Chapter 49 Turn Off the Lights and Go to Sleep

After hanging up her clothes, Ning Rongrong slowly sat down on a chair. With a look of genuine gratitude, she said, "Um, thank you so much this time. Otherwise, I truly wouldn't have known what to do."

As soon as the words left her mouth, a wave of annoyance washed over her. *Wait, why on earth am I thanking him? Just because he is a bit handsome?*

*He even said a moment ago that he wasn't interested in me! Does this young lady look like she is interested in this ice cube of a man?*

*Besides, back at the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, the line of my suitors stretched from inside the grand hall all the way out the doors!*

Xu Sheng glanced at her and replied indifferently, "Think nothing of it."

Naturally, he had caught every single micro-expression on her face. Amused, he thought to himself, *It seems she hasn't completely changed yet; she still retains a bit of arrogance deep down.*

Seeing Xu Sheng's indifferent attitude towards her words, Ning Rongrong gnashed her teeth in anger and muttered viciously, *Odious wretch! Speaking in such a freezing tone, how is this young lady supposed to respond?*

She had hoped to take a nice, steaming hot bath, but this fellow had effectively shut down the conversation right then and there...

And so, Ning Rongrong sat in silence while her gaze drifted from time to time toward the nearby pool, scattered with rose petals and sparkling alluringly beneath the rippling water...

Xu Sheng's icy pupils followed her line of sight, eventually resting upon that steaming pool...

Even with water leaking in her room, didn't her own room have a pool?

The way Ning Rongrong looked at it made it seem as though she hadn't bathed in ages...

That pitiful little gaze almost made him go over and comfort her...

Yet, remembering certain things, he decided against it.

With an utterly expressionless face, Xu Sheng finally let out a single sentence: "The water in that pool over there is still hot. If you want to soak in it, go ahead. Of course, provided you don't mind that I've already soaked in it."

As a young heiress of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, Ning Rongrong should have at least some degree of mysophobia...

However, whether she wished to use it or not was entirely up to her. This was the most he could do...

Her secret thoughts exposed, Ning Rongrong's flushed cheeks became as tempting as a ripe red apple. She whispered softly, "Th... Thank you!"

It seemed this man wasn't quite as hateful as she thought. Indeed, he was the type whose exterior was freezing cold while his heart remained warm...

Speaking of men...

Men...

In the depths of Ning Rongrong's mind, a figure from three years ago suddenly emerged...

That man who stood firmly in front of her, protecting her despite facing dozens of spirit beasts...

That man who saw her starving and personally roasted tender, delicious rabbit meat for her to eat...

Lost in her thoughts, the corners of Ning Rongrong's eyes grew slightly red and swollen, a sight capable of stirring deep pity in anyone's heart.

Pulling herself together, she shook her eyes clear, wiped away the moisture at the corners of her eyes, and smiled bitterly to herself. *It has already been three years. He must have forgotten all about me by now, right?*

Seeing her expression, Xu Sheng frowned slightly. "What is it? Do you not want to use it? Never mind then."

Just a moment ago she had looked so delighted, only to plunge into a trance and transform into this sorrowful state.

Could she have recalled some unpleasant memories from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect?

A genuine smile bloomed on Ning Rongrong's face as she explained, "It's not like that, you've misunderstood. I was just recalling some wonderful memories a moment ago, though it's likely I will never be able to experience them again in this lifetime."

Wrapped in a white cloth, Ning Rongrong stood up, revealing her graceful and alluring silhouette. With a playful twinkle in her eyes, she blinked at Xu Sheng and said, "Well then, I'm going to take a bath. You are forbidden to peek, understand?"

"Mn," Xu Sheng responded casually, his gaze fixed straight ahead as she walked toward the pool...

The very next second, his pupils constricted violently. Suddenly realizing something scandalous, he abruptly reached out, intending to call Ning Rongrong back...

However, it was already too late. Ning Rongrong had already reached the edge of the pool. She glanced around first, and noticing a curtain designed to block the view, she slowly pulled it completely open...

Then, she glanced back over her shoulder. Seeing that Xu Sheng's attention seemed entirely elsewhere, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief. With gentle movements, she untied the white cloth meant to preserve her modesty and set it aside, once again exposing her exquisite body entirely...

...

Only then did Xu Sheng look toward the edge of the pool. Even with his icy demeanor, upon witnessing the breathtaking and seductive scene before him, he could not help but feel a surge of primal human desire...

The curtain that Ning Rongrong believed would block the view was actually completely transparent from the outside, allowing every single detail inside to be seen with absolute clarity...

He finally understood why this Rose Hotel was called a couple's hotel...

That being the case, Xu Sheng's gaze drifted slightly downward, resting upon the countless rose petals scattered around him...

He thought to himself silently, *If even the curtains were tampered with, then these rose petals... I'm afraid...*

He gently pinched a single rose petal, brought it close to his nose, and lightly sniffed...

A wave of feverish heat rushed straight to his head. Xu Sheng glanced once more at the enchanting figure by the pool...

The next instant, that burning sensation intensified furiously, as if stimulated and accelerated by some invisible force.

Xu Sheng hurriedly lowered the rose petal from his nose and curled his lips into a cold sneer. "As expected, these rose petals actually possess aphrodisiac properties!"

...

With his eyes tightly closed, Xu Sheng forced himself not to look at the figure in the pool...

After enduring for roughly half an hour, Ning Rongrong reappeared, having re-wrapped herself in a bathrobe. Her skin looked even cleaner and more radiant than before. Like a lotus emerging from the water, she pushed open the curtain and stepped out...

Seeing Xu Sheng still sitting there with his eyes closed and his head turned away, Ning Rongrong slowly walked over and sat down beside him...

For some reason, an irrepressible urge to tease Xu Sheng welled up in her heart...

Covering her mouth with a chuckle, she gently poked Xu Sheng's shoulder. "Hey, have you really been like this the whole time?"

Xu Sheng's icy pupils slowly opened. He cast a cold glance at the girl beside him and stated indifferently, "Finished washing? Then get ready to turn off the lights and sleep."

Ning Rongrong's delicate body gave a start, and she stammered, " Sl... Sleep? Then I'll... I'll just sleep on the sofa over there."

The moment Xu Sheng spoke those words, she had momentarily thought he was inviting her to share the bed with him...

Xu Sheng cast a glance at the sofa, then lay down on the bed and shifted toward the left side...

Lying on the bed with his expression unchanged, he said, "The bed is big enough, each of us takes one side... Just remember to pay me your share of the room fee later!" Yet, considering they were a lone man and woman in a single room, he felt compelled to add another remark.

Hearing this, Ning Rongrong frowned in slight hesitation. "This... isn't very appropriate, is it?"

She and Xu Sheng didn't even know each other's names, and now they were expected to sleep in the same bed...

Yet ever since she had entered this man's room, deep down, his words and actions had consistently stirred a strange sense of familiarity within her...

That sensation was utterly marvelous, as if the two of them had known each other for ages, though upon careful reflection, she could find no such memories at all...

She cast another glance at the narrow sofa, then lowered her head to look at the soft, spacious bed...

With a soft sigh, she ultimately surrendered to the comfort of the large bed...

Ning Rongrong nimbly climbed onto the right side of the bed and whispered softly, "Fine, then I'll sleep on the right side. I'll pay you my share of the fee later!"

With that, Xu Sheng reached out and flipped the switch. The brilliant illumination vanished instantly, plunging the entire room into deepening darkness.

Before long, as Ning Rongrong lay in bed with her heart still racing, she heard the steady, even breathing of the man beside her...

All her burdens melted away, leaving her with a profound and unprecedented sense of safety...

She turned her head slightly, gazing deeply at the sleeping Xu Sheng beside her. "Thank you..."

Having murmured those words, she slowly closed her eyes as well...