He treated this suppression of desire as a long-term…
With three men in the house, there was no way they'd have sanitary pads—a feminine product.
When Ren Siyi asked, she was actually just hoping to get permission to go out and buy supplies. She couldn't wait for Lu Sen to wake up and open the door for her.
"I ordered several deliveries, but the riders couldn't find the place. They all got lost."
"You can't order deliveries here," Shen Shen said. "Don't waste your effort."
"Why?"
"The villa is inside a barrier. Ordinary people can't get in."
He said this with a completely straight face, then locked eyes with Ren Siyi, who was blinking in confusion.
After a long moment, Ren Siyi let out a dry laugh and praised him: "Mr. Shen, hahaha, you have such a great sense of humor."
Shen Shen said expressionlessly, "I'm not Shen Du. I don't need this kind of cheap, fake emotional validation."
Ren Siyi immediately dropped her ingratiating smile.
Shen Shen didn't make things difficult for her. He pulled a brass key from the drawer and slid it across the table.
"Thank you, Mr. Shen!"
Ren Siyi took the key as if it were a treasure, and hurried downstairs like a rabbit.
Before her stomach started hurting like crazy, she needed to get out and buy those sanitary pads.
The villa's double front doors weren't fitted with a digital lock—they used a very traditional key lock, where both sides required a key to open. Ren Siyi pulled open the heavy door, and the midday sunlight poured in, hot against her skin.
The house now had restricted access, not allowing people to come and go freely, but Ren Siyi didn't feel a lack of freedom. On the contrary, after that kidnapping incident, she was happy to stay inside the villa all day.
It felt very safe here.
Now that she had to go out, even in broad daylight, she felt a bit nervous. The psychological shadow hadn't faded yet.
No matter what, she had to buy those sanitary pads.
Just as she was about to step out, a deep voice came from behind her: "I'll come with you."
"Huh?"
Ren Siyi turned around and saw Shen Shen standing by the railing on the third floor.
Dressed in dress pants and a white shirt, he walked downstairs with graceful, unhurried steps.
"You want to come with me?" Ren Siyi asked again, afraid she'd misunderstood his meaning.
"Yes."
He had already reached her side.
Most of the time, she only ever looked at him from a distance. Even their conversations were usually held three to five meters apart. Rarely, very rarely, did she ever stand this close to him.
Only now did she realize how tall he was. Ren Siyi felt like she only came up to his chest.
Being tall naturally gave off a sense of pressure, and now that she was close to him, the cold aura emanating from him was even stronger.
Ren Siyi's mind was racing—
The big shot wanted to accompany her to buy sanitary pads?!
This was too surreal. But she quickly came up with an answer: the big shot was bored staying at home and wanted to get some fresh air.
It couldn't possibly be because he was worried about her safety.
It was midday now. Even the most brazen thugs wouldn't harass someone on the street in broad daylight.
Besides, about what happened that day, Ren Siyi just thought it was because she'd gone to the wrong place. A young woman alone in a bar late at night—that was just asking for trouble.
Shen Shen watched the constantly shifting expressions on the young woman's face. She was probably letting her imagination run wild with all sorts of thoughts.
He did want to get some fresh air.
The entire villa was saturated with a strong smell of blood, making him almost unable to sit still.
But more importantly, after the kidnapping incident that night, many "people" now knew that a new maid had come to his house, and they even knew what she looked like.
There were probably many "people" itching to establish contact with her—whether as friends or enemies.
Shen Shen needed to be cautious.
He casually picked up the black umbrella from the basket by the door, opened it, and stepped outside.
Ren Siyi quickly followed, trailing closely behind him.
The black umbrella shaded the upper half of his face, leaving only his sharply defined jaw and a stretch of pale neck visible.
Ren Siyi couldn't help but remark: "Mr. Shen, no wonder you're so pale—you never get any sun at all."
"Never seen it before?"
"I've really never seen a man use a parasol!"
"Now you have."
"Uh."
The big shot had a… rather sharp tongue.
Fortunately, Ren Siyi might not have much else, but she had a good temper. No matter what he said, she wouldn't get angry—after all, he really did pay her well.
"Mr. Shen, I heard you run a hospital?" Ren Siyi caught up to him and asked curiously.
"You've already heard about it, so why ask?"
"…"
Was he the conversation killer or what?!
Every sentence he said just killed the conversation dead. Ren Siyi was only trying to keep the awkwardness of being alone together from becoming unbearable by constantly finding topics to talk about!
Her life was so hard.
"Mr. Shen, I heard your hospital only operates at night. You can only get an appointment with a top specialist after dark. Why is it arranged that way?"
"Differentiated competition." Shen Shen didn't act as the conversation killer this time, giving a fairly serious answer.
"Smart." Ren Siyi suddenly felt that there was a reason he was so successful!
During the day, people would fight tooth and nail at hospitals for specialist appointments they could never get, but at night, at his hospital, they could easily get one.
No wonder he was so rich.
They hadn't driven. Walking out from Central Park, they passed through a stretch of shaded path where towering trees on both sides intertwined, not a single ray of sunlight slipping through.
Emerging from that path, they reached the open area of Central Park, where pedestrians could be seen.
Though at this time of day—high noon—there were very few people around.
Actually, it wasn't that much of a detour. That shaded path had only two forks, so it was ridiculous that the delivery rider couldn't find his way.
Oh, maybe it was because there was no signal in that forest.
Once out of the woods, across from the Central Park plaza, at the foot of the Provincial Library building, there was a convenience store supermarket.
Crossing the vast plaza under the scorching sun, Ren Siyi couldn't help but quicken her pace, moving to Shen Shen's side, hoping to hide from the sun under that big black umbrella.
"Going out without bringing your own umbrella, and now you're stealing mine?" Shen Shen glanced down at her from the corner of his eye.
The young woman wore a placating smile at the corner of her lips: "I have sensitive skin. I burn very easily."
Shen Shen said nothing more, but tilted the umbrella toward her. Fortunately, the umbrella was large enough to shelter them both with room to spare.
"Mr. Shen, since you're so afraid of the sun, are you also sensitive-skinned?"
"Mhm."
"Then let me recommend a hydrating mask to you—it works really well. Want to buy some together later?"
"Whatever."
"You're paying though!"
"Want me to ring up the sanitary pads for you too?" Shen Shen looked at her.
The young woman gave him a sweet smile: "Thank you, Mr. Shen! You're so kind! I revere you!"
Shen Shen twitched the corner of his mouth, folding the umbrella at the convenience store entrance. Ren Siyi walked in, grabbed a basket, and launched into a frenzy of shopping.
Although she'd earned a good amount of money recently, she planned to save all of it for future living expenses, and she'd also be sending a large portion back to her grandparents. So she tried to save wherever she could, being extremely frugal with herself on a daily basis.
Even with a generous sugar daddy by her side, Ren Siyi didn't feel comfortable buying overly expensive sanitary pads. She picked a mid-range option, then grabbed a few packs of overnight sleep pants.
She also bought two boxes of face masks, but she guiltily thought to herself—they were for Shen Shen, the sensitive-skinned one.
Well… buying a slightly pricier one should be okay.
She chose the masks priced at 32 yuan for a box of five sachets.
Passing the snack aisle, Ren Siyi's eyes lingered on the colorful little bags lining the shelves, and she found it hard to keep walking.
Earlier, Shen Shen had bought her a big bag of chocolates, and she'd frozen them all in the fridge, hoarding them like a little hamster.
She absolutely loved snacks.
When she was little, her family was too poor to afford snacks. Every time they went to town for market day, Ren Siyi would stare at those colorful little bags in the snack shop, drooling with longing. But she knew her family was poor, and her grandparents worked so hard harvesting rice. Even if they bought snacks for her, she'd feel terrible about herself, eating while wiping away tears.
She had once felt shame for desires she shouldn't have had.
So Ren Siyi's feelings toward these little snacks were complicated.
Shen Shen leaned against the counter, looking at his phone, catching a glimpse of the young woman standing still by the shelves, gazing longingly at the rows of assorted snacks, picking and choosing, as if trying to select the very, very best bag.
Shen Shen murmured: "If you want to eat, just buy them. Don't waste time."
Ren Siyi looked at him: "Mr. Shen, can I pick two bags?"
Shen Shen let out a sigh, seeming a bit impatient: "Within five seconds, grab as many as you can. Five, four, three…"
As he counted down, Ren Siyi moved like a busy octopus—pickled chicken feet, beef jerky, cookies, chocolate… she grabbed several bags!
A whole basket full, so heavy she could barely carry it, and she was grinning so wide her mouth looked like it would split from ear to ear.
Shen Shen watched her, feeling that her smile resembled that little Shiba Inu kept in the hospital's back garden.
Kind of adorable.
Finally, the bill came out, and the cashier said: "190.3. I'll scan you."
"So expensive!" Ren Siyi hadn't realized she'd spent that much, but immediately remembered that a sugar daddy was right by her side.
She looked at Shen Shen with a hint of nervousness: "Thank you, revered Mr. Shen."
The revered Mr. Shen said expressionlessly: "I didn't bring my phone."
Ren Siyi: !!
"Told you, I'm just accompanying you."
Ren Siyi awkwardly glanced at the cashier, her face instantly turning red: "Ah, then… then… then I'll put some back."
She agonized over the basket, picking through it—first pulling out the snacks, then the face masks, her expression full of pain.
Just then, she heard him say: "No need to return anything."
She looked up and saw Shen Shen handing over two red bills, then picking up the bag with one hand, ready to head out.
In that moment, his image in her eyes instantly became even taller and more magnificent!
Even though he'd just deliberately teased her, Ren Siyi couldn't muster any anger at all.
Walking along the road, Ren Siyi tore open the chocolate wrapper, popped the plump, round hazelnut chocolate into her mouth, closed her eyes, and let out a blissful "Mmmm"
Actually, eating snacks was a form of compensation for her childhood psychological trauma.
Now, when she ate them, they tasted especially fragrant, especially sweet.
She looked at the revered sugar daddy beside her, unwrapped a chocolate, and held it up to his lips: "Mr. Shen, you have some too."
“No…”
A candy was already stuffed into his mouth. Shen Shen: …
His cheeks puffed up, and the silky, sweet flavor danced across his taste buds. It was a wonderful sensation.
Actually, he had a sweet tooth.
But he never indulged this desire, so he rarely ate sweets—in fact, he didn't eat them at all. He treated this restraint of desire as a long-term form of cultivation.
This was also why he could tolerate such a sweet girl like her lingering around him without ever touching her.
Humans must restrain their desires.
And the desires of the Blood Clan were tens of millions of times stronger than those of humans. If not restrained, they would trigger wars and disasters.
Shen Shen had experienced too many wars in his lifetime. He absolutely did not want to witness such hell again.
Ren Siyi was very good at reading people. She watched as he slowly let the chocolate melt in his mouth and swallowed, his handsome Adam's apple bobbing.
He liked chocolate too.
Ren Siyi peeled another one and fed it to his lips: "Thank you for reimbursing so many things for me. Let me treat you to one more."
"Thanking me with things I bought for you." Shen Shen turned his head away, refusing to eat more. "Your abacus beads are practically hitting me in the face."
"These are all work supplies."
"I don't think sanitary pads and snacks count as work supplies."
"Things used while working are collectively called work supplies." Ren Siyi said with complete confidence. "Sanitary pads are for convenience at work, and snacks are to keep my mood pleasant while working."
"If every one of my employees schemed like you, I'd probably go bankrupt."
"That won't happen." Ren Siyi smiled sweetly. "I'll work hard and make sure you don't lose money."
Shen Shen was about to say something else when she fed another chocolate into his mouth.
"…"
Shen Shen bit down on the crispy chocolate mixed with hazelnuts, chewing slowly and deliberately.
And so, Ren Siyi made a very important discovery—
Chocolate could actually make him stop arguing and complaining.
…
When she got home, Ren Siyi dashed into the bathroom at lightning speed, took a shower, cleaned herself up, and put on the expensive sanitary pad she had never used before.
How wonderful. Having money was truly wonderful.
Every aspect of life could become happier.
She remembered when she first got her period—she didn't even have sanitary pads. Her grandmother had made her a cloth menstrual belt from old clothes at home.
It wasn't until some volunteers from charity organizations came to promote sanitary pads that she learned menstrual belts were outdated items that were unhygienic and prone to causing infections.
But even then, she could only afford the cheapest, most basic sanitary pads.
Ren Siyi swore she would work hard to earn money so that she, her grandfather, and her grandmother could all live good lives.
That night, her stomach began to ache. She tossed and turned in bed, miserable beyond belief.
The convenience store hadn't had ibuprofen, and the pharmacy was farther away. She didn't feel comfortable asking Shen Shen to accompany her there again.
Sanitary pads were a necessity; ibuprofen was not.
In a little while, Shen Du would wake up, and she'd have to muster her energy to stay up all night playing games with this high-energy young master.
She curled up on the bed, rubbing her stomach, hoping to ease the pain…
After a while, the door to her room sounded. She thought it was Shen Du, and said in a weak, listless voice—
"Young Master, wait a sec! I'll change my clothes and come out to play with you."
"It's me. Open the door."
Hearing that deep, low voice, Ren Siyi was a bit surprised. She quickly slipped on her shoes and walked to the door, clutching her stomach.
Outside the door, Shen Shen had already changed into his suit, ready to go to work.
Broad shoulders, narrow waist—a perfect double-door frame. In a suit, he looked absolutely stunningly restrained!
"Give me your hand," he said.
Ren Siyi extended her hand and watched as he placed something wrapped in foil, a bit like a chocolate, into her palm.
"Chocolate?"
"No, medicine." Shen Shen couldn't be bothered to explain further. He picked up his cane and turned to head downstairs. "For menstrual cramps."
Ren Siyi's eyes widened. Suddenly she felt touched, on the verge of tears.
She felt that Shen Shen was really, really good to her… Apart from her grandparents, few people had ever been this good to her. He had saved her from the thugs, bought her sanitary pads and snacks, and now given her medicine.
He was truly a good person with a cold exterior but a warm heart.
In reality, besides relieving abdominal pain, Shen Shen had added an herbal ingredient to that pill—one that could temporarily suppress the maddening scent of blood radiating from her body.
He just didn't want her to be touched by Shen Du when Li Ming returned.