Su Xingyu thought it was a maid and said, "Thank you for bringing the clothes, please place them..."
She turned around as she spoke, but the latter half of her sentence was cut off as if something had strangled it in her throat. She saw a man standing by the bathroom door, his tall figure silhouetted against the light, and there was no readable expression on his sculpted, handsome face. The man was wearing an immaculate shirt, looking at her so groomed, holding the clothes in his hand, "Where should I place them?"
She finally managed to scream in surprise and stumbled backward, accidentally tripping over something, and was about to fall headlong to the ground. The ice-cold, smooth bathroom tiles were covered in water, and if she fell hard, a fracture would be nothing! Instinctively trying to keep her balance, in a panic, she grabbed onto something, and then her waist tightened as she was pulled into a firm embrace.
Only then did she realize that she had just grabbed Lu Shifeng's sleeve.
Her nerves were still frayed, but she recoiled as if electrocuted, flinging him away too forcefully, causing her to fall backward again.
Lu Shifeng pulled her back into his embrace, close to him, with clean clothes scattered at their feet.
Su Xingyu was completely naked, her body pressed tightly against his shirt and trousers. The slightly cold and stiff feel of the fabric made her face flush with shame and anger, and she couldn't help but scold softly, "Let go of me!"
Lu Shifeng simply looked at her, "Can you stand steadily?"
One of her legs was already injured, and after the recent fright, he clearly saw blood seeping from the wound again.
The shower that hadn't been turned off was spraying crystalline mist, falling upon both of them. Maintaining the same tight hold on her, Lu Shifeng reached out a long arm and effortlessly turned off the shower, lifting her chin with one hand, "Seeing me, are you very scared?"
No shit!
In her heart, she cursed at the beast, pushing him away again with force, "Let go of me! Let go of me!"
He pulled her hands back and clasped them behind her, "I don't like being disobeyed."
She shook with anger, her smooth, lustrous body exposed unguardedly to his gaze, making all the blood rush to her head. That nightmarish night two years ago flashed back; she was almost on the verge of tears, "Get out! Hurry and get out! Lu Shifeng, don't do this...please, just go...don't treat me like this!"
His eyes darkened, watching the girl in his arms, staying silent.
In his arms, the slender, thin body trembled as if it had been greatly frightened, overwhelmed and terrified. He felt a faint annoyance; was he really that fearsome? "You are my wife," he said brusquely after a while, "since you've already married me, why the pretense? What part of you have I not seen?"
"You...shameless!" She really cried, a layer of crystalline mist arising in her eyes.
Although she was married to him, it didn't mean she was ready for intimate encounters with him. In fact, when they got their marriage certificate, she hadn't considered this at all. She regretted it, she really regretted how hasty she was, sending herself into the lion's den? She shook her head frantically, fragments of that fateful night from two years ago flashed through her mind again — she should have known he was a terrifying demon much earlier; it was her own... stupidity!
"I... I don't want to be married," she choked out amidst sobs, breaking her words into pieces: "Let's... divorce."
As soon as she finished her sentence, she felt her wrist tightened under his grip, as if her bones would be crushed. A storm was brewing in his dark eyes, "Su Xingyu, do you think you can just marry and divorce Lu Shifeng at your whim?"
Frightened into silence, tears streamed down her face as she was left with only pleas. She never wanted to experience that night of terror again, being pushed beneath him so undignifyingly, not knowing what would happen next...
Her tears finally moved him, or perhaps, no woman had ever shed tears like this in front of him.
He remembered that night two years ago, she cried like this too, saying, "No... I beg you..." During countless sleepless nights, he would remember her cries of despair from back then.
In the bathroom, her faint warmth and the fragrance in her hair were like invisible strings tugging at his heart, tempting him to seize and ravage her in his arms. But he restrained himself, and little by little, let her go: "One month."
She looked up in confusion, with tear marks staring at him.
In a cold tone, he explained, "I'll give you one month to heal and get used to your new identity. After a month, don't even think about escaping." He thought he was being generous, giving her such a lengthy adjustment period. Since she became his wife, it was only natural for her to bear children and fulfill a wife's duties. He had no interest in divorcing and remarrying; it was too troublesome.
After speaking, he left the bathroom.
Su Xingyu stared blankly at his retreating back, seemingly having lost the last bit of strength, collapsing onto the cold floor. She buried her head between her knees and sobbed; one wrong step led to another, and a single misstep became her eternal regret.
Ten minutes later, a maid brought another set of clean clothes.
The slightly older maid smiled kindly, "I'm sorry, young madam. We were unsure about your size, and we didn't know if the clothes prepared last minute would fit well. A tailor will come tomorrow to take your measurements and tailor clothes for you. I apologize for any inconvenience."
Su Xingyu had long since dried her tears, and only upon close inspection would one notice traces of her crying.
She wrapped her body with a soft, white bath towel, whispering, "It's not an inconvenience." Although she hadn't unfolded the provided clothes, the material alone was far superior to anything she wore in the Su Family home. She accepted them and asked the maid, "By the way, didn't the housekeeper say earlier to have a maid send in the clothes? Why was it your young master just now?"
If not for that, she wouldn't have been so unguarded, not even locking the door.
The maid smiled at her, "The young master saw I was too busy, so he lent a hand. Young madam, the young master truly cares for you; he never used to be involved in such tasks."
Care?
Su Xingyu felt a bitter taste in her heart; the earlier situation couldn't be defined as care, could it? It was clearly bullying.
She forced herself to tell the maid, "Alright, go on with your tasks. I can handle things here myself."
After sending off the maid, she picked up the provided clothes and unfolded them. It was a very beautiful dress, which upon first glance was not eye-catching, yet it fitted perfectly, balancing both comfort and domesticity. The soft material was like a cloud against her skin. She changed into it effortlessly, standing before the full-length mirror. The girl in the mirror had delicate features, her hair slightly tousled, standing quietly in a manner both elegant and graceful, as if inherently suited for this evidently expensive dress.
This was the true attire of a socialite.
Since her mother's death over a decade ago, she hadn't worn such fine garments again.
Now donning it again, she felt a bit nostalgic.