Chapter Seventy-Four: Taking a Cold Bath Together

"What are you hiding from?" His voice was lower and hoarse than usual.

The storage room was small, just a few steps away.

Su Xiao's back quickly hit the cold wall, leaving her with no way out.

Yan Mingshen's hand rested on her ear, the warmth of his palm felt so comforting that she couldn't resist wanting to take it.

In the darkness, Su Xiao could feel his gaze fixed on her face, filled with obsession:

"Xiaoxiao, will you come home with me...?"

A blush crept up her jawline and onto her cheeks, making the girl look like a fruit warmed by an afternoon stove.

His fingertips lightly touched her cheek, but Su Xiao turned her head away.

"Yan Mingshen, how are you any different from Xu Lin now?"

She never imagined that one day, the man she had loved for three years would corner her in this way.

Despicable and shameless.

The effects of the medicine continued to surge upwards, and Su Xiao couldn't help but tug at her collar a couple of times.

Yan Mingshen's breath fell on her neck, it was very hot. He leaned forward, his forehead touching hers:

"Let's have a child, Xiaoxiao. I'll send Xia Zhi abroad in a couple of days... Can we still be like before?"

Of course, he and Xu Lin are different.

He is her legal husband, isn't it only natural for them to have marital relations?

His hand slowly moved down, trying to wrap around her waist, but Su Xiao pushed him away forcefully.

She wasn't very strong; under the influence of the drug and his suppression, it felt like a tickle. Yan Mingshen gripped her wrist tightly, his knuckles turning white.

"Xiaoxiao, stop fooling around..."

Just as he was about to get closer, Su Xiao suddenly touched something at the base of the wall behind her.

It's a dagger, probably a family heirloom, with the handle inlaid with gemstones.

Almost instinctively, she gripped the hilt of the knife and raised her hand to hold the blade across her neck.

Yan Mingshen stopped moving.

In the darkness, he could see the resolute look in Su Xiao's eyes.

"If you dare to move even a little, I'll slide down right now."

Su Xiao's voice trembled violently, but she did not flinch in the slightest. The blade had already gently pressed a light red mark into her skin.

Yan Mingshen stared at the knife, the lust in his eyes instantly fading.

He slowly released his grip on her wrist, took a half-step back, and sighed softly.

"……never mind."

Only the heavy breathing of the two men remained in the storage room.

He raised his hand to wipe his face, and finally looked at Su Xiao, his voice filled with helplessness:

"I'll take the tea over for you, you can go now."

Su Xiao stared at Yan Mingshen's face, loosened her grip, and the jewel-encrusted dagger clattered to the ground.

She bent down to pick up her phone, turned on her flashlight, and turned to find what she needed.

A cold, white beam of light swept across the dusty shelves and landed on the faded rosewood jewelry box on the innermost shelf.

It was her mother's favorite; she recognized it at a glance.

I thought they would have been cremated along with the rest of the family, but to my surprise, they were left behind.

As Su Xiao, carrying the jewelry box, passed by Yan Mingshen, the two were about an arm's length apart.

His cool scent brushed against her arm, but she seemed not to notice. She didn't stop walking, and didn't even glance at him when she pushed open the door.

Just as I turned the corner, I saw Xu Bozhou leaning against a carved pillar, frowning as he stared at his phone.

Hearing the noise, he looked up, the coldness in his eyes instantly vanishing, and quickly walked over:

"Why is it taking so long?"

Su Xiao didn't speak, but instead gripped his sleeve tightly, her voice hoarse:

"Uncle, take me back to Falling Maple Garden."

She didn't mention what happened in the storage room, nor did she mention Yan Mingshen.

Ultimately, it was Zhou Manyun who orchestrated this whole thing, but it's still uncertain how much of a role the Su family matriarch played.

Xu Bozhou looked down and saw the faint red mark on her neck, but didn't ask any further questions.

"Okay, let's go back."

It seems that old man from the Su family is tired of living.

He had previously refrained from intervening much because of Su Xiao, but now she was the one bullying him.

He didn't look towards the banquet hall again, and half-supported, half-carried Su Xiao towards the parking lot.

Chen Huai, with keen insight, opened the door, and the dark purple Rolls-Royce sped along the road.

When the dark purple Rolls-Royce stopped downstairs at Luofengyuan, Su Xiao was already slumped in the passenger seat, too weak to even lift her hand.

She looked up a beat late, her pupils shimmering with tears, like two glass beads soaked in warm water, misty and even the red at the corners of her eyes softened.

Xu Bozhou bent down and picked her up horizontally, his fingertips touching the skin on the back of her neck, his Adam's apple bobbing.

How could he remain unmoved when the person he had liked for so long was now completely unguarded in his arms, at his mercy?

Upon entering the apartment, the warm yellow floor lamp cast a hazy glow over the living room.

He carried him straight into the bedroom and gently placed him on the bed covered with a plush blanket.

Just as she straightened up to reach for her phone to call Gu Ming, Su Xiao gently grabbed her wrist.

Her eyes were open, glistening with tears, and her voice was so soft it was barely audible: "Help me..."

Xu Bozhou paused, his ears slowly turning red, and looked down at her.

The girl's cheeks were still flushed an unnatural red, and her fingertips were clutching his sleeve.

"Help me... take off my coat, it's so hot... I want to take a cold bath..."

With each word he uttered, his breath trembled, and the last syllable of his voice was slurred, carrying a hint of unconscious dependence.

Xu Bozhou pinched her burning cheek with his fingertips, his voice hoarse:

"Be good, just bear with it for a bit."

He glanced sideways at the door and whispered his instructions.

"Chen Huai, go to the bathroom and run a basin of cold water for me. Call Gu Ming and tell him to bring the medicine over within half an hour."

Chen Huai responded and quickly left, leaving only the sound of their breathing in the bedroom.

He leaned down and gently lifted the neckline of Su Xiaomi's white knitted dress with his fingertips.

When the fabric brushed against her reddened collarbone, Su Xiao flinched slightly, her eyes welling up with tears, but she didn't pull away. Instead, she moved closer to his hand.

When he took off his coat, his fingertips accidentally touched the skin on her back, burning his fingertips and making his breathing quicken.

The sound of water in the bathroom stopped, and Xu Bozhou bent down to pick Su Xiao up again. She subconsciously wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her cheek against his shirt. The cool fabric made her hum comfortably.

He carefully placed her in the bathtub, and just as he was about to straighten up, he heard Su Xiao's trembling voice:

"cold……"

She hunched over, her shoulders trembling slightly.

Xu Bozhou had just taken out his phone to urge Gu Ming when he heard Gu Ming's voice on the other end of the line:

"The medicine is ready, but there's traffic on the way, it will take at least half an hour."

Chen Huai shook his head helplessly at him, holding up his phone.

"You can leave now."

Xu Bozhou looked at the girl curled up in the bathtub and waved for Chen Huai to close the door.

He reached out and ripped off his suit jacket, throwing it on the floor before bending down and stepping into the bathtub.

The cold water instantly soaked his body, but he didn't care. Instead, he reached out and gently wrapped his arms around Su Xiao from behind, pulling her into his embrace.

His body heat wafted through his thin shirt, just enough to neutralize the coldness of the water.

Su Xiao's trembling shoulders gradually relaxed, and she subconsciously leaned back, resting her forehead against his chest, her breathing gradually becoming more even.

Xu Bozhou rested his chin on the top of her head, his arms wrapped tightly around her, as if to protect her in his body heat.

The only sounds in the bathroom were the sound of water and their soft breathing. He could clearly feel the girl's heartbeat in his arms gradually slowing down.

Unconsciously, she rubbed against his shirt, and Xu Bozhou's eyes darkened.