Chapter 8: Proactively Reporting Itinerary  

As the first light of dawn broke and the sun rose in the east, Wen Li felt as though she were being strangled by an octopus in her sleep, waking up gasping for air.  

When she opened her eyes, she realized Shen An had half-wrapped himself around her. His hair was slightly disheveled, his head nestled against her neck, and his legs and arms entangled with hers—no wonder she had struggled to breathe.  

She had nearly been murdered in her sleep.  

She tried to free her arm and escape his hold, only to find it pinned beneath his head. Seriously, had their roles reversed?  

They had clearly maintained a boundary before falling asleep, so how had everything gotten so tangled overnight?  

Moving as gently as possible, she gradually shifted him away and finally managed to slip free.  

By the time Wen Li finished washing up and left the bedroom, Shen An opened his eyes, rolled over in bed a few times while wrapped in the blanket, and then got up.  

After changing, Shen An walked into the dining room and spotted a glass of warm water on the table. Picking it up, he headed to the kitchen and asked, “Is this for me?”  

Wen Li had already heard his footsteps approaching. Without turning around, she replied, “Yes. Drinking warm water first thing in the morning is good for your health.”  

“Whatever Doctor Wen says.”  

Though “Doctor Wen” was a title she heard daily, when it came from Shen An’s lips, it carried an inexplicably intimate tone.  

Wen Li glanced back at him just in time to see his Adam’s apple bob as he downed the entire glass in one go.  

“What’s wrong?” Shen An leaned lazily against the counter, noticing her slightly flustered expression.  

Wen Li quickly turned away, pretending she hadn’t seen anything. “I’m making wontons for breakfast. Do you want some?”  

“I’ll have a bowl. And an egg—where are they? I’ll boil it myself,” Shen An asked.  

“In the fridge.” Wen Li thought that despite him being the pampered and unrivaled Young Master of the Shen family, it was good that he wanted to contribute to their shared life in whatever way he could.  

In a marriage, household chores should naturally be shared.  

After breakfast, Shen An washed the dishes while Wen Li went upstairs to apply light makeup. Then, they left for work together.  

“Need a ride?” Their parking spots were side by side.  

“No, it’s more convenient if I drive myself.” Wen Li suddenly realized that since his driver wasn’t picking him up today, he would have to drive to the office alone.  

Checking the time and seeing she still had a moment to spare, she asked, “How about I drop you off instead?”  

She wasn’t entirely comfortable with him driving himself. After all, his recovery from surgery was a long process, and there was no guarantee that nothing unexpected would happen on the road.  

Shen An hadn’t expected her offer. Immediately, he closed his half-opened car door and turned to open the passenger side of hers. “Then I’ll trouble you.”  

On the way, Shen An received a message from his driver, Uncle Li: *Mr. Shen, are you sure you don’t need me to pick you up?*  

Shen An replied: *No need. My wife is driving me to work.*  

After dropping Shen An off at his company building, Wen Li said, “It’s better to have your driver take you from now on.”  

Shen An appeared obedient. “Understood. Today was a special case. Drive safely.”  

As he watched her car disappear into the traffic, the corners of his lips curled upward uncontrollably, betraying his secret delight—his wife was worried about his health and safety.  

Wen Li had just changed into her white coat and was about to start her workday when she saw Cheng Yu approaching with a gloomy expression.  

“What’s wrong? Why the long face so early in the morning?” Wen Li asked curiously.

“Damn it, I don’t know what’s gotten into my mom. She suddenly started setting me up on blind dates—one every week without even giving me a breather.” Cheng Yu gritted her teeth in frustration. “Am I really at the age where I need to be rushed into marriage?”

Wen Li couldn’t help but laugh at her anger. “Serves you right for gloating all night.”

Cheng Yu shot her a glare. “Now it’s your turn to gloat, huh? Oh, by the way, the dean asked me to pass along a message—there’s a dinner tonight, and we both need to attend.”

“Mandatory?” Wen Li hated social dinners. She’d much rather spend the time working on her thesis at home.

Cheng Yu leaned in and whispered, “Even Dr. Lin from the emergency department is going. This dinner is full of the hospital’s beauties—probably to butter up someone for funding on imported equipment. We’re going to be drinking ourselves to death tonight. I’ll bring some hangover medicine just in case.”

Wen Li had a full day of outpatient appointments. At lunch, Dr. Zhang from general surgery slid into their table and immediately asked Wen Li, “There’s a new movie out. Dr. Wen, are you free tonight? Want to go together?”

Teasing was one thing, but Cheng Yu had her back when it mattered. “Dr. Zhang, didn’t you know Dr. Wen is married?”

“But didn’t Dr. Wen personally deny it?” Dr. Zhang looked puzzled.

Wen Li sighed. “The rumors about Zhou Zhuan being my husband are indeed false. But it’s true that I’m married—my husband is someone else.”

Dr. Zhang still seemed skeptical. “You’re not just saying that to turn me down, are you?”

If even the young master Zhou, who frequented the hospital, wasn’t her husband, and her real husband had never shown up, it was likely a lie.

“My husband just returned to the country recently,” Wen Li explained patiently. She didn’t want to turn colleagues into enemies, so she laid it all out. Whether he believed her was up to him.

Thinking about it, a strange feeling flickered in Wen Li’s heart. Yesterday, after Shen An mistakenly saw Cheng Yu’s message, his mood had clearly soured. She thought he’d do something today to assert his claim.

She was even prepared to make their relationship public, but the entire morning passed without a single trace of Shen An.

“What’s on your mind?” Cheng Yu noticed her distraction and waved a hand in front of her face.

“Just thinking about how magnanimous my husband is,” Wen Li teased.

As her shift neared its end, Wen Li received a message from Shen An: “I have a dinner tonight. Won’t be home for dinner.”

After a moment’s thought, she realized he was reporting his schedule. Respect went both ways, so she replied, “I also have a dinner tonight. Won’t be home either.”

Shen An responded immediately: “Don’t drink too much. If you do, call me—I’ll come pick you up.”

Wen Li recalled the year-end department gathering when she’d had too much to drink, and Zhou Zhuan had been the one to fetch her. She couldn’t help but wonder—how did Zhou Zhuan always manage to show up precisely when she needed help?

Before Shen An’s call screen had even dimmed, his friend Ye Shen’s call came through. He swiped to answer. “What’s up?”

“Tsk, could you sound a little more enthusiastic when you pick up my calls?” Ye Shen complained over the line.

“You’re not my wife. Why should I be enthusiastic with you?”

Ye Shen wasn’t offended. “Fine, fine. My junior sister still holds the higher status.”

“If you don’t like calling her Dr. Wen, you can always address her as Mrs. Shen,” Shen An said darkly.

“You’re even jealous over a title. There’s a general surgery doctor at her hospital who’s been pursuing her for three months. How come you’re not the least bit worried?” He called mainly to report the situation.

Shen An scoffed disdainfully, “What kind of trash is he?”

“Aren’t you afraid our junior might actually be won over?”

“If that Dr. Zhang could succeed, wouldn’t he have done it already? What’s he waiting for?” Shen An’s arrogance knew no bounds.

Ye Shen burst out laughing, “You even know his surname—stop pretending to be magnanimous.”