Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Bewildered, Song Nian scratched his head, unable to make sense of it, and could only awkwardly sit up from the floor and crawl back into bed.

He closed his eyes, lying on his back, and drifted back to sleep.

In the darkness, he felt as if he were floating in a stream, gently drifting forward.

Until he reached a steep drop, plunging downward with a loud splash into a pool of water.

His head spinning, staring at the headboard above him and feeling the ache in his rear, the awakened Song Nian blinked his wide, round eyes in utter confusion.

He had kept the same sleeping position without moving, so why was he no longer in bed?

No, he was on the floor.

Staring at the slick sheets, he finally found the reason.

—Sorry, it was his first time sleeping on silk; he didn’t know it was so slippery that he’d slide right off.

Silently picking himself up off the floor, Song Nian, feeling like a country bumpkin, tearfully abandoned the expensive but unfamiliar silk and rummaged for and found a new set of pure cotton sheets to replace the silk sheets.

At least he’d made a fool of himself in the bedroom, where no one could see this embarrassing scene.

He closed his eyes, comforting himself.

—But what he didn’t know was that someone had indeed seen it.

The whole incident had been fully recorded by a hidden pinhole camera in the corner.

And the terminal receiving the camera’s data was none other than Li Yanchuan’s computer.

On the wedding day, the secretary’s text message saying “It’s been arranged” referred to installing the surveillance as the boss had ordered.

The reason for this was that Li Yanchuan knew Song Nian was a spy planted by Li Wenguang at his side.

Like a ticking time bomb, ready to go off at any moment.

Even though Song Nian had approached him proactively before the wedding, with a demeanor that could be called gentle and friendly, it wasn’t enough to dispel his suspicions.

Faced with such clumsy attempts to get close, Li Yanchuan, who had endured countless betrayals, would never so easily choose to trust and give his heart.

To avoid arrows shot from the shadows, he had to keep a close eye on the person, monitor them, and ensure every move was under his control.

After he returned to the bedroom, Li Yanchuan opened his computer, his face dark and brooding, spying on his every move with a sinister gaze.

But instead of the expected scene of betrayal, he witnessed another bizarre sight.

He watched helplessly as Song Nian, like a piece of seaweed floating in water, slid straight off the bed while lying on his back, then climbed back up and went to sleep again.

The whole process was smooth and seamless, like one smooth motion.

Li Yanchuan: …

Staring silently at the computer screen, his expression complex, his gloomy expression cracked.

Never mind, seeing this guy’s current state, he probably wouldn’t make a move today; no need to keep watching.

After pondering for a long time, he wordlessly closed the computer and turned to leave.

————

On the other side, completely unaware of the hidden camera in his room, Song Nian slept straight through until dinner time.

When he came downstairs, he found that Li Yanchuan’s assistant had already delivered dinner.

Originally, this villa had a dedicated nanny to manage daily life, but after Li Yanchuan’s leg condition worsened, he dismissed all the staff.

Perhaps unwilling to face others’ pitying or mocking gazes, he chose to seclude himself from everyone.

The two ate dinner separately; from the end of his nap to finishing dinner and returning to his room, Song Nian didn’t see him even once.

After showering that evening, since he hadn’t brought a change of clothes, he put on a bathrobe that had been prepared in the wardrobe.

It was just a little too big, loose, and if he didn’t fasten the belt tightly, it would easily slip off.

He’d make do for now, casually tying the belt into a bow, planning to go out the next day to buy some new clothes.

Speaking of shopping, he suddenly remembered a major thing he’d forgotten.

—He hadn’t given the USB drive to Li Yanchuan yet!

Without even bothering to dry his wet hair, he stuffed the USB drive into his bathrobe pocket and hurriedly rushed toward the master bedroom.

“What is it?”

When the master bedroom door opened and he saw it was Song Nian, Li Yanchuan, in his wheelchair, looked up expressionlessly, his eyes sharp as arrows.

And when he saw the visitor’s appearance, he couldn’t help but frown deeply, his eyes growing icy.

There stood Song Nian with a head of wet chestnut-brown hair, clearly just out of the shower, steam and water vapor still clinging to him, and a faint scent of body wash wafting toward him.

The deep V-neck of the bathrobe fell open downward, revealing his collarbones and the skin of his chest, with water droplets leaving glistening trails that slid along his collarbone and trailed down, finally disappearing into his navel.

Whether intentional or not, the fabric hung loosely on him, and with just a slight downward glance, one could see everything underneath.

The sight was far too provocative.

“Husband, I suddenly remembered something.”

Completely oblivious to the effect he was having, Song Nian was focused solely on the USB drive.

He tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear, then fumbled in the pocket of his bathrobe, trying to pull it out.

But Li Yanchuan interpreted it differently.

—A newlywed, fresh from the shower, knocking on the door late at night in a loose bathrobe, shyly tucking away a lock of hair, and even reaching for the belt.

What else could it mean?

Li Yanchuan frowned deeply, immediately grabbing Song Nian’s hand to halt him, and warned in a cold voice:

“Song Nian.”

“Huh?”

Completely baffled as to why he was being stopped so forcefully, Song Nian blinked slowly and looked up with his downturned eyes.

Moist, round eyes, clear as glass, with light reflecting in them like bits of silver skipping on water, incredibly innocent.

But the man opposite him was not charmed by this pitiful look; instead, he gave him a scrutinizing look, his expression unfriendly.

His tightly furrowed brows were knitted into a deep frown, looking so stern it was frightening.

"Why are you holding on to me?"

He reminded him once more, trying to pull his hand away, but Li Yanchuan remained unmoved.

Seeing that the other guy refused to let go, Song Nian decided to push back, discreetly putting more force into it to free his hand.

And Li Yanchuan hadn’t expected that this guy would go to such lengths to take his clothes off, so he had to restrain him with even greater force.

They tugged back and forth, silently wrestling with each other, locked in place.

Unfortunately, with Song Nian's build, he was completely outmatched by Li Yanchuan’s strength. His grip on Song Nian's wrist was like a vice, as if made of iron.

It didn’t hurt, but it was firm enough.

Fine, since he couldn’t win with strength, he might as well just come out and say it.

Knowing his limits, Song Nian chose to give up. Just as he relaxed his arm, the momentum from the struggle pulled him forward.

His body lurched abruptly. With such a sudden movement, he felt something slide off his waist.

The butterfly knot on his belt slowly loosened, unraveling like melting cream, until it reverted to its original shape, hanging down by his sides.

Then, the robe gradually opened.

Time seemed to slow down. The opening robe was like a slowly unfurled scroll, revealing every inch of his beautiful naked form.

The skin that was usually hidden was even paler than the exposed areas. His figure was well-proportioned and lean, with a flat stomach and a tight waist, so slender it seemed two hands could wrap around it.

Suddenly faced with a large expanse of fair skin, so close that he could even see the small black mole on his chest, Li Yanchuan's throat tightened and his mind went blank for a second.

His grip on Song Nian’s hand went slack.

A cool sensation washed over his skin, and Song Nian froze, a feeling of dread creeping over him.

He looked down slowly, and upon seeing his robe gaping open, he was thunderstruck, frozen solid.

For a moment, he didn’t know whether to first pull his clothes together or cover his body.

An awkward silence filled the air.

"You—"

It was Li Yanchuan who spoke first, breaking the silence.

In such an awkward situation, even he, who was usually composed in any setting, didn’t know what to say.

He opened his mouth, but only managed to stammer out a few syllables.

If you looked closely, you could catch a faint blush at the back of his ears.

"I..."

Coming to his senses as well, Song Nian's face flushed bright red, like a ripe tomato.

He dazedly withdrew his hand, moving like a robot low on oil, and slowly, jerkily pulled the unruly robe back together.

He tied the butterfly knot as tightly as he could, using all his strength.

It was so tight it almost cut off his breath, but it definitely wouldn’t come undone again.

After putting himself back together, Song Nian nervously glanced at the man in the wheelchair.

Outwardly, he seemed calm, but inside he was a complete wreck.

This is so embarrassing. I should have dressed properly before coming.

Will he think I’m a weirdo? Please don't throw me out. qaq

He waited anxiously for Li Yanchuan’s reaction, but instead heard the sound of the wheelchair turning.

The wheelchair turned and went into the bedroom, but soon returned to the doorway.

Hearing the noise, Song Nian looked up, stunned, and met Li Yanchuan's gaze when he returned.

The man's eyes were still deep and dark, calm and inscrutable, betraying no emotion. His usual expressionless face had returned, and even that faint blush on his ear had vanished.

He coldly tossed something to him.

Song Nian caught it quickly and saw that it was a black credit card.

For me?

The thin card felt surprisingly heavy in his hand. He couldn’t believe it, and he didn’t understand why he was being given this.

"Take it. Don’t do anything unnecessary again."

Li Yanchuan glanced at him, his eyes as cold as an ice cave, radiating coldness.

"We’re only married for business. You know our respective positions. Know your place, and don't even think about ridiculous ideas like climbing into my bed."

"Since we have to live under the same roof, I advise you to behave yourself."

His tone was stern, though not loud, but his serious tone made Song Nian instinctively shut up, cowering as he listened.

From Li Yanchuan’s perspective, Song Nian showing up late at night in such revealing attire and deliberately undressing could only be an attempt to get closer as a spouse, to lower his guard for future gain.

This kind of seduction had something to work with, but it was far too crude.

Considering they were already married, and he had a duty to provide for the other's living expenses, he turned around, got a black card from the room, gave it to Song Nian, and sternly warned him not to do it again.

In other words, in this marriage, he only needed to provide money for the other’s expenses, and they should keep their distance.

Other than that, there was no need for any further connection between them.

After doing all this, Li Yanchuan pushed his wheelchair again and went into the room without looking back.

"Go back. Don't cross the line again."

The final threat came along with the sound of the door closing.

Standing in front of the closed bedroom door, holding the USB drive in his left hand and the black card in his right, Song Nian was utterly confused.

Huh?

I just wanted to come give you some dirt on your rival. Although there was a slight accident along the way, how did it end up that the USB wasn't delivered and I ended up with an extra card?

And what did he mean by that whole spiel, telling me to watch my step and know my place?

The bewildered Song Nian tried knocking lightly again, but there was no response from inside the room.

Clearly, he wasn't going to open the door.

Forget it, I'll deal with it tomorrow.

With no other choice, Song Nian decided to take both items back to the bedroom and give the USB drive to him another day.

Settling back into the cozy bed, he closed his eyes, ready to end this messy day.

————

Three hours later.

In the quiet, dark bedroom, his tossing and turning finally stopped.

The next second, the person in bed suddenly threw off the covers and sat bolt upright, his eyes clear and wide awake.

Wait, why did he do that?

I just wanted to give him something, why'd he say all that weird stuff?