Shen Nan was left completely speechless, choked up with nothing to say.
Guys like them… training was tough all year round. Back when they were younger, in their early twenties, those hot-headed kids would occasionally watch some porn together. A bunch of them huddled up, even commenting on which actress in the video had the best body. But Shen Nan usually didn’t join in much—he’d just glance over if he passed by, not really that interested.
Still, spending years in an all-male team, everyone talked without any filters. Conversations could get pretty open and crude.
Shen Nan would throw in some dirty jokes now and then, teasing in all sorts of ways, but not often. As his buddies put it: don’t let Shen Nan’s steady, serious vibe fool you—when he does say something filthy, he’s straight-up ruthless.
But none of that was the point. The point was, Shen Nan had never met a woman who watched this kind of stuff so enthusiastically right in front of him. And the bigger point? This woman was his wife.
He watched Zhou Zuizui’s face full of genuine appreciation, rubbing his forehead with a headache. His little wife seemed to surprise him at every turn.
After the room went quiet for a bit, Shen Nan stood behind her with hands in his pockets, staring at the small screen on her phone. The moment a guy wrapped only in a bath towel walked out of a room in the video, Shen Nan didn’t even think—he just reached out, covered Zhou Zuizui’s eyes with one hand, snatched the phone with the other, and quickly turned off the screen.
“What the hell are you doing?” Zhou Zuizui was furious, ready to hit him.
And that’s exactly what she tried. She reached up to pry his hand off her eyes, but how could her strength compare to a man who’s trained in the troops year after year? Even using all her might, that hand didn’t budge an inch—in fact, it pressed a little tighter. But cleverly, without actually pressing on her eyes.
This just made Zhou Zuizui even madder.
She clicked her tongue in annoyance, temper flaring as she kicked backward, stomping hard on Shen Nan’s foot.
Shen Nan let out a muffled grunt, then let go of her eyes. In one swift move, he hoisted her up over his shoulder and tossed her onto the bed.
Then, he leaned right over her, pressing down.
Zhou Zuizui was hit so hard by the impact that stars burst in front of her eyes. Before she could even react, Shen Nan leaned down fully, pinning her kicking legs and grabbing her hands.
“Shen Nan!” Zhou Zuizui couldn’t take it anymore. She gritted her teeth and yelled: “Are you crazy?”
This guy must be sick in the head.
“Sleep.” Shen Nan’s voice sounded pretty steady, not a hint of panic.
Zhou Zuizui frowned, pushing against him but couldn’t budge him. She bit her lip: “I’m not sleeping. I want to watch my movie.”
Shen Nan paused, choking a bit on his words. Under the light, he looked at her expression—she was like a puffed-up little lion, roaring away. He hesitated, then lowered his voice: “It’s too late. Watch it tomorrow.”
His breath was hot, full of that heavy, overpowering presence. When it brushed against her ear, it sent little itchy tingles through her.
She wasn’t used to it.
Not used to Shen Nan getting this close and intense, and definitely not used to him bossing her around like this.
“No.” Zhou Zuizui shot him a glare, trying to squirm out from under him.
She’d barely struggled for two seconds when Shen Nan pressed his whole body down on her. Little flames flickered in his eyes, his voice hoarse as hell.
“Don’t move around!” he warned.
Zhou Zuizui raised an eyebrow, not scared at all: “What if I do move, how about th—” Halfway through her words, she stopped dead.
She wasn’t an idiot—of course she could feel the reaction from the guy’s body.
Boom—her brain exploded like fireworks. She couldn’t process it. How the hell did things turn out like this?
The two locked eyes, both falling silent.
Shen Nan’s face didn’t show even a bit of embarrassment. He just stared straight at the woman under him. Only after she stopped struggling did he roll off to the side, lying down properly. Then, in a cool tone, he reminded her: “Zhou Zuizui.”
This was the first time since coming back that he’d called her name so formally. Zhou Zuizui heard it, her eyes flickering slightly.
Shen Nan paused, then continued: “Don’t forget—you’re still my wife.”
Zhou Zuizui: “…”
She froze for a moment, then went back to her usual cold self, scoffing: “Yeah? If you hadn’t said it, I’d have forgotten.”
Shen Nan stopped, turning to look at her stubborn face. After a long silence, he apologized: “Sorry.”
For not coming back in two years, and for a lot of things.
Zhou Zuizui heard him, rolled over with her back to him: “Why apologize? It’s not your fault.”
Shen Nan let out a soft laugh, suddenly reaching out to pat her head gently, asking in a low voice: “How long has it been since you’ve gone back home?” This chapter is updated first at novelping(.)com.
Zhou Zuizui pressed her lips together, saying nothing.
The room went quiet for a moment. The two of them lay on the same bed, keeping just a tiny bit of distance between them.
Just as Shen Nan was about to get up and go to the bathroom for a shower, Zhou Zuizui rolled over again. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him, poking his arm with her finger. Mischief was clear in her gaze as she grinned and suggested: “Why don’t you… go to the bathroom and take care of that yourself?”
As soon as the words left her mouth, Shen Nan narrowed his eyes slightly, letting out a soft chuckle while looking at her. Then, in a much more serious tone, he countered: “How about my wife helps me out instead?”
Zhou Zuizui choked on her words, yanked the blanket over herself, and muffled from inside: “Keep dreaming.”
Shen Nan watched her chicken out like that, tugged at the corner of his lips in a smirk, and headed into the bathroom.
The next day, Shen Nan said a quick word to Zhou Zuizui and left again.
Zhou Zuizui didn’t think much of it—she just went about her usual work and chores.
But Qiuqiu was curious and asked one more time: “Sis, why does brother-in-law head out first thing every morning?”
Zhou Zuizui hummed in response, staring out at the bright sunny weather for a moment before saying softly: “He’s gone to talk business.”
She just didn’t know exactly what kind of business it was. All she knew was that Shen Nan had his own reasons for doing it.
His job pretty much guaranteed that whatever he did wasn’t ordinary.
She was lost in thought when suddenly a man walked into the tavern from outside—the same guy who’d been drinking here that day, the one who’d bumped into her before.
Zhou Zuizui raised an eyebrow, a smile on her face as she looked at the newcomer.
“Beautiful boss lady.” Qiangzi eyed her with that sleazy look: “Our Brother Bao wants to see you. Come with us for a bit?”
Hearing that, Qiuqiu tensed up and looked at Qiangzi nervously: “What do you guys want?”
Qiangzi let out a teasing “eh,” sizing her up for a second: “Nothing much, just wanna ask the beautiful boss lady a few questions.”
“Sure.” Zhou Zuizui nodded and agreed.
“How long will it take?” She looked at Qiangzi coolly, asking very calmly.
Qiangzi blinked, not quite getting what she meant.
Zhou Zuizui let out a soft laugh, raised an eyebrow, and lounged back in her chair lazily: “First, I need an answer from you—how long is this questioning gonna take? If I’m not back in the time you say, my employee here will call the cops.”
As soon as she said that, Qiangzi looked at Zhou Zuizui with a bit more respect.
He smirked mockingly and gave her a time.
“One hour.”
“No, that’s too long.” Zhou Zuizui lifted her eyes to him: “Half an hour. That’s plenty for you to ask whatever you want.”
Qiangzi thought about it for a second and nodded: “Fine, let’s go.”
Zhou Zuizui glanced at Qiuqiu, giving her a quick meaningful look, then followed Qiangzi out.
…..
On the other side, Shen Nan glared at the man across from him. He leaned back in his chair with his legs crossed casually, all sloppy and relaxed, then narrowed his eyes and snapped harshly: “What the hell is this supposed to mean?”
Brother Bao raised an eyebrow and smiled at Shen Nan: “Brother Shen, no need to rush. Let’s just watch this video first. If you’re really clean, our boss will come out right away and talk business with you.”
Shen Nan let out a cold laugh. Seeing Zhou Zuizui looking totally calm and unbothered on the monitor, he stood up straight away, showing his anger: “Then this deal is off!”
Brother Bao shot a look at the guy next to him, who quickly calmed Shen Nan down.
He patted Shen Nan’s shoulder, talking nice: “It’s just a few questions. Once we’re done, we’ll send your wife right back. Brother Shen, don’t worry—we won’t touch a single hair on her head.”
Shen Nan was still fuming.
Xiao Tong stood off to the side, curious about the woman showing up on the screen, but he stayed cool and added: “Our boss isn’t short on this shipment. Since you guys aren’t showing any sincerity, we’ll just head out.” Read this novel at novelping(.)com for the best experience.
The two started walking toward the door. Nobody stopped them.
Just as they reached the doorway, a deep, thick voice suddenly came from inside: “Brother Shen.”
Brother Bao and the others looked at the man who appeared, quickly standing up and calling out: “Boss Zhen.”
The man called Boss Zhen waved his hand casually. He was holding a cane, dressed plainly, with a hat pulled low over his head. He looked all refined and gentle, smiling warmly at Shen Nan right now.
“Sorry for keeping you waiting, Brother Shen. I got here a bit late.”
Shen Nan raised an eyebrow slightly, eyeing this guy who was finally showing his face. The moment he appeared, over a dozen bodyguards followed behind him.
Seeing that, Shen Nan felt more confident inside.
He let out a soft scoff, looking all arrogant and untamed: “Boss Zhen, huh?” Shen Nan tugged at his lip, smirking mockingly: “Is this how you people on the streets do business?”
Boss Zhen wasn’t fazed by his words at all: “Sit, sit. Let’s talk properly.”
Shen Nan narrowed his eyes, sizing him up for a good while before reluctantly sitting back down and getting into the real business talk.
“I need a certain amount—you guys already know the numbers.” Shen Nan said straight to the point: “I want it in two days. If Boss Zhen can’t deliver, then there’s nothing more to say!”
Boss Zhen thought about the huge quantities he’d quoted, paused for a moment, and said: “Brother Shen, the amount you’re asking for is pretty massive… It’s hard for us to pull it together that fast.”
Hearing that, Shen Nan hummed lightly, messing with his hair a bit: “In that case, forget it.” He bragged: “I bet if I bump the price up by just ten percent, plenty of people would jump at this deal.”
“Wait!” Brother Bao looked at them: “Brother Shen needs the goods this urgently—give us some time to prepare, right?”
Shen Nan turned his head toward Xiao Tong. Xiao Tong got the hint, puffed out his chest, and shot a sideways glare at the group in front of them: “Three days. If not, no deal. Cash on one hand, goods on the other.”
…..
Only after walking out of that negotiation room did Xiao Tong finally manage to calm his racing heart a bit.
Once he was sure no one was following them, Xiao Tong asked in a low voice: “Brother Shen, do you think they’ll really deliver the goods as promised?”
“Mm.”
Shen Nan pulled out his phone and glanced at it, then looked at Xiao Tong: “You go back first and pass on the arrangements to the team. I’ll head over later.”
Xiao Tong blinked in surprise, looking at Shen Nan: “Then what are you going to do now, Brother Shen?”
Shen Nan shot him a glance: “Go see someone.”
Xiao Tong: “…”
He watched his captain’s retreating back, scratching his head as he muttered: “See who? And who was that woman in the video anyway???”
When Shen Nan got back to the small tavern, Zhou Zuizui wasn’t downstairs.
He asked Qiuqiu and found out she’d gone out with someone.
“Where’d she go?”
Qiuqiu hemmed and hawed, looking at Shen Nan, not sure how to explain. She couldn’t exactly say the boss lady went out with one of her suitors, right?
Shen Nan narrowed his eyes, tapped the countertop, and stared at Qiuqiu sharply: “You’re not afraid something might happen to your sis if you don’t tell me?”
Qiuqiu froze, then quickly spilled: “Sis went out with Brother Ze.”
Hearing the unfamiliar name, Shen Nan paused and looked at her: “Who’s that?”
“He’s… one of our sis’s… ad… admirers.” Qiuqiu’s legs were shaking under Shen Nan’s stare as she stammered out the answer.
Hearing that, Shen Nan let out a mocking laugh, said a quick thanks, and started heading out to find Xiao Tong.
But just as he reached the doorway, he spotted two people walking side by side not far away. From the outside, they looked perfect together—handsome guy, beautiful girl, like a match made in heaven. And most importantly, Zhou Zuizui actually had a smile on her face—something he hadn’t seen before.
Shen Nan crossed his arms, leaned casually against the doorframe, and watched them intently with an amused look in his eyes.
Seeing the two chatting and laughing together, he narrowed his eyes, sizing them up, and let out a soft scoff.
Pretty flirty, huh.