88: Forced Love Boss 13

That night was the most peaceful sleep Li Jin had ever experienced.

The morning sun, piercing through the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows of the mountaintop manor, bathed the luxurious master bedroom in a warm golden glow.

The lingering scent of last night's intimacy seemed to still hang in the air, a blend of crisp cedar and soft sweetness.

Wen Ci woke up in an almost suffocatingly warm embrace.

She stirred slightly, immediately feeling the iron-like arm around her waist tighten, pulling her snugly into a hot, firm embrace. Li Jin's chin rested on the top of her head, his breathing even and long, the warm air caressing her forehead.

She cautiously lifted her head, and what met her eyes was Li Jin's sleeping profile.

His usually cold, chiseled features appeared remarkably soft in the morning light, even carrying a hint of childlike contentment.

His thick eyelashes cast a small shadow beneath his eyes, and his tightly pursed lips had relaxed their line.

Wen Ci's heart felt as if it had been gently tickled by a feather, a surge of inexpressible sweetness welling up within her.

She carefully shifted, wanting to get up without waking him. However, as soon as she moved, his tightly closed eyes suddenly opened.

It was no longer his usual icy sharpness, nor the stunned ecstasy of last night, but a kind of… almost bewildered dependence and a sudden rush of tension.

He instinctively tightened his arm, pulling her more forcefully towards him, his voice low and hoarse from sleep, with a hint of undetectable panic: “Where are you going?”

Wen Ci, feeling a little breathless from his grip, chuckled and patted his taut arm: “Mr. Li, I just want to go wash up.”

Li Jin stared at her, confirming there was no sign of annoyance or an attempt to escape in her eyes, before his tense muscles slowly relaxed.

But he did not let go of her. Instead, he lowered his head and rubbed his tall nose against the top of her head, like a large dog confirming its owner's scent, his voice muffled: “Stay a little longer.”

Wen Ci's heart melted at his sudden intimacy. His stunned words from last night, “I will give you happiness,” still echoed in her ears, yet now he was like a child begging for candy.

She obediently snuggled back into his embrace, her fingertips lightly tracing the outline of his bulging chest muscles beneath his pajamas, feeling his strong, powerful heartbeat transmit through the thin fabric, carrying a reassuring, steady strength.

She clearly felt that something in Li Jin's heart had completely melted.

That wall of ice that had separated him from the outside world, that had encased him layer by layer, had collapsed with a crash after confirming her “liking” for him.

In its place was an almost greedy attachment and an instinct to constantly touch and confirm her presence.

Li Jin seemed to have developed a taste for it, completely shedding the last vestiges of shyness and insecurity that remained from last night.

Confirming her feelings seemed to have unlocked the last invisible shackles on him.

He was no longer the man who was constantly worried about gains and losses, who even approached with extreme caution, but had become a… large attachment that wished to stick to Wen Ci.

When Wen Ci finally convinced him to get up and wash up together, Li Jin was her shadow the entire time.

In the bathroom, he insisted on squeezing in front of the same sink. While Wen Ci brushed her teeth, he would wrap his arms around her waist from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder, his gaze intently fixed on her movements in the mirror.

When Wen Ci washed her face, he would hand her the towel, his fingertips brushing her wrist subtly, sending a tingling sensation through her.

Leaving the master bedroom and heading downstairs to the dining room, this “clinginess” was taken to the extreme.

Li Jin did not choose to walk side-by-side as usual. Instead, he extended his long arm and, amidst Wen Ci's gasp, swept her up steadily into his arms.

Wen Ci's cheeks instantly flushed crimson. She instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck: “Li Jin, put me down, I can walk by myself!”

“The floor is cold.” Li Jin's expression remained unchanged, his arms holding her as steady as a rock. He took long strides, heading directly towards the spiral staircase.

His steps were firm, holding her as if she were the most precious, fragile item in the world—cautious yet with an undeniable dominance.

And at this moment, it was the busy morning for the manor's servants.

Butler Chen Bo was directing the servants to set out breakfast when he looked up and saw the tall figure steadily descending the stairs, carrying someone. The exquisite bone china teacup in his hand slipped with a “clatter,” falling onto the mirror-smooth marble floor and shattering into pieces. The crisp sound of breaking glass was particularly jarring in the suddenly silent hall.

Chen Bo's mouth hung open, his eyes almost bulging out, and the wrinkles on his face froze, as if he had witnessed some apocalyptic wonder!

Carrying… Mr. Li was actually carrying Wen Miss downstairs?! And what was that expression on Mr. Li's face? It wasn't his usual cold solemnity, but a kind of… satisfied, even slightly lazy tenderness?!

Chen Bo felt his understanding of the world being challenged like never before; his mind was blank.

The two black-suited bodyguards standing guard at the door, originally like two stone statues with expressionless faces, now one of them swayed almost imperceptibly, while the other sharply gasped, his eyes filled with extreme shock and disbelief, as if he had witnessed an iceberg melting at the equator!

They had followed Li Jin for many years; when had they ever seen him so… undignified? No, this wasn't undignified; he was practically a different person! Carrying a woman down the stairs? The impact of this scene was comparable to a comet hitting Earth!

The maid wiping an antique vase dropped her rag directly to the floor, her mouth agape enough to fit an egg, staring dumbfounded at the man they regarded as a cold deity, who was now carrying Wen Miss with an absolutely possessive posture, walking through the hall as if no one else existed.

The entire first floor seemed to have been put on pause.

Everyone who witnessed this scene froze, the air solidified, leaving only the sound of their heavy breathing and their hearts pounding wildly.

Shock, bewilderment, and disbelief surged silently among them like tangible waves.

Li Jin was oblivious to all of this.

In his world, at this moment, there was only Wen Ci in his arms.

He carried her directly to the head seat, but did not immediately put her down. Instead, he sat with her in the large, head dining chair that symbolized his absolute authority.

Wen Ci was encircled in his arms, sitting on his firm lap, instantly becoming the center of attention, so shy she wished she could bury her face in his chest.

“Li Jin, put me down! So many people are watching!” Wen Ci protested in a low voice, her cheeks burning.

Li Jin ignored her, instead tightening his arms, pulling her closer.

He tilted his head slightly, his thin lips almost touching her ear, his voice deep with an undeniable possessiveness: “What if they're watching? You are mine.”

He picked up the crystal glass from the table and personally brought it to her lips, “Drink some water.”

Wen Ci was both exasperated and amused by his domineering and childish behavior, yet her heart raced at his words, “You are mine.” She could only endure the almost palpable shock from all directions, taking a sip of water from his hand.

Throughout the entire breakfast, Li Jin thoroughly demonstrated what it meant to be “stuck to someone.”