Shen Shixi was a notorious playboy in the capital city. When it came to indulging in food, drink, and entertainment, if he claimed second place, no one in the capital dared to claim first.
Thus, Shengxi had been transformed by him into the capital’s premier club—a veritable money pit for the wealthy, offering every imaginable entertainment service. If you could think of it, you could find it there.
The private room they were in was one Shen Shixi had specially reserved for Ji Han Zhuo. Located on the top floor, the 66th level, it was an ultra-VIP suite that only opened when Ji Han Zhuo visited. Its level of extravagance was beyond imagination.
The entertainment area in one corner of the room was particularly well-equipped, featuring every kind of amusement facility imaginable.
While Ji Han Zhuo and Shen Jingming discussed company matters, Shen Shixi, fearing Jiang Xizhi might get bored, took her to the entertainment area after obtaining Ji Han Zhuo’s permission.
Well, to be precise, it was Ji Han Zhuo who carried her there. He placed Jiang Xizhi on the sofa in the entertainment area, queued up a variety show she usually enjoyed, and brought her a low-sugar drink before returning to his conversation.
As a result, Shen Shixi selectively concluded that the rumors he had heard a few days ago were true: his “little sister-in-law’s” legs had been broken by his “big brother.”
A few days earlier, he had heard from Chen Zhan that the little sister-in-law had run away, infuriating his big brother to the point of turning livid. Then, from the villa’s doctor, he learned that his big brother had broken the little sister-in-law’s legs.
Upon reflection, given his big brother’s ruthlessness, it wasn’t entirely impossible.
Now, seeing that his big brother could be so brutal even to the little sister-in-law, Shen Shixi wondered if he himself was also on the verge of becoming disabled. It seemed he needed to be careful not to provoke his big brother’s anger.
Jiang Xizhi had visited this place many times in her previous life and was quite familiar with it. As soon as Ji Han Zhuo left, she made a beeline for the self-service dessert area, picking up a small plate and unceremoniously selecting small cakes and cookies.
Her swift and energetic movements left Shen Shixi utterly bewildered.
Indeed, for the sake of desserts, she would have been willing to sprint a hundred meters even if she had to drag a broken limb.
“Little sister-in-law, your legs…” Weren’t they broken?
Jiang Xizhi’s eyes were completely fixed on the desserts in front of her, leaving her with no interest in answering Shen Shixi’s question. She replied dismissively, “A dog bit me a few days ago.”
Shen Shixi: “…” So the intel was wrong.
Jiang Xizhi loved sweets. During her first month at the manor, Ji Han Zhuo didn’t control her diet, allowing her to eat whatever she wanted. After indulging in sweets for a week, she developed a toothache.
But she didn’t dare tell Ji Han Zhuo and endured the pain in silence. It wasn’t until midnight, when the toothache kept her awake and she cried out, that Ji Han Zhuo found out. He immediately called a doctor, and the private physician diagnosed her with cavities, advising her to cut back on sugar.
Ji Han Zhuo then coldly dismissed the manor’s pastry chef. No matter how much Jiang Xizhi pleaded or acted cute, it was useless. From then on, he strictly controlled her diet, and desserts vanished from her world.
But today, she could finally indulge to her heart’s content.
While Shen Shixi was still processing the situation, Jiang Xizhi asked again, without a hint of hesitation, “Do you have ice cream? I want some chocolate-flavored ice cream. A vanilla one would be nice too.”
Shen Shixi couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his mouth. “Little sister-in-law, it’s still early spring.”
The temperature outside hadn’t even reached ten degrees Celsius.
His mother had told him that girls shouldn’t eat anything too cold.
The capital had been experiencing a cold snap lately. While the indoor heating made it hard to notice, outside it was freezing, with temperatures comparable to winter. Even Ji Han Zhuo had specifically draped a coat over Jiang Xizhi when he carried her out of the car earlier, only removing it once they reached the lobby.
After swallowing the chocolate biscuit in her mouth, Jiang Xizhi retorted with a dismissive expression, “Since when does eating have to be seasonal? If I can’t eat watermelon in winter, what’s wrong with having some ice cream?”
Shen Shixi: “…”
He couldn’t find a flaw in her logic. In the end, he still made an internal call to have various flavors of ice cream sent up.
Indeed, what right did he have to question her? Even his eldest brother doted on her, so he had to treat her like a little ancestor. If his brother ever came after him someday, he would need his little sister-in-law to whisper some sweet words in his ear.
Jiang Xizhi ate her small cake while watching a variety show, feeling as if life had reached its peak at that moment. However, when she tasted the chocolate-flavored cake, she suddenly remembered something—would that idiot Shen Shixi have someone deliver the ice cream through the main door of the private room?
In her previous life, she had been caught by Ji Han Zhuo once because of this. After that, she and Shen Shixi had agreed to always have the ice cream delivered through the side door of the private room. But now, this was a new life, not the previous one.
She could fool Shen Shixi, but if Ji Han Zhuo saw it, it would be just like the first time she was caught in her previous life—before she could even taste the ice cream, she would be done for.
The more Jiang Xizhi thought about it, the more frightened she became. She put down her plate and hurried toward the reception area of the private room, but she stopped at the partition screen separating the two areas.
The reason was simple—Shen Jingming was up to his tricks again.
“Are you really determined to marry her? I don’t think she’s as innocent as she appears. Back in school, she was… Anyway, don’t fall for it.”
As soon as Shen Jingming finished speaking, Ji Han Zhuo’s expression darkened. He said coldly, “You’re overstepping. I’ll decide for myself what she’s like.”
Although they were brothers, Ji Han Zhuo was fundamentally different from Shen Jingming—they weren’t even on the same level, their statuses worlds apart.
Even disregarding Ji Han Zhuo’s identity as the head of the Ji family, his position as the CEO of J·T Company alone was enough to crush the Shen family and even the other wealthy families in the capital by several streets. The reason Ji Han Zhuo was close to the two Shen brothers was largely out of respect for the Shen family’s patriarch.
Old Master Shen had once saved Ji Han Zhuo’s grandfather.
Seeing this, Shen Jingming knew Ji Han Zhuo was truly serious. He lowered his voice and said, “I overstepped.”
It seemed this little girl wasn’t as simple as she appeared.
Jiang Xizhi rarely got to see Shen Jingming put in his place. The corners of her lips curved upward, her face filled with a smile.
If you have the ability, stop Ji Han Zhuo from marrying me. Oh, you don’t? Then just stay out of it.
Logically speaking, if Shen Jingming could actually convince Ji Han Zhuo, she would thank him. But the disdainful look on his face when he mentioned her name irritated her. Seeing him unhappy actually pleased her.
After their conversation ended, Jiang Xizhi took the opportunity to limp out and sit beside Ji Han Zhuo.
It was still necessary to act delicate when the situation called for it.
“Are you done talking?”
“Pretty much. What’s wrong?” Ji Han Zhuo gently took Jiang Xizhi’s hand and asked softly.
Jiang Xizhi pulled Ji Han Zhuo closer, leaning in to whisper coquettishly in his ear, “I need to use the restroom. Come with me.”
Ji Han Zhuo loved it when Jiang Xizhi relied on him, so he naturally didn’t refuse. He stood up, scooped her into his arms, and carried her out of the private room.
Shen Jingming already didn’t like Jiang Xizhi much, believing a woman like her was utterly unworthy of his eldest brother. Now, he disliked her even more—she was such a delicate little thing, needing someone to accompany her even to the restroom.
It wasn’t that Jiang Xizhi was being overly delicate; she actually wanted to take the opportunity to send Ji Han Zhuo away so that the ice cream could be delivered smoothly. She had already arranged everything with Shen Shixi.
But things didn’t go as Jiang Xizhi had planned.
Because as soon as the two of them stepped out of the private room, they ran straight into the waiter delivering the ice cream.
“Hello, sir. I’ve placed the ice cream ordered for your room inside.” At that moment, Jiang Xizhi could only hate the fact that the waiter had a mouth. Couldn’t he just quietly deliver it and quietly leave?
The scene fell into an awkward silence. Jiang Xizhi buried her head directly into Ji Han Zhuo’s chest, playing the ostrich—she didn’t want to face this.
Ji Han Zhuo glanced down sideways at Jiang Xizhi in his arms. Just as she thought he was about to get angry, the man uttered a single word: “Okay.”
Although Ji Han Zhuo said this, Jiang Xizhi knew he was far from as calm as he appeared on the surface, because the calm before the storm is always the most unsettling.
After the waiter entered the room, Jiang Xizhi expected Ji Han Zhuo to question her, but surprisingly, the man remained silent. He carried her toward the restroom.
Ji Han Zhuo set her down at the entrance to the women’s restroom, watched her go in, waited for her to come out, then picked her up again and carried her back to the private room. Throughout it all, he remained calm and expressionless.
The more Ji Han Zhuo acted like this, the more frightened Jiang Xizhi became. This man was definitely scheming something, but being scared was useless—she might as well continue playing the turtle.
After entering the private room, Ji Han Zhuo carried Jiang Xizhi directly to the entertainment area, placed her on the sofa, and sat down beside her.
As soon as he sat down, not only Jiang Xizhi but even Shen Shixi’s expression changed.
Shen Shixi probed cautiously, “Big brother, are you done with your business?”
“What, can’t I come if I’m not done?”
Ji Han Zhuo spoke in a calm tone, but his gaze remained fixed on the box of Häagen-Dazs ice cream on the crystal coffee table in front of him.
Yes, a whole box.
Don’t ask—just know that Shen Shixi has money.
“Haha, of course you can, how could you not? You can go wherever you want, old man…”
Before Shen Shixi could finish his awkward laughter, Ji Han Zhuo interrupted him, his voice dropping a notch. “Since when did you start liking ice cream?”
Shen Shixi glanced at Jiang Xizhi, who was hanging her head, and knew things weren’t looking good. He pointed at himself, “Ah, me? Me?”
Ji Han Zhuo wrapped an arm around Jiang Xizhi’s shoulder, implying something as he said, “If not you, then who? My Xi Xi is so well-behaved—how could she eat something like ice cream? It’s not only bad for the teeth, but eating too much is harmful to the body, right?”
Jiang Xizhi instantly looked up, flattering him, “Yeah, haha, I’m so obedient, how could it possibly be me?”
Then she shot Shen Shixi a pleading look: Don’t expose me.
Before the two could finish their silent exchange, Ji Han Zhuo spoke again. “Since you like it so much, finish this whole box. It’s on me. After all, as your big brother, I can’t let you go hungry.”
With that, he leaned back against the sofa, assuming a posture that said, “I’m watching you eat.”
“Eat.” His voice was low and carried a hint of threat.
Try ordering this again next time.
Shen Shixi: I’m really going to thank you.
And so, under Ji Han Zhuo’s loving gaze and Jiang Xizhi’s pleading eyes, Shen Shixi tremblingly picked up a box of chocolate-flavored ice cream and began stuffing it into his mouth numbly.
For no other reason than it was too cold.
Shen Shixi wore an expression of agony, while Jiang Xizhi looked on with envy, sipping her low-sugar drink and staring at him eagerly, comforting herself: Just treat it as watching a mukbang.
Jiang Xizhi was practically drooling when Ji Han Zhuo turned her head. “What? Does Xi Xi want some too?”
Jiang Xizhi instinctively nodded, then shook her head and smiled. “No, I don’t want any, not at all.”
Ji Han Zhuo ruffled her hair, his bright and captivating phoenix eyes filled with seriousness, his voice clear and pleasant. “It’s fine, I’ll give you some when we get home. After all, Shen Shixi likes it so much—we shouldn’t take what others enjoy.”
Jiang Xizhi waved her hand. “I won’t eat it, not even at home.”
Who knew what he’d do to her once they got home.
Ji Han Zhuo took her hand, pulling her closer into his embrace, and said firmly, “Alright, no need to say more. I already know.”
Neither of them would escape this.
Just as they finished speaking, Shen Shixi couldn’t take it anymore. He had already eaten three boxes and truly couldn’t handle any more.
“Big brother, I can’t eat anymore. Can I stop?”
Ji Han Zhuo’s eyes darkened. “What do you think?”
Shen Shixi had never feared anything since childhood, a true troublemaker. But ever since Ji Han Zhuo beat him up in middle school, landing him in the hospital for a month, he had respected Ji Han Zhuo more than his own father. The slightest change in Ji Han Zhuo’s expression could scare him half to death.
Terrified, he immediately picked up another box and frantically stuffed it into his mouth, trembling both from fear and the cold of the ice cream, his expression so twisted it could be turned into a meme.
Jiang Xizhi watched with her heart trembling. She felt sorry for Shen Shixi and vowed to speak more highly of him in front of Ji Han Zhuo in the future.
When Shen Shixi, with a pained expression, picked up another box of ice cream, Jiang Xizhi couldn’t bear to watch any longer. Filled with regret and distress, she hugged Ji Han Zhuo’s arm, claiming she was tired and wanted to go home. Only then did Ji Han Zhuo stand up.
As soon as Ji Han Zhuo turned around, Shen Shixi put down the ice cream. But before he could even sigh in relief, Ji Han Zhuo turned his head back, giving him a cold glance and instructing, “Take it home and keep eating until it’s finished.”
Shen Shixi nodded with tears in his eyes. He would never eat ice cream again, wuwu_.
Meanwhile, after returning to the villa, Jiang Xizhi did indeed get to eat ice cream. Under Ji Han Zhuo’s coercion and persuasion, she ate the “imported” ice cream he fed her.
Afterward, her autumn-like eyes were watery, and her originally pink cherry lips were swollen and red.
Jiang Xizhi just wanted to cry.
Wuwu, she never wanted to eat imported ice cream again.