"Second Master!"
A voice suddenly interrupted, halting Ji Shisu.
Ji Shisu looked up and saw Caixue standing at the door with a basin of water.
He quickly made a "shh" gesture to Caixue and then looked down at Zhao Luoning.
Thankfully, she hadn't been woken up. She just turned over and continued to sleep on her side. While sleeping, she grabbed his sleeve and rubbed her face against it.
She was like a cute little kitten.
This scene filled Ji Shisu's eyes with tenderness.
His heart was about to melt at the sight of her so soft and adorable.
Seeing that Ji Shisu's hand was about to reach out to Zhao Luoning's face again, Caixue quickly raised her voice and shouted,
"Second Master, this servant has prepared the hot water. You can go and take a bath now."
Caixue kept shouting. Zhao Luoning frowned, showing signs of waking up. Ji Shisu couldn't help feeling annoyed. He thought Caixue was Zhao Luoning's dowry maid. How could she be so oblivious?
Caixue was so anxious that she was stamping her feet. She could only ignore Ji Shisu's impatience and continue shouting at the risk of being punished.
"Second Master, the hot water is ready. If you don't go, the water will get cold."
Caixue was screaming in her heart at Zhao Luoning: Miss, wake up quickly! If you don't wake up, that big bad guy Ji Shisu will take advantage of you!
Ji Shisu was also really annoyed by Caixue's noise and finally stood up.
Caixue's eyes lit up: Wow, is the Second Master finally leaving?
Unexpectedly, what happened next left her stunned.
Ji Shisu actually picked up the sleeping Zhao Luoning and gently laid her on the bed. His movements were careful and his expression was serious.
It was as if he was handling a priceless treasure.
Moreover, the young master of the Ji family actually condescended to take off her shoes and thoughtfully covered her with the quilt.
Caixue stood there, stunned by what she saw.
Was she seeing things or was the Second Master possessed by an evil spirit?
When did the Second Master become so gentle?!
Was this still the Second Master who used to lose his temper easily and always made her miss angry?
After doing all this, Ji Shisu stared at Zhao Luoning for a long time. Seeing that there was still a veil covering her face, he reached out to remove it to make her more comfortable.
Seeing this, Caixue quickly said, "Second Master, don't move."
Ji Shisu stopped and looked back at Caixue in confusion.
Caixue rolled her eyes and explained,
"Second Master, you go and attend to your business. Leave this to me."
Hearing this, Ji Shisu looked at Caixue, who was guarding Zhao Luoning like an eagle protecting its young. Even if he was slow, he could sense it.
It turned out that this girl was afraid that he would hurt Zhao Luoning.
Once he understood this, he forgave Caixue for her previous rudeness.
It was good to have such a loyal maid by Zhao Luoning's side.
Ji Shisu nodded and turned to leave the room. He suddenly realized something was wrong when he had walked halfway.
No, it was good that Caixue was protecting her, but why was she on guard against him?
He wasn't doing anything sneaky. He was Zhao Luoning's husband!
After Ji Shisu left the room, Caixue finally came to her senses. She poked her head out and looked outside. After making sure that Ji Shisu had gone far away, she quickly trotted to the bed and woke up the sleeping Zhao Luoning as if kneading dough.
"Miss, Miss."
Caixue called several times before Zhao Luoning woke up. She opened her hazy and sleepy eyes and asked,
"What's going on?咦, When did I get on the bed?"
Caixue quickly brought the shoes over and served Zhao Luoning to put them on. Her hands were dexterous and her mouth didn't stop.
"The Second Master came just now. It was the Second Master who carried you to the bed."
Hearing this, Zhao Luoning was shocked. She grabbed Caixue's sleeve and said nervously,
"Did I put on makeup?"
Caixue shook her head.
If she didn't know that her miss was wearing a veil with a bare face underneath, she wouldn't have deliberately shouted loudly at the risk of offending Ji Shisu.
Seeing Zhao Luoning looking like she was facing a great enemy, Caixue quickly comforted her, "Your veil has always been on. The Second Master didn't remove it."
Zhao Luoning finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, the veil Ji Shihan gave her was long enough. Even when lying down, it was not easy to lift.
Otherwise, this time, she would surely be in big trouble.
Caixue stood beside Zhao Luoning and gently patted her on the back.
She naturally knew how nervous Zhao Luoning was about the mistake at Pingle Garden. It was not easy to come up with such a way to get away with it. If it all went to waste at this moment, Zhao Luoning would probably be extremely worried.
"Wasn't he already at Tianxiang Tower?"
Zhao Luoning straightened her clothes and voiced her doubts.
Caixue replied casually,
"Maybe his conscience woke up? He thought it was inappropriate to be at Tianxiang Tower on Qixi Festival, so he came back?"
Zhao Luoning let out a sigh and then said,
"Caixue, never believe that a prodigal son will reform. Go and prepare the incense. We have to be on guard."
Caixue nodded and rummaged through the wardrobe to find the incense and light it.
...
When Ji Shisu came back, Zhao Luoning had already gone to take a bath. Looking at the empty room, Ji Shisu felt an inexplicable emptiness in his heart.
He had planned to have a good talk with her about Lianxiang after he came back. After all, she was his legal wife and she had the right to know about this.
It was really ridiculous to think about it. He and she really didn't seem like a married couple at all.
They shared the same bed but had different dreams. They were as cold as ice towards each other.
He knew very well that he was mainly to blame for the current situation. And now, he had one more sin on his list.
Regarding Lianxiang's pregnancy, he was only shocked, not happy at all.
He had never thought that he would let a woman from a brothel conceive his child, and it was his eldest son.
He didn't discriminate against their humble origins. If it was someone he truly loved, even if she was a beggar, he would cherish her.
But Lianxiang's appearance was a mistake from the start.
He had mistaken her for someone else and had to take responsibility.
Actually, he had been very annoyed after the incident.
Although from a young age, everyone in the family, from the elders to the servants, would tell him: You are the second young master of the Ji family and you have the responsibility to carry on the family line. You can have multiple wives and concubines. You can take in any girl you like.
But he didn't know if it was because of the girl that night or because of Zhao Luoning, but he now felt that this was a sin.
This was not only irresponsible to the girls who married him but also to the person he loved in his heart.
Thinking of this, Ji Shisu laughed self - deprecatingly.
He wanted to be with only one person for his whole life, but his heart was still occupied by two women.
No wonder Caixue was on guard against him and Zhao Luoning didn't give him a good look.
He really wasn't a good man worth entrusting one's life to.
Thinking of this, Ji Shisu sighed.
He impatiently looked outside.
Why wasn't Zhao Luoning coming yet?
If she didn't come soon, he didn't know if he would still have the courage to tell her about Lianxiang!