<h4>Chapter 2: Chapter 2 The So-called Child Bride (2)</h4>


    Ling Chuxia''s hands unconsciously tightened as she stared fixedly at the box of pills on the ground. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but inadvertently looked up and caught a glimpse of Shi Che''s expression.


    Shi Che was wrapped only in a loose bathrobe. Having just showered, his hair was slightly damp, hanging loosely with a few strands obscuring his eyes. Yet even so, she could feel his gaze upon her.


    So cold, so sharp, so all-knowing.


    All her thoughts seemed transparent before him... every struggle was futile.


    Ling Chuxia''s hands tightened, then rxed, rxing only to tighten again. After a while, she slowly reached out, bit by bit, toward the box of pills.


    She couldn''t resist Mrs. Shi, so how could she resist Shi Che?


    Ling Chuxia took a deep breath. As soon as her hand touched the box of pills, she shakily opened it, took out a pill, and was about to put it in her mouth.


    However, her wrist was suddenly grabbed, stopping her action. Startled, she looked up in surprise, but before she could see clearly, she was pulled up by a strong force. In the next second, she found herself thrown onto the soft bed, covered once more by the man''s tall, robust body.


    -


    Ling Chuxia was startled awake from a nightmare just as a sh of lightning split the sky like a knife, lighting up the heavens as if it were daytime.


    She suddenly sprang up from the bed, instinctively looking toward the window.


    Her mind was still a bit blurred, her eyes confused and vacant, her heart pounding as if still gripped by the lingering fear of the nightmare.


    The sky outside was bleak, rolling with dark clouds, with muffled thunder continuously rumbling in her ears, finally bringing her back to full consciousness.


    The curtain was pping wildly, tracing invisible parabs in the air. As the cool breeze seeped in, Ling Chuxia involuntarily shivered.


    Liang City, with its lowtitude near the equator, was intensely hot in the summer. Ling Chuxia, craving the coolness, wore only a thin chiffon nightdress to sleep. Now, with the sudden chill of the night breeze, goosebumps rose all over her body.


    The morning was bright and sunny, surprising her when it started to rain heavily in the middle of the night.


    She crossed her arms over her body, rubbing them slightly to suppress the tiny bumps on her skin, then wrapped herself in a thin nket, got out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and slowly walked toward the window.


    Liang City, being coastal, saw frequent rain in summer, mostly consisting of thunderstorms that arrived quickly and left just as fast, often with an irritating intensity.


    This was somewhat like a certain person''s temperament, always so fierce and overwhelming.


    Yet unlike those thunderstorms that disappeared quickly, he lingered like an annoying persistent drizzle, relentlessly disturbing you.


    Thinking of him sent a chill down Ling Chuxia''s back, raising goosebumps again.


    She wrapped the thin nket tightly around herself, quickening her pace. In a few steps, she reached the window as the rain intensified. Some raindrops already nted into the room, bringing with them a distinctive cool scent that filled her nostrils. A few droplets sshed on her arm, tinged with a chilly sensation.