Chapter 7 Sleepwalking

Su Jinqi flashed Mrs. Hui a smile and then nodded knowingly.

Li Jinghan told her, "No one in this house is idle; you'll also need to do the house chores."

"I understand," Su Jinqi responded and watched him go upstairs.

Mrs. Hui then led Su Jinqi to her room. Her room was tucked away on the first floor, not far from the kitchen. It was neither large nor small, with a simple layout, yet it had everything that was needed.

Closing the door, Su Jinqi sat on the bed and stared blankly at the room. She was going to live here for a year and hoped that time would pass quickly. What comforted her, though, was that Li Jinghan lived upstairs and she was downstairs. They wouldn't bother each other, which she was quite satisfied with.

The room had an en-suite bathroom. After taking a shower and changing into pajamas, she saw it was past nine o'clock. After hesitating, she picked up her phone and called her brother, Su Jincheng.

"Hey, sis." The phone was picked up quickly, and Su Jincheng's voice came from the other end.

Su Jinqi frowned slightly and couldn't help but ask, "Why did you answer so quickly? Were you playing with your phone?"

Su Jincheng chuckled bitterly on the other end, "Sis, the nurse just finished the rounds. I'm about to sleep and was just about to turn off my phone when you called."

"Oh, I see. My apologies for the misunderstanding," Su Jinqi's frown eased slightly.

Her younger brother, Su Jincheng, had been sensible since childhood and was always an excellent student academically and behaviorally. This year he was a sophomore in college, but last week, he had suddenly fainted and was taken to the hospital where he was diagnosed with a heart condition—undoubtedly another heavy burden for Su Jinqi. Thankfully, their uncle convinced Aunt to finance her brother's hospital treatment without delay.

"How are you feeling today? Any better?" Su Jinqi asked with concern.

Su Jincheng pleaded, "It's the same as always. Sis, I don't think there's a need for me to stay in the hospital; I want to be discharged."

"That's not possible. The doctor said your heart condition is severe and you need hospital treatment," Su Jinqi firmly declined but then spoke softly to him, "I'll visit you after work tomorrow and ask the doctor when you can be discharged. Is that okay?"

"I saw the weather forecast; there's going to be a heavy snowstorm tomorrow. Don't come over. I'll be fine staying in the hospital," Su Jincheng reassured her, giving her peace of mind.

"That's fine, I've been busy with work lately; I'll visit you in a couple of days then," Su Jinqi said, "You should get some sleep and don't overthink things."

After hanging up the phone, Su Jinqi played with her phone for a while before lying down. On her first night in the Li Family home, with the blizzard raging outside, her thoughts were heavy, accompanied by the darkness, and she eventually fell asleep.

Around one in the morning, Li Jinghan returned to his bedroom from the study, ready to sleep. Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door. Why hadn't Mrs. Hui gone to sleep at such a late hour? He opened the door, puzzled.

As the door opened, suddenly a large figure lunged at him and burrowed into his embrace, bringing a pleasant fragrance with her.

"Su Jinqi? What are you doing?" Li Jinghan was startled; she clung to him like a noodle, silent.

"Get up!" He held her by the shoulders, shouting at her angrily.

On her very first night here, she'd come to throw herself into his arms, trying to climb into his bed—she was indeed no innocent!

Su Jinqi was pushed away, her body swaying unsteadily, silent and motionless, her appearance rather unsettling in the dead of night.

Li Jinghan straightened his clothes and spoke irritably, "Get back to your room before I lose my temper! If you dare to do this sort of thing again, don't say I didn't warn you!"

Su Jinqi chuckled softly, "Mr. Li, you are really too overbearing. Who do you think you are?"

"What did you say?" Li Jinglie frowned at her, feeling this was not something she would dare say.

He tilted his head in confusion to look at her face, only to see her eyes closed, still muttering something under her breath. It looked like sleepwalking.

"Su Jinqi?" he whispered her name and waved his hand in front of her eyes.

Su Jinqi didn't respond, nor did she acknowledge him. Instead, she suddenly lifted her head, slightly tilted back, and leaned towards Li Jinghan, this time, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I'm fine, I'm really fine, don't pick on me..."

She wasn't short, resting in his embrace up to his shoulder, her breath as fragrant as orchids wafting to his ear, both hot and ticklish, making him unconsciously frown.

Li Jinghan carefully observed her for a moment, and with his sharp eyes, he felt that she wasn't pretending. Knowing that one shouldn't wake a sleepwalker abruptly, he could only guide her back to her room.

He pushed her out of his embrace again, took hold of her shoulders, turned her around, and said in her ear: "Go back to your room."

Obediently, Su Jinqi walked forward, dragging her feet slowly.

As she walked, she continued mumbling, and Li Jinghan couldn't make out what she was saying.

When they reached the stairwell, Su Jinqi was unaware, almost stepping into the void, Li Jinghan behind her quickly caught her arm with his fast reflexes.

This catch seemed to flip some "switch" on Su Jinqi. She turned around, paused, and unexpectedly wrapped her arms around his neck again, pressing tightly against him.

"Got a hugging addiction now? What the heck are you dreaming about?" Li Jinghan was infuriated and tried to pull her hands away.

But this time, it was different from before. She was holding on firmly, and he couldn't pull her arms away immediately.

"If I didn't know the state of someone sleepwalking, I would really damn think you were putting on an act for me!" Li Jinghan despised her, but knowing that one shouldn't wake a sleepwalker abruptly, he had no choice but to suppress his temper and picked her up.

He quickly descended the stairs and took her back to her room. Placing her on the bed, Su Jinqi didn't know what she was dreaming again, flailing her arms, hitting him twice in her fluster.

Li Jinghan glared at her, turned off the lights, and left the room.

Upon leaving the room, he looked around. Thankfully she was on the first floor; even if she climbed out of a window, with a bodyguard outside, she wouldn't get lost.

The next day, the snow grew heavier, with the howling north wind making it feel colder just by looking from the room.

Su Jinqi's alarm clock rang precisely at 5:30 am. She had developed the habit of not lazing in bed at her Aunt's place, thanks to her "discipline."

She turned off the alarm, got out of bed, and walked to the window. She pulled aside the curtains to look outside at the fluttering snowflakes and the thickly accumulated snow on the ground, feeling uncertain about how she would go to work. When she arrived yesterday, she had specifically noted that the subway station was at least a twenty-minute walk from the Li Family house. With the heavy snow today, the roads would be difficult to navigate, and she needed to set off early.

After washing up, she quickly applied light makeup, selected a set of black professional attire from the wardrobe, changed, and left the room.