His voice echoed in Shen Xingling’s ears.
Then, he turned to the bride: "Miss Shen Xingling, do you take Mr. Mu Tingshen to be your husband? From this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love, honor, and cherish him until the end of your life—do you, the bride, so take him?"
"I do!"
"Please exchange rings."
The guests broke into applause, offering their blessings to the newlyweds.
"You may now kiss the bride."
Shen Xingling froze at those words.
What?
Having grown up without ever being intimate with any boy other than her father and brother, Shen Xingling only wanted to find a hole to crawl into.
Still, she quickly masked her shock and returned to her usual calm expression.
Miss Shen usually appeared carefree and indifferent to such things, but being forced to kiss in front of so many people was absolutely mortifying!
Mu Tingshen took in her stunned expression and subtle reactions at a glance.
He looked down at her face with deep, searching eyes.
Mu Tingshen reached out, placed one hand firmly behind her head and the other at her waist, pulling her into his embrace with a decisive motion.
A moment later, he released her.
Shen Xingling, still caught off guard, felt her face burn bright red. Her heart hammered against her chest, and her breath came in short, quick gasps.
The wedding was done.
...
That evening, Shen Xingling returned to Mu Family Manor with the Mu family.
Inside the gates lay a scene of exotic charm: white picket fences, steep mahogany-colored roofs, and lush green lawns.
Entering the house, one was immediately struck by an incredibly luxurious hall. Intricate light fixtures cast a cold, sharp glow, while the high walls threw dark, heavy shadows across the plush carpet.
It was a vintage mansion on the outside, but an European-style villa within.
Standing before the door of the bridal chamber, Shen Xingling felt a surge of nervous apprehension at the thought of it being her wedding night.
She steadied her emotions and pushed the door open.
Inside, she saw Mu Tingshen wearing charcoal-black pajamas, propped up against the pillows on the bed. Silver-rimmed glasses perched on his high-bridged nose as he looked down at a laptop, his fingers typing rapidly on the keyboard.
Mu Tingshen looked up at the girl who had entered.
"The bathwater is ready for you. Go take a bath first," he said, his tone devoid of any discernible emotion.
Shen Xingling stared blankly at his handsome face. Her heart began to race, and her cheeks turned a soft, rosy pink.
He was actually quite a gentleman!
Wait, no!
What did he mean by "take a bath first"?
Was he asking her to prepare for what was to come?
Ahhh!
Was she really going to lose her innocence after twenty-one years and transform from a girl into a woman tonight?!
Watching the young woman caught in a whirlwind of wild thoughts, Mu Tingshen couldn't resist teasing her: "Or were you thinking of…?"
Before Mu Tingshen could finish, Shen Xingling hurriedly cut him off.
"No, absolutely not!"
The young woman was practically shouting her innocence to the heavens.
Seeing her face turn even redder, he decided to stop teasing her.
Mu Tingshen said in a low voice, "You’ve had a long day. Go soak in the bath and relax."
"Oh... Um, let me introduce myself. My name is Shen Xingling. I’m twenty-one years old and will be a senior next semester. I’m 165 centimeters tall, weigh 47 kilograms... and... that’s it."
"Mhm. Mu Tingshen."
Huh? That was it? Just that?
No, no, no. How could that be?
Mu Tingshen, twenty-eight, the eldest son of the Mu family, 186 centimeters tall, accomplished in his career, and handsome.He held the economic lifeline of Yuncheng in his hands and was someone countless people feared—and now, he was her husband!
He had achieved success at a very young age, running the company even more powerfully than when his father, Mù Xí, had taken it over, with various large and small branches established both at home and abroad.
"Oh, I'm going to take a shower first."
She walked into the walk-in closet and headed to the section specifically reserved for pajamas.
Shen Xingling was utterly dumbfounded!
What the hell, every single one of them was a tiny, revealing camisole.
In the end, she picked out a slightly more conservative white silk camisole dress—at least it came with a light outer layer, but it barely covered anything anyway!
And it was so short, reaching at best right down to the top of her thighs.
Oh well, she would find time tomorrow to go buy some herself.
Two hours later.
Mu Tingshen was still sitting on the bed, continuing to work.
When Shen Xingling came out wearing the ice-silk white camisole dress, she couldn't help wondering: was she really going to sleep in the same bed with a total stranger?
Mu Tingshen looked at how sexy the little woman was dressed, and his throat bobbed involuntarily.
"Do you girls all take this long to shower?" Mu Tingshen asked curiously.
"Did I take that long?" Shen Xingling asked weakly.
She then added, "You can go to sleep first, you don't have to wait up for me."
Mu Tingshen replied, "I'm your husband. If I don't wait for you, who am I going to wait for?"
Husband?!
He actually called himself her husband!
"Oh, oh. I don't think it's that slow, really! Forty minutes for a soak, half an hour to dry and care for my hair, and then skincare after that..." Shen Xingling said with a straight face.
Mu Tingshen just watched her lips moving continuously.
He couldn't help recalling that kiss from the wedding today.
Soft and sweet, springy and bouncy like jelly.
"Um, Mu Tingshen. Are there any other rooms?" Shen Xingling asked, having a death wish.
"What? You want the entire Mu Family Manor to know that a newlywed couple is sleeping in separate rooms on their wedding night?" Mu Tingshen frowned in displeasure.
"No, no, it's just that I'm used to sleeping alone. Having someone else sleeping right next to me feels a bit uncomfortable. If that won't work, I can sleep on the living room sofa."
Their suite was extremely large; outside the bedroom was a living room furnished with several oversized sofas, while the bedroom itself featured a luxurious walk-in closet and a spacious bathroom.
Sensing the surrounding temperature drop by a couple of degrees, Shen Xingling hurriedly explained.
"Not separate rooms, then separate beds?!"
Mu Tingshen remained silent.
She had lowered her terms this much, and it still wasn't acceptable? When had Miss Shen ever groveled like this? Oh well, after all, she wasn't in her own home.
"Come here and go to sleep," Mu Tingshen said coldly.
Shen Xingling walked over slowly, lifted a corner of the blanket, and lay flat on her back.
Take a deep breath, I'm not nervous, I'm not nervous!
Ah! This is so awkward!
She really wanted to play a couple of online games to ease the awkwardness.
With that thought, she reached out her slender, fair arm and felt around the bedside table for her phone.
The next second, the man loomed over her, though he didn't press his full weight onto Shen Xingling, and the lights in the room dimmed.
Just as her fingers brushed against her phone, a deep voice murmured right beside her ear, "Stop playing on your phone. We need to wake up early tomorrow, there are things to do."
For the second time at such close quarters, Shen Xingling's heart began to race uncontrollably.
Then he reached over and turned off the lamp on her side of the bed.
The entire room was instantly swallowed by darkness.
Shen Xingling turned onto her side, tugged at the blanket, and inched toward the edge of the bed.
A wide gap remained between the two of them.