On the day of her return to China, she was tied up and coaxed by the richest man to get her marriage

Yu Jinzhao's mind was screaming, twisting, and crawling in a state of collapse.

She took a deep breath, gripped the belt of her bathrobe and twisted it tightly, quickly regaining her composure and dignity. Head bowed, she spoke softly and slowly.

"Master Si dislikes women, how could he learn such low-class things?"

Behind her was a slightly open window, where a gentle breeze stirred the colorful, carved wind chimes hanging from the eaves, casting dappled light that trembled around the two of them.

A casual chuckle descended from above, carrying an arrogant disdain for everyone. "So you knew too."

Yu Jinzhao stared at Si Qing's feet, golden specks dancing on the edge of his straight suit trousers.

He took two steps forward, his shoe tips almost touching her toes, the touch was icy cold.

Even without looking at him, she could feel his powerful aura, like an all-powerful emperor judging her.

She looked up as if going to her execution, defiant and resolute. He watched her calmly before slowly finishing his sentence.

"Then why did you go to such lengths to sleep with me?"

Yu Jinzhao closed her eyes, utterly speechless. She decided to go all out, a faint smile playing on her lips, like the lingering spring rain of Jiangnan.

"Master Si is handsome and dashing, the kind of man every woman desires. I'm just an ordinary woman, so it's only natural that I have such thoughts, isn't it?"

Wear it a thousand times, but flattery never wears it.

Everyone likes to hear nice things. Si Qing resents her simply because she used to go against him and criticize him at every turn.

Since all these misunderstandings have made him think that she is lusting after him, she might as well just admit it directly. It's only natural for people to be attracted to food and sex, which would leave him speechless.

Thinking it over, Yu Jinzhao put on her acting talent, and as her eyes darted around, she gave Si Qing a perfectly appropriate shy expression, like a young girl in love.

The bright, cool light cast a crystalline glow on her beautiful face, and the corners of her eyes glowed with a soft peach color, like blooming flowers on a branch, exuding an alluring fragrance.

Si Qing's eyes, as dark as night, were fixed on Yu Jinzhao.

A few seconds later, he twitched his lips, seemingly letting out a soft "humph" from his nose, and abruptly sat down on the edge of the bed, taking off his coat and throwing it on the bed.

That "humph" was hard to tell whether it was mockery or sneer.

Yu Jinzhao wrinkled his nose, somewhat confused about what he meant.

They shouldn't hold it against them, right?

He didn't speak or look at her, and the room became eerily quiet, with only the faint sound of the wind outside.

Yu Jinzhao found the silent atmosphere somewhat unbearable.

"Kacha."

Si Qing lit a cigarette with a lighter and bit his thin lips.

The wisps of smoke obscured his imposing face, making him appear even more enigmatic and mysterious.

Yu Jinzhao was getting sleepy from waiting. She yawned, stepped forward to break the ice, and spoke in a low, soft voice.

"Master Si, I've prepared a bath for you. Why don't you go and wash up?"

Si Qing exhaled a smoke ring, finally glancing at her. His thin lips parted, and his clear voice, tinged with a hint of huskiness, was undeniably alluring.

"So eager?"

"..."

Yu Jinzhao was numb. She just wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible so she could go to sleep, okay?

But she had already lied about wanting to sleep with him, so she could only swallow her bitterness and suffer in silence.

Seeing that he remained unmoved, she smoothly changed the subject, saying with a smile that brightened her eyes.

"You're back so late and haven't eaten yet, have you? I've prepared some nuts for you. You can eat them while you take a shower."

Upon hearing this, a ripple appeared in Si Qing's dark eyes. She still remembered that he loved to eat nuts.

Yu Jinzhao was exhausted and just wanted to coax him to take a shower so she could sleep. After saying this, she saw that he seemed interested in her eyes, so without thinking, she turned her head and picked up the plate of nuts on the dressing table.

She presented it to Si Qing like a treasure, a slight smile revealing her pearly white teeth, her entire being exuding a gentle charm as if bathed in moonlight.

"Look, I've already peeled it for you."

Si Qing lowered his gaze and saw a small mountain of nuts piled up on the plate...shells, with glistening saliva stains on them.

"These are the nuts you peeled for me?"

A pile of nut shells.

That was a very good excuse; don't be so perfunctory next time.

Si Qing's gaze was cool. Yu Jinzhao, who was still a little dazed from sleep, suddenly realized that the plate of nuts had been specially brought over by a servant sent by the Si family that evening, who had told Master Si that he liked them.

She peeled the nuts for Si Qing with the intention of pleasing him, but she got carried away chatting with Song Jingshu and ended up eating all the nuts herself!

*

Goodnight, and thank you to all the readers who urged me to update!