As she saw Chen Huaixiao leaning against the bathroom door like that, Bai Yin's fair cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She hastily grabbed a towel to cover herself and exclaimed, "Chen Huaixiao! Why are you sneaking around like a thief?"
"This is my home, and you are my wife. I have no need to sneak around."
Chen Huaixiao wore a nonchalant expression, but his black eyes flickered with desire, which he restrained with great effort. "Tang Ka said you've been in the bath for an hour and a half, and I was worried you might drown. So I came to check on you."
Bai Yin glared at him with clenched teeth, unable to refute his logic.
This was his home, and she was his wife. Everything was as it should be.
"I'm fine. You can leave now."
Chen Huaixiao strolled over to the edge of the pool and looked down at her. "Bai Yin, you don't think our marriage is just in name only, do you?"
As he spoke, he slowly unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a handsome collarbone. Chen Huaixiao sat at the edge of the pool and tested the water temperature with his hand.
Bai Yin stared at his collarbone for a few seconds, then collected herself.
From the way this man looked at her, she knew he had been holding back for a long time.
His interest in her body...had already surpassed the practical benefits of this arranged marriage.
Bai Yin knew she should use this interest to her advantage.
"Chen Huaixiao, please leave first."
"Tonight is our wedding night." Chen Huaixiao walked up behind her and gently brushed his fingers through her damp hair. His magnetic voice carried a hint of tenderness. "Why should I leave?"
"I've been in the bath too long, and it's not good for my skin. Let me apply some body lotion first, okay?"
Her gentle tone was a sign of compromise, and Chen Huaixiao was not one to force her. He got up and left the room.
As he walked out, he glanced back at her with a look of longing and temptation.
Bai Yin quickly got up and walked to the shower area, where she rinsed off the foam and rose petals from her body, then dried herself and put on a black silk nightgown.
In the mirror, she saw herself with skin as white as snow, hair cascading down her temples in a lazy and alluring manner.
It was a beautiful night, a night of candles and flowers.
After tonight, there would be no turning back. Regardless of whether Chen Huaixiao despised her or underestimated her, she had to firmly grasp this lifeline.
...
Bai Yin dried her wet hair and walked out of the bathroom.
The butler, Tang Ka, was no longer in the room. With a mistress in the house, he wouldn't appear in the villa at night, even if Bai Yin was only wearing a thin nightgown.
As she passed by Chen Huaixiao's study, Bai Yin stopped in her tracks.
Chen Huaixiao was leaning against his desk, apparently in the middle of a video conference. The blue light of his computer screen reflected off his face. His shirt collar was casually undone, and his face was cold and expressionless.
This version of Chen Huaixiao was different from the one she knew in college. He now had a more decisive and ruthless aura about him.
Bai Yin knew that she could no longer treat him as the same Huaigege as before. This arranged marriage was destined to bring about complex and intertwined interests between them, and they could never return to their pure relationship of the past.
Chen Huaixiao caught a glimpse of Bai Yin at the door and waved to her, "It's hot outside, come in."
Bai Yin entered the room and found that the air conditioning was turned up high, blowing cool air on her warm skin, making her feel refreshing. She didn't disturb Chen Huaixiao's meeting, but sat on the sofa and opened a suspenseful movie by Hitchcock, carefully studying the gestures and acting of the characters.
Chen Huaixiao had a sensitive sense of smell, and since the young girl entered the room, he could smell a faint lemon scent lingering in the air, probably left over from her bath.
The girl curled up on the sofa, her slender legs like snow-white lotus segments, slightly bent and resting on the sofa, her nightgown outlining her beautiful figure, with her waist particularly prominent.
Bai Yin had not said a word nor even looked at him since she came in, but her every move and gesture exuded a charming and alluring aura that captivated his attention.
Chen Huaixiao hastily ended the video conference and walked over to pick her up horizontally, striding into the bedroom.
Bai Yin extended a fair and smooth arm, blocking the man's clavicle in front of her, stopping his advance, "Chen Huaixiao, I want to act in the play 'Ni Chang'."
The man placed her on the soft bed, not directly attacking, but with his elbows propped in front of her, he looked down at her in a domineering posture and said, "On the wedding night, you want to bargain with me?"
"Chen and Su families' alliance will secure your position as a top star in the entertainment industry. No one will be able to compete with you in the future," Bai Yin reached out and twiddled the button on his collar, "At the very least, you have to show me your sincerity."
The blazing heat in Chen Huaixiao's black pupils cooled slightly. He held the woman's silky hand, "Little girl, the entertainment industry is a place where connections are abundant. There are countless artists who are heavily promoted by capital, but for how long can they remain in the limelight?"
"I don't want you to promote me, nor do I want to be the leading actress. Just give me a minor role to try my hand," Bai Yin said. She never expected to become an overnight success. She had to take one step at a time and be down-to-earth.
"Ni Chang" is the most anticipated costume drama of the year, with a large number of dance scenes, not only the heroine's dance but also many supporting dance actors with high professional requirements, presenting the Nishang Yuyi Dance of the Tang Dynasty.
"I have inquired, the dance actors required for this play are highly specialized and not open for external recruitment. They are only selected from the artistic troupe, and I don't know any of those people," Bai Yin grabbed his collar and pulled Chen Huaixiao's handsome face closer to hers, "I need a way in."
Chen Huaixiao gazed at Bai Yin's exquisite and sensual face, his desire surging uncontrollably in his dark eyes. "I can give you a contact method, but whether you can be chosen depends on your own abilities."
Bai Yin finally released his collar and stood up to kiss him, but Chen Huaixiao's slender finger pressed gently against her lips. "Little one, I have a question."
"What is it?"
"Is marrying me a choice without any other options?"
Bai Yin shook her head.
Chen Huaixiao's eyes lit up, and he heard Bai Yin respond without hesitation, "We each get what we want."
A cold smile appeared on Chen Huaixiao's lips as he flipped her over. "Then tonight, let's take from each other as much as we want."
...
In the early morning, sunlight streamed through the window and illuminated Bai Yin's smooth, silky skin. She slowly opened her eyes and reached out to block the sunlight.
After several rounds of passion the previous night, it was already early morning. Bai Yin made the excuse that she didn't like sleeping with others and sent Chen Huaixiao back to his own room.
A marriage of convenience had no tenderness, and how could they be considered pillow talk if they had different dreams?
Bai Yin had to remind herself to stay alert at all times.
On that night when she was nineteen years old, she had already lost once.
She couldn't afford to lose a second time.
Bai Yin got up and went to the bathroom to take a shower and change clothes. Below her neck was a shocking crimson, as if she had been ravaged by a wild beast.
But he was very skillful, leaving no marks above her collarbone. Even if she wore a shoulder-baring dress, no one could tell that there was a problem.
It was just the area below her collarbone that was unbearable to look at.
She thought back to the sensation from last night...
In some ways, she had gained something from this marriage of convenience.
After washing up, Bai Yin took out a plain cheongsam from her wardrobe.
On the first day of her marriage, she wanted to wear the Su embroidery peony cheongsam that her grandmother had sewn for her, and she tied up her long black hair into a bun. Sitting in front of the mirror, she looked at the woman who was as beautiful as jade in the reflection.
"Grandmother, I'm married now," she said softly. "Don't worry, it was voluntary, and...it's someone I have loved before."
"Grandmother, I won't let you down. I will seek justice for my mother."
Bai Yin took out her phone and found the contact for chx, which she had hidden with a pinyin abbreviation.
She sent him a message: "What are you doing?"
Chx replied almost instantly: "In a meeting."
Bai Yin asked, "You replied so quickly even though you're in a meeting?"
Chx asked, "Is there something you need?"
Bai Yin said, "Chen Huaixiao, I want to set some ground rules with you."
Chx asked, "Go ahead."
Bai Yin said, "Since we want to maintain a sexual relationship, please keep it 'clean.' I don't want to get sick."
It took at least three minutes before Bai Yin received his reply.
Chx asked, "A sexual relationship?"
Bai Yin replied, "Of course."
Chen Huaixiao was sitting at the end of the conference table, looking at her message with an icy expression. The men in suits and leather shoes around him watched his every move, but didn't dare speak.
Chx replied, "Understood. You too."
Bai Yin said, "Don't worry."
Bai Yin descended the stairs, where Tang Ka, dressed in a suit and leather shoes, had already prepared a delicate breakfast.
"Good morning, Xiaotang," she said, her voice carrying the distinct melody of the Wu dialect, sending shivers down one's spine.
Her qipao hugged her graceful figure perfectly, exuding a charming and alluring aura.
Tang Ka looked up at her, unable to avert his gaze, and cleared his throat. "Madam, please enjoy your meal."
Bai Yin sat down, and the table was set with Chinese dishes, including soy milk and fried dough sticks, as well as her favorite egg pancakes.
She exclaimed in surprise, "Tang Ka, how did you know that I like these dishes?"
Tang Ka smiled faintly. "I didn't know, it was Master's orders."
"Oh," she said.
"By the way, the Master said he's been busy these past few days and won't be coming back. You don't have to wait for him tonight," Tang Ka added.
"Don't worry," Bai Yin said as she picked up a piece of egg pancake. "I won't wait for him. It would be better if he never comes back."
Tang Ka then handed her a business card. "This is what the Master left for you."
Bai Yin glanced at the card while eating. It read: Shengtang Group, Li He.
She knew that Li He was the artistic director of "Nishang," and was also in charge of casting for the dance. She had thought that Chen Huaixiao would forget about his promise to provide her with a way in after a good night's sleep, but apparently he remembered.
Bai Yin's slender fingers took the card and played with it, causing the golden card to shimmer in the sunlight. She narrowed her eyes and gazed through the card, as if she could see her bright future.
Tang Ka couldn't help but daydream as he watched this enchanting beauty, whose seductive gestures and dreamy eyes had caused even his master's legs to turn to jelly that morning.
