Chapter 16.2 - Tease (2)
“When was the last time you copied (the medical books)?”
“The last time… was after I submitted my college application.” He remembered it clearly. Back then, his grandfather wanted him to study traditional Chinese medicine, but he insisted on clinical medicine instead. Grandpa Wen was so angry that he punished him by making him copy medical books in the study for the entire summer vacation. That longest summer of his student days was spent with the cicadas singing and the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone at his side.
Cong Rong flipped through the books one by one. “Why did you stop copying later? Because you stopped making mistakes?”
Wen Shaoqing paused. “No, they switched to punishing me with something else.”
Cong Rong caught a trace of something unusual in his expression and asked with interest, “What kind of punishment?”
Wen Shaoqing’s expression suddenly became subtle. Avoiding her gaze, he cleared his throat. “I’ll tell you later.”
The punishment he was switched to was really too embarrassing for a strong, upright man like Wen Shaoqing to talk about. It wasn’t just a history of blood and tears—it was a history of humiliation.
Cong Rong kept looking through the books but grew reluctant to put them down. Seeing a flicker of pleading in Wen Shaoqing’s eyes, she shyly asked, “Can you give me one?”
Wen Shaoqing didn’t expect her to be interested. “You like these?”
“Yeah… I saw them once at Zhong Zhen’s place. I asked him for one, but he refused.”
For some reason, Wen Shaoqing felt a sudden urge. Raising his eyebrows with a light smile, he said, “These are my betrothal gifts accumulated since childhood. If you take my stuff, you have to marry me.”
“No thanks.” Cong Rong’s face instantly turned cold. She didn’t like Wen Shaoqing joking like that, especially when he had someone he liked.
Wen Shaoqing stopped teasing her. “I’m joking. Don’t be mad. Pick whichever one you want.”
Cong Rong’s lingering irritation hadn’t faded. “No, I need to work overtime. You should get busy too.”
Wen Shaoqing seemed to sense something and didn’t say more. He quickly left the study and sat on the sofa, then waved for Rang Yirang to come over.
Wen Shaoqing stared at the dog sternly for a while. “Don’t suddenly jump out to scare her anymore! Not even as a joke! She’s already afraid of you. If you act recklessly again, I’ll give you to the dog meat sellers!”
Whether or not Rang Yirang understood, it whimpered and lay down on the floor.
Wen Shaoqing stood up to take a shower but suddenly remembered something. He crouched down and rubbed Rang Yirang’s ears with both hands. “Also, when we argue in the future, you have to side with her. She’s a girl, and you’re the man of the house. A man should be a gentleman—no yelling at her.”
He thought for a moment and added, “Even if she yells at me, you still can’t yell at her.”
Rang Yirang’s ears drooped and it didn’t look at Wen Shaoqing again. Wen Shaoqing saw how listless it looked and smiled softly before heading to the bathroom.
Outside, Cong Rong heard a low voice talking but couldn’t catch what was said. She shook her head hard to clear her mind, then focused on the documents on her computer screen.
After a while, Wen Shaoqing quietly walked in and stopped by the desk. He placed a glass of water next to her, then bent over and looked at her. “Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?”
He had just showered and changed into black loungewear, smelling fresh from the body wash. He was standing close. Cong Rong, who had been fine just moments ago, suddenly felt her heart race and her breath catch. She quickly glanced at him, then lowered her head to keep looking at the documents, forcing herself to answer calmly, “No.”
His loungewear was usually light-colored, and his soft features looked especially elegant in pale clothes. Seeing him in black for the first time, the strong color gave him a hint of restraint and ascetic charm—she thought it looked really good. A few strands of damp hair lazily fell over his forehead, hiding the emotions in his eyes.
Wen Shaoqing raised his hand and gently stroked the back of her head. “Does it still hurt?”
Although he was clearly checking the swollen bump, Cong Rong felt like he was coaxing a child, gently touching her hair as if he was about to say “good girl” next.
Maybe because she didn’t answer, Wen Shaoqing lowered his head again and looked at her. “Hmm?”
Cong Rong was momentarily at a loss, blinking nervously. “If you don’t touch it, it doesn’t hurt.”
Wen Shaoqing nodded and smiled. “Try to sleep on your stomach.”
Cong Rong nodded. Unexpectedly, Wen Shaoqing, who had been so serious a second ago, suddenly started being cheeky.
His gaze lingered on her chest for a few seconds as he said without changing expression, “I just don’t know if your size supports that sleeping position.”
Cong Rong blushed fiercely, frowned, and glared at Wen Shaoqing hard.
