Chapter 18

After speaking, Shen Mi felt that her appearance and words were a bit silly.

She propped herself up on the cotton blanket with both hands and then quickly stood up straight, pointing at the blanket that was crumpled together: “I was helping you make the bed, do you believe me?”

She subconsciously didn’t use honorifics.

“What do you think?” Xie Rongzhuo took off his coat.

Shen Mi got up and reached out to take it. Her hand stretched halfway before retracting, she rubbed her waist in a way that seemed to be hiding something: “Your bedspread is so heavy.”

She deliberately glanced at the balcony, indicating that she had indeed dried the bedding.

However, Xie Rongzhuo didn’t look at her. He took off his tie, loosened two buttons on his shirt, and seemed to be going to take a shower.

Shen Mi stood at the entrance of the dressing room, her expression a little uncomfortable: “If you’re afraid of getting dirty, I can help you change the sheets and wash them.” She said this with an apologetic tone.

She had knelt on Xie Rongzhuo’s bed, and he had seen her. This should be difficult for an obsessive-compulsive person to tolerate.

Xie Rongzhuo turned his head, his gaze scanning her from top to bottom, finally settling on her face: “Where are you dirty?”

He wasn’t disgusted by her? Shen Mi was quite surprised, secretly happy inside. Even she couldn’t tell why this slight joy arose.

A man and a woman alone, in a man’s bedroom, the atmosphere became a little subtle.

Shen Mi spontaneously looked for a topic: “You, aren’t you supposed to come back tomorrow?”

Xie Rongzhuo didn’t answer but asked instead: “You won’t come if I come back?”

Shen Mi guessed what he wanted to say and refused to continue along his line of thought, “If there’s nothing else, I’ll go back first.”

Her wrist was caught.

Shen Mi lowered her head. Xie Rongzhuo’s hand was cold, white, and slender, very beautiful. It didn’t look like a man’s hand, but the bones were extremely strong. It seemed like a light grasp, but it was actually very threatening. Shen Mi felt that if she struggled, he would immediately pull her over.

She didn’t dare to struggle, hiding the strange panic in her heart: “It’s off-duty time now.”

Xie Rongzhuo’s emotions were stable: “I don’t have the habit of touching female subordinates.”

But his hand held her like a vise.

Ever since she knew that Xie Rongzhuo was her master, everything had changed subtly. This kind of contact made Shen Mi feel at a loss. She could only pretend to be calm and deliberately used honorifics: “What do you mean now?” After speaking, she brought up her elder: “My father said that men and women should not touch each other.”

Xie Rongzhuo: “That should be what Mencius said.”

Shen Mi: “…”

“But I remember you said,” Xie Rongzhuo’s expression was calm: “You hate it when men let their girlfriends cool down on their own. You said that when the anger subsides, the person can be kicked.”

As if he had anticipated that she would throw a tantrum, Xie Rongzhuo nodded and said, “Happy.”

“You have a twisted sense of humor!” Shen Mi was unable to contain her emotions and reached out to ask him for a drink.

Xie Rongzhuo generously handed her a glass: “I didn’t expect you to have so many bad tastes either.”

Shen Mi took a sip of the wine, finding it a bit harsh on her throat and not very good. She set the glass down.

Had she really exposed so many bad tastes?

She had coincidentally met Xie Rongzhuo when she was at her lowest point, bullied in real life and in games. That day, Shen Mi’s mentality exploded; she was stuck in a quest where she couldn’t progress after dying in the wilderness. She wished she could reach through the internet and strangle her enemies.

Just when she was at her wit’s end, a white light descended from the sky, protecting her and slaying her adversaries. It was hard not to feel exhilarated at that moment.

She clung on desperately and forced him to be her master. Before every easy win, there were her praises and online rogue lines.

Those “lines” perfectly matched the bad tastes that Xie Rongzhuo had mentioned.

Suddenly, Shen Mi realized that something was off; she couldn’t follow his train of thought and self-reflect: “We’re talking about your issues now, so don’t drag me into this.”

Courage isn’t always present, and having finally opened up, Shen Mi thought it best to settle things once and for all. She took another sip of wine to bolster her courage.

Xie Rongzhuo looked down at her: “What did I do to you?”

Nothing—he hadn’t done anything; it was all her being flirtatious. She dared to act but was afraid to face it, worried about what others might say, so it was her problem. If she continued to follow his line of questioning, she wouldn’t have the upper hand.

Shen Mi remained undeterred by his presence and calmly stated, “Don’t confuse the issue; we’re discussing the fact that you hid this from me.”

Xie Rongzhuo replied, “At that time, we were strangers meeting in the game. What was I supposed to be honest about? You wouldn’t appreciate me trying to get close to you using Zhang Zhiqing as an opener, would you? Shen Mi.”

He was right.

Back then, she had been harshly humiliated by Ke Zhan’s mother and just wanted to escape from reality. If she had known that her “savior” was a friend’s uncle, she would never have confided in him like that; she probably wouldn’t have even added him as a gaming friend.

“There were many chances to tell me the truth later, why did you lie to me?” Shen Mi focused on this question.

Xie Rongzhuo: “It’s not a lie, it’s making friends through another way.”

Shen Mi deliberately said sarcastically: “There are many scammers online.”

“Are you a scammer?”

Xie Rongzhuo stared at her, his eyes moving slightly: “Indeed.”

“A beautiful scammer that is hard to guard against.”

Perhaps because of his deep eyebrows and eyes, Xie Rongzhuo’s eyes looked affectionate even when looking at a utility pole. Shen Mi couldn’t stand his gaze and turned her head away: “…Don’t praise me.”

“Okay.” Xie Rongzhuo readily agreed, “Shen Mi, if you feel embarrassed, I can forget about it. Before you transferred here, I didn’t know you.”

She pretended to be so cute online, he couldn’t resist such a cute little apprentice. Later, he even took the initiative to reveal his true identity and pull the little apprentice out of the illusion of online dating. Look, how good he is. He cleared himself of any wrongdoing, while she was the one in the wrong.

Shen Mi finally understood the capitalist’s ability to switch concepts.

If she continued, she would be unreasonable.

“I finished all the food for you.”

Xie Rongzhuo: “Thank you for your hard work.”

“You’re welcome.” Shen Mi turned around.

Xie Rongzhuo suddenly asked: “Am I really that different from the one online?”

Shen Mi turned back, raised her face, so he could see more clearly: “Then do you think I’m cute in real life?”

Shen Mi had a pair of distinct black and white eyes, clear pupils, and curled eyelashes that made her skin look snow-white. She suddenly leaned closer, Xie Rongzhuo was stunned for a moment, and after a pause of two seconds, he lowered his eyelids.

He replied: “Cute.”

Shen Mi felt like he had led her astray again.

He had already praised her, she couldn’t very well say he was two-faced.

She couldn’t bring herself to say it.

“Oh, thank you.” That nameless fire burned even hotter.

Xie Rongzhuo scrutinized her expression and asked, “Are you still angry?”

Shen Mi countered, “Why would I be angry?”

“I can’t think of a reason,” Xie Rongzhuo twitched the corner of his lips, “You always scold me to my face, and I don’t get angry. Why are you angry? But you don’t look like you’re in a good mood.”

Shen Mi was usually eloquent, but once Xie Rongzhuo spoke, she felt like a rookie again.

At a loss for words, and unwilling to admit defeat, she changed the subject: “I’m still more used to the taciturn Mr. Xie.”

Xie Rongzhuo chuckled, “Taciturn, how do you coax you?”

Shen Mi felt a gentle poke in the softest part of her heart, recalling countless moments when she was moved by “the very mysterious.”

But the real “very mysterious ” was now pointing out to her that she needed to face reality and not like him.

That sense of disappointment, like drawing water with a bamboo basket, left her feeling quite gloomy.

“I don’t need to be coaxed,” she admitted, “I’m not as simple and cute as I am in the game; that was all just to make you take me along.”

Xie Rongzhuo said, “Cuteness is a part of your personality; it belongs to you.”

Shen Mi felt speechless from his praise: “I need to go back.”

Xie Rongzhuo: “I’ll see you off.”

“You’ve been drinking,” Shen Mi pointed to the cup on the table, “You can’t drive.”

Xie Rongzhuo: “And yet you say you’re not angry, but your tongue seems to be failing you. This is sparkling water.”

“…”

Shen Mi felt that staying any longer would reveal more of her emotions, and she didn’t want him to see through her completely.

“Then I’ll trouble Mr. Xie.”

Xie Rongzhuo looked at her: “Isn’t it ‘Darling Master’?”

“Darling Master,” “Beautiful Master,” these were all nicknames Shen Mi had given him. She had been calling him these names every day and hadn’t thought anything of it, but hearing them come from Xie Rongzhuo’s mouth gave Shen Mi goosebumps.

The internet is not a lawless place, online hooliganism should be done with caution, you never know when you might get exposed.

Shen Mi deeply realized this point.

The two walked side by side towards the exit.

Shen Mi looked up and saw the red mark on Xie Rongzhuo’s neck, blinking her eyes in disbelief.

He had gone on a business trip and done this kind of thing on the side?

Meeting her gaze, which she hadn’t had time to retract, Xie Rongzhuo raised his eyebrow slightly: “What are you thinking about?”

Shen Mi: “You know.”

Xie Rongzhuo said, “Allergy, not a hickey.”

Shen Mi had no experience with allergies and was skeptical: “Really?”

Xie Rongzhuo raised his hand to loosen his tie, suddenly unbuttoning two buttons, revealing a large expanse of cool white skin on his neck.

He bent down slightly: “See clearly now?”

Shen Mi looked closely, and it was indeed a long rash.

Two seconds later, she quickly moved her gaze away, her cheeks slightly warm: “Do you need me to buy you medicine?”

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