Chapter 19: A Thousand Years of Cultivation?
Gu Hanling stepped closer, his faint, refreshing scent from the bath drifting toward Shen Xi. The subtle fragrance brushed past her nose, making her body tense up.
"I... can I not take a shower?"
She instinctively took a step back, her voice a little shaky.
"Sure. You can sleep in the hallway."
"......"
Shen Xi was speechless.
Before she could react, Gu Hanling took another step forward, closing the distance between them. His presence, combined with his unique masculine scent, carried an undeniable sense of dominance, overwhelming her senses.
In her previous life, she could only smell the sweaty odor emitted by other men. But now that she was a woman, her senses seemed to have changed, making her throat tighten nervously.
Their height difference allowed Gu Hanling to easily glance over her and notice the untouched cake on the table.
"Not hungry anymore?"
Shen Xi blinked, suddenly wondering, was he really just checking if she ate?
Seeing her flustered reaction, Gu Hanling seemed to understand something. A hint of amusement flickered across his face as he smirked slightly.
"I'm not interested in you. But you, my dear wife, better not get any funny ideas."
The moment he said that, Shen Xi’s nerves vanished. Instead, she found herself laughing out of sheer frustration.
Does this guy really think he's some irresistible prize? Just because he's rich, powerful, good-looking, and has a great physique…
Wait, that does sound a little unfair.
But still! I’m not even a real woman!
She huffed. "I already have someone I like. He may not be as impressive as you right now, but he has a promising future."
"I'm going to take a shower. No peeking!"
With that, she let out a small hmph, grabbed a silk pajama set from her suitcase, and walked into the bathroom.
Telling a man not to peek. Wasn’t that just asking him to look?
A crush with a bright future?
Gu Hanling scoffed and shook his head slightly.
Inside the bathroom, Shen Xi locked the door with a click.
Leaning against the door, she let out a deep breath, finally relaxing a little. For a moment, she had really thought Gu Hanling was about to drop his usual cold facade and reveal his beastly side.
That loose robe, his exposed chest and abs, and the way he had leaned in so close… It had been overwhelming. She had genuinely feared he might just push her onto the table and—
Thank goodness he wasn’t thinking that way.
If he had been, with her small frame, there was no way she could have fought him off.
Defending her dignity is going to be a long-term battle...
After her shower, Shen Xi dried herself off and slipped into her sleepwear, only to realize. She had forgotten the outer robe!
She hadn't noticed before, but she had only grabbed the inner slip dress. And to make things worse, her previous clothes were soaked and unwearable.
Now she was left wearing nothing but thin silk pajama shorts and a very revealing strap top.
She looked at herself in the mirror.
Her fair skin had a soft, peachy glow from the heat of the bath. Her delicate collarbones were sharply defined. And worst of all… the two mischievous ‘big bun’ on her chest weren’t staying still. Every tiny movement threatened a wardrobe malfunction.
Her mouth twitched.
“Crap. I'm doomed. I look so perfect, even I want to take advantage of myself. And there's a real man outside…”
After thinking for a long moment, she finally wrapped herself in a large bath towel, gripping it tightly to keep it from slipping.
This was the only way to avoid any… unfortunate accidents.
She carefully cracked the door open, poking her head out and glancing around. Seeing that the man was nowhere in sight, she let out a sigh of relief. She had been worried about running into one of those classic CEO novel scenarios, but clearly, she was overthinking it.
Looks like big brother went to bed first.
Quietly, like a guilty puppy sneaking around, she tiptoed out of the bathroom, making her way past the living room, careful not to make any noise.
Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted someone sitting silently on the living room sofa.
"Holy sh—!"
Startled, her hand trembled.
The bath towel, smooth as silk, slipped right off.
Under the warm glow of the lights, her bare skin was shockingly pale, and for a brief moment, everything was on full display.
Who else could be in the room? Naturally, it was Gu Hanling. He had been calmly sipping a cup of herbal tea while reviewing documents for his company’s affairs the next day.
Hearing the commotion, he instinctively looked up. Only to see her panicking, bending down to grab the fallen towel.
And with that movement… the mischievous, round mountains finally seized their chance to peek out.
"Pfft— cough..."
The unexpected sight caught Gu Hanling so off guard that he choked on his tea. He quickly turned his head away, setting the cup down. A fleeting, unreadable expression flashed through his eyes before his usual cold demeanor returned.
Meanwhile, Shen Xi was drowning in embarrassment. Frantically, she wrapped the towel back around herself. Of all the things that could have happened, it had to be this! No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t seem to escape the weirdly inevitable “Murphy’s Law” of this novel world.
The more she thought about what had just happened, the more her toes curled with secondhand embarrassment. She wanted to dig a hole in the floor and bury herself in it. Her fair cheeks flushed with a soft pink, whether from shame or frustration, she wasn’t sure.
"Big brother... why are you still here? Aren't you supposed to be asleep?"
"Sitting there like a ghost, not making a sound. You scared the hell out of me."
Gu Hanling gave her a sharp look, frowning slightly as he replied in his usual indifferent tone.
"This is my room. Do I need to report my schedule to you, Madam?"
The man looked at the woman with a cold, piercing stare.
"On the other hand, what exactly are you sneaking around for?"
Shen Xi gave an awkward, embarrassed laugh and said,
"Uh… I forgot to bring my pajama robe. I saw that your wardrobe has plenty of sleepwear, so I thought maybe I could—"
"No."
Before she could even finish her sentence, he shot her down without hesitation.
Well damn.
When your salary is 100k yuan a year, you curse your boss behind his back. When it’s a million, you call him ‘sir.’ When it’s a billion, you say, ‘sugar daddy, do as you please.’
Grinding her teeth, Shen Xi held her tongue and stormed into the bedroom. She pulled off the bath towel and threw it aside in defiance before flopping onto the bed.
Didn’t he say he wasn’t interested in me? That he finds clingy women annoying?
Fine, then! Tonight, I’ll flip the script and claim his bed for myself. Let's see Mr. Capitalist sleeping on the floor!
She scooted toward the center of the bed, deliberately taking up more space. Then, pulling the blanket over herself, she wrapped up tightly like a burrito, leaving only her head exposed.
When Gu Hanling walked into the room, his gaze fell on the ridiculous sight in front of him. A woman wrapped up like an imperial concubine on her first night in the palace, waiting to be presented before the emperor.
"......"
Without a word, his expression remained as cold as ever as he walked to the other side of the bed and lay down without hesitation.
Shen Xi’s eyes widened in disbelief.
She immediately shrank to the edge of the bed, trying to put as much distance between them as possible. Even though there was still plenty of space between them, the tension in the air felt like an invisible barrier.
Suddenly, the room went dark.
Gu Hanling had turned off the lights.
Shen Xi huddled under the covers, cursing her own stubbornness. Why did she have to challenge him like that?
Now, instead of just sharing a room, they were literally sharing a bed.
She also had her pride, even though she'd already lost most of it in front of this man...
But she got into this bed by herself. If she backs out now, wouldn't that make her a total coward?
Just then, Shen Xi felt him shift slightly beside her. Her heart pounded wildly...