"No need…" Shen Lizhou took a barely noticeable half-step back. "Really, there's no need."
His knuckles were white as he gripped his phone, and his speech was even a little faster: "The car will be here soon… it's already too late tonight, I really can't put you out any more."
"How is it putting me out?" Shi Ran asked. "Would you say I've put you out today?"
"Of course not." He answered instinctively, his brows slightly furrowed. "This is different…"
"How is it different?"
Under the streetlight, her eyes were gentle and bright, looking at him with great patience and great stubbornness. Like the little girl who used to stand downstairs holding dried fish, waiting for the cat to jump down—she was not easily swayed once she'd made up her mind.
Shen Lizhou opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Shi Ran's phone rang again.
She didn't wait for his answer, nor did she close the passenger door. She went straight to the driver's seat and answered the call.
"Auntie!" A little girl's voice, soft and sweet, came through the receiver. "I've landed already! Did you miss me?"
"Of course I missed you." Shi Ran laughed. "Are you tired, Lulu?"
The passenger door was caught by a hesitant hand. Shen Lizhou hesitated for a few seconds, then finally got in. The night breeze carried a chill, mixed with the clean scent of soap, drifting into this small enclosed space.
His movements opening and closing the door were very light, as if afraid of making too much noise and startling her.
Shi Ran curved her lips slightly, casually lit up the car's navigation screen, and tilted her chin, signaling him to enter the destination. Shen Lizhou paused, raised his hand, saw the dried bloodstains on the bandage, and immediately put it down, switching to the other hand with a slight awkwardness.
The car started. She set her phone aside casually and put it on speaker. The name "Cheng Zimiao" appeared on the screen, openly and legitimately.
Shen Lizhou politely averted his eyes.
"I'm not tired at all. I fell asleep as soon as I got on the plane, and when I woke up, I was here!" Lulu's cheerful voice filled the car. "Did Uncle play you my voice message?"
"I did, I did—"
Before she could finish, Lulu cut her off, having learned this from some variety show: "Pop quiz!" she said sweetly. "What song did I sing? Auntie, please sing it again now."
Shi Ran seemed already accustomed to being pop-quizzed. While driving, she sang along effortlessly: "Are you ready~ I'm a happy little pony~ the world is big, setting out every day~ adventures, lightning, drifting snow, and waves~ collecting tiny little sprouts one by one~ heyho~!"
She had studied music since she was young, so her pitch was naturally impressive. Her voice, usually soft and gentle, was now playful and adorable when coaxing a child, full of energy—it made one's lips curl up involuntarily.
A little girl's giggle came through the phone, like silver bells: "Auntie sings so well!"
She laughed, and Shi Ran laughed too. The car made a turn, and as she glanced at the rearview mirror, her peripheral vision caught Shen Lizhou smiling as well.
His eyes curved, and a very faint arc lifted the corners of his lips, like the night breeze rippling across a lake's surface, stirring gentle waves.
Shi Ran hadn't thought anything of it at first. Coaxing a child—no mental preparation needed, just singing a song, something she could do off the top of her head anytime.
But the smile on the man beside her suddenly made her ears feel warm, and inexplicably, a little embarrassed.
She turned her gaze back, cleared her throat, and said steadily, "Lulu sings the best."
"Auntie sings the best!"
"Lulu sings the best."
"Auntie sings the best!"
Shi Ran ended this childish back-and-forth before Shen Lizhou's smile could spread any further: "Alright, alright, Auntie sings the best."
Lulu suddenly sounded aggrieved: "Auntie thinks Lulu doesn't sing well."
Shi Ran: "…"
This little demon was truly unbearable.
She glanced at Shen Lizhou, who had already turned his head to look out the window, and steadied her breath: "Auntie thinks Lulu sings the best."
Lulu immediately perked up again: "Auntie sings the best!"
Shi Ran: "…"
Seriously, where were all the adults around this child? Wasn't anyone going to do something about this?
"Oh, right, Auntie, where are you staying tonight?" Lulu said happily. "Uncle told me to say—"
The call suddenly broke into a jumble of noise. Shi Ran couldn't hear what Lulu was saying. She said "Hello?" a few times, and after about ten seconds, Lulu's voice came through again.
"Auntie, I miss you," Lulu said loudly. "I want to sleep with you tonight!"
Shi Ran thought to herself, oh no.
If Lulu was going to sleep with her, then Cheng Zimiao would definitely be there too… which meant she couldn't go back to the small villa she was currently staying in. She'd have to go back to their marital home, Huayu No. 1 Estate.
Really. It was all Cheng Zimiao's fault. Back then, she'd said there was no need to buy a marital home in China at all—they'd be studying abroad for university anyway, and they didn't plan to settle down domestically… But Cheng Zimiao seemed to have money to burn, insisting on buying one, saying how could a marriage not have a marital home.
In the end, that wedding home hadn't been lived in for more than a month in total throughout the entire marriage.
Now that they were divorced, going back there was even more inappropriate.
She tried her best to salvage the situation: "Uncle will sleep with you. Uncle is the best at telling bedtime stories."
"No," Lulu refused without hesitation, "I love Auntie the most. I want Auntie to stay with me!"
Lulu was the child she had doted on the most in the past. With both parents away and having just returned to the country alone with her nanny, Shi Ran had no choice but to steel herself and agree: "Alright."
Anyway, Huayu No. 1 Courtyard was so large that she could just pretend Cheng Zimiao didn't exist. It wouldn't affect anything.
It should just be one night.
"Then I'll wait for you at home! I love you, Auntie!" Lulu hung up the phone with a cheer.
Shi Ran sighed with a headache.
The car had already turned onto the Coastal Boulevard.
The seaside at night had shed the bustle of the day, with only streetlights lined up along the coastline like scattered pearls, casting swaying bands of light on the ink-black sea surface.
As they drove further ahead, she saw a massive decorative stone and a low-key entrance porch. The name of the residential complex was written in understated metallic characters, embedded in the stone, not very legible.
Yet it felt inexplicably familiar.
She glanced at the navigation destination.
Oh, Tiandi Guanlan.
"You live here?" Shi Ran asked. "How is it?"
Shen Lizhou paused for a moment, then said, "It's alright."
Wasn't this the large flat she had fallen for at first sight back then?
It was the crown jewel of Lian City's most luxurious sea-view properties, occupying the most precious stretch of coastline in the entire Binhai Bay, backed by the lush Nanshan Mountain and facing an unobstructed expanse of sea.
The entire complex was built tier upon tier up the mountain slope, with orientations precisely calculated for optimal sunlight, offering unobstructed sea views from every angle.
Back then, when Cheng Zimiao insisted on buying a wedding home, she had followed him around to look at properties and suggested buying here.
But Cheng Zimiao had considered that large flats lacked privacy and weren't convenient for receiving clients and discussing business, so he chose the standalone villa at No. 1 Courtyard instead. At the time, she had also thought that since they wouldn't be living in the country long-term anyway, it didn't matter what they bought. And if there was ever a need in the future, with the times progressing and technology advancing, there would surely be better properties and better designs—they could just buy a new one then. So she hadn't insisted.
Unexpectedly, housing prices had continued to climb, and developers had started cutting corners. No better properties ever appeared.
Later, the real estate market cooled, unfinished buildings were everywhere, and second-hand prices were halved—yet high-end complexes like Tiandi Guanlan only rose in value.
Shi Ran once flipped through her old Weibo posts and saw the sea-view photos she had taken during property viewings. On a whim, she searched for listings. Good heavens—there were no second-hand units for sale at all.
She asked Chen Anke about it, who said it was a seller's market with no supply—you couldn't buy one even if you wanted to.
Chen Anke had been going through some kind of heartbreak at the time, speaking with a world-weary melancholy, and had told her in a theatrical tone that sometimes missing out is just missing out, because good things are one-of-a-kind.
Shi Ran didn't believe it.
She believed that good food is never too late, good matches are never too delayed, and good things always take a few tries. Besides, she was now divorced—a clean and free woman—had decided to settle in the country to open a clinic, and had plenty of money. It made perfect sense to buy a new house, right?
It was also closer to the clinic, and the location was good.
The more she thought about it, the more suitable it seemed. She asked Shen Lizhou, "Does anyone in Tiandi Guanlan have a unit for sale? Are you in the owners' group?"
"I…" Shen Lizhou paused. "I'm not in the owners' group."
"Alright," Shi Ran said regretfully. "If you hear of anything for sale, definitely contact me. Renting works too. Even if no one's selling, I could take a look at the layouts first. It's been so long that I've kind of forgotten."
If it was truly perfect, she wouldn't mind paying a bit more to buy it. In this economic climate, with enough money, there would always be someone willing to sell.
Shen Lizhou nodded. "Okay."
As the car approached the security gate, the guard had already raised the barrier, as if they had been waiting for them. Shi Ran slowed down and saw a middle-aged man in a black suit standing at the entrance of the lobby, slightly bowing. When the car came to a stop, he stepped forward and opened the door.
"President Shen, welcome home."
Shen Lizhou got out of the car and said in a low voice to Shi Ran, "It's too late… drive safely on your way back." He paused. "Could you… send me a message when you get there?"
"OK," Shi Ran said. "Bye-bye."
The engine hummed softly, the headlights traced an arc across the porch pillars, then the car turned and merged into the thick darkness of the night.
Shen Lizhou watched her car disappear into the distance. His assistant, Liang Yesheng, stood nearby.
As a professional personal assistant earning a hefty monthly salary, Liang Yesheng naturally suppressed the questions in his mind.
But he couldn't help glancing once more in the direction where the car had vanished.
He had worked for Mr. Shen for so many years, and this was the first time he had seen anyone other than Shen Lewei by his side. And it was a woman, no less. Could it be that even an iron tree could bloom?
Mr. Shen was a good man—though very cold and distant, he had helped Liang Yesheng a great deal. He sincerely hoped that Mr. Shen could find happiness.
The car turned the corner and disappeared from sight. Shen Lizhou also turned and walked away. Liang Yesheng quickly followed, saying, "Mr. Shen. That house on North Mountain you asked me to inspect last month—I've already checked it. The plumbing and electrical are all fine, and the gas and water heater are running normally."
Liang Yesheng didn't dare study Shen Lizhou's expression.
But his heart was full of unease.
Why would such a wealthy man like President Shen insist on buying that little house by the sea at North Mountain?
In the middle of nowhere, with no neighbors, no shops, and not even streetlights.
Just a lonely stretch of ocean.
He'd left it untouched for years, and now suddenly he was contacting Liang Yesheng to check the plumbing and electrical…
Which had made Liang Yesheng nervous the entire drive over, feeling like something terrible was about to happen.
If something really did happen in that remote, deserted little house, it wouldn't disturb any neighbors, wouldn't affect surrounding property values, wouldn't make the next day's social news…
It would vanish almost completely without the world ever noticing.
When Liang Yesheng had arrived, that eerie thought had inexplicably surfaced in his mind, making his heart skip a beat.
Fortunately, when he pushed open the door, nothing happened.
He was just being too sensitive.
"Thank you for your trouble."
Shen Lizhou's voice was faint, betraying no emotion.
Liang Yesheng immediately lowered his head. "It's my duty. Please feel free to contact me anytime if you need anything else." He paused, took a slight breath, and still quietly reminded him, "Tomorrow is your hospital appointment. I've already booked it. This time, please really…"
He had already prepared himself for rejection.
He'd even rehearsed his next persuasive argument in his head.
But to his surprise, before he could finish, he heard a very soft "Okay."
Liang Yesheng looked up in a daze. When it sank in, he stammered with excitement: "Th-then, shall I pick you up at 9 tomorrow morning?"
Shen Lizhou nodded and walked alone into the corridor.
His footsteps echoed through the empty hallway as the salty sea breeze rustled the treetops with a soft whisper.
He thought, somewhat dazedly.
Last month.
So a month had already passed.
He'd managed to live this much longer?
Shi Ran arrived at Huayu No. 1 Estate.
The night was deep, and the standalone villas were scattered along the gentle slope. Warm yellow streetlights filtered through walls covered in climbing roses, casting dappled shadows on the ground. Shi Ran parked at her own front door, and just as she pushed open the car door, she saw the light on in the entryway. Cheng Zimiao was standing on the steps holding Lulu, waiting for her.
He was wearing a gray cat-print loungewear set that Shi Ran didn't remember buying, his forehead hair mussed up by Lulu's grabbing. He'd lost some of his sharpness from the business world, looking altogether lazy and relaxed.
Those peach-blossom eyes shimmered in the night, casting her a look from afar with an indescribable emotion—almost… like he was feeling wronged. But before Shi Ran could get a clear look, he turned his head away. "Your very busy auntie has finally come home."
The same old sarcastic tone.
Shi Ran immediately shot him a glare.
Lulu was already struggling to get down. Without even putting on her slippers properly, she pattered over, tilting her face up with outstretched arms, and called out in her baby voice, "Auntie, carry me!"
"Lulu," Shi Ran quickly stepped forward to catch her. The little girl's soft body tumbled into her arms, carrying the fruity scent of body wash. Shi Ran lifted her and gave her a bounce. "You've grown so big!"
"Of course." Lulu wrapped her arms around Shi Ran's neck and nuzzled her face into the crook of her neck. "Mommy says I'm a big kid now."
Shi Ran held Lulu as Cheng Zimiao walked forward. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the three of their reflections in the floor-to-ceiling glass door of the entryway.
The warm yellow light fell on the glass, and they looked happy together—soft and warm.
A family of three.
That clichéd phrase inexplicably popped into Cheng Zimiao's mind, making him pause mid-step, his heart skipping a beat as well.
Lulu was very excited, pestering Shi Ran to play in the living room for quite a while.
First she showed off her newly bought picture books, then she insisted on braiding Shi Ran's hair, then she climbed onto Shi Ran's lap, saying she wanted to ride a rocking horse. Shi Ran bounced her up and down a couple of times, and Lulu giggled without stopping.
Cheng Zimiao sat on the sofa nearby, occasionally taking a sip of tea while flipping through data on his tablet, his mind already drifting far away.
Maybe they could have a daughter this beautiful and adorable someday too.
It would be best if she looked like Shi Ran. She'd definitely be the prettiest. Smiling with curved brows and eyes, puffing out her cheeks to glare at him when angry, but then still running over to hug him after…
Lulu was making a fuss about wanting to see photos of Shi Ran as a child, so Shi Ran dug out an old social media post—photos taken of even older childhood photos.
"Look, this is my grandmother's house," Shi Ran said, her expression nostalgic and gentle. "I was probably about your age here."
In the photo was an adorable little girl with long hair, wearing an elaborate layered dress, sitting on a stone bench under a grape trellis, with a little white cat sleeping beside her.
Sunlight filtered through the grape leaves, falling across her face as she cheerfully flashed a V-sign at the camera, her eyes curved into two crescent moons.
Below it was her crooked handwriting from back then.
【First time getting close to Little White—huge success!】
"Wow, Auntie was so pretty when she was little!" Lulu exclaimed, stunned, grabbing Shi Ran's phone and running over to Cheng Zimiao. "Uncle, Uncle, come look. Wasn't Auntie so pretty when she was little?"
Cheng Zimiao glanced at it indifferently and said, "She was just okay."
"Bring Auntie's phone over here, Lulu." Shi Ran smiled as she beckoned to Lulu. "Your uncle has terrible taste."
Lulu chimed in, "Exactly, Uncle has terrible taste!"
Cheng Zimiao narrowed his eyes, feigning a threat. "Who has terrible taste?"
But the corners of his mouth involuntarily curved upward just a little.
The simple words "Auntie" and "Uncle" fell from her lips again like feathers, brushing lightly across his heart, softening the sharp spikes that stood guard around it into a ball of downy fluff.
The fluff tickled at his chest, turning into a soft, hard-to-say sentence.
I miss you, Shi Ran.
I want to make up with you.
Lulu giggled and continued scrolling. "Uncle has terrible taste! Auntie is so pretty—wow! Look at this one!"
The phone was handed over again.
This time, though, Cheng Zimiao didn't take in the photos.
Because a WeChat message had popped up at the top of the screen.
【S: Did you get home safely?】