Xihe shook her head, then felt it wasn’t right and nodded again.
If it were the original owner of this body, she probably would have been afraid.
Chen Shangzhou’s gaze softened. He reached out as if to touch her, but halfway his hand stopped and retracted.
Xihe avoided physical contact with him.
He noticed that movement.
At that moment, his phone rang. He walked aside to answer it.
“Tell Han Junshao to go. I can’t make it—I have something to do.”
He hung up.
Xihe said, “I’m fine now. You can go deal with your things, don’t worry about me.”
Chen Shangzhou turned and looked at her deeply for a long time.
“I already sent someone.”
Xihe didn’t say anything else.
But the atmosphere between them had become slightly strange.
Chen Shangzhou sat at the dining table with his laptop, working.
Xihe sat on the sofa reading a novel.
But she couldn’t focus; her eyes kept drifting toward him.
The man sat with his back to her, fully focused on typing.
After a while, she thought it was time to cook lunch and went to the kitchen, taking out ingredients from the small fridge.
Chen Shangzhou glanced toward the kitchen and fell into thought.
The slender figure stood by the sink washing vegetables.
Han Junshao had asked him what he liked about Xihe.
He had also asked himself that question.
But even he had no answer.
It felt as if something was controlling his mind—when Xihe said she liked him and wanted to be his girlfriend, he had agreed without thinking.
Afterward, he found it strange, but quickly adapted into the role of her boyfriend.
When friends said bad things about her, he got angry.
When he saw her accept flowers from other men, he even thought about marrying her to keep her by his side.
Since childhood, he had always been rational and emotionally detached.
He didn’t understand why she was so special—why she made him act so unlike himself.
Gradually, he accepted that he liked her.
He thought his recent behavior was simply jealousy.
But something was off.
She was the one who had pursued him first, yet now she was deliberately avoiding him.
He could feel it—she was distancing herself.
Was it really as Han Junshao said? That she didn’t like him at all and was just playing with him?
But that didn’t make sense either.
If she were just playing, why would she agree to marry him?
Right now, he had no money, no house—he couldn’t give her a comfortable material life.
So why did she agree?
Xihe turned around and saw him frowning in deep thought.
She poured a cup of hot water, dropped in a few goji berries, and placed it beside him.
“Drink some goji water. Good for the liver and eyes, helps with fatigue.”
Chen Shangzhou looked at her, then at the cup, and took a sip.
“Thank you.”
Xihe glanced at his computer screen—dense lines of code.
It seemed to be a mobile game project.
In the novel, Chen Shangzhou’s startup initially focused on game development. Later, one successful game brought multiple rounds of funding, and the company soared.
Even after returning to his wealthy family, he didn’t abandon his company.
Han Junshao continued managing it, later expanding into AI and robotics.
Eventually, it even went public.
Xihe looked at the screen and asked, “Is this a mobile game?”
Chen Shangzhou looked at her in surprise. “You understand?”
“Some of it,” she said vaguely.
She had taken computer-related electives and worked in a major internet company after graduation. Even though she didn’t do game development, she was familiar with code.
Feeling his probing gaze, she quickly escaped the topic.
“I’m going to cook.”
He stood up. “I’ll do it.”
She pushed him back into the chair. “You work, I’ll cook.”
Her hand briefly touched his arm through the shirt—warm, firm muscle underneath.
She quickly pulled back, embarrassed. “I’m idle anyway.”
She hurried into the kitchen.
He watched her back thoughtfully.
She made four dishes: stir-fried cauliflower with pork, spicy shredded potatoes, sautéed lettuce, and mushroom soup.
The apartment was filled with the smell of food.
“Put away your computer and come eat,” she called.
He closed it, placed it on the sofa, and went to help serve the food.
His tall presence made the small kitchen feel even more crowded.
They ate in silence.
Xihe had a small appetite, but Chen Shangzhou quietly finished everything.
She smiled slightly, satisfied.
The best feeling for a cook was seeing everything eaten clean.
He took the initiative to wash the dishes.
Xihe sat on the sofa, scrolling her phone, feeling a little empty and wanting fruit.
She put on a long down jacket and prepared to go out.
He noticed and asked, “Going out?”
“To buy fruit.”
“I’ll go with you.”
“You’re busy, I can go alone.”
But he was already putting on his coat.
They went out together.
Walking side by side, Xihe glanced at him.
Cold, composed, expressionless—exactly like a male lead in a novel.
But his face was undeniably attractive.
Suddenly, a sharp horn sounded.
Before she could react, she bumped into a hard chest.
A faint scent of laundry detergent lingered in the air.
It was Chen Shangzhou who had pulled her back.
She steadied herself and saw a delivery bike speeding past.
“Thank you for pulling me back,” she said.
He said nothing, still cold as usual.
At a fruit stall, she bought a cheap bag of oranges.
But she couldn’t help glancing at the strawberries.
Chen Shangzhou said to the owner, “Boss, give us a box of strawberries.”
The owner smiled and was about to pack them.
“Boss, we don’t need it,” Xihe quickly said.
“It’s very sweet, just picked this morning,” the owner said.
“We already bought oranges. Next time,” she replied.
The owner hesitated.
But Chen Shangzhou said, “Pack it. How much?”
“42 yuan.”