Sheng Jing Shi had once forbidden her from working, so her social circle was extremely narrow. Even when Chu Xia reconnected with former classmates, Sheng Jing Shi would investigate their backgrounds thoroughly and only allow her to interact with them after confirming there were no issues.
There were even times when she went out to play that he sent bodyguards to follow her, making her friends so intimidated that they didn’t dare speak. Over time, Chu Xia gradually ended up with no friends at all.
She had once tried to probe him in conversation, wanting to understand where his controlling nature came from. Later, she learned that when Sheng Jing Shi was very young, he had accidentally witnessed his mother having an affair. At the time, he ran out and vomited for a long time afterward and then developed a high fever for several days.
Because his father was always busy and barely involved in his upbringing, their father-son relationship was distant and weak.
Seeing his mother moaning in another man’s arms left Sheng Jing Shi with deep-seated hatred and distrust toward women. Yet no one in the Sheng family ever noticed his psychological issues.
It wasn’t until he became an adult and the family decided it was time for an arranged marriage that they introduced him to several prestigious young women—only to discover that Sheng Jing Shi had no interest in women at all. His life revolved entirely around work.
Even his grandfather suspected he might be gay and tested him several times. Only after confirming he also had no interest in men did they slightly relax.
It could be said that Chu Xia was Sheng Jing Shi’s first woman—and from the beginning, he never truly treated her as one.
Because back then, Chu Xia was very thin and small, like a kitten about to freeze to death in heavy snow.
So if one had to trace where Sheng Jing Shi’s possessiveness came from, Chu Xia felt it was partly due to his mother’s influence—but more importantly, it was because Sheng Jing Shi believed she belonged to him.
He fed her, clothed her, treated her illnesses, bought her expensive luxuries, and provided her a place to live. All of these seemingly devoted actions—when examined closely—were no different from feeding a pet, vaccinating it, or buying it toys and a bed.
He did not care about her interests. Even after more than half a year together, he did not know she liked racing cars, and once even thought taking her street racing would scare her.
He never asked about her past, never cared what path she had walked to become who she was today.
He did not care about her relationship with the world, did not acknowledge her self-worth, did not understand her emotional needs, and did not care what she wanted to do.
He only loved her.
In the way he thought was love.
At this moment, Chu Xia saw Sheng Jing Shi facing her question. His lips moved slightly, but no sound came out for a long time.
She noticed his expression becoming complicated, emotions in his eyes becoming unreadable.
They stood in silence for a while. Once he saw her breathing stabilize a little, Sheng Jing Shi said nothing and carried her back to the room.
As soon as Chu Xia lay down on the bed, she felt overwhelming drowsiness. Seeing that Sheng Jing Shi seemed to have lost interest and no longer intended to touch her, her body, exhausted beyond endurance, quickly drifted into sleep.
It was only at night that she slowly opened her eyes again. The room was lit only by a dim bedside lamp, and she saw a shadow in the chair by the bed.
After looking closely, she realized Sheng Jing Shi had actually fallen asleep sitting there—watching over her even while asleep.
Chu Xia quietly sat up. The faint sound of fabric brushing against the blanket immediately made the figure in the chair move.
Sheng Jing Shi opened his eyes in a daze and saw her sitting up, her slender, pale legs exposed at the edge of the bed.
He stood and walked over, covering her legs with a blanket. Then he noticed she was looking up at him.
From this angle, he realized her chin had become slightly sharper. In just a few days, she had lost weight, making her large, round eyes look even more prominent.
“Thirsty?” he asked.
Chu Xia nodded.
While he went to get water, she got out of bed and tried to find her phone—but after searching, she found nothing.
Standing barefoot on the carpet, she frowned in thought. Before she could react, Sheng Jing Shi’s voice suddenly came from behind her.
“What are you looking for?”
She turned around and saw him walking over with a glass of water.
He looked calmer than in the afternoon. That, to her, was not a good sign.
If Sheng Jing Shi had any weakness, it was when he lost control.
When he was angry, his judgment would be disrupted, his usual meticulous thinking would break down, and she could still manipulate his emotions.
But clearly, that opportunity was gone now.
“Can you return my phone?” she asked.
Sheng Jing Shi ignored her completely, instead taking her hand and making her hold the glass.
“After I finish handling company matters, I’ll take you on a vacation. Where do you want to go? Hokkaido, the Maldives, or that island we didn’t get to visit before?”
Chu Xia looked straight into his eyes.
“I’m not going anywhere. My gallery just opened. I have my own life. I need to see my father.”
Sheng Jing Shi said calmly, as if she hadn’t spoken:
“Then we’ll go to the island. It’s getting cold in Jing City.”
The standoff between Chu Xia and Sheng Jing Shi began.
He took away all her communication devices. The servants in the villa were afraid to talk to her. He stayed in the villa every day watching her—either working in the study or silently staying in the same room.
Chu Xia was starting to feel suffocated.
But a more urgent issue was that he wanted to take her for a medical check-up.
“I already said I’m fine,” she insisted.
Sheng Jing Shi sat with his long legs crossed on the sofa, looking at stock data on his iPad. He glanced up briefly at the marks still faintly visible on her neck—bruises from his grip.
“Just a check-up,” he said. “Treat it as an annual physical.”
Chu Xia grew restless.
She did not want him to find out about the pregnancy.
She didn’t know what he might do—lock her abroad, or force her to terminate it.
She drank her milk quietly, thinking.
Sheng Jing Shi had already eaten breakfast, but he stayed at the dining table with her while working.
His routine was strict: wake at six, fasted workout for an hour, then breakfast while listening to his secretary arrange the day’s schedule. He worked until evening, occasionally attending social engagements, and slept at around eleven.
The eleven o’clock bedtime was adjusted for Chu Xia’s schedule; he used to sleep later.
He had even canceled as many social engagements as possible and delegated work so he could spend more time with her.
Over these past days, Sheng Jing Shi kept replaying her words. Only now did he realize that this was how Chu Xia saw him.
He believed he had given her the best of everything. Because he could not marry her, he endured family pressure and felt guilty toward her. Even when she broke up with him or got involved with other men, he tolerated it.
But he couldn’t understand—
How could the person he held so carefully, afraid to break or melt, feel that he didn’t know how to love at all?
Sheng Jing Shi had no answer.
After finishing his tasks, he closed the iPad and looked across the table.
She was sitting there like a small cat, lips stained with a layer of milk.