly showing concern, was contradictory... like the softest hook, gently scratching the most vulnerable part of his heart.

His heart was pounding heavily, as if it would burst out of his chest. Shen Jingyuan looked at her, his Adam's apple bobbing, and said in a low, hoarse voice, "I just... spoke to the Commander."

Lin Xi was immersed in her performance of "coercion and enticement" when she suddenly heard this sentence. She froze instantly, and the arrogant expression on her face vanished in an instant, quickly replaced by panic.

She sat bolt upright, her eyes wide, and asked urgently, "What...what did you say? Why didn't you discuss it with me beforehand?! Does Mom know? What...what did Dad say? Is he angry? Does he...does he think I'm being silly again?!"

A barrage of questions rained down on her like popping beans; Lin Xi spoke quickly and urgently, her words revealing obvious helplessness.

She was clearly taken aback that he would actually reveal his true colors so quickly, especially in this "act first, ask questions later" manner, and was momentarily at a loss.

Seeing her flustered state, completely devoid of her previous "arrogant" demeanor, Shen Jingyuan felt his heart soften so much it was almost dripping with water.

He raised his head and called out solemnly, "Xixi."

His voice was deep and tender, almost drowning in affection. Lin Xi, who had been like a headless fly, suddenly stopped talking when he called her that. Her ears turned red uncontrollably, and the redness spread all the way down to her neck.

After a long pause, she finally found her voice, and with a feigned fierceness, she tugged at the end of the hair tie attached to her hand, her voice trembling slightly, "Wh...what are you doing?"

Shen Jingyuan's expression was more solemn and serious than ever before, and his usually calm eyes were now surging with a clearly visible heat.

“I told the commander—” he looked at her and said, word by word, “I want to marry you.”

Lin Xi seemed to be frozen in place by those words. All the expressions on her face froze for a moment. Her eyes widened, her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to breathe, but she forgot how to move.

It took her several seconds to finally understand the meaning of those words. She gasped sharply, her voice trembling, "Wh...what?!"

Shen Jingyuan's gaze did not waver in the slightest; instead, he repeated himself with even greater determination.

"I told the commander that I wanted to marry you, Xixi."

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Ahem, I broke my promise. I thought I could finish it today, but I got carried away and lost in the writing. It won't be finished until the next chapter. (Awkwardly runs away) ㄟ(▔，▔)ㄏ