Yu Xi sat on the reception sofa, resting and occasionally checking her phone. Shen Shu was very busy. After entering the room and saying a few words to her, he sat at his desk and continued working.

The office was very quiet, so quiet that the only sound was the rustling of his pen on paper.

Yu Xi felt a little bored, and occasionally, she would look up at him. When she saw him focused on signing a document, she quickly averted her gaze, not wanting to disturb him and fearing that it might break his concentration.

After about half an hour, a middle-aged man, looking like a manager, knocked on the door and entered.

Shen Shu handed him the signed documents and waved him off, signaling him to leave.

The manager nodded and glanced at Yu Xi with a strange, almost probing look but didn’t ask anything. He quickly closed the door behind him as he left.

Yu Xi felt uneasy, like she was sitting on pins and needles.

“I’m sorry, I’ve been busy these past two days. Are you tired of waiting?” Shen Shu said, picking up his coat and walking over to her. “Let’s go, let’s go eat.”

Only then did Yu Xi get up and follow him out.

The restaurant was downstairs, offering both Chinese and Western food, but they chose Chinese.

“You work as a translator?” He asked, surprised.

Yu Xi nodded.

He hadn’t asked before, so she hadn’t mentioned it.

Maybe he hadn’t expected that a mute person could work as a translator.

But for occasions like this, where interpretation was needed, she could only serve as an assistant.

Seemingly sensing the atmosphere was a bit heavy, Shen Shu made a call to Xie Pu. Shortly after, Xie Pu arrived with a small bag. Shen Shu took it and placed it in front of her. “I saw this when I was abroad with a partner at an exhibition. It seemed like it would suit you.”

Yu Xi was momentarily stunned.

He smiled. “Aren’t you going to open it and see?”

She carefully took out a black box from the bag and opened it with great care.

Inside was a platinum ladies’ watch with a rose gold dial, two circles of diamonds, and a delicate dark red leather strap. It was both elegant and luxurious.

Was this for her?

Yu Xi was a bit taken aback.

She felt that their relationship hadn’t yet reached the point where gift-giving was necessary.

“Sorry, I’ve been so busy these past few days.” Shen Shu explained.

Yu Xi understood. He was apologizing.

Perhaps he felt he had neglected her, and since she represented the Yu family, he might have felt this was necessary.

She sent him a message: [Thank you.]

He smiled and took her hand. “I’ll put it on for you.”

Yu Xi stared at his movements in a daze. By the time she came to her senses, he had already fastened the watch around her wrist. Due to the clasp position, he gently turned her wrist to secure it properly.

His fingers were warm, slightly rough, and Yu Xi’s body tensed up instantly. For a moment, she wanted to pull her hand back.

But after thinking it through, they were already legally married, even if it was a marriage without affection. It would be impolite of her to act that way.

So, she endured and didn’t pull away.

Fortunately, Shen Shu was very considerate. After fastening the watch, he immediately withdrew his hand without any unnecessary movements.

Yu Xi looked at him a little longer. He had already lowered his head to start eating, chewing slowly and quietly without making a sound.

Even while eating, he was so refined and composed, almost making her heart race.

He looked even more distinguished in a suit, sitting upright with a calm and elegant demeanor, impossible to look away from.

Shen Shu didn’t talk much during the meal, but perhaps out of concern for her, he occasionally said a few words to avoid making her feel too uncomfortable.

Yu Xi could tell he was trying hard to care for her emotions. But honestly, she wished he wouldn’t talk to her at all. She would have felt more comfortable that way.

Finally, the meal ended, and Yu Xi secretly let out a sigh of relief.

But just as she was starting to relax, she heard him stand up and say, “I’ll take you back.”

Yu Xi felt like the weather, which had just cleared up, suddenly darkened.

She wasn’t the type to hide her emotions, and her disappointment and frustration were clearly visible. Shen Shu couldn’t help but laugh at her, also feeling a bit defeated. It was the first time he had been so rejected by a woman.

Though he wasn’t arrogant enough to think every woman would like him, he was used to being admired, so it was strange to be so disliked.

“Let’s go.” He suppressed his unnecessary emotions and spoke to her gently.

On the way, Yu Xi remained very quiet.

Shen Shu didn’t say anything else, just sent her to the building where Hai Rui’s office was before leaving.

…

After Meng Xia returned, Yu Xi felt like she was constantly being judged by her, with a look that was neither kind nor pleasant.

She didn’t pay much attention to it and lowered her head to continue with her work.

“Yu Xi, your watch is so beautiful!” Liu Pingping leaned in from the side, her voice filled with excitement. “Is this the limited edition from the Z brand? Is it real?”

“She can’t speak, how do you expect her to answer?” Meng Xia passed by, giving a cold smile before striding away in her high heels.

Liu Pingping shrugged. “Could it be that she’s on her period? Why’s she so irritable?”

Yu Xi withdrew her hand and didn’t respond. Her mind had already wandered elsewhere.

Only then did she realize how expensive the watch that Shen Shu had given her was.

After work, she casually searched online and found a long string of zeros at the end of the price, which left her feeling troubled.

Should she return it?

But if she did, would he think she was being rude or insulting, like she was rejecting his gift?

She struggled with the decision for a long time before finally deciding to let it go.

…

By the time she took the subway home, it was already 7 p.m.

She took out her keys to open the door, but it was already opened from the inside.

Shen Shu was standing at the door, smiling at her. “From now on, you can just use your fingerprint to unlock the door. I’ll help you register it later so you don’t always have to use the keys.”

Yu Xi froze for a moment, awkwardly putting the keys away, but secretly took a glance at him.

Shen Shu was dressed casually, in a loose beige turtleneck sweater. His long neck and smooth jawline made his features stand out clearly, exuding a sense of elegance.

Yu Xi didn’t dare stare at him for too long and quickly looked away, carefully stepping inside to change her shoes on the carpet.

He bent down, took a pair of new women’s slippers from the cupboard, knelt down, and put them on her feet.

Yu Xi stood there, feeling at a loss. After a while, she felt a bit strange.

She just can’t speak, she’s not disabled.

Why was he treating her like a child?

After changing into the slippers, Yu Xi walked into the living room and turned around to see him putting on gloves. He asked, “Do you have any food restrictions?”

Yu Xi didn’t understand.

“Have you eaten yet?” Shen Shu raised an eyebrow.

It took her a moment to realize—was he going to cook for her?

She shook her head while still finding it hard to believe. Could he actually cook?

Shen Shu seemed to notice the doubt in her eyes, but didn’t explain. Instead, he gave a light smile and walked into the kitchen.

Soon, the sound of vegetables sizzling in oil could be heard from the kitchen.

However, the range hood was powerful, so there wasn’t any lingering smell of smoke.

Shen Shu had his back to her, frying steak. His back was straight and relaxed, his broad shoulders making him look very reassuring.

And… his figure was really impressive. It looked even better than the male models she had seen on TV.

Yu Xi couldn’t help but walk closer, peering behind him.

Shen Shu turned around, smiling. “When I was studying abroad, I often cooked for myself. My cooking skills are just okay, I hope you don’t mind.”

Yu Xi took out a sticky note and wrote: [Why not call Auntie?]

Shen Shu replied, “I don’t like people entering my space or touching my things.”

Yu Xi was a bit taken aback. She hadn’t expected that to be the reason. Then she realized that she had been roaming around the house these past few days…

“You’re not an outsider,” Shen Shu chuckled, interrupting her wandering thoughts.

It was such a simple sentence, but Yu Xi’s face flushed with heat.

It felt a little too intimate.

However—she sneaked a look at his profile.

Shen Shu’s expression was as neutral as usual, his focus on cooking just like his focus in meetings. She guessed he had just said it casually.

She sighed in relief, though there was a subtle sense of disappointment she couldn’t quite shake off.

But her mood changed quickly, and she soon shook her head and stopped thinking about it.

Shen Shu wasn’t joking. His cooking really wasn’t great. The taste… was just not bad.

Yu Xi silently ate, not commenting.

“…Is it not delicious?” Shen Shu seemed to notice her thoughts and looked awkward.

Yu Xi didn’t dare to mock him, but she also couldn’t bring herself to lie. She kept a calm expression, pushing the plate of stir-fried bean sprouts in front of him, signaling for him to try it himself.

Shen Shu used chopsticks to pick some up, but after one bite, he stopped.

He was used to eating delicacies, so it was no surprise that he didn’t like it. Even Yu Xi didn’t think it tasted good.

Yu Xi suppressed her laughter but couldn’t hold it in. The corners of her lips curled up.

He shot her a look and suddenly scowled. “Is this funny? You dare make fun of me?”

Her smile immediately faded, and she became uneasy.

He smirked, lowering his head to continue picking at the food.

Only then did Yu Xi realize he had tricked her.

She couldn’t describe how she felt. In this situation, she should be angry, but when she secretly glanced at him, she didn’t have the courage to do so. Instead, she obediently lowered her head and ate her food.

Suddenly, Shen Shu reached out. Yu Xi instinctively pulled back.

“Don’t move,” he said.

She froze, watching as his hand approached and gently removed a grain of rice from the corner of her lips, his touch unexpectedly gentle. “There.”

Yu Xi took two more bites, glancing at him again. His expression was as calm as always, as if he had just done something completely natural. She couldn’t shake the odd, subtle feeling in her heart.