Chapter 104: Injured

After finishing her shower, Nan Zhi dried herself with a towel, her eyes drawn to the blue and purple marks scattered across her skin. The memory of last night’s torment flashed before her eyes, and a furious flame ignited in her moist, almond-shaped gaze.

“Bastard. Pervert. What kind of man bullies a woman?” she muttered, slipping into her pajamas as she opened the door to step outside.

A dangerously seductive voice, unexpected and chilling, drifted to her ears. “You still don’t know what kind of man I am after last night?”

Out of the corner of her eye, Nan Zhi saw a figure leaning casually against the bathroom doorway. She flinched in fright, instinctively quickening her pace to escape. But fate intervened—with a slip of her foot, her balance gave way, and she was about to crash to the floor.

Mu Sihan reacted in an instant. His long arm swept around her, and as she clutched at his collar for support, she found herself drawn into his embrace. Her nose bumped against the hard, sculpted plane of his chest, and a crisp scent mingled with faint aftershave filled her senses. She tried to wriggle free, but he only tightened his domineering hold.

She looked up at him.

He lowered his head to meet her gaze.

His eyes were dark and fathomless, like whirlpools with a deadly undertow, threatening to pull her under and drown her completely. His expression was cold, tinged with a displeased anger. “Did you bring Ye Qianqian into my bedroom?”

Nan Zhi hadn’t expected him to come all this way just to confront her over this.

Ye Qianqian was his fiancée, after all. It wasn’t unreasonable for her to stay in his bedroom, was it? Nan Zhi dropped her eyes and only then noticed that his shirt was undone at the top four buttons, revealing glimpses of his strong, muscular chest—a sight made even more alluring by the play of light and shadow.

Quickly, she averted her gaze and answered, “Miss Ye is your fiancée. Where she stays is your business. I only helped her with her luggage, as she asked.”

Mu Sihan’s brows drew sharply together in anger. He jabbed her forehead with his finger, hard. “You are my personal maid. Mine—mine—mine. Do you understand?”

As if her stupidity infuriated him, he jabbed her a few more times. “From now on, you are to take orders from me alone. If I tell you to do something, you do it. If anyone else tells you, you are not to obey.”

What a tyrant! Her forehead was nearly bruised from his relentless prodding.

“Have you poked me enough?” Nan Zhi swatted his steel-like finger away, her delicate brows furrowed, her face darkening with indignation. “I signed the contract to be your personal maid, yes, but that doesn’t mean I have to obey your every whim. I’ll do what’s required of a maid—nothing more!”

Mu Sihan gripped her delicate jaw, forcing her face upward.

Fresh from her bath, her hair was still damp, and her face—free of makeup—was pure and striking, like a flawless jade untouched by dust. When she pressed her lips together or smiled, two tiny dimples would appear at the corners of her mouth.

But most of the time, when facing him, her lips were drawn in a stubborn line.

“You didn’t let Ye Qianqian into my bedroom yourself?” he pressed.

Nan Zhi rubbed her forehead, refusing to meet his eyes. “No, I didn’t.”

His expression softened, the storm in his eyes clearing. Suddenly, as if struck by a new thought, he reached to undo the buttons of her pajama top.

Nan Zhi seized her collar tightly, glaring at him in shame and anger. “Don’t you dare!”

She didn’t give him the chance to answer, turning on her heel to leave. But she’d barely taken a few steps before he caught up and pulled her back into his arms, his other hand deftly undoing the top buttons of her pajamas.

“Mu Sihan, if you keep this up, I—”

He interrupted coldly, “Be quiet. I’m not going to touch you.” His tone softened. “Let me see the bruises on your body.”