The night in the capital was as bright as day.
A continuous stretch of dazzling streetlights formed a long dragon, extending all the way to the end of the road.
Shi Sheng sat in the passenger seat, her fingers tightly gripping the strap of her shoulder bag, feeling rather ill at ease.
There was no helping it—she really wasn’t that familiar with Duan Yujing.
Even having a one-on-one conversation was awkward, let alone sharing a ride in the same car.
But then again…
Shi Sheng turned her head to look out the window, thinking that the scent inside Duan Yujing’s car was actually quite pleasant.
It was a light, non-cloying fragrance—no leathery odor, no thick, unpleasant smell of tobacco.
Not like Qi Ye.
His car had all sorts of things in it, with a jumble of miscellaneous smells mixed together. Every time Shi Sheng got in, she wished she could pinch her nose shut with a clip.
Shi Sheng’s mind wandered, and she eventually just pulled out her phone and started scrolling through the news.
Duan Yujing was too quiet.
So Shi Sheng felt too embarrassed to make a sound, and for a while, only the sound of classical music flowing through the car could be heard.
Half serene, half awkward.
As the vehicle passed through an intersection, Shi Sheng was lost in thought when she suddenly felt an itch on her back.
She was slightly startled, turned around, and came face to face with a dog face grinning foolishly at her.
Shi Sheng: “…”
She instinctively leaned back.
This movement, unsurprisingly, caught Duan Yujing’s attention.
He glanced in Shi Sheng’s direction, then said sternly:
“Xiao Qi, sit back.”
The large black long-haired Tibetan Mastiff let out a few aggrieved whimpers before obediently lying back down on the rear seat.
Shi Sheng turned back around, still shaken, and couldn’t help but ask:
“So… Xiao Qi has been in the car the whole time?”
Duan Yujing turned the steering wheel, his five fingers appearing long and distinct under the night lights, and replied in a low voice:
“Mhm.”
He lifted his gaze to look at Shi Sheng:
“I was worried you might be scared, so I didn’t mention it at first. Do you mind?”
Shi Sheng blinked.
She turned her head again to look at the Tibetan Mastiff in the back seat.
Xiao Qi was lying there obediently. Seeing Shi Sheng turn to look, it immediately grinned.
It was nothing like the fierce creature Shi Sheng had imagined it to be during the day.
Looking at it this way, it was actually a very well-behaved and obedient big dog.
She let out a soft laugh:
“I don’t mind at all. It’s very cute.”
As if it had heard her, the Tibetan Mastiff let out an excited bark at the sky.
Hearing this, Duan Yujing curved his lips into a light chuckle.
Catching the sound, Shi Sheng looked at him with a hint of surprise.
…She didn’t think she’d ever seen Duan Yujing smile before.
She was a little curious.
The man’s face was always cold and hard, as if covered in a layer of frost, and his long-standing position of authority made people instinctively feel he was difficult to approach.
So much so that after learning he could smile, Shi Sheng’s first reaction was to turn her head and stare without blinking.
Duan Yujing’s features were more handsome than Qi Ye’s, but his temperament was more refined and reserved compared to Qi Ye’s. When he smiled, it reminded one of crushed ice melting into snow water in early spring—very beautiful.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before he restrained his smile.
Sensing her gaze, Duan Yujing glanced over sideways.
Their eyes met, and Shi Sheng was the first to react, pretending to be nonchalant as she said:
“Big Brother, you have a very nice smile. You should smile more often.”
The moment she finished speaking, she immediately regretted being so talkative.
Damn it, what did it have to do with her whether someone else smiled or not?
Would Duan Yujing think she was being nosy?
Just as Shi Sheng was lost in her wild thoughts, Duan Yujing spoke up in response:
“Mhm.”
His tone was slow, which made it sound especially sincere:
“Mother used to say the same thing to me.”
Duan Yujing said in a seemingly joking manner, “It seems I should smile more often, so that others won’t be afraid to approach me.”
While waiting at a red light, he turned to look at Shi Sheng and said seriously, “The people at the company call me an ice cube behind my back. I asked my assistant why, and he said it’s because I don’t smile often.”
“Do you think so too?”
Shi Sheng: “…”
Perhaps she had lost her mind, but she actually found Duan Yujing like this a bit endearing.
She coughed twice and tried to console him, “Not at all. Brother is still very kind; it’s just that your employees have never seen that side of you.”
Duan Yujing: “Really?”
Shi Sheng nodded solemnly, “Yes, yes.”
A moment later, the man smiled. “I hope so.”
The atmosphere in the car had somehow become less stiff. Shi Sheng grew bolder and turned around directly, teasing Xiao Qi over the back of the seat.
Although Xiao Qi was a Tibetan Mastiff, it seemed somewhat different from the stereotypical image people had of the breed. It was too well-behaved—gentle and obedient. Seeing Shi Sheng, it bared its teeth in a wide grin.
Thinking back now, when it had pounced on Shi Sheng and caused her injury that afternoon, it was probably because the silly dog didn’t know its own strength.
Shi Sheng squinted with a smile, secretly glancing at Duan Yujing before quietly pulling half a sausage wrapped in a plastic bag from her purse and handing it to Xiao Qi.
Xiao Qi’s eyes lit up, and its ears perked straight up.
The girl and the dog stared at each other seriously.
Xiao Qi extended its paw, dragged the sausage under itself, and covered it with its long fur.
No one noticed the smile that flickered in Duan Yujing’s eyes from the driver’s seat.
Half an hour later, the car stopped in the villa district in the city center.
Shi Sheng obediently thanked Duan Yujing, opened the car door, and stepped out.
Just as she was about to close the door, she heard Duan Yujing’s voice from inside:
“Shi Sheng, does Qi Ye often bully you?”
Shi Sheng froze mid-motion.
For a moment, she didn’t know whether to close the door or leave it open.
How was she supposed to answer that…
Sensing her hesitation, Duan Yujing spoke again in a deep voice, “Don’t be nervous. What I mean is, if you and Qi Ye don’t end up together in the end, we won’t hold it against you.”
“I hope you’ll act according to your own wishes.”
With that, Duan Yujing’s voice softened. “It’s late. Go back and rest.”
Shi Sheng let out a sigh of relief, nodded, and hurried toward the villa district gate with her bag.
The Rolls-Royce remained quietly parked by the roadside until the woman’s figure completely disappeared. Duan Yujing leaned back against his seat, closed his eyes, and said softly, “Xiao Qi, say goodbye to Mommy.”
Xiao Qi bounced up joyfully in the back seat, stuck its head out the window, and barked twice at the sky:
“Woof! Woof!”
Before opening the front door, Shi Sheng took two deep breaths, giving herself a full mental preparation before pushing the door open and stepping inside.
Crossing the threshold, the first thing she saw was a woman’s undergarments lying at the entrance.
Shi Sheng could only pretend not to notice, closing the door and continuing forward.
The closer she got to the bedroom, the more obvious the sounds of intimacy became.
Shi Sheng closed her eyes.
Sure enough.
That idiot Qi Ye had prepared another live sex show for her.
Not long after, seemingly sensing that she had returned, Qi Ye’s slightly hoarse voice rang out, “Sheng Sheng, what are you doing standing at the door? Come in.”
Shi Sheng: “…”
She could only steel herself and walk in.
The bedroom was in complete disarray.
A strange blonde woman was held in Qi Ye’s arms, her seductive eyes like silk threads.
When Shi Sheng walked in, the woman fixed her with a gaze that was both alluring and provocative.
Shi Sheng was all too familiar with that look.
Every woman Qi Ye brought home would look at her that way while sleeping with him.
But without exception, they were all eventually cast aside by Qi Ye without mercy.
Shi Sheng stood at the doorway, expressionless, dutifully playing the role of the “bystander” Qi Ye liked to call her.
Tsk, what a truly twisted kink.