“I’m only 19 now, not yet of legal marriage age. There’s still one year left,” Wen Zhili explained.
Huo Shengbai’s eyes lit up, a smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. “Good, I’ll wait for you for a year.”
Wen Zhili looked at the gentle and handsome man before her and nodded. “Yes, we’ll go get our marriage certificate in a year.”
If the arranged marriage partner were him, it wouldn’t be so bad—at least he wasn’t ugly.
After all, in this circle, everyone understood that so-called arranged marriages were merely about mutual benefit.
In her past life, Huo Cheng had been forced to marry her because her grandfather had done a great favor for Grandpa Huo. They had arranged this marriage many years ago, stipulating that the children of the Wen family and the Huo family should marry.
Grandpa Huo valued keeping promises and declared that only the one who married Wen Zhili would be eligible to become the heir of the Huo family.
So, she knew why this man had agreed to her request.
As for her willingly marrying Huo Shengbai, it was because she had promised her grandmother that she would help the Wen family through this business crisis one last time.
The Wen family needed to form a marriage alliance with the Huo family to secure their ties with the Huo family’s powerful influence in the business world and keep their declining company running.
Huo Shengbai casually asked, “So, what is our relationship now?”
Wen Zhili’s face flushed hotly, and she stammered guiltily, “It’s… it’s just… the relationship between an uncle and his niece.”
Huo Shengbai smiled meaningfully. “Oh, after last night, you still think of me as your uncle?”
Wen Zhili’s face turned even redder, and she whispered, “We’re not married yet, after all. So, before we get married, let’s just pretend everything is as it was before.”
She added deliberately, “And our relationship must remain a secret until we get our marriage certificate.”
A flicker of something obscure flashed in Huo Shengbai’s eyes, but his tone grew even gentler. “Why keep it a secret?”
Wen Zhili replied matter-of-factly, “To catch everyone off guard, of course. Once we have the certificate, no one can stop us, and no one would ever expect me to marry you.”
Huo Shengbai chuckled softly.
He looked at Wen Zhili as if she were a cute, innocent little deer.
He wanted to devour her in one bite.
But not yet.
He couldn’t scare her…
He had to take it slow and be patient.
Last night, he had ultimately softened and hadn’t taken all of her.
Because at the last moment, when he saw the fear in Zhili’s eyes, his heart ached.
Zhili was still young…
Huo Shengbai’s throat moved slightly, his eyes churning with a wild and terrifying desire, yet his face wore the gentlest smile. “Alright. But will you really marry me then?”
Wen Zhili said firmly, “If you don’t believe me, we can sign an agreement to marry in a year. But you can’t back out either.”
“No need, I believe you.”
Seeing Huo Shengbai so gentle, mature, and steady, Wen Zhili couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
Her “partner” was quite reliable.
Huo Shengbai’s reputation in the Beijing circle was well-known—he was a famous business magnate, referred to as “Master Huo, the Big Shot of the Beijing Circle.”
Rumors said he was cold and ruthless, with ruthless methods and decisive actions. Anyone who offended him would meet a tragic end.
It seemed the rumors weren’t entirely credible!
Huo Shengbai was very gentle, except for last night…
When he kissed her, he was too fierce!
But just before the final step, she had trembled with nervousness.A shadow of something inscrutable flickered in the man’s wild eyes.
He kissed her ear.
“Be good, sleep.”
…
At that moment, a trace of confusion sparkled in Wen Zhili’s clear and beautiful eyes.
Why had he given up in the end last night?
After breakfast, Wen Zhili was about to return to school.
But Huo Shengbai said her classes were in the afternoon.
She could stay at Baiyuan for lunch, and he would personally take her to school.
Wen Zhili thought it over and agreed.
She needed to maintain a good relationship with her “partner” now.
At noon.
Wen Zhili had assumed the chef would prepare the meal, but to her surprise, it was none other than Master Huo—Huo Shengbai himself—who cooked.
Moreover, he made all her favorite dishes, among which peppercorn crucian carp and garlic steamed shrimp were her most beloved.
She had a peculiar habit when it came to eating fish: aside from crucian carp, she wouldn’t touch any other kind.
But crucian carp was notoriously bony.
She would meticulously pick out every single bone before leisurely enjoying the fish.
Today, however, she felt a bit lazy. She didn’t want to peel shrimp or pick out bones, so she decided not to eat much of either.
As Wen Zhili lowered her head to sip her soup, she scrolled through her phone, not looking at Huo Shengbai.
A while later, when Huo Shengbai placed a white porcelain plate in front of her, she looked up to see it filled with peeled shrimp and boneless fish.
Huo Shengbai said gently, “Try it.”
Wen Zhili was astonished. No way!
Could someone really be this attentive?
She also recalled that morning, when Huo Shengbai had helped her get dressed.
Her cheeks flushed. “Mm, thank you.”
She remembered now—Huo Shengbai had a niece.
He must be this gentle and doting with his niece, so he treated her the same way.
He was still the most gentle, most gentlemanly man she had ever met.
Wen Zhili tasted the fish and exclaimed in delight, “It’s delicious! You’re really skilled.”
It seemed this man was indeed… suited for domestic life and would make a good marriage partner.
Huo Shengbai said gently, “As long as you like it.”
Wen Zhili put away her phone and focused on her meal.
What she didn’t see was the man sitting across from her watching her with adoration in his eyes.
The corners of his lips lifted.
He had waited a long time for this day.
He had always known all of Lili’s preferences, whether it was food, clothing, or her favorite perfumes…
He had also heard that to win a woman’s heart, you must first win her stomach.
So he had started learning to cook long ago, and every dish he made was something she loved.
Lili was the first person besides himself to taste his cooking.
…
After finishing her meal, Wen Zhili sipped tea elegantly.
She was accustomed to drinking tea slowly.
Many people thought she was poised and graceful, but in truth, she was a lazybones. After eating, she disliked moving around and preferred to lie still, often feeling drowsy.
Huo Shengbai was immensely patient. Even though, to outsiders, his time was measured in tens of thousands per second, he was willing to wait for her now, his eyes filled with tenderness.
Half an hour later, Wen Zhili finally told Huo Shengbai she needed to return to school.
Huo Shengbai said gently, “Alright, I’ll take you.”
Wen Zhili didn’t refuse. “Mm, thank you, Uncle Huo.”
Huo Shengbai teased, “Still calling me Uncle Huo?”Wen Zhili’s pure eyes held a trace of confusion. “Then what should I call you?”
“Just call me Shengbai.”
Wen Zhili’s voice was soft and sweet as she said, “Shengbai… Brother.”
How could she possibly call him just “Shengbai”? That would be too impolite, so she simply added “Brother” at the end.
But Wen Zhili had no idea that after she called him “Brother Shengbai,” every cell in the man’s body was about to explode with excitement.
The excitement in his eyes was almost impossible to hide.
“Mhm. Then can I call you… Lili?”
Wen Zhili felt it was a bit strange.
When he said “Lili,” it sounded gentle and lingering.
As if she were a piece of candy he wanted to hold in his mouth and slowly melt.
Wen Zhili shook her head inwardly—she must be overthinking it. “Sure.”
Before going out, Wen Zhili deliberately chose a scarf to cover her neck.
She felt a little resentful inside.
It was all Huo Shengbai’s fault for covering her neck with dense kiss marks…