It was already ten in the morning when Qi Ye woke up.
His head throbbed from the hangover, and his memory was patchy—he could barely recall what had happened last night.
All he knew was that Shi Sheng had brought him home.
Shi Sheng…
Qi Ye sat up abruptly in bed and reached out to the side.
His hand met cold sheets.
Shi Sheng hadn’t slept with him last night.
Qi Ye’s expression soured.
A shadow of displeasure clouded his handsome face.
Just as he was stewing in silent frustration—
Click.
The bedroom door opened.
Shi Sheng walked in carrying breakfast. Seeing that he was awake, she instinctively flashed a smile.
“Ah Ye.”
She deftly set the breakfast down on the bedroom table, then picked out a few pieces of clothing from the wardrobe and helped Qi Ye get dressed.
“Raise your arm.”
Qi Ye kept a cold face.
When told to raise his head, he raised his head. When told to raise his arm, he raised his arm.
When she pulled out his pants, Qi Ye pushed Shi Sheng away.
“I’ll do it myself.”
Shi Sheng obediently let go.
Fine by her, actually—she didn’t really want to put his pants on for him anyway.
She couldn’t help but feel a hint of disdain.
A grown man who couldn’t even dress himself without help.
Qi Ye got himself ready in a few quick motions, then noticed something.
“You cleaned me up last night?”
Shi Sheng’s expression didn’t waver, not mentioning the housekeeper at all.
“Yeah, why?”
A top-tier kept bird had to be attentive and charming, and occasionally score some brownie points.
“Nothing.”
Qi Ye’s cold expression finally thawed. He looked rather pleased with himself, in a good mood.
He ignored Shi Sheng and walked straight into the bathroom to wash up.
Shi Sheng paid him no mind either. After waiting two minutes and seeing he hadn’t come out, she returned to her own room to work on her drafts.
She’d been called out at a moment’s notice last night to pick him up, which meant she hadn’t finished her artwork.
The company had recently opened a new studio dedicated to otome games.
Shi Sheng was in charge of one of the male leads.
The character was an imperial emperor, with elaborate and luxurious attire that required a great deal of attention to detail.
Shi Sheng calmed herself and sketched a few strokes on her drawing tablet.
Unfortunately, her peace didn’t last long.
Because that piece of work Qi Ye, after finishing his breakfast, came and pushed open her door, speaking in an aggressive tone.
“Get ready. Come home with me.”
Shi Sheng had no choice but to stop drawing again.
“…”
She really hated these rich second-generation types who kept interrupting her money-making time.
She pouted in annoyance, but her voice came out soft and obedient.
“Okay~”
Qi Ye leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed. For some reason, his expression had turned sour again, and he was staring at her without blinking.
Shi Sheng thought he looked like that ugly frog meme right now.
His brows and eyes were all scrunched up, and his lips were pursed.
But she didn’t dare say it.
She picked out a few outfits and held them up against herself in front of the full-length mirror, her gaze drifting through the reflection to land on Qi Ye.
After waiting about two minutes, the man still showed no sign of moving.
Shi Sheng: “…”
She turned around and said softly, “I need to change now.”
Qi Ye’s brows furrowed even deeper. “I know.”
Shi Sheng reminded him, “Aren’t you going to leave?”
Hearing this, Qi Ye raised an eyebrow.
“Why should I leave? Aren’t I your sugar daddy?”
He curled his lips, his already roguish features turning even more unseemly.
“What, can’t your sugar daddy even watch you change?”
Shi Sheng: “…Fine.”
She unbuttoned the front of her shirt in front of the full-length mirror.
To be fair, Shi Sheng wasn’t bad-looking at all.
Fair-skinned and beautiful, with a slender waist and long legs—these words described her perfectly.
But her looks were neither striking nor cold. Shi Sheng actually looked very… well-behaved.
Sweet and pure.
She had apricot-shaped eyes and rosy cheeks, fair skin and red lips, with a figure that was full but not exaggerated.
When she lowered her head to unbutton her shirt, her long, dark lashes drooped, yet she carried a calm, indifferent aura—like tea.
Button by button, she unfastened them.
Snow-capped peaks stood tall.
Qi Ye’s handsome face had reddened at some point without him noticing. He spun around abruptly, his voice harsh:
“Who wants to watch you here? Stop wasting your effort trying to seduce me—I won’t touch you!”
With that, he stormed off, slamming the door shut with force as if to vent his frustration.
Shi Sheng: “…”
She was speechless.
Who was seducing him?
Wasn’t he the one who insisted on staying to watch?
And slamming the door—what childish, kindergarten behavior was that?
Shi Sheng coldly pulled her clothes back on.
Money is hard to earn, and life is hard to swallow.
After going out, Qi Ye grew angrier the more he thought about it.
He sat on the sofa, lips pressed tightly together, feeling deeply aggrieved. He pulled out his phone and called his childhood friend.
“I’m telling you, Shi Sheng seduced me again! I’m so pissed! Does she even look at her own status? She’s just a kept bird—does she really think she can tempt me?”
Wang Duan: “Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.”
“She even helped me bathe and wipe my body last night! I was completely exposed to her!”
Wang Duan: “Is that so.”
“Early this morning she was hugging her damn paintings, painting, painting—what’s so great about painting! I give her so much money every month, isn’t that enough for her to spend?!”
Wang Duan: “Exactly, exactly.”
Qi Ye paused mid-sentence.
He narrowed his eyes dangerously. “Are you brushing me off?”
Wang Duan let out a dry laugh on the other end. “How could I? It’s just that I just picked up a new girl.”
“Come on, say hello to President Qi.”
A sweet, coquettish female voice came through.
A moment later, Wang Duan’s voice sounded again:
“Seduce you? How did sister-in-law seduce you?”
Qi Ye gritted his teeth. “She took off her clothes in front of me!”
Wang Duan’s voice perked up noticeably. “Really? How did she take them off!”
“I told her to.”
Wang Duan: “…”
He hesitated before speaking. “You told sister-in-law to take off her clothes, and then you say she seduced you?”
Qi Ye: “Is there a problem?”
Wang Duan: “…No, Brother Ye, as long as you’re happy.”
Afraid that this bastard would get upset and curse at him again, Wang Duan desperately made up an excuse to hang up.
The dial tone rang out.
Qi Ye set down his phone with a gloomy expression.
At that moment, Shi Sheng came out after changing her clothes.
She was dressed very properly—a white floral dress reaching her calves, with a light blue shawl draped over her shoulders.
“I’m ready. Should we head out now?”
As soon as she finished speaking, Shi Sheng noticed that the big shot across from her was glaring at her.
…
Shi Sheng spoke cautiously. “A-Ye, did I do something wrong to upset you?”
Qi Ye smiled without meaning it.
“No, how could you possibly make a mistake?”
With that, he stood up directly from the sofa.
“Follow me.”
What Qi Ye called “going home” was actually returning to the Qi family’s old estate.
The Qi family had been in business for generations, with deep roots and wealth—one of the top old-money families in the capital. They had a tradition of family gatherings at the end of every month.
So strictly speaking, Qi Ye wasn’t a second-generation rich kid.
He was a rich kid of many generations.
Shi Sheng closed her eyes to rest in the car, secretly thinking to herself:
Not envious—she was making plenty of money every month as a substitute kept bird.
The Qi family’s old estate was built on the outskirts of the city. The villa was luxurious, and its footprint was impressively large.
The sports car pulled into the courtyard, and Qi Ye stopped, opened the door, and walked off.
Even his back radiated excitement.
Shi Sheng opened her own door and got out, hurrying after him in her kitten heels.
Finally catching up to Qi Ye, she let out a sigh of relief and looped her arm through his.
When the doorbell rang, the person who came to greet them was a well-maintained woman with a gentle, elegant appearance.
The moment she saw Shi Sheng, she broke into a smile:
“Sheng Sheng’s back! Come in, come in, have a seat!”
She reached out to take her hand.
Shi Sheng naturally released Qi Ye’s arm and took the woman’s hand instead, her smile sweet and poised:
“Madam Duan, you look wonderful today—your skin is even better than before.”
Hearing this, Duan Yunning beamed even brighter:
“Really? I just got a new face mask recently—it’s fantastic. Come, let me try it on you.”
Shi Sheng’s almond-shaped eyes sparkled slightly: “Sounds great! The toner and lotion you recommended last time were amazing too—I’ve already used them all up.”
“Come to me when you run out—I have plenty…”
Qi Ye was left behind by the two women and called out in protest:
“Mom! Did you forget you have a son?!”
Duan Yunning waved a dismissive hand without turning around: “Don’t bother me—I’m chatting with Sheng Sheng.”
Qi Ye: “…”
Shi Sheng turned around and gave him an apologetic smile.
Hmph, who cares.
Qi Ye turned and headed into the kitchen.
Shi Sheng and Duan Yunning sat on the sofa, chatting about cosmetics and skincare.
Occasionally, Duan Yunning would ask how Shi Sheng’s work was going.
Shi Sheng said happily, “It’s going great! My boss gave me a raise!”
Duan Yunning clapped her hands: “I knew it—our Sheng Sheng is amazing! They should’ve given you a raise ages ago!”
Shi Sheng blushed and smiled shyly.
As they were chatting, Shi Sheng felt a chill against her cheek.
She instinctively looked to the side.
There was Qi Ye, holding out an iced mango smoothie to her:
“You must be hungry—have this.”
The mango was a vivid, bright yellow.
Duan Yunning frowned, about to say something, when a slender hand suddenly appeared from behind the sofa and took the mango smoothie straight out of Qi Ye’s hand.
Shi Sheng froze for a moment, then turned her head. The tip of her nose caught a faint scent of agarwood, and then she saw the deep, richly hued sapphire cufflink on the man’s sleeve.
His face was cold and sharp, with a high-bridged nose, framed by a pair of gold-rimmed glasses—a strikingly cold, detached sort of handsomeness.
But his voice was low and refined:
“She’s allergic to mango.”
Duan Yujing—Qi Ye’s older brother.
Shi Sheng blinked and said obediently, “Thank you, big brother.”
Duan Yujing looked down at her, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly.
“Mm.”
With that, he switched hands and placed a strawberry smoothie into hers, then sat down at the other end of the sofa.
It was her favorite fruit.
Shi Sheng tapped her finger against the cup.
Duan Yujing didn’t seem like the type to drink strawberry smoothies.
So this cup was prepared in advance for her?
Shi Sheng took a happy sip.
Though Qi Ye was a piece of work, Madam Duan and Duan Yujing were good people.