Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Had Li Yanchuan been silent all this time just waiting for him to get up?

And he had sat there like a stubborn old dog, unmoving.

Thinking about it, Song Nian blushed with embarrassment, the redness spreading even to his ears.

He awkwardly patted his bottom and stood up, then awkwardly sat down in the seat beside the man, apologizing sheepishly:

"Sorry about that, I forgot."

"Mm."

Li Yanchuan simply responded softly, neither angry nor bothered.

After this brief exchange, the car fell silent again.

Watching the scenery receding outside the window, Song Nian suddenly remembered a crucial question.

—Where were they headed anyway?

"Husband, where are we going now?"

He turned to ask the man.

"Back to where I live."

Li Yanchuan replied flatly, staring straight ahead.

Home? Did that mean they were going to live together from now on?

Right, after all, they were married; living together was only natural.

Thinking this, Song Nian nodded to himself and voiced no objection to their destination.

Twenty minutes later, the car stopped in front of a villa.

It was a standalone villa that could be called an estate. The two-person-height tall black wrought-iron courtyard gate slowly swung open, and as he stepped inside, the sight that greeted him was a bubbling fountain and an expansive front garden.

However, this villa was not the main Li family residence, but a separate property Li Yanchuan had bought after moving out of his family home.

Probably due to a lack of upkeep, the flowers in the garden looked wilted, their heads drooping, no longer the thriving, blooming garden they once were.

Besides the front garden, there was also a large swimming pool at the back of the villa.

Following the path to the entrance, one could reach the villa.

As soon as he entered the villa, Song Nian was stunned by the sight before him and couldn't help letting out a "wow."

So this was where Li Yanchuan lived—and the house where he himself would be living from now on?

It was so luxurious.

The villa had five floors in total—four above ground and one below. The first-floor lobby had ceilings nearly ten meters high, with a dazzling crystal chandelier hanging in the center, casting scattered light onto the dark marble floor, leading up the spiral staircase to the second floor.

Near the stairwell was an indoor elevator, clearly installed for his convenience.

The overall interior decoration was dominated by black, white, and gray tones, luxurious but cold and stark, which perfectly suited Li Yanchuan's temperament.

The ring of recessed lights cast alternating patches of light and shadow, creating an excellent atmosphere but lacking in brightness, leaving some dark corners in the room, making it a bit dim.

Dark, shadowy corners were the perfect breeding ground for certain unspeakable desires.

Just like the owner of the house, though surrounded by glory and power, he was still enveloped in gloom and darkness.

The light fell, casting deep shadows on Li Yanchuan's cheeks, obscure. He stood there quietly, back straight, all his emotions hidden in his pitch-black eyes.

Light never favored him; only darkness showed him preference.

Song Nian, however, was completely oblivious to this scene, utterly immersed in the joy of the luxurious villa.

He stood casually in the living room, making himself right at home, and with a "click" turned on all the lights.

Instantly, bright light flooded the interior.

It was blindingly bright, but it successfully lit up every corner, driving away all the hidden darkness.

Suddenly faced with such glaring light, Li Yanchuan instinctively squinted, taking a few seconds to adjust.

He frowned but didn't say a word, his gaze followed the person wandering around the house.

Thinking that he was about to live in such a huge mansion, Song Nian's eyes lit up with excitement as he looked around, anticipating.

Like a puppy just arriving at a new home, eager to familiarize itself with every corner's scent, he busily sniffed around.

Compared to the one-bedroom apartment he used to rent in his previous life—expensive, with outdated decor, and its only perk being a relatively easy commute—this villa was paradise.

"So, I'll be living here with you from now on?"

Barely holding back the urge to dive onto the sofa and roll around, Song Nian looked at the man in the wheelchair with sparkling, expectant eyes.

"Otherwise, who else would you be living with?"

Li Yanchuan let out a cold laugh, implying something, casting a subtle glance at him.

"No way, I love your house. I only want to live with you."

Saying this, Song Nian moved closer, a fawning smile on his face, an imaginary puppy tail wagging behind him, and crouched down and rested his head by the man's hand as if begging.

Hearing such blunt words, Li Yanchuan was a little surprised but made no comment.

Based on his understanding of Song Nian, he had expected Song Nian, who seemed refined and indifferent to fame and fortune, to disdain his residence, or even show displeasure.

Because judging by the disparity between the Li family's wealth and the Song family's, the Song family couldn't provide a living standard of the same level.

And in the original novel, when the original Song Nian first arrived and saw the new residence, he felt mocked, mistakenly believing Li Yanchuan was reminding him of the gap between them as a warning.

Such a slap in the face was a humiliation to the original Song Nian.

He kept silent, swallowing this warning.

Thus, the first rift between the couple was born.

In contrast, Song Nian, like a country bumpkin in the big city, felt not a shred of inferiority from the implied mockery, his heart full of pure delight at scoring a mansion for free.

Being able

Anyway, I totally love it.

"Honey, which room do I sleep in?"

Song Nian, the little puppy, asked with pleading eyes.

"You'll stay in the room near the staircase on the second floor. The third floor is my study—just stay away from there normally."

Li Yanchuan casually stressed the word "study" on purpose, like he was slipping out a hint.

Like a fisherman tossing bait into the water, waiting for the fish to bite.

"Oh, okay. Then which room do you sleep in, honey?"

Once he knew his own room, Song Nian totally brushed off the part about the study.

In fact, after that close call dodging Li Wenguang, he had completely forgotten about the USB drive.

"The master bedroom at the end of the hallway on the second floor."

That's not too far away—good, so if Li Yanchuan ever needed help, he could hear him.

Hearing this, Song Nian nodded to himself, satisfied with the arrangement.

After a whole morning of wedding stuff, it was now nearly two in the afternoon, and drowsiness crept in without him noticing.

"Can I go back to my bedroom for a nap now?"

He rubbed his eyes, feeling so sleepy that tears welled up.

"Whatever."

Taking that as a yes, Song Nian blinked sleepily and headed toward the elevator.

—Living in a villa is awesome—no need to walk up to the second floor.

He stepped into the elevator without looking back and pressed the button for the second floor.

He was in a hurry, so he pressed the close button too.

Completely oblivious to the sound of the wheelchair approaching behind him.

When he yawned and turned around to wait inside the elevator, he locked eyes with Li Yanchuan through the glass.

The elevator installed in the house had transparent walls, so he could see outside clearly. Song Nian could read Li Yanchuan's expression perfectly.

Li Yanchuan's wheelchair was stopped right in front of the elevator door. He squinted slightly, his face dark, staring intently at the person who had stepped inside before him, with just the closed door between them.

Clearly, he also wanted to take the elevator upstairs.

Only, somebody had shut the door before he could get in.

Song Nian: ...

Damn, I was so focused on myself that I locked him out.

Is he gonna kill me for this? T_T

He got cut off mid-yawn, and stood there with his mouth hanging open, momentarily forgetting what to do next.

Thus, he missed the perfect moment to open the door right away and let the man in.

Just as he finally snapped out of it and reached for the open button, something even more awkward happened.

—The elevator started going up.

Under Li Yanchuan's icy stare, Song Nian maintained his arm still halfway stretched out as he slowly ascended to the second floor.

Why does it feel like I'm ascending to heaven, not the second floor?

Song Nian thought, tears in his eyes.

Soon, the elevator descended back to the first floor.

The person inside walked out all awkward and stiff, then pushed Li Yanchuan's wheelchair into the elevator. Trying to act cool, he asked:

"Honey, are you going to the second or third floor?"

His tone was calm, but the hand on the button was shaking a little.

"Second floor."

Li Yanchuan replied in an emotionless tone, no telling if he was mad.

Even though going up to the second floor took only a few seconds, being stuck in a small space with the person he had just shut out made every second feel like an hour.

When they finally reached the second floor, Song Nian, trying to make amends, groveled like crazy as he pushed Li Yanchuan to the bedroom door.

"Good... I mean, afternoon. Bye, see you when I wake up."

With that, he bolted, like a deer escaping a hunter, desperate not to get caught.

He ran so fast he didn't notice Li Yanchuan watching him carefully.

————

Finally back in his own bedroom, Song Nian let out a long breath, barely recovering from how awkward that was.

—That was close. I almost got myself into big trouble.

He wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, feeling even more tired and drowsy.

Since they came straight from the wedding, Song Nian hadn't even packed his luggage; he had moved in empty-handed.

Going back to the Song family home to pack his things was unrealistic. After all, according to the Song family's thinking, since they had sent him to the Li family, they had washed their hands of him.

In other words, he was completely done with the Song family.

Fortunately, the bedroom had all the essentials already there, and his important documents were with him. Even moving in empty-handed was no problem.

The room was spotlessly clean, and the bedding was fresh.

Upon closer inspection, it was all real silk—must've cost a fortune.

Song Nian, a little country mutt who had never slept on silk before, didn't hesitate for a second. He flung himself onto the soft bed and happily rolled around.

The silk sheets were incredibly smooth, cool and soft, with barely any friction. Combined with the plush mattress, it felt like lying in a fluffy cotton cloud.

The comfortable sleeping environment made him even sleepier. Almost as soon as he lay down, his eyelids started getting heavy.

So he took off his coat, slipped under the covers, and soon drifted off to sleep.

Perhaps it was the softness of the mattress or the extraordinary comfort of the silk sheets, but this time Song Nian slept deeply and even had a pleasant dream.

He dreamed he was floating among the clouds in the blue sky, where dense, fluffy white clouds formed a slide, and he lay on them, sliding endlessly in the direction of the wind.

He also dreamed he was in a vast desert, immersed in a golden sea of sand, with fine grains gently cradling his body as he slid downward along the undulating slopes.

In these strange dreams, he was always adrift with all sorts of things, never coming to rest.

But suddenly, the clouds dissipated, the sand towers collapsed, and Song Nian was suddenly overcome by a feeling of weightlessness and plummeted heavily downward.

In that instant, he snapped his eyes open, waking from the dream.

Yet upon waking and seeing the topsy-turvy scene around him, he was stunned.

Huh?

Wasn't I sleeping in bed?

Why did I wake up on the floor?

Taking in the upside-down view and the bed beside him, Song Nian blinked slowly, and it took him a moment to realize what had happened.

— How did I roll off the bed in my sleep?