The next morning, Shi Ying woke up very early. Before her alarm even rang, she slowly opened her eyes in a daze.
Lying in bed for a while, she suddenly realized—wasn’t she on the sofa last night?
She had planned to wait for Shang Chenyan and Shang Nian to come back before sleeping, but she ended up dozing off while watching TV.
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.
“I’m coming.” Shi Ying quickly got out of bed. As soon as she opened the door, she saw Shang Chenyan’s extremely handsome face.
She was still in her pajamas, her hair messy. Realizing this, she hurriedly covered her face.
“I haven’t washed up yet…”
Shang Chenyan let out a faint, almost inaudible chuckle. “No rush. I have a meeting this morning and need to leave early, so I came to call you in advance.”
“Okay, I’ll be quick.” Shi Ying turned to run to the bathroom, then paused and looked back. “When did you come back last night?”
Shang Chenyan’s gaze rested on her, his voice gentle. “Around ten. When I came back, you were already asleep. I was afraid you’d catch a cold, so I carried you back to your room.”
“If I offended you, I apologize.”
“No, no!” Shi Ying quickly shook her head, her little ahoge bouncing cutely.
“I should be the one thanking you. I was waiting for Nian Nian… and you… but I got too sleepy.”
Shang Chenyan smiled warmly. “If I come back late in the future, don’t wait for me. Rest early.”
Shi Ying responded with an “Mm,” then hurried to wash up after he left.
When she went downstairs, she smelled a faint aroma coming from the kitchen.
Peeking in, she saw Shang Chenyan walking out with two bowls.
He was wearing a gray silk shirt, his broad shoulders and narrow waist perfectly defined.
“I made seafood noodles. Come eat.”
Shi Ying swallowed—whether from hunger or his appearance, she wasn’t sure.
She sat down, and he took the seat opposite her.
No matter where he was, at home or outside, he always looked impeccably neat. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing a clean, strong wrist with faint blue veins.
“Did Aunt Zhang not come?” Shi Ying asked.
What she really wanted to ask was: why is a CEO cooking breakfast so casually? She usually just ate bread out of laziness.
“She’s on the way.” He didn’t look up. “Does it not suit your taste?”
Shi Ying almost choked. “Of course not! It’s even better than Aunt Zhang’s.”
She lowered her voice. “Please don’t tell her.”
Shang Chenyan smiled, steam from the noodles hiding the expression in his eyes.
To keep someone, you first keep their stomach.
Once she got used to a life filled with his presence, she would never be able to leave.
After breakfast, he personally drove her to work.
When they were almost there, Shi Ying quickly said, “Just drop me here. If people see me getting out of your car, I won’t be able to explain.”
The veins on his hand tightened slightly on the steering wheel, but he said nothing. He simply stopped by the roadside.
“Be careful on the way,” he said gently.
“See you later.” She waved.
After she left, his expression immediately darkened.
They were clearly husband and wife—why couldn’t they even walk openly together?
His desire was growing more and more insatiable. He was no longer satisfied with just having her by his side.
He wanted everyone to know she was his wife. He wanted to hold her openly, kiss her openly, and do everything a husband and wife should do.
The day passed peacefully. Near the end of work, Shi Ying received a message from Shang Yu asking if he should pick her up.
He wasn’t at the company today, but at school.
Shi Ying thought the evening rush hour would be too congested, so they should just meet at the concert venue.
Shang Yu replied: “Okay.”
A few seconds later: “Be careful on the way. Tell me when you arrive.”
Shi Ying smiled faintly, already looking forward to leaving work.
“What time will you be back tonight? Do you need someone to pick you up?”
A sudden voice made her instinctively flip her phone face-down on the desk.
She looked up and met Shang Chenyan’s calm gaze.
It felt like being caught by a teacher while distracted in class. She nervously tugged her clothes.
“Eleven o’clock. I’ll just take a taxi back myself.”
He gave a faint “Mm.” His silver-rimmed glasses concealed the dark emotion in his eyes.
Shang Yu.
Why was she trying to get close to Shang Yu?
She once said she liked mature, stable, family-oriented men—none of which described Shang Yu.
If only he could tie her to his side… so she could only see him…
His gaze landed on her again. She was focused on her computer, her slender wrist wearing a bracelet that lightly tapped the desk.
For a moment, he thought: if it were a handcuff instead, it would also look beautiful.
At six o’clock, Shi Ying left work on time.
She said goodbye to him in a cheerful tone and left the office without noticing the dark gaze behind her.
After she left, Shang Chenyan leaned back in his chair and exhaled deeply.
He picked up his phone and made a call.
“Teacher Yang, it’s me, Shang Chenyan.”
“Yes, Shang Yu is about to graduate. As his uncle, I just wanted to check on his recent studies.”
After listening for a while, he smiled faintly.
“Please be stricter with him.”
“His thesis is too poor. Don’t let him take a break—make him stay in school and study properly.”
“Oh, and there’s an academic seminar tonight. If he’s interested, please take him along. I’ll send you the details.”
After a few more polite words, he hung up and tossed the phone aside.
He adjusted his glasses and lit a cigarette casually.
Shi Ying didn’t like the smell of smoke. He never smoked in front of her.
In fact, he rarely smoked before—but in the past five years, nicotine had become his way of numbing the emptiness inside him.
Smoke curled in the air, blurring the cold reflection on his lenses, leaving only his dark eyes visible.
Meanwhile, Shang Yu was about to leave when his advisor called him into the office.
When he heard he had to attend a boring academic seminar, he felt like the sky had fallen.
He tried to negotiate. “Can I switch with someone? I already have plans tonight.”
“Teacher, do you know it’s very rude to break a promise to a girl?”
The professor smiled. “Then you can be rude to your advisor instead. If you can’t graduate, I’ll make sure you understand what real rudeness is.”
Shang Yu: “……”