Chapter 153: Closeness

Although Rong Shen had endured a painful restraint over the past few days, he still tried his best to hold back.

After all, he could not be sure whether her reaction on New Year's Eve was driven mostly by emotional touch or impulsive passion.

Yet tonight, everything was just right.

Perhaps warmed by the intimacy of the evening, although An Tong’s body remained stiff and unaccustomed, she did not show any resistance or aversion.

Rong Shen scooped her up in his arms and carried her back to the bedside. Their clothes fell to the floor, and once again, the room dissolved into a lingering haze of tender entanglement.

……

Time flew by, and four or five days passed in the blink of an eye.

Rong Shen was soon to depart for abroad.

Four or five days—neither long nor short.

Yet for An Tong, the changes during this brief period were nothing short of monumental.

Not long ago, she had firmly concluded in her heart that Rong Shen was not an overly lustful man.

Yet a mere few days had completely shattered her perception.

He wasn't impatient, but his stamina was simply too formidable.

So formidable that An Tong could barely keep up; one morning when she tried to get out of bed, her legs buckled, and she collapsed straight to the floor.

At ten o'clock that morning, An Tong strolled down the stairs, intending to head straight to the dining room for breakfast, only to be surprised by the sight of two people sitting in the living room.

She blinked in astonishment, her gaze shifting from Rong Shen's face to Rong Xian's.

In her memory, throughout the long duration of their marriage, aside from the interactions during the New Year holiday, Rong Xian and the couple rarely crossed paths on ordinary days.

"Eldest Sister."

An Tong called out softly. Just as she reached the coffee table, Rong Xian, holding a slim lady's cigarette between her fingers, smiled maliciously and said, "Just getting up at this hour?"

The man glanced sideways at her, his eyes filled with a clear warning.

An Tong touched the high collar of her wool sweater, deciding it should be enough to cover her up, and casually replied, "Mm, I went to sleep a bit late yesterday."

"Naturally. After all, a brief parting is right around the corner. Seeing An'an like this makes me want to be a full-time housewife, too."

An Tong glanced sideways at Rong Shen, but before she could speak, the man gave a low, teasing chuckle. "Whenever you want, there are plenty of people willing to marry and support you."

When all was said and done, she did not believe in love, let alone marriage, making it impossible for her to ever truly desire life as a full-time housewife.

Ignoring Rong Shen's banter, Rong Xian crossed her legs and smoked leisurely. Wisps of smoke drifted around her, lending her expression a somewhat hazy, fatigued, and irritated air.

Not wanting to interrupt the siblings' casual chat, An Tong headed into the dining room for breakfast.

And the moment she turned around, she caught sight of a dark green suitcase tucked away in the corner of the sofa.

It had probably been brought by Rong Xian.

Just a few minutes later, as An Tong lingered near the dining room entrance, footsteps approached.

Biting down on a sunny-side-up egg, she turned her head to see the man walking toward her at a leisurely pace, dressed in his classic black-and-white ensemble.

Rong Shen patted her head gently, pulled out a chair, and sat down beside her. "I'll have Ling Qi come over to keep you company tonight. If you get bored, feel free to send me a message anytime."

Swallowing the bite of egg, An Tong nodded and said she understood.

His flight was scheduled for five o'clock in the evening, which meant Rong Xian would be leaving with him.

An Tong poked at the ham on her plate, her tone turning noticeably quieter. "About how many days will you be gone?"

"At most a week, at least three days."

An Tong fell silent for a few seconds. "Let me know when you've finalized your schedule. Can I go to the airport to pick you up the day you return?"

She had planned to do so all along, but her voice drifted upward slightly at the end, betraying a hint of hesitant inquiry.

Rong Shen stroked her cheek with his thumb, his dark, profound eyes brimming with tender warmth. "Alright."

……

With an entire day left before Rong Xian's departure with Rong Shen, it wasn't strange for her to come to the Yuefu villa to pass the time.

However, the appearance of Xiao Mingyu was rather abnormal.

At one o'clock in the afternoon, just as lunch ended, the cook happened to go outside to throw away the trash and immediately spotted a figure leaning against the railing at the bottom of the front steps, smoking a cigarette.

After asking a few brief questions, the cook hurried back into the living room to report, "Sir, there is a Mr. Xiao outside who refuses to leave. He says he's waiting for... Miss Rong."

Rong Shen set down his tea tongs without changing expression, raising an eyebrow at Rong Xian.

The implication was clear: should they let him in?

Feigning ignorance, Rong Xian continued to sit in the living room, keeping her head down to read her book.

Given the situation, neither Rong Shen nor An Tong could casually interject.

Although it was their home, since the person directly involved chose to ignore him, the two of them could not meddle uninvited.

Rong Xian remained as steadfast and immovable as an old monk in meditation, while An Tong sat beside Rong Shen, the two of them murmuring softly to each other.

Before long, the young girl tugged slightly at the collar of her sweater and cast a playful, reproachful glance at the man.

This understated state of romance became all the more piercing the more subtle it was.

Especially coming from a man who was usually cold and aloof—the sight of him leaning in to whisper in the girl's ear created a stark contrast that even Rong Xian found impossible to ignore.

Her attention was soon drawn away from her book by the couple across from her.

She had imagined what Rong Shen would look like if he ever fell in love countless times in the past, yet seeing it with her own eyes repeatedly still felt somewhat surreal.

Rong Xian had always assumed that if her younger brother ever fell in love, he would adopt a restrained, pretentious, and chauvinistic demeanor.

After all, if one maintains a proud posture for too long, it eventually merges with one's true nature.

Who would have thought the reality was entirely the opposite?

Rong Xian closed her book and turned her gaze elsewhere.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, a few steps of the garden descended gracefully.

She couldn't see the scenery below, but she could vaguely catch wisps of faint smoke drifting up from the railing before fading away into nothingness.

Rong Xian had no intention of letting him in, even though it was still the nipping cold of early spring.

Yet sometimes, things always turned out contrary to expectations.

Because Ling Qi arrived carrying her laptop. As if that wasn't enough, she had also invited Xiao Mingyu—who was shivering from the cold wind—into the house with her.

"Sister Xian, this guy was looking for you."

While changing her shoes in the entryway, Ling Qi pointed a thumb backward over her shoulder.

Rong Xian: "..."

Meanwhile, An Tong, sitting on the sofa, locked eyes with Ling Qi and could not help but smile.

At the doorway, the tip of Xiao Mingyu's nose was slightly red from the biting wind, and his handsome face bore a somewhat numb stiffness.

After exchanging a few words with Rong Shen, An Tong stood up and led Ling Qi upstairs to the study.

Before Rong Xian could speak, Xiao Mingyu walked over to the coffee table on his own accord and sat down, his voice cool and detached. "Ninth Master, care to grace me with a cup of tea?"

"Why are you here?" Rong Xian asked coldly. Her tone wasn't particularly warm, but it lacked the sarcastic mockery of before.

Without looking at her or answering, Xiao Mingyu walked over to join Rong Shen at the tea table, sat down, and took a small sip from the teacup handed to him.

Sensing the strange atmosphere between the two of them, the man leaned back lazily against his chair and asked, "Looking for me?"
"Mm, can we talk alone?"
"Sure."

With half a cup of tea in his belly, Xiao Mingyu felt his body warm up slightly before the two men walked openly toward the second-floor study.

Rong Xian, who had been completely ignored: "???"

Narrowing her eyes as she watched Xiao Mingyu's retreating figure, she deliberated for a few seconds before deciding to wait and see how things played out.

Time ticked away. After an unknown length of time, Xiao Mingyu came back down alone. Still ignoring her and speaking not a word, he quietly walked over to the bar in the corner and retrieved a bottle of liquor.

Rong Xian: "..."

Does he really think this is his own house?