Jing Yichen’s heart went out to her, when he saw her behave in such a manner.
He flirtingly whispered in her ears, “You belong to me, that much is true, but we are still to consummate our marriage. Should we rectify that bit, tonight?”
Shangguan Ning was very embarrassed. She flushed instantly.
Jing Yichen laughed, scooped her up in his arms and walked towards the hotel.
The beach was crowded. Onlookers had gathered to admire the firework display that Jing Yichen had put up for Shangguan Ning .
In the hotel room, rose petals were strewn all over the floor. Amidst the rose petals were heart shaped candles, while A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Mendelssohn echoed through the entire presidential suite.
Shangguan Ning was astonished as soon as she entered the room. She turned her head to look at Jing Yichen who had obviously arranged all of this, only to find him looking back at her sheepishly.
“Well… These ideas aren’t mine. I’ve only mimicked what so many others have already done before.. I’m not sure if you like it.. I’m not good at all this..”
He had never known how to please a woman. There had never been any kind of romance in his dull life. All these gestures of love, he’d only recently learnt about, from a book he had just read.
Shangguan Ning wasn’t into all these over-the-top proclamations of love, either. She was swayed by his effort to put all of this together. She was aware of how all this was new to him as well.
“Thank you! I like it very much! It’s beautiful!” She couldn’t stop praising it all.
The petals and the candles made the room look very beautiful indeed. Every girl would dream of being spoilt like this.
“I’m glad!” Jing Yichen was back to his usual calm self. He picked up Shangguan Ning and took her to their bedroom. He gently laid her on the bed and started to undress himself.
Shangguan Ning felt awkward and asked uneasily, “What are you doing?”
Jing Yichen looked at her and said, “I’m doing something that all married couples do. My wife, your husband is a normal man. I have reached the edge of my tolerance.. seeing you every day and not able to touch you at all.”
Shangguan Ning flung a pillow at him, in jest. Jing Yichen caught it, put it aside and then took off his shirt. His upper body was muscular and his chest looked well chiselled.
He sat down at the edge of the bed and held Shangguan Ning’s hands in his own.
Shangguan Ning winced in pain.
Jing Yichen let go of her hands instantly and asked softly, “What is it? Did I hurt you?”
He looked at her arms and saw two red scratches. They were still raw and had obviously been recent. His expression turned cold instantly. In a tone full of repressed anger, he asked. “Did they hurt you?”
Shangguan Ning nodded and said, “It is alright. Its just a small wound. And I have paid it back already. I wounded the person who did this to me, and I even slapped her boyfriend. It felt really good!”
She said all this so casually, but Jing Yichen knew there was more to this.
He recollected the scene of that evening. How there were six people surrounding her and speaking to her so rudely. It wasn’t a pleasant sight.
He kissed the wound on her arms, got off the bed and put on some clothes. Then he called house-keeping and requested for a first aid kit.
The service of the hotel was unusually fast. Only a few minutes after Jing Yichen hung up the phone, the doorbell rang.
He opened the first aid kit, took out the gauze, some cotton and an antiseptic. He started to bandage Shangguan Ning’s wounds in a proficient manner.
The wounds weren’t deep and Shangguan Ning felt much better already.
“It is alright, it will heal in a couple of days. No need to bind it up.”
“Don’t move, be good.”
Sure enough, Shangguan Ning didn’t move any more. She was at his mercy and if he wanted to bandage her wound, then there was no stopping him.
She asked after a while, “Have you done this before?”
He had several wounds and scars on his body. He had preferred wearing long-sleeve shirts, all the time when they were in A City, so that Shangguan Ning wouldn’t be able to spot them. Most times when he was home and changing, she was too shy to look at him.
Today, he wore a short-sleeve T-shirt and several conspicuous scars were clearly visible on his arms.
It wasn’t difficult to tell that he had been hurt numerous times seeing all this and the fact that he was able to bandage her wounds so deftly.
How could a wealthy man, the inheritor of the business empire Jingsheng Enterprise, have been wounded so many times?
Shangguan Ning couldn’t help but touch his arm. She moved her fingers gently over a fierce looking wound.
Jing Yichen’s hands, which were busy with the bandage, froze momentarily. He quickly regained his composure and made a knot of gauzes, calmly.
He felt wonderful at her touch.
“Does it scare you?”– he asked.
Shangguan Ning shook her head in the negative and replied, “No, I am not scared. I just think that it might have hurt… a lot.”
Jing Yichen smiled. He put the first aid kit aside. Then he pulled Shangguan Ning into his arms and whispered, “Tonight, I will let things be, but only because you’re injured. You need to compensate me many more times, after you have recovered.”
Shangguan Ning’s cheeks were burning, but her heart was relieved.
Jing Yichen was slightly disappointed hearing her sigh of relief. He lifted her chin and kissed her moist lips.
It wasn’t a gentle kiss. It was as if he were punishing her. His mouth invaded hers and his tongue chased hers. Demandingly.. Unapologetically..
Jing Yichen accidentally touched Shangguan Ning’s newly-bound wound and heard her let out a painful moan. Only then did he force himself to stop.
Jing Yichen said hoarsely, “Don’t move, baby. Please be in my arms, just for a moment…”
He hugged her and she could smell the scent off his body. Shangguan Ning felt secure and comfortable and fell asleep almost instantly.
When they both awoke the next morning, they were still entwined in each other’s arms.
Her body felt sore. She thought to herself, ‘Why am I feeling so lethargic. My body feels sore. It hurts…’
“My love, what’s wrong?’– she heard Jing Yichen ask.