Chapter 76: Alone Together, Intimacy Escalates
A nerve in Yun Sheng’s temple twitched as alarm bells blared in her mind.
’This guy... what is he playing at?’
’Wasn’t last night’s "confession" enough? Today he actually shows up at my door with a bouquet of roses?’
’Is this his idea of a reasonable and logical way to appear by my side?’
’It’s so... over-the-top!’
With everyone watching, Yun Sheng could only brace herself and accept the heavy, fragrant bouquet of roses.
The soft touch of the petals and the warmth of the man’s fingers as they accidentally brushed against the back of her hand sent a slight tingle through her fingertips.
The moment she took the flowers, Si Jin used the motion of handing them over to lean in slightly, his deliberately low, lazy voice brushing past her ear, word by word.
"What are you so nervous about? Now we have a legitimate reason to be in contact. Even if Bai Ye has people watching you twenty-four hours a day, all they can do is watch. Isn’t that a good thing?"
’Good? What’s so good about it!’
The corner of Yun Sheng’s mouth twitched.
’This is clearly just putting me on the spot!’
’It’s testing the limits of my heart rate and acting skills every second, okay?’
To everyone else, their intimate whispering and interaction, as if no one else was there, carried a completely different meaning.
Su Wan recovered from her initial astonishment. Looking at the tall, distinguished young man before her, she asked tentatively, "Shengsheng, this Mr. Lin is...?"
Yun Sheng composed herself, holding the roses steady in her arms, and explained, "Last night, I was taking a public levitation vehicle back to the city when there was an accident. Lin Mo was on the same vehicle, and we got off to help with the rescue. It got very late, so he worried about my safety and escorted me all the way back. Ma’am, that’s how we met."
Si Jin picked up the conversation at the perfect moment. He turned to Su Wan, his smile warm and proper, his posture respectful.
"Mrs. Su, it’s a pleasure. Allow me to formally introduce myself. I am Lin Mo, a Second-level Compounder in the pharmacy department of the Fourth District Central Hospital.
"I did indeed meet Miss Yun Sheng at the scene of the accident yesterday. Her kindness and courage left a deep impression on me. I took the liberty of visiting today, first to make sure Miss Yun Sheng is all right, and second... to get to know her formally."
His introduction was concise and clear, his identity legitimate, and his tone sincere, making it easy to win people over.
After speaking, he seemed to only then "notice" Lin Zhenye at the head of the table, whose expression was unreadable. He immediately looked toward him and gave a slight nod of acknowledgment.
"Mr. Lin, hello. A pleasure to meet you. I apologize for the intrusion."
Lin Zhenye’s sharp gaze swept over Si Jin, scrutinizing him.
’An ordinary hospital compounder who can casually gift such a bouquet is either from a wealthy family or... has ulterior motives.’
Though suspicions swirled in his mind, he merely gave a faint nod, his tone betraying no emotion.
"Mr. Lin Mo, a pleasure. Thank you for taking care of Yun Sheng yesterday. However..." His tone shifted, carrying a clear sense of dismissal, "we have some family matters to attend to today, so I’m afraid it’s not a convenient time for guests."
Su Wan immediately heard the rejection in her husband’s voice.
She looked at Yun Sheng, who was holding the flowers with a calm expression, then at the young man before her, who seemed like a good catch and was clearly interested in Yun Sheng. Recalling Yun Sheng’s detached and indifferent demeanor during their earlier argument, an idea formed in her mind.
"Zhenye, Mr. Lin is a guest, and he came specifically to see Shengsheng. How can we send him away the moment he arrives? The family matters... can wait. There’s no rush."
After she spoke, she turned back to Yun Sheng and Si Jin, a warm smile on her face.
"Shengsheng, why don’t you take Mr. Lin to the living room? Have some tea, a nice chat, and thank him properly for looking after you last night."
Su Wan was deliberately creating a private space for the two of them, while also trying to quell the tense atmosphere in the dining room.
’The living room?’
’Spending time with an incredibly audacious guy like Si Jin—who could do or say anything at any moment—in an open space where servants could pass by at any time and the Lin Family might be secretly watching...’
Yun Sheng could just imagine what a "disaster" that would be.
She made a decision almost instantly.
"Ma’am, I have a small tea table in my room, and it’s quieter. Mr. Lin, if you don’t mind, would you like to come up to my room? As it happens... there’s something I wanted to ask you about yesterday’s rescue."
That last sentence was a bit of quick-witted improvisation to give herself a halfway reasonable excuse for "inviting a man into her private chambers."
A knowing smile flashed in Si Jin’s eyes as he readily agreed with a nod.
"Of course I don’t mind. After you, Miss Yun Sheng."
Lin Zhenye frowned, thinking it was improper to let a strange man who was visiting for the first time into his daughter’s room, but Su Wan had already spoken up first.
"That works too. You young people can chat by yourselves and be more comfortable. Shengsheng, be a good host to Mr. Lin."
She was eager for Yun Sheng to have more contact with the outside world, so her attitude was very supportive.
Lin Yueyao maintained a gentle smile the entire time, saying nothing. Her gaze simply shifted between Yun Sheng and Si Jin, the thoughts behind her eyes difficult to discern.
Yun Sheng gave a slight nod to Su Wan and the others, then turned and headed for the stairs, clutching the cumbersome and conspicuous bouquet of roses.
Si Jin politely nodded to Lin Zhenye and Su Wan again before following her.
One after the other, they went up the stairs and disappeared around the landing.
Yun Sheng didn’t stop until she reached her bedroom door.
She opened the door, stepped aside to let Si Jin in, then, with a soft CLICK, pulled the door shut behind her and even subconsciously locked it.
Having done all this, she spun around, finally dropping her pretense, and glared at Si Jin, who was already leisurely inspecting her room.
"Si Jin, are you insane? Showing up with roses? You think you’re not conspicuous enough? What on earth are you trying to do!"
Si Jin raised an eyebrow, his gaze sweeping over Yun Sheng’s cheeks, which were slightly flushed with agitation, and her wide, glaring eyes that looked somewhat cute. The corner of his mouth curved into a faint, ambiguous smile.
"What am I trying to do?" he retorted, his voice laced with amusement. "Weren’t you the one who asked me to teach you how to assimilate and utilize external spiritual power? I can’t just sneak in every time, so am I not... trying to create a legitimate opportunity to be in contact with you?"
"Creating an opportunity requires bringing roses and storming right into my house?"
Yun Sheng was so exasperated by his logic she could have laughed. The roses in her arms suddenly felt like a hot potato.
"Do you have any idea how over-the-top this is? What will the Lin Family think? And what about the eyes that might still be watching from outside!"
"Does it matter what they think?"
Si Jin took a step toward her, his tall figure casting an invisible sense of pressure.
Yun Sheng instinctively wanted to back away, but the door was right behind her. There was nowhere to retreat.
"What’s important is that from today on, as your suitor, I can appear by your side, ask you out, and even... be alone with you in your room, just like this, all quite reasonably."
Si Jin paused, his gaze falling on her lips, which were pressed into a thin line from annoyance. His eyes darkened.
"As for what we... talk about, or do, in this room, outsiders won’t know, and... they’ll have no grounds to question it. After all, for a suitor deeply in love, any action taken to be alone with the object of one’s affection and deepen their understanding is perfectly normal, isn’t it?"