The man remained silent, his face seemingly frosty, his dark eyes appearing even more unfathomable.

Gong Ning swallowed the words that were on the tip of her tongue. Her eyes widened as she stared at him intently, her small hands gripping the sheets tightly. She looked fierce, but in reality, she was so nervous that she swallowed several times.

But Yan Jingzhou didn't say a word, only staring at her intently. His long, slender, fair fingers looked as smooth and warm as jade under the bright light. His white knuckles gently caressed the fabric of his shirt at his wrist, and the dark diamond cufflinks emitted a dazzling light with his movements, making him look even more noble and luxurious.

Gong Ning followed his hand and saw that he was wearing a black shirt with dark embroidery today. The buttons were fastened in a restrained and meticulous manner, and his tie was also neatly arranged. He exuded an aura of asceticism.

She suddenly realized why she wanted to run away as soon as she saw him.

Perhaps it was because of his time with the Yan Clan these past two years that he exuded an invisible composure and calmness befitting a superior, his aura was exceptionally strong, and coupled with his black shirt today, he completely intimidated Gong Ning, who had just bumped into him.

Having figured this out, Gong Ning suddenly lost her fear and straightened her back with confidence. However, she felt that such a small movement could not reflect her majestic temperament at this moment, so she simply kicked off her shoes, climbed onto the bed, and calmly hugged her dog, giving him a defiant sidelong glance. She looked extremely smug.

It's as if it's saying: I love how angry you are, and how you can't do anything about it.

In the past, things would have really turned out exactly as she thought: Yan Jingzhou simply couldn't do anything to her, and after a symbolic lesson that was all bark and no bite, he would let it go.

The smug little girl forgot that this was before Yan Jingzhou had tasted meat.

The air around Yan Jingzhou grew increasingly still, his gaze unreadable. He glanced at the plush dog that had appeared on the bed sometime earlier, a dog bigger than two of her, and a dark glint appeared in his eyes. He narrowed his eyes and stepped forward.

Gong Ning seemed not to have expected him to suddenly walk over, and subconsciously shrank back. Then she pretended to be majestic, straightened her back, put her hands on her hips, and arrogantly raised her chin. This proud and arrogant little expression was particularly endearing.

The man's breathing became heavier, and taking advantage of her inattention, he grabbed her fair little foot and pulled it sharply.

Before Gong Ning could react, she felt a strange touch on her ankle. This unusual touch and temperature felt like a tiny feather lingering in her heart, tickling her so much that she reflexively kicked and struggled, her face already flushed red, her little mouth still shouting defiantly, "Mommy, Yan Jingzhou, let me go! Why are you grabbing my foot? You pervert! Let go, let go, waaaah—let go!"

Unsurprisingly, the disparity in physical strength between men and women destined Gong Ning to fail in her resistance and be unable to escape the control of fate.

The poor girl, who was so proud just a moment ago, was now wondering why her usual strength was ineffective in front of Yan Jingzhou, while also shrinking back to avoid the man's burning breath on her skin.

The man grabbed her hands and held them above her head, one hand gripping her waist. His breathing was slightly heavy. "Have you been having too much fun these past few days? Are you itching for a beating?"

The little girl was pinned down and unable to move, her face flushed red from the struggle. Hearing this, she let out a soft, coquettish whimper, "No~ I'm a good girl!"

The man didn't say anything, only chuckled softly, and the hand that had been holding her slender waist suddenly moved down and pressed down lightly on a certain spot.

Gong Ning trembled and her eyes widened suddenly.

He leaned close to her ear and asked in a hoarse voice, "Is my absence from the country a good opportunity for a get-together? You and Xiao Yiting are quite the conversationalists!"

Gong Ning was almost in tears, trembling as she tried to avoid his hot, alluring breath, whimpering like a kitten, "No, no..."

Yan Jingzhou's hand twitched slightly, increasing the pressure. Gong Ning tensed her legs, surrendering completely, burying her face in his neck and pleading softly, "No, I was just kidding, I didn't contact him at all, it's just... please don't..."

"What is it? Hmm?"

"It's...it was just me being deliberately angry, um...no, it was just watching a short video and deliberately calling my boyfriend by the wrong name, it was just a little game, boo-hoo—Yan Jingzhou, I was wrong, I won't do it again, please, please let me go, um~boo-hoo—Azhou, I was wrong..."

The little girl's voice was pitiful. Yan Jingzhou stopped what he was doing, looked up at her, and saw that her fair face was flushed with a shimmering blush. Her pink lips kept moving as she called out to A-Zhou, which was tempting to be taken.

The man's eyes suddenly deepened, and he placed a kiss on the tip of her pink nose. His voice was hoarse, carrying a hint of allure and restraint, "But it's too late!"

"...Ugh..."

...

The curtains by the window were drawn tightly shut at some point, as if unwilling to reveal even a sliver of the scenery. A subtle fragrance wafted in the air, and the melodious sounds intertwined with the curtains were captivating and stirring.

As evening fell, Xingzhan Garden was bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun. A gentle breeze caressed the garden, making Tuanzi roll around comfortably on the grass.

Gong Ning woke up again the next afternoon, still hungry.

Aunt Rong knocked on the door and came in with a big smile. "Miss, you're awake. The master asked me to make you some soup, it won't harm your health!"

Gong Ning frowned as she got up, took the bowl, took a small sip, and muttered, "What kind of soup is this? And what's this about whether it's harmful or not?"

Aunt Rong chuckled and kindly reminded her, "The master said that Miss is too young to get pregnant, so he asked me to prepare a contraceptive soup. Miss, don't worry..." This is a secret recipe passed down through generations of the Yan clan, and it won't do any harm to girls.

Before Aunt Rong could finish speaking, Gong Ning spat out a mouthful of soup, coughing and coughing—

"Oh dear, Miss, what's wrong? Slow down, slow down..." Aunt Rong hurriedly stepped forward, patting Gong Ning's back tenderly to help her catch her breath. "Miss, don't worry, there's still soup..."

"..."

Gong Ning coughed even more violently, and Aunt Rong was so anxious that sweat beaded on her forehead. The commotion was quite loud, and the door was pushed open with a slightly anxious voice, "What's wrong?"

Aunt Rong was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan. "Sir, Miss choked on her soup!"

Seeing the girl's face turn red from coughing, Yan Jingzhou immediately stepped forward, grasped her shoulders to help her sit up straight, and patted her back with one hand, "Don't rush, breathe slowly..."

After a period of chaos, the bedroom returned to quiet.

The little girl buried herself under the covers and wouldn't come out...