Chapter 3 Falling Asleep in Her Arms
- Right then, the sound of knocking came. The butler, Mr. Fu, called out from outside the door, “Young Master.”
- Lu Yuzhen opened his mouth to speak in a bland tone. “Enter.”
- Mr. Fu pushed open the door and stepped in. “Young Master, how should the… Young Mistress be handled?”
- Lu Yuzhen stood still by the bed for quite a while. He was 187 cm tall, clad in only the simplest possible outfit—a white shirt and a pair of black pants—but the expensive fabric was handwoven, showcasing his slim build and his distinguished aura.
- Lu Yuzhen lowered his gaze. His fingers tapped away at one of the gleaming silver buttons on his shirt in a practiced manner. He glanced at Xia Micheng indifferently. “I’m sure that you still don’t know that there are two wolves in the Orchid Garden’s backyard. Why not… toss you to them?”
- Xia Micheng’s heart clenched. The people from the older generation had been the ones to arrange this marriage. Specifically, those from Haicheng City’s four most distinguished families—the Lu, Gu, Huo, and Su families.
- The young master of the Lu family was the one who held absolute power over them. It was said that he was the youngest and most dashing mogul in the business world. However, no one had ever seen his face; he was quite the mysterious one.
- The Orchid Garden was quite secluded. One could tell that it was no grandiose residence with one glance. The Xias had sent people to investigate the Orchid Garden, but all they were able to garner was that a grandmother and her grandson lived there, and this grandson was also the half-dead, terminally ill groom that people spoke of.
- Li Qianhui’s greatest wish was to marry her two daughters into Haicheng City’s most influential families. The results of the Orchid Garden investigation made her itch to rip up the Xia family’s ancestors’ graves so that she could demand the reason for this sham marriage.
- Li Qianhui didn’t want her daughters to marry this man, but Xia Chunyang was a conservative man who valued filial piety. He was reluctant to breach the wedding agreement that the older generations had made.
- Her daughters couldn’t marry this man, but then Li Qianhui thought of Xia Micheng, and so she fetched the girl back to marry in her daughters’ place.
- To Xia Micheng’s knowledge, the man before her was certainly not any kind of dignified noble. However, she was confused.
- The man standing in front of her radiated an aloof and disdainful air even with just his movements. A cold elegance oozed from his very being, as though he was a king commanding his people, making people unable to do anything but worship at his feet.
- He even had wolves in his backyard. Raising wolves was not something that regular people could just indulge in.
- Xia Micheng wanted to speak, but then the man suddenly placed his hands on the desk. His majestic eyes revealed a pained expression.
- The butler’s expression shifted. He quickly exclaimed, “Young Master, I’m going to call for the doctor now!”
- Xia Micheng’s gaze moved lower. The veins in his hands were already pulsing madly, like they were a sign of an illness flaring up.
- He’s sick? And it’s a terrifying illness as well.
- Xia Micheng’s gaze met with the man’s blood-red eyes; Lu Yuzhen had twisted his head around to look at her, but the one he was addressing was the butler instead when he barked, “Get her out!”
- “Young Mistress, you should hurry up and leave,” the butler said quickly.
- Xia Micheng knew that she couldn’t leave. She had returned to the Xia Family with a goal in mind, but she needed the position as the Orchid Garden’s bride.
- Xia Micheng gazed at Lu Yuzhen with her clear eyes; she had no intention of avoiding his gaze. “You’re sick. What is it that ails you? I have some medical knowledge, and I’m skilled in acupuncture. I can treat you.”
- Lu Yuzhen pressed his lips together into a harsh line. “Get out!” Those words seemingly burst out from his throat.
- However, Xia Micheng didn’t leave. She even approached him. “I can smell lily, wolfiporia extensa, gastrodia elata and other rare herbs on you. These are all traditional Chinese remedies for… insomnia. If my guess is right, you have a sleep disorder. You’re unable to sleep at night.”
- The butler looked at Xia Micheng, stunned. “Young Mistress, you…”
- Xia Micheng’s clear gaze landed on Lu Yuzhen’s handsome face. “What is the extent of your somnipathy? Once it’s gotten to a certain level, your mental state will be severely affected. When your body is exhausted yet unable to receive rest, another self within you will manifest, and that other self is cheerless, irritable, and terrifying. It’s almost like a sickness in itself.”
- The corners of Lu Yuzhen’s narrow eyes were becoming even redder; a dark cloud was already hanging by his forehead. He reached out and grabbed hold of Xia Micheng’s neck in one motion.
- The girl’s neck was incredibly smooth and soft. If he so much as squeezed it gently, her life would be no more.
- “Young Mistress, please don’t agitate the Young Master anymore! Young Master, please let go of the Young Mistress at once!” The butler was frantic to the point that he was about to charge over.
- The air she could breathe in was lessening; her tiny face was beginning to turn red. Still, her little hand moved and quickly jabbed a needle into a pressure point on Lu Yuzhen.
- Lu Yuzhen’s grip loosened, and he plopped onto the sofa.
- Xia Micheng gasped and panted heavily. She hadn’t wanted to die when she came back here. She had been terrified just then.
- This man before her was too dangerous. Never mind the mystery of his identity; just a mere sleep disorder could turn him from an elegant and noble man into a monster at the drop of a hat.
- However, she couldn’t retreat anymore. All she could do was soldier on.
- Xia Micheng readjusted her breathing and approached him from behind. Then, she lifted her slender fingers and placed them on his temples, massaging him.
- Lu Yuzhen covered his majestic eyes, obscuring their redness. “Your idea of treatment is a massage?”
- “You must be pleased. You’re the first man I’ve ever done this for.”
- “You’re talking as if you’re not the first woman who’s ever had the pleasure of massaging me.”
- “…”
- She was speechless.
- Looks like I can’t have a chat with him.
- “Let me live. Let us get along with each other. So long as you don’t ask me about my private matters, I’ll help play pretend in front of your grandmother. I can even treat your insomnia to boot. What do you say?”
- Lu Yuzhen did not reply.
- When Xia Micheng pushed a long needle into an acupuncture point in Lu Yuzhen’s head, he closed his eyes, then his head lolled onto the sofa.
- Xia Micheng quickly reached out to gently and tenderly catch him.
- He had fallen asleep.
- The butler had already broken into a cold sweat. No one knew about his master’s identity, but he knew about it very well. His master was the young master of the Lu Family, who was an unusually blessed person. In his teens, he dabbled in the world of business and single-handedly forged the legend that was the Lu Family.
- No one had ever dared to… bargain… with his master like this. Moreover, it was a girl who did so.
- The girls who had the fortune to meet with his master had been head over heels for him. They loved him, were infatuated with him, fervently wishing that they could leap into his arms.
- The young mistress before his eyes was special. Even when his young master’s condition flared up, she managed to keep her composure, her frankness, and her wits.
- Most shockingly, the Young Master had fallen asleep!
- The Young Master hadn’t slept in a long while already!
- The doctors and masters who treated the Young Master for his insomnia were among the world’s best, but their efforts had been futile. And yet, the Young Master had fallen asleep in the Young Mistress’s hands!
- The butler spoke up. “Young Mistress…”
- Xia Micheng placed a finger to her lips in a shushing motion. “You can leave. I am here.”
- He wasn’t sure why, but the butler felt that this lady had a soothing aura to her. He obediently retreated and left the room.
- ……
- The room was utterly silent.
- Xia Micheng allowed him to rest in her arms for a while. She only shifted him completely onto the sofa and placed a blanket on him once he had entered a deep slumber.
- Once she had done this, Xia Micheng got into bed and drifted off to sleep, still dressed in her wedding gown.
- Right then, Lu Yuzhen slowly opened his eyes. He had woken.
- Lu Yuzhen got up and walked toward the bed. He reached out his slim fingers to peel away the veil on Xia Micheng’s face.