My Contract Husband Won't Behave - Chapter 57
Nie Jingzhi quickly grabbed a towel and rose to wipe him. The sight of the corners of his eyes reddened from coughing excited her inexplicably.
She bit her lip and reached for his face. He caught her wrist.
She froze, meeting the anger in his eyes.
“Nie Jingzhi, if you speak without restraint again—”
Before he finished, she bent and kissed his cheek.
Bo Jiusi froze. Her warm breath brushed him like a feather.
She withdrew, eyes curving. “You’re so handsome when you’re angry.”
He looked at her face in the candlelight. Her red lips lifted suggestively as she leaned closer, letting her teasing breath brush his ear.
“Are we doing it tonight?”
He could control his expression, not the redness creeping over his ears. Seeing it at close range, she laughed like silver bells.
His fingers tightened around the glass. “Sit properly.” After a pause, awkwardness entered his voice. “We’ll see when we get back.”
Laughing harder, she sank lazily into her chair.
Food arrived. She kept watching him with her chin propped up. He ignored her and used his cutlery, leaving her to amuse herself.
Her smile gradually faded to a faint curve. Straightening, she rested her elbows on the table, soft hair falling forward.
Watching him cut steak, she said, “In the past, if I looked one second too long, you threatened to dig out my eyes. Now I can openly admire your face and somehow… it isn’t interesting anymore.”
The knife scraped sharply across the plate and stopped.
He looked up with a dark expression.
“A joke.” She smiled, speared a piece from his cut steak, and ate it naturally. “Not bad. You cut exactly the right size.”
Ignoring his chilling gaze, she swallowed and drank water. When he lowered his head to continue cutting, her lips secretly curved.
After dinner, she pulled him toward the sea.
The tide breathed in and out. Wind carried the salty, fishy smell of seawater. Soft sand sank beneath each step and dirtied Bo Jiusi’s leather shoes. Normally a speck of dust required cleaning, but now he ignored them and let her lead him to the edge.
Then he released her hand and refused to continue.
“Afraid of water?”
He frowned. “Why are we here?”
“To play in the water.”
“Boring.”
He turned away.
“Were you nearly drowned as a child?” she asked suddenly.
His back stiffened.
So she was right.
“I’ve nearly drowned several times,” she said with a light smile. “It didn’t stop me loving the sea. I don’t abandon something because I fear it. I overcome the difficulty and embrace what I love. That’s why I learned to swim.”
After a pause, his voice came colder than the wind. “Don’t presume you know me. You love the sea. I don’t.”
He removed the black scarf at his throat and threw it down. “I’ve humored you enough today. Stop wasting your effort.”
He left without looking back.
Nie Jingzhi stared at the scarf. During dinner a seller had passed, and she had chosen it because men looked sexy in scarves. Against Bo Jiusi’s pale, exquisite face, black silk gave him a breathtaking, dangerously alluring beauty. He had not resisted when she tied it, merely sat in silence.
He permitted her near, but still denied her entry into his heart. One accidental touch on his pain, and he became angry.
The wind carried the scarf into the sea. Resentment clogged her chest. She continued forward alone, neither turning back.
They walked in opposite directions, farther apart.
At night, the sea was ugly—windy, rough, the distance a hazy gray with only several lit fishing boats. In her white dress against the black night, she looked like a fairy who had strayed into the mortal world. Wind inflated the skirt and exposed pale thighs.
Passing men stared.
“So beautiful. She’s alone… ask for her WeChat…”
Bo Jiusi stopped, looked back, and scowled. He strode through water that soaked his shoes and bent behind her to gather the flying skirt.
She startled at the approach, then raised a surprised brow. “Didn’t you leave?”
He straightened, captured her wrist, and pulled her into his chest, giving the men a freezing look.
“Her boyfriend?”
“Husband. He’s wearing a ring.”
“What a pity…”
“Stop staring. She’s taken.”
They left awkwardly.
Nie Jingzhi understood and gave Bo Jiusi a knowing look.
“We’re going back,” he said hoarsely.
“No.” She took his hand. “Not unless you walk farther with me until the water covers your trouser legs.”
She pointed deeper. His face tightened.
Wind lifted her hair, and distant fishing lights flickered across her face. Stroking the back of his hand, she gave him strength.
“Don’t be afraid, Master Jiu. I’m beside you.”
The words held more power than any promise. His lashes stirred, his throat moving repeatedly. He almost placed his hand in hers.
In the end, reason won out over his inner demons.
“Go alone.” He pushed her hand away. “If the sea carries you off at night, don’t expect me to fish you out.”
Backing away, she shouted at his retreating figure, “Coward! You’re afraid to wade through water! You only flee from fear. No wonder you won’t let me into your heart. You don’t believe I love you or can walk beside you. It isn’t disbelief—you’re afraid—ah!”
Her foot struck something. She slipped backward.
At her scream, he spun. The water barely passed her knees, but seeing her fall sent terror ripping through him.
He rushed over and caught her hand. Her weight dragged him backward, and he fell into the water with her.
Splash!
He braced himself, yet choked on seawater. Coughing on his knees with water at his waist, he ignored his humiliation and hauled her up.
“Nie Jingzhi.”
Her eyes remained closed, face pale and lifeless.
“Nie Jingzhi…”
His arms trembled as he pressed his ear to her chest.
“Cough…” Her face reddened and her eyes opened. Beside his ear, she drawled, “Why panic? I told you I can swim.”
