The luxurious modern hall exuded the owner’s taste in every corner, with details accentuating the epitome of elegance and sophistication.
For a long time, neither of them spoke.
An Yin’s feet felt a bit sore from standing too long. Seeing that the man hadn’t clearly answered her question, she asked anxiously, "What I said just now, did you agree?"
The young girl was quite stubborn, insisting on getting a definite answer, completely oblivious to reading others’ expressions.
Those who knew Bao Shaojin understood that when he did not object, it meant he consented.
"Mm." Bao Shaojin replied lazily.
His words made An Yin breathe a sigh of relief, but when she looked at her wrist, her other hand clenched slightly, "You, you let go of me."
The young girl silently hung her head. Under the white light, her palm-sized oval face seemed as fragile as an eggshell, looking both stunningly beautiful and tinged with shyness. Follow current novᴇls on 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢•𝕟𝕖𝕥
What An Yin didn’t realize was that her demeanor easily sparked the man’s protective instincts.
After An Yin spoke, seeing the man unmoved, she slowly lifted her eyelids and met his inscrutable gaze, scaring her into quickly lowering her head again, "Bao, Bao Shaojin, you, you let go of me."
Her voice trembled slightly, showing she was very afraid.
Keeping her head down, An Yin felt a lingering fear.
The man’s eyes were like a long-dormant wolf in the desert; those faintly bloodshot eyes seemed ravenous, and the prey caught in their gaze could find no escape.
In the instant the man looked her way, An Yin felt like she was the prey at the mercy of its predator.
Bao Shaojin stood with his spine straightened, sensing the urge he had suppressed rising once more.
Faced with the young girl’s innocent and clear face, the wild thoughts in his heart gradually diminished.
Finally, he released An Yin’s hand, taking a complicated look at her before standing up, "Stay here obediently tonight."
After saying this, he stood up and walked briskly toward the corridor.
Actually, inwardly he cursed: Damn it, wasn’t it just seeing the young girl’s body? This was the second time tonight he couldn’t control himself.
The more he thought about it, the darker his expression became.
In contrast to the man’s worried expression, An Yin looked confusedly in the direction he disappeared.
The man was incredibly strange tonight.
Leaving inexplicably, appearing inexplicably, repeatedly — it was truly puzzling.
What troubled An Yin even more was that as the man left, he also took her phone with him.
Her only entertainment left was watching TV.
An hour later, when Bao Shaojin reappeared in the hall, he saw the young girl lying horizontally on the sofa, with her clear and transparent eyes fixed on the television.
Bao Shaojin stood beside the sofa, following her gaze to glance at the modern romantic drama playing on TV.
On the screen, the female lead burst into hysterics outside a hotel upon discovering her best friend was involved with her husband. She wanted to storm the room to catch them but lacked the courage. After an intense internal struggle, she ultimately chose to leave, yet her eyes filled with resentment and reluctance evoked deep sympathy.
The TV’s volume wasn’t high, but An Yin’s sobbing was particularly abrupt in the vast living room.
Hearing the young girl’s sobbing, a trace of helplessness swept across Bao Shaojin’s cold face. He gently walked over, positioning himself before her, forcing her to meet his gaze.
"Crying for yourself? Or the female lead in the drama?" the man’s tone carried a hint of teasing.
As the man approached, An Yin caught a whiff of a fresh scent, a familiar one — she had used the same scent in the bathroom while showering; it was the fragrance of the body wash.
An Yin slowly raised her head, noticing the ends of the man’s hair were somewhat damp, she hesitated, recalling that he had already showered once earlier? Seeing the robe he wore — the same style as before...
An Yin’s eyes fluttered with uncertainty, she must have guessed wrong. How could the man take two showers at night?
As for his slightly damp hair tips, perhaps he had accidentally splashed some water on them while in the restroom?
"Didn’t hear clearly?" Bao Shaojin remarked, observing her staring blankly at him, his gaze soft upon her.
An Yin hesitantly shook her head. So engrossed in her crying earlier, she had blocked out all surrounding sounds, not hearing what the man said.
Bao Shaojin’s Qingjuan face showed some thoughtfulness as he gazed at her. Having agreed with her, it was best not to allude to her melodramatic romance now. Instead, he said, "If you’re tired, go back to your room to sleep."
"I still want to watch TV for a bit longer." An Yin cautiously sat up straight, making room for the man to sit.
The sofa still carried a trace of warmth, as Bao Shaojin reclined on it with a laid-back posture.
Observing his stance, An Yin hesitantly asked, "Are you going to watch with me?" She couldn’t imagine the man watching a romance drama.
"Mm." Bao Shaojin’s dark eyes were as serene as a deep pool, giving no hint of his thoughts.
An Yin sat properly, her gaze flitting between the man and the TV.
Not until the plot reached a tense moment did she focus her attention intently on the screen.
Bao Shaojin lowered his lashes, his cool fingertips lightly touching the phone screen, handling some work affairs, occasionally glancing at the young girl’s gentle and obedient demeanor.
At this moment, a word suddenly came to his mind.
"Tranquility of Time!"
Upon thinking of this, his eyes deepened. Since meeting the young girl, his heart had indeed changed.
In the past, scaling the heights in his career had been his unyielding motto. As for matters of the heart spoken of by others, he had always disdained them; most women in his eyes were worldly and superficial, and he had no desire to expend energy or time on them.
As the head of the Bao Family, reaching a marriageable age, he would naturally seek out a spouse beneficial to the family — he did not resist this.
However, the year when Old Madam Bao tried to get him to settle down, an incident with Bao Xun led the entire Bao Family to a standstill.
In the following years, no one dared bring up marriage.
And naturally, he poured all his energy into the company, setting aside the notion of marriage.
Under the warm yellow lights, his cool fingertips tapped intermittently on the sofa’s backrest.
At this moment, he thought of Ah Xun.
He returned his phone to the homepage interface, then opened the contacts list, where an unsaved phone number awaited.
Below his high bridge of a nose, his lips lightly pressed together as he studied the string of numbers, but his fingers did not move towards the screen.
After a long while, he gently closed his eyes, setting the phone to his side.