Chapter Twelve

Out of Fang Cheng's sight, Su Xiaobai's eyes were crystal clear—she had never been more awake. She had planned to toy with Fang Cheng from the start. The two bowls of soup served at dinner had not come from the same pot. She had prepared a separate, beauty-enhancing medicinal soup for herself, while the one she gave Fang Cheng was a powerful tonic for... male vitality.

That old ghost Chen's remedy was indeed effective. It hadn't even been a few hours before Fang Cheng started feeling the effects. Clearly, the old man's folk prescriptions were no joke. Su Xiaobai was secretly delighted, quietly patting herself on the back for her cunning plan.

Fang Cheng was truly an odd one. Despite burning up with heat, he was still forcing himself to endure it. Su Xiaobai had originally planned that if he tried to force himself on her, she'd simply use the excuse of being on her period—surely, he wouldn't dare to push through that, would he?

But Fang Cheng was far too proud. He would rather suffer in silence than wake her up.

About half an hour later, he seemed to have reached his limit. Taking several deep, restrained breaths, he finally rolled out of bed and hurried toward the bathroom outside the bedroom.

The moment he stepped out, Su Xiaobai sprang up from bed like a fish flipping out of water. Light on her feet, she tiptoed out to the living room and pressed herself against the bathroom door, listening intently.

Through the frosted glass, she couldn't see what was happening inside, but the sound of rushing water was unmistakable.

Tsk tsk.

Shaking her head, Su Xiaobai smirked. What a strange man. If he really can't take it, why not go find that little lover of his? Holding it in like this… won't he end up ruining himself?

She muttered under her breath, but her actions were far from indifferent—she clung to the wall, stretching her neck to eavesdrop, her expression completely devoid of the charming grace she had displayed earlier that day. In this moment, she looked downright mischievous.

Suddenly, the water stopped.

Footsteps.

Su Xiaobai's heart skipped a beat.

In a flash, she bolted back to the bedroom, diving under the covers as fast as she could.

Her heart pounded wildly, her eyelids squeezed shut, her entire body curled up like a shrimp.

Fortunately, Fang Cheng didn't seem to notice anything amiss when he returned. He casually tossed his towel onto a chair before collapsing onto the bed, his damp hair clinging to his skin.

Su Xiaobai could feel him turning toward her. His knee brushed against her calf, and his hot breath fanned against the nape of her neck.

The room was so quiet it was almost eerie, save for the slightly erratic rhythm of Fang Cheng's breathing. While it had calmed down somewhat, it was still far from normal.

Just when Su Xiaobai thought something might happen—

Nothing.

Fang Cheng didn't move.

Instead, she ended up lying there, tense and restless for what felt like an eternity.

Eventually, exhaustion set in. Her eyelids grew heavy, her drowsiness overcoming her wariness.

Perhaps because Fang Cheng still hadn't made a move, Su Xiaobai finally drifted into a deep sleep.

On the other hand, Fang Cheng never fell asleep at all.

His entire body burned. His skin felt like it was on fire, waves of unbearable heat surging through him, every pore screaming in protest.

And yet, he endured.

Originally, a cold shower should have been enough to cool him down. But instead, the heat only intensified.

Fang Cheng's vision blurred slightly as he stared at Su Xiaobai's silhouette.

It wasn't just the heat—it was her.

A faint, intoxicating scent drifted from her direction. He couldn't quite tell if it was her shampoo, her body wash, or something else entirely, but the sweet hint of citrus mixed in made it particularly pleasant, an aroma that unconsciously lured him closer.

Fang Cheng had encountered many women's perfumes before, but he much preferred this kind of fresh, natural fragrance.

That thought made him momentarily dazed. His gaze fell on the elegant curve of Su Xiaobai's neck, where even in the dim light, her skin appeared smooth and porcelain-like.

His mind unexpectedly drifted to his first time with Su Bai.

Truth be told, he didn't remember much of it—not because he had been too caught up in passion, but because her reaction had been so unremarkable. There had been no intoxicating seduction, no honeyed whispers, nor any lingering tenderness. Instead, she had merely endured it, treating the act like an obligation, passively cooperating with his needs.

Not a particularly bad memory, but certainly not one worth savoring.

In the three years they had been together, the number of times they had shared intimacy could be counted on one hand.

Su Bai was different from other women—she was the type who knew contentment, who lacked greed or desire. In fact, she seemed almost detached from the world, as if she had transcended the trivialities of human longing.

That was precisely why she had so few admirers.

She wasn't the kind of woman men chased—she was placed too high, almost untouchable, like a goddess on a pedestal. And in truth, most men preferred the warmth of an ordinary woman, someone gentle and yielding, someone they could actually reach.

That was what set Su Bai apart from the rest.

By the time Su Xiaobai woke up the next morning, the space beside her was already empty.

It was past nine o'clock—Fang Cheng had likely already left for work.

For her, the day was just beginning.

Humming to herself, she rummaged through the fridge, pulling out a carton of milk and a few slices of toast. She even fried an egg to complete her breakfast.

Leisurely enjoying her meal, she couldn't help but reminisce about the little prank she had played on Fang Cheng the night before.

And she wasn't done yet.

After finishing breakfast, Su Xiaobai went to her drawer and retrieved the remaining packets of herbs that Old Ghost Chen had given her.

There was still enough for five more days.

Just imagining Fang Cheng's nightly torment, burning with frustration, made her thrilled.

Of course, she wasn't stupid—if she kept serving medicinal soups every night, he would eventually grow suspicious.

So she started switching things up.

She infused her concoctions into different dishes, carefully disguising the flavors so Fang Cheng wouldn't notice. Even if he did suspect something, she had already destroyed any evidence—what could he possibly do about it?

And so, for several nights in a row, Fang Cheng suffered.

On more than one occasion, he had tried to initiate intimacy, only for Su Xiaobai to suddenly look at him bashfully and whisper two simple words—

"Period."

The moment she said it, Fang Cheng froze.

Then, without a word, he turned and went to take another cold shower.

On the fifth day, Fang Cheng finally couldn't take it anymore.

He grabbed his uniform coat and told Su Bai that he needed to return to his unit to handle some official business, leaving his newlywed wife alone at home.

He didn't seem to realize that it was four in the morning.

What kind of official business needed to be handled at this hour?

Lying sprawled across the bed, Su Xiaobai smirked coldly.

She laughed at Fang Cheng for finally breaking down and going out to find "external relief," but even more so, she laughed at the nature of men—predictable, laughable.

The next morning, Fang Cheng emerged from a hotel—not from some secret rendezvous like Su Xiaobai had imagined, but simply from one of the lodgings managed by his unit.

The truth was, he couldn't stand the subtle yet pervasive scent lingering around Su Xiaobai at home. It was driving him insane. But if he suddenly suggested sleeping in separate rooms, she might get suspicious. So, rather than deal with that, he had chosen the simplest solution—leaving.

When he returned to the unit, he happened to run into Chen Xingran and Ziyu, who were also arriving for a meeting. Though they weren't from the same department, they all worked within the same large compound and thus had to attend the same meetings.

Ziyu looked Fang Cheng up and down with a puzzled expression.

"Damn, Fang Cheng, you look exhausted! What's going on? Don't tell me you're still hung up on Zhang Tingting? I've told you before—just let her go. You're a grown man, don't sulk over a woman like this. It's embarrassing."

Fang Cheng frowned but didn't bother responding. He was too irritated to explain.

Unlike Ziyu, who always made a fuss over everything, Chen Xingran was much calmer. He simply took a cigarette from his pocket, handed it to Fang Cheng, and patted him on the shoulder as if he understood all too well.

"Tsk."

Suddenly, something clicked in Fang Cheng's mind.

"What's wrong?" Chen Xingran caught his reaction and raised an eyebrow.

"I left the meeting documents at home." Fang Cheng sighed.

"Well, driving back now would take too long. Is Su Bai home? Call her and ask her to bring them over."

Fang Cheng nodded and dialed Su Xiaobai's number. Fortunately, she was indeed home.

For the past few weeks, she had been on an extended leave. With no close friends to visit, she spent most of her time holed up at home.

"It's in the study, second drawer of the desk, right? The yellow envelope? Got it. I'll bring it over soon."

Hanging up the phone, Su Xiaobai easily found the document in the study.

But as she stood there, envelope in hand, she bit her lip before a mischievous smile crept onto her face.

She turned and walked into the bedroom, humming a playful tune as she rummaged through her wardrobe.

A few minutes later, she pulled out a smoky pink dress—elegant yet alluring.

Twenty minutes later, a dazzlingly dressed, stunning figure appeared downstairs.

Su Xiaobai glanced at the time.

She still had thirty minutes before Fang Cheng expected her to arrive.

There was no rush.

Instead of heading straight to his unit, she made a little detour back home.

Conveniently, the old man wasn't around, so Su Xiaobai casually walked into Su Miao's bedroom and retrieved a set of keys—to his red Ferrari.

A limited edition Ferrari, worth tens of millions.

Beauty and luxury cars—nothing could be a better match.

With an intentional flourish, Su Xiaobai slid into the driver's seat and effortlessly made her way toward Fang Cheng's unit.