Zhou Yao and the others took Wen Yue and her friends to where they lived.

The place they were staying was a bit remote and simple. While helping with the luggage, Ren Yeliang explained, “The land we bought has just been built, and it’s still empty. We’ll move in once everything is ready. For now, we’ll have to trouble my sister-in-law to stay here. Although this place looks quite simple, it has everything necessary…”

Wen Yue smiled and said, “It’s fine, I’m not picky.”

Having lived in countryside houses before, she wouldn’t be picky about anything else.

Although the exterior of the building looked a bit simple, it had water, electricity, a toilet, and a showerhead! Wen Yue was quite surprised to see the showerhead and couldn’t wait to take a shower.

After spending three days on the train, she felt like she was in a state of disarray.

“Hey, sister-in-law, do you know what this is for? It’s for showering…” Ren Yeliang was about to show off but was kicked by Zhou Yao.

Zhou Yao looked down at him and said in a cold tone: “Is that something you need to explain? Get lost.”

Ren Yeliang hissed and turned to take Li Nianqiu and her sister to another room, thinking he could show off to someone else.

Fang Shitao, seeing this scene, curled his lip. He deserved it. Knowing that Brother Yao hadn’t seen his sister-in-law for so long, he still wanted to be the third wheel. Brother Yao didn’t slap him away because he was kind-hearted.

Soon, only Zhou Yao and Wen Yue were left in the room.

Wen Yue surveyed the room.

The decor was very simple. There were only the necessary pieces of furniture, and it was clean, likely tidied up beforehand.

“Do you want to take a shower?” Zhou Yao asked.

Wen Yue nodded, “Yes.”

“I’ll teach you how to use this.” Zhou Yao cleared his throat and explained how to use the showerhead in detail.

Although Wen Yue knew how to use it, she didn’t say anything and just smiled as she watched Zhou Yao seriously explain in his deep voice.

“Got it?”

“Yes.”

Zhou Yao let out an “oh” and a hint of disappointment flashed across his face. She learned that quickly… He had wanted to teach her step by step. However, considering Wen Yue had been traveling for days, he suppressed his disappointment and let her have the bathroom.

Wen Yue took a comfortable shower and washed her hair. When she came out, Zhou Yao took out a hairdryer and dried her wet hair. She had originally wanted to chat with him, but halfway through drying her hair, she fell asleep, and Zhou Yao ended up carrying her to bed.

When Wen Yue woke up, the outside had already darkened, and the room was only lit by a dim yellow lamp.

Zhou Yao sat at the desk, frowning as he read through some documents.

He was wearing a white shirt and had a pair of gold-rimmed glasses resting on his nose, which obscured his dark and deep gaze, giving him a very scholarly appearance.

This look… really had the flavor of a scholarly rogue.

“Awake?” Noticing the gaze directed at him, Zhou Yao turned to look over, still wearing his glasses and holding the document in his hand. He softly asked, “Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something?”

In the dim light, his strong and handsome features appeared even more delicate and three-dimensional, and the black pupils behind the lenses were deep and alluring, like a captivating black hole.

Wen Yue wasn’t hungry at all. Four words popped into her mind: “pleasing to the eye.”

She blinked and waved at Zhou Yao.

Zhou Yao raised an eyebrow and obediently came closer. “What’s wrong?”

Wen Yue lay sideways at the edge of the bed, watching Zhou Yao lean in. Her slender, fair arm stretched out from under the thin blanket, pulling down on Zhou Yao’s neck.

Though Zhou Yao was a bit confused, he didn’t struggle and complied with her pull. He opened his eyes wide, and when he felt the warm touch of her lips, his pupils instantly dilated, looking a bit dazed.

Wen Yue didn’t close her eyes either. Meeting Zhou Yao’s dazed gaze, her eyes curved up as she leaned back half an inch and seriously said, “I’m full.”

“…”

Zhou Yao snapped back to reality, looking at her with a half-smile and a slightly hoarse voice, “That’s all? You should eat more.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Yao cupped the back of Wen Yue’s head and leaned in.

He kissed her lips clumsily like a puppy, with a bit too much force. Wen Yue winced in pain and parted her lips. Zhou Yao immediately took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, tightening his grip on the back of her head while his other hand stroked the back of her neck.

His hands were calloused and felt a bit scratchy, causing Wen Yue to instinctively shrink her neck.

Zhou Yao thought she wanted to escape, and his previously gentle actions became more intense as he restrained her firmly.

After who knows how long, when Wen Yue felt like she was about to lose consciousness, Zhou Yao finally pulled back, leaning in to kiss her face a couple of times and trailing kisses down to her earlobe, letting out low, husky breaths.

His warm breath brushed against her earlobe, causing Wen Yue to shiver slightly.

“Don’t move.” Zhou Yao’s voice was hoarse, his hand moving to her slender waist, pulling her tightly into his embrace with a bit of restraint.

Wen Yue sensed something and smiled as her eyes, which had just reddened from lack of breath, curled up. She raised her hands to wrap around Zhou Yao’s neck.

They held each other for an unknown time when a knock sounded from outside the door.

“Brother, sister-in-law, are you awake? Let’s go out to eat!” Ren Yeliang’s voice came from outside.

Zhou Yao replied, then held on for another two minutes before finally letting go. He said he was going to the bathroom and strode off.

Wen Yue laughed softly a couple of times and slowly got up to change her clothes.

…

By the time they went out, it was nearly eight o’clock.

The night in Shencheng was brightly lit, and many people were still on the streets, with fashionable men and women walking in groups. There were many shops open along the streets, and numerous food stalls that dazzled the eye.

They entered a restaurant and casually ordered a few home-style dishes. After eating, they strolled around for a while before heading back to rest.

Three days on the train had indeed been tiring. Wen Yue returned to wash up and fell asleep on the pillow almost immediately.

The next day, Wen Yue woke up to find she was the only one left in the room. Grandma Fang said that Zhou Yao and the others had left before dawn. Feeling bored at home with Li Nianqiu, Wen Yue decided to take Li Xiangdong, Grandma Fang, and Lulu out for a stroll.

The development in Shencheng was indeed rapid, with many tall buildings reminiscent of the future. Many men and women on the street were dressed fashionably in strappy dresses, shorts, denim jackets, jeans, and various shirts…

When they finished wandering, Li Nianqiu said, “As expected of Shencheng. There are opportunities to make money everywhere.”

Wen Yue was puzzled. Huh? She hadn’t felt it at all. She had to be the female lead and experience the customs and culture of Shencheng in this era.

At noon, Zhou Yao and the others returned looking dusty and tired, as if they had rolled around in a pile of dirt. After a simple lunch, the three of them hurriedly left again and didn’t return until seven or eight in the evening.

“Are you that tired?” Wen Yue felt a bit concerned.

Zhou Yao smiled, “We’re almost done. Once we finish this busy period, I’ll take you to Hong Kong to play.” He remembered what he had said before the college entrance exams.

“Okay!” Wen Yue’s eyes curved happily as she told him about their shopping trip that day.

As they chatted, she noticed Zhou Yao had fallen silent. When she looked up, he had closed his eyes, his dark lashes fluttering slightly—he had already fallen asleep. Watching the dark circles under Zhou Yao’s eyes, Wen Yue sighed and got up to turn off the lamp.

It wasn’t until half a month later that Zhou Yao and the others finally finished their work. After resting for two days to regain their spirits, they set off for Hong Kong by boat.

Hong Kong was even more prosperous and fashionable than Shencheng, with tall buildings interspersed, bustling with crowds. Things here were much cheaper than in Shencheng, and they stayed in Hong Kong for four days.

After all, there was still work to do back in Shencheng.

Upon returning, they busied themselves with finding schools for Fang Lulu and Li Xiangdong. Transferring schools from other cities was quite troublesome. Fortunately, Zhou Yao had been in Shencheng for over six months and knew quite a few people. He spent a little money to help the two of them get their paperwork sorted out, just waiting for the school year to start.

Afterward, Zhou Yao took Wen Yue to several parties attended by wealthy and influential people from Shencheng. If he wanted to sell his properties well, he needed to build good relationships with these people.

Seeing Zhou Yao conversing calmly and unperturbed with others, Wen Yue realized that he had really changed a lot. He was no longer the hot-tempered youth who would frown and speak sharply over trivial matters.

He had quickly shed his immaturity, becoming mature and reserved. The change was so significant that it left Wen Yue a bit dazed. It wasn’t until Zhou Yao glanced over with a concerned look that she snapped back to reality, sighing inwardly at how hard Zhou Yao had worked.

She couldn’t lag behind.

Wen Yue appeared obedient and gentle, speaking softly and at a leisurely pace, which easily won others’ favor. She quickly integrated into the circle of wealthy wives. These women mostly had children and would gather to chat about their husbands or kids.

And academic performance was a crucial topic.

Wen Yue thought of something, didn’t say anything, and immediately went home to drag Li Nianqiu into their room, where they chatted for nearly two hours before emerging with beaming smiles.

Zhou Yao was curious and asked, “What were you two talking about?”

“It’s a secret,” Wen Yue said mischievously, winking. “I’ll tell you later.”

Zhou Yao raised an eyebrow, “So mysterious?”

Wen Yue’s eyes curved with delight.

In the following days, she took Li Nianqiu out every day. Zhou Yao hadn’t realized what they were up to at first, but later, a CEO told him, “Boss Zhou, your wife is actually a student from Shencheng University? That’s impressive! My son’s grades were terrible, but these past few days, thanks to your wife and her friend tutoring him, his grades have improved quite a bit…”

And then he promptly booked two apartments.

It was then that Zhou Yao realized what Wen Yue had been busy with. He paused for two seconds, then smiled.

When he got home, he hugged Wen Yue and kissed her for about ten minutes.

Wen Yue then told him that she and Li Nianqiu had decided to start an education company specifically for tutoring children. They were still in the “startup phase,” which could help Zhou Yao and also lay a foundation for their company—a win-win situation!

The specific plan was Li Nianqiu’s idea, she was just passing on the message.

“That’s really impressive,” Zhou Yao said, resting his chin on Wen Yue’s head, his voice soft and slow. “You’ve really helped me out. How should I thank you?”

Wen Yue hummed softly, turning her head to meet Zhou Yao’s gaze. “By giving yourself to me?”

“Sure,” Zhou Yao raised an eyebrow, looking as if she had struck gold. “Then I’ll give myself to you.”