Page 15

Do you even realize how seductive you look?!” Shen Yao ground out, his voice low and brimming with suppressed rage.

Yu Sheng pursed her lips and answered confidently, “Of course I do.”

Shen Yao was so frustrated he nearly laughed.

If she knew, then how could she still wander around outside so recklessly?

When she saw those thugs, wasn’t there clear fear in her eyes?

Had the previous incident not been enough to make her more cautious?

If he hadn’t happened to pass by and see her today, if his bodyguards hadn’t saved her—did she have any idea what could have happened to her?

“You think you can just say my name and get out of danger every time?!” Shen Yao gritted his teeth.

Yu Sheng had no idea where his overwhelming anger was coming from.

She hadn’t read far enough in the novel to know about the deepest pain buried in Shen Yao’s heart.

The loss of his sister was his greatest regret in life.

She was only seventeen, as delicate as a flower.

But she had suffered at the hands of several men before losing her life—unable to rest in peace.

When he arrived, she still had a breath left.

In that moment, her dull eyes lit up when she saw him.

But what followed was a sorrow so deep it drowned him like a tidal wave.

He clearly heard his once lively sister call out to him in a broken voice, “Brother, you finally came.”

Her voice had always been as clear as a spring, but now, it was so hoarse it was barely audible.

But within it, there was relief, longing, and endless fear and sadness.

He had arrived—but too late.

If only he had cared more.

If only he had come sooner.

Wouldn’t the ending have been different?

In the end, he made all those men pay a terrible price.

But no matter what he did, his beloved sister would never return.

Now, as he stared at Yu Sheng, he couldn’t deny the truth—she was even more breathtaking than his sister had been.

Even by his own standards, he couldn’t pretend she wasn’t beautiful.

Too beautiful.

Which was why she attracted so much danger.

If he hadn’t been here today, what would have happened to her?

Would she have ended up like his sister?

Maybe slightly better—but how much better?

Why didn’t she know how to protect herself?

Did she really think she could escape danger every time just by luck?

Shen Yao took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

“I’m assigning two bodyguards to you. Female bodyguards.” He deliberately emphasized “female.”

Because he didn’t trust any man’s self-control.

Shen Yao thought for a moment and continued, “You don’t need to worry about their capabilities. They were all female soldiers. They can handle situations like today. If you run into trouble you can’t solve, you can always contact me. I’ll come as quickly as possible.”

Yu Sheng looked at Shen Yao, feeling that his image before her had become clearer and more vivid.

After meeting Shen Yao, although she had decided to pursue him, her biggest reason was that he was the male lead’s man.

She was different from most people. If an ordinary person knew they would have a miserable fate because of the female lead, they would probably try to avoid her to prevent history from repeating itself.

A normal person would either stay away from the female lead or deliberately befriend her. And in doing so, they would naturally keep their distance from the male lead.

But she wouldn’t.

Even if she ended up with the same tragic fate as in her previous life—or perhaps an even worse one—she would never choose to run away.

She never wanted an ordinary, mundane life. She wanted something grand and intense.

In her last life, she was an internet celebrity, did extreme sports, and raced cars.

In her own eyes, her previous life was far from dull.

In this life, when facing the female lead, she would take the initiative—even occasionally provoke her.

And her current way of provoking was trying to steal the female lead’s man.

Of course, besides that reason, there was another important one: Shen Yao himself was worth pursuing.

He was like a natural light source, drawing everyone’s attention.

Call it lust at first sight or superficial attraction—she admitted it. She was indeed captivated by Shen Yao’s appearance from the start.

Moreover, Shen Yao had provided her with plenty of creative material, filling her with endless artistic inspiration.

But before this, she had never truly been emotionally moved.

He was great—perfect in every way—but that was all.

Until this moment, when he told her, “If you run into trouble you can’t solve, you can always contact me. I’ll come as quickly as possible.”

For the first time, she could clearly feel the sincerity in his words.

He genuinely wanted to protect her, without any personal agenda or selfish motives—just pure, unadulterated protection.

That unexpected sincerity stirred something in her heart.

She felt as if warm sunlight was shining on her, making her feel comfortable and at ease.

Yu Sheng pursed her lips, her eyes curving as she smiled. “Okay.”

“I’ll take you home,” Shen Yao said in a tone that left no room for refusal.

Yu Sheng didn’t refuse. As for her motorcycle, she had completely forgotten about it.

Being close to Shen Yao again—compared to that, the motorcycle could wait.

Once they were seated in the car, Shen Yao leaned his head against the seat. Yu Sheng was still thinking of a topic to chat about when she suddenly heard his soft, steady breathing beside her.

The secretary in the front passenger seat turned around and whispered, “President Shen has been busy these past few days. He hasn’t had a good night’s sleep in a long time. Don’t wake him.”

Yu Sheng nodded.

She looked at his handsome face, so close to hers, and instinctively leaned a little closer to his position.

Suddenly, her shoulder felt heavier—it was Shen Yao’s head resting on it.

She didn’t move and even subconsciously slowed her breathing, afraid of waking him.

She could feel his warm breath brushing against her neck, making it feel both hot and ticklish.

He must have been truly exhausted to sleep so deeply in the car.

Yu Sheng remained in the same position the entire time, staying completely still, until Shen Yao suddenly woke up with a start.

“Are we there?” His voice was lower and huskier than usual, yet still pleasant. Because he had just woken up, there was a hint of drowsiness in his eyes.

It made him seem less distant, more gentle.

The secretary immediately answered, “Yes, President Shen. We’ve arrived near Miss Yu Sheng’s home.”

“How long did I sleep?”

“President Shen, you were asleep for exactly one hour and twenty-eight minutes.” The secretary reported diligently.

Only after Shen Yao woke up did Yu Sheng finally move her stiff neck.

Seeing her movements, Shen Yao suddenly realized that his head had been resting on her shoulder the whole time.

That position seemed… a little too intimate.

And he had actually slept for over an hour so peacefully.

That was unbelievable.

Yu Sheng didn’t overthink it. She took out her phone and said directly, “Shen Shen, give me your phone number.”

“…What did you just call me?” Shen Yao thought he had misheard.

“Shen Shen.” Yu Sheng believed that a good way to close the distance between them was through how she addressed him. “Shen Shen” sounded both pleasant and affectionate.

Of course, in private, she had always referred to him as “Mr. Devil.”

Shen Yao, still groggy from sleep, didn’t argue about the nickname. Instead, he calmly recited his phone number.

Yu Sheng saved it, satisfied, and got out of the car.

Before leaving, she turned back and flashed a bright smile at him, saying playfully, “See you next time, Shen Shen.”

Her smile was radiant—both sweet and mischievous.

Just like how she made him feel.

Sweet and lively.

Overflowing with passion.

It made people instinctively want to hold onto that pure, beautiful smile.

Shen Yao didn’t look away until her figure completely disappeared from view.

The secretary cleared his throat. Thinking that Shen Yao probably didn’t even know the girl’s name, he took the initiative to report, “That young lady is Yu Sheng—Sheng, as in the character with the bamboo radical. She is the eldest daughter of the Yu family, recently found and brought back from the countryside. Before that, she lived in the countryside with her adoptive parents and younger stepbrother. Her adoptive parents passed away—her father, a gambling addict, left behind a huge debt before taking his own life three years ago. Her mother, after his death, fell gravely ill and passed away two years ago. For the past two years, she and her younger brother have been relying on each other.”

Shen Yao’s gaze darkened, making it impossible to read his thoughts.

Sensing his mood, the secretary shifted topics, “President Shen, your mother called earlier. She asked you to come home for dinner tonight.”

“…Got it.”

When Yu Sheng got home, her smile still hadn’t faded.

Shiya, the young maid, couldn’t help but ask, “Miss, did something good happen?”

Yu Sheng chuckled. “Yeah. Something good.”

She hadn’t expected to get “Mr. Devil’s” phone number so soon.

Shiya, always lively, teased, “Miss, share the good news with me?”

Yu Sheng tapped a finger on her cheek and playfully replied, “I’ll tell you later.”

After returning to her room, she sat at her desk and carefully sketched Shen Yao’s face from memory.

It was a pencil sketch, making it incredibly lifelike.

When he had placed his hands on her shoulders earlier, his dark eyes locking onto hers, she had felt her breathing become erratic.

His deep black eyes were like whirlpools, capable of pulling her in completely.

A man like that—why did he have to be so good-looking?

Yu Sheng muttered in a half-complaining, half-admiring tone.

After finishing the sketch, she carefully placed it inside her notebook.

She couldn’t upload this one to Weibo—given Shen Yao’s notoriety, people would recognize him instantly.

For Weibo, she needed a different illustration.

This time, she drew a colored painting.

It depicted a man pressing a woman against a tree, his hands firmly on her shoulders, gazing intently at her. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting a warm glow on them.

After ensuring there were no obvious hints of Shen Yao’s identity, she uploaded it with a caption:

“Falling more and more in love with my Mr. Devil.”