After a night of madness, Qin Nuan slept straight until nearly noon.
When she woke up, she remembered what had happened the night before.
Wrapped in her blanket, she felt as if her entire body was being steamed.
She felt as though her body had been made for him.
His fingertips grazing her skin could easily send shivers down her spine.
Those uncontrollable, passionate responses—even she found them unbelievable when she thought back.
She had been utterly embarrassed, unsure how she was supposed to face him today.
But Shen Shiyan’s reaction was surprisingly calm.
When she slowly walked out of the room, he was in the kitchen cooking.
The pot of red bean porridge that was supposed to be breakfast ended up being their lunch.
While Qin Nuan was amazed that he even knew how to cook, watching his composed demeanor made her feel a faint sense of disappointment.
Once he was out of bed, he seemed to revert to his usual calm, rational self.
With his shirt on, he looked refined and restrained.
It was like a completely different person from the night before, and it inexplicably created a sense of distance.
But that distance was gently bridged when he looked at her and asked what she planned to do in the afternoon, and whether she needed him to accompany her out for a stroll.
Qin Nuan was taken aback. “Don’t you need to work?”
More importantly, would a big CEO like him actually accompany a woman shopping?
“I’m not as busy these days.”
With that, he looked at her, a faint trace of amusement flickering in his eyes.
“Besides, I remember we’re still newlyweds.”
“I told you before—no matter how this marriage began, I will take responsibility for it.”
“Isn’t it perfectly normal for a husband to take his new wife out shopping?”
Qin Nuan’s heart pounded wildly.
So not everything had stayed the same.
She could sense that although he still appeared as composed as ever,
there was a subtle warmth in the way he treated her that was hard to notice.
Qin Nuan covered her flushed cheeks, but said apologetically, “But I already made plans to meet a friend this afternoon.”
She had arranged to meet Lin Xiaoning yesterday.
Actually, it was a good thing they had planned for the afternoon.
If it had been in the morning, she probably would have slept right through it.
Shen Shiyan paused, nodded, and asked naturally, “Alright, go ahead then. Want me to drive you?”
Qin Nuan quickly shook her head.
His Maybach might be considered low-key among the wealthy, but to ordinary people, it was still far too flashy.
Shen Shiyan didn’t say anything more.
.
In the afternoon, Qin Nuan put on some light makeup and headed out.
The two met at a café in the shopping mall.
Lin Xiaoning had just returned from abroad and gave her a big hug the moment they met:
“Qin Xiaonuan! My little warm bun! I missed you so much!”
Qin Nuan smiled and hugged her back.
The two had been best friends for years. Lin Xiaoning was outgoing and came from a well-off family.
After they sat down, Lin Xiaoning handed Qin Nuan the gift she had brought back from abroad, then eagerly winked at her:
“Hehe, Qin Xiaonuan, how’s your newlywed life going?”
The two told each other almost everything.
Last week, not long after Qin Nuan married Shen Shiyan, she had shared the news with Lin Xiaoning.
Lin Xiaoning had gone absolutely crazy with excitement, shrieking and wishing she could fly back from abroad immediately.
She had completely ignored the whole contract marriage thing.
She even declared that with a man like Shen Shiyan, just getting to sleep with him once in a lifetime was already a win!
However, when she learned that they were still sleeping in separate rooms, Lin Xiaoning felt deeply disappointed.
“Qin Xiaonuan, is your husband impotent? A fragrant, soft wife like you right at home, and he can resist touching her?”
As it turned out, he wasn’t impotent—he was quite the opposite.
Her legs were still a bit shaky from walking today.
Qin Nuan guiltily pulled her collar together, but Lin Xiaoning immediately saw through her.
With a “whoop,” she pounced over and yanked at her collar.
When she saw the mottled red marks, her face flushed slightly, then she broke into a mischievous grin:
“Tsk tsk tsk, quite the fierce battle, huh? Qin Xiaonuan, looks like your Shen always dotes on you~”
Qin Nuan couldn’t take it anymore, blushing as she swatted her.
The two shopped for a while, had dinner, and then went their separate ways.
Before leaving, seeing how Qin Nuan kept blushing at the mere mention of Shen Shiyan today, Lin Xiaoning teased with a laugh: “You’re done for, Qin Xiaonuan! You’ve fallen in love!”
“That’s fine—let that scumbag Lin Qingyang go! From now on, just be a good Mrs. Shen!”
On the way home, those words echoed in Qin Nuan’s mind.
Had she fallen in love?
Qin Nuan pressed her lips together and patted her cheeks.
Get a grip, Qin Nuan.
It’s just a contract marriage. None of this is real.
.
Back home.
Shen Shiyan hadn’t gone out all day, still in the same casual clothes from this morning, sitting on the sofa working on his laptop.
Hearing the door open, he looked up: “You’re back?”
Qin Nuan hummed in response, but as she walked in, she noticed a pile of women’s clothing on the sofa.
“What’s all this?”
Shen Shiyan closed his laptop and stood up, looking at her: “I had someone deliver these this afternoon. Go try them on and see if the sizes fit.”
“From now on, new clothes will be sent over every season.”
Hearing this, Qin Nuan froze, then immediately understood.
Yesterday at the old residence, Jiang Ruowei had used clothes to make things difficult for her, and today he’d already had these sent over.
“You’re done for, Qin Xiaonuan! You’ve fallen in love!”
That voice rang in her head again, unbidden.
She bit her lip and looked at Shen Shiyan, her emotions in turmoil.
“No need,” she refused, her throat tightening. “I have enough clothes.”
Why was he being so good to her?
Weren’t they just in a contract marriage?
Was it simply because he’d said he would take responsibility for this marriage, so he treated her well as his wife?
“You need them.” Shen Shiyan looked at her, his expression calm, but his tone carried an unyielding certainty.
“I was negligent before.”
“The wife of Shen Shiyan deserves nothing less.”
Gentle yet assertive.
As if what he’d said—
“She just needs to stay by my side, and I’ll naturally place the best the world has to offer before her.”
Had become reality.
In the end, Qin Nuan couldn’t refuse and went to try on the clothes.
But she discovered that the clothes he’d sent weren’t just comfortable and well-fitted—they were also understated luxury brands, suitable even for everyday work.
Not only that—there were undergarments too.
The sizes were exact.
Qin Nuan’s face turned bright red when she saw them.
How did he know her size?
Had he already figured it out completely in just two nights?
She was flustered and embarrassed when, suddenly, a figure loomed behind her.
A gentle kiss landed on her smooth back, his breath carrying a seductive allure as it trailed from her spine to the nape of her neck, sending shivers through her body.
This was, after all, their room. Since last night, it was only natural that they slept together.
She couldn’t resist him, and soon melted into his arms.
.
The next day was Monday.
Shen Shiyan had an early morning meeting, so he drove off at dawn.
Qin Nuan got up, washed up, and dressed, only to find her neck covered in marks of varying intensity left behind by their passionate encounters over the past two days.
An ordinary collar couldn’t hide them at all.
Her cheeks flushed, and she had no choice but to find a silk scarf to wrap around her neck before hurrying off to the company.
She was the first in her department to arrive.
While washing her cup in the break room, looking tired and still wearing the scarf around her neck, Zhao Meihua passed by and teased her: “Oh, Xiao Qin, looks like something’s going on~”
Qin Nuan froze, following her gaze to her collar, and realized the scarf hadn’t completely covered the marks.
She was instantly mortified and reached up to adjust the scarf.
Just then, Zhang Lin walked in and also spotted the hickeys on Qin Nuan’s neck.
She had always harbored resentment toward Qin Nuan, feeling that Qin Nuan had stolen her spotlight.
Recalling how Qin Nuan used to stare at Shen Shiyan in a daze, her jealousy and dissatisfaction erupted, and she sneered:
“Ha, didn’t you just say you broke up with your boyfriend a while ago? Now you show up to work covered in hickeys, and before that, you couldn’t take your eyes off the new General Manager Shen.”
“Qin Nuan, I never would’ve guessed—you always act so innocent in front of everyone, but your private life is such a mess.”
If it were any other time, Qin Nuan wouldn’t bother arguing with Zhang Lin.
But today, her words dragged Shen Shiyan into it as well.
Qin Nuan’s face instantly darkened. She looked up and stared coldly at Zhang Lin: “Do you really know what my life is like?”