Chapter 17: Shang Hejing Caught Leaving Early

Sounds continued relentlessly from the second floor, faintly echoing throughout the entire space.

After eight o’clock every evening, the servants of Tang Garden would leave the main building, and the servants’ quarters were far enough away that no sounds from this side could be heard.

Shang Hejing leisurely changed his shoes, unfastened his black and gold wristwatch, placing it beside his Chanel bag as he ascended the stairs, removing his black suit jacket along the way.

His long legs stepped onto the staircase; with one hand, he loosened the knot of his tie, undoing two buttons of his previously pristine shirt. The stern aura of his suit instantly gave way to a more roguish charm.

The closer he got to the bedroom, the more distinct the strange, tantalizing sounds became.

Seeing a sliver of light seeping from under Xu Tanxi’s bedroom door, Shang Hejing stopped there, arms crossed, leaning casually against the doorframe as he began to listen with keen interest.

At first, it was only a woman’s voice, but after several seconds, he caught a man’s voice as well, his expression darkening abruptly.

This woman... had brought some outsider into their marital chamber for pleasure?

His cold, defined fingers rested on the doorknob, ready to turn it, when the male voice became clearer. He realized it was English.

Oh, and not just anyone—a foreigner.

Suddenly, all the sounds ceased. Shang Hejing was momentarily stunned, pressing his ear closer to the door, but there was no movement at all.

After a brief moment of contemplation, he realized the voices were from a Western film.

“...”

Only then did Shang Hejing understand what the woman in the room had been doing.

Meanwhile, Xu Tanxi, having finished, switched into sage mode.

She turned off the projector; the entire bedroom fell silent except for her slightly rapid breathing and the flickering starlight projections on the ceiling.

The delicate shimmering light caught her eyes, and she felt that the exhaustion from days of rehearsing the show had lifted considerably. Her body and mind felt as light as if resting upon a soft, pristine bed of cotton.

“Ah, life is truly worth living,” she couldn’t help but sigh.

As for the remaining fraction of fatigue, Xu Tanxi decided to find a solution later.

But she underestimated her own energy—after prolonged weariness, sudden relaxation brought a wave of overwhelming drowsiness.

The disordered remnants of their passionate encounter on the bed remained untouched as Xu Tanxi succumbed to sleep within her hazy consciousness...

Outside the door, Shang Hejing heard nothing more.

Why the sudden silence? Did she just pass out from pleasure?

He chuckled softly and returned to his own bedroom.

Half an hour later, Shang Hejing emerged from the bathroom. Beneath his black bathrobe, his broad shoulders and narrow waist hinted at a wild vitality. Strands of damp hair clung to his forehead, droplets still shimmering.

The robe’s collar hung open, revealing glimpses of his firm chest muscles, and below, the sharply defined abs.

Despite having just bathed, Shang Hejing felt a burning heat coursing through his body, though he knew exactly why.

Xu Tanxi’s tender, unbearable moans had been echoing in his mind since he entered the bathroom.

His eyes lowered, the bedroom’s dim light casting sharp shadows across his chiseled face, lending him a cold, remote air.

His throat felt increasingly parched. At last, he flung open the door and strode out of the bedroom.

Though his desire burned fiercely, when he opened Xu Tanxi’s bedroom door, his movements subconsciously softened.

The starlight projection still played, filling the room with a faint purple hue of ambiguous allure. Shang Hejing’s gaze immediately fell upon the woman on the bed.

The beauty lay on her side in a pale blue slip dress, her waist and hips flowing in enticing curves, captivating and pleasing to the eye. Her jade-like arms lay outstretched; her skin was as white and smooth as porcelain.

Beside her were three small toys—one clearly used, the other two unopened.

Shang Hejing scanned them coldly, sneering, “Clumsy but insatiable.”

The woman on the bed slept soundly, showing no sign of waking.

He lingered a moment longer by the bed, then picked up the two unopened items and put them away. Pausing, he took the one that had been used by Xu Tanxi and walked into the bathroom with it.

Before the bathroom mirror, Shang Hejing lowered his gaze, carefully cleaning his hands, studying the item intently as he scrubbed.

“Interesting,” he remarked sharply.

At that moment, the woman on the bed stirred, her eyelids fluttered, and she slowly opened her bleary eyes.

Her gaze fell upon the delicate, flickering starry ceiling, instantly recalling what she had been doing before sleep overtook her.

Two unopened ones left—to continue later.

Xu Tanxi reached out beside her, but her hand grasped only air. She searched again—still nothing.

Huh? She was sure she’d left them right there.

She sat up, searching frantically, only to find the space beside her completely empty. Shock washed over her.

Where the hell were her little treasures???

Suddenly, she heard water running from the bathroom. She froze, then swiftly turned her head toward the sound, noticing the bathroom light was on and the door closed.

But she was certain that when she came out after her shower, the door and light were off, and she hadn’t left the bed since...

Could Shang Hejing have returned?

No, he said he’d be on a business trip for half a month—it had only been ten days. It couldn’t be him.

Suddenly, a flood of grim news stories flashed through Xu Tanxi’s mind—women living alone who were violently attacked and silenced by intruders.

She didn’t even have time to consider that the bodyguards outside Tang Garden weren’t idlers.

Her heart pounded wildly; she carefully slipped off the bed, quietly slipped on her shoes, and tried to leave the bedroom. But just a few steps away, the bathroom door suddenly swung open from inside.

“Ahhhhhh!!!”

She screamed, springing aside and grabbing a pillow from the bed, hurling it at Shang Hejing.

Startled by the sudden scream, Shang Hejing looked up just in time to have the pillow smack his face.

As the pillow fell, Xu Tanxi saw the handsome face of her husband.

The man took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

Then opened them again. Their eyes met.

Xu Tanxi’s heart nearly exploded with fright, her eyes wide: “Why is it you?!”

Shang Hejing’s voice was strained, as if forced out from deep within: “Who else did you expect? Some foreign man from the movie you were watching?”

“...”

Xu Tanxi fell silent, realizing from his words what had happened.

Honestly, this was far better than a real intruder breaking into her bedroom. (A deathly smile.)

“So, when did you come back?”

Shang Hejing walked to the window, pulled out a tissue, and deliberately wiped the water droplets from his fingers—his movements deliberate and loaded with meaning.

“Probably right when you started,” he said.

Xu Tanxi’s expression cracked; she didn’t know what to say and finally managed: “Eavesdropping? You truly have no shame, Shang Hejing.”

He raised an eyebrow: “Is that all? I’ve got even less shame—want to hear?”

“What?”

Xu Tanxi’s heart leapt in alarm.