When they reached the bathroom, Jing Yun was drawing hot water while Sheng Minglan said, “Only my shoes are wet.”


  Nonetheless, Jing Yun heated a towel with the hot water before crouching in front of Sheng Minglan, taking off her shoes and promptly using the towel to warm her feet.

  Surprised, Sheng Minglan tried to struggle but Jing Yun stopped her from moving. “It’ll be done in just a second.”


  “Jing Yun…”


  “Don’t let Lin Mu’an touch you. He’s a playboy—it makes me uneasy.” Jing Yun said calmly and mildly. “You should at least find someone you truly liked. That’s alright.”


  Sheng Minglan watched the man crouching before her, the palm of his hand directly palpating into her feet.

  When did it all begin? The boy all those years ago had become a man, and one so mature and charming…


  Her heart was beating furiously, just as her palm was sweating a little.

  “I’ll dry your shoes. You should use one of the slippers at the living room instead.” Jing Yun said then.

  To Sheng Minglan, however, it was as if he was touching her feet for the better part of a century, which was why she breathed a sigh of relief at that.

  Doing as she was told, she slipped into a pair of slippers and left the bathroom, not daring to even look at Jing Yun’s face for fear that she might expose herself.

  When everyone else saw her blushing slightly when she came out, they knew that she was actually self-conscious when she was around Jing Yun.

  “Goddess, I am really sorry…” Lin Mu’an promptly apologized.

  “It’s fine. Let’s continue.” Sheng Minglan replied, hastily hiding her fluster.

  “Well, today’s the day that block of wood Jing Yun could finally act thoughtful.” Sheng Xiao said, deliberately poking at the vagueness between those two.

  Nonetheless, they returned to the drinks with Jing Yun soon rejoining them—remaining calm as ever despite the weird looks on the others’ faces.

  “The vibe here is good. Feels like a waste if we don’t dance.” Lu Qianqian told the others while sipping her wine.

  Lin Mu’an immediately got the hint and extended her hand at Sheng Minglan. “Goddess, would you honor me with a dance?”


  “Fourth Sister is inconvenienced—she doesn’t have her shoes.” Jing Yun replied in her stead.

  “Well then, Qianqian, let’s go.”


  Lu Qianqian shot him a glare, although she ended up going along and the two headed towards the lawn.

  Sheng Xiao pulled Mu Qiqi up too. “I’m a bit cold,” he told her, “Come with me and help me change.”


  Change? He was clearly up to the usual mischief.

  Be that as it may, there was nothing better since they isolated Jing Yun and Sheng Minglan.

  Still, Mu Qiqi tried to resist even as Sheng Xiao pulled her into the bedroom and kissed her ferociously in the moment they entered, again and again.

  “Xiaoxiao…”


  “You lit the fire. Are you trying to deny that now?”


  Mu Qiqi was taken aback and utterly confused. When had she seduced this man?

  Still, she did not have the time to understand at all because Sheng Xiao was already melting into her.

  There were guests downstairs and they were pressed for time, but it was also exciting why their nerves were so stimulated.

  It was wilder and more thrilling than usual.

  “How… did I get you so excited?”


  “That burning gaze of yours when you answered the questions. Doesn’t that count?” Sheng Xiao overbearingly pressed against her nose. “That’s the same look you have when you held single-sided feelings for me, as if you couldn’t wait to devour me whole…”


  “I would never!”


  And yet, her protests soon disappear amidst Sheng Xiao’s deep kisses…


  ***

  The winter winds pierced bone downstairs.

  Jing Yun and Sheng Minglan were simply sitting idly as they watched Lin Mu’an and Lu Qianqian dance away.

  It was after a long time when Sheng Minglan eventually asked him. “Did you leave the family because of me?”


  “No. I would have left eventually,” Jing Yun replied earnestly.

  “Really? Would you have left without a word if it wasn’t for Seventh Sister spreading rumors everywhere?” Sheng Minglan shot back, having a firm grasp of things. “So? Are we never seeing each other again?”


  “I’ll always be at Young Master’s side, Fourth Sister. You may meet me anytime you want… or you could just call me.”


  “I’m about to embarrass Grandpa at the engagement party and there might not be a place for me in the Sheng family soon. He will have it out for me, so why would I drag you into my mess?”


  “I’m single. What’s there to mind.” Jing Yun chuckled even as he finished one bottle of wine after another—in fact, the two of them had unwittingly drunk up all the wine prepared and were a little tipsy.

  That said, Sheng Minglan was more alcohol tolerant, whereas Jing Yun had succumbed to it and dropped prone on the table.

  Meanwhile, Lin Mu’an gestured to Lu Qianqian. “We’re pretty much done. We should go now.”


  “Do you think something would happen between them tonight?”


  “Just watch. Things would get ambiguous between them tonight.” Lin Mu’an held her by the waist as he led her away, quietly retreating from the party.

  And those two upstairs probably wouldn’t be coming down.

  When Aunt Wu said that the party was over, she came out and spoke to Sheng Minglan—having a good eye for such things, she certainly knew what her boss was trying to accomplish for the night, which was why she tried to create a chance for those two.

  “Fourth Sister, I’ll have to trouble you with young Jing Yun. Excuse me while I return home to look after my grandchild.”


  “Alright. Happy Christmas Eve.”


  After Aunt Wu left, Sheng Minglan watched the flickering Christmas tree and then at Jing Yun.

  “You’ve taken care of me twice before… I’ll take care of you this time then.”


  That said, it took her some effort to help him up the guest room. Then, when she was about to leave and get something to clean him with, he caught her wrist.

  “Don’t leave…”


  “I’m not leaving.” Sheng Minglan assured him. “I’m getting a towel to help you clean your face.”


  Jing Yun freed her after blanking out for a moment. “You would become someone else’s wife eventually. I shouldn’t demand anything.”


  Sheng Minglan was suddenly confused. What was that supposed to mean?

  And when she was about to enter the bathroom, Jing Yun suddenly got up from bed and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

  “Jing Yun…”


  “Just five seconds. Afford my insolence this one time—I’ll forget all about it tomorrow.”


  Sheng Minglan was stunned. But even as she was about to utter a question, Jing Yun had turned her around and pinned her against the wall, almost kissing her.

  “If I took advantage of you when you’re vulnerable, you’ll hate me, right?”


  And with that, Jing Yun stumbled two steps backward and plonked himself down on the bed. “I’m so despicable…”


  Then, before Sheng Minglan could get a word in, Jing Yun had fallen back on the bed and dozed off.

  Sheng Minglan’s entire face was crimson, because she could vaguely feel the man’s repressed emotions.

  She had assumed that Jing Yun wasn’t sure whom he was holding since men are inevitably confused after intoxication. Even so, she understood that everything he did was for her when he so precisely called out Fourth Sister.

  It was her and no one else.

  Did Jing Yun like her? Secretly?