Shen Yuan gave Yu Xi a meaningful, mournful look, making her feel uncomfortable.

Yu Xi lowered her head and ate quietly.

In her haste, a piece of pine nut fell from her hand onto the table. She reached to pick it up.

Shen Shu, however, had already crossed the table and was carefully picking up the crumbs with a napkin.

Yu Xi gave him a thankful glance.

He smiled slightly and didn’t comment.

Shen Yuan felt like she had just swallowed a whole mouthful of dog food and grumbled as she ate her scone. “Are you two really going to be so unfair? Like I’m not even here?”

“Draw your plans,” Shen Shu said casually, adding, “and think about your allowance carefully.”

Shen Yuan sniffed and opened her notebook, beginning to adjust the layout while discussing things with Yu Xi.

At first, Yu Xi felt bad that she and Shen Shu were eating while Shen Yuan worked, but soon, as Shen Shu continued to talk to her, she forgot about Shen Yuan.

“Is this okay?” Three hours later, Shen Yuan slammed her notebook onto Shen Shu’s desk. “If it’s not good, get someone else! I’m a designer, not a magician! You keep asking for changes and changes, it never ends! You’re just using your sister to win your wife’s favor! You have no conscience!”

She was clearly scolding Shen Shu, but Yu Xi felt her ears heat up, unsure of what to do.

Shen Shu seemed to guess what she was thinking. He gave her a comforting glance before casually looking at Shen Yuan. “If you really have so much pride, stop sending me those long bills every month.”

Shen Yuan was hit where it hurt. “How can you be such a brother! You really are my brother!”

She turned to Yu Xi and said, “Sister-in-law, he doesn’t bully you like this at home, right?”

Yu Xi paused, instinctively looking at Shen Shu.

Shen Shu sat there, impeccably neat in his suit, his shirt cuffs perfectly managed. He looked every bit the composed, serious man.

Bullied?

Was that considered bullying? Probably not.

For some reason, her ears turned red again.

Fortunately, Shen Yuan didn’t notice. She angrily packed up her notebook and stood up. “I’m leaving. I won’t be a third wheel and get in your way!”

Shen Shu reminded her, “Make sure to send me the revised plans later.”

Shen Yuan left in a huff.

Yu Xi shot Shen Shu a strange look.

Shen Shu caught her gaze and smiled. “What’s that look?”

Yu Xi texted him: [You don’t have a habit of bullying little girls, do you?]

Shen Shu looked at her in disbelief. “What kind of person do you think I am?”

He tapped on the table in front of her, leaned in slightly, and said earnestly, “I’m only interested in bullying you.”

Then, he watched with satisfaction as her cheeks flushed. She glared at him angrily, but there was hesitation in her eyes, and she didn’t glare too hard.

Shen Shu chuckled, amused by her cute reaction to being angry but holding back.

…

Shen Yuan was very efficient. The next day, she sent over the revised plans. Shen Shu reviewed them and found them acceptable, so he called Yu Xi over to look at them.

Yu Xi was sitting at the dining table, eating fruit. She put down her fork and obediently walked over when she heard his voice.

When she saw that he was about to hold her hand, she quickly pulled back, running back to the kitchen to wash her hands several times, drying them off, and even disinfecting them twice with antibacterial solution before returning to him.

Shen Shu couldn’t help but laugh. “Am I really so difficult in your eyes?”

Yu Xi nervously looked at him, gesturing: [Aren’t you a bit of a germaphobe?]

Shen Shu gently took her hand, applying just enough pressure so that she ended up sitting on his lap.

He supported her waist and gently patted her back, his tone lazy. “Don’t move. I don’t want to do anything to you in broad daylight.”

Yu Xi immediately stiffened, not daring to test whether he was serious or not.

Shen Shu was the type of person who would do whatever he wanted, regardless of the occasion, and it was hard to gauge his true feelings from his calm expression.

This was at home, and she felt like the danger level was rising fast.

Compared to that, sitting on his lap seemed like nothing, though—she still felt a little embarrassed.

She bit her lip and tried to ignore that unnecessary sense of shame.

They were married after all. It was nothing.

She repeated that in her mind over and over and decided to face it calmly.

Shen Shu watched her face change through a series of expressions and chuckled inwardly. He slid his finger across the touch screen and brought up the design for her to see. “Take a look. If there’s anything you’re not happy with, I’ll have Shen Yuan fix it.”

Yu Xi watched for a while and then shook her head. “It’s perfect, no need to change anything.”

If she kept asking for changes… would Shen Yuan get mad at her?

Moreover, this design draft was already flawless.

The arches and flower arrangements were extravagantly detailed, and the overall cost couldn’t be cheap, could it?

Yu Xi was a pragmatic person, and when she saw such an exquisite design, her first thought was about money.

Then she wondered, does Shen Shu lack money?

If the decorations were low-quality, it would result in a significant loss for him. At an event like this, many influential guests would be in attendance.

[Will there be many people coming to the wedding?] She gestured to him nervously.

“I think there will be,” Shen Shu smiled and nodded, finding her worried look cute. “Are you worried about that?”

He had already noticed that she didn’t like large crowds, especially when everyone’s attention was focused on her, with people all around.

He attributed this to her personality.

However, as his wife, she would need to face these situations.

“Just pretend they don’t exist. If they want to look at you, just let them look.” Shen Shu smiled and didn’t take her anxiety seriously.

Yu Xi looked at his calm, smiling face. She knew that someone as strong and confident as him would have a hard time understanding her feelings, so she didn’t say anything more.

Although she and Shen Shu were close, they were actually very different in terms of their mindset and values.

“Do you like white and champagne colors?” Shen Shu’s question interrupted her thoughts.

Yu Xi snapped back to reality, her gaze returning to the design draft as she nodded.

[Too many colors will make it look messy, white is best matched with other colors.]

Shen Shu nodded in agreement. “I feel the same way.” He turned his head to look at her seriously. Then, with a playful gesture, his long fingers lightly traced her waist, as if teasing her casually. “What do you think? Does this count as ‘heartfelt connection’?”

Yu Xi slapped him playfully. With a laugh, she jumped up from his arms.

What happened to all his maturity, composure, and restraint? Now she could see through him!

They had dinner at home. At first, Yu Xi didn’t understand Shen Shu’s intentions. She stayed in her room playing games, afraid of disturbing his work.

By the time Shen Shu finished his video meeting, it was already 6 PM. He knocked on her door.

Yu Xi had fallen asleep on the bed, her phone lying on the sheets.

Shen Shu smiled, walked over, and immediately noticed the series of chat messages on the screen.

It was a private message from the game, with the other person’s profile picture being a cartoon avatar and a very juvenile signature. It was clear they were young.

[Follow me, I’ll lead you to victory.]

[Why aren’t you using voice chat?]

[Damn, you’re not a man, are you? I’ve been calling you little sister for the whole afternoon!]

Shen Shu was amused and bewildered.

What kind of gaming partner did she find?

He bent down gently, nudging her. Seeing that she was still drowsy, he took off his vest, loosened his sleeves, and picked her up from the bed.

Yu Xi was light, almost weightless in his arms, but as soon as he picked her up, her drowsy expression changed. She frowned and looked at him.

“You’re awake. Aren’t you going to eat?” Shen Shu laughed softly as he carried her out of the room.

When Yu Xi was tired, she didn’t want to move, even when hungry. She curled up in his arms, refusing to move, only shaking her head and burying her head deeper into his chest in protest.

She usually behaved well, so it was rare for her to act so spoiled. This made Shen Shu’s heart feel soft.

“Be good, eat first, then you can sleep. See what I’ve prepared for you.”

Yu Xi reluctantly opened her eyes.

The dining room was dim, with roses arranged in a heart shape on the table. A ring of pearls surrounded the roses, with silver candleholders nearby.

Yu Xi stared in surprise, and Shen Shu smiled as he gently set her down on the floor. “Do you like it?”

Yu Xi looked at the setup for a while before turning back to face him. He had bent down so he could look at her without her straining to see up at him.

The orange candlelight flickered in the dim room. His face appeared and disappeared in the shadows, giving him a deeper, more mesmerizing look—warm, yet somehow dangerous.

Yu Xi stared at him for a while before reaching out to touch his nose.

It was a sharp, straight line that rose and fell in her palm.

Like mountain peaks, higher than anything she had ever looked up to before.

Shen Shu took her hand and kissed it gently, his eyes still fixed on her face. His lips wore an ambiguous smile as he exchanged glances with her.

Yu Xi thought he was teasing her and quickly pulled her hand away.

She was about to leave, but he grabbed her hand from behind, pulling her back into his embrace.

He held her waist with one hand, looking at her with intense eyes. “Where do you think you’re going? I’m not some righteous gentleman.”

His words made her blush and fluster.

Shen Shu’s long fingers lifted her chin, tracing her jawline before leaning down to kiss her lips fiercely.

Unlike the previous tenderness, this kiss was possessive and forceful. The sharp, cold breath between his lips seemed to devour her, making her tremble. She couldn’t resist, though she willingly sank deeper into the kiss.

He pulled away slowly, not in a hurry. He kissed along her neck, leaving soft, lingering kisses, almost as though marking her with his presence.

Sometimes, he even made soft sounds on purpose.

Yu Xi was ticklish, struggling to escape.

But he held her waist tightly, trapping her.

Yu Xi couldn’t stand it anymore and took a small step back, her back pressing against the cold, heavy dining table.

Her hand instinctively pressed against the table, the coolness of the surface contrasting against her palm.

Looking down, she saw Shen Shu’s hand resting on the back of her hand, his fingers slipping between hers, tightening slightly. The veins on his hand were faintly visible.

She couldn’t hold back a soft sound, tilting her head back and straightening her neck.

Her long neck, graceful like a swan, looked fragile.

Shen Shu chuckled softly and suddenly lifted her, placing her on the dining table.

Startled, Yu Xi pressed against his shoulder.

“Your voice sounds so nice. Make some more noise for me to listen to.” He said seriously, as if negotiating with her.

Yu Xi shook her head, her face nearly flushed with embarrassment.

“Be good, or I won’t let you down,” he said with a smile, casually placing his hands on either side of her.