On the passenger seat was a set of Snowy Mellow neck and back pillows, with a small Jellycat teddy bear on top, especially adorable.
Several packs of beautifully scented handkerchiefs and a handheld mirror were placed to the side, with a cashmere carpet spread on the floor—clearly a female passenger seat.
It was just unclear who the previous owner was.
Shen Nanyin suddenly recalled a saying she had seen online about why girls like dating playboys.
Because playboys are handsome and provide emotional fulfillment.
Her shoulders and back were somewhat stiff as she tried to sit upright.
Lu Jingyan glanced at her lazily and asked, “Did you sleep with a stiff neck?”
Shen Nanyin was instantly deflated by him, unable to speak.
He casually scanned the decorations, his slender fingers tapping the steering wheel intermittently. The veins on his pale, cool hands were slightly prominent, and at the cuff of his black, stiff sleeve was an exquisite and expensive wristwatch.
“If you don’t like them, I’ll change them.”
Shen Nanyin quickly shook her head. “No.”
Who wouldn’t love Snowy Mellow and Jellycat teddy bears!
The magnolia trees along the roadside were in full bloom, adorning the ancient city walls with traces of time like a painting.
Gradually relaxing, she rarely experienced such lighthearted and simple moments, where she didn’t need to think about anything.
Shen Nanyin was content and felt fortunate.
So she cautiously avoided leaving any traces of herself. After all, even though they had registered their marriage, Lu Jingyan hadn’t mentioned whether he had other girlfriends outside. If she accidentally left a strand of hair on the passenger seat, it could easily cause trouble.
But the teddy bear was truly adorable. When they reached the school gate, Shen Nanyin secretly bid farewell to the bear in her heart.
“Shen Nanyin.”
“Hmm?”
Shen Nanyin was unbuckling her seatbelt and looked up upon hearing him.
Lu Jingyan spoke unhurriedly, “You’re someone with a family now.”
Shen Nanyin’s eyes flickered slightly as she nodded firmly. “Mm-hmm.”
He chuckled softly and opened his palm.
“Give me your hand.”
Shen Nanyin didn’t understand, but she extended her hand.
The man’s hand was much larger than hers—slender and strong. When placed together, his warm palm pressed against the back of her hand, enveloping it entirely with a gentle clasp.
Lu Jingyan held her fingertips, and the next moment, a simple and everyday plain band was slipped onto her ring finger.
“You’re still in school, so I won’t ask you to publicly announce your marital status.”
After putting it on, Lu Jingyan didn’t release her hand. His cool, rough fingertips brushed lightly against her snow-white, delicate wrist, intentionally or not.
His tone was ambiguous.
“But you can’t meet Gu Zhiyan privately.”
He squeezed her hand.
“Can you do that?”
Shen Nanyin was momentarily stunned upon hearing this. She had no desire to see Gu Zhiyan anyway, so she nodded without hesitation. “Okay.”
Besides, there was no need to meet him.
Lu Jingyan’s lips curved slightly as he continued to guide her. “Then, if someone at school wants to add your contact information, what should you do?”
Shen Nanyin hesitated. “Say I have a boyfriend?”
Only then did Lu Jingyan release her, satisfied as he patted her head. “Go ahead.”
Upon arriving in the classroom, her classmates’ gazes lingered on her, intentionally or not.
Shen Nanyin found it strange but didn’t dwell on it.
As soon as she sat down, Liang Wan’s first move was to peek at her neck.
Shen Nanyin immediately covered herself. “Hey, classmate, please stop letting your imagination run wild.”
Fang Yunran leaned in from the side and whispered softly, “It was your wedding night, and with Lu Jingyan, did you really not do anything?”
Receiving a confirming nod, she grabbed Shen Nanyin’s shoulders in disbelief, looking her up and down.
Although Shen Nanyin was from Jingbei, she had spent more time in Suzhou, carrying the delicate aura of a southern beauty. Her figure was slender with a small frame, wrapped tightly in smooth skin and soft flesh.
Her brows and eyes were like snow and frost, yet when her gaze shifted, it was like ripples stirring on a calm, unruffled lake. Paired with slightly upturned outer corners, they resembled hooks.
If she were an absolute ice sculpture of a beauty, she would inevitably make people hesitate to approach. Yet she was vividly alive and resilient, most capable of stirring both a desire to conquer and to protect.
Fang Yunran muttered under her breath, “It shouldn’t be…”
Just as she spoke, Wu Zan, sporting two heavy dark circles under her eyes, crawled out from somewhere and excitedly grabbed Shen Nanyin’s hand.
“Sis, don’t worry! I spent all night calculating for you with tarot cards and Zi Wei Dou Shu—he’s completely your destined other half!”
Then she received three skeptical looks.
Liang Wan: “Then can you help me calculate which stock to buy?”
Wu Zan fell silent. “No, it drains my energy.”
Liang Wan wailed, “I just want to pass.”
The professor for the practical training course had set up a simulated stock trading exercise, requiring students to deeply understand the stock market and make investments.
With a principal of twenty thousand, earning one million by the end of the semester was considered excellent; losing money meant failing. They also had to write a final paper summarizing their experience.
Today was the day the professor routinely publicly shamed last week’s results.
The large lecture hall accommodated three finance classes. As the bell rang, Gu Zhiyan walked in with a girl, their proximity slightly intimate.
“What’s going on? Who’s the girl next to Gu Zhiyan? He didn’t come with the department beauty today?”
“Wow, I didn’t even notice until you mentioned it. It seems Shen, the department beauty, came alone today.”
“Wait, don’t any of you read the news? The Gu and Su families announced an alliance through marriage. That’s the Su family’s eldest daughter, Su Yaqin.”
“Impressive.”
Liang Wan had gamed until two in the morning, Fang Yunran stayed up reading novels until nearly dawn, and Wu Zan spent the whole night fortune-telling—none of them knew about this. They couldn’t help but look at Shen Nanyin in surprise.
Shen Nanyin, however, remained perfectly calm, her expression showing not the slightest ripple, as if she weren’t the protagonist of the event.
“President Lu, the Gu and Su families have announced their alliance through marriage.”
Lu Jingyan paused in flipping through the documents.
“Such a low-level tactic,” he sneered. “Learned from Lu Daiqing, I suppose.”
Though he called it low-level, he couldn’t help but press his temples irritably.
Lu Daiqing loved playing these tricks—finding someone to provoke the other party—and they always worked.
He recalled Shen Nanyin’s unusual behavior in the car.
Could it be because she saw that Gu Zhiyan was getting engaged?
Assistant Liu sensed the unusually heavy atmosphere and gradually lowered his head.
He had thought President Lu would be happy to hear this news, so why did his face look even darker now?