The top-floor suite at the Londoner Royal Garden.
The curtains were not fully drawn. A searing shaft of golden sunlight slipped precisely through the gap, casting a dappled column of light onto the carpet.
An indescribable fragrance lingered in the air, mingling with the hotel's premium aromatherapy scent and the languor of morning.
Zhang Ruoxi woke to an utterly enticing, unfamiliar aroma.
It smelled like the fresh sweetness of the spring water boiling in the backyard of Chen Family Village, yet also carried the crisp sweetness of some rare medicinal herb. It rushed into her nose, making every cell in her body rejoice.
She instinctively reached toward the spot beside her.
The bed was empty.
A chill crept along her fingertips beneath the covers.
Zhang Ruoxi's eyes snapped open. Dreamlike memories of the previous night flooded her mind.
From the trembling pain at the beginning to the "walk among the clouds" Chen Lin had later taken her on, beyond the limits of human sensation, scene after scene flashed through her mind. Her cheeks instantly turned as red as a cooked shrimp.
"You're awake?"
The bedroom door opened.
Chen Lin wore a dark gray silk bathrobe, his hair still slightly damp from an apparent shower. He was coming from the kitchen with a porcelain bowl in his hand.
Amusement flickered in Chen Lin's eyes as he looked at the "cocoon" on the bed, wrapped in a quilt with only her eyes showing.
"B-Brother Chen."
Zhang Ruoxi's voice was soft and sweet, tinged with the bashfulness of a woman who had just experienced intimacy for the first time, along with an attachment she could not hide.
After last night's frenzy, she had expected to wake feeling as though her bones had fallen apart, unable to get out of bed. Yet when she