HBWMA -Chapter 327 A Sleepless Night

Shen Lanxi?

The bright smile at the corners of Jiang Huashan’s lips twitched slightly.

Why was Shen Lanxi here?

Before she could react, Gao Zhi poked his head out from behind Shen Lanxi and greeted her respectfully. “Miss Jiang.”

Shen Lanxi glanced into the apartment. “Why aren’t the lights on?”

“…” Jiang Huashan curled her toes against the floor. “The power’s out.”

A power outage? Gao Zhi turned to look toward the elevator lobby. That wasn’t right. There had clearly been electricity when they came up just now.

Shen Lanxi looked her over calmly. “Where’s Shen Guiling? Is he not here?”

“Brother Lanxi.” Shen Guiling strolled into the entryway with both hands in his pockets, a faint smile curling at his lips.

Shen Lanxi looked past Jiang Huashan and met Shen Guiling’s gaze. One was distant, the other gentle, and though their expressions seemed calm, both pairs of eyes hid sharpened blades.

“…”

Jiang Huashan tugged at the corner of her mouth. She was just about to sneer at Shen Guiling for being fake when something suddenly occurred to her, and her eyes lit up.

Hadn’t Shen Lanxi arrived at the perfect time?

This guy was rigid, old-fashioned, and followed rules to the letter. He definitely wouldn’t allow anything to happen between her and Shen Guiling. So as long as Shen Lanxi was here to keep Shen Guiling in check, Shen Guiling wouldn’t be able to do anything to her.

As for that 99.99% progress bar, she had decided to let it go. If conditions were right, she’d squeeze what she could out of it. If not, she’d retreat. Once she finished digesting Bai Zheng’s information, she’d hurry up and look for a new plotline. She couldn’t let that poor little darling’s mission blind her.

As for what happened tonight, she wasn’t going to explain or respond. It was a little scummy, sure, but that was how feelings worked. You mess with me, I mess with you. After enough of it, you got used to it.

“You’re already here, so why are you just standing there? Come in!”

Having figured it out, Jiang Huashan completely changed her attitude and attentively brought Shen Lanxi a pair of cotton slippers. “Don’t be polite. Just make yourself at home.”

Shen Lanxi was a little puzzled, but seeing how sincere her smile looked, with no sign of fakeness, the coldness in his eyes instantly warmed.

Grinning, Jiang Huashan turned and met Shen Guiling’s scrutinizing gaze. The provocation in her eyes deepened, and she even deliberately brushed past the edge of his clothes as she swaggered by him.

Shen Guiling smiled.

After changing his shoes, Shen Lanxi stepped into the living room. Hundreds of scented candles dotted the night like a galaxy, and the entire spacious room seemed draped in a layer of ambiguous white gauze, filled with a faint, sugary fragrance.

“…”

The warmth that had just returned to his emotions instantly sank back into his eyes. Shen Lanxi turned to look at Shen Guiling.

As if unaware of his mood, Shen Guiling walked to the bar, poured a cup of hot water, and handed it to Shen Lanxi.

“Brother Lanxi, you must be tired after the trip. Have some water.”

From beginning to end, Shen Guiling behaved open and gracious, the very picture of a warm, hospitable younger brother.

Shen Lanxi took the cup, his expression unreadable. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

The two maintained a kind of peaceful stalemate edged with killing intent.

Shen Guiling turned and walked toward the living room. As he passed a throw pillow on the floor, he casually picked it up and tossed it onto the sofa bed by the floor-to-ceiling window.

Oh ho~!

A gleam flashed through Gao Zhi’s eyes.

This atmosphere! This staging! These two definitely had something going on!

This Jiang Huashan was seriously too much. The young master had rushed here day and night to see her, and yet she was fooling around with some pretty boy. She was trampling all over the young master’s sincere feelings!

This was unbearable!

Filled with righteous indignation, Gao Zhi turned to Shen Lanxi. “Young master…”

Scold her! Scold her to death! If he swallowed this anger now, then wouldn’t he never be able to turn things around in the future and spend his whole life suffering for love?

Without changing expression, Shen Lanxi cut him off. “Shut up.”

“…”

Peh! Then you deserve to suffer for love! Weakling!

Shadows flickered through the living room.

Holding the cup of water, Shen Lanxi stepped inside and sat across from Shen Guiling. The light and shadow used the coffee table between them as a dividing line, splitting the two men into black and white halves.

Shen Guiling spoke first. “Brother Lanxi, why didn’t you say anything before coming to Nanwan? It makes me seem neglectful.”

Shen Lanxi replied, “I came to Nanwan to deal with something. It’s a bit troublesome, so I won’t be going back to Jingang for now. I may have to trouble you for the next few days.”

Jiang Huashan stood by the fireplace, pretending to fiddle with the candles.

“We’re family. What trouble is there? I happen to still have a spare room. As long as Brother Lanxi doesn’t mind, you can stay as long as you like.”

Shen Lanxi nodded and casually swept his gaze around. “What’s with all these candles?”

Jiang Huashan involuntarily twisted her neck and quietly perked up her ears to listen.

Shen Guiling asked, “Brother Lanxi, have you had dinner yet?”

Shen Lanxi obviously wasn’t foolish enough to take that as concern. His gaze stayed calm as he waited for the rest.

Shen Guiling said, “Shanshan was just making a fuss about wanting steak. If Brother Lanxi hasn’t eaten, you can join us.”

“Pfft—”

Jiang Huashan blew out one candle.

Shen Guiling was telling Shen Lanxi that the candles were for eating steak. A candlelit dinner.

But the worst part was, he was telling the truth, so Jiang Huashan couldn’t even refute it.

Shen Lanxi showed no particular reaction. He lowered his head and took a sip of warm water. “I haven’t eaten.”

Hidden in the shadows, Gao Zhi silently rolled his eyes. So the dinner tonight had been fed to a dog?

“Then let’s eat together. I’ll go prepare it. You two chat first.” Shen Guiling stood up and walked straight toward the kitchen.

Jiang Huashan happened to be full of questions, so the moment Shen Guiling exited, she sat down on the sofa. “Brother Lanxi, what happened to the Su family afterward? And Su Miao? Did she go back to the Su family?”

Right now, Shen Lanxi had no interest whatsoever in the Su family or Su Miao. His gaze drifted blandly over the candles on her coffee table.

Jiang Huashan immediately explained, “Mo Ran lit these. Didn’t the power go out? This way it’s easier to see.”

The moment the words fell—

Beep—

Power returned to the entire apartment. The sudden brightness nearly blinded Jiang Huashan, and even Shen Lanxi narrowed his eyes uncomfortably.

The silence once again became deafening.

Jiang Huashan suddenly realized something and turned toward the kitchen.

That damn bastard!

Wasn’t this as good as blatantly telling Shen Lanxi that these candles weren’t innocent at all?

Shen Lanxi set down his cup and stood up, walking toward the kitchen.

“?”

Jiang Huashan’s expression shifted slightly, and her gaze locked tightly onto Shen Lanxi’s retreating back.

Was he really about to go teach Shen Guiling a lesson? Was Shen Lanxi actually this reliable?

Meanwhile—

Shen Guiling had just set an iron pan on the stove when Shen Lanxi appeared at the kitchen door. Their eyes met briefly before calmly shifting apart.

This time, Shen Lanxi spoke first. “Is there anything I can help with?”

Shen Guiling pointed at the fruit tray in the western kitchen area. “Could you make Jiang Huashan a glass of strawberry juice?”

Shen Lanxi nodded, undid his cufflinks, and slowly rolled up his shirt sleeves.

The two of them occupied their own separate areas, backs to each other, not interfering.

Jiang Huashan lay sprawled on the sofa, carefully observing the enemy situation. She waited for quite a while without hearing any commotion inside. Instead, for some inexplicable reason, the sound of a blender started up.

The atmosphere was a little strange.

With the attitude Shen Guiling had just used, how could someone as sharp as Shen Lanxi possibly not notice that something was off?

Even fake siblings are still siblings—wasn’t Shen Lanxi going to stop them? Didn’t he scold them?

Instead of going to lecture Shen Guiling, he went to make juice???

Was his brain kicked by a donkey?

In her previous life, when her grandfather forced Shen Lanxi to marry her, the reason he used the most was that he couldn’t marry his own “sister”—it was incestuous.

So why is it different now that it’s someone else? Why can he accept it?

Suddenly, Jiang Huashan thought of something and blew out the candle in front of her.

She understood. It was simply because he didn’t love her.

……

Ten minutes later, a mouthwatering aroma of rich meat fat drifted out from the kitchen.

Shen Guiling came out carrying a plated steak. On the long rectangular dining table, three exquisite porcelain plates and three sets of golden cutlery had already been neatly arranged in advance.

Soon after, Shen Lanxi’s strawberry juice was also ready. He rarely entered the kitchen, so he wasn’t familiar with the juicer and had been delayed a bit.

Shen Guiling plated the food, while Shen Lanxi placed the strawberry juice in front of the center seat. The two of them simultaneously looked up at Jiang Huashan.

“Come here.”

“……”

Jiang Huashan suddenly felt something indescribably strange, but both of their expressions were so serious that she couldn’t quite pinpoint what felt off.

Shen Guiling politely pulled out a chair. Seeing her still standing there, he feigned confusion.

“What’s wrong? No appetite?”

Shen Lanxi’s hand holding the knife paused slightly.

No appetite—was it because there was no candlelight, or because there was an extra person?

“I’ll get fat if I eat before sleeping. You two eat. I’m going back to sleep first.”

She had been on edge all night and had almost lost her life—how could she still have the mood to eat? For some reason, she had a bad feeling. And now that Shen Lanxi wasn’t helping her, it was better to avoid the three-person dinner altogether.

While speaking, Jiang Huashan secretly observed Shen Lanxi’s reaction, but he showed no reaction at all—even too lazy to look up at her.

As expected, this guy couldn’t be relied on at all.

She made up her mind, yawned deliberately, waved her hand, and went back to her room.

Shen Guiling didn’t mind her sudden change of plans. He looked up.

“Brother Lanxi, after dinner I’ll take you to see your room?”

Gao Zhi stepped forward at the right time.

“Sir, I’ll go prepare the room first?”

Shen Guiling was from the second branch of the Shen family, and Nanwan was Shen Qian’s territory. Gao Zhi had never agreed with Shen Lanxi coming here, but he couldn’t stop the young master from insisting on it.

Shen Lanxi put down his utensils and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

“No need. You’re not needed here. Arrange your own schedule these few days.”

Gao Zhi frowned. Since the day he started protecting Shen Lanxi, they had never been separated. In situations like this before, he would at least sleep in the living room.

Shen Guiling spoke up.

“There’s still a maid’s room at home…”

Before he could finish, Shen Lanxi refused directly.

“No need. It’s inconvenient.”

What’s inconvenient?! Gao Zhi was about to argue when he suddenly thought of something and looked extremely frustrated.

Fine.

So now that Jiang Huashan is here, I’ve become an outsider?

‘Inconvenient—so when you used to order me around, why didn’t you say it was inconvenient?’ he thought bitterly.

Shen Lanxi looked up.

“You have something to say?”

Gao Zhi replied coldly, “No.”

Shen Guiling seized the timing and put down his cutlery, wiping his lips with a napkin.

“I’m done eating. Then I’ll trouble Gao Guanshi to come with us and take a look at the room. The guest room was prepared in a hurry, so there may be things that aren’t perfect.”

Shen Lanxi didn’t refuse and stood up, casually picking up the strawberry juice from the table.

……

“Ahhh~~~ Taking a hot bath in winter is the best. Only a fool would sit there awkwardly with them.”

Jiang Huashan lay back in the bathtub with her eyes closed, occasionally stirring the foam with her legs.

After soaking for twenty minutes, she finally washed away her exhaustion, changed into black lace sleepwear, and crawled into bed, ready to sleep peacefully.

Strangely, she usually fell asleep the moment she touched the bed, but tonight she had no sleepiness at all.

Instead, she felt a strange restlessness. After tossing and turning several times, she finally gave up and sat up with her pillow.

“Your arch was almost bent into a C shape last night.”

Her expression shifted slightly. She lifted the blanket, raised one leg.

Her leg was fair and straight—perfect from hip line to ankle, every detail as if favored by creation.

After staring for a while, she straightened her toes and slowly pressed downward. Just as a slight curve formed, a sharp pain shot through her foot arch.

“……”

Shen Guiling is a liar.

Her first reaction was anger after realizing she had been tricked—but the next second, she saw her pointed toes and immediately smacked her forehead in frustration, quickly pulling her leg back under the blanket.

Was her brain also kicked by a donkey? Why was she seriously testing something like this?

She rubbed her face.

It was all because Mo Ran had lit too many candles. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been so worked up that she nearly attacked Shen Guiling twice, risking her life. Now that things were stuck in this awkward in-between state, that damn green-tea turtle might make some move again.

No—Jiang Huashan clenched her teeth.

Shen Guiling was her fish in the pond now. A 99.99% fish. What did she have to be afraid of? If anything, he should be the one afraid of her.

Ugh, too many thoughts—she couldn’t sleep.

She picked up her phone, scrolling down into her chat with Su Miao.

Their conversation was still stuck on Su Miao’s birthday.

Her chaotic emotions suddenly calmed.

“I wonder how Su Miao is doing now…”

What happened between her and Su Yun in the end? How did the Su family resolve it?

……

What Jiang Huashan didn’t know was that tonight, she wasn’t the only one unable to sleep.

In another room, Shen Guiling stared at the scented candle on his bedside table, the flickering flame reflected in his deep eyes.

He couldn’t sleep.

All he could think about was Jiang Huashan standing on tiptoe and kissing him. The scene replayed over and over in his mind frame by frame.

He was suddenly glad for his excellent memory—though it lasted less than three seconds in reality, he could etch it into his mind as an eternal image.

Tonight, sleep was impossible.

Shen Lanxi also couldn’t sleep.

Leaning on the balcony, he looked out at the harbor. Orange starlight connected the sea and sky into one vast shimmer.

The night wind was cold, and the glass of strawberry juice in his hand was covered in frost.

He wasn’t unaware of the strange dynamic between Jiang Huashan and Shen Guiling, nor was he indifferent to what had happened in this house before he arrived.

He was just restraining himself.

Restraining jealousy—because jealousy was not an emotion he liked.

But now he understood.

Liking someone inevitably comes with jealousy.

……

Meanwhile, in Whale Harbor.

Su Miao was also staring blankly at the same chat interface.

She only realized after returning that on the day of the accident, Jiang Huashan had called her many times and sent countless messages—the most repeated one being:

[Don’t trust Su Yun. Where are you?]

Only three days had passed since her birthday, yet it felt like a lifetime.

These three days, Su Miao had stayed in the hospital and hadn’t returned home. Her mother came twice, urging her to go home both times, but she refused, saying she was unwell.

Strange—she used to fear being abandoned by the Su family, but now she was afraid to return.

“Ding—”

Suddenly, two messages popped up.

The first was a location link.

The second was Jiang Huashan’s invitation.

[Little trash, come out and relax~]