“Damn it! Who the hell is this?!”
Kicked hard in the stomach, Lin Qingyang winced in pain, cursed with a grimace, and rolled up his sleeves to throw a punch.
Yet the moment he caught sight of the person standing before him, he froze instantly, his eyes widening in shock.
“Sh—Shen, President Shen! Why is it you?!”
Cold sweat broke out all over Lin Qingyang’s body in an instant. His previous bravado vanished completely as he flushed crimson and stammered.
It was actually Shen Shiyan.
Given his social standing, while he wasn’t qualified to get close, how could he possibly not recognize him? The financial newspapers and magazines across the capital were plastered with this man’s face.
He was a figure at the very pinnacle of the capital’s pyramid—Chen Limin wasn’t even worth a single strand of his hair.
Yet right now, his hand was securely locked around Qin Nuan’s waist, and he had just stated that Qin Nuan was his wife.
Too stunned to speak, Lin Qingyang watched as the man’s cold voice rang out once more, repeating the question: “I asked you, where were you planning to take my wife?”
Scared out of his wits, Lin Qingyang’s facial muscles twitched. Scrambling to his feet in a panic, he began bowing and scraping, forcing a flawning smile. “I’m sorry, President Shen. Th-This is just a misunderstanding. I—I was just joking with Xiaonuan, just joking.”
“Joking?” Shen Shiyan’s tone remained flat as he glanced down at the woman in his arms.
Qin Nuan showed no mercy whatsoever, glaring fiercely at Lin Qingyang. “It wasn’t a joke. He just tried to drag me away by force.”
“Xiaonuan!” Lin Qingyang’s face turned ashen as he reached out, trying to grab her and plead for mercy.
Shen Shiyan didn’t give him the chance. Tilting his head, he instructed Li Yue behind him, “Li Yue, handle this.”
“Understood.”
Li Yue stepped forward, his voice completely devoid of emotion: “Lin Qingyang, ordinary employee of Hengchuan Trading Company. Starting tomorrow, you will no longer need to report to work, and no company in the capital will ever hire you again.”
At those words, all the color drained from Lin Qingyang’s face. His lips trembled: “Sh-President Shen! Please, I was wrong! Give me a way to survive!”
Shen Shiyan, however, was already embracing Qin Nuan as they walked toward a waiting vehicle.
It was a Maybach—understated and unassuming, yet worth at least tens of millions.
The chauffeur hurried over to open the door.
Qin Nuan got into the car first, while the most powerful man in the capital placed a protective hand over the top of the door frame, carefully shielding her head before bending down to take his seat beside her.
As the car pulled away, Lin Qingyang’s legs turned to jelly, and he collapsed heavily to the ground, consumed by bitter regret.
Qin Nuan really was married, and she had married a man he didn’t even have the qualifications to look up to.
The car heater was running, yet Qin Nuan’s palms remained ice-cold until they were engulfed by a pair of warm, large hands.
She snapped back to her senses, lifting her gaze to find Shen Shiyan looking down at her. His well-defined fingers covered her hands as his voice turned softer than usual: “It’s alright now.”
Just those three short words made her cheeks instantly heat up.
Qin Nuan’s eyelashes fluttered and her heartbeat went haywire. After a brief silence, she felt it necessary to explain: “That person just now was my ex-boyfriend. We’ve already broken completely, and I had no idea he’d suddenly show up to wait for me today.”
Shen Shiyan replied calmly, “Qin Nuan, before I married you, I ran a background check on you.”
The subtext was clear: he already knew everything about her, so she didn’t need to explain herself to him.
Qin Nuan was slightly startled, then furrowed her brow. A trace of discomfort flickered in her heart, though it quickly dissipated.
What kind of person was Shen Shiyan? Before deciding to marry her, how could he not check what kind of person she was?
“No matter what, President Shen, thank you so much for today.”
She knew very well that even though he had investigated her, he had still stepped in today to protect a contractual wife like her.
Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
At that, Shen Shiyan let out a low chuckle.
Qin Nuan raised her eyes in surprise, looking at him in bewilderment.
He laughed? This was the first time she had ever seen him genuinely laugh, but what was so funny about this?
She watched as Shen Shiyan looked at her, pulling his hand back from hers, and spoke with an earnest tone: “Qin Nuan, you are my wife. Protecting you is only natural.”
With that, he adjusted his posture slightly and added another sentence: “Also, you don’t need to call me President Shen after getting off work anymore.”
There was something inexplicably flirtatious about his demeanor. Qin Nuan’s face flushed anew, her heart feeling like it was riding a roller coaster—ups and downs. Startled once more, she blinked and asked blankly, “If I don’t call you President Shen, what should I call you?”
Shen Shiyan glanced at her, his gaze resting on her blushing earlobes. Without answering, he gave a meaningful counter-question: “What do you think?”
Qin Nuan: ……
Seconds later, she hurriedly looked away, biting her lip in silence as her earlobes turned as red as bleeding drops.
Shen Shiyan gave her a deep look, nonchalantly turning the wristwatch on his arm.
Shen Shiyan didn’t ask for Qin Nuan’s address, yet the car accurately pulled to a stop right downstairs at her rented apartment building.
Qin Nuan suddenly remembered that the night she fled from his room, when she went out to buy medicine, she seemed to have vaguely caught sight of this very same Maybach.
At the time, she thought she was just seeing things. Thinking back now, how could she have been seeing things? It was clear he had already tracked her down long ago.
This man’s efficiency and execution speed were terrifyingly frightening.
“Did you pack everything?” Shen Shiyan asked.
Recovering her focus, Qin Nuan nodded. “Mm-hmm, packed. Just two suitcases.”
“Alright, I’ll go up and help you get them.”
She quickly refused: “No need, they aren’t very heavy, I can manage myself.”
Without a word, Shen Shiyan got out of the car and rode the elevator up with her.
Following closely behind him, Qin Nuan felt a bit ill at ease.
Her rented apartment was less than thirty square meters—very small—and she was terrified of wronging his noble status.
Yet he looked perfectly natural. After stepping inside, his gaze swept casually across the room without a shred of disgust. He even pulled the two suitcases from the middle of the living room and asked, “Just these? Anything else?”
“There’s still a handbag, I’ll go grab it.”
When she emerged with her bag, however, she found Shen Shiyan standing in the center of the living room, holding something between his fingertips and twirling it slightly.
His posture looked regal and leisurely, but the moment she recognized what was in his hand, Qin Nuan nearly jumped out of her skin.
Deeply embarrassed, she rushed forward with a flushed face and snatched the item back from his hand, stammering, “I—I’m all packed, let’s go.”
What he had been holding was the tube of ointment she had used that night…
She had casually left it on the coffee table after applying it that night. Nobody else ever came over to her place, and she had completely forgotten about it while packing yesterday.
Seeing his item snatched away, Shen Shiyan didn’t get angry. Instead, he gave her a profound look, his words loaded with implication: “Got hurt that night?”
Keeping silent, Qin Nuan hurried toward the exit with panicked steps.
He curved his lips, pulled the luggage handle with one hand, and said no more.
The car set off once more.
Outside the window, the bustling downtown cityscape gradually faded into quiet serenity.
Qin Nuan had assumed that a man like her husband would live in a lavish luxury villa. To her surprise, the car turned into an ultra-private, high-end apartment complex—Cloud Realm No. 1.
The compound was filled with standalone duplex apartments, looking utterly luxurious and exquisite from the outside.
Shen Shiyan’s home occupied the top floor.
Upon stepping inside, an entire wall of floor-to-ceiling windows offered a panoramic view of the capital’s nightscape. The interior design favored black, white, and gray tones—minimalistic yet masking low-key luxury.
Gripping her suitcases, Qin Nuan stood there in a momentary daze.
This was the place she was going to live from now on?
She had never even dared to imagine living in a place like this.
“Your room is on the second floor. I’ve had everything prepared for you; if you’re missing anything, let me know.”
Nodding, Qin Nuan followed him upstairs.
The bedroom was equally luxurious, featuring a super-king bed over two meters wide, a private balcony, a bathroom, and a walk-in closet… every detail signaling the man’s status and nobility.
Yet mixed among all these upscale fixtures was a touch of feminine softness.
A set of pink pajamas lay folded on the deep gray bedding.
Pink slippers sat by the bathroom entrance.
Even the vanity table had a complete set of skincare products neatly arranged.
A wave of warmth washed over Qin Nuan. She looked at him and said sincerely, “Thank you.”
Pausing for a second, she added, “Shen Shiyan.”
She had originally assumed this contract marriage would just be a superficial facade, yet he had considered every single detail and given her more than enough respect and thoughtfulness.
Hearing her pronounce his name for the very first time, the sound soft, sweet, and tender,
Shen Shiyan’s Adam’s apple bobbed and his gaze darkened slightly, though he merely said in a flat voice: “You can take a shower first, then come down for dinner.”
With that, he closed the door behind him and left.
Qin Nuan took a shower and had dinner with him afterward.
However, as the night deepened, she began to grow nervous once more, tightly hugging her mermaid body pillow and stealing glances at the man still working on the sofa from time to time.
It was getting close to 11 PM—bedtime.
She hadn’t forgotten the fourth clause in their agreement……
Were they really going to fulfill it tonight?
Would Shen Shiyan sleep in the same room as her? Wasn’t this moving way too fast……
Click.
The sound of a laptop closing rang out, and Qin Nuan’s heart leaped straight to her throat.
She watched as Shen Shiyan took off his glasses and stood up, his tall, imposing figure walking toward her step by step.
Qin Nuan trembled slightly.
She shrank further back into the corner of the sofa.
Her cheeks burned, her heart hammered wildly against her ribs,
and she felt utterly at a loss.
Shen Shiyan stopped right in front of her.
The girl was wearing the pajamas he had prepared, clutching a brightly colored mermaid body pillow in her arms.
Inside his home, she looked completely out of place with the color scheme of the entire apartment, resembling a little animal that had accidentally wandered inside.
Her eyelashes fluttered like tiny paintbrushes.
Her body was stiff with tension, making her look more and more like a frightened rabbit.
Narrowing his eyes, Shen Shiyan slipped one hand into his pocket and leaned forward slightly.
Lifting her gaze, Qin Nuan bumped straight into a pair of cool, deep eyes.
The next second, his fingertips lightly brushed against her earlobe.
The man’s low, husky voice resonated right beside her ear:
“Are you nervous?”