At the celebration, Yu Xi and Jiang Chuyi ran into quite a few old acquaintances.

“Yu Xi, you’re looking more beautiful,” a classmate remarked. “I remember you were good at dancing. Why aren’t you performing today? If you did, you’d definitely outperform everyone else.” A familiar female classmate kindly suggested.

Yu Xi just smiled and shook her head.

But then, a sharp voice interrupted: “Tan Jing, what do you mean by that? Are you saying that Zhou Li can’t compare to her?”

Yu Xi and the others turned around and immediately saw Zhou Li, who was surrounded by a few female classmates.

She was wearing a costume and had heavy makeup on, so bright it almost looked eerie. Her gaze was cold and indifferent.

However, Yu Xi didn’t feel the need to look at her any longer. She quickly averted her eyes, focusing on adjusting her sleeves.

Zhou Li was the daughter of her stepfather, Zhou Hai, and his ex-wife. She never liked Yu Xi.

Back in college, Yu Xi was in the foreign languages department, while Zhou Li was in the less prestigious arts department. That always made her feel inferior, something that had stuck with her all this time.

“Do you really think she’s better than Yu Xi?” Jiang Chuyi asked, genuinely confused.

The atmosphere froze for a moment.

Zhou Li’s face turned pale, and her companions were about to speak when she muttered, “What’s the point of arguing with people like this?” She turned and walked away.

The argument didn’t last long.

“What’s with the pretension?” Jiang Chuyi said in annoyance.

Yu Xi gently tugged at her sleeve, shaking her head.

Jiang Chuyi understood her silent plea: “It’s fine. I won’t argue with her. I just can’t stand that fake attitude. Your stepfather treat your mother well. What does that have to do with you? Blame her mother for being unattractive?”

Yu Xi simply smiled.

The performance soon began, and Yu Xi and Jiang Chuyi sat in the second row.

The performances on stage were standard, but the whispers from the audience continued, making it hard to stay interested.

Zhou Li, however, performed with great effort, doing flip after flip.

“It’s like watching a monkey show.” Jiang Chuyi commented, clicking her tongue.

Yu Xi gently shook her head, signaling her not to talk during others’ performances. It wasn’t right to distract those who were trying to enjoy the show.

Jiang Chuyi shrugged but didn’t say anything more.

During a moment of distraction, Yu Xi noticed the strange silence around her. It was as if a pot of cold water had been thrown into boiling water, instantly silencing the crowd.

In these moments, it usually meant that someone extraordinary had appeared.

Soon, she realized that everyone around her was looking behind her.

Yu Xi hesitated before turning around.

And then she froze.

Because—she saw Shen Shu, who had been away on a business trip abroad.

The man was dressed in a dark blue suit, sitting comfortably among a group of alumni association representatives. Beside him was a middle-aged man with a round face, who kept turning to chat with him. Shen Shu, however, occasionally smiled and nodded, his expression indifferent.

Yu Xi recognized that the middle-aged man was the school principal. However, Principal Li was usually very stern and rarely smiled, so she never expected him to act so…

Obsequious.

When she glanced over, Shen Shu smiled at her warmly.

Yu Xi quickly looked away, almost as if fleeing. But after a while, she couldn’t resist sneaking another look at him.

Shen Shu noticed her little actions and couldn’t help but find it amusing.

Finally, after the performance ended, Jiang Chuyi dragged Yu Xi out.

Another female classmate leaned in to gossip, saying, “Who was that man with the principal just now? He’s so handsome.”

Everyone nearby suddenly woke up from their drowsiness. One person eagerly answered, “You don’t know him? Haven’t you seen any financial magazines? That’s Shen Shu.”

“Isn’t he the famous business tycoon, the big boss? Wow, he looks even better in person than in the magazines.”

“No way, he’s that young? He must have a very powerful background.”

“Who knows? But did you see how the principal acted? Ugh.”

With such shallow talk, Yu Xi and Jiang Chuyi found an excuse to slip away from the crowd. Before long, they ran into the man himself in the hallway.

“Look.” Jiang Chuyi nudged her with her elbow.

Yu Xi, who had been looking down, raised her head after being nudged.

Shen Shu stood there as he had earlier, dressed in a sharp, fitted suit, though now he was blocked in the hallway.

His expression was the same as usual, but Yu Xi could sense that he was slightly irritated.

“Why don’t you add me on WeChat, Mr. Shen?” Zhou Li looked up at him with a stubborn expression, her face flushed bright red.

“I’m married,” Shen Shu replied.

Zhou Li froze, her face showing an expression that seemed to say, “Even if you won’t add me, don’t use that excuse to brush me off.”

Shen Shu didn’t want to entertain her anymore: “Excuse me.”

Jiang Chuyi nearly burst out laughing as she dragged Yu Xi away in another direction. “She likes your husband. If she knew that’s your husband, I wonder what her face would look like. I’m really curious to see her expression when she finds out.”

Yu Xi: “……”

She seemed to enjoy stirring up trouble: “Why don’t you take the chance to tell her directly?”

Yu Xi: “……” Enough already!

Yu Xi and Jiang Chuyi parted ways at the bottom of the teaching building. When Yu Xi turned around, she saw Shen Shu standing under a tree, waiting for her.

Her steps involuntarily slowed down.

Just then, Shen Shu looked up and smiled at her when he saw her.

Though Yu Xi didn’t understand why he smiled, her heart skipped a beat when she saw him smile at her.

It was only a short walk, but it felt like an eternity. Finally, she slowly walked up to him.

She had many things to ask him, many things to say, but she was naturally hesitant. When it came to taking out her phone to type, her hesitation grew.

Shen Shu spoke first: “Let’s go to the car. We can talk there.”

He reached out and took her hand.

Yu Xi’s heart raced. Instinctively, she wanted to pull away.

She was still angry, wasn’t she?

But it felt as though her hand was pinned in place, as if she had no strength to pull away, and she obediently let him lead her forward.

Yu Xi looked up at Shen Shu’s back.

He was tall, with broad shoulders. He didn’t wear his coat, which hung casually on his arm. His graceful steps didn’t feel out of place in the crowded campus.

Instead, he seemed like a prominent figure, drawing the attention of countless people who couldn’t help but stop and look.

Yu Xi tugged at him gently.

Shen Shu turned around, his expression curious. Due to the height difference, he naturally lowered his posture to her level.

Yu Xi pulled out her phone to type, but he said, “Just gesture to me. I know sign language.”

Yu Xi paused for a moment, then tried to gesture: [You didn’t know this before.]

Shen Shu responded without changing his expression: “I just learned it.”

Yu Xi: […Why? Are you interested in this?]

Shen Shu smiled, lowering his gaze to the shadow beneath them: “I’m not interested in this at all.”

Yu Xi didn’t know how to respond.

Shen Shu looked back at her, his gaze steady and gentle: “So, why did I learn it? Isn’t the answer obvious?”

His gaze seemed to have a magnetic pull, drawing her in.

Yu Xi’s heart raced uncontrollably, and her palms became clammy.

She wasn’t good at hiding her emotions, so she just stared at him, looking like a stunned goose.

Shen Shu’s smile deepened as he lifted her into his arms, whispering in her ear, “Do you miss me?”

Yu Xi blushed and tried to push him away, but she was already in the car with him.

As soon as the car door closed, the confined space felt even tighter. Before she could sit properly, Shen Shu was already on top of her, kissing her with a fire she’d never experienced before, intense and passionate.

She was forced to grip his shoulder, tilting helplessly backward. Her sweater was pushed up, and his tie was pulled askew, its smooth texture brushing against her delicate skin, slightly cool.

Her heart fluttered, a mixture of confusion and excitement, like the raindrops hitting begonia flowers on a summer night.

The flowers in the mud tangled together, messy and wild.

He was too eager. She inadvertently scratched his back a few times, causing a slight ache, which made him pause.

But soon, the frenzy returned, more intense than before.

She refused to let him touch her, especially since they were still outside. Though the glass was special and supposedly not visible from the outside, she could still hear the sounds of laughter and footsteps occasionally reaching the car. There was just a door between them. How could she feel at ease?

She was too nervous, and after trying for a while, he gave up. He lifted her up and laughed softly, “I’ll let you off the hook for now.”

Yu Xi’s body felt light and soft, almost like melting into water. He kissed her again, his breath warm and heavy against her, making her feel breathless and uneasy, her body writhing restlessly.

Shen Shu, quick to react, pressed her down, his eyes darkening with a mixture of desire and restraint. When she looked at him with wide, confused eyes, he couldn’t help but take a sharp breath, his voice strained, “Do you think my self-control is good?”

He was losing his mind. “Be good, don’t move.”

Though his eyes were filled with affection, there was an undercurrent of something more intense, something she could almost feel. She instinctively became frightened and froze, no longer daring to move.

When there was no movement inside the car, Wei Ling raised her hand and knocked on the door.

“Get in,” Shen Shu said without much emotion.

Wei Ling, understanding the hint, quietly sat in the driver’s seat, started the car, and drove along the route they had taken earlier.

The car ran smoothly on the road.

Yu Xi, sitting in Shen Shu’s arms, didn’t feel at ease at all. His hand was far from idle; he occasionally pinched her soft earlobe, gently stroking it.

His fingers, callused from years of holding a pen, were slightly rough. She turned her head, feeling uncomfortable.

He temporarily stopped teasing her ear, but his hand naturally traveled lower. Her cheeks turned even redder as she tried to grab his hand.

He grasped her hand and asked, “Can I not touch you?”

Her face flushed. She hesitated, feeling that shaking her head wasn’t the right answer, but she didn’t want to nod either.

Shen Shu chuckled and whispered in her ear, “Who am I to you?”

Yu Xi stared at him, looking confused and hesitant, which made him want to laugh more. He continued, “Your husband.”

“Is it not okay for your husband to touch you?”

His voice was deliberately lowered, sounding lazy and casual, at first appearing like a serious question, but upon closer inspection, it was clearly teasing her.