Chapter 257
Chapter 257
Shen Si looked dangerously alluring from head to toe, especially with his chest half bared.
Ji Hanyi hastily dragged her gaze away from his loose collar and asked, “Did no maid come to dry the Marquis’s hair?”
Shen Si replied evenly, “Nanny Fang is ill. I am not accustomed to being attended by maids.”
Hearing this, Ji Hanyi noticed the silk towel set aside. She quickly picked it up. “Shall I dry it for you?”
Shen Si lowered his lashes. His gaze flicked to her slender waist as she approached, and he gave a quiet acknowledgment.
Only after Ji Hanyi stepped behind him did she realize that the back of his robe was soaked through, a great dark stain spreading across the fabric. She used the towel to dry his hair somewhat, then said, “Your robe is wet. I will have someone bring you another.”
Shen Si gave another soft acknowledgment.
Ji Hanyi went out to instruct a maid. As she turned, she caught Shen Si watching her. Her heart tightened, and his gaze made her awkward and uncertain. She had no idea what he was studying.
She fetched a dry towel and returned to stand behind him. Shen Si asked, “Have you finished the painting?”
Ji Hanyi answered honestly, “Not yet. The preliminary sketch is finished.”
Between Shen Si’s fingers rested a small white-jade cup. Warm cherry wine swayed within it, reflecting the possessive gleam in his eyes.
Qiuyun soon entered with a change of clothes, a black robe embroidered with cranes. Ji Hanyi had meant to ask Qiuyun to attend him, but the maid bowed her head and retreated, leaving Ji Hanyi to do it herself.
Her fingertips brushed the skin of Shen Si’s shoulder. The heat beneath them made her hand tremble, but she feigned composure as she slipped the robe from him.
Then she found Shen Si sitting before her in nothing but white trousers, his upper body bare.
Ji Hanyi stared for two heartbeats. With his hair loose and his posture indolent, Shen Si should have looked disheveled. Instead, his face remained noble and austere, his brow cool. His black eyes rested on her as he suddenly asked, “Do you like what you see?”
Ji Hanyi answered without thinking, “I do.”
Only after the words left her mouth did she realize what she had said. Heat flooded her cheeks.
Shen Si merely gave a leisurely murmur and lowered his eyes again.
Ji Hanyi felt her emotions rise and fall entirely at his whim. One careless remark from him sent her thoughts spinning, while he remained as cool and indifferent as ever.
His thoughts were truly more unfathomable than the deepest sea.
She unfolded the heavy silk robe, exquisitely embroidered with cranes, and helped Shen Si into it. When she leaned close to draw the lapels together and fasten his belt, his hot breath brushed her face. Her hands began to shake.
Suddenly, a pair of slender hands closed over hers. His deep voice sounded above her. “Are you nervous?”
Ji Hanyi was about to shake her head, but Shen Si released her and murmured, “I thought you would be accustomed to me by now.”
His chest filled her vision. His scent surrounded her. Even her fingertips carried the warmth of his skin-and she could see the firm muscles of his abdomen…
Ji Hanyi hurriedly averted her eyes. Refusing to answer, she fumbled his lapels closed, tied his belt, and straightened.
She was about to say that she needed to bathe, but Shen Si caught her wrist and looked up at her. “I remember you used to drink this.”
Ji Hanyi glanced at the small cup by his hand and caught the pleasant fragrance of fruit wine. After a moment’s hesitation, she sat on the other side of the small table.
Shen Si passed her the cherry wine. “It is warm. It will not harm you.”
Ji Hanyi was not especially fond of fruit wine. In the past, she would sip a little before bed on winter nights to help her sleep, and cherry wine had indeed been her favorite. She did not know how Shen Si had learned that. She had not intended to drink tonight, but when his eyes settled on her, she found herself unable to refuse and took a small sip.
The rich scent of wine filled her mouth, followed by sourness and astringency, then a faint, mellow sweetness that lingered.
Seeing that she took only one sip, Shen Si leaned slightly forward. “You do not like it?”
Ji Hanyi shook her head. “It is pleasant enough.”
Shen Si studied the luminous almond eyes before him. “Does your body still hurt?”
Ji Hanyi considered the question seriously. She could not quite say whether it hurt. Her bones no longer ached much, but they were still a little sore when she pressed firmly.
Shen Si paused, then nodded. “Is the wine good?”
Ji Hanyi murmured assent. “It is.”
Shen Si added, “The pastries on the table are for you.”
After speaking, he lowered his eyes and propped his forehead on one hand, saying nothing more.
People claimed a woman’s thoughts were difficult to fathom. Ji Hanyi sincerely believed Shen Si’s were harder to read than those of a thousand women combined.
She watched him rest his forehead against his hand, strands of hair falling beside his cheek. His face was always cool and extraordinarily handsome. Like this, he resembled an immortal descended to the mortal world, at last touched by a hint of human warmth.
Ji Hanyi glanced at the two plates of pastries. She was not hungry, but Shen Si seemed to want her to eat, so she picked up a piece and took a bite. She did not touch the fruit wine again.
Even in her maiden days, Ji Hanyi had taken only a few sips. She dared not drink much now, for fear she would fail to rise in the morning. At the Ji Residence, there had been no Old Madam, and her parents had indulged her, leaving her with nothing to worry about.
Now matters were different. Old Madam Shen was only waiting to find fault with her.
But when Ji Hanyi saw Shen Si drink several more cups, she could not help advising softly, “Would the Marquis like some tea instead?”
Shen Si lifted his eyes to her. Her gaze was clear and held genuine concern. For an instant, he did not know what to say. He merely shook his head and murmured, “Play a game of Go with me.”
Ji Hanyi paused, then nodded. “All right.”
She knew she was no match for Shen Si. She had little skill at Go and had intended only to help him pass the time. Yet somehow, by the end, she found herself sitting in his lap, her hand held in his as he guided her stone by stone.
Shen Si’s broad, warm chest pressed against her back. One arm circled her waist. His low, husky voice sounded beside her ear, and his hot breath brushed the delicate skin there, sending an itching shiver through her.
Ji Hanyi could not help recalling everything that had happened between them on the couch in the palace. Heat slowly stole through her body, and her mind began to wander.
Shen Si’s slender fingers lifted her chin. He regarded her with the trace of a smile, his hoarse voice seeming to drift down from the clouds. “What are you thinking about now?”
Ji Hanyi stared into his phoenix eyes, so close to hers, and at the enticing movement of his throat. He looked utterly unlike his usual self. Images rose uncontrollably in her mind, one after another, until she could no longer rein them in.