The first stop of their travel shoot was at a local open park. Shen Shu had brought along a whole photography team, including makeup artists, costume changers, and catering staff, so Yu Xi had someone to help with anything she needed.

However, she had never worn high heels much before, and the photo shoot required her to stand for long periods, so after a while, her feet began to hurt.

But seeing the busy staff, all of them moving non-stop, she gritted her teeth and endured the discomfort. She didn’t want to slow down the entire shoot just because of her own discomfort.

There was, of course, another reason: she wanted to finish the shoot quickly.

Anyone who has taken wedding photos knows how exhausting it can be, with long hours and constant outfit changes. The initial excitement from the first few styles quickly wore off, and by the middle of the shoot, she just wanted to get it over with.

She wasn’t sure when it would finally end.

Yu Xi cautiously glanced at Shen Shu.

Dressed in a sharp suit, he looked handsome and dignified, his tall stature exuding a sense of elegance. He didn’t seem tired at all and remained patient as ever.

She bit her lip and wondered: Was she just too delicate?

If Shen Shu wasn’t showing any signs of fatigue, why did she feel like she couldn’t last through two outfit changes?

Not wanting to be looked down upon, she still gritted her teeth and endured. It wasn’t until lunchtime that she finally let out a sigh of relief, glad she could rest for a while.

However, Shen Shu noticed something was off with her expression. “Are you feeling unwell?”

Yu Xi hesitated, then shook her head.

Shen Shu furrowed his brows, lifted her skirt, and saw that her heels had caused some skin to peel off, and despite using anti-friction patches, her heels were still a bit red and swollen.

“Why didn’t you say anything if you’re uncomfortable?” His tone was a bit stern, but softened when he seemed to worry about startling her. His voice became gentler as he added, “You need to tell someone if you’re not feeling well. Don’t just endure it, alright? I’m not always going to be there with you. You need to learn to take care of yourself.”

Yu Xi blinked, nodding in confusion, then typed a message on her phone to show him: [I didn’t want to delay the shoot.]

Shen Shu chuckled, seemingly finding her naivety cute. “I paid for this, so they should be the ones worried about slowing us down. What kind of logic is that? Yu Xi, you really make business easy for yourself.”

Yu Xi blushed at his teasing but typed back, slightly irritated: [I didn’t want to waste your money!]

The cost of such a large team was very high. Even an extra hour could cost a fortune, let alone an entire day.

She really didn’t want to drag it on. Taking photos wasn’t exactly an enjoyable activity.

She just wanted to finish quickly and go home. The excitement she had felt at the start of the trip had long since faded.

Shen Shu watched her for a while, seemingly guessing her thoughts, and patiently said, “Hang in there, this is a once-in-a-lifetime thing. You need to take good photos. Just think, when relatives and friends come over, and they see the photos turned out like this, what will they think? They’ll probably laugh behind your back.”

Yu Xi froze for a moment, and as she imagined the scenario, her scalp tingled.

Soon, she gave up the idea of rushing through it.

However, Shen Shu still allowed her to rest for half a day before continuing the shoot.

The wedding dress photos were the hardest because Shen Shu was so tall—his 1.87-meter height was quite imposing. To make their couple shots look better, Yu Xi had to wear heels that were several inches high.

Though she later switched to a pair of wedge shoes, which were less high, standing for so long still made her feel exhausted.

“Mr. and Mrs. Shen, please move a little closer,” the photographer called from below the stairs.

A staff member immediately came to help her lift her skirt, and Yu Xi moved a little closer to Shen Shu.

Before she could fully close the distance, he already wrapped his arm around her waist and leaned in to whisper in her ear, “Relax, don’t be so stiff.”

Yu Xi felt her emotions stir as his breath brushed against her ear, making her body tense up even more.

Shen Shu looked down at her, seeing her frozen like a wooden post, and couldn’t help but laugh.

Yu Xi didn’t understand why he was laughing, but it felt like he was mocking her. She wanted to glare at him, but then remembered what he had said last time—”You dare glare at me now? Your guts are getting bigger.” Suddenly, she felt like she was being a little too spoiled and pampered, so she held back.

She only grumbled about him in her mind.

Finally, as they were nearing the end of the shoot, the photographer gave another instruction: “Mr. Shen, you can kiss Mrs. Shen now.”

Yu Xi glanced around. There were still a lot of people watching.

“Don’t be nervous, it’s just for the photo,” Shen Shu gently pulled her waist closer, leaning down toward her.

Yu Xi looked at his lips, now only a few inches away, her heart racing a little.

Shen Shu’s lips were beautiful, thin and sharp, with a defined edge, the kind commonly referred to as “bad boy lips,” perfect for kissing.

But they were genuinely beautiful and elegant, just like the lips of a male lead from the manga she used to read.

The man’s tall stature, his arms around her, made her feel cherished, as though nothing could harm her, and the cold wind seemed to be blocked out. Her heart and body both warmed with his embrace.

His scent, a mix of faint tobacco and pine, reminded her of sunlight filtering through a snow-covered pine forest—dry and cold yet brimming with strong male pheromones.

The embrace was gentle yet firm, perfectly balanced, allowing her to feel both his careful protection and his undeniable dominance.

Yu Xi’s heart pounded, and she tremblingly leaned in.

It seemed Shen Shu found her slow, as he kissed her first.

Their lips met, shifting, kissing, their breathing growing ragged.

The surroundings fell silent.

After a while, the photographer awkwardly said, “Mr. Shen, just a light touch will do. It looks better that way. Um… let’s try that again.”

An awkward silence followed, then some soft chuckling came from the corners.

Yu Xi’s face turned bright red, while Shen Shu just smiled and replied, “Alright.” His composure was something she truly admired.

Wouldn’t he feel embarrassed?

When she turned around in confusion, Shen Shu raised his hand to press the corner of his lips. It was a subconscious gesture he made when he felt embarrassed.

…

The photo shoot ended perfectly, and two days later, Yu Xi and Shen Shu returned to Beijing.

The original photos were sent to Yu Xi right away. After reviewing them, she asked in confusion: [Have they already been retouched? You guys are so efficient.]

The other party quickly sent a flurry of compliments: [Not yet, it’s not edited! Mr. Shen and Mrs. Shen are truly a perfect couple, you look even better than the edited version!]

Yu Xi wasn’t used to being praised like this, feeling uncomfortable all over. She didn’t know how to respond and instinctively looked at Shen Shu.

Shen Shu, rarely not working, was scrolling through Weibo. “What’s up?”

Yu Xi typed: [The photographer is asking me how I want the photos retouched. I’m unsure.]

Shen Shu laughed: “Do our photos need retouching?”

Yu Xi: “…” Is he overly confident?

Shen Shu stopped teasing her and said seriously, “Tell them not to make it too artificial. Keep it natural, the skin tone should look radiant, don’t overdo the smoothing, and avoid adding any random filters.”

Yu Xi nodded and sent the message word for word to the team responsible for editing.

She typed carefully, being patient with the conversation. A lock of wavy hair fell from her forehead, gently resting on her soft and plump cheek, making her delicate face appear even more tender and radiant. Her amber eyes seemed to hold the warmth of summer sunlight.

Shen Shu paused, something in his chest subtly shifted.

[By the way,] she typed, holding her phone up to him, [You mentioned last time that your grandfather has diabetes. Should we go visit him?]

Yu Xi had a natural reverence for elders. Whether they were high-ranking or ordinary people, she always listened to their advice because she believed older people had more life experience and wisdom than her.

Even when they were wrong, she would just smile and let it go, never arguing.

Yang Jilan had once scolded her for being too passive, questioning how someone as smart as her could have such a slow-witted daughter.

But if she weren’t so “slow,” Grandpa Shen probably wouldn’t have thought much of her either.

At first, the Shen family preferred Yu Qing. One day, when she was buying a cake, she happened to run into Grandpa Shen. He negotiated with her to exchange the bagel in his hand for the velvet cake in her hand. There was only one piece of velvet cake, so she readily gave it to him. Later, he smiled and told her that the cake was for his granddaughter, who loved that flavor.

Shen Shu didn’t expect Yu Xi to bring up visiting his grandfather. In his memory, she was the type who didn’t like to interact much.

Seeing his hesitation, Yu Xi thought maybe it was inconvenient. She typed: [If it’s inconvenient, we don’t have to.]

Shen Shu snapped out of his thoughts, gently patting her head. “What’s the inconvenience? I have time this Saturday, let’s go together.”

Yu Xi nodded.

…

The wedding photo turned out beautifully. The next day, Shen Shu selected one as a tabletop display.

Yu Xi felt a bit embarrassed and asked if they could change the photo, her gaze subtly assessing the one in her hand.

It was a kissing photo.

Would it be inappropriate to display such a photo, especially in the center of the living room?

But Shen Shu said, “The display is small, it’s fine. The framed ones need to be more formal, but for a tabletop, it doesn’t matter.”

He convinced her, and she reluctantly agreed.

However, she later realized: Just because it didn’t need to be as formal as the framed photos didn’t mean they had to pick a kissing photo for the tabletop!