Chapter 118: Sleep, Don't Touch!

The rain poured down in torrents.

Gu Yunci seized her wrist in the downpour and forcefully pulled her into his arms.

"Until when are you going to keep avoiding me?"

"I'm not," Meng Shutang struggled, "Gu Yunci, I beg you, please don't ever…"

Before she could finish, the man clasped her waist, leaned down, and kissed her fiercely in the rain.

His kiss was uncontrolled, almost biting.

It was filled with grievance and resentment, with the terror of losing her again.

At first Meng Shutang struggled, pushed him, struck him, then gradually went rigid.

In that instant, the rain's sound seemed to cease, and the whole world fell silent.

Meng Shutang bit him hard; his lips bled, yet even so he did not let go.

Instead he held her tighter, as if releasing her would make her vanish from his world like four years ago.

After a long while, the two separated.

Gu Yunci grabbed her hand, "Let's go back."

Meng Shutang stood there motionless.

The cold rain soaked her knit dress, the thin fabric clung to her body; she stood there, slender and curvaceous.

Gu Yunci didn't ask further, and lifted her sideways in a princess carry.

Meng Shutang's body went limp; instinctively she hooked her arms around his neck, clutching tightly.

"Gu Yunci, what are you doing? Put me down now!"

The man not only didn't release her, but gently lifted her upward with a slight arm pressure.

She clutched him tighter in fear, "Bastard!"

"Now, you still dare me to let go."

Meng Shutang had no choice but to submit.

Entering the inpatient hall, beams of eyes fell on her; Meng Shutang felt a bit embarrassed and whispered, "Can you put me down now?"

"Not letting go," the man murmured softly near her ear.

They took the elevator upstairs; staff greeted Gu Yunci, but Meng Shutang knew their attention was on the princess carry.

Finally reaching the ward door, she heard, from afar, the giggles of two little tots.

Meng Shutang, hearing it, turned her gaze to the man's cold side profile, "Put me down."

The man paused slightly, looked down at the person in his arms, and after a moment thought, "I'll put you down first; after the child falls asleep, I'll hold you again."

Meng Shutang took it as a joke, not believing him.

With slender fingers she grasped the door handle and pushed it open.

Qin Zheng was playing with the two tots, while Zhang Ma stood nearby.

These past days, while Gu Yunci was in the hospital, Zhang Ma had been caring for Song Yilin.

Zhang Ma, seeing Meng Shutang, greeted warmly, "... Miss Meng, you're back."

She said, handing a towel with a keen eye, "You two are soaked through; change out of the wet clothes quickly, lest you catch a cold."

Song Yilin's and Xin Xin's bright voices came one after another.

"Uncle, aunt, you're back!"

"Dad, Mom, you're back!"

Hearing Song Yilin's address, Meng Shutang's cheeks flushed, but the child was young, so she gave a simple reply, took the towel from Zhang Ma's hand, and said, "Thank you, Zhang Ma."

Gu Yunci didn't take the towel; he went to the bathroom and turned on the heater, "Come in and take a hot bath, so you won't catch a cold."

In the bathroom, Meng Shutang heard the rustling sounds of Zhang Ma and Gu Yunci.

"Little miss, only her chin resembles Miss Meng a bit, her eyebrows and eyes are like yours, and her dimples are just like the lady's."

"Right."

"Young master, now that little miss is recovered, shall she go to Qian Shui Wan to stay?"

"I haven't discussed it with Tang Tang yet, but I mentioned it last time and she didn't object."

"Then tonight when we return, I'll prepare a room for her."

…

Steam swirled, the warmth gradually dispelled the cold and fatigue, soaking every limb and bone, while the sounds outside grew fainter.

Meng Shutang leaned slightly against the bathtub edge, her eyelids growing heavier, drowsy, as if she were sinking into the warm mist.

Clang-clang, a gentle knock sounded, breaking her drowsy fatigue.

Zhang Ma's voice came from outside, "Miss Meng, I'm taking Yilin back; we'll meet at Qian Shui Wan tomorrow."

Meng Shutang jolted awake, sat up straight, "Alright, Zhang Ma."

Later, hearing Qin Zheng mention taking them home, Meng Shutang rose from the tub, rinsed herself and prepared to exit, only to realize she had rushed in earlier and hadn't brought a change of clothes.

In her daze, a faint knock came from outside the door.

"Tang Tang, you didn't bring your change of clothes; I left them on the table by the door."

Her cheeks flushed; buried in the warm mist she whispered, "... Thank you."

When she was ready to leave, Gu Yunci had already soothed Xin Xin to sleep.

He made the adjacent bed, "Come, sleep here."

Meng Shutang saw he was still in wet clothes, "Sorry, I was bathing earlier, it was so comfortable I almost fell asleep. I've tidied the bathroom, you go wash up!"

After he went in, she lay on the bed, pulled out her phone, found no messages in the kindergarten or studio groups, set an alarm, and set the phone aside.

After he went in, she lay down on the bed, took out her phone, discovered that the kindergarten and work studio groups had no messages, so she set an alarm, and put the phone aside.

The bed was very comfortable; just as I was starting to feel drowsy, my eyelids began to flutter and sleepiness overtook me.

I don't know how long passed before the bathroom door creaked open.

Meng Shutang opened her eyes slightly and saw the man coming out of the bathroom.

Amid the hazy mist, his robe was loosely tied at the waist; his attractive wet hair dripped water, flowing over his collarbones, falling onto his chest, and disappearing into the fabric.

His sexy Adam's apple traced a sharp line; his side profile was cold, hard, and exquisite; every inch of his broad shoulders and narrow waist exuded a careless wildness.

The moment his deep, dark eyes fell on her, he was languid yet domineering.

Meng Shutang glanced at him and then tightly closed her eyes, but thinking of something, she suddenly relaxed.

The man thought she was asleep, but this negligible movement was still caught by his keen senses.

He smiled as he approached the bed, kissed Xin Xin's forehead, and lay down beside Meng Shutang.

He didn't lift the blanket to lie together with her; instead, he lay apart, separated by the blanket, understanding boundaries.

The moment he drew near, Meng Shutang's heart clenched tightly.

But such a warm gesture also made her heart inexplicably warm.

She didn't drive him away; over these days, she had seen him busily attending to Xin Xin day and night.

The man embraced her, kissed her forehead, and said, "Sleep, I won't touch you."

Meng Shutang fell asleep quickly, but Gu Yunci just couldn't sleep.

These days his relationship with Meng Shutang had eased, but when grandmother came over in the morning she began to intentionally distance herself from him; it seems necessary to talk to grandmother personally.

Thinking about it, he only felt Meng Shutang unconsciously nudge a little closer.

He looked at her and gave a faint smile.

During the day she always acted aloof and distant toward him, her brows and eyes bearing an unapproachable coldness.

But once asleep, she was like a kitten seeking warmth, unconsciously moving toward his embrace, her cheek lightly resting against his shoulder and neck, docile to an extraordinary degree.

He finally succumbed to this sweet torment, sinking into deep sleep amidst her unique scent.

It was as if a ship on a long voyage had finally docked in the harbor.