Chapter 65

Jiang Baihe took a bite of the bread slice that had been stuffed into her mouth and smiled with great satisfaction.

Now that the person was right in front of her, she had no intention of going back. She took a seat beside Yan Shu and naturally accepted the breakfast Yan Shu was feeding her. However, keeping in mind that she needed to catch up on sleep later, she didn’t dare eat too much, fearing a full stomach would affect the quality of her rest.

After finishing their quick breakfast, Jiang Baihe pulled Yan Shu into the courtyard for a stroll to help digest. A garden had been cultivated in the yard, but since early spring had just arrived, many seasonal flowers had yet to regrow. Only some evergreens swayed in the wind, holding the remnants of early morning dew.

A bit further away stood a small fountain. Clear water surged from an unknown sculpture at the top, falling into the pool below. Sunlight filtered through the misty spray, casting dappled patches of light and shadow. Jiang Baihe leaned down, her fingertips lightly touching the blossoming ripples in the pool, feeling the slight chill of the water.

She had arrived too late last night and left too early this morning, so she hadn’t had a chance to properly appreciate this house. Taking advantage of the free time, she dragged Yan Shu along to act as her “tour guide.”

During their stroll, servants began arriving for work in pairs and trios. Perhaps tipped off by Auntie Lin beforehand, their movements were very light and they remained exceptionally quiet.

“Don’t they live here?” Jiang Baihe asked curiously as she watched the servants skillfully begin cleaning.

Yan Shu replied, “Only Auntie Lin stays here.”

Due to her health conditions, Yan Shu had always disliked having too many people in the house—especially Alphas and Omegas. They left behind pheromones too easily, which could inadvertently cause her discomfort. Therefore, whether in City A or Haishi, her properties only ever had one full-time housekeeper.

However, since these houses were so vast, one person couldn’t possibly maintain them alone. Yan Shu compromised by providing living quarters for the housekeeper, while other servants lived elsewhere and only came in as needed to work. Furthermore, most of those she hired were Betas who lacked strong pheromones.

Hearing Yan Shu’s explanation, Jiang Baihe understood her reasoning and didn’t pry further. After making a circuit of the massive house and breathing in the fresh air, drowsiness finally began to set in. The two turned back, preparing to head in for a nap.

During this walk back, Jiang Baihe felt a nagging sense unauthorized copy that she was forgetting something, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. It wasn’t until she was lying on her own bed that she suddenly realized. She sat up abruptly with a “carp leap” motion.

“Wait a minute, why are Yan Shu and I still sleeping in separate rooms?”

In the past, they slept separately because they hadn’t bared their feelings. Now that they were together, everything was perfectly legitimate. How could she let herself stay in a lonely room alone?

At that thought, Jiang Baihe couldn’t sit still. She walked out quietly, turned the handle of Yan Shu’s door across the hall, found it unlocked, and slipped inside. The curtains in the room were drawn; the ones chosen for the house had excellent blackout properties, blocking out all external light. Stepping into the room felt like entering total darkness.

Relying on her good eyesight, Jiang Baihe could vaguely see someone lying on the bed. She whispered softly, “Yan Yan?”

Yan Shu didn’t respond, appearing to be asleep. Jiang Baihe stood at the door hesitating for a moment, then gritted her teeth and made up her mind. Since she was already here, it would be a waste to go back. Come what may, she was definitely climbing into this bed today!

Jiang Baihe tiptoed toward Yan Shu’s bedside, intending to slip into bed unnoticed and give Yan Shu a surprise when she woke up. However, reality proved much crueler than her dreams. Unfamiliar with Yan Shu’s Haishi residence, she tripped over something on the floor on her very first step, making a loud noise.

Jiang Baihe: “…”

Yan Shu also: “…”

Yan Shu, who had been lying on the bed, rubbed the bridge of her nose. She had originally intended to give Jiang Baihe a chance to see what she was up to, but given the current situation, she couldn’t keep up the act. She spoke up: “Baihe? Why are you here?”

Hearing Yan Shu’s voice, Jiang Baihe was first hit by a wave of panic, thinking she was doomed. But then she noticed something was wrong—why did Yan Shu’s voice sound like she hadn’t been asleep at all?

Jiang Baihe retorted with righteous indignation, “Yan Yan, so you weren’t asleep?”

Yan Shu remained silent for a moment before clicking the bedside switch. The lights came on. Aided by the bright light, Jiang [read the original at bailiantales.com]Baihe looked down at the object that had tripped her and found it was a golden tree-shaped ornament. It looked like… a money tree? Jiang Baihe felt this didn’t match Yan Shu’s style at all; the glitzy gold was likely far from her aesthetic.

As if knowing what Jiang Baihe was thinking, Yan Shu walked over, moved the object aside, and said with a hint of amusement, “It was a gift from Qingyan. She was on a business trip recently and brought it back as a ‘housewarming’ gift.”

Jiang Baihe remembered the person Yan Shu mentioned. A long time ago, they had interacted at a banquet Yan Shu hosted, and she had used that opportunity to secure a script for her.

Ignoring the “culprit” that ruined her plan, Jiang Baihe began to counter-attack: “So Yan Yan, you were faking sleep just now to see me make a fool of myself?”

Yan Shu took Jiang Baihe’s secret entry and subsequent attempt to shift the blame in stride. She smiled and didn’t answer directly, instead asking, “Why did you suddenly come into my room?”

Seeing that her attempt to redirect attention had failed, Jiang Baihe was momentarily at a loss for words. She rubbed her nose and mumbled softly, “We are legally married after all…”

Yan Shu thought about it for a second and instantly understood Jiang Baihe’s logic. She was caught between laughter and tears. She didn’t explicitly refuse, but said pointedly, “I only have one pillow in my room.”

Having spent so much time together, how could Jiang Baihe not understand the implication? Her eyes lit up. She dashed back to her own room, grabbed her pillow, and ran back. Standing at the door holding the pillow, she said with a beaming smile, “Now your room has two pillows!”

Yan Shu said nothing, merely gestured toward the door for Jiang Baihe to remember to close it. She then returned to the bed and shifted over to make space for her.

With the lights turned off, the two lay quietly in the darkness. It wasn’t that they hadn’t shared a bed before, but now that the nature of their relationship had changed, certain things became uncontrollable.

It was unclear who crossed the line first, but by the time they were conscious of it, their lips were already intertwined, as if trying to merge the other into their very life. What was meant to be a tentative kiss turned into an obsession. Driven by instinct, Jiang Baihe insatiably licked and ground against the corners of Yan Shu’s lips. Her tongue pushed into the warmth, tenderly yet forcefully sweeping through every corner.

The kiss in the darkness carried a sticky, lingering atmosphere—passionate like a storm, yet laced with a trace of caution. Fortunately, Jiang Baihe maintained a final shred of sanity. As the temperature rose and they hovered on the edge of losing control, she ended the deep kiss.

On the beach that morning, they had been too excited and nearly allowed their pheromones to trigger Yan Shu’s heat, which had only just been suppressed by the temporary mark. stolen content If they lost their minds again now, that restless heat would truly become unstoppable.

Jiang Baihe pressed her forehead against Yan Shu’s heated one, thinking she needed to find a way to distract herself, or she really wouldn’t be able to sleep. In an instant, she remembered that since seeing Yan Shu, she hadn’t asked how things went for her abroad or if anything had happened.

Jiang Baihe voiced her thoughts aloud. Yan Shu’s eyes were rimmed with red and her face was flushed, but she still feigned composure. She shifted her body slightly, trying to move away from Jiang Baihe, only to be pulled back without hesitation.

Realizing she couldn’t escape, Yan Shu stopped struggling. After a moment’s thought, she said, “Everything seems fine. The original incident was resolved quickly after I arrived. However…”

Jiang Baihe’s heart climbed into her throat as she waited for Yan Shu to continue: “I discovered signs of Yan Jue secretly returning to the country—and not just once.”

Because of the incident years ago, Grandmother Yan had personally ordered Yan Shu’s father to take Yan Jue abroad and forbade them from returning without notice. Now that Yan Jue was hiding her movements and returning repeatedly, it was obvious something was wrong.

“I’ve already had Jin Wen keep an eye on them.” Yan Shu lowered her gaze, a flash of coldness passing through her eyes.

To be able to head the massive Sihai Group at her age, it was impossible for Yan Shu to be without a temper or her own methods. Having occupied a high position for a long time, she was well aware of Yan Jue’s little tricks. She hadn’t cared before, but now that Yan Jue was becoming increasingly reckless and showing zero respect for the Yan family, Yan Shu would not let her off.

However, Yan Shu didn’t reveal the intricacies of these maneuvers to Jiang Baihe, choosing only to tell her the good and lighthearted parts. One reason was fear of making Jiang Baihe worry; the other was… fear of ruining her image in Jiang Baihe’s heart.

Listening to Yan Shu, Jiang Baihe thought of the call she had received on her phone after finishing the variety show. After a moment of thought, she asked tentatively, “By the way, Yan Yan, have you checked if there is any contact between Jiang… cough, my brother, and Yan Jue?”