Pei Yanzhou had originally planned to come wake her up, but when he pushed open the door, he saw that she was already awake, lying on the bed holding her phone for a video call.
The white silk nightgown hung loosely on her, outlining her slender waist and elegant back curves. Her long hair cascaded down her back, and her calves swung lightly in the air. Because of her position, the hem of the nightgown had ridden up just enough to cover her rounded hips, leaving two pale, luminous legs exposed.
At that moment, her phone wobbled slightly from her posture, and the camera angle shifted, unintentionally sweeping across the bedroom doorway.
Chi Yuchu’s laughter abruptly stopped, her eyes widening in shock.
Pei Yanzhou was dressed in black loungewear, standing tall and relaxed, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, calmly observing the room. Apparently, he had been standing there listening for some time.
Chi Yuchu reacted quickly, stifling her laughter, lowering her voice deliberately. “Baby, seriously… is Mr. Pei… impressive?”
Shuhua, completely unaware of the man behind her, still caught in a mix of embarrassment and a tiny sense of pride, instinctively answered, “Impressive…”
“How impressive?” Chi Yuchu pressed on, stoking the fire.
“Well… really, really impressive!” Shuhua, slightly annoyed and too embarrassed to elaborate, could only answer vaguely. “Ah, just stop asking!”
As soon as she said it, Pei Yanzhou at the doorway raised an eyebrow, the corner of his lips curling into a faint, teasing smile.
Chi Yuchu, realizing she couldn’t push further, stifled a laugh. “Baby, you have someone behind you.”
“Who?” Shuhua asked, confused, turning her head.
The moment she looked back, she nearly died on the spot.
Pei Yanzhou was still leaning against the doorframe. This time, he had lowered his crossed arms, casually raising one hand to scratch his temple with long, elegant fingers, his movements lazy and effortless.
Their eyes met.
The man’s deep, piercing gaze locked on her as if he were staring at his prey, a playful smile playing on his lips.
Shuhua completely froze.
She stiffly turned her head back toward the phone screen—Chi Yuchu, that traitor, had already ended the call without her noticing!
Only the words “Call Ended” remained on the screen.
“……” Shuhua wished she could bite off her own tongue or just erase her memory entirely.
Seven times in one night? Really impressive?
She never said any of that!
Chi Yuchu—what a trap! She did this on purpose to ruin me!
It was over! Social death complete!
Shuhua’s face burned red, from her ears down to her neck. She was so embarrassed she felt like she could dig out a Pei Group skyscraper with her toes, utterly unsure how to face Pei Yanzhou.
Getting up wasn’t an option. Staying down wasn’t either.
Get up? What do I say? How do I explain? Stay down? Pretend to be dead forever?
Then, in the midst of extreme embarrassment and social death, she made a completely unthinkable decision—
She buried her face into the pillow.
Didn’t move.
The person speaking just now wasn’t me, it was an illusion… all an illusion…
Pei Yanzhou was amused by her “ostrich” act. He stepped into the room at a leisurely pace.
“Still not planning to get up?” He stopped by the bed, his voice carrying the remnants of a smile.
Shuhua played dead, not responding. In her mind, she repeated: I’m asleep, I can’t hear you. After all, she had no face to show anyone.
Pei Yanzhou sat at the edge of the bed, the soft mattress sinking beneath him. Shuhua felt his approach, her body tensing slightly, but she still chose to keep pretending.
Then she felt a firm yet gentle pat on her buttocks, accompanied by the man’s teasing voice above her:
“Seven times in one night? Really impressive?”
Shuhua’s face was still buried in the pillow, muffled words escaping: “What? I don’t know what you’re talking about…”
No way was she going to admit it!
Anyway, I’m amnesiac! I don’t remember anything that happened just now!
Pei Yanzhou let out a light chuckle, leaning close. His warm breath brushed against her sensitive earlobe. “Thank you for the praise, Mrs. Pei. I’ll keep improving to make sure Mrs. Pei is satisfied.”
“……” Shuhua wished she could crawl into a hole and disappear immediately.
He even said it! He continued!
This man was deliberately cruel!
Seeing her reddened ears and slightly trembling shoulders, Pei Yanzhou realized her face was thin-skinned, so he didn’t tease her further. He reached out, running his hand through her hair, softening his tone. “Alright, I won’t bother you anymore. Don’t keep yourself trapped like this.”
Shuhua still didn’t move.
“Good girl, get up.” Pei Yanzhou tried to pull her gently. “If you stay buried there any longer, you’ll really start feeling faint.”
She was already a little breathless from holding herself down. Hesitating for a moment, she reluctantly lifted her face from the pillow.
Her hair was a little messy from the previous struggle, strands sticking to her forehead and cheeks. Her nose and cheeks glowed with a cute flush, her lips pursed slightly, looking both aggrieved and embarrassed.
Pei Yanzhou’s heart softened involuntarily.
He reached out, gently sweeping the stray hairs from her face, smoothing them down. Then, with care, he adjusted her nightgown’s straps back onto her rounded shoulders.
“Want to go out for dinner tonight?” he asked.
Shuhua blinked, still recovering from the social death shock. “Dinner?”
“Yeah. My brother-in-law got transferred back to Huacheng, just landed last night. I invited Jingqian and Ze Xu for dinner tonight as a welcome-back.” Pei Yanzhou explained.
Shuhua thought for a moment and nodded. “Okay.”
Although she felt a little nervous about meeting his friends, they had all met at the wedding and left good impressions.
7:00 PM, private room at the top-floor panoramic restaurant of Lanxi Grand Hotel.
The room was styled in subtle luxury with a Chinese aesthetic. Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, Huacheng sparkled at night. By the time Shuhua and Pei Yanzhou entered, a few people were already there.
“Third brother and third sister-in-law are here!” Ji Ze Xu was the first to stand, still showing his flamboyant style—wearing a burgundy shirt, buttons undone to the third, exposing a hint of collarbone.
Zhou Jingqian wore a simple dark suit, exuding a cool elegance. Beside him sat a calm beauty in a champagne-colored dress, his childhood friend and current girlfriend, Yun Yi. Their on-and-off relationship was well known, and they seemed to be in the “on” phase now.
Yun Yi was cheerful and the head of a talent agency, managing several top-tier stars. Her eyes lit up when she saw Shuhua.
“Hello, everyone.” Shuhua smiled politely, nodding as she followed Pei Yanzhou to their seats.
He took her Hermes bag as they sat down, hanging it on the back of his chair naturally and effortlessly.
Ji Ze Xu clicked his tongue, impressed. “Look at that! A married man is completely different. When have we ever seen third brother take such care of someone? Now that he has a wife, he actually knows how to treat her well.”
Even Zhou Jingqian couldn’t help a rare smile. “Naturally. Can third brother not be attentive to his own wife?”