The closer they got to the third floor, the more closely the boy followed on Gu Shang's heels.
Were they about to enter their bridal chamber? Ji Mingzhu nervously twisted the hem of his clothes, his head swimming as though he were drunk.
Ji Mingzhu was even a little relieved that his husband hadn't been plied with alcohol. In his current state, he certainly wouldn't have been able to tend to him properly.
Gu Shang led him to a door and opened it-
The room that greeted them was a far cry from the Chinese-style decor downstairs. Gu Shang was too busy to deal with every little detail concerning his future wife, so he had left it all to the servants. They had been entirely responsible for furnishing Ji Mingzhu's room.
Ji Mingzhu's room had the romantic feel of a European manor. The large, soft, red bridal bed in the middle of the room was particularly eye-catching, and the bedspread had even been strewn with rose petals for an added ceremonial touch.
A diffuser had already been set up in the room, and the lighting was a warm, suggestive yellow.
Gu Shang was momentarily speechless. He had only intended to have a clean, tidy room prepared for Ji Mingzhu to live in and hadn't asked about the details. Who could have known that Uncle Chen and the others would decorate it in such an evocative way?
Afraid of giving the boy any unrealistic ideas, the man lowered his brows, his voice so cold it practically shed ice. "Get some rest. I'm leaving."
Gu Shang was about to turn and leave when a small, fair hand suddenly reached out and caught the hem of his clothes.
Holding on to his patience, the man drew a deep breath. "What is it now?"
Ji Mingzhu kept his head lowered. The man's voice was low, as though he were holding something back.
His ears flushed even redder. Fortunately, the room's dim lighting made him feel relatively safe. Fighting his embarrassment, Ji Mingzhu looked up, his eyes moist and bright like an innocent little fawn's.
"Thank you..." the boy said softly.
The door closed gently behind him. Only then did Ji Mingzhu let out a soft breath, scoop up a handful of clean water to pat onto his face, and begin washing up.
The butler had been very thorough and had already laid out a change of clothes beyond the partition. But since he didn't know what style Ji Mingzhu liked, he had only prepared a clean, soft white bathrobe. Its design was simple, not much different from those found in hotels.
The hot water came on, filling the bathroom with steam.
Only in that hazy mist did Ji Mingzhu feel comfortable enough to slowly take off his clothes, revealing his fair, lustrous skin. For a moment, even the bathroom seemed to brighten a shade. He was like a white shell that, with no one around, finally dared to lower its guard a little and reveal the soft flesh and dazzling pearl within.
Ji Mingzhu fiddled with the little trolley beside the bathtub and added two drops of richly scented rose essential oil to the bath. The entire tub of clear water instantly took on the sweet fragrance of roses.
"Wow-"
Modern technology really was so convenient.
Ji Mingzhu bathed for a long time. Only when every inch of his skin had been moisturized until it was even softer did he climb out of the water, put on the bathrobe the butler had prepared, and leave the bathroom.
The boy walked gracefully over to the festive bed in the middle of the room and carefully sat down on its edge.
He wasn't wearing shoes, and his slender white feet left a trail of faint, damp marks on the floor. Furrowing his brows, the boy began considering how he should serve his husband later.
He thought through all kinds of techniques, some bold and uninhibited, others tender and affectionate, until his head was practically smoking. Still, no one opened the door.
The boy looked toward the door in confusion. "Hm?"
Why hadn't his husband come in yet? He was all ready.
Did his husband need to prepare something too? Ji Mingzhu waited and waited until his eyelids began to droop. At last, he could no longer sit still and got to his feet.
Going to find his husband himself... did seem rather too forward. But they were already married. They would have to face this sooner or later, so surely it didn't matter when it happened or who took the initiative.
Beneath the soft white bathrobe, the boy wore nothing at all. A little shyly, Ji Mingzhu pulled the robe closed, slipped on his slippers, and opened the door with light, careful movements.
Gu Shang, however, wasn't in his bedroom.
Ever since he had picked Ji Mingzhu up and brought him home, his mind had been faintly restless.
To settle that inexplicable agitation, Gu Shang had chosen to deal with work in his study.
As long as he kept busy, he wouldn't dwell on so many stray thoughts.
Gu Shang glanced at the time. It was almost time for his video conference.
Gu Shang relayed the meeting requirements to his secretary and checked the schedule before replying: [Get everyone together. Let's make this quick and wrap up as soon as we're done.]
Secretary Chen promptly replied in the affirmative, then swiftly passed along the instructions.
Once the meeting began, Gu Shang put on his glasses and methodically issued instructions regarding their upcoming plans.
Suddenly, he paused.
Gu Shang abruptly stopped speaking and tilted his head to listen.
He seemed to have heard rustling coming from his bedroom next door.
The executives on the video call also grew solemn, all taking the hint and falling silent.
It couldn't be the butler or any of the other servants. Gu Shang had instructed them not to enter his room without permission. That meant the visitor could only be... his newlywed little wife.
He had left in such a hurry that he had forgotten to tell Ji Mingzhu not to enter his room as he pleased. But at this hour, he ought to be washing up and getting ready for bed. Why was he tiptoeing around so carefully instead?
So impatient? He was already showing his true colors on the very first day.
A faintly mocking smile curled the man's lips. Just as he was about to rise and go to the bedroom next door to catch him red-handed, he heard its door gently close again.
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