She helplessly set the man’s phone aside, then reached out her hand again: “I want your hand.”
Shen Xi was momentarily stunned, his deep gaze plunging into her eyes.
She was drunk, yet somehow not. Her gaze was hazy, as if hiding a hook, making Shen Xi involuntarily offer his hand.
Ji Huanlan’s hand was warm now, and she gripped Shen Xi’s hand tightly.
“I’ll just rest my head for a bit.”
And so, the two of them maintained their hand-holding position, neither speaking a word.
After who knows how long, Shen Xi faintly heard the sound of even breathing.
She had fallen asleep.
Shen Xi frowned.
She definitely couldn’t sleep here.
But she hadn’t bathed yet.
Shen Xi called someone over.
“Second Brother?”
At the bedroom door, an adorable head peeked in. She was Shen Ran’s twin.
Shen Xi said quietly: “Give your second sister-in-law a bath. She’s drunk.”
Shen Ning at the door tiptoed in and answered in a whisper: “Okay, okay!”
Shen Ning lightly scooped up the sleeping woman and headed toward the bathroom.
The moment their hands separated, Shen Xi rubbed his fingertips, feeling an emptiness.
Twenty minutes later, the little powerhouse Shen Ning carried the woman back.
“All done, Second Brother! Second sister-in-law is all nice and fragrant! I’m off!” Shen Ning thoughtfully closed the door behind her.
“Ningning.”
“Brother!”
Shen Ning, coming out, ran toward Shen Ran who was waiting for her, and the two walked together toward their nearby residence.
“Brother, did second sister-in-law give you the authority over the household today?” Shen Ning asked.
Shen Ning didn’t stay at the Shen residence often. Second Brother had always had her train in things enforcers did, which was why, despite being so small, she could lift Ji Huanlan with ease.
“Yeah.” Shen Ran walked forward. “I have a lot of respect for this second sister-in-law. If it weren’t for her today…”
The scene in the hotel lobby tonight—Shen Ran felt he would never forget it for the rest of his life.
Back at their residence.
The twins’ mother had prepared a midnight snack for them.
Mother An was a very virtuous woman. That Mr. Shen had been dashing and romantic in his youth, with countless women outside the home, was already an unspoken understanding among everyone.
And Shen Xi’s mother had only given birth to him at thirty-eight. Having been unable to conceive for so long, she too had felt she owed her husband.
So even though her husband had so many illegitimate children out there, she never asked a single question.
It wasn’t until the sixth year after Shen Xi’s birth that she passed away from illness.
Mother An had heard about what happened to her son tonight and touched his face: “Does it hurt?”
Shen Ran shook his head: “It doesn’t hurt, Mom.”
Mother An said: “From now on, do your work steadily. Help your second brother manage the household well, and don’t harbor any other thoughts.”
The reason she cautioned her children like this was because when she had complications during childbirth back then, the only person who came to visit and comfort her was actually Shen Xi’s mother.
She was a woman of great magnanimity, foresight, and wisdom.
Her refusal to make a fuss, her tolerance toward others—it was all to secure Shen Xi’s position as the eldest young master of the Shen family.
“Mom, I don’t have any other thoughts. Don’t worry, I’ll help Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law properly.”
Mother An was surprised: “You have a good impression of your second sister-in-law?”
She wasn’t considered part of the Shen family, so she couldn’t appear at any Shen family functions.
If Shen Xi hadn’t given the order for the three of them to live here, she probably wouldn’t even be able to see her children right now.
“Very good,” Shen Ran said. “This second sister-in-law of mine is quite formidable.”
Shen Ning chimed in from the side: “And especially beautiful too!”
Mother An smiled and nodded. “Since you two work by your second brother’s side, if anything improper arises in his marriage, you should remind him appropriately.”
“We understand, Mother.”
The next day.
Ji Huanlan woke up late; Shen Xi had already left ahead of her.
She had long forgotten about holding Shen Xi’s hand last night. She hurriedly washed up, changed clothes, and went downstairs.
“Chairman Ji, the items you requested.”
Wang Huo now came and went freely at the Shen residence.
After breakfast, Ji Huanlan was about to head out when Shen Ran stood at the door, bowing with a grin. “Good morning, Second Sister-in-law!”
She looked at his face, which was even more swollen than yesterday. “Are the injuries on your body alright?”
Shen Ran chuckled. “I’m fine, Second Sister-in-law! I can take a beating!”
Ji Huanlan gestured to Wang Huo.
Wang Huo stepped forward and presented the three sets of formal attire he had purchased. “These are gifts from Chairman Ji for your mother.”
Shen Ran froze.
This time, the emotion in his eyes shifted intensely.
As Ji Huanlan descended the steps, she said, “In the future, if there are occasions at home that require the mistress of the house to appear, and I don’t have the time, I’ll trouble your mother to handle things. Consider this a token of thanks.”
By the time Shen Ran snapped back to his senses, the Maybach had long since vanished from sight.
Tears glistened in his eyes, his breathing was uneven, and his heart was filled with an indescribable feeling.
If he was treated like that here, then who knew what those people said about Mother An.
In all these years, apart from Second Brother, no one had ever respected their family of three.
This was the first time someone had treated them like human beings.
Shen Ran hugged the exquisite gift boxes tightly.
Ji Huanlan spent the morning following up on the Marriott project and offering guidance on a few matters.
Since taking office, she had fired many of Third Uncle Ji’s people and replaced them with those she had brought back from abroad.
Cleaning house, step by step.
Today, she needed to return to the Ji residence to sweep out more of those filthy things.
She sent Shen Xi a message.
Ji Huanlan: Are you free tonight?
Shen Xi: Yes.
Ji Huanlan: Will you come with me to the Ji residence?
Shen Xi: What do I need to prepare?
Ji Huanlan: Just having you there is enough.
Somehow, as long as Shen Xi was there, she inexplicably felt grounded when facing that family that chilled her heart.
Perhaps it was his silent support at the funeral that day.
Or perhaps it was the fact that when her life hung by a thread, he was the one who took her to the hospital.
That line—”Just having you there is enough”—made Shen Xi lose focus during a meeting for the first time.
As a couple, they barely exchanged a few words a day, each busy with their own affairs.
He had originally thought this marriage was nothing but a sacrifice, not worth any attention at all.
But from the day they registered until now, in just a few short days, something different had begun to stir in Shen Xi’s heart.
After the meeting ended.
He gestured. “Guan Qi, prepare some things. We’re going to the Ji residence tonight.”
Guan Qi understood and set about making the arrangements.
Evening.
Six-thirty.
Ji Huanlan arrived first. She didn’t go inside, waiting at the front gate for Shen Xi.
His company was a bit far from here.
When she saw his car approaching, Ji Huanlan got out of her own.
Shen Xi sat in his wheelchair while Guan Qi directed the staff to unload the gifts from the car behind.
Ji Huanlan raised an eyebrow. “This is…”
Shen Xi: “It’s not for anyone else. It’s for my father-in-law. Since this is my first visit, proper etiquette is necessary.”
Even though her father had already passed away, he hadn’t forgotten the proper formalities.
He did everything a husband should do, and more—he gave Ji Huanlan all the face she deserved.
Ji Huanlan lowered his gaze to look at him. Even seated in a wheelchair, Shen Xi seemed to harbor not the slightest trace of inferiority.
The main hall of the Ji residence.
No one knew of their return visit.
So when Ji Huanlan and Shen Xi entered, the Ji family members, who had been chatting merrily in the hall, all froze in surprise.
This was Ji Huanlan’s first appearance since the funeral.