She stretched out her fair, slender hand, fingertips adorned with a pretty nude-pink cat-eye manicure.
Aunt Chen had finished cooking and left, taking a day off tomorrow for some family matters. Although there was a dishwasher at home, she still couldn’t bear touching the greasy dishes herself—her hands absolutely couldn’t handle it.
Her hands, like her hair, were maintained with hundreds of thousands spent every year. Washing dishes was simply out of the question. Besides, she had never washed a single dish in her life.
Pei Yanzhou looked at her, this “fragile yet unreasonable” act of coaxing and scheming, and inwardly found it quite amusing. But his expression remained neutral; he simply nodded faintly. “Mm.”
Shu Hua’s voice immediately became syrupy sweet. “Thank you, hubby! You’re the best!”
Saying that, she spun around and ran upstairs, almost afraid he might change his mind.
…
That night, the master bedroom was lit only by a soft, warm night lamp—a habit Shu Hua had kept for years. Pei Yanzhou simply followed along.
Shu Hua slept soundly in his arms, but perhaps because she hadn’t drunk much soup earlier, she suddenly felt parched in the middle of the night.
In her sleep, she murmured unconsciously, snuggling into the warmth of the man’s embrace, her voice heavy with drowsy whining and a hint of coquettishness: “Pei Yanzhou…”
Being a light sleeper, Pei Yanzhou woke immediately, tightening his arm instinctively. His low, husky voice responded: “Mm?”
“I… want water… so thirsty…” She kept her eyes closed, softly complaining, fingers unconsciously fidgeting with the fabric of his sleepwear on his chest.
Pei Yanzhou said nothing, simply throwing off the covers and getting up. “Wait here.”
He went downstairs and poured a cup of warm water. When living alone, he never kept water in the bedroom—but perhaps… from now on, he’d need a water dispenser.
By the time he returned, Shu Hua had groggily sat up, hair messy from sleep, a few strands sticking to her smooth forehead, eyes still half-lidded and dazed, looking soft and fuzzy.
Pei Yanzhou handed her the cup.
She took it and whispered, “It’s warm, right?”
“Yes.”
Relieved, she brought it to her lips and drank several big gulps, finally quenching the dryness in her throat.
Once done, she returned the cup, murmuring a soft “thanks,” then flopped back onto the pillow, pulling the blanket around herself. Within seconds, her breathing became slow and steady again.
Pei Yanzhou, still holding the half-filled cup, stood by the bed, watching the little woman instantly fall back asleep. He shook his head lightly, a mixture of helplessness and amusement, and placed the cup on his side of the nightstand.
The next morning at seven, Shu Hua’s biological clock hadn’t fully adapted to early rising, but knowing she was now a working person, she forced herself to open her eyes.
No work felt boring; having work felt annoying.
She yawned and went to the bathroom to wash up, then prepared to go to the walk-in closet to change clothes.
Pushing open the door, she froze instantly, blood rushing violently to her face.
Pei Yanzhou had just finished his morning exercise and showered—he was in the closet changing.
He was wearing only black mulberry silk underwear.
Broad shoulders flowed into well-defined muscles—not overdone—tight waist, sculpted abs disappearing into the waistband. Below, long, straight, powerful legs.
This was the perfect build: clothes made him look slimmer, undressed showed every finely chiseled line of masculine power and beauty, rivaling top male models and even surpassing them.
Shu Hua’s face instantly flushed bright red.
She snapped her gaze away, awkwardly unsure where to place her hands and feet. Stammering, she said, “Th-that… I’ll come back later, you… you can change first…”
Without waiting for a response, she turned and fled the closet like a startled rabbit, nearly colliding with the doorframe.
Watching her panicked retreat, a knowing smile flickered in Pei Yanzhou’s eyes. He calmly picked up his shirt, meticulously buttoned it, then grabbed the deep blue patterned tie. Finally, he put on the pair of platinum diamond cufflinks. The diamonds caught the light, accentuating the sharp contours of his wrist, adding a touch of nobility and composure.
Dressed, he headed toward the bedroom.
Meanwhile, Shu Hua stood in the center of the room, fanning her still-heated face with her palms, her mind uncontrollably replaying that fleeting, breathtaking glimpse Broad shoulders, a tight waistline, smooth abs flowing down to a prominent “package” below… the image was far too vivid, hitting her like a lightning bolt.
So sexy… and so explosive…
She fanned her face, trying to calm down, but couldn’t help secretly curling her lips into a small, mischievous smile. This body, this face… the very best of the best! And it belonged to her, Shu Hua’s man! Haha, totally worth it! Pure profit!
She was completely lost in her little self-satisfaction, so much so that she didn’t even notice Pei Yanzhou stepping into the room.
Until the tall figure loomed over her, his deep voice resonating above her, tinged with obvious curiosity: “What are you doing?”
“Ah!” Shu Hua jumped, spinning around to meet Pei Yanzhou’s probing gaze.
Her face heated even further, eyes darting nervously, heart racing. “N-nothing… really?” She tried to act calm, quickly scanning him from head to toe: “You… you finished changing? Then… I’ll go change my clothes!”
Saying that, she tried to slip past him toward the walk-in closet.
Pei Yanzhou’s long arm shot out, easily catching her wrist. With a slight pull, he brought her back to him.
“Nothing?” He leaned slightly, closing the distance, his deep eyes roaming over her flushed cheeks. His tone was slow, teasing. “Then why is your face red?”
Shu Hua felt completely exposed under his gaze. She forced herself to argue: “I-I’m not… Maybe… maybe my blush is a little heavy today!” She even felt how unconvincing it sounded, her voice growing smaller.
Pei Yanzhou watched her darting eyes and reddened earlobes, letting out a faint, amused chuckle from deep in his throat.
He didn’t release her, instead leaning closer, his voice playful: “Mrs. Pei—” He deliberately paused, satisfied as her eyelashes twitched, “we’ve already… ‘slept together,’ and you’re still shy?”
Shu Hua’s apricot eyes widened instantly, both embarrassed and annoyed.
This man! How could he say such… such private things in such a serious tone!
And “slept together”… couldn’t he have phrased it more delicately!
She was momentarily at a loss for words, but refusing to yield, she took a deep breath and continued to argue, even poking out her delicate chin: “Who’s… who’s shy! I’m just hot! Yeah, it’s warm… that’s all!”
Seeing her clearly dying of embarrassment yet still trying to maintain composure, Pei Yanzhou’s smile deepened.
No longer teasing, he followed her lead and naturally changed the topic, letting go of her wrist: “Why are you up so early today?”
The warmth leaving her wrist caused the tension in Shu Hua’s chest to finally loosen, and she exhaled quietly.
Quickly, she responded in a lighter tone: “Because it’s my first day of official work, don’t want to be late. You wouldn’t believe it—I almost was yesterday!”
The Yushui Bay where they lived was so far from the CBD, and the traffic in the morning was terrible. She left at eight, and it was nearly nine before she even clocked in. She had done her makeup hurriedly on the way, barely any time at all.
Speaking, she lifted her sparkling eyes to him: “So today, I’ll go with you—it’s on the way! Is that okay?”
Pei Yanzhou nodded thoughtfully: “Mm.”
Satisfied with his answer, Shu Hua brightened. Only then did her gaze truly fall on his outfit for the day, noticing the familiar tie and cufflinks.
Her eyes lit up, and the earlier awkward embarrassment instantly shifted to a small sense of achievement.
She leaned closer to inspect them, then beamed, sincerely praising: “Mr. Pei, you look really handsome today!” Especially wearing the things I picked—it looks even better.
This compliment pleased Pei Yanzhou; the hard lines of his face seemed to soften for a brief moment.
“Wait for me, I’ll go change clothes quickly!” Shu Hua said, worried he might grow impatient, turning around.
“No rush,” Pei Yanzhou’s calm voice came from behind her, “we still have time.”