Yu Xi instinctively lowered her head and speared a small piece of beef with her fork, bringing it to her mouth.

The steak was tender, and the flavor burst in her mouth.

It was really delicious.

Neither the meat nor the sauce could compare to what she used to eat at those buffets costing a hundred yuan per meal. With Shen Shu’s lifestyle, she had no doubt that this seemingly ordinary beef was freshly imported from abroad this morning.

The cooking, of course, wasn’t done by him. The chef had likely prepared it earlier and placed it in the warming tray.

“Is it good?” Shen Shu asked, noticing her quiet eating.

Yu Xi nodded.

Shen Shu smiled, “Then let this chef cook it from now on. If you want anything, just let him know.”

She was taken aback but nodded obediently.

“Do you have anything planned for the afternoon?” As they were finishing, Shen Shu asked.

Yu Xi shook her head. It was Sunday.

Her social circle wasn’t large, with only a few college friends like Jiang Chuyi still in touch. She wasn’t the type to actively make friends, and before the marriage, she would occasionally go out, but mostly stayed at home or taught children at the welfare institute how to dance.

“Then let’s go choose a ring this afternoon,” Shen Shu said.

Yu Xi paused for a moment before nodding.

Their marriage had been sudden. The wedding banquet was imminent, but they hadn’t taken wedding photos yet. They had only picked out the wedding dress, and the ring hadn’t been chosen. They hadn’t even thought about a honeymoon yet.

They hadn’t married because of love, and Shen Shu was busy. She hadn’t brought it up, but she hadn’t expected him to mention it first.

At 2:00 p.m., a silver-topped Maybach pulled up at the entrance of the residential complex.

Yu Xi followed Shen Shu out of the lobby and immediately spotted Wei Ling who had come along.

Wei Ling greeted her with a warm smile, “Madam,” and bent to open the rear car door for her.

Yu Xi nodded somewhat stiffly and climbed into the back seat. As she entered, she noticed that Shen Shu had placed his hand on the top of the car to prevent her head from hitting the ceiling, which made her feel a little touched.

“Take it slow,” Shen Shu smiled slightly, as if a bit helpless.

Once Yu Xi was seated, she turned to look at him and saw that he was also looking at her. Realizing, she quickly moved back to give him space.

Only then did Shen Shu step in and sit beside her.

The car started, and she saw him casually press a black button next to him. A transparent glass slowly rose, completely separating the front and back seats.

The soundproof effect of this glass was excellent, ensuring that their conversation wouldn’t be overheard by the driver or Wei Ling.

Yu Xi, who had mild social anxiety, felt a little relieved by this arrangement. She couldn’t help but glance at him.

Shen Shu had his eyes closed, his tall figure fully reclined against the seat. His posture was relaxed, and his long legs, wrapped in suit pants, looked elegant.

Just sitting there, he exuded an air of grace, depth, and nobility.

Perhaps because his eyes were closed, Yu Xi felt braver and allowed herself to openly examine him.

He was wearing a deep blue suit today, which made his skin appear even paler. His long, beautiful fingers rested casually on his knee. Last night, it was these hands that had slipped through her hair and undone her straps.

She quickly pulled her hand back, feeling her thoughts become tangled.

Having a more intimate relationship really did change things. It felt like something shifted, but she couldn’t quite pinpoint what.

After all, this man had once been so intimately close to her.

Yu Xi took a deep breath and shifted her gaze to the window.

Outside, traffic flowed like a river. The farther they got from the city center, the sparser the cars became.

Luxury cars were like that—though they were speeding, there was almost no sensation of movement. The only indication they were traveling fast was the scenery rushing by.

She didn’t know how much time had passed, but the car turned into an alley, weaving through the narrow streets until it stopped in front of a courtyard.

With the driver’s help, Yu Xi got out of the car and looked back at Shen Shu.

The northern wind howled, lifting her loose hair.

She shivered, only then realizing she wasn’t dressed warmly enough. The thin velvet leggings couldn’t block the biting cold wind.

“Cold?” Shen Shu took off his long coat and draped it over her, carefully pulling her hair out from under the collar and brushing it over her shoulder.

She looked at him and typed: [Aren’t you cold?]

He was wearing only a light outfit as well, a coat over a matching suit. The white shirt under his suit was slightly visible, but he still stood tall and straight, unlike her, who was clearly shivering.

He smiled and took her hand, leading her inside.

Only then did Yu Xi realize that he really wasn’t cold.

His hand felt like a furnace, warm to the touch.

They walked through the courtyard and into the front hall, where the air gradually warmed. Yu Xi’s gaze landed on the fireplace in the corner. This kind of American-style wooden fireplace was quite rare locally, but with the surrounding old-fashioned American carvings and vintage décor, it had a unique charm.

The room was heated, and Shen Shu casually handed his taken-off suit to a female attendant. He loosened his collar with one hand and adjusted his tie.

A manager-like person quickly came over and gestured for seven or eight female attendants to open a glass display cabinet. He also ordered someone to bring over a series of velvet boxes.

Yu Xi sat at the counter, looking at the boxes placed in front of her, feeling uninterested.

She thought all rings were pretty much the same, just varying in size.

As an ordinary person, she couldn’t really appreciate them or tell the difference between good and bad.

Especially the transparent diamond placed in front of her now. Although it looked large—about ten or more carats—it shone beautifully, yet there was nothing particularly special about it.

“Don’t you like the loose diamond?” Shen Shu leaned down, resting beside her and turning his head to ask.

With his tall frame, when he leaned in, he completely overshadowed her with his shadow.

There was amusement in his eyes as he smiled at her, his gaze focused entirely on her.

It felt as though she was the only person in his eyes.

Yu Xi’s heart raced, and she avoided his gaze, typing on her phone: [You choose, I don’t know how to choose.]

Shen Shu asked, “What about the finished rings? Do you like any of them?”

He made a gesture, and the manager quickly understood. With a respectful expression, he had them bring over a new set of rings.

This time, the rings were already made, with pink diamonds, red diamonds, blue diamonds… A dazzling array. Each was perfectly cut with no visible flaws.

Each diamond weighed no less than 15 carats, the main diamonds sparkling brilliantly, and the surrounding smaller diamonds were meticulously set. The designs were exquisite, each ring more dazzling than the last.

Yu Xi’s gaze lingered on a pink diamond ring, her heart skipping a beat.

Shen Shu noticed her focus and lifted the ring from the box, looking at it in his palm. “Do you like this one?”

The manager, well-attuned to the situation, quickly began explaining with a smile, “This is a rare gem just auctioned off at Christie’s. The main diamond is an 18-carat flawless pink diamond, personally designed by Hong Kong’s famous master carver Mr. Wang. This ring was sold for…”

Yu Xi wasn’t interested in the details, but she did think the ring looked beautiful.

Although she didn’t understand diamonds’ clarity, luster, or cutting, she could tell this was a valuable piece by its near-transparent purity and its size, which was even bigger than a fingernail.

Shen Shu took her hand and placed the ring on her finger.

Around them, people admired her beauty and elegance, praising how the ring suited her personality and so on.

Yu Xi didn’t listen to any of it. She knew they were just flattering her. However, the ring was indeed beautiful. She secretly touched it and, when leaving, even took it out to look at it under the sun, feeling quite pleased.

No girl could resist jewels.

Not to mention the value, its brilliant, eye-catching appearance alone was enough to captivate anyone.

After spending the whole day choosing a ring, Yu Xi fell asleep as soon as she returned home. After about half an hour, she woke up and found that Shen Shu was no longer in the living room.

He had left a note: [I have something to do at the company, so I’m leaving first. Let’s have dinner together tonight. I’ll ask Xie Pu to pick you up.]

Shen Shu’s handwriting was beautiful—delicate, elegant, with broad, sweeping strokes that showed great strength, almost piercing through the paper.

One could tell a lot about a person just from their handwriting.

When their marriage arrangement was first settled, Yu Xi hadn’t wanted to marry him. Yu Chen noticed her thoughts and patiently took her out for a walk, telling her about Shen Shu.

In the end, Yu Chen told her that even though it was a marriage of convenience, Shen Shu was someone he trusted. He assured her that, as his daughter, she wouldn’t be harmed.

Yu Xi didn’t know exactly what he had discussed with Yang Jilan, but after initially opposing the marriage, Yang Jilan had finally relented. Yu Xi had a feeling it was because her father promised her something or helped arrange a better job for her brother, Zhou Hao. Her mother loved her, but she loved her brother even more, which was an undeniable fact.

Yu Xi felt a pang of guilt for not visiting her parents during that time.

It only reinforced her belief that while they loved her, she was never their first priority.

Shaking her head, Yu Xi stopped thinking about it. She couldn’t be too greedy. Her life was already good.

In the afternoon, she sat on the couch and watched some TV. Around 4 p.m., Jiang Chuyi sent her several messages, asking how her honeymoon was going.

Yu Xi replied that they hadn’t gone yet and sent her a couple of photos of the diamond ring. She wasn’t trying to show off—she just thought the ring was particularly beautiful and wanted to share it.

Soon, Jiang Chuyi replied with a string of question marks that confused Yu Xi.

[Oh my God?! ‘Tears of Cynas’! Is this for real?!]

[Your husband is so good to you! This pink diamond was the centerpiece of last month’s Christie’s auction, with an IF clarity rating. It sold for 27.12 million dollars! You’re a billionaire now!]

Yu Xi didn’t have much concept of money, so she immediately looked it up on Baidu. When she saw all the zeros, she was stunned.

She had a feeling the ring was expensive, but she didn’t expect it to be that costly. Even if she sold it, it wouldn’t be worth that much…

She quickly took off the ring, carefully placed it back in its box.

What if it got scratched?

After the initial shock, Jiang Chuyi didn’t forget to pour cold water on her: [Don’t get too moved. With his identity and status, there must be other considerations for him to give you such an expensive ring. Think about it—if he used a subpar ring at the wedding, where would his reputation go? And what about the Shen family’s reputation?]

[People like him care about appearances. If he used a low-quality ring, maybe tomorrow gossip tabloids would say he’s stingy or that Zhongheng is about to go bankrupt.]

[Business strategy, do you understand? He’s probably already lined up hundreds of marketing accounts to hype this up. And you, just naïvely believing he’s doing this for you.]

Yu Xi thought about it, and this explanation made sense. It also aligned with Shen Shu’s usual style.

Rational and calm, considering all aspects carefully.

However, this train of thought left her feeling a subtle sense of loss.

Jiang Chuyi changed the topic and asked her: [How are things between you two?]

Yu Xi: [It’s okay.]

Jiang Chuyi: [Have you slept together yet?]

Yu Xi: …

After waiting for a long time without receiving a reply, Jiang Chuyi was sure, and sent a long string of messages: [I knew it. A man wouldn’t let a piece of meat just sit there, right? You’re so pretty, and your figure is great. If he doesn’t sleep with you, that’d be a waste.]

Yu Xi didn’t like hearing such things, but she couldn’t quite pinpoint what bothered her about them. On the surface, it sounded like the truth.

But—

She still couldn’t understand Shen Shu’s feelings for her.

They were in a business marriage, had never met before, and no emotions between them seemed normal. But if there were truly no feelings, why would he do such things with her? Things like this could only be done with someone close, right?

After hearing Jiang Chuyi’s words, she felt as if a sudden realization dawned on her.

She felt like the free gift with a supermarket purchase. What Shen Shu truly wanted was the marriage alliance with the Yu family, and she was just the freebie.

Not unpleasant, but it felt like a waste not to take advantage of what was already there.

Not sleeping with her would be a waste…

Jiang Chuyi’s words were harsh, but they seemed to be true.