Ruthless Romance

Chapter 10: Moving Upstairs Tonight

Wen Yan felt immediately unsettled. Hadn't he said he was going on a business trip? Why was he suddenly back? Relief washed over her as she realized how fortunate it was that she hadn't gone ice skating with Chen Mengyao – though the broken bicycle chain had been unfortunate enough...

Her shower was filled with anxiety, knowing he would inevitably summon her.

As she emerged from the bathroom and passed through the living room, she caught a glimpse of an elegant figure on the sofa from the corner of her eye.

Mu Tingchen wore light gray loungewear, which made him appear more casual than his usual suits, softening his typically austere demeanor. However, when he raised his eyes to look at her, they remained as cold as ever. "Come here."

She approached with downcast eyes, standing straight beside him. "You're back."

"...Cold?" His gaze fell on her chapped, cracked hands, and what was meant to be a questioning about her late return became a single word of concern.

Wen Yan hesitated, still avoiding his gaze. "It's... not too bad..."

Without warning, Mu Tingchen picked up a steaming cup of red tea from the coffee table and held it out to her, his expression unchanged. "Don't come home this late again."

She didn't reach for the cup immediately, struck by this unprecedented moment – for the first time, he wasn't angry about her late return, hadn't even asked for an explanation.

When she failed to respond, Mu Tingchen looked up at her again. That single icy glance was enough to startle her into action. She hastily accepted the tea and drank it all at once. Though the tea had cooled somewhat, drinking it so quickly still made her tongue sting.

Only after finishing did she realize she had drunk from his cup. "I'll... I'll wash it for you..."

Before he could react, she fled to the kitchen with the still-warm cup clutched in her hands.

Mu Tingchen's eyes darkened, his fine lips pressing into a displeased line. Was she really that afraid of him?

In the kitchen, Wen Yan washed the cup countless times until Mrs. Liu reached over and turned off the faucet. "Yan Yan, what are you doing? You'll wash the pattern right off the cup!"

Wen Yan snapped back to reality, carefully cradling the cup. "Nothing... I'm just taking it back to him."

Mrs. Liu shooed her along. "Go on then, hurry up."

In truth, she dreaded returning. She was certain Mu Tingchen wouldn't use a cup she had drunk from, yet he hadn't explicitly rejected it. She feared seeing the disgust in his eyes...

When Mu Tingchen saw her slowly emerging from the kitchen, his brows furrowed slightly. Her white fitted sweater revealed her thin frame – had she never eaten properly?

As she approached, he heard her trembling query: "Would you... would you like more tea? Should I get a different cup?"

His long, elegant fingers took the cup from her hands. The contrast between them was stark – his smooth and pristine, hers rough and damaged. He filled the cup with fresh tea.

"From now on, Butler Lin will drive you to school. Don't embarrass the Mu family."

Before Wen Yan could feel touched by the first part of his statement, the second half doused any warmth with cold reality. She was glad she understood him, glad she was prepared... He was only concerned about face.

"You're blocking my light," he suddenly announced, looking down at the magazine in his hands.

Wen Yan glanced up at the ceiling light – how could she possibly be blocking it? After a moment's consideration, she realized he simply found her presence bothersome. She turned silently to leave, only to be stopped by his command: "I didn't say you could go."

She returned, settling on the sofa at a respectful distance. To her surprise, Mu Tingchen lifted the tea cup to his lips and took a sip, showing no aversion to using the cup she had drunk from.

Her mind wandered to the events in his room the previous night, and her cheeks began to burn.

"Starting tonight, you'll sleep upstairs," Mu Tingchen announced matter-of-factly, oblivious to her thoughts.

The statement hung in the air like a suspended sword. Wen Yan's fingers twisted nervously in her lap as she processed his words. Upstairs – where his bedroom was, where the family's private quarters were located. It was a significant change from her usual room near the kitchen, closer to the servants' quarters.

The implications of this move weren't lost on her. It represented a shift in status, perhaps, but also meant she would be closer to him, more accessible, more under his control. The memory of his lips on her neck, hidden beneath her scarf, seemed to burn anew.

She wanted to protest, to refuse, to maintain what little distance she could between them. But she knew better than to voice such thoughts. In the Mu household, his word was law, and she was merely a ward – or perhaps something else now, something undefined and dangerous.

The silence stretched between them, broken only by the soft rustle of magazine pages as he continued reading, seemingly unconcerned with her internal struggle. To him, it was probably just another command, another way to assert his authority. To her, it was another step deeper into the maze that was life with Mu Tingchen, where every turn led her further from escape.