The sunset gradually spread across the sky, like a watercolor painting.
When Shen Yue returned to the apartment, night was already approaching. She hadn't even managed to take out her key at the door before it opened from the inside.
Raising her head with a slight delay, a man's tall and straight figure stood at the doorway, blocking most of the light from within, making his expression seem all the more inscrutable.
The woman's eyes were dark, beautifully so, with a faint flush at the corners. Her voice was soft and gentle, "Xie..."
Before she could finish speaking, her waist was encircled by a pair of strong, firm arms. Shen Yue was practically lifted and carried inside like a child, her body cradled by the man as he hooked the door shut with his foot.
Shen Yue instinctively wrapped her arms around the man's neck.
Carried by the man to the sofa, she sat on his firm, taut thighs. They were face to face, his long arms around Shen Yue's waist. He buried his head in the crook of her neck, his prominent nose brushing against her delicate, pale skin.
The scorching heat of his male breath fanned her skin, seeming to seep through her collar. As if sensing the faint chill emanating from the man, the slender, fragile figure instinctively flinched, her full lips pursed, her dark, beautiful eyes glistening with a layer of moisture.
Her soft, pleasant voice, asking tentatively, could melt even the coldest heart.
"Mr. Xie, did someone upset you?"
He subtly inhaled the sweet fragrance of Shen Yue's skin, then looked up, gazing at the culprit of his displeasure. He looked down at her, his features sharp and cold. He wasn't wearing his glasses today, and his dark pupils burned with a fervent intensity. "Have you forgotten what you promised me?"
Shen Yue vaguely remembered. She recalled promising Xie Jiang Sheng that she would accompany him in the afternoon when she left that morning, but she had forgotten.
Thinking this, Shen Yue couldn't help but feel guilty. Xie Jiang Sheng held her tightly, so Shen Yue didn't dare to move. Her dark eyes were filled with guilt and helplessness. "Mr. Xie, I'm sorry. I... I was too busy this morning and just... forgot..."
Xie Jiang Sheng's eyes deepened. He remembered that Shen Yue had lost her memory. Besides him, who else would recognize Shen Yue? Or rather, what else could Shen Yue possibly be so busy with for so long?
He asked subtly, "What were you so busy with? Tell me, perhaps I can help you."
Shen Yue's eyelashes drooped.
"It's nothing much." Her soft voice carried a hint of melancholy. She looked up, "Mr. Xie, I fell."
Her expression was neutral, but the pitiful words she uttered carried an inexplicable air of grievance.
"It hurt a lot."
It was like a playful plea, or like a child who had been wronged outside, seeking solace in an adult's arms. It seemed as though her entire being, her entire heart, relied on the man before her.
Xie Jiang Sheng felt a tingling sensation spread through his chest, like an electric current reaching his limbs, his heart skipping a beat.
Xie Jiang Sheng's voice instantly softened, filled with immense patience. "Let me see. Does it still hurt now?"
Shen Yue smiled, her eyes curving into crescents, shallow dimples appearing. Nestled in the man's warm and gentle embrace, she felt a sense of peace settling within her.
"It doesn't hurt anymore. I went to the clinic to get it bandaged, that's why I'm back so late."
This served as a form of explanation, easily smoothing away the man's displeasure.
The man's voice grew deeper, tinged with a husky undertone. "It really doesn't hurt anymore?"
Shen Yue's eyelashes trembled gently. She hooked her arms around his neck, the tips of her ears, like white jade, flushing red. "No, it doesn't hurt."
The man, who appeared gentle and refined on the surface, seemed to have cracks appearing in his facade. He was fierce and possessive, and even his amorous peach blossom eyes revealed a hint of lust.
He stared at Shen Yue like an oblivious prey caught in the gaze of a beast.
Darkness descended, and Shen Yue's mind went blank. Her nose was suddenly filled with Xie Jiang Sheng's breath. She was forcefully held by the head, and Xie Jiang Sheng kissed her with practiced ease, unceremoniously and without any finesse. Despite having a face that spoke of romance, he was surprisingly awkward when it came to kissing.
Yet, he was so impetuous that Shen Yue couldn't bear it. A faint mist appeared in her dark, beautiful eyes, the corners of her eyes flushed with a seductive redness. Her thick eyelashes cast a shadow, making her pale cheeks appear even more fragile.
Later, he punishingly bit her lower lip with force, leaving a faint mark. His broad hand still held the back of her head.
His gaze darkened, his thin lips pursed. "If something happens, you must call me. Do you know how worried I get?"
Shen Yue had not yet recovered from the fierce kiss, nor had she fully registered what the man had said. It wasn't until the man repeated himself that she nodded in a daze.
The man smiled in satisfaction.
When she had somewhat regained her senses, Shen Yue pressed her swollen lips together. After a moment of hesitation, she softly asked, "Mr. Xie, do you know my family?"
She wondered how terribly she had behaved before losing her memory to make her own parents detest her so much, and for her own younger brother to look at her as if she were an enemy.
It felt like a heavy stone pressing on her heart, making it hard to breathe.
Xie Jiang Sheng froze for a moment, his brow furrowed slightly. "So the reason you returned so late is that you went home?"
Shen Yue nodded, feeling a pang of sadness. Her long, slender eyelashes trembled slightly. "...Yes."
Xie Jiang Sheng's brow furrowed even deeper, his gaze turning cold, his lips drawn into a straight line, his displeasure deepening.
"Not really."
This was the truth.
Shen Yue looked up at the man's dark eyes, biting her lower lip as if not feeling any pain. She lowered her gaze, turning her face away. "But you said before that we were boyfriend and girlfriend. Don't you know my family at all?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Shen Yue felt the arms around her waist tighten abruptly. An intense pressure washed over her. He coldly lifted his eyelids, looking at Shen Yue, his eyes full of icy coldness, yet his voice was utterly gentle.
Because Shen Yue was looking down, she couldn't see the man's expression.
"Yes, we... are indeed a couple, but that doesn't mean I should know your family."
Xie Jiang Sheng knew Shen Yue had misunderstood his words. He had merely meant that their relationship went beyond a simple platonic one, referring only to the physical aspect, not the emotional.
However, Xie Jiang Sheng chose not to explain. On the contrary, he found it rather agreeable.
He liked seeing Shen Yue's entire focus on him, like a spoiled child, domineering and unreasonable. He only wished for Shen Yue to have him alone in her heart; no one else mattered.