Another way of comforting her

She gently pulled the stiff, cold man and said to the old master, "Grandpa, it's getting late. You should rest early. We'll head back now."

"Head back? Stay at the old house tonight. Your room has been taken care of, so you can move in directly," Long Zhenfei replied.

Tang Miannian cautiously glanced at Long Ye Jue, knowing that everything had to be decided by him.

Long Ye Jue wanted to refuse at first, but then Long Zhenfei added, "Miannian's feet must be sore from walking on that path. It would be a hassle to go back. Why not stay here for the night? It will save you from running around."

The man pursed his thin lips, and after a moment, he nodded. "Fine."

Long Zhenfei finally smiled, giving them his permission to leave.

On the way back, each step Tang Miannian took felt like her feet were burning with pain, but she didn't dare to complain, fearing it would upset the man.

But Long Ye Jue suddenly stopped, looked at her feet, and then bent down, picking her up effortlessly in a horizontal position.

Tang Miannian, startled, grabbed his shirt collar tightly, exclaiming, "I can walk…"

"Shut up!"

"…"

Always so harsh!

She leaned against his shoulder, not saying another word, quietly letting him carry her.

The streetlights along the path cast a faint glow, making the journey feel less lonely.

At the end of the stone path, the butler was already waiting by the car.

When he saw the young master carrying the young mistress, his eyes nearly popped out in shock.

Earlier, the young master had been arguing with the madam, but upon hearing the young mistress had arrived, he rushed out without hesitation.

The distance from Jinyuan to Huayuan was at least a thousand meters, and yet, the young master had run all the way.

Now, carrying the young mistress like this showed how much he cared for her.

The butler politely opened the car door for them. Once they were inside, he started the car, heading straight for the Nian Garden, Long Ye Jue's private villa.

Nian Garden was a standalone villa exclusively for Long Ye Jue, unlike the other sons of the family who had to live with their parents.

This was the difference between a legitimate son and a son born of a concubine.

As the old master had mentioned, the room had been taken care of, and there was no sign of it being neglected or dusty from lack of use.

The villa's style was quite different from the modern, sea-view properties. It had a more nostalgic feel. Tang Miannian carefully looked around, impressed.

The life of the wealthy truly was different—owning multiple properties was something that some ordinary families would never be able to achieve in a lifetime.

"What are you looking at?" Long Ye Jue asked, entering the room with a medicine box and noticing the surprised expression on her face.

Hearing his voice, Tang Miannian felt strangely guilty. She lowered her head and asked, "You have quite a few houses."

It was a casual comment, meant to distract him.

But Long Ye Jue answered seriously, "Including this one, I have seven properties."

"…"

A rich man!

As expected, he was so rich he had no friends.

The world of the rich was one you could only look up to.

Tang Miannian didn't respond, but Long Ye Jue then started asking her questions. "Didn't I tell you to stay at home? Why are you out running around in the middle of the night?"

"Sorry," she apologized sheepishly. "I know whatever I say now won't matter."

"Did Grandpa make things difficult for you?" Their focus seemed to be completely different.

Tang Miannian quickly shook her head, "No, Grandpa was very nice to me."

"Nice to you? Then why did he make you walk on that stone path?" He applied more pressure while treating her wound.

Did he not understand his grandfather?

What the old master did was just to teach her a lesson.

"Grandpa said walking more is good for health," she explained.

She didn't really agree with that, but she vaguely understood the old man's intent, especially that part about how the path was tough, but once you chose it, you had to walk it through. The more you walked, the less it would bother you.

The old master was talking about their marriage.

He was also warning her that being the wife of a rich family wasn't easy, and she needed to watch her every move.

Tang Miannian smiled with squinted eyes, resting her hands on the man's shoulder and looking at him seriously, "Actually, you should think of it this way—since Grandpa did all that, it means he accepts me as his granddaughter-in-law!"

Long Ye Jue, who had been intending to lecture her or comfort her if she was upset, found that all his plans were useless.

He sighed, "You're so optimistic. Should I be happy about that? Or should I be happy?"

"Of course you should be happy!" Tang Miannian smiled brightly, "What about you? You rushed back so fast, did you have another argument with your mother? But it wasn't her fault. Things happened too suddenly, and she couldn't help me. Don't blame her, and I know I also did some things wrong."

"You know?" he sneered, applying ointment to her knee as well.

Tang Miannian pouted, "I thought you'd comfort me."

"Comfort you?" Long Ye Jue smirked, making her heart race. "I have another way of comforting you. Want to try it?"

"…"

This sentence definitely left much to the imagination…

Tang Miannian's Struggle with Temptation

Tang Miannian was struggling to keep her composure. Every time the big boss acted so "flirtatious," it really made her question whether this was the right approach.

The worst part? She was totally falling for it.

The "handsome guy trick" was truly despicable!

"Is this the room you used to live in?" Tang Miannian quickly changed the subject. She had realized that every time she met his gaze, there was no chance of gaining the upper hand. The only option was to keep changing the topic.

Long Ye Jue's dark eyes deepened slightly, the corners of his lips curling into a subtle, almost imperceptible smile. He didn't remind her about their sleeping arrangements for the night.

"By the way, you haven't told me, did you argue with your mother?" Tang Miannian finally remembered the thing that had been on her mind.

"No," he replied flatly, putting away the medicine box and standing up.

As he stood, his towering figure cast a shadow over her, engulfing her in his presence, like they had become one entity.

She averted her gaze. "Really? But you rushed back so urgently, and Grandpa's reaction was so intense. It can't be as simple as you're saying."

"You're not too dumb," he gave her a compliment, placing the medicine box down and adding, "Tonight, we're staying together. Shouldn't you be thinking more about that?"

"What?!" Tang Miannian stood up in shock. The sudden movement caused her injury to pull, making her wince in pain. "But this Nian Garden looks huge. There must be more than one room, right?"

"Are you suggesting we let the family know we're sleeping in separate rooms?" His brow arched in a subtle challenge, his gaze deep and unreadable.

Tang Miannian wilted immediately. "Then what should we do?"

"What do you think?"

He crossed his arms, watching her with a lazy, amused expression, throwing the problem right back at her.

The little sheep had no idea what to do. She weakly suggested, "How about I sleep on the bed, and you sleep on the couch?"

The coldness in his eyes sharpened, and though he didn't say anything, his oppressive aura made her feel like she couldn't breathe.

She bit her lip, hesitated, and then suggested, "Then... you take the bed, and I'll sleep on the couch."

"Tang Miannian!" The warning in his voice made her shiver.

The little sheep immediately stopped talking. It seemed like no matter what she said, it was wrong.

Long Ye Jue's anger seemed to subside slightly. He finally spoke, his voice low but commanding. "First, I never sleep on the couch. Secondly, I won't let my woman sleep on the couch either. I'm going to take a shower. Are you going to take one?"

"..." She would love to… but she was afraid he'd say something about helping her, and she'd rather not!

"You go first, but don't touch your injury," Long Ye Jue said lazily, his presence relaxed yet sharp, like a dormant predator. "If you don't mind, I can help you."

"No, no!" Tang Miannian quickly protested. "I can do it myself!"

"Then I hope you don't fall again."

"..."

This man was so cruel, rubbing salt into her wounds. The pain was unbearable, and tears started flowing down her face.

As soon as Tang Miannian entered the bathroom, she slumped against the wall, her shoulders sagging. Her mind raced with thoughts of how she was going to get through tonight.

Unfortunately, her mind was in a fog. She couldn't come up with a plan.

Was she really going to end up doing that tonight?

She traced the lines of the tiles on the wall, her mind in a whirl.

Long Ye Jue's earlier words seemed to suggest this was the direction things were heading.

"First, I never sleep on the couch. Secondly, I won't let my woman sleep on the couch!"

His woman…

Why did she not hate that term?

In fact, why did it make her feel a little proud, like her heart was fluttering?

The woman in the mirror was blushing, her eyes lowered, and her lips curved into a smile. The sight startled Tang Miannian, making her snap out of her thoughts.

She hurriedly splashed cold water on her face to calm herself down.

What was wrong with her? How could she have gotten sidetracked like this?

Tang Miannian quickly finished washing up, wrapped herself in his oversized bathrobe, and stepped out. He was on the phone.

When he saw her, he briefly exchanged a few words before hanging up.

Tang Miannian didn't dare to look at him. She just busied herself drying her hair with a towel.

She had assumed he would head straight into the bathroom, but unexpectedly, a dark shadow suddenly loomed in front of her. She looked up and saw his handsome face.

"Towel," he extended his hand toward her.

"It's in there," she thought he wanted the towel she was holding, and instinctively pointed to the bathroom.

"I'll help you dry your hair," he explained lightly, his face partly obscured by the light, making his expression difficult to read.

Tang Miannian hesitated. "I can do it myself."

"I don't like repeating myself," he said with a slight grin, swiftly grabbing the towel from her hands and taking over the task of drying her hair.

This was the first time she had been served like this, and she wasn't used to it.

Her head swayed slightly as he worked, while her eyes darted around, trying to avoid meeting his gaze.

"All done. Remember, don't sleep right away. Do something before you sleep," Long Ye Jue said as he headed toward the bathroom.

She nodded stiffly, watching him walk away before quickly jumping out of bed, rushing to the edge of the bed.

At first, she hadn't thought of a way to handle things. But his earlier words gave her an idea.

If he came out and saw her sleeping, he probably wouldn't have the mood for anything else, right?

Yes, that was the plan!

Tang Miannian felt quite clever.

With this strategy, she could avoid the awkwardness of facing him and sidestep the problem of sharing a room.

Ignoring her still-damp hair, she curled up under the blanket and pretended to sleep.

As soon as her eyes closed, the sounds of the world around her seemed to magnify, including the sound of him showering. Based on his perfectly sculpted body—muscular when undressed and slim when dressed—she could easily imagine the sensual scene that was unfolding.