The night was dark as ink as the car pulled smoothly away from the Shen residence.
Jiang Shi leaned against the seat back and said softly, “No need to go to the hospital. Let’s just go home.”
Cheng Jili glanced at her from the corner of his eye.
Her eyelids drooped, and her long, thick lashes cast a small, pale shadow beneath her eyes. Her complexion was a little better than before, and her lips held a faint pink hue.
Quiet and still, she always looked as though someone had wronged her.
Cheng Jili’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He instructed the driver, “Take us back to Tinglan Bay.”
Not a word was spoken the whole way.
In the courtyard of Tinglan Bay, the landscape lights were on, casting a warm yellow glow.
Once the car came to a steady stop, Cheng Jili got out first and walked around to the other side, reaching in to help Jiang Shi.
“I can walk by myself.”
She got out on her own.
Perhaps because their relationship had been strained for so long, she instinctively wanted to avoid Cheng Jili’s intimate gestures.
Cheng Jili watched her retreating figure calmly, his eyes darkening slightly, but he said nothing.
Jiang Shi returned to the bedroom, took a quick shower, changed into her nightgown, and got into bed.
Lately, she had been exhausted, both physically and mentally.
Busy with the work handover, busy dealing with Yu Xianzhi’s intermittent calls urging her to divorce, and worried about her eye surgery.
Although the doctor said the surgery wasn’t high-risk, she still felt nervous inside.
She lay alone on the vast bed, sinking into the fluffy bedding like a kitten curled up in a confined space.
With her eyes closed, it wasn’t long before she fell into a deep sleep.
She didn’t know how much time had passed when someone gently shook her awake.
In her blurry vision, Cheng Jili was sitting at the edge of the bed.
He had taken off his jacket but was still wearing the white shirt underneath. His bow tie was removed, two buttons were undone, and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows.
He held a white porcelain bowl in his hands, ladling with a spoon and blowing on it gently.
“I asked the doctor. He said you might have low blood sugar and it’s best to eat something before sleeping.”
Jiang Shi propped herself up and sat up. Her stomach was indeed empty.
She hadn’t attended the birthday banquet, hadn’t gotten to eat the small cake—no wonder she was hungry.
Cheng Jili handed the bowl to her. “There’s no nanny at home, so I had to do it myself. Just make do with this.”
It was a bowl of tangyuan.
Actually, he knew how to cook. Right after they got married, he had often made food for Jiang Shi.
It was Jiang Shi who didn’t know how. Ever since Auntie Xiao was dismissed, she had stopped having fresh ingredients delivered. Cheng Jili rarely came home, and she didn’t know how to cook, so having them delivered was just a waste.
These tangyuan were most likely ones she had bought from the supermarket and stocked in the freezer.
Seeing her dazed, Cheng Jili raised an eyebrow. “What are you spacing out for? Don’t tell me you want me to feed it to your mouth?”
As he said this, he actually scooped up a tangyuan with the spoon and brought it to her lips.
A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “Fine, you’re sick, so you’re the boss.”
Jiang Shi pressed her lips together, then opened her mouth and took the spoon.
Honestly, it wasn’t very good—a bit too sweet—but that cloying sweetness still found its way into her heart.
Like someone locked in a pitch-black box for years, finally seeing the lid crack open a sliver—even a trace of light was enough to set her heart racing.
Jiang Shi suddenly remembered the summer of her senior year of high school.
Her grandfather had gone to Shanghai to custom-make qipaos for several wealthy ladies, and would be gone for a week, leaving her alone at home.
That day after school, she walked out of the school gate with her backpack and saw from a distance a black SUV parked at the entrance, standing out conspicuously among the students in their uniforms.
Cheng Jili was leaning against the car door with his arms crossed, waving lazily at her.
He was two years older than Jiang Shi. At the time, he was attending university while helping Cheng Yunshan manage the group, busy every single day.
Jiang Shi ran over in delighted surprise, her little face flushed pink from running. “Why are you here?”
“came to see if our little Jiang Shi is hungry.” Cheng Jili raised his hand and flicked the tip of her nose. “What are you planning to have for dinner?”
Jiang Shi said in a tiny voice, “I’ll go home and make scrambled eggs with tomatoes.”
Cheng Jili bent down to look at her, deliberately dragging out his tone. “You only know how to make that one dish, don’t you?”
“Who says…” Jiang Shi looked down and shuffled her feet. “I can also cook instant noodles.”
Cheng Jili was amused into laughter. He reached out and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, opening the passenger door. “Come on, I’m taking you out to eat.”
Jiang Shi was taken to a Cantonese restaurant, where she ate her fill.
By the time they came out, the sky had gone completely dark. The summer night breeze of Jingbei carried a muggy heat.
Cheng Jili drove her home, parking directly outside the small courtyard house. He turned off the engine, pulled a backpack from the trunk, and stood behind her waiting for her to open the door.
As if he intended to go in with her.
“You… what is this…”
“Living with you, of course.” Cheng Jili said matter-of-factly. “A young girl alone at home—how could anyone not worry?”
“But…” Jiang Shi clutched the keys tightly, her voice as small as a mosquito’s buzz. “That’s not appropriate…”
Although there were several rooms in the courtyard she could stay in, it was still a man and a woman alone. If the neighbors saw and word got back to her grandfather, she’d be punished.
Cheng Jili nodded lazily, then suddenly bent down close to her. “Then how about we date? Dating means boyfriend and girlfriend, and boyfriend and girlfriend can live together.”
Jiang Shi’s face instantly flushed with a wave of heat.
She looked at the man’s eyes, so close to her.
Those eyes reflected the streetlight, bright as stars.
She couldn’t tell whether Cheng Jili was being serious or just teasing her. Her heart felt like it had a mischievous rabbit in it, thumping wildly.
She just stood there at a loss, unable to say a single word.
Cheng Jili burst out laughing, raising a hand to ruffle the top of her head. “Just teasing you.”
Just then, two headlights appeared around the corner. A black sedan slowly drove over and parked behind Cheng Jili’s SUV.
The passenger door opened first, and Su Ye jumped out.
“Jiang Jiang baby, we’re here to keep you company!”
Before Jiang Shi could react, Shen Mochuan also got out of the car. “Jili said Elder Chen went to Hu City, and it’s not safe for you to be home alone. We wanted to come keep you company—is that okay?”
He was the oldest among them, and by this time had already formally begun working at Shen Corporation.
Jiang Shi snapped out of it and nodded blankly. “Of course, of course! Of course it’s okay! There are enough rooms, it’s just…”
It was just that the rooms were rather small. Jiang Shi worried they wouldn’t be used to it.
These few were all from top-tier wealthy families, raised in luxury since childhood—how could they have ever stayed in a small single-story room in a courtyard house?
Su Ye slung an arm around her neck. “Stop dawdling—anyway, I’m sleeping with you! Those two can sleep wherever they like!”
Hearing that, Jiang Shi no longer hesitated and quickly turned to open the door.
Shen Mochuan went to the car to get his and Su Ye’s luggage—and surprisingly, there was even a big watermelon.
That night, the few of them sat in the courtyard, eating melon while chatting and laughing, talking about school and future plans. The atmosphere was especially relaxed.
Jiang Shi occasionally caught Cheng Jili’s gaze, and seeing the faint smile at the corner of his lips, her heart felt completely content.
How wonderful those times were.
Actually, it was wonderful right after they got married too.
Cheng Jili was inherently a gentle and attentive person. As long as he wanted to, he could catch every tiny emotion of Jiang Shi’s.
But he was also a man of intense desire. Once night fell, it was like a werewolf transformation—the leisurely elegance of the day vanished completely, and he would entangle her night after night, teasing and relentless, not stopping until he made her cry.
Jiang Shi was too exhausted to get out of bed in the morning, so he would prepare breakfast and bring it to the bed, feeding her bite by bite.
However, after returning from their honeymoon, everything changed.
First, her grandfather passed away suddenly from a heart attack, and not long after, Cheng Jili became cold and distant.
All their happiness came to an abrupt end.
It was as if Cheng Jili had only loved her on a whim.
Then he withdrew completely, unscathed.
Jiang Shi ate the last tangyuan that had been fed to her lips.
Gazing at the empty bowl in the man’s hand, her heart felt like someone had gouged a huge hole in it.
Cheng Jili’s coldness was like a one-way mirror erected between them—no matter how painfully she cried for help, he couldn’t see it.
“Not full?” The man’s tone softened considerably. “Want me to go cook a few more?”
“No need.” Jiang Shi withdrew her gaze.
Just when she thought Cheng Jili’s kindness had run its course, he set down the bowl and spoon, raised his hand, and touched her face.
His fingertip brushed across her cheek, trailing down along her neck, landing gently on her collarbone, caressing it.
The touch, rough with thin calluses, sent a fine shiver rippling through her entire body.