Feeling how tense and rigid her body had become, Lu Yanzhou gently patted her back through the blanket in silent reassurance.
The puppy wasn’t just barking excitedly at Shen Shuhe on the bed.
As if afraid Lu Mingshu wouldn’t understand, it even trotted over and grabbed one of the slippers in its mouth.
Looking down, Lu Mingshu finally noticed that there were two pairs of slippers beside the bed.
She abruptly looked back at Lu Yanzhou’s back and exclaimed,
“There are two pairs of slippers… There’s someone in your bed?!”
So he hadn’t been watching porn and taking care of things himself—
He was actually… engaged in a very real two-person activity?!
The dramatic turn of events left Lu Mingshu utterly stunned.
Her embarrassment instantly transformed into curiosity and disbelief.
“Brother, so you weren’t lying to Grandpa the other day? You really are dating someone? Who is she?!”
That aloof, emotionally distant “iron tree” of a brother had actually blossomed into romance?
What kind of woman could possibly win his heart?
With that thought, Lu Mingshu strode toward the bed and looked down.
The gray blanket outlined the silhouettes of two people embracing.
From a single glance, she could tell it was a slender woman, completely nestled within Lu Yanzhou’s embrace as he lay on his side, as though she had been made to fit perfectly against him.
No wonder he’d kept his back to me this whole time…
He’d been hiding a woman under the blanket!
Who on earth was capable of winning over her brother?
“Who are you?” Lu Mingshu asked directly, speaking toward Shen Shuhe beneath the covers. “I’m Lu Mingshu. Are you the woman my brother said he was getting to know?”
Shen Shuhe: …
How could she possibly answer?
She chose to play dead.
Never in her life had she experienced anything this embarrassing.
When Zhou Jiayan had publicly broken off their engagement, she had still been able to face the guests with dignity and leave with her head held high.
But now…
She could only hide beneath a blanket, curled up in Lu Yanzhou’s arms.
Shrinking away like this wasn’t her personality at all.
It wasn’t that she lacked the courage to throw off the blanket.
She simply couldn’t.
After all, the one who had repeatedly insisted that no third person could know about this classified discussion…
Was Lu Yanzhou.
And the person who had created this mess…
Was his own sister.
So she’d leave it to him to deal with it.
If he lifted the blanket, she could face Lu Mingshu openly and honestly.
Lu Yanzhou, however, made no attempt to deny Lu Mingshu’s assumption.
Unlike the nervous Shen Shuhe beneath the covers—or the shocked and excited Lu Mingshu standing at the foot of the bed—his expression remained perfectly calm.
Looking at his sister, he said evenly,
“Weren’t you the one telling me to get a girlfriend? Now that I actually have one, you’re unhappy?”
“When did I say I was unhappy?” Lu Mingshu rolled her eyes. “I just want to know who she is and what she looks like.”
She continued,
“My reaction is because I walked in and found you hiding a woman under your blanket in broad daylight. If I’m unhappy about anything, it’s that you didn’t warn me beforehand and made me walk into such an awkward situation.”
As she spoke, her imagination began running wild.
“Unless… she’s not exactly a respectable woman? Or maybe the two of you aren’t in a proper relationship? You—”
“Lu. Ming. Shu.”
Lu Yanzhou interrupted her, pronouncing each word slowly and distinctly before she could say anything even more outrageous.
His dark gaze lifted to hers, carrying a clear warning.
“Our relationship is perfectly proper and legitimate.”
As he spoke, he reached for the edge of the blanket, clearly preparing to pull it back.
Raising an eyebrow, he asked,
“Are you sure you want to see?”
His complete composure weakened Lu Mingshu’s confidence instead.
Her thoughts raced as she analyzed the situation.
Her brother’s character and status made it impossible that he would casually fool around with women.
The woman beneath the blanket had to be his girlfriend.
And with his impossibly high standards, there was no way she was some random woman—
Much less someone like Shen Shuhe, whom Lu Mingshu considered manipulative and scheming.
So why had he been protecting her beneath the blanket all this time?
And why hadn’t the woman said a single word to defend herself?
There was only one possible explanation.
By the time she’d unlocked the front door with her fingerprint…
The two of them had already been caught up in an intimate moment.
She had barged right into the bedroom.
The woman probably hadn’t even had time to get dressed before hiding under the blanket.
She was probably mortified.
If the blanket came off and revealed two naked bodies…
Whether or not she’d go blind from the sight, she’d definitely need to book an appointment with a therapist afterward.
After reaching that conclusion, Lu Mingshu immediately shook her head.
“No, thank you. I don’t need to see.”
She bent down, scooped the puppy into her arms, and smiled awkwardly.
“You two carry on. Just pretend I was never here.”
With that, she turned around and left without another glance.
Sneezing the whole way out, she never once slowed her pace.
Shen Shuhe kept listening carefully.
Only after she heard the front door close again did she finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Thank goodness.
A close call, but they had made it through.
As the tension drained from her body, Shen Shuhe suddenly realized how warm Lu Yanzhou felt.
His steady heartbeat was still pounding rapidly beside her ear.
For some reason…
The scent surrounding him also felt strangely familiar.
…That couldn’t be, could it?
Lost in thought, she felt Lu Yanzhou gently tug at the blanket near her head.
In a low voice, he asked,
“Can you still breathe?”
Shen Shuhe shivered.
His deep voice carried a slight huskiness.
Combined with the powerful rhythm of his heartbeat beside her ear, it felt as though a tiny current of electricity had spread through her body from her ears.
A wave of tingling warmth swept over her.
She convinced herself she’d simply been frightened by Lu Mingshu.
Otherwise…
Why would she suddenly think his voice sounded so incredibly sexy—
As though he were whispering sweet nothings right beside her ear?
Scolding herself for entertaining such thoughts, Shen Shuhe hurriedly snapped out of it and threw back the blanket.
While she had been too tense to notice the heat earlier, the moment fresh air rushed in, she realized how stuffy it had been.
She took several deep breaths.
Lu Yanzhou’s dark eyes never left her as she suddenly emerged from beneath the blanket.
Her hair was slightly messy.
Her fair cheeks were flushed a deep red from the heat.
Her rosy lips parted repeatedly as she caught her breath, giving her an unexpectedly innocent, endearing look.
His lips curved upward.
Unable to help himself, he let out a quiet laugh.
Right before her was his handsome face.
One of his arms still rested lightly around her over the blanket, keeping her loosely enclosed in his embrace.
Now that she had emerged from beneath the covers…
It looked as though they were lying face to face, embracing each other.
Somehow…
It felt even more intimate than before.
Objectively speaking…
Not only was this man exceptionally well-built…
Not only was his voice irresistibly attractive…
Even his smile was remarkably handsome.
Shen Shuhe found herself staring at him.
He neither avoided her gaze nor stopped her.
Instead, he simply let her look.
In the quiet bedroom, only the sound of their mingled breathing remained.
The atmosphere was indescribably delicate.
She would have happily admired him for a few more seconds…
If not for Lu Mingshu’s words echoing in her mind.
“Brother, so you really are dating someone?”
“Are you the woman my brother is seeing?”
And Lu Yanzhou himself had said,
“Our relationship is perfectly proper and legitimate.”
That could only mean…
He really did have a girlfriend.
The moment that thought surfaced, Shen Shuhe reacted as though she were being chased by a ghost.
She immediately threw off the blanket, rolled off the bed, and hurried away from him.
Her sense of morality—and her personal boundaries—
Would never allow her to remain so close to another woman’s boyfriend.