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Wen Shuang sat beside Grandma Ji, looking after her for quite some time.

She wiped her forehead, then cleaned her up.

“Shuangshuang, I’m fine now,” Grandma Ji said. “Besides, Sister Li is here to look after me. Go get some rest!”

Then she shot Ji Shen a meaningful look.

He absolutely mustn’t let this chance slip away again!

Ji Shen understood at once and led Wen Shuang away.

“Shuangshuang, don’t worry too much. Grandma will be fine.”

Wen Shuang had no idea what the grandmother and grandson were up to.

“But Grandma fainted again just now. Are you sure we shouldn’t take her to the hospital?”

“It’s all right. We have a family doctor.”

Taking her to the hospital might expose their little ruse.

Wen Shuang went downstairs. She had been worried all along that she might run into Madam Ji.

Seeing her unease, Ji Shen explained that his parents were traveling abroad and probably wouldn’t be back until just before the New Year.

Hearing that Madam Ji was away, Wen Shuang breathed a sigh of relief.

She remembered that Mrs. Ji had never liked her. If she saw Wen Shuang, she would surely accuse her of having no shame for staying overnight at the Ji residence!

Sister Li had already made sure the room was spotless.

The bedding had all been freshly changed, and it carried a faint scent of gardenias.

The room was spacious and fully furnished.

When Wen Shuang drew back the curtains, she found a vast floor-to-ceiling window.

Moonlight flowed like water.

Beyond it lay the quiet beauty of a small garden.

“Miss Wen, I hope you don’t mind staying here,” Sister Li said as she came out after finishing the room.

“Not at all! It’s no trouble.”

After Sister Li left, Ji Shen followed Wen Shuang into her room.

His room was directly opposite hers. Since coming of age, he had rarely stayed at the family estate—at most two or three times a month.

The rest of the time, he lived in his own apartment.

The old house had too many rules, and whenever he came back, Madam Ji would find some new way to introduce him to one eligible young woman after another.

Just hearing about it gave Ji Shen a headache.

He had no interest in those pampered women who had been coddled since childhood!

So he came home even less often.

“Think you’ll be able to sleep here?”

Leaning against the doorway, he switched on a lamp.

Beneath the warm golden light, Wen Shuang looked like a beauty in a painting.

“I think… I should be able to.” Wen Shuang touched the quilt and sat down. “I’m just worried Grandma might feel unwell again in the middle of the night.”

“It’s all right. Sister Li is with her. If she can’t manage, she’ll call us.”

Ji Shen stood tall and graceful. The light and shadow made his profile look all the more mature and handsome.

“That’s good.”

Wen Shuang sat on the bed, gently swinging her legs. For some reason, being on his turf made her feel inexplicably nervous.

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They gazed at each other for a long moment.

Wen Shuang was the first to lose her nerve and look away.

“Officer Ji, it’s getting late. I’d like to go to sleep.”

Ji Shen closed the door for her.

“Good night. Call me if you need anything. I’m right across the hall.”

“Okay. Good night.”

…

Sister Li had been watching them discreetly.

She went back to report to the old lady.

“The young master stayed in Miss Wen’s room for a little while, then went back to his own.”

“He just went back?” Grandma Ji slapped her thigh. “How can my grandson be so useless? The chance was right there, and he still couldn’t seize it!”

Sister Li sighed. “Still, his behavior shows that he respects Miss Wen. If he’d gone too far, she might have been unhappy.”

Grandma Ji snorted. “I think he’s trying to take things slowly and wear her down!”

…

Wen Shuang had always been a little fussy about where she slept.

The guest room at the Ji residence was enormous.

Though the sheets and bedding were brand-new, she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.

At last, she drifted off.

Then thirst woke her with a start.

The heating had been turned up too high, leaving her throat dry and burning.

Wen Shuang switched on the light and looked for water.

Since it was a guest room and she had arrived at short notice, no water had been left for her.

She tried to put up with it, but she was unbearably thirsty.

Wen Shuang opened the door and cautiously felt her way toward the kitchen.

She was a guest and didn’t want to disturb anyone, so she crept along as quietly as she could.

She had only just stepped through the door when another door opened behind her.

“Shuangshuang.”

She jumped, but instinctively clapped a hand over her mouth.

“Don’t be scared. It’s me!”

“Officer Ji, you’re still awake?” Wen Shuang asked, startled.

“You’re here. I can’t sleep.”

Ji Shen looked at Wen Shuang, her long hair falling to her waist, her face bare of makeup, fair and beautiful.

A faint impulse stirred within him.

“What are you going out for?”

“I’m thirsty.”

Wen Shuang swallowed.

That little gesture was strangely adorable.

Ji Shen’s lips curved. “I’ll take you to get some water.”

Wen Shuang nodded and hurried after him.

The Ji residence really was enormous.

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Ji Shen led her around several turns before they finally found the kitchen.

Wen Shuang thought that if she had gone looking by herself, she would probably have gotten lost!

She cupped the glass in both hands and gulped down more than half of it. Then she wiped her mouth and let out a long breath. “That hit the spot!”

“Didn’t you drink anything tonight? You’re so thirsty.”

“The heating in my room was too high. It woke me up.”

Her voice sounded soft and sweet in the night.

Ji Shen’s tone softened. “Then I’ll turn it down for you.”

Wen Shuang carried her glass back to her room with Ji Shen.

He used the remote to adjust the heat several times. “That should make it less hot.”

“Thank you.”

In the dim, golden light, Wen Shuang’s eyes were wide open. Perhaps from lack of sleep, she looked a little dazed.

“Is that all I get? A thank-you?”

“Huh?” Wen Shuang blinked at him.

Ji Shen couldn’t help leaning closer. His rich, magnetic voice dropped low. “I want a reward.”

“...What kind of reward?” she asked, still bewildered.

Ji Shen couldn’t hold back any longer.

The night was intoxicating, and she was even more so.

Driven by the darkness, he stepped forward and suddenly pressed his lips to Wen Shuang’s.

Wen Shuang’s eyes flew open in shock. “Mmm…”

His tongue slipped through her parted lips, sweeping into her mouth in a fierce, relentless invasion.

It had been far too long since he’d tasted her sweetness. Ji Shen kissed her deeply and fiercely.

Wen Shuang’s legs went weak beneath her.

She tried several times to push him away, but he was like a stone wall. She couldn’t budge him at all!

In the end, she could only melt into his arms, his scent engulfing her from every direction.

She had no idea how long they kissed.

Her lips were swollen and aching from his kisses before Ji Shen finally let her go.

Wen Shuang gasped for breath. “Ji Shen! Have you lost your mind?”

“I’m sorry.” He let her pound his chest with her small fists. “It’s hard to control myself in the middle of the night. I couldn’t hold back.”

Wen Shuang had been half asleep before.

That kiss from Ji Shen had jolted her completely awake!

She thumped him angrily several times, wanting to scold him, but for a moment she couldn’t find the words. At last, she stamped her foot and choked out, “You jerk!”

The next second, the jerk pinned her against the corner of the wall.

In the low, magnetic voice she had once loved most, he murmured,

“Shuangshuang, I’ve been waiting a long time for this kiss.”