“Mom, can you please listen to my explanation regarding this matter?” Rong Dai made her tone very gentle, without any displeasure or anger.
How could she be angry now? She was eating, drinking, and living at the Huo family currently.
“Since Shao Ting has already agreed to this, I have nothing more to say. But this is the only exception, if it wasn't produced by Shao Jie, I would never have agreed!”
Lu Zheng spoke firmly. Just thinking about this daughter-in-law made her feel terrible.
Hearing her words, Rong Dai instinctively glanced at Huo Shao Ting drinking wine on the balcony. So he had talked to mother-in-law about this?
The gratitude in her heart for this man grew a bit more, and it made her even more determined to bring about good things between him and Wen Shi Lan.
“Thank you, Mom.” Since Huo Shao Ting had already explained, she didn't need to say much more, just said in a sweet soft voice.
Lu Zheng could hear her respectfulness, and felt a little better: “Don’t thank me so soon, if you get into any scandals and affect Shao Ting, I'll be the first one who won't let you off!”
Rong Dai hurriedly responded, and only after repeatedly reassuring did she hang up the phone. Her whole body felt like she just went through a battle.
These modern women were also not easy to deal with.
Being an empress was not easy, and modern women were also not easy to handle.
She calmed herself down, and seeing Huo Shao Ting still standing on the balcony, she thought about it and still went over to stand outside the glass door and said, "Thank you for explaining to Mom. Um... you can take the bed, I’ll take the sofa. If you need me to explain anything to Miss Wen, feel free to call me anytime."
Rong Dai felt that she still needed to remind him about this matter again. She didn't want to damage Huo Shao Ting's relationship.
No matter whether the original owner had feelings for Huo Shao Ting or not, she could be certain that she had no thoughts about this man.
Also, she didn't have the habit of stealing someone's lover. In her past life, she was kept in the dark and it made her suffer for a lifetime.
Huo Shao Ting was just about to speak after hearing the first half of her words, but his face sunk again after hearing the second half.
Does this woman have to mention Wen Shi Lan every time she speaks?
Was she blind? Which eye of hers saw that he had anything going on with Wen Shi Lan?
Just as he was about to speak, the phone rang again.
The caller ID showed that it was Wen Shi Lan.
Seeing the name on the screen, Rong Dai immediately said, "Then answer the call first, and explain things well to Miss Wen."
Without giving Huo Shao Ting a chance to speak, she swiftly went to the closet to grab two thin blankets, took one of the pillows from the bed to the sofa, simply made it, then lied down to sleep.
When Huo Shao Ting came in after finishing the call, he saw that she was already asleep on the sofa, with her back facing him.
Huo Shao Ting felt stifled, as if he was punched.
He really couldn't understand this woman anymore. Then he put down his wine glass, and turned to go to bed out of frustration.
Rong Dai was actually not asleep. She wanted to hear what Huo Shao Ting would say to Wen Shi Lan, but the balcony was some distance from the sofa in the bedroom, and the glass door blocked the sound well, so she couldn't hear anything at all.
Hearing Huo Shao Ting go to bed, she could only close her eyes to sleep.
...
In the morning, warm sunshine shone through the curtains, lighting up the room hazily.
The noisy cicadas' cries of summer, Rong Dai slowly woke up from her sleep, still groggy. She closed her eyes and groped her way into the bathroom, automatically squeezed toothpaste and started brushing her teeth.
Seeing Rong Dai standing at the sink brushing her teeth with her eyes closed, Huo Shao Ting who was showering in the bathroom was stunned for a moment.
Was this woman so muddleheaded?
A few seconds later, a hint of amusement flashed through his eyes. He turned off the shower, wrapped a towel around his waist, and quietly walked up behind her.
Seeing Rong Dai brushing her teeth with her eyes closed, the smile in the man's eyes grew deeper.
His gaze fell inch by inch on her cheek. This woman was so beautiful, her sleepy look carried some laziness and naivety. His heart inadvertently rippled.
"That sleepy?" He lightly bent down, leaned to her ear, his voice low and attractive, asked her playfully.
The scent of his shower gel, and his own refreshing aroma overwhelmed her. Rong Dai who was brushing her teeth suddenly tensed up!
She opened her eyes wide, the lingering sleepiness disappeared instantly. She stared wide-eyed at the man behind her in the mirror!
The lean muscular chest glittering with water droplets, his hair still wet, he was obviously just showering in the bathroom, and she had stumbled in...
Rong Dai was dumbfounded, stiffly and instinctively turned around to look at him blankly, her mind completely numb and blank.
This... how could she have forgotten that she slept in the same room as Huo Shao Ting last night!
Her whole body froze, eyes bulging in shock. The toothbrush in her hand dropped with a "plop", and she involuntarily swallowed the toothpaste in her mouth.
The cool mint went straight to her stomach, she shuddered, instantly sobering up.
"Satisfied with what you see?" Huo Shao Ting had been watching her every move, seeing her shocked and dazed expression, the amusement in his deep eyes grew deeper.
He would make this woman behave even if it was the last thing he did!
"I... I'm so sorry!"
Rong Dai's face was beet red. She was so shocked that she reflexively bowed and apologized in the manner of her past life, then rushed out of the bathroom like she had just seen a ghost.
Bang!
The loud slam of the door. Huo Shao Ting watched her flustered and awkward manner, and was in a very good mood, he didn't dwell on Rong Dai's strange bow and apology.
Once out of the bathroom, Rong Dai wished she could find a crack in the ground and disappear into it. How could she have done something so rude?
And just now... did she stare for a long time?
Rong Dai was ashamed and angry at herself, scolding herself for being muddleheaded.
She was so rigorous in her past life, yet had let her guard down after coming to this modern world, leading to such embarrassment.
After a short while, Huo Shao Ting came out of the bathroom still wrapped in a towel. In the dim light of the bedroom last night, Rong Dai only got a rough look at his figure.
But now in daylight, every inch of the hard, chiseled lines of his waist and abdomen could be seen clearly, exuding strength. Water droplets rolled down his contours. Rong Dai's mouth went dry.
"I really didn't mean to just now."
She apologized in panic again, but Huo Shao Ting just pursed his lips and said nothing. The atmosphere in the bedroom grew even more awkward.
"I'll go wash up first." She lowered her head and hurried into the bathroom, quickly shut and locked the door.
Her actions were swift and continuous, without any hesitation.
Huo Shao Ting looked at the closed bathroom door, the corners of his mouth hooked up in an indistinct smile. He opened the wardrobe, got dressed properly, and went downstairs out of the bedroom.
Rong Dai stood in the bathroom for a long time. When brushing her teeth again, she couldn't help but recall the scene from earlier as she looked in the mirror, her cheeks flaming red.
Even as an empress, she had never experienced such embarrassment, especially given her relationship with Huo Shao Ting. This was just shameful!
But what was done could not be undone. She could only hope Huo Shao Ting would forget about this incident quickly, otherwise she wouldn't know how to face him living under the same roof in the future.
After splashing cold water on her face, she calmed down and comforted herself - treat it as just an exquisitely painted picture of a handsome man fresh from his bath.
Last night she had called her mother-in-law about taking the role, but such matters still needed to be addressed face-to-face as well as soon as possible. Right now she didn't have time to ponder irrelevant things. What she needed was to earn money and survive!
