Following him up to the third-floor bedroom, Jiang Lai found the interior styled in monochromatic black and white, exactly as she had imagined—looking rather cold and unwelcoming.
Fortunately, she didn't have any psychological issues; otherwise, sleeping in such an oppressive bedroom would have been utterly impossible.
Once upstairs, Jin Shengshi unknotted his tie right away.
Tossing the tie aside, he raised a finger to point toward the walk-in closet. "There wasn't enough time to prepare much in half a day, so the people downstairs simply got together a few of your clothes and skincare products. In a few days, they'll have more items delivered to the house for you to choose from."
Hearing this, Jiang Lai blinked in flattered surprise.
So considerate?!
It seemed she really had latched onto a powerful backer.
Just as she was about to express her gratitude, the man looked her up and down, raised an eyebrow lazily, and added:
"Mostly because if you go out dressed as shabbily as you are now, it reflects poorly on me and is an eyesore."
Jiang Lai: "..."
What on earth was she expecting?
Still, she knew how to adapt to circumstances.
As a charming smile bloomed across her face, she put on a sweet, spoiled tone: "Honey, you don't need to explain further. I understand your intentions."
At that, Jin Shengshi gave her a deep look.
Then, ignoring her altogether, he walked straight into the bathroom.
Jiang Lai didn't take his attitude to heart.
After giving the bedroom a thorough inspection, she walked over to the walk-in closet. Pushing open the cabinet doors, she saw Jin Shengshi's own shirts neatly arranged by color and fabric. Right next to them, intimately hung, were dresses in her size. Although the man had said they only prepared a few simple things, at a glance, there was certainly quite a lot of it.
It was practically more than all the clothes she had worn combined throughout her twenty-three years of life.
Whoever had put these outfits together must have noticed that she and Jin Shengshi had just registered their marriage, as the sleepwear and nightgowns were all a brilliant, vibrant red.
With another plan in mind regarding her marriage registration with Jin Shengshi, she didn't hesitate at all when choosing her nightwear, picking out the sexiest, most revealing slip dress from the rack.
A man with looks to die for and a top-tier physique.
It would be a waste not to sleep with him.
Making him wait on her sounded quite thrilling.
About half an hour later, the man came out of the bathroom.
Jiang Lai looked up and saw that he was wearing a heavily wrapped black bathrobe, clicking her tongue with a twinge of disappointment.
It wasn't like she hadn't seen him before; did he really have to be so conservative?
Without dwelling on it, she grabbed her nightgown and headed into the bathroom.
Watching her go in, Jin Shengshi finally used a silent hairdryer on his hair. While he was drying it, Jian Yue sent a message:
-Bro, the news is already out.
-First thing tomorrow morning, everyone will know you're a married man.
Jin Shengshi tapped out a reply with one hand: [Well done.]
An hour later, Jiang Lai emerged with a flushed face, wearing the sexy red slip dress and purposely leaving her long, wavy hair damp.
As soon as she came out, she spotted the man reading a book by the bed. Without much hesitation, she sauntered over to him with a seductive sway in her step. "Honey, what are you reading~?"
Her voice ended in a sweet, affected trill, making Jin Shengshi's brow twitch.
He knew she was up to her antics again.
Having no time to play flirting games with her, he deliberately turned a blind ear to her call. Far from being discouraged, however, she boldly pressed on: "Honey, help me dry my hair."
By now, she had walked right up to the bedside, and the shadow cast by her standing figure happened to block the light for his book.
Jin Shengshi's gaze snapped to her, his tone cold.
"Don't you have hands?"
Jiang Lai blinked innocently. "I do."
"Then dry it yourself."
Seeing him act so heartlessly, Jiang Lai put on an exaggerated, pitiful sniffle. "Honey, we're husband and wife after all. Isn't it completely normal for a husband and wife to dry each other's hair? Why are you being so cold to me?"
Jin Shengshi: "..."
Having finished her grievance-airing, she quickly added a justification.
"Besides, I'm doing this for your own good. For the grand drama we're putting on over the next three years to have the best possible effect, we mustn't show any flaws."
"A husband loving his wife—drying her hair is just an expression of that love! Honey, you have to understand my painstaking efforts for your sake."
At that, the dark depths of Jin Shengshi's eyes rippled.
She really was something else when it came to pushing her luck.
Five minutes of stalemate later, the two of them found themselves by the vanity. Watching the man dry her hair with a stern expression in the mirror, Jiang Lai couldn't suppress the triumphant curve of her lips.
Being waited on felt amazing.
For the rest of the time, she let his fingertips brush through her hair. The warm breeze felt wonderful, making one inevitably drowsy.
Minutes ticked by, and once her soft, fine hair was completely dry, the man turned off the hairdryer, didn't say a single extra word, and turned to leave.
Just then, Jiang Lai opened her eyes, watching the retreating back of the man in the mirror as a smile touched her red lips.
He was quite amusing.
What with showering, drying hair, and all the fuss in between, before they knew it, the early hours of the morning had arrived.
Jin Shengshi's routine was to be up at six and asleep by midnight. Having reached his bedtime, he had no intention of dealing with Jiang Lai any longer; he pulled back the covers, turned off the bedside wall lamp on his side, and prepared to drift off to sleep.
Yet no sooner had he closed his eyes than the sweet, delicate voice of the woman rang in his ear.
"Honey, I have something for you."
Jin Shengshi didn't even open his eyes.
With waning patience, he said, "Let's talk about it tomorrow."
Jiang Lai pigeoned her lips. "No can do, this is my dowry."
Upon hearing her say "no can do," Jin Shengshi's hot temper already tempted him to throw her out; but when the word "dowry" registered in his ears, a twinge of curiosity inevitably arose.
He knew all too well what kind of situation she was in within the Jiang Family. She struggled just to maintain her daily life—did she really have spare money to prepare a dowry for him?
Curiosity outweighed anger.
Yet when he actually opened his eyes and saw what her so-called dowry was, his deep, dark eyes rippled once more.
"Just this?"
Jiang Lai could not possibly miss the sarcasm in his voice.
Yet she put on a deadpan, utterly sincere expression. "This is the most precious thing to me in the entire world."
Half-doubting her, Jin Shengshi then gave the little charm pinched between her fingers a serious scan.
A white lop-eared rabbit.
It wore a red and green scarf and a red Santa hat.
At first glance, it was indeed a soft, cute little trinket, but upon closer inspection, he realized it was a cheap knock-off charm. Not only were the rabbit's two ears of unequal length, but its two eyes were different sizes as well.
To top it off, the rabbit's face was crooked.
God knew which shoddy manufacturer had mass-produced it.
His disdain was plain for all to see, but seeing the sincere smile hanging on her face, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to say anything too harsh.
After exchanging a glance for a moment, he reached past the object cupped in her hands and pulled open the bedside drawer.
Inside lay a neat stack of black cards and cash.
He casually pulled out a black gold card, and while Jiang Lai stared in a daze, he placed the card into her palm. "A bride price."