Five Big Bosses are Too Clingy After Transmigrating into a Book - Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Time to Flip the Plaque, Tonight!

Chu Xingchen saw the box again, her face flushing with embarrassment, a helpless smile on her face. “Wan Dong, stop joking, go get busy.”

Wan Dong was completely serious. “Your Highness, I’m not joking. You really can choose someone! A woman must enjoy herself while she can.”

Hearing the latter sentence, Chu Xingchen burst out laughing. Wan Dong’s eyes lit up as she held the box. “Your Highness, you agree with what I said, don’t you? Flipping the plaque every night is such a wonderful thing.”

Flipping the plaque did sound fun. Chu Xingchen remembered how Emperors flipped plaques on television and sat up abruptly. “Then I’ll flip them just for fun, once.”

The last time she saw the red plaques, her circumstances were too sensitive to risk intimacy. But tonight, it was just her and Wan Dong, so she could definitely try it once.

Wan Dong respectfully presented the box. Chu Xingchen’s fingers danced over the plaques and flipped one open dramatically. Wan Dong checked it. “Tonight, Consort Shen attends.”

Chu Xingchen laughed heartily, then quickly flipped three more plaques. Wan Dong followed up. “And also Lord Ling, Lord Xiao, and Consort Zhou.”

There were five plaques in the box. Aside from Xie Ziqing’s, which was despised and tossed aside, Chu Xingchen flipped all the others.

Chu Xingchen laughed at Wan Dong’s announcement. Anyone hearing this would think she was summoning four people to her bedchamber.

Wan Dong watched Chu Xingchen finally cheer up and sighed with relief. She had noticed Chu Xingchen was unhappy earlier. Men were indeed useful. She sincerely urged, “Your Highness, why don’t you genuinely choose someone?”

With such handsome men, why wouldn’t she choose one? Wan Dong desperately wished she could choose for Chu Xingchen.

“No, no. I was just doing it for fun. You should go now.”

“Your Highness, you previously said you would only be husband and wife with Attendant Xie. Now that you no longer like him, why do you torment yourself?”

“The time isn’t right, Wan Dong, please go.” She couldn’t actually choose someone. Besides other reasons, Shen Cangzhu might still have someone he likes in his heart. How could she force him? And Ling Zhou had just turned and run off.

Wan Dong reluctantly put away the box. With Wan Dong gone, the bedchamber immediately became quiet and empty. Chu Xingchen didn’t want to add more people for now. She wasn’t used to having other servants stand guard, especially since they were men; having men nearby while she slept was too awkward.

Before, she slept alone and didn’t mind, but tonight, she felt a little scared.

Just as she was thinking, a gust of wind blew in. The light silk curtains danced, making the entire hall seem even more eerie. Chu Xingchen pulled the blanket over her face, but it didn’t help. She felt like Zhu Mo’s ghost was staring at her from outside the blanket, or perhaps sitting right on her, looking at her gloomily.

Chu Xingchen was scared by her own imagination. Her palms were sweating. For a moment, she didn’t dare pull the blanket down herself and could only ask for help. “Zhou Buyan, come down and help me lift the blanket.”

Zhou Buyan silently floated down, lifted a corner of the blanket, and pulled it back.

He pulled it back thoroughly, exposing Chu Xingchen’s entire upper body. Chu Xingchen suddenly shivered.

But seeing Zhou Buyan after the blanket was lifted, Chu Xingchen felt relieved. She pulled the blanket back up and pondered for a moment.

“Zhou Buyan, don’t rush to go back up. Just sit here and keep me company for a while. You can leave after I fall asleep.”

Zhou Buyan stood silently nearby. Chu Xingchen glanced at him and felt it was wrong. She patted the edge of the bed. “Sit down. Standing is tiring.”

It was too extravagant to have someone stand there watching her sleep.

Zhou Buyan frowned but obeyed and sat down. He truly stood firm like a pine and sat straight like a bell, his back perfectly straight, diligently watching her.

Chu Xingchen: “…”

With Zhou Buyan sitting nearby, she was no longer scared, but being stared at like this also prevented her from falling asleep.

Chu Xingchen closed her eyes and then opened them, staring at Zhou Buyan for a moment before sighing. She hugged the blanket and scooted inward. “Zhou Buyan, if you can’t sit, just lie down. Don’t refuse. I’m just asking you to change your location and posture while watching me. You can leave after I fall asleep.”

Zhou Buyan remained stiff and still. Chu Xingchen quickly said, “Don’t worry, I won’t do anything to you. No one will know about this. I’m just a little scared alone. You know someone just died outside today.”

Zhou Buyan did not understand Chu Xingchen’s fear.

Seeing that he still didn’t move, Chu Xingchen quickly pointed to the wardrobe. “There should be another quilt in there. Take it out and cover yourself so you won’t be cold. We’ll each have one.”

Zhou Buyan ultimately didn’t take a quilt. He lay down next to Chu Xingchen like a statue, his arms crossed over his chest, his body perfectly straight. One might suspect he wasn’t lying down but still standing.

Since he was lying flat, Chu Xingchen was finally not being stared at. She was satisfied, shrinking under her blanket, only revealing her eyes to look at him a few times, murmuring to herself that he truly was pleasing to the eye.

If only such a person could be in a relationship! As long as they didn’t get married, she wouldn’t mind him being mute. His face compensated for his inability to speak.

However, Chu Xingchen was only thinking about it. Her goal was to teach him how to integrate into the world.

“Zhou Buyan, are you really not cold?”

Zhou Buyan shook his head. Chu Xingchen carefully extended a claw from under the blanket and tentatively touched Zhou Buyan’s hand. She found he was indeed warm, warmer than she was inside the blanket, and felt relieved.

With Zhou Buyan nearby, in a different manner, she was no longer afraid or awkward. Fearing he would slip away the moment she closed her eyes, Chu Xingchen rolled her eyes, making very small, quiet movements. She scooted over and tugged at his sleeve, secretly and gently pressing down on his clothes.

She thought her actions were seamless, but they were not missed by Zhou Buyan’s peripheral vision.

Zhou Buyan couldn’t understand why Chu Xingchen was pressing on his clothes but didn’t intervene.

Chu Xingchen, who was mentally and physically exhausted from the stressful day, quickly fell asleep. Zhou Buyan heard her steady breathing, turned to look at her, and was about to leave immediately, but failed to move because Chu Xingchen was pressing on his sleeve.

He looked at the pinned corner of his sleeve and paused before leaving. The next second, Chu Xingchen suddenly rolled over, moving closer. Her breath fell on his neck, and her hand slapped onto his body.

Sensing the heat from his body, Chu Xingchen automatically leaned closer in her sleep. Just as her foot was about to land on him, Zhou Buyan slid off the bed like an eel and slipped away.

He had just floated up when he heard a small whimper from Chu Xingchen, like a sob.

Zhou Buyan frowned and slid back down. He saw Chu Xingchen’s brow furrowed, seemingly dreaming of something unpleasant, making muffled noises, and her hands unconsciously grasping for something.

Zhou Buyan reached out to wake Chu Xingchen, but his hand was caught by Chu Xingchen. She then hugged it tightly and stopped making noises.

Seeing she was quiet, Zhou Buyan tried to leave, but he couldn’t pull his hand out.

Chu Xingchen was holding him tightly, and the softness of her body pressed against his arm was impossible to ignore.

When Zhou Buyan moved, he only made contact with more of her. His usually expressionless face finally showed a change.