Morning sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, softly illuminating the bedroom.
Jiang Shu gradually woke up, her peach blossom eyes glistening with moisture and the corners slightly reddened. Upon closer inspection, her lips appeared slightly swollen.
The space beside her was empty, retaining only a trace of warmth that indicated Cheng Xiyu had just risen not long ago.
The pillow beside her carried a faint minty fragrance, a scent uniquely belonging to Cheng Xiyu. She lay still with her eyes open, gazing quietly for a few seconds.
Jiang Shu was an excellent cook.
The table was laden with shrimp dumplings, soup-filled buns, and purple sweet potato pancakes, their aromas filling the air.
Cheng Xiyu had maintained the habit of morning runs since his military days. Having just returned and finished showering, he encountered this scene while Jiang Shu was still in the kitchen watching over the final pot of borscht.
Observing her bustling about, Cheng Xiyu finally spoke after a long pause: “You don’t need to cook yourself next time. Let Wang Ma handle it.”
Wang Ma was the family housekeeper who had previously worked at the old residence. After that incident, Cheng Xiyu moved out from the old house, and she had followed him here.
Her son Wang Ye had been by Cheng Xiyu’s side from his military enlistment to discharge and eventual takeover of the company. No one understood Cheng Xiyu and Jiang Shu’s relationship better than him.
“But I want to cook for you,” Jiang Shu said as she brought out the final soup, resting her chin in her hands while looking at Cheng Xiyu with bright, shimmering eyes.
Cheng Xiyu couldn’t help but recall Jiang Shu’s first encounter with him – she had looked exactly like this, as if sudden radiance had ignited in her eyes, brimming with dancing starlight.
That vibrant, life-filled demeanor resembled Bai Yiyi’s, making one inevitably succumb to its allure.
When Jiang Shu introduced the exhibition pieces to him, she wasn’t as calm and collected as she had been with others, nor was she as intimidated by him as ordinary people. She often gazed at him distractedly, as if he were the exhibit requiring her careful study.
Cheng Xiyu found this somewhat amusing and whispered in a voice only they could hear: “…Miss Jiang, are you appraising me?”
Jiang Shu finally snapped back to reality, blushing as she shook her head with a hint of fluster: “How… how did you know my surname is Jiang?” She appeared genuinely puzzled.
With amusement in his eyes, Cheng Xiyu pointed at her name tag.
Before the exhibition ended, Cheng Xiyu headed to the parking lot. Wang Ye was about to open the car door when he saw his boss gesture for him to get in first. Somewhat confused, Wang Ye complied.
Within two minutes, they saw an exceptionally beautiful girl running toward them. Jiang Shu stopped before him, simply staring without speaking, her face flushed from running with reddish-tinged eyes that appeared dazed yet deeply emotional.
Feeling his throat grow dry, Cheng Xiyu touched the beautiful student’s lips and asked in a husky voice: “Coming with me?”
Jiang Shu gently embraced him, nuzzling against his chest, her gaze nearly intoxicated – both docile and passionate.
And so she had stayed with him for three years. Cheng Xiyu knew why he wanted Jiang Shu, but had forgotten to ask why she had chased after him during their first meeting.
Perhaps for money? Perhaps for what people called love at first sight? Or maybe both. He didn’t particularly care – she was just a substitute after all.
He provided money, she offered her body – a clean transaction, perfectly fair.
On the night he brought Jiang Shu home, she kept crying out in pain. Cheng Xiyu thought to himself: She was the one who came to seduce me, so how could she be as inexperienced as I was?
The next morning, Cheng Xiyu gave her a bank card and a contract, which essentially outlined that one party would provide money while the other would be available on call, and either party could terminate the contract by proposing a breakup.
During that period, he had just taken over the company’s affairs. The senior executives were dissatisfied and constantly caused trouble at work, leaving him extremely frustrated. He often came to Jiang Shu’s place.
He would arrive in the evening and leave in the morning. One night, Jiang Shu clung to his shoulders and asked, “…What’s wrong? You’re so rough today…”
“Hmm, company matters,” he replied.
Jiang Shu stayed quiet for a moment, catching her breath, then said, “But does that mean you have to be so rough with me? Cheng Cheng, be gentle with me, please…”
Cheng Xiyu paused briefly, ignoring her, and then exerted even more force. He disliked any woman other than Bai Yiyi acting coy with him—it annoyed him.