No? Can I read the mind of my mortal enemy?

Shi Qiao stood in front of the mirror, somewhat at a loss.

The strawberry-patterned nightgown she wore was a spaghetti strap style, with thin ropes adorned with beige lace trim that extended to the slightly V-neck.

The cinnamon-pink skirt shimmered with the sheen of satin, outlining a distinct silhouette against the skin, its length barely reaching the top of the thighs.

Only a warm-toned bedside lamp was on in the room, its dim sidelight obscuring her slightly pinkish skin.

Although it's called a strawberry nightgown, the actual effect is quite the opposite of its cute name.

Pei Jingnian actually likes this kind of thing?

Knock, knock, knock—there was a knock on the door.

Shi Qiao hurriedly turned her back and lightly tugged at the back of her skirt, which was too short because of the lift of her buttocks, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

My heart suddenly started racing.

She gritted her teeth.

During her two years of high school, she studied from the moment she opened her eyes, and even dreamed about English words. She went from being in the middle to the bottom of the class to becoming the top student in the entire school.

She can't even handle a simple seduction job?

If you're unwilling to sacrifice yourself, you won't catch a scoundrel!

She calmed her racing heart and slit the door before the next knock.

Pei Jingnian leaned against the door, his figure tall and slender. His wet hair was not yet dried, and water droplets clung to the ends of his hair as he slipped into his open black bathrobe. He was carrying a medicine box.

The undulating lines of the pectoral muscles extend deeper, connecting to the muscles of the upper abdomen.

And wealthy.

And generous.

Shi Qiao paused for a moment, then forcefully suppressed her lustful impulses.

How could she have been seduced by him first?

She cleared her throat. "What do you want?"

Pei Jingnian stared at his phone, the cold light shining on his face, making his features appear even sharper. He turned off the screen when the door opened.

His Adam's apple slid, and the words he wanted to say were abruptly cut off by the scene before him.

It was just a slit, yet it was enough to reveal Shi Qiao's superior hip bones, the hem of her skirt swaying gently, and her skin as delicate as jade.

Pei Jingqing licked his dry lips, his gaze not lingering for long.

"You weren't injured?"

"I got you the first-aid kit."

"fool."

That one word, "Stupid," ignited Shi Qiao's competitive spirit, and any remaining trace of shyness vanished.

She didn't take the medicine box, but instead opened the door, swept her slender arm across her neck, and casually gathered her dark hair, which was piled on her shoulder, to one side.

Her hair was loose, making her look even more beautiful.

She was wearing the nightgown he had bought for her.

It was the dress he had always dreamed of having Shi Qiao wear.

It was more suitable than he had imagined.

Both innocent and alluring.

Hold.

"After you've applied the medicine, get some rest." Pei Jingnian casually placed the medicine box on the cabinet in front of the door and turned to leave.

Shi Qiao's lips parted and closed as she silently recited the last sentence of the strategy guide.

[Regardless of gender, temporarily avoiding direct confrontation and appropriately showing weakness can have surprisingly effective results.]

She slowly raised her head, her eyelashes fluttering, her watery almond-shaped eyes so captivating that one couldn't bear to look away.

"Aren't you going to help me apply the medicine, Pei Jingnian?"

The man stopped in his tracks, his broad shoulders tense.

Her voice was as soft as if it had been filled with honey, with a slight upward inflection at the end, as she called his name with a coquettish tone.

I dare not imagine how much more audible that sound would have been if it had been uttered with some other word or at a more appropriate time.

Impulse, surging.

The absurdity of day and night turned the rationality in my mind upside down.

With great difficulty she managed to control herself, her pink fingertips weakly tugged at the corner of his bathrobe, her eyes sparkling with alluring light.

"Is that not allowed?"

A unique, delicate fragrance wafted over her.

It scratched at his already battered rationality.

He gently shook his feverish head, a few strands of hair falling down, and a drop of water sliding down brought him back to his senses.

"Sure?"

The two words were uttered from the back of his throat, with a hoarse, grainy texture.

Shi Qiao slightly raised her chin, "It's just applying some medicine."

"That's all?"

Pei Jingnian reached out and grabbed Shi Qiao's slender white wrist, his palm tracing across her waistline, and pulled her towards him.

"Shi Qiao, have you ever thought about the fact that I'm a man?"

"Or several adult men that you couldn't fight against even if you put them all together."

He deliberately used force, pinching her smooth waist, and the delicate flesh trickled out between his fingers.

"In the middle of the night, you're letting a grown man apply medicine to you. Aren't you afraid I might do something to you?"

Shi Qiao forcefully suppressed her racing heart rate, refusing to back down. "What am I afraid of?"

"Didn't you say it was impossible for you to like me? Could it be that you'd... like a woman you don't like?"

She paused, staring intently at Pei Jingnian.

"Also?"

Those pure, almond-shaped eyes were framed by thick eyelashes, and their gaze held a rare hint of mockery, accompanied by those unladylike words from her mouth.

But strangely, the corner of her earlobe peeking out from under her hair was so red it looked like it could drip blood, and her heart was pounding loudly through her sternum.

The naive teasing made Pei Jingnian freeze, his skull burning with an overload of heat.

It can't be suppressed.

[Wife, yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes yes—]

I'd like to do something besides applying the medicine.

For example, using your mouth to help your wife undress.

[Or, lock your wife up and make her cry, even if she does.]

Suddenly, Shi Qiao felt the world spin around, and before she knew it, Pei Jingnian had already hoisted her onto his shoulder.

What's going on? Getting straight to the point? She's not ready yet!

She had her eyes tightly closed, but suddenly they were released and wrapped up, and she was pulled into the quilt like a steamed bun, with only her limbs and little head sticking out.

Shi Qiao: ?

The calves were coated with a burning heat and lifted directly onto the man's leg muscles.

Pei Jingnian leaned down slightly, his voice calm, "What you're worried about won't happen."

Well done.

Even if the sky were to fall, this damned man's mouth would hold it up.

Shi Qiao prepared to continue her strategy, twitched a couple of times, wrapped herself in the quilt and barely managed to get up, but her feet accidentally kicked up a spark.

Her pupils dilated slightly.

Even with just a bathrobe in between, it's hard to miss.

Wait, this is a bit too much...

Instantly, her joints turned bright red, her mind went blank, her feet recoiled as if she had been electrocuted, and her thoughts raced.

I remembered what the spectators in the stadium were saying.

In this case, she might...

A light tap came from my forehead.

"What are you thinking about?"

Pei Jingnian steadied his breathing slightly, then reached out, "Foot."

"oh oh."

Shi Qiao, like a wilted daylily, weakly stretched out her right foot first.

How pathetic.

Pei Jingnian's distinct knuckles parted the medicine box, and when he saw the bloody marks on Shi Qiao's ankle, his eyes couldn't help but tremble slightly.

A wave of heartache washed over me, overwhelming everything else.

Next, he poured iodine, took tweezers, and picked up a cotton ball—a series of smooth movements.

Her burning hot fingertips pinched her ankle bone, and the next second a cotton ball wrapped in iodine was placed directly on it. The contrast of hot and cold against the wound made her involuntarily flinch.

Pei Jingnian truly lives up to his reputation as a man who spends every day in the laboratory; his disinfection techniques are remarkably skillful.

Also, she is exceptionally gentle.

The treatment was quick. Because of the hot weather in the port city and the fact that it was just a minor scrape, Pei Jingnian didn't bandage it excessively.

He placed the first-aid kit by his bedside. "Remember to disinfect again tomorrow morning."

"It's hot in the port city, don't cover yourself up."

"Otherwise, don't come crying to me if it gets inflamed."

Shi Qiao had already fully returned to bed, her hair disheveled.

"Okay, Father-in-law."

boom!

The door was closed.

As a result, nothing progressed.

She pursed her lips, her lower half of her face completely buried in the blanket.

but……

How come I never noticed this before?

He's actually quite good to himself.

She's just sharp-tongued.

*

The next morning, Shi Qiao was woken up by her phone vibrating.

As soon as the call connected, Lu Zhou's voice came through.

"Shi Qiao, can you open the door? I've been calling Lao Pei but he hasn't answered."