On Saturday, Yu Xi woke up early, thinking about visiting Shen Shu’s grandfather. She typed to him: [Do we need to bring anything?]

Shen Shu found her anxious look amusing. “No, he doesn’t need anything. But if you want to bring something, maybe some fruit.”

Yu Xi readily agreed.

Grandpa Jiang was staying in a high-end ICU at the General Military Hospital. When they arrived, a nurse was scolding him: “You’re so old, how can’t you control your mouth? I told you not to eat sweets but you still ate them secretly…”

The elderly man looked embarrassed.

Standing at the door, Shen Shu lightly knocked and interrupted the nurse. “Sorry, am I interrupting?”

Seeing the visitor, the nurse stopped talking, maintaining a stern expression. “Are you here to see the patient? You should talk to him. He shouldn’t be eating sweets.”

Grandpa Jiang looked even more embarrassed.

Shen Shu quickly dismissed the nurse with a few words.

Once she was gone, Grandpa Jiang’s expression became a little better. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was my boss. A little nurse with an attitude bigger than the hospital director’s.”

“You’re complaining about her attitude? It’s the tough ones like her who can handle you old men,” Shen Shu teased, then raised an eyebrow seriously. “Did you secretly eat sweets again?”

The nurse was well-connected, reportedly the granddaughter of some big shot. Grandpa Jiang had no choice but to let her scold him.

After being lectured by the nurse, he was now getting it from his grandson. His face looked even more awkward. “I only had one piece, not much!”

“Really?” Shen Shu raised an eyebrow at him.

Grandpa Jiang raised his hand in a vow. “I swear, it was just one!”

Yu Xi stifled a laugh.

Shen Shu has many ways to deal with younger generations, and he also has many ways to deal with disobedient old people like this.  

Grandpa Jiang noticed Yu Xi and quickly changed the subject. “Is this your wife?”

“This is Yu Xi,” Shen Shu introduced her with a smile.

“She’s beautiful, you have good taste.”

Yu Xi’s cheeks reddened as she awkwardly stood there.

“Why are you standing there? Come sit!” Grandpa Jiang called her over and chatted with her for a while. He didn’t ask any questions, as if he already knew everything.

Yu Xi was initially nervous but soon felt at ease, casting a quick glance at Shen Shu.

He sat at the bedside, carefully peeling an apple.

His fingers were pale and slender, his movements steady despite the speed. Not a single peel was broken.

Had he already told his grandfather about her?

Otherwise, why wouldn’t Grandpa Jiang ask her anything?

Shen Shu seemed to have gotten used to handling everything and ensuring no one else felt uncomfortable.

He was particularly cold and ruthless when it came to work, showing no mercy to outsiders. However, he treated his close friends and family with extra care. He was a man of clear distinctions.

Now, was she considered “one of his own” here?

…

After leaving the hospital, Yu Xi felt a light layer of sweat on her body. It was uncomfortable, sticking to her skin, but she was too shy to adjust her clothes. She endured until she got into the car, then slightly loosened her collar.

“Are you hot?” Shen Shu leaned closer to her and gently moved a strand of hair stuck to her collar.

His fingers carried a coolness that, when touching her skin, made her feel much better, like the heat had receded.

But once her eyes met his burning gaze, the heat surged back.

Yu Xi instinctively pulled away and nodded at the driver ahead.

Shen Shu smiled and, sensing her discomfort, turned away and refrained from touching her.

With the wedding banquet approaching, Shen Shu suggested they go home for a visit. Yu Xi hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

Shen Shu seemed to sense her unease. “You’ve met my parents already, so you don’t need to be nervous. My dad might seem serious, but really, he’s just like that, nothing to be afraid of. My mom has a sharp tongue but a soft heart.”

Although Yu Xi nodded, she still felt uneasy inside.

She gazed out the window, watching the alternating flashes of light, her mind wandering. She didn’t even realize when the day had turned to dusk.

At times, the blinding headlights from other cars flashed across her face, and she couldn’t help but close her eyes, like a startled gull on the beach, feeling a wave of unease.

Lost in thought, she was suddenly jolted by a familiar force.

Yu Xi turned around in surprise and saw Shen Shu holding her hand.

His hand was large and solid, carrying a calm, stabilizing energy.

She couldn’t help but look at him, only to find him staring back at her. “You don’t need to be so nervous. I’ve already talked to them. No one will make things difficult for you.”

Yu Xi couldn’t help but feel out of place in front of his family.

She knew her own background wasn’t particularly prestigious.

Her mother, Yang Jilan, was once the daughter of a wealthy family. In her youth, she had met Yu Chen, who was then her foreign language tutor. Later, due to family opposition, they had separated. Years later, when the Yang family fell on hard times, Yang Jilan came to Beijing seeking help from old classmates, hoping to start a clothing business. She unexpectedly ran into the now high-ranking Yu Chen.

He was already married with children, and she had a fiancé as well.

Yu Xi’s birth was an accident, the result of a moment of weakness by Yang Jilan due to practical pressures, an embarrassing past, and a stain that Yu Chen needed to keep hidden.

For over twenty years, Yu Xi had lived with her mother, stepfather, and younger brother, meeting Yu Chen only a few times.

The last time she saw him was when Yang Jilan wanted him to help her find a respectable job for Yu Xi, which had led them to the Yu family.

Although Mrs. Shen welcomed her with a smile, there was no warmth in her eyes. The eldest sister, Yu Yue, looked at her coldly, like a stranger, while Yu Qing’s gaze was even more evident—disdainful, as if she were looking at a poor relative trying to take advantage. The only one who smiled at her sincerely was the second brother, Yu Qianming.

So, Yu Xi didn’t like visiting the Yu family—not at all.

She didn’t need to think much to know how the Shen family must see her. Even if they didn’t discriminate, they probably didn’t care much for her either.

Yu Xi subconsciously tightened her grip on Shen Shu’s hand, as if clinging to the last lifeline.

Shen Shu gave her a reassuring squeeze.

…

To Yu Xi’s surprise, the dinner was quite calm. Jiang Ci had the aunt prepare a full meal to welcome them.

She kept talking to Shen Shu, occasionally mumbling, “You never come back to see us,” without making things difficult for her. Of course, she didn’t say much to Yu Xi, seemingly unsure of what to say to her.

“…You seem thinner than last time.” After a pause, she finally spoke, seemingly feeling the need to say something, “You can’t be this thin at the wedding banquet.”

Shen Shu replied, “She’s always been this thin. The way you’re talking, it sounds like I’ve been mistreating her.”

He smiled nonchalantly and served food to Yu Xi.

Yu Xi glanced at him, noticing that he was serving food to Jiang Ci as well, his tone coaxing: “You should eat more, stop going on about losing weight. At your age, a little extra weight looks better than being too thin.”

“Really?” Jiang Ci seemed skeptical, touching her face and seriously asking, “Has my skin gotten worse recently? I’ve been wanting to go to the beauty salon every day, just hoping to look my best at the wedding. I’ve already bought four dresses.”

“Four dresses? Which elder changes four dresses at a wedding banquet? Two would be enough. Are you trying to steal the bride’s spotlight?”

Jiang Ci rolled her eyes at him but continued picking food: “How could I steal your wife’s spotlight?”

Although she said this, her lips were still curled in a smug grin.

Yu Xi was stunned. Did he usually coax his mom like this?

Sure enough, Jiang Ci, who had initially had a serious face, was now full of warmth, even looking at Yu Xi with much more kindness. She served her some food too: “Eat more, you’re too thin.”

Yu Xi was so surprised she immediately agreed.

Originally, they were supposed to leave in the evening, but Jiang Ci said she needed to discuss the wedding banquet guest list with Shen Shu, so they stayed overnight at the main house.

“Come with me.” Shen Shu took her to the third floor and into a room at the end of the hallway. “This was my old bedroom. We’ll stay here tonight. I’ll go down to discuss the guest list with Mom. Is that okay?”

He also asked a servant to take her pajamas out and place them nearby.

Yu Xi nodded and typed: [You go and get busy.]

After Shen Shu left, she stood up and looked around the bedroom.

The room was very neat. The style was minimalist, with beige and light blue tones, and the wallpaper was pure beige, giving the room a clean and refreshing feel.

On the wall near the desk were some books, both in Chinese and foreign languages. She casually flipped through them but found many unfamiliar titles, so she returned them, bored.

She noticed the photo at the top.

It was an exquisite picture embedded in the display frame.

In the photo, the girl was dressed as Guanyin, with a dot of red cinnabar on her forehead. Her white dress was as white as snow, and her face was bare, but her eyes carried a seductive and charming allure. Even when she wasn’t smiling, it seemed as though there was still a hint of a smile on her lips.

She was making a graceful hand gesture, her posture dignified and elegant. As she looked out from the frame, her gaze was haughty.

At first, Yu Xi didn’t understand why Shen Shu would place a picture of this little girl in his bedroom. But as she looked at it more, she began to feel that something was off.

This girl…

“This is a picture of me when I was in elementary school,” Shen Shu’s voice came from behind her, with a trace of helplessness. “It’s part of my black history.”

This was actually Shen Shu?

Yu Xi couldn’t help but laugh. She turned around and looked at him, her eyes curving into crescent moons.

Shen Shu gave her a cold glance. “Still laughing? This was taken when I was in elementary school. I didn’t know any better back then. The teacher told me to take it, so I did. My mom said it looked good, so she hired a master to read my fortune. He said I was missing water in my five elements, and that a feminine image would bring me luck and longevity. So, she had it framed and told everyone not to touch it.”

As he spoke, his tone grew exasperated. “What kind of master was that? I think he was a fraud.”

Yu Xi swore she didn’t want to laugh.

But she never expected him to have such an embarrassing, helpless past.

Seeing his expression sour, she quickly stopped laughing, but still couldn’t hold back.

Shen Shu raised an eyebrow. “Is it really that funny?”

She tried to suppress her expression and typed a message on her phone to show him: [It’s not that bad.]

When she saw his expression soften a little, she added: [I usually don’t laugh, unless I really can’t help it. You won’t be mad at me, right?]

It was rare for her to play a little prank. Her heart raced as she quickly fled into the bathroom before he could catch her. She closed the door and locked it in one swift motion.

Shen Shu was still a little dazed, but as he realized she was already gone, he let out a self-mocking laugh.

He had been laughed at by a little girl?

It felt absurd, and he shook his head, but couldn’t help the small smile tugging at his lips.