Something Beautiful and Wicked

Shi Yen looked after Master Wong until he was well enough to move around the apartment on his own. He hadn't received any major damage to his body, but he felt pain anytime he leaned over or bent down.     

She made him food, watered his house plants, and looked after his studio until she went home by the end of the week.     

Shi Yen finally arrived during the late evening after spending a week there. She washed up and changed, playing with Shizi, who missed her.     

She then heard the sound of the doorbell, and she quickly put on a cardigan before opening the door, expecting a delivery.     

Right at the foot of her door was Yuan Shun.     

For a second, Shi Yen thought she might have been delirious with restlessness, summoning a bad dream while she was still awake.     

His face was stone cold and flat, annoyed. Shi Yen reached out to poke his cheek, surprised to be feeling warm skin. Indeed, he was real.     

"What are you doing here?" she questioned.     

Yuan Shun didn't know why he went over as soon as Shi Ailin told him Shi Yen had come home. Shi Yen hadn't stopped by the house to see any of the new renovations for a week, and it made him wonder what happened to her, why she hadn't come.     

When he visited a few days earlier, Shi Ailin had told him Shi Yen was taking care of a family friend, but, still, he had wanted to see her. He wanted to make sure she wasn't hurt or suffering because he was supposed to be the one who made her suffer. And he wouldn't allow anyone else to do it.     

"Your sister told me you were home. And I wanted to give you updates on the house while you were gone," he lied.     

A tired smile tugged on Shi Yen's lips. She stepped aside, allowing him to enter her home. Yuan Shun followed her to the kitchen, hands tucked in the pockets of his black tight-fitted slacks.     

Shizi approached him with licks, and he stopped to caress her fur.     

Shi Yen then gestured him to take a seat, as she approached her stove, brewing some tea in a pot.     

Yuan Shun tried not to look at how short her chemise was; it was a nightgown that hugged her hips, ending just a breadth below her buttocks. Every angle and curve of her body was fit, revealing years of martial arts training, but it was full in the places he'd like to one day trace.     

The cardigan she wore slipped from her shoulders, hanging by her raised forearms, revealing her delicate shoulders. Yuan Shun watched as Shi Yen turned with a full tray of tea and treats.     

She then put down the tray, quickly lifting her cardigan over her shoulders. But Yuan Shun got a glimpse of faint, subtle scars over her upper arms.     

He looked at her curiously, but Shi Yen ignored his gaze, pouring tea for him. She then took a seat across him, sipping from her cup. "So, what are the updates you have to tell me?" she questioned, challenged. She knew it was not the reason he'd come over.     

Yuan Shun didn't know what to tell her. It was just an excuse, and she seemed to have known all too well about it. But he wouldn't let her believe that.     

"While you were away, I took the initiative to take over," he told her.     

"Take over what?" she asked him to be specific.     

"Your estate."     

Shi Yen narrowed her eyes, glaring at him. "What did you do?"     

Yuan Shun grinned broadly without saying another word, telling her that he did something behind her back through the mischievous glint in his eyes.     

But it'd be impossible for him to do something to her house within a week. Right?     

Shi Yen stood up. "I'll be going there now," she said.     

Yuan Shun grasped her wrist gently. He could see how tired and exhausted she was. Her eyes dimmed from her usual playful cheer. Her face paled. When was the last time she slept properly?     

"Wait until the morning," he told her.     

Shi Yen looked at him suspiciously.     

"Contrary to what you think of me, I believe heading over there at night is pointless; you should go to sleep," he said.     

Shi Yen kept looking at him through narrow slits.     

"And you look hideous," he lied. He said it to convince her to forget about it.     

Shi Yen's eyes widened. She then took a spoon, flipping it to one side. She used it to get a small reflection, dragging her hands down her face, inspecting it. She looked at him again, "You're right."     

She put the spoon down and yawned. "I'll be going to bed, and you can leave once you finish your tea."     

Yuan Shun smirked. "I'll make sure to take my time," he said.     

Shi Yen rolled her eyes. She then walked up the stairs, disappearing down the hall. She was too tired to care that Yuan Shun was still in her house before she went to bed. But once she got into the bed, Shizi joining her, Shi Yen heard him leave, and sleep claimed her shortly after.     

...     

The next morning, Shi Yen woke up early, well-rested.     

She went to visit the estate on her way to work, finding the house different than when she last left it. Yuan Shun must have instructed the team to work on the house while she was away. There were upgrades all over the inside of the house, as well as the out, following her design plans.     

She then went to the yard, following a beautiful patio that led to an in-ground pool. A garden of plants and tall hedgerows surrounded the pool, granting privacy from the neighbours. There were various types of flowers she couldn't name, and small trees soiled in the ground.     

The yard wasn't her idea, but it was transformed in ways she'd never imagine before.     

She then suddenly grew suspicious. She turned around, finding Yuan Shun standing right behind her with his hands tucked in.     

"What do you think?" he questioned.     

Shi Yen furrowed her brows. "I'm thinking why you've done my side of the yard and not yours?"     

Yuan Shun grinned. "No, this is my yard. But I'm willing to share it."     

"What do you mean?" Shi Yen questioned.     

He motioned her to go inside the house with him. They found Fang Qi wearing a construction hat, measuring the living room. She then began to realize that the house is much wider than she remembered.     

"We've made an addition to the house," Yuan Shun said.     

"You extended the house!?" Shi Yen shouted.     

"Hm," he muttered.     

Fang Qi then opened the double doors in the living room, which she initially thought to be a closet. He then led them through a vast part of the house that had another kitchen, bathrooms, stairs, bedrooms, even another front door. It was all in the framing stage, but she could see what they were becoming.     

"What's your game?" she questioned.     

Yuan Shun smiled. "Your side of the property ends right at where your living room is, and the rest is mine."     

"But you were supposed to create a separate estate, not attach yours to mine," she said.     

Yuan Shun rolled his eyes. "The only specifics in the contract was the measurement of the property." He then gestured to the middle of the living room where Fang Qi put tape to create a boundary line.     

"But we're not supposed to share!"     

His eyes darkened. "Think of it as a townhouse. Except there's no wall that keeps between us, only a door. The only areas of the estate we can share are the living room because it's the bridge between our sides and the backyard. Everything else is out of boundaries. I won't cross over, and you can't cross over to my side unless we grant the other permission to."     

Shi Yen narrowed her eyes. "You're definitely doing this to piss me off!"     

Yuan Shun flashed his teeth innocently. He took a forward towards Shi Yen, prompting Fang Qi to keep himself busy. "Are you afraid that I will find out one of your little secrets?" he questioned low and viperish.     

She looked up at him. "I'm not afraid of anything," she countered back low and harsh. She then turned her heel, walking away from him.     

Shi Yen went back to look at the design plans, creating some modifications and requested a safe to be installed. Shi Yen did have things to hide, but as long as she protected them, then there'd be nothing to fear.