Chapter 4: Traces of being tied up

The driver was startled and wanted to turn on the left turn signal, but ended up turning on the windshield wipers instead. "Drive carefully." Yan Junci ordered sternly. In just a few words, Shu Ni's shawl fell to the ground, revealing her slender and delicate butterfly bones. Yan Junci felt that he was a little drunk and wanted to pull her away, but ended up touching her delicate skin again. It felt slightly cool, but he felt hot all over again, so he had to pull his collar in annoyance and roll down the window. There happened to be a speed bump, and Shu Ni twisted her body unconsciously, pressing against his most vulnerable part with a momentary jolt. The veins on her forehead jumped twice. Yan Junci grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her up roughly, with a strong pressure in his palm. "Did you do it on purpose?" Shu Ni was completely out of her mind. She didn't understand Yan Junci's question and could only say incoherently, "Would you like to invite me to dance? I'm a good dancer and I won't make you feel rude." Having seen her seductive side in the bar, Yan Junci certainly knew that she was a good dancer. Her unbridled and passionate dance flashed through his mind, and in the blink of an eye, Shu Ni had already slumped against his chest, murmuring, "Yan Hanyu..." The second half of the sentence was a curse. The evening breeze blew in through the car window, blowing the unconscious drunken words into pieces, leaving only a lingering cry. The street lights on both sides flashed by, and his expression became even more obscure and unclear between the flickering shadows. In the end, Shu Ni died of drunkenness in Yan Junci's arms. When she woke up the next day, she had a splitting headache, as if thousands of small hammers were hitting her deep inside her head. A faint groan broke the silence in the room. She opened her eyes with difficulty, and saw an unfamiliar chandelier and ceiling. She tried to search for relevant memories, but unfortunately found nothing. Looking at myself again, my dress and jewelry were gone, there was nothing underneath my wide nightgown, and there were traces of being tied up on my wrists, which seemed to silently indicate the absurdity of last night. Shu Ni was confused and panicked. She tried to sit up, but her headache forced her to slow down. As her feet touched the soft carpet, there was an orderly knock on the door. She reflexively tightened her collar and looked at the door with a defensive look. After a while, there was another knock on the door, and she answered, "Come in." Fortunately, a middle-aged woman came in. She looked quite kind, and the smile on her face was warm and reassuring. "Good morning, miss. Did you sleep well last night?" Shu Ni frowned and answered honestly, "It probably isn't very good." The woman came over with her coat and gently put it on her. "Hangovers are really uncomfortable. I've prepared some hangover medicine for you. Just take it after breakfast." Shu Ni thanked her in a low voice, and then asked her, "Excuse me, where is this place?" "This is Mr. Yan's residence." "Which Mr. Yan?" The woman's expression was a little strange, but it quickly disappeared. "Mr. Yan Junci." It was obviously expected, but Shu Ni's heartbeat still became uncontrollable. How could I stay overnight at that man's place? While she was secretly frantic, the woman had already brought clean clothes. She endured it again and again, but finally asked, "Excuse me, were you the one who changed my clothes last night?" "Yes." Shu Ni relaxed a little, "Thank you, you've worked hard." The woman responded, "You're welcome. The person you should really thank is Mr. Yan." Thinking of that man, her nerves tensed up again. Shu Ni couldn't remember anything that happened after she got drunk. With an extremely anxious mood, she straightened her long hair, which was not messy at all, and walked out of the bedroom with forced calmness. It was almost noon and the sun was pouring down, spreading a warm glow over the terrace. Yan Junci stood facing the light, his tall and straight back exuded an insurmountable majesty, which made people feel inexplicably afraid. Shu Ni stopped walking, and he turned around just in time to hear the sound. Their eyes unexpectedly met, briefly but fiercely, and seemed to stir up an invisible undercurrent. Compared to her nervousness, Yan Junci was much more calm. After taking a quick look at her, he said, "You're quite capable." Although his words were vague, Shu Ni knew he was mocking her. She bit her lip and said nothing until a huge shadow fell in front of her. Then she lowered her head and said, "I won't dare to do that next time..." Before she could finish her words, Yan Junci grabbed her jaw. The man's grip was very strong and as unrestrained as ever. The pain was so severe that she couldn't utter a single syllable. "Is there anything else you dare not do?" Meeting those bottomless black eyes again, Shu Ni's pupils trembled slightly, and thousands of possibilities flashed through her mind. The worst scenario is that she speaks the truth after drinking and admits that she attempted to short Yan's stocks. The oppressive atmosphere was like a string stretched to the extreme, about to break, when a sudden vibrating humming sound broke the silence. It is Yan Junci’s personal cell phone. After checking the caller ID on the screen, he loosened his grip on Shu Ni and answered the call in front of her. I don't know what was said on the other end, but his expression seemed to change slightly, which was sensitively captured by Shu Ni. She was unsure, so she waited until he hung up the phone before carefully asking, "What's wrong?" Yan Junci put away his phone and said in a calm tone, "We have guests." Before Shu Ni could breathe a sigh of relief, he added, "My mother." Shu Ni's breathing stagnated. She felt that her fragile heart could not bear the stimulation of such ups and downs. Her eyes widened in surprise, "She, why is she here?" Yan Jun gave her a meaningful look as he said goodbye, "Maybe you received some important news." She was slightly dazed, standing there alone and messy, when Yan Junci had already strided towards the entrance with his long legs. She heard the steady footsteps and woke up as if from a dream, and ran over to stop them. "etc!" Yan Junci stopped, his eyes fixed on her fingers grabbing his sleeve and the wrist with a noticeable red mark, his expression difficult to tell whether he was happy or angry. It was just a glance, but Shu Ni felt as if she was burned, and she withdrew her hand tremblingly. "Well, what should I do then?" He seemed puzzled and asked, "What should I do?" "I, I, I...how do you explain?" Shu Ni's tongue was tied. "Explain why I am here." Yan Junci's tone was calm, "Tell the truth." "No!" Shu Ni grabbed his arm again in a hurry. The corners of his lips drooped slightly, but he did not break away from her. "I don't want Grandma Yan to misunderstand." She didn't dare to bring up their relationship for the time being, so she had to talk about those irrelevant things. "I also don't want Grandma Yan to think that I'm a drunk, trouble-making, night-out, and frivolous girl. Please hide me!" In response to Shu Ni's silence that seemed like an eternity, just when she was about to despair, Yan Junci finally softened. He pointed at the huge vertical painting and ordered, "Stay up there, and don't come out if you hear any noise." With his guidance, Shu Ni discovered that there was a spiral staircase behind the painting. Without thinking too much, she crawled up to hide. This is a private attic located at the top of the floor, surrounded by a tranquil atmosphere. The plain curtains were half-open, and sunlight poured in through the unique triangular glass windows, illuminating the raised dust, which looked like tiny bits of gold floating in the air. Shu Ni looked around curiously. Every wall here was made into floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. Whether it was the wooden desk or the tatami used for rest, books that had not been finished could be seen everywhere. Realizing that this attic was Yan Junci's private space, Shu Ni politely and restrainedly withdrew her gaze, unwilling to infringe on his privacy. When Yan Junci came up, Shu Ni was sitting on the top step of the stairs, with her elbows on her knees, half of her face supported, in a daze. When she saw him, a light flashed in those eyes. He seemed to be dazzled and wanted to speak but the words stopped at his lips.