Come To My Side

The car continued to run smoothly on the road, and the driver in the front seat, having heard the conversation behind, didn't even blink an eye. Clearly, he was used to this.

Jiang Suizhou responded with an En, saying, "So, should I take you home?"

If he couldn't do anything else, then he should at least take her home—this terrible guy!

Annoyed, she kicked his shin with her foot, wanting to vent her frustration. After the first kick didn't feel satisfying enough, she thought about kicking him a second time. But he caught her ankle.

Jiang Suizhou lowered his gaze to her fair-skinned calf that he was holding, "What's wrong?"

Guan Xi replied irritably, "I'm going to your place; I'm not in a good mood, and I don't want to go home."

In a bad mood, going to his place, but not to bed.

After connecting the dots, Jiang Suizhou asked, "Are you on your period?"

Guan Xi wanted to roll her eyes but decided that this excuse would suffice. She genuinely didn't want to go home.

“Yes,” she replied.

"Your period is irregular," Jiang Suizhou remarked. "Are you feeling unwell?"

He was indeed her boyfriend; he might forget everything else but he remembered her menstrual cycle so clearly.

"Probably just been too busy recently," Guan Xi put her foot on his thigh, saying, "I've been on my feet all day today, and I'm so sore. I won’t ever agree to be a bridesmaid again."

Jiang Suizhou released her ankle, "Put it down and sit properly."

Guan Xi didn't listen and even raised her other foot. She relaxed comfortably in the seat, stretching her long legs.

Jiang Suizhou opened his mouth to say something but considered the young lady's temperament. He decided it wasn't worth bothering and remained silent.

After more than half an hour, the car pulled into Jialin Garden.

This property was located in the most bustling area of the city center, and most of the time, Jiang Suizhou lived here alone. Except for Guan Xi, rarely do outsiders visit this place.

Once they entered, Guan Xi headed straight for the cloakroom.

Jiang Suizhou's cloakroom was quite spacious, filled with his low-profile yet expensive clothing. Guan Xi found one of her own pajamas that she had left here and prepared to take a good shower and get a good night's sleep.

In the bathroom, she locked the door and looked at herself in the mirror.

Today had indeed been busy enough for her to temporarily forget her troubles. But now, with this moment of solitude in the bathroom, her face, which had been tense all day, suddenly changed.

No one could see her, so there was no need to pretend.

Guan Xi took a deep breath and held back the overwhelming bitterness that surged over her. She undressed and stepped into the shower, turning on the showerhead to let the fine water spray over her body.

It had been a month, and she still couldn't digest it properly.

But, in truth, it wasn't all that bad.

Her father, Guan Xinghao, still doted on her. The day he found out she had overheard their conversation and learned the truth, told her he loved her as his own daughter, no matter if the real daughter showed up or not; she would always be his cherished jewel.

He wouldn't change.

She believed it, truly.

But she was still feeling miserable because she couldn't forget the way her mother's eyes had lit up when they talked about finding their long-lost daughter.

The proud and willful Guan Xi was crushed by that expression in an instant.

After her shower, Guan Xi came out in her nightgown. She had silently shed some tears earlier, but only briefly because she was afraid Jiang Suizhou would notice if her eyes became puffy.

She couldn't stand the thought of anyone discovering how unlucky and miserable her current situation was.

Jiang Suizhou had already taken a shower in another bathroom since Guan Xi had spent an extended amount of time in hers. He wasn't patient enough to wait for her.

At this point, it was still quite early. Jiang Suizhou had changed into his home clothes and sat on the sofa, working on his pad. When he heard her footsteps, he looked up, and his gaze briefly paused when it landed on Guan Xi's nightgown.

It was a silk slip dress, snug and close-fitting, accentuating her graceful curves.

Jiang Suizhou withdrew his gaze and restrained his tone, "Didn't you say you are on your period?"

Guan Xi walked over and sat down on the other side of the sofa, her thoughts somewhat scattered, "Huh?"

"Put on some pants."

"Why?" Guan Xi asked.

Jiang Suizhou calmly said, "Wearing this is almost like wearing nothing. What if you stain the bedsheet?"

Guan Xi shot him a sidelong glance, "What do you mean by almost like wearing nothing? Are you saying you want to take it off when I wear this?"

Jiang Suizhou paused his finger that was sliding across the screen, "Even if I don't take it off, you'll naturally slip out of this skirt if you sleep in it."

Guan Xi choked a bit. Jiang Suizhou knew her sleeping habits well.

But she never allowed Jiang Suizhou to have the upper hand in their conversations. So, she responded slyly, "If the bedsheet gets dirty, it's not like you have to wash it. Such a hassle."

At this point, Jiang Suizhou decided not to argue with her any further. He could foresee that if they continued, Guan Xi would come up with all sorts of fresh vocabulary to counter him. He couldn't be bothered to engage in a verbal back-and-forth with her.

He continued to scroll through his tablet.

However, when Guan Xi saw his familiar, indifferent expression as he refrained from arguing with her, she oddly felt relieved.

Staying in this place, dealing with this well-dressed beast, she felt as though nothing had changed.

Guan Xi secretly glanced at him a few times, and afterward, picked up the remote control to turn on the TV.

She found an old movie but couldn't really get into it. When the movie was halfway through, she extended her foot and lightly bumped the man who was focused on his tablet, "Jiang Suizhou."

"En."

"Are you still working?"

"En."

"Can you take a break?"

"What's the matter?" He didn't stop; he continued to focus on his tablet.

Guan Xi extended her foot again, gently pushing him, "Can't you take a break? I'm a bit annoyed."

"What do you want to buy?"

“……”

"Last month, the watch you mentioned was already purchased. It's in the second drawer in the wardrobe."

"I wasn't talking about that... Huh? The watch has arrived? When did that happen? You should have told me earlier."

Jiang Suizhou's lips curved faintly as he tossed the tablet aside. He turned around and grabbed her leg, pulling her over from the other side of the couch.

"Ahh!"

Guan Xi's nightgown was quite short, so when he pulled her, the fabric slipped over the couch, folding up halfway.

Her white panties were exposed, very thin, revealing that she wasn't wearing sanitary pads inside.

Jiang Suizhou paused for a moment, realizing that he had been deceived by her. He directly lifted her onto his lap and whispered, "You didn't ask."

During this period, she had been indulging in her own imagination, thinking she might have lost her parents and everything. How could she possibly remember the watch she had asked for earlier?

However, regardless of what she thought, the watch was already purchased, and she wanted it. After all, it was a limited edition with only a hundred pieces worldwide.

"I'll go check." Guan Xi reluctantly mustered her spirit, intending to get off his lap.

Jiang Suizhou didn't let her get off; he simply carried upstairs, saying, "You can check later."

"Hey—"

There was no room for her refusal; he brought her straight back to the bedroom.

When Guan Xi was thrown onto the bed, she angrily tried to strangle him, "Are you planning to fight to the death with me?!"

Jiang Suizhou easily lifted her nightgown, as he knelt on the bed with one knee. He slowly said, "You're not on your period, so why did you lie to me?"

"I, I am on it."

Jiang Suizhou leaned over, his long fingers hooking onto the white lace edge, gently pulling it up. His voice remained calm, "Where?"

“……”

Seeing through her lie, he lowered his head and bit her lips while unceremoniously sliding his hand into her nightgown.

"Mmm—"

They had been together for almost three years. Although their relationship during these three years didn't resemble that of a serious couple—meeting less often than apart—they would always end up in bed when they did meet.

But they had known each other for a very long time.

Their parents had arranged for them to be married during their school days. It made sense for the two powerful families to form an alliance, so in front of their parents, they would pretend to have a relatively good relationship. In public, Jiang Suizhou would also accommodate Guan Xi, showing a caring and doting attitude towards her.

However, in reality, when they were teenagers, neither of them had much regard for each other.

Guan Xi looked down on Jiang Suizhou because she felt that he was too pretentious—always putting up an air of superiority while he clearly had qualities of a flirt—yet he acted all high and mighty as if he were compassionate like Buddha.

Jiang Suizhou, on the other hand, found Guan Xi too spoiled. She carried herself as if she were someone who needed constant coddling and pampering to even eat a meal. In his youth, Jiang Suizhou was too proud and didn't have the time or patience to appease others.

When Guan Xi turned nineteen, she went abroad to study in the United States. Jiang Suizhou was two years older than her and had already been studying abroad for two years by then.

She ended up getting into the same university as him—not because he was there but because she believed the university was prestigious and thought she deserved to go there.

But in their parents' eyes, they were simply husband and wife who followed along in each other's footsteps. How could they have known that, during the two years when they were both at the same university, they had never even met each other?

When no one was watching them abroad, they didn't even bother pretending anymore.

They only officially started their relationship after Guan Xi returned to China at the age of 23 on her birthday.

That day, they had both had some drinks. As her quasi-fiancé, he felt obligated to accompany her back to her hotel room. However, thanks to the perfect alignment of time, place, and intoxication, their eyes met, emotions flared, and the two consenting adults did what consenting adults do.

Afterward, they decided to be together.

Their thoughts were aligned; sooner or later, they would end up together. Since they had already crossed that line, they decided to move things forward prematurely.

However, after spending some time together, another significant factor brought them closer: their intense attraction to each other's bodies.

Jiang Suizhou was passionate, tasting every sensation avidly.

Guan Xi, on the other hand, found Jiang Suizhou's carefree attitude in bed incredibly alluring. Honestly, she couldn't resist his charming demeanor in bed. Moreover, she had to admit that although they were incompatible in many aspects, their physical relationship was exceptionally harmonious.

Being adults, they recognized the importance of satisfaction in this regard.

"What did you mean by you were annoyed earlier?" sweating profusely, Jiang Suizhou slowed down his movements and leaned over, asking by her ear.

Guan Xi, her breath irregular, her eyes reflecting a glimmer of water, hesitated before tossing her imagined worst-case scenario back at him, "Nothing... Well, just... Jiang Suizhou, what if one day you become a penniless loser? What would you do?"

Jiang Suizhou gave her a quizzical look, "That's impossible."

She gazed at him, her slender legs wrapped around his waist, posing a tantalizing temptation, "I mean, hypothetically."

Her posture distracted Jiang Suizhou's rhythm. He caught his breath and casually replied, "Then... I still have you, don't I?"

"Me?"

Jiang Suizhou gripped her waist, his desires overwhelming him. The words that followed were no longer heartfelt, but rather a playful remark driven by desire, "I'd sell all the bags and watches I gifted you and get back the money."

Guan Xi was genuinely shocked. Her eyes were wide as she exclaimed, "You're dreaming!"