Chapter 59

Lin Shu tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep. She was anxious and shy, with a mix of confusion and nervousness. In the end, she gave up on sleeping and arrived at the law firm early.

She had planned to distract herself with work, but when she arrived, she discovered someone had gotten there even earlier than she had.

Despite the events of yesterday, Xu Shijia was sitting at his desk, looking very serious. As Lin Shu passed by, he buried himself in his work, appearing more focused than ever.

?

Could it be that this guy drank so much last night that he blacked out and forgot everything?

Lin Shu entered her office, and just as she was about to get a little annoyed, she received a message from Xu Shijia:

“I’ve booked a Michelin three-star restaurant for tonight. Afterward, let’s go see a movie.”

Looking out through the blinds of her office, Lin Shu saw Wang Tieniu and Liu Xuhui had arrived and were chatting. Meanwhile, Xu Shijia, who had sent her the text, was sitting upright, appearing to focus intently on the case files in his hands. He looked like a dedicated, work-focused young professional.

But the next moment, Lin Shu received another message from this seemingly dedicated young man:

“Don’t work late tonight, go on a date with me.”

Just as Lin Shu was about to reply, she was interrupted by a call from the front desk:

“Lawyer Lin, someone sent flowers to the front desk. Could you come pick them up?”

Flowers?

Lin Shu texted Xu Shijia: “Did you send me flowers?”

Xu Shijia replied almost immediately: “I had planned to confess properly today, so I’d ordered flowers in advance. But yesterday, I thought you were with Pan Yu, and I got upset. I know it was embarrassing, but I don’t regret it. Even if I lose face a thousand times, it’s worth it because you agreed.”

Lin Shu felt her ears getting hot: “I already agreed to you, and you still sent these flowers for a confession? Isn’t that a waste of money?”

“Today is the first day you’re my girlfriend. You should have everything that others have. Buying flowers for my girlfriend isn’t a waste of money. Even if I have to sell everything, I’d still buy them. Besides, I spent all my salary, so now I’m more motivated to work overtime. Roundabout, I’ll just be able to work even harder for you.” Xu Shijia’s message came quickly, followed by another one: “Although, the flowers might be a little too much.”

Lin Shu went to the front desk and realized that Xu Shijia wasn’t exaggerating when he said “a little too much.” It wasn’t just a few flowers; the front desk had practically become a sea of flowers. And these weren’t from a single flower shop. In the five minutes Lin Shu had been standing at the entrance of Tianhao, three more deliverymen arrived with additional bouquets…

“Did you buy out every flower shop in the city?”

“How did you know?” Xu Shijia’s reply was text, but Lin Shu could already sense the pride he couldn’t hide. “I harassed every flower shop owner to make sure I had enough flowers for my confession.”

“….” Lin Shu rubbed her forehead. “Where did you get so much money?”

Even if she had saved some salary from working hard over the past few months, it wouldn’t be enough for such an extravagant expense.

“I got up early this morning and was thinking about what to wear. Nothing felt formal enough, so I ended up searching through all my clothes. Unexpectedly, I found an unused bank card in the pocket of one of my jackets and discovered there was some money left in it.”

Xu Shijia sent a smug emoji: “So, men with girlfriends are lucky. If I hadn’t become single today and picked a more charming outfit, I would never have found that card, or the large sum of money in it. Look at my brother. When he was single, he didn’t have this kind of luck.”

…

Xu Shijia really would be better off without money.

Fortunately, Wang Yizhou couldn’t hear any of this, or Lin Shu suspected that Wang Yizhou would be so angry with Xu Shijia that he might end their relationship altogether.

This guy is so childish, even bragging about his own brother like that.

Lin Shu looked at the sea of flowers in front of her, her face a little flushed. Trying to cover up, she explained to the front desk and her colleagues, “They’re from a client. They’re just showing appreciation for how well I handled their case.”

Although the amount of flowers was a bit over the top, Lin Shu was beautiful and often received flowers from male clients. The front desk had seen it all before and probably thought a wealthy client was courting her. They just gave her a glance, some envy in their eyes, and teased, “Lawyer Lin, you sure have a good fate with romance.”

Why wouldn’t she? The universe had arranged the only troublemaker in Tianhao Law for her.

**

Because of the flowers in the morning, Lin Shu was teased by her colleagues throughout the day about being in debt to romance.

By the time she had dinner with Xu Shijia at the Michelin restaurant and was sitting in the cinema afterward, she still couldn’t shake the nervousness.

But on the surface, Lin Shu didn’t want to show it.

She even felt a little anxious and awkward.

Even though Xu Shijia was already her boyfriend, Lin Shu still didn’t feel entirely real about it.

It wasn’t the first time they had eaten at a Michelin restaurant, but this time felt like the most nerve-wracking one for her.

The restaurant Xu Shijia picked was top-notch in both quality and ambiance, and the food was excellent. Xu Shijia had truly put in the effort. The string quartet he had arranged could have performed solo, and the soft, gentle music combined with Xu Shijia’s affectionate gaze made Lin Shu feel distracted, as if she couldn’t focus on anything else during the entire meal.

Her mind was completely on the man sitting across from her.

Xu Shijia had put a lot of thought into his outfit today. He wore an exquisitely tailored suit that looked custom-made, but it wasn’t as flashy as his usual style. It was luxurious yet understated, with a touch of elegance and wealth, balanced with subtle details.

It was the perfect mix of sexiness and class.

During the meal, Xu Shijia was attentive to Lin Shu. When he poured her tea, Lin Shu noticed the long, slender fingers of his hands, the faint blue veins on his pale skin, and the expensive watch he wore on his wrist.

Xu Shijia hadn’t done anything inappropriate, but even just these little details were enough to make Lin Shu’s heart flutter.

Xu Shijia’s hands were quite good-looking.

Thinking about his hands, Lin Shu couldn’t help but glance at his face.

And then she realized, his face might be even more handsome than she remembered.

Her heartbeat began to race.

The soothing music from the string quartet didn’t help her calm down at all.

The unfamiliar emotions made her feel uneasy.

How should one act when in a relationship?

How should a couple behave with each other?

Lin Shu had a lot of experience handling major cases, but she knew nothing about these things.

Switching her identity with Xu Shijia didn’t seem like something she could do all at once.

They were clearly now a couple, but Lin Shu still felt a little awkward in her behavior.

Xu Shijia seemed the same. He looked like a novice too, like a schoolboy who didn’t know how to solve a high school math problem, trying to figure it out with Lin Shu.

During the meal, both of them were distracted.

As if afraid of an awkward silence, Xu Shijia talked about safe topics—cases, work, clients—everything seemed normal, without any excessive intimacy.

But they both knew something was different.

Every now and then, their eyes would meet by accident, and both would quickly look away, aware of the embarrassment and nervousness in each other’s gaze.

It was as if neither knew how to break the ice.

It was like two people in a dark room. They both knew the other was there, but without anyone turning on the light, neither could see the other.

It wasn’t until after dinner, when they walked to the cinema side by side, and the movie started…

Lin Shu regretted it after half an hour.

Although the movie had a big promotional campaign and great reviews, the actual film was slow and boring.

Because the movie wasn’t captivating, Lin Shu found it hard to focus on the screen, and as a result, she began hearing strange noises coming from behind her seat.

She was about to turn around when her hand was suddenly grabbed by Xu Shijia in the darkness. He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “Don’t look back.”

“Huh?”

“It’s a couple, they’re kissing.”

“Ah…”

With Xu Shijia’s hint, Lin Shu focused more on the sound, and sure enough, she could hear the suspicious wet sounds.

Why is this happening…?

Lin Shu felt restless, not sure why she was starting to feel a little anxious.

“So that’s why couples like going to the movies,” Xu Shijia whispered in her ear. “I was wondering why movies were so fun. Two people just sitting there, what’s the big deal? But now I get it.”

“This movie is so boring.”

It really was, no wonder the theater wasn’t very full.

“I actually don’t have much dating experience either,” Xu Shijia continued.

The kissing sounds behind them grew louder…

“But I can learn, learn from other couples.”

Xu Shijia’s fingers gently caressed Lin Shu’s hand in the dark, the touch ambiguous and lingering. His hand gently stroked the back of Lin Shu’s hand, and she didn’t pull away. She felt embarrassed because her erratic heartbeat seemed to be betraying her emotions, as if her pulse was revealing her thoughts.

“So if they’re doing that, we should learn too.”

“After all, the movie’s so boring.”

In the darkness, Lin Shu’s face felt like it was on fire.

Xu Shijia, always decisive, showed his quick learning ability. What followed was a tentative kiss from him.

He kissed her cheek.

“It feels pretty good.”

He whispered, “No wonder everyone likes going to the movies.”

And then he kissed her again.

This time it was on the lips.

The first kiss in the darkness seemed to flip a switch, suddenly lighting up the room. Lin Shu and Xu Shijia saw each other clearly, no longer able to pretend they didn’t know what was happening. A spark of emotion spread like wildfire, and neither of them could escape it.

It started as a soft kiss, but since the movie was so long and Xu Shijia was quick to learn, it soon turned into a deep kiss.

Lin Shu didn’t even know what happened in the movie anymore, because Xu Shijia’s tongue was more captivating than any of the film’s lines or actors.

In the darkness, they kept kissing, exchanging breaths with their tongues.

Neither of them cared about the movie anymore, nor about how boring and tedious it was, because the exploration and pursuit of each other’s lips were far more engrossing.

The only flaw was that Xu Shijia had apparently forgotten about the movie screen confession he had planned. By the time the movie ended, they had planned to kiss again before the lights came on, but instead, the screen flashed bright, exaggerated text:

“Dear Boss Lin Shu, I love you so much, I want to be with you forever, working for you my whole life. From now on, I’ll get to see you at work and after hours too. Please approve my application to be your boyfriend!”

As if to match the dramatic confession, a beam of light suddenly shone onto their seats, illuminating them perfectly. Now, the two who had been making out in the darkness had nowhere to hide…

The scene was so shocking that a few people sitting behind them couldn’t help but mutter:

“Who wants to work for their boss for a lifetime?”

“Is this for real? Who would want to date their boss? Seeing them at work isn’t enough, now they want to see them after hours?”

“Is this some kind of role-play? We must be part of their scene.”

“It can’t really be her boss, right? Feels like a playful nickname… Otherwise, why would someone be so desperate to confess like that?”

“If it really is her boss, that’s a pretty messed-up view on relationships.”

…

Lin Shu stiffened, trying to maintain her calm, doing her best to look composed. If she could stay steady and indifferent enough, maybe everyone would think the light beam had just missed its mark!

Lin Shu glanced at Xu Shijia, who didn’t seem the least bit embarrassed. In fact, he looked quite smug. He shrugged his shoulders and explained without an ounce of regret, “Sorry, I forgot to cancel it.”

Lin Shu couldn’t hold back: “What kind of confession is that? People are saying you’re out of your mind for confessing to your boss.”

But Xu Shijia didn’t care at all. He glanced at Lin Shu, his voice full of pride, “That’s because they haven’t seen you. If they knew this boss was you, they wouldn’t think I’m crazy. They’d praise my sharp eye, and then those envious men would be jealous and try to attack me.”

He wasn’t at all concerned about the people around them. He kissed Lin Shu openly. “You’re Xu Shijia’s top pick!”

Lin Shu: “…” At that moment, no amount of calm could make her pretend that the spotlight, the electronic screen, and everything else wasn’t connected to her.

She ended up dragging Xu Shijia out of the cinema with a red face.

It was too embarrassing.

Too shameful.

But somehow, it didn’t feel so bad.

Because Xu Shijia was by her side. With Xu Shijia, sharing the embarrassment didn’t feel so unbearable, like breaking the rules with someone who made her feel safe as a co-conspirator.

It was in that moment that Lin Shu finally felt it.

She and Xu Shijia were indeed a couple.

—

The feeling of being in a relationship with Xu Shijia grew even stronger the next day.

That morning, Lin Shu arrived early at the law firm, and as if by unspoken understanding, Xu Shijia was already sitting at his desk.

As soon as Lin Shu saw Xu Shijia, she started feeling nervous.

She was almost past his desk when Xu Shijia grabbed her and pulled her into the filing room.

At this time of morning, even the cleaning staff and reception hadn’t arrived yet. The office was eerily quiet, and sunlight streamed in through the windows, casting a golden glow on all the documents.

Lin Shu didn’t understand why Xu Shijia had come in so early either.

Before she could ask, she heard Xu Shijia thoughtfully lock the door to the filing room.

Without giving Lin Shu any chance to speak, Xu Shijia pushed her against the wall, and without a word, he began kissing her.

He held her face in his hands, kissing her urgently, and in the dark, windowless filing room, the only sound was the wetness of their lips and tongues.

Lin Shu’s breath quickened, and her face flushed like it was burning.

The secretive space heightened the feeling of taboo, intensifying her senses. Lin Shu felt as if she was going to collapse from the kiss, and finally, Xu Shijia caught her in his arms, continuing to kiss her even more passionately. Lin Shu had no choice but to lean her weight against the wall, her fingers instinctively gripping the surface.

The filing room was rarely cleaned, and over time, a thin layer of dust had accumulated on the walls.

When Xu Shijia finally released her, Lin Shu steadied herself and realized that the dust on the wall had been rubbed off by their movements, leaving behind a shape roughly her height. Her fingers had also left faint impressions.

Xu Shijia, still unsatisfied, kissed her again.

“I’ll wipe it off,” he said, his eyes fixed on Lin Shu. His chest was heaving slightly, his voice hoarse from the intense kiss, tinged with emotion, “I’ll make sure no one finds out. We’ll erase the evidence.”

Lin Shu didn’t need to look in a mirror to know her lipstick was probably smudged beyond recognition.

She rubbed her lips, trying to act tough, but her confidence faltered, her words coming out more forcefully than she felt: “Xu Shijia, this is a law firm!”

“I know,” he said, still staring at her with those smug eyes. “But it’s not work yet.” He fixed his gaze on her, as if wishing to kiss her again, but deliberately shifted his gaze away. “Since it’s not work time, it’s private time. So I can kiss you.”

Lin Shu pressed her hand to her rapidly beating chest, trying to stay calm. “Why did you come to the firm so early?”

The filing room was filled with rows of cabinets, and there were no seats. Lin Shu’s feet, in high heels, were starting to hurt, so she sat down next to Xu Shijia against the wall.

“Because I couldn’t sleep,” Xu Shijia said, leaning closer to her. The room was so quiet that even speaking in a low voice could be heard clearly, but he still moved close to her ear, his voice low and teasing, “I wanted to see you sooner.”

Lin Shu was about to scold him when she saw the pitiful look in his eyes. “By the way, I don’t need to go to Team Chen’s group, right?”

He looked at her with intensity. “I want to be in your team.”

“Sure…” Now it was Lin Shu’s turn to avoid looking directly at Xu Shijia’s eyes. “I’ll talk to Team Chen.”

“Do you want me to talk to them?”

“No need.” As the lead partner of the team, Lin Shu was responsible for handling the team’s assignments.

But Xu Shijia wasn’t backing down. “So what’s your reason for moving me to your team?”

“Well…” Lin Shu glared at him. “I originally said there were some communication issues with you, but now that the misunderstanding is cleared up, there’s no longer a problem with communication, and I respect your personal wishes to continue working together in the same team.”

But Lin Shu’s compromise only encouraged Xu Shijia to press further. He leaned into her cheek, inhaling her scent before kissing her again.

His nose touched hers, and as he spoke, their lips brushed against each other, almost as if he were trying to swallow her words completely.

“Does Team Chen know how we’re communicating?”

Was Xu Shijia asking for a fight?

He locked eyes with Lin Shu. “The first time you didn’t hit me after I kissed you when I was drunk, so doesn’t that mean you like me a little?”

Lin Shu shot him a glare, her eyes sharp.

Xu Shijia grinned. “Now I can kiss you without getting hit, huh?”

Lin Shu tried to suppress the intense fluttering in her chest, keeping her composure. She looked at him and said, “If you can’t separate work and personal life, I’ll still hit you.”

“Oh.”

Xu Shijia didn’t seem bothered. He leaned against the wall and complained, “Last time you hit me with your bag. You didn’t hold back at all. It hurt so much, and then you even pushed me into a puddle.”

“How could they let Pan Yu help me?”

As soon as Pan Yu was mentioned, Xu Shijia seemed to get energized, like an ex-girlfriend bringing up old arguments after a fight. He sighed dramatically, “You said before that you had feelings for Pan Yu, but now look, Pan Yu’s already fallen for someone else!”

“I don’t have romantic feelings for him,” Lin Shu glanced at Xu Shijia and replied awkwardly, “I was just messing with you last time.”

But Xu Shijia didn’t seem ready to let go of his grudge against Pan Yu: “But that’s not right. Pan Yu’s crush on someone else matches your situation perfectly. I only got to know him when I was drunk last time, and he knows me too. Who else could be in this situation but you?”

“Anyway, it’s not me.” Lin Shu turned to Xu Shijia. “Do you want to be my boyfriend? If you’re going to be my boyfriend, you can’t keep bringing up old issues, you can’t keep dwelling on the past. What about your ‘white moonlight’—did I ever question you about that? Did I ever ask about it?”

However, when it came to the “white moonlight,” Xu Shijia didn’t shrink back at all. He was taken aback for a moment and then said, “Didn’t I tell you about that last night?”

Before Lin Shu could respond, Xu Shijia quickly returned to his usual carefree demeanor, his expression awkward. He looked straight into Lin Shu’s eyes, conflicted but with a sense of openness, as if he had decided to lay it all on the table. “So, go ahead and ask. What do you want to know? Ask me.”

It was clear that Lin Shu wasn’t completely unaffected, though she tried to act nonchalant. But she knew she needed to focus on the future, not the past.

Besides, she was Xu Shijia’s superior, and she needed to maintain an air of composure and maturity. She shouldn’t act like a little girl obsessing over things. She should present herself as someone mature and level-headed.

“You don’t have to explain your first love to me. I don’t mind. Since you confessed to me, it means you like me now. I’m not insecure enough to compare myself to your first love.”

Xu Shijia was momentarily stunned. After a pause, his voice became somewhat complicated and subtle. “Oh—so you’re not jealous? That was my white moonlight from high school. You really don’t mind? You’re not upset? You just trust me that much? You really believe I’ve moved on?”

Lin Shu stared into Xu Shijia’s eyes. “Rather than trust you, I trust myself. A few days ago, I thought about it carefully, and I realized I don’t need to keep feeling inferior about the awkwardness of my teenage years. After all, I’m young, successful, beautiful, and in great shape now. There will be many people who like me. It makes sense that you like me too. Since you’re so willing to embarrass yourself and confess to me, that means I’m the one you like the most now.”

“That’s why I won’t question you about your first love. And you don’t need to expect me to get jealous of another woman or attack her just to try to keep you all to myself.”

“Oh—” Xu Shijia seemed slightly disappointed not to have been questioned. But he looked at Lin Shu a couple of times, cleared his throat, and quickly seemed to prepare himself mentally. His expression brightened again.

“Of course, you won’t attack my first love. Since you’re not asking now, just promise me that if you do ask later, and you find out, just don’t yell at me, okay?”

Now that it had been said, how could she get angry or shout about such things?

“Anyway, besides that first love, I don’t have any other emotional baggage. My love life is simple, smooth sailing.” Xu Shijia glanced at Lin Shu. “What about you? Do you have any other ex-boyfriends besides that Tao Lei?”

“Oh, I’m just asking. I want to know about your past love life. It’s not that I mind, I just want to know how many ex-boyfriends I have to beat. After all, I need to show that I’m better than them in every way. You’re confident about yourself, but I’m not so magnanimous. You don’t care about competition, but I do. I’m the kind of petty, bad guy.”

Lin Shu: “…” The way he said it, it almost sounded like he was proud of being the petty bad guy?

He cleared his throat again, clearly trying to act indifferent, but the way he looked at Lin Shu showed that he clearly cared. It seemed like he wasn’t just talking; he really was trying to compete with other men to maintain his place as number one in her life…

Lin Shu looked at Xu Shijia. “If you don’t count Tao Lei, then no, I don’t have any other ex-boyfriends.”

Lin Shu didn’t pry into Xu Shijia’s past relationships, simply because she didn’t want to talk about hers in too much detail either. Anyway, she hadn’t exactly hidden the fact that she had some experience, and she’d already brought it up with him before.

“Oh, he doesn’t count. A few days of pretending to be in a relationship doesn’t really count as an ex-boyfriend.” Xu Shijia showed no sign of caring about Tao Lei. “It’s nothing. You can just forget about him in your future relationships. That four-eyed guy is so disgusting, anyone who gets involved with him would just be a black mark on their history.”

Xu Shijia glanced at Lin Shu, then awkwardly looked away. But his voice was calm: “As for your ‘first night’—you mentioned it before, the legendary first night, I don’t care.”

He glanced at Lin Shu a few more times, looking relaxed: “Anyway, you already know about my situation. For you… well, you only have that first-night experience, right? I think we’re a perfect match. We didn’t really have a relationship, but our experiences are pretty similar. Whatever happened in the past is in the past. I won’t dwell on it.”

Xu Shijia emphasized again: “Your first night, I don’t care at all. It’s fine. Some people have terrible first experiences, so you should be grateful that he gave you a good one. That way, you won’t have any psychological baggage about it in the future.”

Lin Shu frowned. “Aren’t you the one competing to be the best? Why don’t you care about him?”

“He’s not your ex-boyfriend, just some poor guy. Maybe he wanted a serious relationship with you, but you never even considered him before dumping him.”

Lin Shu: “…” That sounded so… strange.

But before she could think about it any further, work time was approaching, and colleagues would soon be arriving. She and Xu Shijia would need to leave the filing room.

So, Lin Shu glanced at Xu Shijia and gave a brief summary: “Fine, I won’t bring up your past, but if I find out that after being with me, you’re still half-hearted, you’ll be out of the job immediately. I can always find someone younger and better to replace you.”

When Lin Shu said this, Xu Shijia, as expected, became upset: “You think I’m too old? You want to find someone younger?”

He retorted angrily, “I had a semen test last time, and it was great! Not only is it better than men my age, it’s even better than men five or six years younger than me! Some guys may look young, but they are weak and fragile. How can they compare to me?”

Lin Shu was left speechless, embarrassed and flustered.

What does Xu Shijia’s semen quality have to do with her? Did she say she wanted to have children with him? Can this man not think so much!

But Xu Shijia, seemingly unsatisfied, stared into Lin Shu’s eyes and added, “Anyway, I’m completely devoted to you, you’re the only one in my heart.”

He looked at Lin Shu again, cleared his throat, and said, “Don’t be biased against age. Everything is not what you hear, but what you see. The most important thing is to experience it yourself.”

He leaned closer to Lin Shu, this time shamelessly licking her earlobe, then carefully nibbling it, gently caressing it with his teeth: “How about booking a trial with the real thing? We’re not virgins, no need to be shy, right?”

Stop, stop, stop!

This is the archive room!!! Not a hotel room!!!

What’s wrong with Xu Shijia? Yesterday, it was like he turned on the couple mode in the cinema, but now that the switch is on, this man doesn’t know when to stop. Doesn’t he turn off the switch at regular times?

Lin Shu controlled her face that was turning red, quickly pushed Xu Shijia away, moved a little further from him, then, feeling defensive, covered her ear with her hand and glared at him fiercely: “Why are you licking and biting again? Are you a dog?”

Unfortunately, Xu Shijia shamelessly replied, “I am a dog.” He leaned in closer to Lin Shu’s ear, lowering his voice: “I told you, I can be your dog.”

Is there such a dog?

Lin Shu blocked Xu Shijia’s mouth, which was coming toward her.

How can a master be dominated by a dog?

Besides, Lin Shu was the boss, how could she be led by Xu Shijia?

She should take the initiative.

After being rejected by Lin Shu, Xu Shijia pretended to look slightly hurt.

Before he could start his usual act of complaining with a wronged face, Lin Shu grabbed his tie, pulling him closer to her side, and with a little force, pressed Xu Shijia against the wall, turning the tables—now she was the one in control.

Though Lin Shu was still shorter than Xu Shijia even in her high heels, she held her ground with strong momentum.

She pulled Xu Shijia’s tie with one hand, bringing his head closer to her side.

After a moment of stunned silence, Xu Shijia, as if enchanted, naturally lowered his head.

Lin Shu kissed him.

Then, maintaining the dominant pose with his tie, she gently ruffled his hair.

“Good doggy gets a reward.”

“So you have to listen to me.”

Xu Shijia, seemingly unable to look Lin Shu in the eye, cursed under his breath.

Then he looked at her again, his expression fierce: “You women just know how to do this kind of thing.”

“You’re still not obedient?”

Xu Shijia lowered his gaze and muttered, “If you tell me to stop, I’ll stop. You know how hard it is for a man at that moment.”

He seemed a bit upset as he continued, “Damn, it’s my fault. I’m so stupid, I fall for this every time.”

Though he was scolding himself, there was no trace of regret on his face; in fact, he seemed to enjoy it a lot.

His eyes were bright, his hair a little disheveled and messy from Lin Shu ruffling it, looking like a big, cute dog—adorable and somewhat silly.

Lin Shu couldn’t help but ruffle his head again.

Realizing her behavior might have crossed a line, Lin Shu cleared her throat, trying to cover up the brief, uncontrollable impulse, let go of Xu Shijia, tidied her appearance, then glanced back at him and smiled alluringly: “I like men who work well.”

“You need to be the kind of man I like.”

Xu Shijia, looking powerless to resist, resignedly asked, “Can we still have dinner together tonight?”

“If you work well today, I’ll reward you with dinner tonight.”

After saying that, Lin Shu unlocked the archive room door, opened it, and walked toward the main office area.

She left Xu Shijia behind, still lingering over the kiss they had just shared.