Chapter 42: Are You Afraid of Me?

Lu Ye had thought Jiang Sui would walk right in and scold Lu Xuanxuan. After all, Xuanxuan had told him that Jiang Sui would often berate her. Yet every time he saw Jiang Sui, she acted as if she was nothing but kind to Xuanxuan in front of him. At first, he assumed Xuanxuan was simply being willful. He hadn’t been on guard against Jiang Sui; as long as she didn’t do anything too egregious to Xuanxuan, he could tolerate her for the time being and divorce her after these two busy years.

It wasn’t until Xuanxuan mentioned it several times that he began to suspect that Jiang Sui’s presence might not be good for Xuanxuan. So, when he learned that she had secretly taken Xuanxuan to appear on a television program, he was furious and fully prepared to deal with Jiang Sui. But quite by accident, he caught a live broadcast of the show and saw Jiang Sui shielding Xuanxuan, even standing up directly to another heavily promoted actress for Xuanxuan’s sake.

Only then did his anger subside.

Gradually, he found himself becoming intrigued by this woman he had never before paid attention to.

Through the crack in the door, his gaze fell upon Jiang Sui, naked and direct. The loose, silky white nightgown clung to her skin, outlining her slender curves in vivid detail. She sat at the edge of the bed, apparently speaking to Xuanxuan. Sometimes she looked annoyed, sometimes gentle; every expression, every furrow or arch of her brow, was beautiful on her face.

Even when she appeared on screen in elegant makeup and a beautiful gown, he never thought she looked as good as she did now. There was an alluring charm about her.

He was certain that only she possessed this quality. Simply sitting there talking with Xuanxuan was enough to make his mouth go dry, his tongue parched.

Lu Ye had never experienced such a frank desire before—so raw and intense that even restraint seemed beyond him. He found it strange, even to himself.

Jiang Sui could feel the blazing gaze fixed on her, almost burning through her. According to the original owner's memories, Lu Ye was supposed to be a refined, aloof man with an air of abstinence. No matter how the original owner tried to seduce him in the past, he had always remained unmoved. Why, then, did his gaze now feel as if he were undressing her with his eyes?

Once Lu Xuanxuan had gone to sleep, hugging her little teddy bear, Jiang Sui finally stepped out of the room. The man's gaze fell on her with such intensity, it seemed to pierce her bones and left a tingle in its wake.

"Is Xuanxuan asleep?" he asked, his voice lowered.

But the husky note in his subdued voice was even more seductive.

"Mm." She glanced away. "She’s asleep."

Suddenly, he took a step closer. His tall frame loomed over her.

Instinctively, Jiang Sui stepped back half a pace. But Lu Ye’s arm slipped around her waist, pulling her into the crook of his elbow so their bodies nearly touched.

"I’m just closing the door," Lu Ye murmured in his low, restrained voice. "If you take another step back, you’ll push open Xuanxuan’s door."

Jiang Sui felt the door at her back, frowned, and stilled.

Lu Ye reached around her with his other hand to quietly close Xuanxuan’s bedroom door. His breath fell from above, rustling Jiang Sui’s hair.

"You seem... afraid of me?"

Jiang Sui rolled her eyes. "Why would I be afraid of you?"

Lu Ye said nothing, just looked at her in silence.

Internally, Jiang Sui thought: How could I not be afraid of you? I’m terrified you’ll ruin my whole life, you little wretch!

She stepped aside to put some distance between them.

"Let’s go. Don’t talk here, or you’ll wake Xuanxuan."