My Contract Husband Won't Behave - Chapter 44
He braced one hand against the lamp post and kept the other around her wrist, trapping her between his body and the post.
Nie Jingzhi looked up into his bottomless eyes, and her heartbeat instantly lost its rhythm.
What was wrong with him tonight? Why would he not let this go?
She bit her pink lip, mind racing.
She absolutely could not tell the truth or reveal her feelings. She needed an excuse to muddle through.
Her eyes curved at once, her tone soft and careless. “What else could it be? I think I might… like you.”
Bo Jiusi’s fingers tightened sharply around her wrist.
Nie Jingzhi secretly rejoiced.
Sure enough, every man responded to gentleness and sweet talk.
Before her satisfaction could take root, his icy voice came from above. “Really?”
She looked up and tensed.
There was no trace of softness or delight in his eyes, only cold, terrifying scrutiny.
Her heart dropped, though her smile remained sweet. “Master Jiu doesn’t believe me?”
Bo Jiusi studied her for several seconds.
He saw the deliberate curve of her eyes, the precisely measured smile, and the guilt flickering beneath it.
Again. She was performing for him again.
He could not tell whether he felt disappointed or simply furious.
Slowly, he released her and stepped back. His voice chilled. “Nie Jingzhi, don’t flatter yourself.”
She remained against the post, watching him.
“I won’t fall for you.”
It was not a threat, merely a cold statement of fact.
“Don’t waste your time on me.”
The bleak wind blew her hair across her face. She did not brush it away, only quietly looked at him.
The streetlight cast his shadow long and lonely.
After several silent seconds, Nie Jingzhi laughed and straightened. Her tone was casual, as though the ache in her chest did not exist. “Fine. Master Jiu is right. I was indulging in wishful thinking.”
She took out her phone. “By the way, what’s the code to your door? I’ll save it so Jin Song can deliver your meals.”
Bo Jiusi frowned.
“Just kidding.” She tucked the phone away and smiled brilliantly. “Let’s go. Take me home.”
Bo Jiusi watched her seemingly carefree retreat, realizing for the first time that he could not understand her at all.
Her smile was dazzling, yet none of it reached her eyes.
He followed in silence. They walked side by side to the car without speaking, the atmosphere stifling.
The car eventually stopped outside the Nie villa.
Nie Jingzhi opened the door and shrank from the night wind before looking back. “I’m going, Master Jiu.” Her smile and voice were soft.
“Mm.”
She stepped out, shut the door, and quickly entered the villa.
The heavy doors closed, cutting off their sight of each other.
Bo Jiusi sat motionless, staring at the closed gate for a long time.
At last, he looked away. “Go.”
The car slowly departed.
* * *
In her room, Nie Jingzhi closed the door and leaned against it, letting out a long breath.
She looked at her wrist, where the warmth of Bo Jiusi’s palm seemed to linger.
Closing her eyes, she pushed away the tangled emotions and opened his contact card on her phone.
She paused.
His profile image was pure white, his social-feed banner pitch-black.
“What kind of morbid aesthetic is this?” she muttered.
Then again, considering his family—excluded and schemed against since childhood, with even his grandfather and granduncles wishing him dead—it was impressive he had not become a monster.
Did the white picture represent his untainted heart, and the black background the world around him?
She suddenly remembered what he had said when she proposed marriage.
*Stay in the Nie family and be a decorative vase. Why jump into the Bo family mess? There’s no comfortable life waiting for you there.*
She had thought he simply did not want her. Now, it sounded like a warning.
The Bo family’s filthy waters were not meant for her. Had he been protecting her even then?
Why had he agreed to marry her afterward?
Nie Jingzhi bit her lip, her heart softening for that man who was all sharp words and a soft heart.
She dismissed the thoughts, tapped *Add Contact*, and entered a note: *Husband*.
After sending the request, she went to shower.
When she returned, her screen lit with a notification that he had accepted.
Smiling, Nie Jingzhi sat on the bed and opened the chat.
*Master Jiu is still awake?*
No response.
*I can’t sleep.*
Still nothing.
Nie Jingzhi laughed softly and found a selfie she had prepared.
She wore an oversized white shirt, the loose collar offering glimpses of delicate collarbones. Damp hair spilled casually over her shoulders, her profile soft beneath amber light, at once innocent and sensual.
She sent it.
This time, his answer came almost instantly.
Bo Jiusi: *Nie Jingzhi.*
Nie Jingzhi: *What?*
Bo Jiusi: *Do you think I’m completely powerless against you?*
Nie Jingzhi: *You are. You don’t like me, and I can’t tempt you. What are you afraid of?*
Silence followed for a very long time.
Just as she decided he would not reply, the screen lit again.
Bo Jiusi: *Put your clothes on properly.*
Nie Jingzhi looked down. Every button was fastened, and nothing improper showed.
Her smile deepened as she typed: *Do you mean on top or underneath?*
Then she sent a mirror selfie.
The shirt barely reached the tops of her thighs, revealing two long, pale legs and slim ankles against the soft carpet.
*Is this all right, Master Jiu?*
He remained silent.
After waiting, she sent a close-up with two buttons deliberately undone, suggestive curves half revealed. Across the image, she had playfully added: *Good night, Master Jiu.*
Then she stuffed the phone beneath her pillow, turned off the light, hugged the blanket, and slowly closed her eyes with a faint smile.
Elsewhere, Bo Jiusi sat alone on his sofa.
His screen lit and dimmed as each photograph appeared, his face darkening like thunder.
His finger hovered for several seconds before, almost against his better judgment, he tapped *Save*.
