Then, footsteps approached!
Wen Ran's entire body tensed, and she stood frozen in the doorway. The sound of approaching footsteps grew nearer, and the masculine, crisp scent of the man behind her invaded her nostrils, forcefully disturbing her heartbeat.
"Have you showered?"
Mo Xiuchen's deep, resonant voice, accompanied by his warm breath, reached her ear. Her heart jolted, and she spun around suddenly, only to have her shoulder abruptly seized by a large hand.
The man's scent enveloped her, directly at her nose.
"I've showered!"
Her voice trembled slightly because of him. After speaking, she furrowed her brow, chiding herself for being so nervous.
"Good. Then let's sleep," he said.
In contrast to her tension, Mo Xiuchen appeared calm and unhurried, as if they were playing a game of cat and mouse.
"I'm not sleepy—I want you to sleep first!"
Wen Ran instinctively protested and turned her gaze toward the grand European-style bed a few meters away. Her heart raced uncontrollably.
In her twenty-two years of life, she had never shared a bed with a man—even though she had dated Mo Zixuan for three months, their intimacy had been limited to holding hands, with even kisses confined to the forehead.
Now, for the sake of her father's company, she had not only married a stranger but was expected to share a bed with him. How could she not be nervous?
"Not sleepy? Then how about we do something else?"
Mo Xiuchen's handsome brows lifted slightly, and words that oozed a low, husky sexiness escaped his lips.
Wen Ran understood the hidden meaning in his words, and was even more shocked—wasn't he supposed to be ill? How could he be suggesting "something else"?
Noticing her bewilderment, Mo Xiuchen let his hand slide down from her shoulder and, in the process, clasped her wrist. He pulled her toward the bed. Feeling her palm was damp, his gaze darkened as he said nonchalantly, "Maybe you can cure my condition—if you're not sleepy, we might as well try. I'll teach you how to treat it."
He deliberately stressed the word "disease," and Wen Ran, trying to feign ignorance, couldn't hide her shock.
With her small face turning a deep shade of red, she stuttered for a long moment before managing to choke out, "I—I'm not a doctor."
"I know you're not a doctor," he replied. "Some conditions don't require a doctor's treatment. If you're not sleepy, why not give it a try? I'll show you how to treat it."
The more nervous and bashful Wen Ran became, the more Mo Xiuchen seemed intent on teasing her. For some inexplicable reason, being with her evoked memories of that little girl from years ago.
But she wasn't that little girl—she didn't have a mole on her chin.
The girl with the mole on her chin, whom he had seen this morning, had only made him feel repulsed when she drew near.
"I—I'm not ready," Wen Ran stammered.
As Mo Xiuchen tugged her, turning to head toward the large bed, she suddenly panicked and struggled. Whether it was because his grip on her wrist wasn't too strong, or he was lost in thought, she managed to break free—and in the process accidentally brushed against the towel around his waist.
The next second, his towel slipped off. Wen Ran let out a startled "Ah!"
She felt as though her brain had exploded with a loud "boom," and then everything went blank.
Mo Xiuchen was equally taken aback—he had not expected his towel to fall, revealing his perfectly chiseled body before Wen Ran.
For one moment, the spacious master bedroom was filled only with the sound of their breathing.
Under Wen Ran's intense gaze, Mo Xiuchen's eyes grew burning and deep. His Adam's apple shifted seductively as he reached out, grasping her shoulder firmly and pulling her into his embrace…