Milady's Fine Gentleman

Since it was too awkward, the lady switched on the radio. "Do you mind?" She asked, yet she proceeded to switch it on first.

The man only snickered. Most probably in his mind went in the lines of "What"s the use of asking if you"ll proceed with it anyway?" His eyes were laughing mockingly.

"You don"t have to push yourself to drive all the way home just to impress me." Teng Man Rui attacked. His pride was something he does not take lightly.

The man"s eyes sparkled even more. Though burning with fever, his pair of eyes were burning with something else. Was it desire?

Teng Man Rui was simply the right flavor of heroine for him – no more, no less. She"s the right meek, feminine, prim, elegant woman with the right s.p.u.n.k and att.i.tude that he prefers. She could be both angelic and ruthless, well, at least to him. Most probably he would gladly be a slave for her, or maybe not. She"s the only person who could talk down to him fearlessly and was allowed to do so without repercussions.

At his house, the lady commanded, "Change clothes and then lie down on your bed."

"Oooh, I"m getting nervous, Man Rui. Why do I get the feeling that you"ll do something to me? Say, something inappropriate?" He teased while leaning on the wall, arms crossed in front of his chest.

The lady blushed involuntarily. They were still in the living room. She fetched a pillow from the couch and unceremoniously threw it at him. He easily dodged. Actually, her aim was too off.

He chuckled lightly. He was enthusiastically enjoying the lady"s company ever since she decided to stay with him. His aura was lifted. It was no more near the gloomy sort he was emitting when they first encountered each other at the park near the lady"s residence.

"Miss Teng, do you have plans of violating me at this point when I am weakest?"

The lady blushed a deeper shade of red. She fetched another pillow but this time, she hit him repeatedly with it. "Aww, ouch, you"re hurting a sick person!" He played more with her.

"s.h.i.+ FAN HAI!" She shouted on top of her lungs.

"That"s it! You"re safely home. I"ll get going now."

The man blocked her way. His gaze was intense. "Not too easy. Do you know how hard it is to get near you? You"re heavily guarded."

The lady"s mouth twitched knowingly. She remembered how the guards Zhu Li Qiang hired to protect them both had defeated s.h.i.+ Fan Hai"s gang.

In her reverie, his voice woke her up.

"Stay."

With all the gentleness in the world, he wrapped his one arm around her waist. As though not enough with words, he communicated his intentions with his eyes. "Stay with me tonight."

The lady quivered, sensing danger with his words. "What could he possibly do to me? He"s sick." She shook her head.

With the recollection of the guards sent by Zhu Li Qiang to protect her, she was hesitating to agree to the devil"s whim. After all, his condition might worsen overnight. He had no one to look after him.

"Once you agree to stay, I"ll obediently follow your commands, miss. You"re in charge. Change clothes and lie down right?" He was grinning and it was tempting.

"Alright. But don"t you dare do anything funny or don"t ever cross the line!" Teng Man Rui strongly but nervously requested.

s.h.i.+ Fan Hai inched closer to the lady until their faces almost touched. "Granted."

He pulled back, snickering, and locking gazes with her as he walked away.

While proceeding towards the bedroom to do his ch.o.r.es, he called back. "Will you be joining me later? Where will you sleep?"

The lady who was still flushed red and frozen from their short but p.r.o.nounced proximity, felt her blood rush up on her face even more.

"I won"t sleep tonight! I"m on vigil!" She called out to him too.

Only his chuckles were heard from a distance

Still frozen, her thoughts poured like the rain. "What are you doing here, Man Rui! He"s leading you in, can"t you see?"

"Leave at once! Leave the soonest possible!"

"What are you getting yourself into?"

"Don"t be fooled by his antics!"

"Don"t forget about what he had done!"

"Don"t forget he"s evil! His bad deeds won"t be erased even if he gets sick!"

She pursed her lips while still deep in her own thought bubble.

Outwardly she was not moving at all, but inside her head, there was chaos, in every meaning of the word.

"But he"s sick!"

"No one"s there to look after him."

"I"ll leave once his fever subsides. Okay."

Perturbed as she was, she needed some finality with her stance.

With that resolve, she went to do her part of the job. As the former girlfriend, she knew her way around the house. Finding her way, she fetched a clean towel and wetted in the faucet. She wasn"t done yet when her patient was already calling out her name.

"I"m done with the errand. Lying here on my bed… Where are you, my queen? What"s next?" He called out teasingly, and even playfully, despite him being physically weak with the fever.

"Just shut up." Teng Man Rui answered from afar.

Soon she reached the bedroom and put the wetted towel on his burning forehead while patting it once in a while. "This will absorb all the heat in your body." She explained softly. At this point, she was emitting such motherly tender loving care.

She opened a drawer where the thermometer was kept, together with the first aid kit.

"Maybe you"ve overworked yourself, just like always, that"s why you got sick." She deduced. With a stoic face, she proceeded to take his temperature.

She was too busy, that she was quite oblivious to the intense stare that the man lying in bed had been giving her this whole time.