Chapter 8: Did She Take Him for a Housekeeper?!
"..."
There was silence behind the door; no one answered her.
Lin Nanxun's expression faltered, her gaze shifting to the long, empty corridor. A sudden jolt of fear pushed her to muster her courage, twist the doorknob, and push the door open.
Inside, the minimalist gray bedroom was brightly lit. On the bed sat a man dressed in a bathrobe.
"..." Shen Hanzi's expression darkened as he looked at the girl who had suddenly barged in. A flicker of irritation crossed his handsome features; he glanced at the clock on the bedside table.
One o'clock in the morning.
The man's displeased expression made Lin Nanxun pause, instinctively tightening her grip around the pillow in her arms before daring to step closer to the bed.
She stopped only when she reached his side, timidly stealing a glance at his face.
The moment their eyes met, her large eyes shimmered, and her long lashes quivered ever so slightly.
"I'm scared..." She blinked, her voice trembling with fear, yet she summoned her courage to meet his gaze.
This was the only room with the lights on, which was why she had dared to enter; but she hadn't expected the occupant to be anyone other than the grandmother who had accompanied her that day.
"..." Shen Hanzi's expression grew more complicated as he looked at the girl standing by the bed.
Seeing he didn't respond, Lin Nanxun pouted, her voice small and anxious.
"When I was scared before... my grandmother would always sleep with me."
Her words caused Shen Hanzi's expression to shift abruptly.
"You want me to sleep with you?" His deep voice lost some of its usual calm and steadiness, replaced by a hint of barely restrained anger.
What did she take him for—a nanny?
He was certain that if the woman before him were not so unusual, he would have thrown her out without hesitation.
She nodded quickly, arriving at the bedside, a smile lighting her face as she looked at him, blinking those large eyes.
"Can I get on the bed?"
Her question made his face darken further, his lips pressed tightly in displeasure.
But... just as he was about to utter the word 'leave,' his gaze met hers—those large, clear eyes.
In them was an innocence as pure as a newborn child...
His throat tightened.
The words he meant to say somehow got swallowed.
After a moment, he moved his lips again, refusing her.
"No."
Since childhood, he had never been comfortable with anyone beside him while he slept.
Especially a woman.
Even if her mind was unlike most, she was still a woman—an unchangeable fact.
He had always disliked such troublesome, insincere creatures.
"Go back to your room!" He turned away, his back to her, and snorted coldly.
Lin Nanxun stood there hugging her pillow, staring at the man's back. Her lips quivered, and her face was full of grievance.
"My grandmother..."
Her meek voice was cut off.
"I'm not your grandmother!" For the first time, Shen Hanzi's emotions broke through, anger coloring his voice.
He was a man—a twenty-eight-year-old adult man!
Did she have no sense of gender at all?
Rejected again, Lin Nanxun shrank back, this time saying nothing more. She simply watched his back with a face full of wounded innocence, blinking, her eyes wide and forlorn.