Lu Jinnian coldly averted his gaze from Qiao Anhao's body. He completely ignored what Qiao Anhao said and raised his hand to unbutton his suit.
Qiao Anhao was used to being ignored by Lu Jinnian, but this time, probably due to the events three months ago, she could distinctly sense the frost radiating off him. She grew increasingly more nervous and wanted to run away.
Eventually, she couldn't take the pressure any longer and blurted an excuse. "Erm... my bath should be ready. I'll go take a bath now."
Lu Jinnian continued to ignore Qiao Anhao, causally tossing his suit onto the sofa before taking long strides out the door of the master bedroom.
Only after a long while after Lu Jinnian left, Qiao Anhao came back to her senses. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath before heading back to the bathroom.
If she could, Qiao Anhao would have hidden in the bathroom till Lu Jinnian left Mian Huan garden. However, no matter how much she tried to stall for time, she still had to face Lu Jinnian.
Lu Jinnian returned from the ensuite bathroom, wearing his pajamas. He laid on his usual spot on the bed with his hands behind his head and eyes shut, pretending to sleep.
The dressing table mirror faced directly opposite from the bed, so Qiao Anhao could see Lu Jinnian in the mirror as she applied her facial products. He kept his eyes shut as if he was really was asleep. All Qiao Anhao could do was silently glance at him.
Without his cold, distant glares, Lu Jinnian's characteristic frigid demeanor disappeared quite a bit. In fact, his facial features made him look a lot gentler.
Qiao Anhao was a little mesmerized, staring at him. It had been thirteen years since she first laid eyes on him, but she would be left stunned, looking at his face every time she did.
It gave Qiao Anhao an indescribable feeling of warmth and happiness to be able to peacefully look at him like this.
If Lu Jinnian opened his eyes now, Qiao Anhao absolutely wouldn't dare stare right at him. She feared that he would see right through the little secrets she held deep down inside.
Her secret crush.
Qiao Anhao's eyebrows relaxed and she couldn't resist but raise her hand to softly touch the reflection of Lu Jinnian's face on the mirror. Nor could she resist tracing her finger around Lu Jinnian's jawline and stroke his eyes and nose.
In the end, her finger stopped upon Lu Jinnian's light, red lips.
She could clearly remember how it felt to kiss him three months ago. The softness and warmth of his lips…
Qiao Anhao's heart started to race. Her fingers stroked the mirror image of his lips repeatedly.
Just when she was completely lost in her own little world, she suddenly heard a phone alarm in the room go off. Having been woke up by the alarm, Lu Jinnian slightly furrowed his brows. Qiao Anhai suddenly pulled her arm back in fear, as if by reflex. She quickly grabbed the cotton pad and wiped her face frantically.
She was almost caught staring, so Qiao Anhao didn't dare look at him again. All she did was looked at her own face and concentrate on applying her facial products.
When she finished and was about to get up, she noticed that the man was looking at something on the phone in bed.
Lu Jinnian's already awake?!
Qiao Anhao got even more nervous. She walked lightly over to turn the lights off, then hesitantly walked over to the bed. She removed the covers, then suddenly had an idea. She quickly walked over to the changing room and carried a human-sized teddy bear back out with her.
All Lu Jinnian could do was glance up at Qiao Anhao with a cold look in his eyes. Qiao Anhao was so frightened by his gaze that she practically didn't dare breathe. All she did was put the teddy right between them, completely separating the two of them. She laid down obediently and didn't dare move an inch.
This teddy was something she bought after they got married and shared the same bed twice.
Even though she kept herself to herself at first, there was no way she could force herself to sleep in peace. Also, her sleeping positions in bed were carefree, so she might have touched him without knowing it.
On the first night, all he could do was forcefully shove her away. On the second night, he simply picked her right up from the bed and threw her to the ground. Then, he fixed himself up and walked right out of the room.
That's when Qiao Anhao knew… Lu Jinnian didn't like it when she touched him.
She wasn't even allowed to touch him accidentally in her sleep.