"Beichen, you are back," Wanyue greeted from the top of the stair in front of the door.
"I'm back," Beichen responded, his mouth revealing a faint arc.
Wanyue went to hug Beichen and her expression dimmed when she saw Yanyue coming out of the car. But she must play the kind sister in front of the man, so she let go of him and embraced Yanyue as well.
"Sister Yanyue, I'm glad that you're well!" she expressed pretentiously with tears brimming on the corners of her eyes.
Yanyue almost wanted to puke right there at Wanyue's plastic affection.
"Younger sister, you're so kind as to welcome me... shamelessly at my own home as if it's yours," Yanyue said. She whispered the last bit to Wanyue and gave her a hard squeeze that looked like they were affectionate with each other.
Wanyue tightened her teeth in anger and laughed awkwardly, "You're my only sister, so I have to take care of you well."
"I must be the luckiest sister alive. In that case, I also have a gift for you tonight for being so thoughtful," Yanyue said intentionally.
Wanyue's eyes widened, and Yanyue gave her a secret wink to indicate that their plan was going smoothly. The woman grinned happily in return.
"Sister, let's go eat dinner!"
Wanyue pulled Yanyue's hand merrily to the dining room, and Beichen followed leisurely behind.
Even though Yanyue didn't feel hungry, her stomach growled when she smelled the sumptuous aroma from the food displayed on the gigantic table. It seemed that her son was hungry as she had been hopping here and there since the early morning.
Yanyue considered sitting across from Beichen and Wanyue like always, but she changed her mind. She asked herself that she wasn't the mistress, so why must she sit like one? She was the hostess of the Eastern Palace, so she should act like one and make sure that everything was under her control.
So, Yanyue walked over and sat beside Beichen while Wanyue also sat next to the man. They sandwiched him like a tuna.
"Beichen, I asked the maid to cook your favorite seafood stew. Try the lobster that the farmers caught this morning."
Wanyue thoughtfully scooped a spoonful of stew to Beichen's plate.
Yanyue shook her head and sighed helplessly before saying, "Sister, it is not beneficial to have the same food every day. Should we try something different?"
Then, she removed the plate of seafood stew and replaced it with a bowl of lamb stew. "Beichen should enjoy lamb stew as well."
Because that was the dish I introduced to him before, Yanyue silently said to herself.
Beichen had always liked seafood stew, but the lamb stew in front of him smelled appetizing, so he picked up his spoon and dug into the stew. He finished the first bite and went in for more. Soon, the lamb was all gone from his bowl.
Yanyue triumphantly giggled as she refilled the man's bowl.
"Slow down. Here are some more."
Wanyue was shocked at how obedient Beichen was. He would always avoid her sister before, but he didn't say anything tonight. He even finished the food given by Yanyue. A sense of crisis formed in her heart, and she couldn't help but panic.
Did something happen while they went to the northern territory? Beichen loved me so much, but could his feelings be changing?
Questions popped up after one another, and Wanyue felt irritated. She closed her hand under the table so tightly that her knuckles turned pale.
Dinner ended, and Wanyue's face was as dark as the rain cloud, while Yanyue felt like her plan was off to a good start. Beichen was unaware of the women's battle.
While Beichen went to the study to finish more work, Wanyue pulled Yanyue off to a corner because she was indignant at losing to the woman during dinner.
"You deliberately embarrassed me in front of Beichen!" Wanyue accused bewilderedly.
Yanyue shook her head and clicked her tongue. "I was helping you because the drug reacted well with lamb meat. We must take every opportunity to make sure that the plan goes well."
Wanyue eyed her sister suspiciously. "Is that so?" she asked cautiously.
"I don't have reasons to lie," Yanyue said uninterestingly. "I also have the maid prepare something special in your quarter. The drug takes time to thoroughly infuse into his blood, so it is best to stimulate him first. He should feel something when he sees you."
"If you play any games, I will not let you go," Wanyue alerted arrogantly before heading up the stairs to her room.
There was a bag on the bed like Yanyue promised.
"So, he is into this?" Yanyue sneered, "Men like Beichen, indeed, should enjoy this kind of play." A cunning smile formed on her lips as she looked at the item in the bag. Then, she went into the bathroom and scrubbed herself inside out until every corner of her skin was shiny and specks-free. She sprayed a strong perfume that had always attracted men to her bed. Alongside the outfit, she had every reason to believe the scent only enhanced her seductiveness.
While she was getting ready, Yanyue made a trip to Beichen's office, carrying a tray of tea set with her. It was routine for Beichen to enjoy a cup of warm tea before resting for the night.
Yanyue knocked before opening the door.
"Beichen, I brought your tea," she said, placing the tea set on a table. She poured tea into a cup and brought it to Beichen, who took it and drank it seamlessly. He was still very into work, so he didn't speak to Yanyue and thought that she was a servant coming to deliver his tea like always.
"You can go now," Beichen said flatly without looking up from the documents, which he was annotating notes for himself.
"Okay, have a... delightful night," Yanyue said suggestively.
Beichen glimpsed up when he finally noticed that the voice belonged to Yanyue. The woman gave him a lovely grin before leaving the room.
Then shortly after she left, Wanyue knocked on the door.
"Beichen, I want to see you," she stated, standing in front of the door looking at the workaholic man.
"It's late. Why don't you go to sleep?" Beichen asked warmly.
Wanyue trod in slowly. "I haven't seen you in two weeks. Do you not miss me?"
"You know I have work to finish," Beichen replied solemnly.
The man's dull tone made Wanyue purse her lips impatiently. "I've always been understanding of your work, but for once, can you pay attention to me?"
She shifted closer to the desk. Beichen frowned when he smelled the strong blossom perfume.
"Beichen..." Wanyue shyly removed her bathrobe, uncovering the costume Yanyue provided her, "I want to stay with you tonight, can I?"
The man's impassive face remained unchanged even though most men would act differently at what was before him. Underneath Wanyue's bathrobe was a skimpy bunny suit. It fit her body well, accentuating and allowing all the bumps and curves on her body to come through.
Beichen wasn't a five-year-old kid, so how could he not understand what the woman in front of him wanted? They have been dating for a long time but never done anything overtly intimate, not even a kiss.
At first, he was mad that he couldn't crystallize his love with her due to his unresponsive body. Then, after sleeping with Yanyue and discovering that he was a man, he was relieved and sought to break that boundary with Wanyue.
However, he still didn't feel anything when she came close to him with intentions. The nights when he slept with her were less than the fingers on his one hand, and he couldn't tell if they were real. He would always wake up with a splitting headache, and his memories were all blacked out or hazy. If she were not on his bed with no clothes on, then he would have assumed that a metal pipe had hit his head because his mind was like a blanks sheet of paper.
Otherwise, other than those inexplicable times, he resigned to the fact that he had no urge to copulate with another woman, including with Wanyue when he was conscious. He should have been full of guilt that his body rejected her while accepting Yanyue. But he never blamed himself. His pride as a man didn't allow him to feel or care about those things; fulfilling his carnal desires after years of abstinence took precedence. Furthermore, he never allowed anyone to control his ways of doing things.
It was unfortunate that Yanyue was the person who "woke" him up, so he had no choice but to exploit her because that was the least he could do to mend his dignity. Thus, he believed that he would still make that contract even if the person waking him up was someone else.
Beichen walked over to Wanyue. He picked up the bathrobe and put it back on her. "It's late. I'll take you to sleep first," he said softly. He should coax her for rejecting again. It wasn't compelling to do it when he had no reactions, and he wasn't going to waste his time trying.
But just as he was taking a step forward, he began feeling lightheaded. His face became red, and a few beads of sweat dripped from his forehead as if he was in the sauna.
Beichen was drugged once, and the feeling back then was so distinct, so he immediately knew that he must have been drugged like before. His eyebrows furrowed in a frown, thinking about earlier when Yanyue came to give him tea.
"Beichen, what's wrong? Are you okay?" Wanyue asked pretentiously, but she knew that the drug was taking effect and was secretly excited.
"I-" Beichen wobbled lightly from dizziness.
He gritted his teeth in anger because the drug this time seemed to be much stronger than the previous one. At this moment, he just wanted to find Yanyue and punish her for calculating him again.
"You don't look fine, so let me take you to your room," Wanyue said as she supported Beichen out of the study.
"Oh, it is working so well." Yanyue was grinning evocatively by the door as she met the two people coming out of the study.
"Stop talking and come help me carry Beichen!" Wanyue yelled tirelessly just from supporting Beichen, a grown man with a built and muscular shape who was over six feet tall.
They clumsily hauled a seemingly drunken Beichen to his room as quietly as possible. Yanyue knew that some of the maids belonged to Grandma Lu, so she planned everything carefully. She found works for them to avoid meeting them on the way.
"Okay, we're here," Yanyue whistled out with an exhausted sigh.
"I must thank you for your help, sister," Wanyue said mockingly.
Yanyue grinned evilly, "Sisters must share, right? Enjoy your night with a second-hand man."
Wanyue felt a fire in her heart because Yanyue's words only reminded her that she had never done anything intimate with Beichen. He claimed to love her but avoided her like the plague when it came to stuff like this. In the end, she was desperate and had to resort to this method.
Yanyue opened the door with one arm still supporting Beichen. Once she helped Wanyue put Beichen onto the bed, she would leave as quickly as possible. Anything after that depended on Wanyue's ability. But such an intoxicated Beichen should not resist a soft woman's embrace, so there should not be any problems with the plan.
Bang!
The door creaked and slammed hard against its frame.
Beichen, still influenced by the drug and couldn't hear anything because all he could hear was a ringing, suddenly pushed Yanyue into the room, leaving only Wanyue outside. His senses were heavily affected, but he could smell the lavender scent on Yanyue's body.
Wanyue panicked and tried to open the door, but she was unsuccessful. Beichen had already locked the door from the inside.
"Yanyue, you bitch! You wanted him for yourself?!" Wanyue clamored loudly, and she was exhaling and inhaling so hard that she almost went pale.
On the other hand, Beichen's only thought at the moment was to punish Yanyue for her schemes.