Chapter 55: Just Playing with Her

Sheng Yang was sitting on the sofa, his clothes disheveled.

Though he was the one holding Wen Jin's hand, his facial expression remained as aloof as ever.

Through his open collar, red marks could be seen on his collarbone.

They were the symptoms of an allergic reaction.

Wen Jin stood in front of Sheng Yang.

She took a deep breath, "I'll go call Zhao Yimo up here."

However, her wrist was tightly gripped by Sheng Yang.

The emotion in his eyes shifted from indifferent to dark. "Do you really have to waste time on that?"

With that, his gaze landed without much weight on Wen Jin's face, and he clicked his tongue.

"I'm just asking you to apply some ointment, stop acting so pure and innocent."

"Besides, you haven't done this any fewer times."

Indeed—

For a very long time, applying medicine for Sheng Yang was practically Wen Jin's exclusive duty.

Sheng Yang was a person of exceptionally delicate constitution.

He would have an allergic reaction at the slightest carelessness.

And yet, he disliked anyone else touching him.

So only Wen Jin could do it.

The most severe instance was in the first year it all started.

Sheng Yang had just taken over Lingyue not long ago, and there were countless matters requiring his attention.

Whether it was due to excessive stress or something else, his allergy flare-ups were extremely severe.

To keep Elder Sheng from worrying, Wen Jin was the only one who could take care of him.

Moreover, his constitution was peculiar.

Taking allergy medication alone wasn't enough; topical ointment had to be applied every single time.

The clamor of the guests downstairs could faintly be heard reaching the upper floor now.

The impatience between Sheng Yang's brows was barely containable.

Dealing with an allergy was already grueling enough.

His voice gradually deepened. "Will you only be happy if you completely ruin this banquet?"

Wen Jin was silent for a moment, and ultimately compromised.

Sheng Yang's shirt was completely undone by her, revealing the red rashes on his collarbone, as well as on his neck and back.

Wen Jin dipped a cotton swab in the ointment and applied it to him little by little.

Every stroke was meticulous and gentle.

Sunshine streamed in through the window, landing on her shoulders and coating her in a faint glow, making her look as soft as downy feathers.

Sheng Yang's eyelids drooped, allowing him a clear view of Wen Jin's long, slender eyelashes.

His Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily for a moment.

Soon enough, he looked away.

Wen Jin could actually sense the gaze that had lingered on her for that brief second.

She simply didn't care.

Aside from the red rashes, Sheng Yang's body also bore a few scratch marks that were no longer very distinct.

Wen Jin chose to ignore those traces.

She stood up. "All done."

Sheng Yang's expression had already returned to normal.

Having just finished the application, he hadn't put his shirt back on yet, retaining a composed and casual air.

"What did you and Jiang Yuan talk about just now?" he asked.

Wen Jin's expression didn't change. "We didn't say anything."

Sheng Yang stared at her, his fingers rhythmically tapping against the armrest as he looked at her thoughtfully.

"Jiang Yuan is going to adopt a goddaughter in Capital City."

"It has nothing to do with me."

Wen Jin knew very well what Jiang Yuan adopting a goddaughter meant.

To put it bluntly, Jiang Yuan still refused to acknowledge the relationship between herself and Wen Jin.

A goddaughter?

That was merely her excuse.

Sheng Yang nodded. "Good that you know."

Realizing something, Wen Jin looked down at Sheng Yang from her vantage point, a look of sarcasm on her face.

"What do you mean by telling me this?"

Sheng Yang remained unphased. "Don't ask about things that aren't your concern."

Wen Jin looked at him for a moment, then turned around and walked straight out of his room.

Yet, upon heading downstairs, she happened to see Jiang Yuan talking to Elder Sheng about something.

Wen Jin simply turned around and went back to her own room.

She didn't have that strong of a desire to see Jiang Yuan anyway.

Until the banquet ended, no one came looking for her again.

Jiang Yuan did send her several messages hoping she would come down.

However, Wen Jin chose to ignore them all.

The sky outside gradually darkened, and once all the guests had been seen off, a torrential downpour broke out, with no sign of stopping anytime soon.

Elder Sheng frowned. "The weather isn't suitable for leaving. I'll have someone properly prepare your rooms, stay here for the night."

These words were addressed to both Wen Jin and Sheng Yang.

Wen Jin hesitated. "I can take a taxi back."

Sheng Yang sat on the sofa, his expression indifferent. "In a rainstorm like this, where are you going to catch a taxi?"

Elder Sheng chimed in with a nod, "The roads are dangerous, plus you haven't been home in a long time. Consider it as keeping an old man company."

Wen Jin found it hard to refuse further and had no choice but to stay.

Having lived in the old residence for several years, she was actually very familiar with everything here.

Yet looking at it now, everything felt utterly estranged.

Though naturally, that made sense.

The Sheng family had nothing to do with her in the first place.

Having entertained guests all day, Elder Sheng, advanced in years, went to bed early.

Only Wen Jin and Sheng Yang were left in the living room.

Outside, the rain poured relentlessly, while inside, it was quiet.

Wen Jin stood up. "I'm going back to my room to rest."

Sheng Yang paused, then raised his head. "Has the matter regarding the household register been resolved?"

Wen Jin hadn't expected him to bring this up out of the blue.

She paused for a moment before replying, "Grandpa Sheng has already agreed, it's just that the paperwork is a bit difficult to process."

Sheng Yang said, "Is that so?"

"He said it can be done after you get married."

With that, Wen Jin turned around and headed straight upstairs.

Sheng Yang watched her retreating figure for a long time before tossing the grapes in his hand back onto the table.

Then, with a blank expression, he stood up as well.

-

Perhaps because it was a rare visit back to the Sheng family, Wen Jin had an unusually distant dream.

It was the summer of several years ago.

Back then, inside her room, she had just finished taking a shower and was still wearing a thin nightgown.

Suddenly, Sheng Yang had pushed the door open and walked in.

Everything that followed felt almost predestined.

That was Wen Jin's first time.

Back then, Sheng Yang would hold her close and affectionately call her Xiao Jin.

When she woke up again, daylight had already broken outside.

The torrential downpour had turned into a gentle, pattering drizzle, slipping through the gaps in the window and bringing in a touch of dampness.

Wen Jin touched her forehead; it was covered in a cold sweat.

She sat on the bed for a moment to recover before getting up to tidy herself.

As soon as she went downstairs, however, she heard Elder Sheng coughing.

He seemed to be interrogating someone: "Who authorized you to move against the Wen family?"

"Do you have any idea how much resentment the Wen family holds against us right now?"

"If Wen Shanhai hadn't been so insatiable and bold enough to covet Lingyue, I wouldn't have done anything to them."

Sheng Yang answered lazily.

Hearing them discuss matters concerning the Wen family, Wen Jin paused her footsteps, intending to wait a bit before going down.

Yet the moment she turned to wait, she heard Elder Sheng ask: "And what about Wen You? Wen You has suffered a grievance this time, how do you plan to resolve it?"

"I know you wanted to vent your anger for Xiao Jin, but what does this matter have to do with you—"

Hearing Elder Sheng's words, Wen Jin's body froze.

Sheng Yang wanted to vent her anger?

What anger—

Before she could process it further, she heard Sheng Yang's emotionless voice: "You've misunderstood."

"This matter has nothing to do with Wen Jin; it was simply done to put Wen Shanhai in his place."

"Even without this incident, I would have done it anyway."

He paused, then let out a light laugh. "It's just that having Wen Jin as a pretext made it easier to handle."

Elder Sheng looked at him. "You'd better be telling the truth."

Sheng Yang countered instead of answering, "How else do you think I felt?"

He stared straight into Elder Sheng's eyes, showing not a shred of a guilty conscience.

Elder Sheng let out a cold snort, "Don't think I don't know what's going on between you and her—"

The voice stopped abruptly right there.

Elder Sheng stared intently at Sheng Yang, even his clouded eyes clearing up considerably.