Chapter 5

She paused and slightly furrowed her elegant brows.
“I went out to look for a job.”

She didn’t want to cause any misunderstandings or make him angry. She just wanted to part ways peacefully.

Huo Xizhou’s deep eyes shifted slightly. Through the dim light, he glanced toward the person at the door. His cold and stern gaze softened a little.
“Come in.”

Shen Nanxi was stunned. He didn’t blow up? She stepped into the courtyard, closed the gate behind her, and walked inside.

Huo Xizhou couldn’t tell whether she had truly changed or was just pretending. But right now, she seemed cautious and careful, which irritated him.
“If you behave and don’t cause trouble, I’ll arrange a job for you after the divorce. Looking for one now is pointless.”

“That won’t be necessary. I can find one myself.”

Shen Nanxi walked around him toward the interior. Huo Xizhou frowned and followed her in.

She had already turned on the lights, and under the glow, she looked tired—careful and reserved. Was he the one who had scared her into this?

Could a person really change so drastically? Huo Xizhou didn’t quite understand. It was like watching a little girl suddenly grow up.

He had always seen her as an unrefined, vulgar girl. But ever since she made that soft, bone-melting sound… he realized—she had become a woman.

A woman?

He felt a bit uncomfortable.

As she was heading into the room, he said,
“You must be back before five. It’s dangerous out there if you’re too late.”

Shen Nanxi stopped in her tracks. It was dangerous, but she might not make it back by five. Still, there was a bus stop not far from the shop that led straight to the housing compound, so maybe it wasn’t that bad.

“I’ll come back early.”

She wanted to move into the shop to live, but since they hadn’t divorced yet, she decided to wait until they could file for divorce together.

“When will the divorce report be processed? Once it’s finalized, I’ll move out.”

Huo Xizhou narrowed his deep eyes, his gaze dark.
“Soon.”

He turned and walked to his room, saying nothing more.

Shen Nanxi entered her room, set down her bag, grabbed some clothes, and went to shower. The clothes from yesterday were still on the floor in the living room—she didn’t know what to do with them. Should she just throw them in the bathroom and scrub them a little?

She didn’t have money to buy new clothes, and she could only afford to wear one outfit per day—even if she had the money, she couldn’t splurge on more.

She decided to shower first.

While bathing, she was careful not to touch her forehead or right-hand injuries. Spring was here, and the wounds were healing faster. She didn’t even need to apply medicine anymore.

She soaked her clothes in the basin, then picked up the bloody clothes from the floor and threw them into the trash.

She couldn’t do laundry today—her hand wasn’t healed. So she went back to her room to sleep. She was exhausted.

Meanwhile, Huo Xizhou lay on his bed, finished a cigarette, and also went to sleep.

The next morning, she was already in the bathroom freshening up. He waited outside. When she came out, she looked radiant and graceful—so striking that one’s heart would skip a beat.

Of course, he didn’t think too much about it and went in to wash up.

Shen Nanxi glanced at him, then left. Sure, he was handsome, tall, and dashing—but that had nothing to do with her. She had no opinion about his looks.

She returned to her room, grabbed her bag, and left to get breakfast outside.

On her way out, she ran into Zhang Chenxuan again. Wasn’t this just asking for trouble?

The original Shen Nanxi had ambiguous feelings with Zhang Chenxuan. But to be fair, Zhang Chenxuan hadn’t done anything inappropriate—he probably genuinely liked her. Liking someone didn’t mean crossing a line, and Zhang Chenxuan was that kind of person.

“Brother Zhang…”

“Xixi…”

The affection in Zhang Chenxuan’s eyes was impossible to hide.

Shen Nanxi stepped forward and asked:
“Did he punish you yesterday?”

Zhang Chenxuan lowered his head and sighed. There was no punishment, but Huo Xizhou was furious and told him not to get close to Xixi again. Technically, they had just run into each other on the road—it didn’t count as getting close, right?

He still wanted to be near her. He looked up and smiled:
“No punishment. He didn’t even mention it. Don’t worry.”

“That’s good.” Shen Nanxi looked at him seriously and said,
“Brother Zhang, I think of you as an older brother. Please don’t like me anymore. There’s no future for us romantically. We can be friends. You can treat me like a younger sister.”

Zhang Chenxuan gave an awkward smile.
“Alright, a little sister then.”

They truly weren’t possible. He never expected anything—he just wanted to like her quietly.

He just wanted to be good to her.

Shen Nanxi nodded and accepted:
“Okay, let’s get going before Huo Xizhou shows up.”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

They walked ahead, keeping a bit of distance. Zhang Chenxuan asked:
“Xixi, what are you doing out so early? Guixiang said you went out job-hunting yesterday. It’s hard to find work these days.”

Shen Nanxi smiled at him:
“I took over a shop and started making clothes. I earned the money just yesterday.”

“How did you earn that much?”

Zhang Chenxuan was shocked—taking over a shop required quite a bit of money.

“I signed a contract with an advertising company. I’ll be doing modeling and filming ads.”

“Xixi, seriously? That’s amazing!”

“It’s true. They advanced me the shooting fee, and I used that money to take over a clothing shop. I’ll pay you back soon.”

“No need to pay me back, Xixi.”

“I insist.”

They chatted along the way, unaware of the stares they were getting. The two of them were being very obvious.

When Huo Xizhou came out after washing up, she was already gone. He grabbed his bag and wheeled out his bicycle. From a distance, he saw the two of them laughing and chatting—and his mood soured quickly. Anger began to simmer.

When he left the compound, Zhang Chenxuan lingered with reluctance. But he had to turn left and eventually stopped to watch Shen Nanxi’s departing figure. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Huo Xizhou—and quickly jumped on his bike and sped off.

Huo Xizhou braked hard in front of Shen Nanxi.

She was startled. He saw everything.

But she had only wanted to set things straight with Zhang Chenxuan.

Huo Xizhou’s handsome face was dark, his eyes stormy.
“Didn’t I tell you to behave? Still hanging around with him?”

Shen Nanxi backed up in fear. He looked terrifying.
“I wasn’t. I was just telling him to stop liking me. We can only be friends—siblings.”

“Siblings? Or ‘sweetheart sister’?”

She knew he’d take it that way, but she had no intention of hiding it.

“Not that kind. Just a platonic sister—like a younger sister between friends.”

Huo Xizhou gave a mocking laugh.
“Shen Nanxi, who knows how much of what you say is true. I don’t know what game you’re playing—but until we’re divorced, you’re not to go near him again! Or else…”

“Or else what?”

Shen Nanxi raised her chin, her voice fierce.

Huo Xizhou smirked meaningfully.
“Or else I’ll lock you in the house until we’re divorced!”

“You…”

“I won’t associate with him again. I’ve made things clear today.”

Looks like she’d have to avoid Zhang Chenxuan from now on.

Actually, she’d be divorced and moved out soon anyway.

She turned and walked off, not wanting to speak to him any more. Wasn’t he supposed to be a cold, aloof commander? Why did he act more like a thug?

Not her problem. As long as they weren’t divorced yet, she just had to avoid provoking him.

Huo Xizhou looked at her swaying figure and flowing hair. There was a smile on his lips, though his emotions were complicated.

Shen Nanxi noticed he hadn’t left yet and didn’t dare look at him. He was fierce—not someone easy to deal with.

She didn’t even glance at him when the bus came. Once she boarded and saw that he had disappeared, she let out a huge sigh of relief.

You couldn’t trample on a man’s pride—especially someone in a position of power. Their dignity couldn’t be insulted.

She had thoroughly embarrassed him. She needed to be more careful.

When she arrived, she saw street vendors selling breakfast snacks. She bought some youtiao (fried dough sticks) and steamed buns, then brought them back to her shop.

In the past, she would’ve never eaten from roadside stalls. But times had changed—she had to. Except for high-end restaurants, most places offered similar food to the stalls anyway.

Yesterday she had noodles and stir-fry—both tasted good. Food from this era was delicious. Even the youtiao smelled great.

Her shop had a thermos and cups. Behind the store was a small warehouse, bathroom, and sink. If she placed a small bed in the storage room, she could even live here. Quite convenient.

The elderly got up early. Right after breakfast, some of them were already stopping by. Don’t underestimate these grandpas and grandmas—they also liked good-looking clothes.

The previous owner’s styles were outdated, which was why business had been poor. Now that the styles had changed, there were lots of people coming in, and many placed orders.

Shen Nanxi was already getting busy.

From what she’d observed yesterday, her prices were the highest in the area—yet she had the most customers. All thanks to her stylish designs.

The elderly might be chatty, but once she sold off all the old fabric, she planned to start making clothes for younger people, which would also sell for higher prices.