Yu Xi quickly finished her shopping and, while carrying the items, sent a message to Jiang Chuyi, not noticing that Shen Shu had approached her.

She accidentally bumped into him, but he quickly caught her. “Be careful. Don’t you watch where you’re going?”

Yu Xi felt embarrassed by his words and clumsily gestured: [I was texting Chuyi.]

Shen Shu naturally took the bag from her hands and gently nudged her back. Yu Xi obediently followed him to the car.

Wei Ling drove them, and the ride was silent.

Yu Xi quietly observed the person in front of her, feeling puzzled. Shen Shu obviously had a driver, so why did he always prefer Wei Ling to drive?

It seemed like Wei Ling was not just working for him, but also acting as his chauffeur. This job wasn’t as easy as it seemed. Capitalists sure loved to exploit people.

“What are you mumbling to yourself?” Shen Shu seemed to notice that she was distracted and suddenly leaned in to look at her.

Yu Xi was caught off guard, her heart racing because she was hiding something.

However, she quickly regained her composure, shaking her head. [Nothing.]

Shen Shu said lightly, “You probably don’t realize this, but every time you silently criticize me, you always make this exact expression.”

Yu Xi: “…”

“Next time, try not to make it so obvious,” he said, his tone playful.

Feeling guilty, Yu Xi quickly averted her gaze and couldn’t bring herself to look at him anymore.

It seemed like she couldn’t hide anything from his sharp eyes.

“Have you decided what to buy?” Shen Shu seemed to enjoy talking to her. Even when she couldn’t speak and only gestured, it still made him feel content.

Sometimes, he thought this was too boring, but he just liked it.

He always believed that time was life—something he had never dared to consider in the past.

When he was a child, he had read the story of “Fire Signals to Fool the Princes” in books and scoffed, thinking it was just a made-up tale. How could there be such foolish kings? While he still didn’t fully agree, he could now somewhat understand.

Yu Xi honestly shook her head, indicating she hadn’t decided yet.

“How about some candy?” Shen Shu suggested after a moment of thought. “But the candy in the supermarket isn’t great.” He turned to Wei Ling. “Go to Xijia.”

“Understood,” Wei Ling replied respectfully, turning the car at the next intersection.

They arrived at a store specializing in candy. The packaging was exquisite, and in addition to candy, there were all sorts of small cookies.

Yu Xi picked up a giant lollipop and held it up to her face. She was surprised to find that the lollipop was bigger than her face.

Shen Shu couldn’t help but laugh. He took the lollipop from her, looked at it, then gently tapped her forehead with it.

Yu Xi flinched, rubbing her forehead and glaring at him.

“I’m scolding you for being so heartless,” he teased.

Yu Xi: “…”

They selected a lot of candy, and Shen Shu paid with his card. However, it was all candy that Yu Xi had chosen. She picked candies with beautiful packaging, mostly brightly colored, sparkling wrappers.

Shen Shu looked at the selection, which consisted mostly of fruit-flavored hard candies. “Do you like hard candies?” he asked.

Yu Xi smiled mysteriously. When she saw his confused look, she shyly gestured, [Soft candy sticks to your teeth.]

Shen Shu couldn’t help but laugh. He never expected that to be the reason.

Since they had bought so much, Yu Xi couldn’t carry all the bags with one hand. She tried to carry them a few steps but eventually handed the bags back to Shen Shu.

Shen Shu looked down at the two heavy bags filled with candy and paused for a moment.

The silence made Yu Xi feel guilty, and out of courtesy, she hesitated and reached out to take the bags back.

“If you really feel guilty, you shouldn’t have given them to me in the first place. Now it’s too late,” Shen Shu said, already walking ahead with the bags.

In just a couple of steps, he stuffed the bags into the trunk and returned to take her hand. “What are you standing there for? Let’s go.”

It was already 9 PM when they got back. After walking for a long time, Yu Xi was feeling drowsy. As soon as she entered the door, she threw off her jacket and collapsed onto the couch, her eyelids growing heavy.

Shen Shu took her jacket and hung it up before walking over to lift her up. “You haven’t taken a shower yet, little lazybones.”

She shook her head. She just wanted to nap for a bit.

“How about I carry you to shower?” Shen Shu said without missing a beat.

Yu Xi immediately woke up, and her face showed surprise.

Shen Shu couldn’t hold back his laughter.

He gently tapped her nose with his long fingers and seriously asked, “Why are you so easily flustered?”

Yu Xi pushed his hand away, annoyed by his teasing.

“Do you find me annoying?” Shen Shu knelt between her legs, half-kneeling in front of her. He pinched her face and teased, “I wasn’t wrong when I called you heartless. Are you not afraid of me anymore?”

Her face turned slightly red, and she pulled away from his grasp. Her fair legs swung slightly under her skirt as she refused to look at him.

When she was hiding something, she tended to make small unconscious gestures, like shaking her legs.

Shen Shu turned her face toward him, making her look up at him. “I guess I can’t treat you too well. You really are taking advantage of me.”

She slapped his hand away, now fully awake and ready to escape.

Shen Shu grabbed her hand just in time but didn’t use much force. His palm gently closed around her small hand, letting it glide slowly through his fingers.

Yu Xi felt this moment was full of flirtation, a teasing refusal that felt like she was touching him instead.

Quickly, she yanked her hand back and ran to the bathroom.

There was a lot to do before the new year. Over the next few days, Yu Xi was either working overtime at the office or traveling with Meng Xia on business trips, going from place to place. Shen Shu also went to Los Angeles.

One evening, Yu Xi returned home late after a busy day. The emptiness of the house made her feel not only lonely but also a bit scared.

She turned on all the lights and stood by the door for a while, her eyes instinctively scanning the closed doors in each room.

She took out her phone and couldn’t help but message Shen Shu: [I keep feeling like there’s someone in the house.]

[Shen Shu, I’m so scared.]

At that moment, Shen Shu was in a meeting. One of the directors was speaking, and his phone on the table rang.

He quickly grabbed it and typed a reply.

The director paused, looking at him. Shen Shu didn’t even look up, continuing to type with one hand while telling the director, “Please continue.”

“…As I was saying…”

[You idiot, there are cameras both inside and outside the door. How could there be someone?]

[If you’re really scared, I’ll turn on the audio after my meeting, and we can sleep on a voice call together, okay?]

[Mmhm.]

[But you can’t back out.]

[When have I ever lied to you?]

[Good, go shower first, and then we’ll both go to bed and sleep together.]

Yu Xi’s face flushed again.

After chatting with him for a bit, her fear of being alone was slightly alleviated. She quickly went to the bathroom to shower.

She didn’t hang up the phone because she was still scared.

The embarrassment of him hearing her couldn’t be helped.

On the other end, Shen Shu had finished his meeting and returned to the President’s office to rest.

The room was very quiet, and the sound of rushing water on the other side became even more noticeable and clear. Though he couldn’t see anything, he could imagine the warm water flowing over smooth skin, blending into the enchanting scene.

He felt his body stiffening and closed his eyes, pressing his fingertip to his forehead to gently massage it, relieving some of the tension.

Listening to the sound, he found it difficult to continue reviewing the documents.

He twirled the pen between his fingers and tapped the desk with his index finger.

When the secretary entered, she was surprised to see him in this state.

“Mr. Shen, this is from SE. Please have a look,” she said.

Shen Shu immediately muted his phone, turning it face down on the desk. He responded calmly, “Alright,” and took the documents from her. “You can leave now.”

Although the secretary was puzzled, she respectfully exited the room.

Meanwhile, Yu Xi had finished her bath and changed into a camisole, snuggling into the blanket. She typed to him: [I’ve closed the windows and curtains. I don’t know if it’s just in my mind, but I feel really scared.]

Shen Shu read the message without missing a word and smiled: [Your husband is with you, so why are you scared?]

Yu Xi: [Send me a voice message.]

Shen Shu couldn’t help but smile, but still typed: [Do you miss me? Do you want to hear my voice?]

She didn’t respond out of shyness.

Shen Shu: [So, how do you want to thank me?]

Yu Xi: [?]

Shen Shu: [In business, we believe in reciprocity.]

Seeing that she was still silent, Shen Shu chuckled and started a voice call.

Yu Xi pressed the green button.

The next moment, Shen Shu’s deep, magnetic voice filled her ears: “I can’t be the only one giving. You’re not going to reward me at all? In business, there has to be give and take.”

Yu Xi typed: [Capitalist!]

From the screen, Shen Shu imagined her grinding her teeth, and he chuckled lightly, carelessly adding, “Did you sleep well?”

Yu Xi typed: [Already lying down.]

Shen Shu: “Good girl.”

His voice was gentle and low, carrying a slight guiding tone, and Yu Xi unconsciously followed his words.

Yu Xi: [I want to sleep now.]

Shen Shu’s voice turned coaxing: “Lie down, I’ll hold you and kiss your forehead.”

Yu Xi’s cheeks flushed, and she typed: [You’re not serious.]

“To help you sleep better, I’m doing a stand-up comedy performance for you, and you still complain?” He said in a slightly hurt tone. “Well, fine. I’ll hang up.”

[No!]

Shen Shu smiled, speaking in a leisurely tone: “Then what should we do?”

Yu Xi, blushing, typed: [Husband.]

Shen Shu: “That’s it?”

Yu Xi: [Husband, I miss you.]

Shen Shu: “Good girl.”

Yu Xi: [Can you tell me a story? I really can’t sleep.]

Shen Shu indulged her: “What kind of story do you want to hear?”

Yu Xi: [Something warm, comforting, and a bit sleep-inducing.]

Shen Shu laughed softly: “You sure have high standards.”

Yu Xi’s face turned red again.

Shen Shu didn’t tease her further. He probably realized how late it was, so he began telling her a story: “A long, long time ago, there was a beautiful castle, and inside the castle lived…”

Shen Shu’s voice seemed to have a magical quality. As he spoke, she closed her eyes and soon drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, Yu Xi was startled to see it was already nearly 8 AM.

She quickly jumped up, rushing to wash up. Halfway through brushing her teeth, she remembered she was on vacation.

She sighed in relief and slowed down her movements.

When she finished her morning routine and went to eat breakfast, she found a message from Shen Shu: [The flight is at 9 AM. I have some work this morning, so I’ll go to the office first. How about we have afternoon tea together later?]

Yu Xi wasn’t very interested in the “luxurious” act of afternoon tea, especially since it felt like a waste of money. But having it with Shen Shu was a different story.

She replied, “Okay.”

After breakfast, she received a call from Meng Xia. An important document she had worked on earlier was missing, and they needed her to go to Hai Rui.

Yu Xi agreed and took a taxi to the company.

Xu Weiwei and Liu Pingping were both there, and when they saw her, they looked at her like she was something rare.

Yu Xi felt a bit uneasy under their gaze.

“Tell us how you and Mr. Shen got married,” Liu Pingping urged her.

“Yeah, I still can’t wrap my head around it. It feels like a dream,” Xu Weiwei added.

Yu Xi felt awkward and could only type: [We met through blind date.]

The two of them fell silent for a moment before gasping in surprise.

One of them said, “How come I never run into this kind of good luck?”

The other sighed, “It sounds like a story.”

Yu Xi could only smile, feeling a little awkward but also subtly pleased.

In the eyes of men, Shen Shu is the kind of person who cannot be reached even if they want to be higher up. In the eyes of women, he is a frequent visitor in their dreams at night, but that is limited to dreams.