Chapter 2: I'm Here to Inspect You
799 Words
She had never even been in the company of a man. How on earth could she possibly have borne a child? Shi Xiaonian, a 24-year-old mediocre girl cartoonist, presently made her abode in City S. Should I recount for you each and every school you attended during your formative years, every acquaintance you've made, and the background details of your family? Gong Ou fixed his steely gaze upon her, enunciating her identity with precision, obliterating any chance of her refuting the matter as a misunderstanding. Indeed, everything he'd mentioned... was unerringly correct. Shi Xiaonian gaped blankly at his exceedingly handsome visage. "But, sir, I truly have no acquaintance with you whatsoever." How could she have given birth to his offspring when she didn't even know him? "Cease this feigned ignorance and hand over the child you've concealed!" Gong Ou snapped impatiently, his thumb casually flicking the safety catch of the pistol. The imminent peril of it discharging at any given moment bore down on Shi Xiaonian menacingly. And yet, the man's eyes remained glacial.
She was so petrified that beads of cold sweat cascaded down her cheeks, her voice quivering with agitation as she pleaded, "I swear I've never been pregnant. Can't you conduct a proper investigation? You can't just jump to conclusions so rashly..." "Investigate? Very well, I shall commence the inspection this instant!" Her unyielding denial had thoroughly incensed Gong Ou. His eyes, smoldering with displeasure, swept across her form beneath the diaphanous white gauze. The gauze draped over her like an ethereal dress, revealing naught but her delicate shoulders. It lent an otherworldly pallor to her skin, making it seem as fragile and pristine as a newborn babe's, as if it could shatter at the merest touch. Perspiration droplets meandered down her flesh, giving the impression that she had just emerged from a steamy bath, the tableau undeniably alluring. Gong Ou's throat constricted involuntarily, a strange and searing heat surging through his veins. He averted his gaze, peering downward, only to notice that the woman before him was now drenched in sweat, the white gauze growing increasingly sodden. Beneath the gauze, a faint, dark surgical scar on her flat abdomen came into view...
"How could you possess a scar if you've never given birth?" Gong Ou demanded imperiously, the resolute certainty in his obsidian eyes leaving no room for doubt that he was convinced of her having borne a child. Shi Xiaonian, suddenly aware of her inadvertent exposure, hastened to press her hand against her abdomen, her cheeks flushing a rosy hue as she stammered, "This is from an appendectomy. Surely, a cesarean section scar wouldn't be in such an odd location?" "Then you must have had a natural birth. I demand to examine you!" Gong Ou flung the pistol aside and advanced upon her with his imposing stature. The intoxicating scent unique to a woman that clung to her sent the flames of desire raging within him, an inferno begging for release.
"How could you possibly examine me like this?" Shi Xiaonian froze, her eyes widening in horror, before shrieking, "Hey... stay away from me!" The man inching closer to her step by step exuded a formidable and menacing aura. His eyes, locked onto her with predatory intent, were like those of a hunter who had just spied his quarry. That gaze seemed to promise that he would rend her asunder and devour her whole... "What do you want to do? Stay back..." Shi Xiaonian continued to scuttle backwards until she reached the headboard, her back against the wall, with nowhere left to flee. Gong Ou had already clambered onto the bed, kneeling before her, one hand braced against the headboard beside her, his towering frame eclipsing her completely. She was trapped in his shadow.
"Examine." Gong Ou growled the single word, his eyes boring into her, so deep and inscrutable that it was as if she were laid bare before him, every secret stripped away. "You don't need to be this close for an examination..." Her thoughts were in turmoil. "This is close? Shi Xiaonian, true proximity between a man and a woman is what I call negative distance!" "What utter nonsense are you talking about? I'm warning you, don't..." Before she could finish her protest, the man's thin lips crashed down upon hers, silencing her words. Without a moment's respite, the white gauze was yanked away by his powerful hands, and his muscular, feverish body pressed down, sending the temperature in the room skyrocketing...
"Ah—" Shi Xiaonian shrieked, jolting awake from her slumber. Before her eyes was not the opulent chamber that outshone even a presidential suite, but her own humble rented apartment. After remaining motionless for nearly ten minutes, Shi Xiaonian finally grasped that it had all been a dream.
- Writer
