Chapter 20

The next morning.

Thick curtains blocked the sunlight outside, occasional flickers of light dancing across the room. The spacious living room was quiet, with only the sound of gentle breathing.

Xie Rongzhuo opened his eyes, his head pounding from the hangover. He frowned and pressed his fingers against his temple. As he got up, something slid off of him – a white, slender hand. He lowered his head abruptly and saw the head resting beside him, letting out a sigh of relief.

He didn’t need to see her face to recognize her. It was Shen Mi.

She sat on the rug with her knees drawn up, her head resting on her thin arms, her other hand draped over him. She must have stayed up all night, watching over him.

•  

Shen Mi was a sound sleeper. As a child, she could even sleep sitting on a trash can. Xie Rongzhuo’s house had heating, and the rug was soft. She had planned to take a short nap and leave, but she ended up sleeping through the night.

She found herself lying on the sofa, the blanket that had been covering Xie Rongzhuo now draped over her. Shen Mi was a little confused.

She turned her head. The bedroom door was closed.

When did Xie Rongzhuo get up?

Shen Mi got up, folded the blanket, and lowered her head to adjust her collar, pants, and hair. Then she went to knock on the door. Her hand paused in mid-air. She tilted her head and pressed her ear against the door, listening carefully to the sounds inside.

The soundproofing was so good, she couldn’t hear anything…

Time was running out, she had to initiate a wake-up service. “Boss,” Shen Mi knocked lightly twice on the door, “Are you awake? Do we need to cancel today’s meeting?”

Hearing the sound of the doorknob turning, Shen Mi immediately straightened up, standing tall.

The bedroom door opened.

Xie Rongzhuo had already changed into a clean shirt. He must have just showered, because there was a faint scent of body wash on him.

After sobering up, he was back to his usual cold and indifferent self.

“Awake?”

“Mhm.” Shen Mi felt a little embarrassed and licked her lips, “Last night, I was going to go back, but I accidentally fell asleep.”

Last night, she had finally managed to get out from under Xie Rongzhuo, afraid that he might vomit in the middle of the night. She didn’t dare leave, so she stayed by the sofa, watching over him.

She ended up taking his spot without realizing it.

Shen Mi had absolutely no memory of how she ended up lying there.

Xie Rongzhuo’s gaze shifted downward, landing on Shen Mi’s neck, as if lost in thought.

After a few seconds, he looked up, moved his gaze to her face, and asked, “What happened?”

Shen Mi’s neck had been bitten by Xie Rongzhuo, leaving a small cut. She had already put on a band-aid last night.

“Did you forget?”

Xie Rongzhuo: “Hmm?”

“It’s nothing, nothing.” Seeing his expression wasn’t good, Shen Mi professionally said, “Does your head still hurt? What do you want for breakfast? I’ll go downstairs and buy it for you?”

“No need.” Xie Rongzhuo handed the tie to Shen Mi, “Shall I send you back to change clothes?”

The materials for the morning meeting were all in Shen Mi’s hands. It was already 7:30, and there wasn’t enough time to go home and change clothes. She was planning to hitch a ride with Xie Rongzhuo.

“No need to be so troublesome.” Shen Mi reached out to help him tie his tie, politely saying, “Just go to the company directly.”

Xie Rongzhuo hummed in response, dressed neatly, and they walked side by side into the elevator.

“Shen Mi,” Xie Rongzhuo lowered his eyes, “Last night, did I do anything to you?”

Shen Mi didn’t know whether to say anything.

Should she mention the biting separately, or would it make her seem petty?

She thought for a moment and shook her head, “No, you went to sleep as soon as you came back.”

Xie Rongzhuo nodded, “That’s good.”

After saying that, Shen Mi felt a bit regretful.

If she didn’t tell Xie Rongzhuo about his problem, what if he got drunk again and bit her again?

Looking up at Xie Rongzhuo’s cold profile, Shen Mi swallowed her words.

What if he didn’t believe her, and instead accused her of disrespect and seduction? It would be more trouble than it was worth. Better to keep quiet.

Xie Rongzhuo’s mansion was worthy of its name because of its luxury, high-end amenities, and complete equipment. Every corner of this house had a pair of small eyes, high-definition, with no blind spots.

Shen Mi didn’t know that everything was being recorded.

•  

Shen Mi printed out the materials, carried them to the conference room to distribute, then went downstairs to buy Xie Rongzhuo coffee. She stood next to him with her laptop.

Before the meeting started, Xie Rongzhuo looked at her and said, “You can leave work and go home to catch up on sleep.”

Shen Mi actually slept quite well last night. The warm environment with the heater was practically heaven. Sleeping on the carpet at Xie Rongzhuo’s house was better than her icy bedsheets.

“No need.”

Xie Rongzhuo said in a low voice, “Didn’t you not shower last night?”

“…”

Shen Mi suddenly raised her head, outwardly calm but inwardly panicking.

Wasn’t he afraid of others misunderstanding?

The large conference room had dozens of chairs. The company executives were flipping through documents, seemingly oblivious to everything, not even raising their heads.

But Shen Mi was sure they had heard.

Afraid that Xie Rongzhuo would blurt out something shocking if she stayed any longer, she quickly nodded and said, “Okay.”

The hurried frequency of her high heels tapping on the floor betrayed her panic.

Xie Rongzhuo withdrew his gaze, curled his lips slightly, “Let’s begin.”

•  

“Shen Mi, why are you walking so fast?” Ning Xinlei almost bumped into Shen Mi, dodging to the side and looking at her, “Huh, why didn’t you change clothes today?”

Shen Mi cleared her throat: “It looks like it might rain tomorrow. I’m afraid it won’t dry if I wash it, so I’ll wear it one more day.”

“Yeah, my balcony is already full. By the way, our boss has a document that needs the CEO’s signature. Could you please take it to him?” Ning Xinlei handed the document to Shen Mi, noticing the bandage on her neck: “What happened to your neck? Are you okay?”

Shen Mi: “Mosquito bite.”

Ning Xinlei: “This mosquito bites twice? It’s pretty symmetrical, though.”

Shen Mi: “It only bit me once.”

Afraid of bothering Xie Rongzhuo’s eyes, which had a tendency towards perfectionism, Shen Mi put a bandage on both sides of her neck.

Her phone vibrated, it was Zhang Zhiqing.

Shen Mi sent the document into the CEO’s office and answered the phone: “Qingqing.”

Zhang Zhiqing said: “Mimi, are you free next Tuesday night? I want to take you out for dinner!”

Shen Mi: “Sure, what time?”

“6:30! It’s settled then.” Zhang Zhiqing couldn’t hide her excitement: “I’m going to book the restaurant right now!”

•  

Tuesday evening.

The setting sun left behind a sky full of twilight.

After the New Year, the temperature in Suicheng quickly rose, and fashionable legs reappeared on the streets. A few withered leaves fell from the trees, swirling into the smiles of couples strolling along the sidewalk.

The street seemed particularly lively today.

The restaurant Zhang Zhiqing had booked was located on the top floor of Suicheng’s landmark building, offering a panoramic view of the city bathed in the night.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows of the hallway, dazzling lights and bustling traffic merged into a colorful dynamic painting.

Shen Mi withdrew her gaze, standing at the entrance and calling Zhang Zhiqing.

No answer.

“Are you Ms. Shen?”

Shen Mi turned to face the staff, curious how they knew her surname.

The staff member raised their hand and smiled: “This way, please.”

Shen Mi followed them inside.

The restaurant was very private. The seats were separated by small dividers, creating a quiet and cozy atmosphere. However, all the guests were couples, and amidst the flowers, gifts, and sweet nothings, even the lighting seemed to exude a romantic, ambiguous aura.

Shen Mi was a bit puzzled. Why did Zhang Zhiqing choose this kind of restaurant for their date? This was a recipe for single-dog suffering, wasn’t it?

She raised her eyes and saw Xie Rongzhuo sitting at the table. Shen Mi froze for several seconds.

Xie Rongzhuo was wearing only a white shirt, his posture relaxed, his gaze falling lightly upon her.

Why was he here?

Shen Mi always felt a bit guilty whenever she was alone with Xie Rongzhuo outside of work hours. Every part of her, from her hair to her toes, radiated awkwardness.

All those past scenes of being lovey-dovey, acting cute and throwing tantrums, would come back to haunt her mercilessly!

She had dared to throw a tantrum in front of Xie Rongzhuo back then because she was furious and fueled by that anger.

Now that anger was gone, her mind was clear, and right and wrong were crystal clear.

Every drop of blood in her body was resisting being alone with Xie Rongzhuo, refusing to recall the past four years of being a whiny little crybaby!

Shameful.

Utterly shameful.

Shen Mi swallowed and prepared to call Zhang Zhiqing again.

Xie Rongzhuo said, “No need to call. She won’t come.”

???

Shen Mi glanced at the restaurant’s atmosphere, then suddenly remembered something and grabbed her phone.