Chapter 2: The First Signs of Possessiveness

“Don’t! You absolutely shouldn’t consider it,” Su Baili objected immediately.

If Qi Shenzhi so much as “considered” something, it meant he would take action.

And if he handled it, she’d only find out about the results once everything was settled.

That wouldn’t do. This was a huge matter—she deserved to be in the loop!

On the other end of the line, silence stretched on once again.

“……”

He was clearly struggling internally.

Su Baili sighed inwardly. Seriously, she wasn’t some fragile porcelain doll that would shatter at the slightest touch. She had no idea why Qi Shenzhi’s protective instincts kept growing stronger, as if the whole world was out to get her.

Gently, she reassured him, “Brother, don’t overthink it. I’ll go home today. Let’s talk about it then, okay?”

At these words, the man immediately broke his silence.

“Alright, I’ll have Assistant Shen pick you up from school.”

Su Baili was about to refuse but paused. She had already turned him down once today. If she refused again over something so trivial, it might make him unhappy for no reason.

Considering herself a doting girlfriend, she obediently replied, “Okay~ but have him wait at the usual spot. Tell him not to come to the school gate, okay?”

Qi Shenzhi, satisfied with her compliance, let out a deep chuckle over the phone. “Got it. Baby, when Assistant Shen arrives, I’ll have him call you. Stay inside until then—it’s too hot outside, and I don’t want you getting sunburned.”

Though Qi Shenzhi was her boyfriend, he often acted like a father.

Su Baili had mused more than once that if she had a real dad, he probably wouldn’t be as controlling as Qi Shenzhi.

Maybe this was the charm of a “dad-like boyfriend”?

“Got it, got it, Daddy Qi,” Su Baili teased playfully.

Before he could respond, she quickly hung up.

Even so, amidst the background noise of the bustling café, she faintly caught the sound of his laughter.

Beside her was a large floor-to-ceiling window. Though it was the peak of summer, with scorching air and cicadas buzzing lazily outside, the indoor air-conditioning kept her comfortable.

The late afternoon sunlight streamed in, warm and golden, making her instinctively take a few big bites of her ice cream.

But she ate too fast. A sudden chill shot up to the top of her head, making her gasp and exhale sharply.

Then, out of nowhere, a serious voice came from the phone on the table.

“Lili, are you being naughty again?”

Her eyes widened in shock.

Had the call been connected this whole time?!

Panicking, she grabbed her phone and blurted out, “I wasn’t eating ice cream! Really, I wasn’t!”

“Hmm?”

That single syllable, filled with skepticism, made Su Baili surrender instantly.

“Okay… I ate it…”

Qi Shenzhi’s voice was calm yet merciless. “What did you promise me?”

Weakly, she muttered, “One ice cream per week…”

“If I remember correctly, you’ve already had one this week.”

“Yeah…” She sighed, defeated. “Fine, I won’t eat anymore.”

Qi Shenzhi’s tone softened as he coaxed, “Good girl, baby. It’s not that I don’t want you to have it, but your stomach is sensitive. Remember how much pain you were in last time when you ate too much? You even had to go to the hospital in the middle of the night…”

“Did you forget about the hospital incident?”

“No…” Su Baili shrank her neck guiltily, but sweet words flowed from her mouth as if they cost nothing. “I know Shenzhi is doing this for my own good. I’ll listen to you.”

But deep down, she was secretly complaining—tyrant, dictator, fascist! He even has to control me eating ice cream?!

“Good girl. I have a meeting to attend, so I won’t chat with you any longer. No more sneaking ice cream, got it?”

“Got it, got it.” Su Baili absentmindedly brushed him off. “Go on, get busy.”

The man on the other end chuckled slightly as if something amused him. Then, the phone went completely silent.

Su Baili put down her phone again, but upon closer inspection—

Oh, great.

The call hadn’t been disconnected.

It was still ongoing.

She looked at the ice cream in front of her, let out a long sigh, and slumped weakly onto the table. In the end, she didn’t dare to take another bite.

Picking up her phone, she skillfully switched the call interface to the background and began browsing through information out of boredom.

Lin family, Lin family, Lin family… Ah, found it.

A business empire that started with home appliances and has now gained some national recognition.

But the scale was clearly not impressive enough, which explained why Su Baili had never heard of them.

Today’s events were too absurd. Originally, she had planned to ignore them completely.

But fate had other ideas. The Lin family’s representative had arranged to meet at this very café.

This café’s ice cream was one of Su Baili’s absolute favorites. But thanks to Qi “Daddy”‘s strict control, she could never have it whenever she wanted.

She couldn’t resist today. Taking advantage of this meeting, she had planned to sneak in and enjoy an ice cream. That way, when Qi Shenzhi eventually found out, it would be the Lin family taking the fall instead of her.

After all, if he was mad at them, he couldn’t be mad at her, right?

But who would’ve thought—before the mission was even halfway complete, it had already failed.

Sigh, what a pity~

Little ice cream, you melted so tragically.

You never even fulfilled your true purpose as an ice cream. Your existence was destined to be incomplete.

Just as Su Baili’s thoughts were drifting wildly, her messaging app lit up.

It was Assistant Shen.

Su Baili immediately grabbed her bag and headed out.

By dusk, the commercial street near the university town was bustling with students pouring out of the campus.

After a long day of classes, these normally energetic students turned into a swarm of locusts, rushing straight to their favorite stores, eyes fixed, fearing that even a second of delay would mean endless queues.

For them, that would be a devastating blow, an unbearable tragedy.

Su Baili patted her chest in relief. Good thing she told Assistant Shen to wait at their usual spot. If she had gone directly there, she’d probably be on the university’s gossip headlines the next day.

Carefully, she weaved her way through the hungry students whose faces screamed “I’m starving, I’m about to die from hunger!”

After a few twists and turns, she finally made it to a deserted alley.

There, a luxurious car was already parked—a car so extravagant that even someone clueless about automobiles could tell it wasn’t cheap.

Like a thief, Su Baili glanced around. Once she confirmed no one was watching, she tiptoed toward the vehicle.

The person in the passenger seat had just stepped out upon spotting her. Before he could even open the door, a gust of wind whooshed past him—

By the time he realized what had happened, the car door had already been swiftly opened and shut again.

The entire movement was seamless, and the door had nearly grazed his nose.