Mu Sheng was half squatting so that she could perform acupuncture on Li Hanchen’s waist more easily. She happened to raise her head when Li Hanchen bent over to pull her coat together.
They instantly became very close to each other.
Mu Sheng raised her head to look at Li Hanchen with her bright limpid eyes.
Li Hanchen looked at Mu Sheng deeply as he swallowed saliva automatically. His slightly clenched fists lay on the couch as he said hoarsely, “Mu Sheng.”
“Hmm?” Mu Sheng did not detect anything amiss and simply kept examining Li Hanchen.
Li Hanchen could smell her hair the moment she stood up. Li Hanchen clenched his fists even more tightly. “Why didn’t you tie your hair?”
Mu Sheng felt puzzled and glanced at Li Hanchen speechlessly. “Why do you always have a problem with my hair?”
Every time she gave him treatment, he had to talk about her hair.
Li Hanchen lowered his eyes to suppress the temptation surging in his heart. “Where is your hair tie?”
Mu Sheng ignored Li Hanchen altogether. “I am going to bed in a minute. Why should I tie my hair?”
Li Hanchen was simply too much.
“… Fine.” Li Hanchen did not insist and simply lowered his head as Mu Sheng performed acupuncture on him.
“All done.” Mu Sheng removed the final acupuncture needle from his body. “If you keep yourself warm, everything should be fine.”
The moment she finished her sentence, Mu Sheng sat on the bedside and moved her pillow and blanket to the right.
Ever since they moved into this new place, the bed was over two times bigger than her old one. It was so big that it was probably enough to fit four people.
Mu Sheng moved her stuff aside and made a lot of space. She pointed at the empty spot. “Get in.”
Despite Li Hanchen’s healthy exterior, he was very weak, so it was a bad idea for him to sleep on the couch.
If Li Hanchen slept on the couch, she would probably have to get up and perform acupuncture again in about two hours.
Li Hanchen did not know what to say as he glanced at the empty space on the bed.
It was true that the bed was very big, and he knew Mu Sheng meant well, but he certainly harbored other thoughts about her.
Was Mu Sheng trying to test his restraint?
Mu Sheng frowned slightly when Li Hanchen did not budge. “Aren’t you going to bed? I am sleepy.”
Li Hanchen hesitated briefly before he eventually took the blanket and placed it on the bed.
“I’m turning off the lights.” Mu Sheng turned off the lights before taking off her coat and getting under the blanket.
Now that he was unable to see anything, his hearing became particularly sharp, so the sound of the rustling of her garments sounded unusually loud.
Li Hanchen sighed in his heart before climbing under the blanket.
Mu Sheng’s bed was very big, so there was at least one meter worth of space between them.
Even though they were a safe distance apart, it was impossible to make her scent stay away from his space.
Li Hanchen had never felt so alert in his life and felt incapable of sleeping.
Mu Sheng was initially tired. After staying up so late, she was no longer drowsy.
She turned to say to Li Hanchen, “Are you asleep?”
“I can’t sleep.”
“Would you like to hear a bedtime story?”
From the day Li An was born until he was five years old, he was very clingy towards Li Hanchen. He refused to sleep unless Li Hanchen told him bedtime stories.
“Okay.” Mu Sheng was a master of science, but she had never heard bedtime stories in her life.
Li Hanchen was very out of practice, so he randomly went with Li An’s favorite, “The Lamb in Mushroom Village”.
Mu Sheng had never heard bedtime stories before, and she was attracted to all things with child-like qualities.
Mu Sheng was deeply engrossed in the story. Every now and then, she would raise questions just like a child. Li Hanchen would patiently answer her.
In the darkness, the two of them talked about how they thought the houses in mushroom village ought to look like with some space in between them.
Mu Sheng gradually felt drowsy. Her voice became increasingly soft until she eventually dozed off.
Li Hanchen could hear her voice turning softer and finally stopped telling the story when Mu Sheng started breathing evenly.
Moonlight scattered through the window, and Li Hanchen could faintly see Mu Sheng’s profile.
She had curled up under the blanket and seemed soft and submissive.
When Li Hanchen thought about how entertained she was by a simple children’s story, the desire surging in his heart gradually disappeared.
He glanced at Mu Sheng as she slept. Moments later, he closed his eyes as well.
The night passed by peacefully.
Li An woke up very early the next day and squatted outside Mu Sheng’s room and secretly listened.
Auntie Lin came over and glanced at Li An quizzically. “Young Master An, what are you doing here?”
This was big news, so Auntie Lin instantly got excited. “Is Young Master inside Young Madam’s room?”
Did this mean Li Hanchen and Mu Sheng would have a baby soon?
Auntie Lin happily turned to go downstairs. “I am going to make more food. They need some extra nourishment.”
Li An leaned against the door with his ear against it. He wished he had X-ray vision and could see how things were going on between Mu Sheng and Li Hanchen.
“Why can’t I hear anything?” Li An felt puzzled, so he leaned a little closer, but the door suddenly opened.
Since Li An was leaning against the door, he lunged onto the ground due to inertia and took a hard fall.
“Ow!” Li An landed face down and kissed the ground, so his lips instantly swelled. He raised his head miserably and saw Li Hanchen standing there and giving him deathly stares.
“… Big Bro, morning.” Li An wanted to smile, but he was unable to do it since his lips were swollen.
Li An wailed in his heart. His big brother was right there and could clearly break his fall! If he helped him, his lips would not have ended up looking like sausages.
Li Hanchen glanced at Li An. “Come out.”
“Okay.” Li An stood up sadly. His lips were so swollen that it was impossible for him to close his mouth.
Auntie Lin came out from the kitchen when they got downstairs and got startled when she saw Li An in this state. “Young Master An, what happened to you? Let me get you some medication.”
“I’m fwine. No, danks…” said Li An in a muffled tone as he gestured.
Li Hanchen sat on the couch with Li An standing in front of him fearfully. “Big Bwo, I am sowweee.”
Li Hanchen started reading the paper without saying a word.
Li An stood for some time until he could no longer take it and went beside Li Hanchen. “Big Bwo, I was wong.”
Li An wept in his heart. His lips were in pain and his legs were aching.
Li Hanchen turned his head and glanced at Li An’s sausage-shaped lips. He hated to admit how stupid his little brother was. “Stay away from me.”
“Okay.” Li An moved to the furthest end of the couch away from Li Hanchen with his eyes red. It was unclear whether his eyes were teary because of the pain he was in, or if he felt sad when Li Hanchen wanted nothing to do with him.
Mu Sheng came downstairs and saw Li An sitting on the couch with his lips swollen and felt tickled. “What happened?”
Li An kept hinting at her. “Sis-in-Law, sabe me!”
Mu Sheng walked over and glanced at his lips. “It’s okay. You just need to apply some cream to make the swelling subside.”
Li An was on the brink of tears. Was it just a simple matter of having swollen lips? It was a matter of pride.
He was the school heartthrob after all!
He was the cutest boy in Eminent Senior High!
Every time he went to school, girls fell for him left, right, and center!
How could a hunk like him go to school with sausage-shaped lips? It would be a total embarrassment!
Judging from the look on Li Hanchen’s face, Li An knew it was impossible for him to take leave from school for this.
Li Hanchen was undoubtedly Li An’s biological brother. He instantly read Li An’s mind and ruthlessly crushed Li An’s hope. “You aren’t allowed to skip school today.”
Li An’s heart shattered into smithereens.
He wasn’t going to be best friends with his older brother ever again.
After breakfast, Mu Sheng went to the national team’s ski track since she had made plans to meet Qin Lei today.
It was only used by the national ski team, so only a small number of skiers were using it.
Mu Sheng called Qin Lei as she entered the ski track.
Shortly after Mu Sheng entered the door, the people who were training spotted her.
“Hey! That pretty lady’s here! Miss Mu!” Qin Lei’s team members waved at her.
“Wow! She left so quickly the last time that I didn’t have the chance to talk to her! Miss Mu, over here!”
The relatively quiet ski track promptly came to life when Mu Sheng showed up. Chen Qian frowned as she watched Mu Sheng walk over.
“Is that Mu Sheng?”
Wang Tian glanced in Mu Sheng’s direction with a look of disdain. “She isn’t a professional. Don’t worry. I won’t allow her to join the national ski team.”
“Is she good?” Chen Qian was a rising star in the national ski team, so she was very confident about her skiing. She had heard about how good Mu Sheng was as well.
“It’s average.” Wang Tian frowned. “She is just good at showing off. Just focus on your training. She is no threat to you.”
“Got it.” Chen Qian nodded.
Mu Sheng had already come over and the national ski team members had encircled her as they spoke to her warmly.
“Where is Instructor Qin?” Mu Sheng looked at the ski team members.
The moment Mu Sheng brought up Qin Lei, a look of hesitance rose on their faces. Qin Lei’s eldest disciple eventually said, “He is behind the mountain. He is practicing on his own and told us not to go over. Since he keeps talking about you, I am sure he will be happy to see you there.”
Mu Sheng asked where to find him before heading to the back of the mountain.
Mu Sheng detected someone staring at her when she walked past the lounge area. She glanced to see it was a young woman looking at her.
Mu Sheng veered her eyes quickly before she continued walking.
Chen Qian remained awestruck by Mu Sheng as she watched her leave from behind.
A sense of urgency suddenly surged in her heart. If Mu Sheng was genuinely an excellent skier, she would have trouble keeping her reputation as the rising star of the national ski team.
Mu Sheng got to the back of the mountain and found Qin Lei practicing on his own.
He was on his own and looked particularly lonely.
Qin Lei noticed her after she took a few steps towards him. He swiftly came over with a smile on your face. “Mu Sheng, are you here already?”
“Uh huh. Didn’t you tell me to report today?”
After Qin Lei had seen how Mu Sheng could ski, he told her she would definitely make it into the national ski team and told her to report here today.
Qin Lei looked a little uneasy as he sighed. “I am so sorry. There is nothing wrong with your skiing technique, but I couldn’t convince the national team to take you in.”
“It’s fine.” Mu Sheng did not really care. She only agreed to join a national ski team because of Qin Lei.
“You are genuinely very talented.” Qin Lei’s eyes were filled with regret. “I am so sorry.”
Mu Sheng looked completely calm. “Don’t be sorry. Skiing is just a hobby to me.”
Qin Lei sighed. He hesitated briefly before he eventually went quiet and changed his mind about what he wanted to tell her.
Qin Lei decided against telling her about WG.
He did not want to give Mu Sheng pressure. Although he barely knew Mu Sheng, he could tell Mu Sheng had a loyal personality.
If he told her she could get into the national ski team if she came in champion at WG, she was bound to try.
However, only the best of the best took part in the competition, and it could be life-threatening.
Qin Lei was not so selfish that he would allow Mu Sheng to put her life at risk for the sake of his bet with Wang Tian.
Since Mu Sheng was unable to join the ski team, she did not linger. After chatting with Qin Lei briefly, she left the ski track.
A smug look swept across Wang Tian’s eyes as he watched Mu Sheng leave. “Did you see that? She didn’t even dare to take part in WG. You don’t have to worry about people like that. Just focus on practicing. You will definitely remain the rising star in the team.”
Chen Qian nodded. “Thanks.”
——
Mu Sheng felt this ski track gave her bad luck. The last time she was here, she encountered Li Ming.
This time, she bumped into him again.
Ever since Chu Xuan came back to town, everyone in high society kept trying to catch up with him.
All the upper crust young men kept taking him out to dinner or inviting him to the clubs.
Since Chu Xuan loved skiing, Li Ming reserved the national team’s ski track and gathered a group of people to hang out with him.
Everyone bantered as they walked. Chu Xuan suddenly halted and looked into the distance.
Everyone turned to look in the same direction and was astounded.
Despite having seen their fair share of beauties, they could not help feeling blown away by the woman nearby.
A woman dressed in black was heading their way. She was dressed simply in a white turtleneck sweater with half her chin covered and wearing her hair in a ponytail, making her neck look particularly slender.
She wasn’t wearing any makeup on her petite face. She looked as cool as a white plum blossom blooming on the mountain peak and was absolutely divine.
Someone noticed Chu Xuan’s expression and volunteered. “Young Master Chu, this girl is pretty hot. Why don’t I go over and get her number for you?”
The man proceeded to approach Mu Sheng.
Chu Xuan stopped them. “Why don’t you go inside first and wait for me?”
Everyone looked at each other and quickly caught his drift. Young Master Chu probably wanted to hit on her himself.
Everyone quickly left and gave Chu Xuan some privacy. However, Li Ming kept looking at Mu Sheng and did not move.
“Let’s go.” Someone furtively pulled Li Ming. “Give Young Master Chu some privacy.”
Li Ming got pulled away with his fists clenched. Had Mu Sheng caught Chu Xuan’s interest?
Mu Sheng was walking along the pedestrian walkway when a coin suddenly spun in front of her before lying flat on the ground.
Mu Sheng looked at the coin before raising her head to look around.
A man was sitting on a wooden bench nearby. He was so gorgeous that he was oozing seductiveness. He sat with one hand on the seat backrest as he smiled casually. His beautiful eyes looked flirtatious.
“Hi, Gorgeous. Mind helping me pick that up?”
Mu Sheng glanced at him expressionlessly. “Move your legs a little.”
Chu Xuan raised his brow. He certainly did not expect Mu Sheng to react this way. He did as Mu Sheng said and moved his legs a little. “Why?”
“Since both your legs are healthy, you can walk on your own,” said Mu Sheng before she walked over the coin and continued heading out.
Chu Xuan’s lips curved slightly with a slight smile on his face, looking absolutely alluring.
He stood up and walked up to pick up the coin before going after Mu Sheng. “Have I seen you somewhere?”
Mu Sheng nodded. “We have seen each other at Lanting Private Club.”
Chu Xuan glanced at Mu Sheng’s cool, exquisite profile. Initially, he was just fooling around, but now she had genuinely piqued his interest. “You certainly have a good memory.”
Mu Sheng halted to look at Chu Xuan with her cool eyes. “I can remember your face.”
It was hard to forget a face like Chu Xuan’s once people laid eyes on it. After all, he was unusually good-looking. Moreover, the sexiness oozing from him always left a strong impression.
Plenty of people had told Chu Xuan he was handsome in his life, but it was the first time he felt happy to hear it.
Chu Xuan smiled. “Are you praising me for my good looks? Why thank you.”
“Yes?” Mu Sheng was a little hungry and wanted to go home for a bite.
“Can I have your number?” Chu Xuan smiled at Mu Sheng. “Since you are here, you must love skiing, right? If you like, I can teach you.”
Mu Sheng glanced at Chu Xuan before she checked out the ski track.
Those elite young men who came with Chu Xuan had already started practicing on the ski track.
Mu Sheng was able to determine their skills just by watching them move. She veered her eyes and shook her head. “No, thanks.”
Birds of a feather flock together. Judging from how those men skied, Mu Sheng was able to tell that Chu Xuan was an average skier.
Chu Xuan went quiet. Even though Mu Sheng did not utter a word, Chu Xuan could tell what she was thinking.
He wanted to laugh and explain himself. His skiing was far better than theirs.
However, Mu Sheng had already turned and left since she was famished.
Chu Xuan smiled as he watched Mu Sheng leave. Did this mean she did not like him?
Meanwhile, Li Ming had walked out of the ski track.
He contemplated deeply, but he still wanted to find out what Chu Xuan said to Mu Sheng. Would Mu Sheng accept Chu Xuan’s offer to be friends?
By the time he came out, Mu Sheng had already left while Chu Xuan stood where he was with a smile on his face.
Li Ming felt worried and stepped forward to ask, “Young Master Chu, why aren’t you going inside?”
Chu Xuan glanced at Li Ming profoundly and stopped smiling.
Chu Xuan’s look made Li Ming uneasy, so he shrank his neck nervously. “Young Master Chu, why are you looking at me this way?”
Chu Xuan smiled without saying a word and went to the ski track.
Li Ming felt flustered from the way Chu Xuan was looking at him. Did Mu Sheng say something to Chu Xuan? Why was he looking at him this way?
Mu Sheng drove back to the villa and heard the sound of a glass breaking followed by a scream as she walked into the villa.
Mu Sheng entered the villa to see Li An standing there beside the table. He was holding his leg with broken glass around him.
Li An heaved a sigh of relief when he saw Mu Sheng. Fortunately, it was not Li Hanchen. He was terrified.
“Sis-in-Law, why are you back alweady?”
Mu Sheng walked over. “Shouldn’t you be in school?”
Li An hobbled towards Mu Sheng. “Don’t tell my brother about it. I can’t go to school with my lips looking like this. My image will be completely ruined.”
It was almost time for the next round of school heartthrob ranking, so he could not mess up at such a critical time.
Mu Sheng glanced at his lips before she reached her hands out and pressed Li An dozens of times.
Li An looked at Mu Sheng inexplicably. “Sis-in-Law, what are you doing?”
The moment he finished his sentence, Li An sensed something amiss and touched his lips in shock. Although it was still a little swollen, he no longer had trouble talking.
“Amazing! Sis-in-Law, are you a physician? Were you applying acupuncture? Can you teach me?”
Mu Sheng stood up. “Your brother texted me 30 minutes ago and said he would be home for lunch.”
The news came as such a shock to Li An that he was stunned. He snapped out of his daze and quickly took his bag and ran out.
“Sis-in-Law, I was never here!”
Li An ran out at top speed before running right into Li Hanchen who was on his way into the villa.
Li An quickly tried to come up with an excuse, but Li Hanchen beat him to it.
“Since you are back, why don’t you take your stuff before going back to school?”
Li An opened his big bright eyes wide. Did his older brother suddenly grow a conscience and get him some medicine? He wondered if his older brother also got him some limited-edition sneakers to soothe his soul after getting hurt.
Qin Kai came over carrying 20 sets of revision material and Li An promptly trembled as he asked, “Big Bro, don’t tell me you were talking about that?”
Qin Kai smiled as he nodded to Li An. Li An wanted to kill himself.
Li An was in such huge grief that he left for school with dozens of revision materials without finishing his breakfast.
Li Hanchen had breakfast with Mu Sheng. Before Mu Sheng left, he asked, “Are you sure you don’t want me to come along with you?”
Mu Sheng shook her head. “I can handle the Mu family.”
It was Zhang Man’s birthday banquet tonight.
