The next day.
Sheng Mumu was woken up by the alarm clock.
When she tried to reach for her phone, she froze abruptly.
A pained expression spread across her face.
Soreness radiated up her arm and through her whole body.
She felt like a towel that had been wrung tightly, aching all over.
With great effort, she lifted her arm halfway before it dropped, finally reaching the edge of her bedside table.
She grabbed her phone and turned off the alarm.
Sheng Mumu forced her heavy eyelids open and glanced at the time.
8:15
She remembered that dawn was just breaking when she was falling asleep last night.
Last night...
Or rather, it would be more accurate to say “this morning”.
He had carried her into the bathtub for a bath.
By then, her eyelids were already drooping.
The last thing she heard was the hum of the hair dryer, and its warm air lulled her to sleep.
As memories of last night flashed through her mind, the arm around her waist tightened, pulling her against his chest.
She felt Qi Mo's forehead press against the back of her head.
His hoarse voice wrapped around her:
"You're awake?"
"Mm, just—"
Sheng Mumu's eyes flew wide open as she finished her sentence.
"—awake."
Oh my god.
Her throat was as dry and raspy as if she had eaten a hundred Peking ducks.
Thinking of the culprit behind her loss of voice currently snuggled against her back, heat rushed to her cheeks.
She pressed her lips tightly together, not wanting to utter another word.
Although Qi Mo couldn't see her expression, he sensed her burying her face into the pillow.
As if wanting to confirm something, the man propped himself up on one elbow to look at her.
All he saw was her reddened ear tips.
Amusement glinted in the man's eyes as he grabbed her hand and gently squeezed her fingers. Slowly, he said:
"Take today off work and rest."
Sheng Mumu: "Mm."
A raspy hum of agreement escaped her throat, sending pain searing through it.
The next second, the man leaned over her.
He pressed a kiss to the back of her head.
Then he flipped over a corner of the blanket and got out of bed effortlessly.
When he returned, there was a cup of warm water in his hand, which he set on her bedside table.
Casually, he said:
"Have some water to soothe your throat."
Sheng Mumu held her breath and reached for the water.
Her arm trembled in the air.
She glared fiercely at the tall man standing by the bedside, resentment swimming in her eyes.
The man's short hair was tousled, lending him a casual handsomeness.
Just as Sheng Mumu sent a piercing glare his way, he happened to bend down to pick up the t-shirt he had tossed on the floor last night.
He swiftly put it on, movements easy and unhurried.
After getting dressed, his gaze shifted to meet hers.
Seeing Sheng Mumu weakly sipping water and spilling a few drops on the sheets, the man's eyes flickered, and the corners of his lips twitched upwards.
He grabbed a few tissues to clean up the spills.
Then he took the empty cup from her after she drained it in one go.
He ruffled her hair gently, tone warm: "Let me get you another cup."
Sheng Mumu waved her hand. "No need, I'm fine now."
What came out was a full sentence.
The hoarse, duck-like voice was unmistakable.
An awkward pause descended on them.
Sheng Mumu pressed her lips together and levelled a long look at the smiling, self-satisfied man.
In Qi Mo's deep, fathomless dark eyes, a strange glint flashed.
It seemed like he was reminiscing about something.
After a long moment, he put the cup down and sat on the edge of the bed.
Propping himself up on one arm, he leaned closer and asked, "Feeling better?"
The distance between them shortened.
The mattress sank under his weight.
The red marks and scratches on his strong, pale forearms stood out prominently.
The scratches were from her nails.
The red marks were left behind by her pinches.
Sheng Mumu slowly swallowed and shyly dropped her gaze, deciding not to respond.
She pulled up the blanket and flipped over, indicating through action that she didn't want to talk and just wanted to sleep.
But she had barely rolled over when the man pressed up against her from behind.
His arm slipped under hers to wrap tightly around her slender waist.
He lightly nuzzled the exposed skin of her back with his straight nose.
Sheng Mumu: "!!!"
His breath grazed her skin, igniting sparks of sensation that made her shiver involuntarily.
Before she could react, soft kisses were already falling on the back of her neck.
Each breath between kisses elicited tingles across her skin.
Sheng Mumu gave a startled jolt, her body tensing.
Warily, she pressed down on the man's wandering hand.
"Don't."
But the man didn't stop his ministrations.
Voice muffled and laced with heady suggestion, he deliberately feigned ignorance:
"Don't what? I don't understand."
The last word curled flirtatiously.
Once one has a taste, one remains insatiable.
His arm tightened around her as his hand roamed unchecked.
Sheng Mumu's face turned bright red all at once.
"You..." She pinched the man's increasingly unruly hand, wanting to sound firmer but instead coming out feeble and weak, "...stop pretending."
That he didn't understand.
That he would take liberties just because he had greater stamina.
What nerve he had.
Sheng Mumu pressed down on his hand to stop him, changing the subject:
"I'm hungry. I want something to eat."
The man's arm stilled and he fell silent for several long seconds before finally letting her off the hook.
"What do you want to eat?"
After Sheng Mumu randomly named a few breakfast items, she picked up her phone, putting on a show that work matters awaited her attention.
The man got out of bed and headed into the bathroom.
The sounds of him quickly washing up and brushing his teeth could be heard.
When he emerged, his torso was still bare.
Instead of putting his t-shirt back on, he had changed into a dress shirt and trousers.
The metallic belt buckle clicked as he fastened it.
While straightening his cuffs, he strode towards the coat rack and reached for his overcoat hanging on it.
Seeing Qi Mo fully dressed in a suit gave Sheng Mumu a fleeting impression of him as a wolf in gentleman's clothing.
Right now, that description suited this man perfectly—one who made no attempt to conceal the smug satisfaction evident in his eyes and the upturned edges of his lips.
Sheng Mumu: "Are you going out?"
Qi Mo's mouth curved. "Mm. To buy you breakfast."
Sheng Mumu blinked blankly, not understanding.
The resort hotel offered breakfast service that could be delivered directly to the room.
Amidst her confusion, she heard the man's firm yet casual voice:
"I just want to go buy breakfast for you myself instead of having it delivered by someone else."
Sheng Mumu froze for a beat: ......
It was the first time she had heard him utter words tinged with a hint of wilfulness.
Momentarily taken aback, a sense of guilt quietly crept into her heart.
Actually, she wasn't that hungry.
She had mostly wanted to get rid of him rather than sate hunger pangs.
Just as she was about to say "never mind about it", the man quietly closed the door and left the room.
His parting words floated back:
"I'll be right back. Don't fall asleep again. Wait until you've eaten before sleeping, be good."
Staring at the closed door for a long time, Sheng Mumu sank into a daze.
A warmth blossomed in her chest, enveloping her snugly.
She used to actually look down on men telling women to "be good".
It always seemed condescending to her.
But just now, his tone was gentle and casual, devoid of any trace of superiority.
Unconsciously, she discarded her prejudice against the phrase "be good".
With mingled warmth and guilt welling in her heart, Sheng Mumu flipped off the blankets and climbed out of bed.
The moment her feet touched the floor and she stood up, an aching numbness slammed into her.
Pain lanced through her waist as if it had been chopped off and then reattached.
Now she was glad Qi Mo wasn't in the room.
Otherwise she would have died of embarrassment on the spot.
On the woollen carpet, her silk nightgown lay crumpled, with signs of being torn open.
Recalling the scenes from last night, heat flooded her cheeks uncontrollably. She quickly gathered up her nightgown and tottered on shaky feet towards the bathroom.
She stuffed the nightgown haphazardly into the laundry basket, then turned on the tap and absently squeezed toothpaste as scenes replayed through her mind.
When she inadvertently lifted her eyes to the mirror, she froze, pupils quivering in shock.
Her neck, shoulders, collarbone, chest—all were littered with red marks.
Some faint, some vivid.
Overnight, she had transformed from Sheng Mumu (radiant version) into—Sheng Mumu (battle-worn version).
Sheng Mumu (battle-worn version) took a deep breath: "......"
Silently, she clenched the cup in her hand.
At this moment, an intense urge to murder the man who had made her feel guilty just minutes ago surged through her.
Do not pity men, it will only lead to misfortune and...hickeys.
