Chapter 3: Ambiguity

Assistant Shen touched his nose with lingering fear. That was close.

If the door had hit him, it wouldn’t have mattered much. But if it had caught Miss Su’s hand, Mr. Qi would have sent him straight to the African project division without hesitation.

Thinking of the harsh conditions there, Shen shivered, quickly got into the car, and said attentively, “Miss Su, there’s a small cake in the fridge that Mr. Qi asked me to prepare for you. If you’re hungry, you can have some.”

Cake!

The moment Su Baili heard her favorite treat mentioned, she perked up immediately.

With a bright smile, she said sweetly, “Thank you for your trouble, Assistant Shen.”

Faced with the young lady’s radiant beauty, Shen averted his gaze in a hurry.

He stared straight ahead, not daring to look around, and asked, “Shall I take you back to the old house now?”

Su Baili nodded. “Yes.”

On the way, she happily enjoyed her small cake while occasionally glancing at her phone. Suddenly, her ears twitched as if she had caught something. She quickly picked up the phone and spoke softly, “Shenzhi?”

A deep voice responded almost immediately from the other end. “I’m here. What’s wrong, Lili?”

“The cake is delicious~ Thank you, Shenzi. Shenzhi, kiss me!”

Her good mood instantly unleashed her playful side.

Qi Shenzhi, who rarely showed any emotion, was clearly pleased by her words. A low chuckle came through the phone.

“Not mad anymore?”

“Not mad anymore.”

Su Baili waved her tiny fists happily, having completely forgotten her previous frustration over the ice cream.

Just like that, she was easily coaxed.

She even thought to herself, Qi Shenzhi is so nice.

He remembered to buy her little cakes—from her favorite bakery, no less.

See? Qi Shenzhi really knew how to handle Su Baili.

Just a simple gesture and her mood instantly flipped from cloudy to sunny.

The two of them started chatting sweetly again.

From the rearview mirror, Assistant Shen glanced at them and couldn’t help but sigh. These two are as affectionate as ever.

If he wasn’t mistaken, Miss Su’s phone call had never actually ended, right?

Mr. Qi’s overwhelming protectiveness…

No, it was possessiveness—

It had reached an absolutely ridiculous level.

If this were anyone else, they’d go crazy having someone monitoring them anytime, anywhere.

But Miss Su?

She acted like it was completely normal.

She really indulged Mr. Qi too much.

It just proved that love is truly hard to understand.

At least for him, a single man, it was utterly incomprehensible.

Then again, before knowing about Miss Su’s existence, he never would have believed that his boss was even capable of behaving this way.

The Qi Shenzhi he knew was supposed to be cold, ruthless, and distant.

Yet, in front of Miss Su, he turned into someone completely different.

What kind of magic did Miss Su possess to make such a decisive and merciless man fall so deeply into this gentle trap?

Shen was curious, but he remained firmly seated in the front, keeping his gaze neutral and his mind blank.

He didn’t even dare to steal a glance at Su Baili.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to.

He just valued his life.

And that wasn’t just a figure of speech.

With Mr. Qi’s temperament, it was quite literally a life-or-death matter.

That Night.

In the dimly lit room, Su Baili was drowsy, on the verge of falling asleep.

Qi Shenzhi, having just finished his demanding workload, rushed back without pause.

Even so, by the time his car pulled into the courtyard, it was already past ten o’clock.

The butler, dressed in an impeccably tailored suit, stood by the entrance, awaiting his arrival.

First, he took Qi Shenzhi’s freshly removed black gloves, then efficiently instructed the servants to bring over his slippers. Turning slightly, he also picked up a freshly brewed cup of tea.

“Sir, would you like a late-night meal prepared?”

Qi Shenzhi shook his head, declining the tea as well. Instead, he asked, “Where’s Lili?”

The butler smiled warmly. “Miss Su went to her room to rest after dinner.”

Qi Shenzhi nodded slightly. “No need for supper, I’ll go upstairs and check on her.”

The butler watched his retreating figure with satisfaction. Having worked in this household for years, he understood his master well—even if Qi Shenzhi rarely showed emotions, his mood was always evident in subtle ways.

Right now, the oppressive air that had lingered around him for the past few days had completely dissipated.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Su Baili was sprawled out on her bed, legs bent at odd angles, fully immersed in her game.

Her toes twitched excitedly—a sure sign that she was in an excellent mood.

The moment Qi Shenzhi pushed open the door, this was the scene that greeted him.

A delicate young girl, soft as a steamed bun, nestled in the plush bed. Her nightgown hung loosely over her frame, and as she kicked her legs in excitement, fair, creamy skin peeked through the shifting fabric.

Qi Shenzhi’s gaze darkened.

Hearing the noise at the door, Su Baili instinctively looked up—

And immediately locked eyes with the man approaching her.

“Shenzhi!”

She called out excitedly, tossing aside her phone without a second thought, completely ignoring the intense battle still raging on the screen.

“Mhm.”

Qi Shenzhi hummed softly in acknowledgment, settling onto the bed and pulling the slender girl into his arms.

She leaned in naturally, her body radiating a faint, milky sweetness that seeped into his senses.

His eyes darkened further. Without hesitation, he pressed his lips against hers.

Su Baili tilted her head, obediently receiving his kiss. Only when she found herself breathless did she reach out, her slender fingers gently poking his chest.

Qi Shenzhi, sensing the lightheadedness in the girl nestled in his arms, forced himself to pull away.

A soft, wet pop echoed between them, a thin strand of glistening saliva stretching as they parted.

Su Baili, utterly weakened by the kiss, slumped bonelessly against Qi Shenzhi, her small chest rising and falling with her shallow breaths.

After a moment, she whined, “You’re so annoying! I actually came back to talk to you about something serious!”

Qi Shenzhi chuckled, his voice deep and amused. “Be good, baby. I haven’t seen you in days—you should understand how much I’ve missed you.”

Su Baili tilted her head, contemplating.

True.

Considering Qi Shenzhi’s temperament, it was already impressive that he had managed to go several days without seeing her.

Back when she was a freshman in university, he hadn’t even allowed her to attend the mandatory military training that every new student had to go through. Not that she had any complaints—who would voluntarily endure such exhausting drills?

With a single phone call, Qi Shenzhi had settled everything. Forget about on-campus living—she wasn’t even given the chance to consider it.

This was her chance to experience dormitory life this year—an opportunity she had fought hard to get.

When Qi Shenzhi agreed, she was utterly stunned.

Thinking about it now, he definitely deserved a reward.

Su Baili stretched out her fair, lotus-like arms and wrapped them around Qi Shenzhi’s shoulders. Her delicate face flushed yellow as she said, “Then I’ll give you a kiss.”

Her movements were bold. From Qi Shenzhi’s angle, her graceful figure was on full display.

With just one glance, he felt all the blood in his body rush to one place, and the rationality he had always prided himself on completely snapped.

Su Baili blinked, sensing something was off.

Sure enough, in the next second, an overwhelming surge of hormones enveloped her entirely.

Before long, a deep, husky voice spilled from his throat.

…

No one knew how much time had passed before the sounds gradually faded.

Clothes were scattered all over the floor, and the air was thick with an intoxicating atmosphere.