The Golden Cane and the Wild Rose - Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Yun Ran slept until dawn with the light on.

She was afraid of thunder, and last night had been a thunderstorm, so she had left the light on.

The warm yellow light wasn’t harsh and was very easy on the eyes. Yun Ran blinked her eyes slowly before fully opening them.

She sat up, about to get out of bed and wash up, when she saw a person slumped over the side of her bed.

She could only see the black strands of hair on the back of his head, falling to the back of his neck like a cascade of sharp, curved blades. Below those blade-like ends was a snow-white neck.

Who else could it be but Jiang Musheng?

Yun Ran was surprised. Had Jiang Musheng really watched over her all night?

She no longer remembered when she had fallen asleep yesterday. She only remembered Jiang Musheng asking if she needed company.

She didn’t answer and pulled her blanket up to cover her face.

Inside the stuffy blanket, she heard Jiang Musheng’s muffled voice.

“I understand,” he said.

Then he pulled the blanket down to her neck.

“You’ve already caught a cold, don’t make yourself more confused.”

Yun Ran closed her eyes slightly, not speaking, thinking about Jiang Musheng’s previous sentence.

‘He understood.’

‘What did he understand exactly?’

Even she herself didn’t understand.

Maybe because her eyes had been closed for so long and the cold medicine had taken effect, she really did fall asleep.

Now that she was awake, she felt that last night’s slight cold had been completely snuffed out by Jiang Musheng’s family doctor. She was full of energy again.

Of course, she felt a little grateful.

“Mr. Jiang.”

Yun Ran called out softly, but Jiang Musheng didn’t move.

Yun Ran raised her hand, unable to resist touching Jiang Musheng’s short-but-long, long-but-short, black hair.

The fine, soft black hair really did look a bit like shiny black blades, with a hint of danger.

But Yun Ran didn’t care about this small danger.

The time when Jiang Musheng was sleeping must be when he was at his least dangerous. Was there a better time to take the opportunity to touch his hair, which she had been curious about for so long?

Maybe one day in the future, when Jiang Musheng was awake, he would let her do as she pleased, touching him wherever she wanted.

Yun Ran really did have another place she wanted to touch: Jiang Musheng’s Adam’s apple.

Jiang Musheng’s Adam’s apple was very subtle. It was the least pronounced she had ever seen on any man.

However, even though this masculine feature was subtle, Jiang Musheng’s masculinity was not weak. Just like his handsome and noble face, his masculinity was clearer, and it didn’t make people think of the rougher side of masculinity, like being sweaty and stinky.

Yun Ran even had a strange idea about Jiang Musheng.

Even if Jiang Musheng sweat, the sweat would be very fresh, even with a faint fragrance.

Thinking this, Yun Ran patted her chest. She felt she was thinking too much.

It was as if she were really going to stay by Jiang Musheng’s side forever, deepening her understanding of him.

Yun Ran pulled her hand back from Jiang Musheng’s hair, and he sat up.

Yun Ran didn’t have time to pretend to be asleep, so she just acted like she had just woken up.

“Mr. Jiang, you were here all night?”

“I left for a while to get a chair.”

“Oh… then you must have been very uncomfortable sleeping. I’m fine now. You should go back to your room and get some more sleep.”

“Ah Ran, aren’t you going to change what you call me?”

Yun Ran was a little confused. ‘Change what I call him?’

Jiang Musheng reached back and kneaded his shoulder and the back of his neck, reminding her, “You called me ‘you.'”

Yun Ran: “…you?”

“That’s fine.”

Jiang Musheng stood up. “I’ll go out first. You get some more rest.”

Yun Ran nodded obediently.

However, as soon as Jiang Musheng left her room, Yun Ran immediately jumped out of bed. The first thing she did was hide the chair Jiang Musheng had sat on at the foot of the bed.

After she was done hiding it, she didn’t understand why she had done it.

‘Would doing this prevent Jiang Musheng from staying in her room in the future?’

‘Probably not.’

She was now pretty sure that Jiang Musheng was a gentleman, a gentleman who wouldn’t do anything inappropriate. He had the proper demeanor, manners, and behavior of someone of his noble status.

The most inappropriate thing about him was probably that he had her by his side.

She actually didn’t need to worry about Jiang Musheng too much.

Instead of worrying about Jiang Musheng, Yun Ran felt she should worry more about herself falling for him.

She was a girl who was more attractive than average but otherwise as ordinary as could be. How could she resist the gentle kindness of a man of Jiang Musheng’s status?

Just like in a romance novel, she could fall for him in a matter of minutes.

But at the same time, she was clear-headed, clear-headedly immersed in a dreamy yet dangerous fantasy.

Yun Ran didn’t want to think about it anymore. She would take each day as it came, but she would not let her life get worse.

She hoped that every day would be an uphill journey.

She had already envisioned two better paths for herself. One was to try her best to make Jiang Musheng infatuated with her, to fall in love with her, so she would have the chance to become Mrs. Jiang. Once she was Mrs. Jiang, she wouldn’t have anything to worry about.

The other path was, if she couldn’t stay by Jiang Musheng’s side forever, she would take advantage of her time with him to get some tangible benefits: cash, savings, jewelry, and accessories. She would save it all up so that when Jiang Musheng no longer wanted her by his side, she could still live a good life. At that time, whether she wanted to apply for a return permit to go back to the mainland for a new life or go abroad to study, the choice would be hers.

As long as she could stay clear-headed, her future would not be too bad.

Jiang Musheng had already agreed to help her find her dad. Once he found him, if Jiang Musheng truly had some feelings for her, he wouldn’t let her dad do dangerous things anymore.

Yun Ran felt as if she had already seen the dawn of her future, and a wave of warmth spread through her heart.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

“Aran, there’s news about your dad.”

“Really?” Yun Ran excitedly pulled the door open and asked Jiang Musheng, “Where is he?”

“I’m not too sure. Someone brought the message. I’m waiting for you so we can go listen together.”

“Then let’s go quickly.”

Yun Ran urged, and Jiang Musheng grabbed her wrist, leading her downstairs.

On the first floor stood a flustered young man, who was British. When he saw Yun Ran come down, he quickly stepped forward, raising his hand and opening his palm.

“Are you Miss Yun Ran? Scar asked me to deliver this.”

“This is… a pager?” Yun Ran looked a little lost, because she saw a dried bloodstain on the pager.

“Yes.”

Yun Ran reached for it, but Jiang Musheng blocked her.

“Don’t be in a hurry. Let me check it first.”

Jiang Musheng was suspicious that there might be some danger. He had a bodyguard carefully check it before wrapping it in a clean handkerchief and handing it to Yun Ran. “It’s a pager, but it seems to be broken.”

Yun Ran took it. Her thumb gently rubbed against it.

A tear rolled uncontrollably from her eye, landing with a “plop” on the pager, making the bloodstain smear.

“My dad is hurt, isn’t he? Where is he?”

“Scar… he’s in prison.”

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