Because of Pei Jin, father and daughter had argued countless times.
But this time, the expected confrontation never came.
Ning Zhiyuan continued picking food from her plate and replied casually,
“We broke up.”
Sometimes growing up happens in an instant.
But her growth had come at the cost of her life.
Chairman Ning peeled a shrimp and asked for confirmation.
“You don’t like that boy from the Pei family anymore?”
“I don’t.”
He placed the peeled shrimp into her bowl and continued carefully,
“Then do you like Shen Li?”
Looking at her father’s cautious expression, Ning Zhiyuan chewed the shrimp without tasting it.
She remained silent.
Chairman Ning was still in his prime, yet streaks of gray had already appeared at his temples, making him look older than many men his age.
A father’s love was as steady as a mountain.
After losing his wife, he had spent years working tirelessly and traveling for business.
And she, as a daughter, had hardly given him any peace of mind.
In her previous life, she had resented him for neglecting her because of work.
She had given the most important place in her heart to the Bai mother and daughter, to Pei Jin, while overlooking the father who had quietly stayed by her side all along.
At this moment, even Shen Li didn’t seem quite as important.
Tears gathered in her eyes.
Her resolve suddenly wavered.
“I don’t want to get married anymore,” she said softly, her eyes red. “I just want to stay home and keep you company forever.”
She hadn’t denied liking Shen Li.
Chairman Ning froze for a moment.
Then he smiled with quiet relief and comforted her the same way he had when she was little.
“My Zhiyuan is such a good girl. Don’t cry. Eat first.”
At that moment, neither of them said much.
Yet somehow, everything had already been said.
…
At the Shen family villa.
After dealing with the aftermath involving the reporters, Shen Li received a call from Uncle Ning, asking him to sign for an express delivery.
What kind of package needed overnight delivery?
When he stepped outside, he discovered that the delivery consisted of Ning Zhiyuan herself, along with all of her luggage.
She sat atop a suitcase and yawned sleepily.
Because of Pei Jin, she rarely wore bright colors.
While changing clothes earlier, she had suddenly remembered Shen Li once saying she looked good in vivid shades.
So she chose a bright yellow dress.
“Well?” she asked. “Do I look good?”
“Yes.”
Her slender arms and legs looked almost luminous beneath the lights.
The night breeze stirred her skirt and lifted strands of her hair.
Soon, the driver unloaded all her luggage.
After greeting Shen Li, he got back into the car and drove away.
Despite knowing each other for years, being alone together felt strangely awkward.
“I went to see Pei Jin today to break up with him,” Ning Zhiyuan explained. “Don’t overthink it.”
After noticing her attitude toward Shen Li soften, Chairman Ning had apparently become worried she might change her mind.
He had insisted on sending her over that very night.
According to him, if he could find out she had gone to see Pei Jin, then Shen Li could certainly find out too.
She should explain things herself.
Ning Zhiyuan had wanted to point out that Shen Li surely wasn’t as bored as her father and wouldn’t waste time spying on her.
But the fragile father-daughter relationship they had just begun rebuilding made her hold her tongue.
She didn’t understand it.
Still, she obeyed.
Shen Li looked at her.
A trace of self-mockery flickered in his eyes.
“Okay.”
Ning Zhiyuan and Pei Jin had broken up and gotten back together more times than he could count.
He had even witnessed some of their dates firsthand.
This explanation felt no different from covering one’s ears while stealing a bell.
But it didn’t matter.
If she wanted him to pretend not to hear, then he would play along.
Shen Li seemed to have just finished showering.
He wore a dark gray set of loungewear.
His features remained cold and refined, black hair falling lazily over his forehead.
At twenty-five or twenty-six, he looked more like a university student than the head of a corporate empire.
A faint fragrance lingered around him.
Clean and subtle.
Almost impossible to catch.
Ning Zhiyuan wanted to smell it more clearly.
She tugged on his sleeve.
The wheels of her suitcase rolled forward, instantly shortening the distance between them.
The heavy suitcase bumped into Shen Li’s leg.
Instead of stepping back, his first instinct was to move toward her.
One strong arm settled on her shoulder, steadying her before she could lose her balance.
Ning Zhiyuan immediately caught the scent.
Citrus tea.
Fresh, clear, and lingering.
She had never liked men who wore perfume.
Yet somehow, the fruity tea fragrance on Shen Li smelled incredibly pleasant.
“So fragrant.”
For most men, that wasn’t exactly a compliment.
Shen Li’s face darkened instantly.
He withdrew his hand.
How had he forgotten?
Zhiyuan hated perfume.
Had he annoyed her again?
Was this another form of ridicule?
Without ceremony, Ning Zhiyuan hopped off the suitcase.
“Aren’t you going to invite me inside, fiancé?”
Shen Li had already made up his mind.
Since Uncle Ning had practically forced her here, there was no way she truly wanted to live with him.
“Zhiyuan, I just remembered there’s something urgent at the company. Go inside first. I need to take care of it.”
The lie came out so smoothly it was almost impressive.
Whether it was true or false didn’t matter.
Only the result mattered.
Ning Zhiyuan could see right through him.
Still, she didn’t expose him directly.
“Can’t it wait until tomorrow?”
Her soft voice sounded suspiciously close to a pout.
Shen Li remained completely immune.
“No. It’s urgent. I have to go now.”
He turned and started walking away.
“Shen Li! Come back!”
He ignored her.
Looking at the suitcase beside her, Ning Zhiyuan suddenly had an idea.
“Ow!”
The figure disappearing into the night immediately rushed back like a bolt of lightning.
“What happened?”
“I hit my knee,” she said while bending over and holding it. “It hurts.”
Shen Li crouched down to inspect the injury.
But she stubbornly held her skirt in place.
He couldn’t exactly lift it himself.
To Shen Li, even the smallest injury on her was a major issue.
Not wanting to waste any more time, he simply scooped her into his arms.
Within moments, he was striding toward the parking area.
“I’m taking you to a doctor.”
Ning Zhiyuan wrapped her arms around his neck and protested.
“I’m not going. I’m not going to the hospital.”
Something flashed through Shen Li’s mind.
He stopped and asked seriously,
“Then where do you want to go?”
Her eyes darted mischievously.
She scratched her arm and replied,
“I’m sleepy. I want to go back and sleep.”
Shen Li unlocked the car and set her in the back seat.
Then he bent down and reached for the hem of her skirt.
Ning Zhiyuan immediately pressed it down.
“No.”
“Even if we’re engaged, you can’t just touch me whenever you want.”
Shen Li patiently explained,
“I only want to check your injury.”
She remained unmoved.
Finally, Shen Li leaned forward.
One hand controlled her legs.
The other caught both of her wrists and pinned them gently above her head.
Then he pushed her skirt upward.
“What are you doing?! Stop! I’m getting angry! You’re finished!”
Every strand of the young lady’s hair looked perfectly styled.
As the skirt was lifted, her long legs came into view.
Shen Li deliberately ignored the accidental contact with her smooth skin.
His movements became even more careful.
Only after confirming that her knees were completely uninjured did he release her.
“I’m sorry.”
“I just wanted to make sure you were alright.”
“You can hit me or kick me if you want. As long as you’re no longer angry, I’ll accept it.”
The moment he insisted on seeing the injury, he had already accepted the consequences.
The man lowered his head.
Waiting quietly for punishment.
Shen Li was the pride of heaven.
A man who had every reason to be proud before anyone else.
Yet in front of Ning Zhiyuan alone…
He always placed himself lower and lower.
Until he was almost beneath the dust.
Looking at him now, her chest tightened painfully.
She had faked the injury.
And his concern, his care, the importance he placed on her…
Had become yet another excuse for her to hurt him.