A sudden chill swept across Ziya's face, catching her off guard. She crouched down, staring at the curled-up Shuangshuang, and reached out to touch her. Ziya murmured to herself as she heavily sank her body onto the mattress, gazing up at the string of jewel-like lights. Her mind raced through all the strange occurrences that had happened since entering the villa.
Feeling a headache coming on and her thoughts in disarray, Ziya rolled over and got up, feeling dizzy. She stumbled to the Dressing Table and looked at the reflection in the mirror. Dark circles under her eyes, a vacant gaze, a pale face... she looked utterly dejected. Is this really me? Where is that spirited self from before I set out? The person in the mirror bore no difference from Lin Wanyu; it was as if Wan Yu had come to life before her eyes...
……………………………………
Wan Yu approached the Dressing Table after Li Darwen left, looking at her reflection in the mirror...
As Li Darwen stepped outside, he caught sight of someone at the door and hurriedly followed. The person ahead ran quickly, and by the time Li Darwen reached the staircase, he only glimpsed her back. Recognizing who it was, he heard Wanru's loud entrance as she returned home, always demanding attention with her boisterous calls.
Li Darwen quickly slowed his pace, pretending to welcome Wanru. "Darling, you're back," he said with a seductive smile that betrayed no hint of insincerity.
He took Wanru's velvet scarf from her and affectionately embraced her fragrant figure as they headed upstairs to the bedroom. As Li Darwen reached the corner of the staircase, he couldn't help but glance back at Zhen, who emerged from a shadowy corner, feigning calmness.
Li Darwen prepared a bath for Wanru and took advantage of her bathing time to stride downstairs to find Zhen in the maid's room. Without knocking, he entered directly... startling Zhen as she was changing clothes...
Zhen's body was exposed under the warm light, her fair skin glistening softly, her curves enticing... and that untouched territory... along with her earlier act of peeping... Li Darwen thought to himself that conquering a woman beneath him would ensure her obedience.
He knew Wanru loved soaking in bath products; it would take at least an hour or two for her to finish...
"You... Mr. Li... you..." Zhen hadn't finished speaking when Li Darwen lunged forward and silenced her with his mouth...
A tumultuous encounter ensued, intertwining bodies... After a moment of half-hearted consent, Zhen looked at the blush on the bed, revealing her hidden true self...
Stepping out of Jane's bedroom, a cold gust of wind hit Li Darwen, making him feel as if he had plunged into an ice cave. Jane was even more fierce and unruly than Wanru.
Ziya stared blankly at the drafts she had written, feeling sorry for Wan Yu and sighing for Wanru. Why did men have such a strong fixation on virginity? Why didn’t they think about the consequences when they were doing something wrong?
Ziya carefully locked the door, her mind too distracted to continue writing the next chapter. She lazily lay back on her bed, closing her eyes and trying to clear her mind. Yet no matter how hard she tried to find peace, a vague silhouette of the woman in black in the wheelchair lingered in her memory like a deep imprint.
Suddenly waking up in a daze, she glanced at the clock and realized she had only dozed off for a few minutes. She thought about going back to sleep but stubbornly glanced at the door… it was ajar.
She rolled over and walked to the door, peering outside but finding nothing amiss. Gently, she closed the door and confirmed it was locked before wearily returning to her bed.
A chilling breeze rushed in, startling Ziya awake. Where was that cold wind coming from? She looked at the door… still half-open. Getting up again, she felt a bit unsteady… trying hard to control her fear… she shut the door and attempted to sleep once more.
Morning came too quickly, and Ziya didn’t want to get up… it wasn’t that she didn’t want to; she simply lacked the strength to rise. She had caught a cold.
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