Chapter 583: 372 Bringing the wolf into the house: It is very easy for me to have ill intentions towards you.
Jiang Jinsang was still pondering the oddities of the whole affair when the sound of a car approached from outside. He walked to the window to take a look, "It’s a workday, Zeyan isn’t at the office, how does he have the time to come over?"
"Let’s go see and we’ll know," Jiang Yanting said as he got up and walked outside.
Before leaving, he specifically reminded him again, "Xiaowu, whatever Old Huo does, he definitely has his reasons. He has always been very measured in his actions, he wouldn’t act rashly. Even if there’s something that seems illogical, there must be his reasons behind it."
"Don’t get involved, you’re not alone now. If you get mixed up in something bad, it could implicate your younger siblings."
Jiansang smiled, "I know."
If he hadn’t considered this, he would have had people watching the Huo Family last night.
As the two descended the stairs, Qi Zeyan was presenting several wax-sealed invitation letters to the old lady, "...There’s an upcoming touring exhibition. This master has shown in China before, but it’s his first time in Beijing. I thought you might like it, so I specially got a few invitations."
The old lady looked at the invitation letter for a few moments, "It’s thoughtful of you to remember me, much appreciated."
"Sister-in-law should be even more interested. If you’re free that day, you could go together with Xiaowu," Qi Zeyan said with a smile, looking towards Tang Wan.
Tang Wan took an invitation letter and glanced at it, "Thank you. Are you the organizer? I heard the tickets are almost sold out, where did you get so many?"
"The organizers have a partnership with me. The tickets sold out online, but actually, there are still some left, they kept them to give away. I’m not really interested in these sorts of things. Besides, I probably won’t have time when the time comes. I’m just ’offering someone else’s flowers.’"
Qi Zeyan glanced at Jiang Jinsang and the others coming down and raised his hand to greet them.
"I went to listen to an opera a few days ago and heard about this exhibition. I didn’t expect you to bring the invitation to me. You’ve always been considerate since you were a child," the old lady praised him for a while, then went to tend to her plants...
When only Jiang Jinsang and the others remained in the living room, Qi Zeyan appeared to ask casually, "Sister-in-law, I heard Miss Shen had an accident yesterday?"
"A little mishap, how did you hear about it?" Tang Wan folded the invitation letter neatly and placed it back in the envelope.
"Beijing is only so big, there’s no wall without cracks. I’ve heard even Old Huo was involved, what exactly happened?"
Qi Zeyan pretended to be indifferent, but his heart was throbbing with excitement...
Before Tang Wan could speak, Jiang Jinsang laughed and said, "You didn’t come today just to deliver the invitation, did you?"
Beijing has art exhibitions and concerts every now and then, it’s not unusual. The intent of the person coming over today is obviously not just about the wine.
"What do you mean by that?" Qi Zeyan took a sip of tea.
Does this kid have to be so sharp?
He just wanted to munch on some juicy gossip, but he couldn’t inquire about this matter from the Huo Family. He wasn’t familiar with Jiang Shiyi, so he could only come here to ask.
"Last time at my eldest brother’s place for dinner, I felt that you showed an extraordinary enthusiasm for Auntie’s matter." Jiang Jinsang narrowed his eyes, "Zeyan, are you hiding some secret?"
"Ha—" Qi Zeyan let out a light scoff, "What secret could I possibly have? I was just casually asking."
"Auntie is fine, Old Huo is fine too. You can rest easy."
"..."
Qi Zeyan left the Jiang Family with a face full of indignation. Jiang Jinsang twisted his fingers, the doubt at the bottom of his heart magnifying.
Jiang Yanting then patted his shoulder and only said three words:
"Don’t get killed."
Tang Wan looked puzzled, What happened again?
**
Meanwhile, at Left Bank Garden,
Shen Shuci was holding a tube of ointment in her hands, all brand new, never used. She bent her head to unwrap the packaging, her peripheral vision caught him taking off his wristwatch—this wasn’t like going to bathe, so why did he need to strip off his clothes so thoroughly?
When he lifted his arm, his shirt slightly clung to his body, faintly revealing the undulating but not over-exaggerated lines of a man’s muscles. His figure looked lean and strong, very stylish.
Raising his hand to unbutton the top two buttons of his shirt, he exposed his well-defined and sharp collarbones while Shen Shuci’s gaze drifted to his distinct hands.
Even the veins raised on the back of his hands were clearly visible.
In an instant, he had undone all the buttons, ready to take off his shirt.
"Wait a moment," Shuci said as she walked to the window and drew the blackout curtains. The whole room plunged into darkness in an instant, "The distance between buildings in the neighborhood is quite small, people might be able to see in."
But as the curtain was drawn, the atmosphere instantly became even more eerie.
She turned on the light, and by the time she turned back, the man had already taken off his shirt. His lean and tightened muscles gleamed with a thin layer of light; scars and wounds of various sizes littered his body.
With the blackout curtains drawn, the whole world seemed to only contain the two of them. Shen Shuci’s throat tightened, even the rhythm of her heartbeat became irregular.
In a split second, the man had approached her, his voice low, "How do you want to look?"
The room now resembled the night; the man’s low and slightly restrained voice was mysteriously enticing, and the fact that he had taken off his shirt compounded the atmosphere. Shen Shuci, who rarely spent time alone with the opposite sex, had never experienced a situation like this.
She felt so close to him that his voice seemed to carry an electric current that passed through her eardrum and penetrated deep into her heart...
A gentle stir, and the water rippled.
"Hmm?" Shen Shuci blinked.
"How do I need to cooperate with you?"
"You, sit down and turn around, that’s all."
After he sat down with his back to her, Shen Shuci leaned forward, examining his back. There were bruises in several places, apparently new, and his back had many old wounds, even two ferocious stitched-up scars on his waist.
"Do you get injured often?"
"It’s okay."
With his back to her, Shen Shuci had no idea that he furrowed his brow, looking very uncomfortable. She leaned in close, her breath hitting his back, blowing gently, a bit ticklish.
That ticklish sensation drilled into his heart, transforming into a burning heat.
The man’s body was firm and solid, every inch of muscle perfectly defined.
Shen Shuci extended her hand and pressed lightly on a bruise, only then realizing that his body’s heat was scalding, spreading to her fingertips and directly drilling into her heart.
"Does it hurt?"
"It hurts!"
"There shouldn’t be any serious issue, just apply some ointment." Shen Shuci had learned some martial arts and knew it wasn’t a musculoskeletal injury. She spread some ointment on him, "Wait until the ointment is absorbed, then put your clothes on."
Shen Shuci set the ointment aside and washed her hands. As she was about to leave the bathroom, she nearly collided with the person behind her.
"Mr. Huo..."
Her rental apartment was just thirty or forty square meters, the bathroom very small. If two people squeeze in, there isn’t even room to turn around. He stood at the doorway, and as Shen Shuci stepped back, her waist pressed against the washbasin.
"I want to wash my face."
He felt uncomfortably hot all over and wanted to splash some cold water on himself to wake up.
"Okay."
But he stood at the doorway without moving away, and Shen Shuci had no choice but to carefully slip out of the bathroom past him. Just as she reached the doorway, he spoke again:
"Are you very afraid of me?"
"Hmm?" Shen Shuci paused, "No, not at all."
"Does my driving you to and from work make you feel uncomfortable?"
Shen Shuci frowned slightly. At that moment, cramped in the small bathroom space, his upper body still uncovered, their bodies inevitably brushing and touching each other. Even without direct contact, the heat coming from his body was incredibly high.
The difference in height, as he spoke looking down, his breath blew on her face.
That heat...
It was as if it could scorch her skin.
"I just think it’s too much trouble for you."
"The things in your bag, are they to guard against me?"
Wolf spray and even an electric shock baton.
"I... I live alone, so I definitely need some self-defense items," Shen Shuci explained, not specifically against him.
At that moment, the man suddenly leaned in close to her. Shen Shuci’s breath caught, and involuntarily, her eyes met his gaze. His eyes looked down at her, dark and profound...
"When I drive you, I will naturally ensure your safety and won’t let any accidents happen to you."
His words, unexpected, struck right at Shen Shuci’s heart. They were already so close to each other, and now with his actions, their breaths were on the verge of entangling.
"Moreover, if I wanted to do something to you, those things you’ve prepared..."
"Wouldn’t be of any use."
What he meant was...
If he intended to harm her, she wouldn’t have any defense or means to fight back?
Shen Shuci looked into his dark eyes, her heart inexplicably racing, an inexplicable sense of panic washing over her...
It felt like letting the wolf into the den.