Don't Mind Me, I'm Just Moody - Chapter 3 - Time for Bed

“Sweetheart, why did you turn off your phone and not answer the home calls? Are you feeling unwell?”

After rushing home from work, Shi Zijun immediately embraced the sweetheart lying on the bed.

Song Xiaoni gave him the cold shoulder, presenting only her back to him.

In her heart, she grumbled fiercely, constantly psyching herself up, desperately trying to withstand Shi Zijun’s sweet-talking. Her tender little heart, always failing her, gathering all her strength to resist, even if she couldn’t resist completely. Yet, she couldn’t even manage to put up a fight before being cunningly subdued by President Shi. Song Xiaoni deeply despised her own vulnerability and loathed even more the president’s seemingly gentle ways. It was just too cruel how she could never withstand his tenderness.

In short, it was utterly shameful.

Alright, this time, she was determined to stand firm. She had to believe it was possible. If she failed again, she couldn’t face living, no need for friends to mock or avoid her, she might as well just go and dash her head against a block of tofu.

Actually, President Shi was clear as a mirror about everything, including the sweetheart’s trivial little thoughts. How could he possibly be fooled?

He was merely putting on an act to cool down the sweetheart’s temper.

This time, President Shi replicated his proven strategy, continuing on his path of gentleness, which never failed.

“Sweetheart, would you like your husband to carry you downstairs for dinner, or would you prefer to go down by yourself?”

So sweet, it could kill a person’s ancestors-that’s how incredibly indulgent and doting he was towards the sweetheart. Despite his cold and ruthless demeanor outside, he was utterly submissive and affectionate with her. The servants couldn’t even bother to despise him anymore, acting like a total sycophant around the household’s darling. It was truly shameful how he doted on the sweetheart, they secretly wished they could kick him back to his senses, but no one dared to actually do so.

Watching their cherished sweetheart huffing and puffing as she slowly made her way downstairs alone, the servants dared not neglect her, quickly positioning themselves around the dining table.

President Shi nonchalantly took a seat next to the sweetheart, but she wouldn’t give him the time of day. With four chairs around the table and just the two of them, it was like a game-each time he moved closer, she would shift to another seat. Ten minutes passed, and they still hadn’t settled down.

“I’m done eating!”

Eventually, the sweetheart got angry and slammed the table, standing up.

“Sweetheart, I was just playing with you, don’t be mad, please eat your meal.”

He grabbed the fuming sweetheart, who was trying to leave, and with a playful smile, pushed her down into the chair, consciously sitting one seat away from her.

Finally, things settled down. The servants were in tears, wondering why it was so hard to keep these two ancestors happy?

The sweetheart refused the president’s attentive care, silently finished a bowl of rice, and then stood up to leave.

The president watched her leaving figure thoughtfully, furrowing his brows slightly, suddenly feeling that this tantrum was different from the past. At least she ate a little, though it tasted bland, and then listlessly put down her chopsticks.

He went to his study to deal with some business, then to the bedroom, only to see the sweetheart engrossed in playing games on the computer, ignoring him. He felt incredibly lonely and went off to take a bath by himself.

Alone, he really wanted to share a bath with the sweetheart, hoping to fully embrace and cherish her, but alas, she liked to be contrary.

After a quick wash, he wanted to coax the sweetheart into bed as soon as possible because once in bed, she couldn’t last more than a few seconds. He was quite confident in his abilities in this regard.

“Sweetheart, go wash up and sleep.”

After his bath, Shi Zijun saw Song Xiaoni still sitting upright at the computer, typing away. He walked over, wrapped his arms around her, and planted a kiss on her soft cheek.

The usual affectionate gesture and movement.

In the past, Song Xiaoni would have obediently tilted her head back, wrapping her arms around his neck, pressing her soft lips against his, seeking further affection.

But tonight, Song Xiaoni merely shrugged her shoulders impatiently, not speaking, showing no desire for intimacy, even appearing somewhat indifferent.

“Ni? Ni?”

The clever Shi Zijun immediately sensed the subtlety in Song Xiaoni’s behavior. Without asking or leaving, he continued to cling to her shoulder, breathing warm fragrances into her ear, teasingly licking her earlobe. This provoked an uncontrollable tremor in Song Xiaoni. Despite the teasing, she could not maintain her composure, as Shi Zijun had long mastered the sensitive spots on her body.

It was definitely intentional teasing, and both of them were well aware of it.

“Go away and sleep by yourself.”

Song Xiaoni’s voice was firm, but inside, she was struggling with the subtle reactions rising in her body. She suddenly hated how easily she was affected by him. This time, she was determined to maintain her composure against Shi Zijun’s affectionate teasing. Sure, she had made this decision countless times before, but every single time, she ended up succumbing to the president’s relentless charms. Not tonight, though. Tonight, she vowed to resist with everything she had.

If she gave in to him again, it would all be for nothing. Every chance to have a rational, logical conversation with him would vanish before it even began. He’d kiss her until she was too dizzy to speak, leaving her murmuring incoherently. Everything would spiral back to square one.

Song Xiaoni wasn’t going to let that happen again, not this time. As she fought off Shi Zijun’s flirtatious advances, she was equally frustrated with her own traitorous body for responding to him.

She didn’t want to live like this-not anymore. She wanted to claim her freedom, to prove her own worth, to step outside into the world. She longed to breathe fresh air, to meet people from all corners of the globe, to spread her delicate wings and explore the vast horizon. Even if she couldn’t stir up storms, at least she could make a few ripples. She refused to let her youth wither away, trapped and stifled within these grand yet suffocating walls.

No, she wasn’t going to let her future be dictated by Shi Zijun’s overwhelming presence. She deserved to live her life the way she wanted, on her own terms.

“What’s wrong, Ni? Did something upset you?”

“Nothing. I’m pulling an all-nighter to play games. You go ahead and sleep.”

“Sweetheart, I can’t sleep without holding you.”

“Then who did you hold onto before meeting me?”

Her voice was sharp, her words like tiny barbs, spoken without even glancing at him.

“You spoiled me, Ni. Now you have to take responsibility for it.”

“Oh, so now it’s my fault? Fine, just you wait.”

Song Xiaoni pushed his hands off her shoulders, abruptly getting up from her chair. She strode over to the bed, grabbed a pillow, and shoved it into Shi Zijun’s arms.

“Here, hold this instead. Problem solved?”

“What’s this supposed to mean?”

“Just leave me alone. I’m in a foul mood, alright?”

Shi Zijun immediately tossed the pillow back onto the bed and reached for her as she tried to sit back in her chair. His expression softened, though it was clouded with confusion. She had been perfectly fine yesterday-what could have possibly caused this sudden shift?

Fine. He had some awareness of why his sweetheart might be acting so distant, so unapproachable tonight. Besides, this wasn’t the first time either. He could admit, just barely, that his behavior might come off as overbearing or even ruthless at times.

But who was truly to blame here? If anyone, it was his own fault for loving her too much, suffocating her with his boundless affection. He turned a blind eye to almost everything else-but when it came to her, he could never back down. Even so, he didn’t mind humbling himself, bending over backwards if it meant she’d forgive him and let him hold her close again. That was all he really wanted.

Is it wrong to love her? If it’s a mistake, then Shi Zijun was more than willing to make it again and again, accepting it wholeheartedly, even finding joy in it. But shouldn’t the loved one at least have a bit of awareness? Shouldn’t she at least cooperate a little with her lover’s possessiveness?

What is love, anyway? It’s the blind obsession of a fool. It’s the refusal to tolerate even a speck of dust in your eyes. Anyone who dared covet her was simply tired of living. Forget acting on any feelings-Shi Zijun wouldn’t even allow the thought of it. She was his, from head to toe, inside and out. Even a single strand of her hair was marked with Shi Zijun’s label. Song Xiaoni had long since become synonymous with him. Random bystanders needed to stay far, far away, hidden from even his line of sight.

And yet, despite all his efforts to protect her, despite keeping her cloaked and guarded on all fronts, there were still people blind enough to try their luck. Forget strangers-take that so-called high school deskmate of hers, for instance. Of all people to go on a date with, of all people to eat a meal or chat or have tea with, why him? Why did it have to be her sweetheart’s former classmate, getting all entangled in romance and little nothings? Wasn’t this a direct challenge to his authority?

Fine. To the lovestruck, everything looks like a threat. Especially in the eyes of President Shi, anyone getting close to Song Xiaoni was a grave offense. Now, as for this whole “entanglement,” he hadn’t even considered that it was his own sweetheart who had pestered Du Feng relentlessly to spend time with her just to kill her boredom. And now, poor Du Feng ended up utterly and completely wronged, bruised and battered both physically and emotionally. Was he wronged? Oh, so wrong that it’d justify snow falling in June and fiery rain in July. Wronged enough to have nowhere to take his complaints.

The more Shi Zijun thought about it, the angrier he got. His face darkened with every passing thought. To think that during moments when his sweetheart trembled in his arms in the throes of passion, she could still spare a thought for her former deskmate! His chest burned with rage. If he didn’t beat that guy to a pulp, even the heavens might object. And beat him he did-though in the end, for the sake of him admitting his mistake, Shi Zijun spared him his miserable little life.

But what happened next? That guy had the audacity to turn around and play the victim, running to his sweetheart to complain!

After pacing and reflecting on the matter, Shi Zijun realized that certain people simply needed to be dealt with decisively-no mercy, no risks, no leaving tigers untamed.

Watching Song Xiaoni resolutely continue her little game and ignore him, the President felt deeply humiliated. What was the big deal? All he did was teach her former high school deskmate a lesson. It wasn’t even his first time dealing with one of her classmates or friends. And wasn’t he fair? He even paid the medical bills-it wasn’t like the guy got beaten up for free!

In the past, it never led to a falling out like this. So why was she giving him the cold shoulder now? Could that deskmate of hers be… different somehow?

This thought gave the President pause. Was this something more serious? If there really was something between them, then Shi Zijun swore he’d take care of him for good.