Chapter 5 Inexpensive Delivery

Suddenly, Madam Shi had someone bring over a beautifully crafted box and open it. Inside was a crystal-clear jade bracelet, with a thread of red seemingly pulsing within it, very pleasing to the eye.

"You are the daughter-in-law of the Shi Family, and even though you haven't had a wedding, I acknowledge it. This is a meeting gift for you." Madam Shi took Qiao Zhiyi's hand and slid the bracelet onto her wrist.

The cool touch against her wrist turned warm and moist instantly. She didn't understand these gold and silver jewels, but she knew they were certainly not ordinary.

"Not going to thank Mom?" Shi Jingzhou reminded her.

Qiao Zhiyi couldn't utter the word; she didn't acknowledge him, so how could she possibly start calling her 'Mom'?

"No need." Madam Shi released her hand with a smile, "All I hope for is that you will soon bring a child to the Shi Family."

"With the degree of love between these two, I'm afraid it won't be long before you can hold your grandson." Shi Lanting glanced at Qiao Zhiyi's neck again, shamelessly.

Wearing the bracelet, Qiao Zhiyi felt as though she had been shackled.

Under Shi Jingzhou's watchful eyes, she suppressed the urge to take it off.

Before the meal, Shi Jingzhou's father handed a bank card to Qiao Zhiyi, "It takes a lot of courage to accept Shi Jingzhou as your husband. Thank you for being willing to marry him!"

Qiao Zhiyi was a bit stunned but could understand. In this world, most of the time, appearances do matter.

But something felt strangely off.

She was forced to accept the bank card, feeling as if a heavy mountain weighed on her body.

During the meal, Madam Shi kept serving dishes to Qiao Zhiyi, her enthusiasm a bit overwhelming.

Finally, the meal ended, and Madam Shi asked Shi Jingzhou to take Qiao Zhiyi back to the room for a lunch break.

Under the watchful eyes of the Shi Family, Qiao Zhiyi cooperated fully. Once inside the bedroom, she handed the card to Shi Jingzhou, "I'll give you this back first; I'll return the bracelet when we go back."

Shi Jingzhou stared at the card, reached out to grab her wrist, and flung her onto the bed.

"Ah!"

Qiao Zhiyi cried out as she fell onto the soft bed, and the card dropped to the floor.

"So quick to drop your persona?" Shi Jingzhou glanced at the card on the floor.

Qiao Zhiyi didn't want to be looked down upon by him.

Just as she was about to get up, the man's towering figure pressed down on her, their breath intertwining, and she swallowed nervously.

"What are you doing?"

Seeing his face so closely was as scary as the sudden appearance of a ghost's face in a horror movie.

"Didn't you say I treat you very well? I want to treat you a little better." He leaned down, his lips drawing closer to hers.

Frightened, Qiao Zhiyi tightly closed her eyes.

Hiss—

The skirt she was wearing was ripped apart; she instinctively crossed her arms over her chest, staring at the man looming over her like a demon in horror.

Gazing down at her, his eyes hollow and indifferent, he got off the bed, took a deep V-neck nightgown from the wardrobe, and threw it at her, "Put this on."

Qiao Zhiyi, still in shock, stared at him, trembling at the head of the bed.

Seeing her frightened like a startled bird, Shi Jingzhou's mouth twisted sarcastically, "Are you that afraid I'd touch you?"

Fearful!

Qiao Zhiyi turned pale.

"Have you forgotten? If I truly touched you, it would be perfectly justified." Shi Jingzhou scoffed, "I said it, behave better, and I won't touch you tonight."

He walked to the window, his back to her, clearly not planning to leave.

Qiao Zhiyi looked at the ragged skirt and took the sensual nightgown to the bathroom to change.

Just two days, and every second with him was suffocating. She couldn't comprehend his intentions; everything he did was bizarre.

The red marks on her neck, the torn skirt, the sensual nightgown—it was as if preparation was being made for something.

"Planning to hide in the bathroom forever?" His deep voice echoed from the doorway.

Gathering the clothing at her chest, Qiao Zhiyi steeled herself and opened the bathroom door.

Shi Jingzhou was leaning against it, sweeping a glance over her, "Go to sleep."

"I'm not sleepy."

"Whether you're sleepy or not, lie down on the bed."

"..."

He really thinks too highly of himself.

Does she have to obey him even about whether she sleeps or not?

After a standoff, she ultimately compromised.

Under his gaze, she obediently got into bed, her hands clutching at the covers, on guard against him. She hoped he wasn't crazy and would keep his word.

She had only meant to go along with him, not to stare at each other, but she felt sleepy as soon as her head hit the pillow.

In her haze, she felt as if she was entangled by something, not quite free.

Slowly opening her eyes, the sight of the face so close to hers startled her awake, her heart nearly stopping.

In astonishment, the man opened his eyes and saw the terror and fear in hers.

"A wife doesn't despise her husband's looks. If you marry a chicken, you follow the chicken; if you marry a dog, you follow the dog," Shi Jingzhou's voice was low and magnetic, more captivating as he spoke next to her ear, plucking at her heartstrings.

Qiao Zhiyi wanted to pull away from him, but not only was his arm around her waist, the legs beneath the blanket were also clamped by his.

Their posture now was incredibly ambiguous.

"I haven't despised you," she lied with her eyes wide open.

No woman would be indifferent to that face.

"Heh, whether you have or not, it doesn't change the situation," Shi Jingzhou didn't let go, holding a woman in sleep was a delight.

Qiao Zhiyi bit her lip, motionless, "If I were ugly, would you still have married me?"

"No."

He answered briskly.

A mocking smile played at her lips.

He knew the rules; why should she be expected not to despise him?

"This was a transaction you assessed, a fair exchange; you had no choice," he seemed to see through her thoughts, explaining unnecessarily, in fact, piercing her heart.

Qiao Zhiyi swallowed her bile.

Her Achilles' heel was in his grip; she had willingly offered herself up.

To offer oneself up was cheap.

Two newlyweds hugging each other in the same bed, no affection whatsoever.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open.

Qiao Zhiyi was startled, instinctively pulling the covers over her face.

Shi Jingzhou glanced at the tuft of hair sticking out, his gaze turning dark as he looked at the intruder.

"Did a dog eat your manners?"

Shi Lanting wasn't afraid of Shi Jingzhou; noticing the stray strands of hair beside him, she raised her brows slightly, "In broad daylight, I thought there was nothing indecent to see."

"Get out!"

Shi Lanting shuddered at his shouting, staring back at him, "Bai Yue is here."

Qiao Zhiyi heard the door slam before she finally pulled the covers down.

"Come downstairs," Shi Jingzhou got out of bed.

Qiao Zhiyi quickly averted her eyes, having caught a glimpse of his muscular build, broad shoulders, narrow waist, and the black underwear wrapping his sexy curves, his long and powerful legs.

There was no denying it, his build was truly impressive.

But there seemed to be scars on his back.

"Aren't you getting up?"

Qiao Zhiyi glanced at him, already dressed in long clothes and pants.

She sat up with the blanket around her, "I don't have clothes to change into."

"Aren't you wearing clothes?"

"Going down like this, wouldn't it be too rude?" This was his house, and going downstairs in her pajamas, what would that look like?

"Do you care so much about your image in their eyes?"

That one sentence dispelled Qiao Zhiyi's concerns.

Right, the less of an image she had, the better.