The man's voice was low and somewhat indiscernibly hoarse, "Why aren't you wearing shoes?"
Chi Huan was naturally indolent, and since the house was carpeted, she rarely wore shoes indoors, even though it was autumn and a bit chilly.
She felt his gaze on her—even though there seemed to be no difference from usual... at least, she couldn't discern any.
But standing there, she still had that panicky feeling of not knowing where to put her hands.
She bit her lip again, "You... you, why haven't you left yet?"
Mo Shiqian had recovered from the recent mishap, his brows and eyes deep and impenetrable, exuding a tranquil indifference. He said lightly, "About what happened just now, I'm sorry."
Chi Huan had not intended to bring it up again, preferring to treat it as a mishap.
After all, she considered herself to understand this man's character, and because the main responsibility lay with her for not closing the door while changing clothes.
But since he mentioned it, she couldn't suppress her anger mixed with embarrassment, "Why didn't you knock before entering my bedroom?"
Mo Shiqian looked at her face turning flush again and paused before replying, "I was about to knock."
Before entering someone else's room... especially the bedroom of a female employer, one should knock even if the door is unlocked, which was something he'd always done.
Clearly, however, there hadn't been the opportunity just now.
Chi Huan glanced at his handsome and clear-cut face, turned her own away, and said quickly, "Let's just treat what happened just now as an accident. I will forget it, and you should erase it completely from your memory."
A few seconds later, the man uttered a faint word, "Fine."
Chi Huan's tense nerves relaxed slightly, but she was still irritated and didn't dare to look at him. She closed her eyes and muttered, "Alright, you can go back now; I'm going to sleep."
Mo Shiqian looked at her cheeks under her long hair, "Miss, you should take your cold medicine."
She frowned, "I'll eat it myself after you leave."
"You won't."
Chi Huan, "..."
She indeed had never been in the habit of taking medicine conscientiously.
This man...
"I had an IV at the hospital today, so I don't need more medicine. Taking too much cold medicine is not good for the body; it'll get better on its own in a couple of days."
The man laid out in his calm, methodical voice, "You have an exam tomorrow. You've had a severe cold and were shocked, which makes you mentally fragile. You'd better take some cold medicine and get a good night's sleep."
Chi Huan bit her lip hard, unconcerned, "If I'm not feeling well, I can just retake the exam later. I do it all the time, as you well know."
Mo Shiqian reminded her again lightly, "Your professors all know you've cleared nearly half a year's schedule for the wedding. If you make excuses to not show up when you have the time... they'll just fail you, and you'll have to retake the course."
Chi Huan, "..."
She often couldn't attend classes at school due to filming, and the school turned a blind eye to it most of the time, both because she was a major star and because her father was the mayor.
But the fact that she hadn't been filming recently was well known to all media.
Just by looking at his posture standing there, she knew he wasn't going to let it go until he saw her swallow the medicine. She had been with this man for years and had a fair grasp of his character.
Some had told her that aside from her and her father, Mo Shiqian's attitude towards others was not offensive but was definitely not that of a bodyguard. Nobody knew that even in her presence, he often did not carry the attitude a bodyguard should have!
Which bodyguard would dare coerce their employer to take medicine?
In the beginning, she very much resisted this man whom her father had sent to watch over and discipline her, and always did the opposite of what he said, only to end up learning her lesson the hard way. After years of adapting, they had settled into an uneasy truce.
She pursed her lips, walked over to the coffee table, picked up the cold medicine sitting there, poured herself a large cup of water, and gulped it down.
Setting down the cup, "I've taken it."
Mo Shiqian slightly raised his chin, "You should also dry your hair."
Chi Huan, "..."
He remained calm and methodical, "Blowing it will make the cold worse."
Chi Huan stood still without moving.
After standing for a while, Mo Shiqian took confident strides, found the hairdryer as if he knew his way around, plugged it in, and handed it to her.
Chi Huan still stood there, without taking it, showing no intention of doing so.
After ten seconds, she conveniently sat down on the couch, her head resting on the armrest, and said, "If you really want me to blow dry it, then you do it."
Watching the woman lying there, Mo Shiqian suddenly thought of Feng Xing's cold, proud Ragdoll cat, which also enjoyed lying on the couch waiting to be petted.
A little while later, the sound of the hairdryer could be heard.
The warm air blew across Chi Huan's scalp, comforting and warm. The couch was soft, the warm air pleasant, and Chi Huan, already unwell and exhausted, felt even sleepier under the influence of the cold medicine. Within a few minutes, she began drifting off to sleep.
By the time her hair was thoroughly dry, the man turned off the hairdryer, and she was already asleep.
Once the sound of the hairdryer stopped, the only thing left in the air was the woman's quiet, even breathing.
Mo Shiqian looked down at her peaceful form, sighed softly, then leaned over to pick her up and carry her back to bed.
His gaze unintentionally fell on her feet beneath the white hem of her dress.
His dark pupils slowly contracted; her feet were small, very white, with her toes curling as she slept, her breath slightly heavy. Suddenly, he reached out, his large hand encasing one of her feet.
Her foot was cold, very cold, especially against his warm palm, strikingly cold.
Perhaps it was the temperature contrast that made the sleeping Chi Huan feel comfortable; she let out a low moan, "Mmm..."
He quickly withdrew his hand, looking at her face hidden by her long hair, furrowing her brows, and after a few seconds, he swiftly lifted her in his arms.
Chi Huan wasn't deeply asleep, but she didn't fully wake up either.
She mumbled drowsily, "Mo Shiqian."
"I'm carrying you back to bed to rest."
Half-asleep, she complained softly, "You saw me naked..."
Mo Shiqian said nothing.
Again, she murmured hazily, "You took a huge advantage of me... No other man has seen me naked..."
Mo Shiqian, "..."
......
The next morning, Chi Huan was awakened by the glaring sunlight.
She gave a gentle moan, then cast off the covers, stretching unrestrainedly on the soft, large bed.
After a few seconds, she suddenly realized something was amiss, sat up abruptly, and looked down at herself.
A sweater, a long skirt—she slept in these?
Memories of the previous night came flooding back in an instant. By the time Chi Huan became aware, she had already flipped off the covers and was hurrying out of bed; upon opening the bedroom door, she saw the man standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows.
He was backlit, the pale golden morning sunlight seemingly gilding his figure with a golden edge.
An air of cool elegance, stunningly ethereal.
Seemingly hearing her movements, the talking man ended his call, turned his tall figure to face her, and spoke in a deep voice, "Awake?"
"Did you get here early, or... have you been here all night?"