Her clothes were soaked, and Shen Luoxi wanted to wash up, but she realized the guest bathroom was occupied, and Yuhan would need it soon.
By the time the two of them finished, the rainwater on her skin would probably have dried on its own. Shen Luoxi planned to just head to the study, give herself a quick wipe, and change clothes to avoid catching a cold.
“Here. Go wash up in the room.”
As Shen Luoxi was about to turn toward the study, a white towel appeared in her field of vision. She looked up slowly.
It was actually Pei Yu.
Not only was she offering a towel, but she was telling her to wash up “in the room.”
The guest bathroom was taken, so “the room”… she meant Pei Yu’s master bedroom.
Flattered and surprised, Shen Luoxi took the towel, which still carried a hint of Pei Yu’s warmth. She asked uncertainly, “Wash in your bedroom?”
“If you’d rather go back out and shower in the rain, I won’t stop you.”
Pei Yu let go of the towel, sidestepped Shen Luoxi, and walked to the dining table. She picked up the two large bags of groceries and carried them into the kitchen, clearly intending to help organize.
Grasping the towel, Shen Luoxi looked at Pei Yu’s busy back and smiled. she ducked into the study to grab a change of clothes, then headed into the master bathroom for a hot shower.
The bathroom with the bathtub was indeed much larger, and it was filled with the lingering, pleasant scent of Pei Yu.
Knowing the groceries needed processing, Shen Luoxi aimed for a quick rinse. She turned on the shower, and while waiting for the hot water to flow, she turned to undress.
Outside, Lin Yufei finished her shower and stepped out of the bathroom. She had blow-dried her hair, leaving it looking soft and a bit fluffy. She was wearing a tight, waist-baring short-sleeved top and ultra-short denim shorts, perfectly accentuating her figure.
She knew the saying: Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
Even though Shen Yuhan was Shen Luoxi’s sister and “freeloading” was usually no big deal, Luoxi was married now, and Pei Yu was a major star. She couldn’t just sit back and wait to be hand-fed, so she had been helping Pei Yu tidy up the kitchen.
“I’m done. Your turn,” Lin Yufei called out as she walked into the kitchen, a towel draped over her shoulder.
Shen Yuhan was in the middle of slicing bean curd skin. Hearing the voice, she instinctively turned around.
When she saw what Lin Yufei was wearing, a startled “OMG” escaped her lips. She quickly set down the knife and the bean curd, walked to the kitchen door to block Pei Yu’s line of sight, and raised her hands, whispering urgently: “This isn’t abroad, it’s domestic. And this is my married sister’s house. It’s not appropriate to dress like that.”
While Pei Yu and Yuhan might not say anything about her outfit, Shen Luoxi was, after all, a married Alpha. It just wasn’t right.
Moreover, if pheromones were accidentally released, unexpected problems could arise. Shen Yuhan added worriedly, “Go put on a suppressant patch to cover your gland, and take a suppressant pill too.”
Calculating the dates, Lin Yufei’s heat was due in a few days.
“Is that really necessary?” Back abroad, they never gave these things a second thought.
Shen Yuhan nodded and spoke to her in English with extreme gravity: “Yes. Very important. Safety first.”
“Alright, alright,” Lin Yufei relented.
Shen Yuhan waited until Lin Yufei returned to her room and closed the door before sighing in relief. She walked back to the kitchen, took off her apron, and washed her hands in the sink. “Sister Pei Yu, I’m going to take a quick shower. I’ll be back to help in a bit.”
“Mhm,” Pei Yu replied, her head down as she meticulously deveined the shrimp.
Before leaving, Shen Yuhan stole another glance at the kitchen. Sister Pei Yu is truly stunning. Even just having her at home to look at would be fine. Luoxi really hit the jackpot.
The three of them were busy in three different places.
Wanting to get out and help with the food, Shen Luoxi took a swift shower, lathered up with soap, washed and dried her hair, and emerged. Though she had hurried, the hot water and fresh clothes made her feel immensely comfortable.
She carried out her dirty clothes. She had hand-washed the smaller items in the shower; the larger pieces she tossed into the washing machine. She threw in a few laundry pods, closed the door with a flick of her wrist, hit the start button, and headed for the kitchen.
Rounding the corner from the living room, she saw Pei Yu focused on preparing the sliced lamb. Half the ingredients were already done.
Shen Luoxi didn’t disturb her. She walked to the apron rack, slipped a gray apron over her neck, pulled the straps behind her back to tie a quick bow, and approached Pei Yu. “I’ll take over. You just got back in the early hours; go rest for a bit. I’ll call you when it’s time to eat.”
“No need.”
Pei Yu rejected the offer coldly. She crumpled the empty lamb packaging into a ball and tossed it into the bin behind her. She then carried the plate of lamb to the dining table outside.
Shen Luoxi didn’t push it. However, before Pei Yu could return, she took over the primary spot at the kitchen counter.
She pulled out three heads of baby bok choy. The tip of her knife glided through the plastic packaging, making a small slit. She unwrapped them, revealing tender, moist leaves. She sliced off the roots and then rinsed the leaves one by one in a strainer. If she saw a tear or blemish on a leaf, she carefully removed it.
Meticulous, patient, and domestic.
This was Pei Yu’s first impression upon returning to the kitchen.
She stood at the doorway, watching Shen Luoxi chop and plate. She was even more skilled at it than Pei Yu. Outside the glass at the far end of the kitchen, the rain hissed. In this corner, the veins on the back of Shen Luoxi’s hands as she chopped were no longer symbols of violence.
Violence…
Pei Yu thought as her gaze drifted downward. She saw the bow tied at Shen Luoxi’s waist, a “slipknot” (active knot) of just the right length. It felt like the shifting state of their relationship: once a dead knot, it was slowly being untied and transformed into something fluid. And it was Shen Luoxi herself who was doing the untying.
Except, this knot…
“Sister Pei Yu.”
Following Shen Yuhan’s advice, Lin Yufei had changed into more conservative long pants and a short-sleeved top. She came straight to the kitchen to help.
The sudden call broke Pei Yu’s train of thought. She turned and instantly regained her composure. Walking to the counter, she picked up the two glasses of water Shen Luoxi had poured earlier and handed them to her. “You just showered, have some water. Go sit in the living room; we’ll call you when the food is ready.”
“I can help.” Lin Yufei took the glasses with a sincere expression.
“It’s fine. Just me and… her is enough.”
Pei Yu’s right hand gripped her side slightly before she turned back into the kitchen to carry out the bok choy Shen Luoxi had washed.
Lin Yufei stood there, watching the two of them work in quiet, rhythmic harmony. After a moment of hesitation, she decided to wait in the living room.
As she turned to leave, she caught a glimpse of Shen Luoxi through the gap left by Pei Yu. Shen Luoxi’s posture was straight—no slouching even while chopping. The lines of her forearms beneath her short sleeves were well-defined. Every step of her work was orderly and calm, without a hint of chaos.
“Last thing—the enoki mushrooms.”
Shen Luoxi moved toward the sink, breaking apart the mushrooms and washing them in small bunches with focused intensity.
“Okay,” Pei Yu replied, already reaching for the hot pot.
As Pei Yu carried the pot out, she pulled her elbows in to avoid bumping into the others. Lin Yufei reacted quickly, stepping back to clear the way, and headed back to the sofa with her water.
The TV was still on, filled with noisy chatter.
Holding her cup of lukewarm water, Lin Yufei’s heart began to race inexplicably, and her throat felt tight and dry. She pressed a hand to her chest, trying to calm herself down.
After an hour of everyone being busy, they finally sat down at the table for hot pot.
There were over a dozen dishes of various sizes, almost covering half the table—everything from vegetables to meat. Shen Luoxi and Pei Yu sat together, facing Shen Yuhan and Lin Yufei. The pot was bubbling, sending up plumes of savory steam.
Shen Luoxi sat upright and raised a wine glass filled with orange juice. “Because of the storm, I couldn’t get more ingredients. This simple meal will have to do for now. I’ll make it up to you later when we have time.”
“It’s fine!” Shen Yuhan raised her glass across the table. “The fact that you’re hosting us is enough. And Sister Pei Yu—eating a home-cooked meal by a beautiful superstar? I’m going to wake up laughing from my dreams tonight.”
Then she teased, “Sis, you better treat Sister Pei Yu well. Don’t you dare let her down. I’ve heard rumors that you weren’t great to her before—if I hear that again, I won’t let you off the hook.”
Shen Luoxi hadn’t expected her to bring that up. She glanced at Pei Yu guiltily.
Pei Yu was leaning forward comfortably, her left forearm resting on the table and her long, elegant fingers draped over the edge. Though she was holding fruit juice, she gave off the aura of someone holding a glass of fine red wine.
“Alright. I will treat your Sister Pei Yu well.”
Shen Luoxi’s promise was so sincere that none of the three people present could detect a hint of falsehood.
Satisfied, Shen Yuhan extended her glass toward the center. “Then, cheers!”
“Cheers,” the three echoed as they clinked glasses.
It was just juice and an informal occasion, so the other three just took a simple sip. However, Shen Luoxi turned her head to the right and, where no one could see, gulped the whole glass down.
When she set the glass back down, it was empty, save for a single droplet at the bottom. She discreetly pushed the glass aside, hiding it behind a small basket of lettuce. Amidst Shen Yuhan’s chatter, she grabbed the bottle and poured herself another full glass.
“Put in whatever you want to eat.”
With her glass refilled, Shen Luoxi naturally passed the shrimp paste toward them. “Yuhan, try this. Shrimp paste is usually good, though I’m not sure how the supermarket frozen kind tastes.”
“Thanks, Sis! I love everything.”
Shen Yuhan took the plate and dumped the whole thing in, seemingly unbothered by the fact that the pot was already full.
Seeing this, Pei Yu reached out a long arm. “Let me.”
“Oh, okay,” Shen Yuhan handed it over, dazed.
The pot was crowded with meatballs. Pei Yu took a spoon and slid about a third of the shrimp paste into the gaps along the edge. She set the rest aside to be added later.
Once the first batch was cooked, Shen Yuhan’s first move was to scoop a piece of shrimp into Lin Yufei’s bowl. “Here, it should taste good.”
“Mhm… thanks, Joe.”
Lin Yufei looked at the shrimp in her bowl, appearing somewhat hesitant to start.