“Aren’t you going to peel that for her?”
What was going on in Shen Yuhan’s little head, serving an unpeeled shrimp as the very first bite?
“Oh, oh! Got it.”
Shen Yuhan caught on immediately. She scooped the shrimp back onto her own plate and, with her fingers poised delicately, peeled away the shell and popped off the head. She then placed the perfectly intact, pink shrimp meat into Lin Yufei’s bowl.
Lin Yufei used a fork to take a bite. “Thank you.”
Shen Yuhan was reasonably skilled with chopsticks. She picked up a piece of bean curd skin, dipped it into her sauce, and was about to put it in her mouth when she looked up and said pointedly, “Sis, aren’t you going to peel a shrimp for Sister Pei Yu? Those beautiful hands of hers don’t look like they were meant for peeling shrimp.”
“No need. I’m on a diet lately, so I’m eating light,” Pei Yu declined immediately, giving her no chance to play the attentive spouse.
Shen Yuhan instantly pressed her lips together and, thoroughly intimidated, stopped talking to focus on the hot pot.
Though they had just been chatting casually, Shen Luoxi took it to heart. She finished the piece of luncheon meat in her bowl, set her chopsticks aside, and pushed back her chair to head into the kitchen.
Pei Yu, who had just taken a small bite of cantaloupe, turned her head to follow her with her eyes.
In less than ten minutes, Shen Luoxi emerged carrying a white celadon plate with scalloped edges. She leaned down and placed it next to Pei Yu’s utensils. On the plate were five peeled, poached shrimp and four pieces of broccoli, all lightly dusted with black pepper.
She ducked back into the kitchen and returned two minutes later with a simple chilled cucumber salad.
“You can’t eat too much hot pot. Eat these instead.”
It was a light, healthy, and nutritious alternative.
“Wow,” Shen Yuhan said through a mouthful of hot shrimp paste, unable to help giving a thumbs-up. “Sis, you’re amazing. Sister Pei Yu only said one thing, and you went and did it. Your initiative is maxed out.”
Shen Luoxi picked up the serving chopsticks and slid some duck blood into the pot. “Just eat. You’re the one cleaning up afterward.”
“Why?!” Shen Yuhan spread her hands in disbelief.
Shen Luoxi replied, “Sister Pei Yu spent so long preparing all this for you. Shouldn’t you wash a few bowls and a pot?”
Shen Yuhan pointed toward the dishwasher in the kitchen. “Don’t we have a dishwasher? Why do I have to do it by hand?”
“Because the pot won’t fit.” After the duck blood was in, Shen Luoxi set the plate down and scooped a piece of fish tofu into her own bowl.
Shen Yuhan pouted, relenting but clearly unwilling.
Lin Yufei smiled beside her. “It’s okay. I can help you wash up.”
“OK!” Shen Yuhan agreed instantly with a bright smile.
Shen Luoxi shook her head helplessly. This is what they mean by ‘forgetting your sister once you have a wife.’
The hot pot meal ended amidst lively chatter. Pei Yu ate the least, but she finished every bit of the shrimp, broccoli, and sliced cucumber on her plate.
As Pei Yu picked up her bowl and chopsticks to take them to the kitchen, Shen Luoxi reached out and caught her wrist. “I’ll take them. Shen Yuhan and I can handle the rest. Go rest.”
“It’s fine, I can do it,” Pei Yu insisted.
But Shen Luoxi wouldn’t let her. She took the utensils from her hands. “Go rest. It’s not necessary.” These hands of hers really weren’t meant for chores.
Shen Luoxi moved around the chair, her long legs striding in her loungewear as she rounded the corner into the kitchen and placed the dishes in the sink. She then returned to the table to gather the empty vegetable plates, stacking them separately from the meat plates.
“Go rest,” Shen Luoxi reminded her again.
The two looked at each other, and in the moment their eyes met, a subtle sensation bubbled up in their hearts. Shen Luoxi felt as if a blade of foxtail grass was tickling the tip of her heart, making her body feel soft. She pulled her gaze away, breaking the eye contact, and continued clearing the table.
Pei Yu also clenched her hidden left fist. She turned to the others and said, “I’m going back to the room to rest.”
“Okay!”
If Luoxi wouldn’t even let Pei Yu lift a finger, then the work obviously fell to Yuhan.
Pei Yu returned to her room. After spending a full day and night at the event yesterday and returning in the early hours of the morning, she was truly exhausted.
She brushed her teeth and washed her face, then stripped off her clothes—which now smelled like hot pot—and tossed them into the hamper. She planned to take a quick hot shower before lying down.
But when she turned around, she suddenly saw the person’s black bra and underwear hanging on the rack, which had been washed earlier. They hadn’t been wrung out well, and water was still dripping from the bottom.
Pei Yu took one look, then slid the glass shower door shut. She turned on the shower, and a moment later, as the warm water cascaded down, she reached up to pull back her hair and let the water rinse over her.
It took Shen Luoxi and Shen Yuhan a full hour to finish cleaning the kitchen and dining table, and to sweep and mop the floors. Shen Yuhan collapsed onto the living room sofa, looking like a spent force. “Sis, I never want to eat hot pot again. I’m so tired.”
“I’m going back to the study.”
Shen Luoxi was tired too, but not to the point of collapse. She tossed her paper towel into the bin, walked to the study, and pressed down the handle.
Thud. The door closed, and the living room fell into a silence that made it feel as if nothing had happened at all.
After resting on the sofa for a while, Shen Yuhan pushed herself up. With weak legs and a drooping head, she trudged toward the guest bedroom. She planned to sleep for three days and nights.
Opening the door, she saw Yufei lying on the bed in the short shorts she had been wearing earlier. Yufei had stuffed them into her bag because they wouldn’t fit in the suitcase; she hadn’t expected them to come in so handy.
“Betsy, I’m so tired,” Shen Yuhan said, her upper body collapsing onto the bed while her legs dangled off the edge like a fish washed up on the shore.
Lin Yufei closed her current phone tab and cleared her search history. She lightly tapped Shen Yuhan’s shoulder with her toe. “I’ve laid out the bedding on the floor for you. You’re sleeping there.”
“Why?!” Shen Yuhan popped up, grabbing Yufei’s foot. “Didn’t we sleep together before?”
Back abroad, the two often shared a bed. Although they couldn’t “do” anything, they at least slept together.
Lin Yufei tucked her phone away and sat cross-legged, poking Shen Yuhan’s forehead. “Before was before. We’re in your sister’s house now. It wouldn’t look good if she walked in and saw us in the same bed. We’ll talk about it after we get back.”
“Well… alright then.” Shen Yuhan thought about it and decided she had a point.
However, she climbed off the bed reluctantly. Walking around the foot of the bed to the other side, she saw a floor mattress with the exact same bedding as the bed. She collapsed onto her knees, and the moment her body hit the quilt, she fell into a deep sleep instantly.
Lin Yufei tilted her head to look at her. Seeing her fast asleep like that, she set her phone aside, crawled down, and pulled the quilt out from under her to cover her up properly. If Yuhan caught a cold, she’d be coughing for a week.
The rain didn’t stop until 4:00 PM. The city began clearing the streets, and the complex started draining. By 7:00 PM, it was finally possible to go out.
After confirming Pei Yu’s schedule for tomorrow with Zhou Jing, Shen Luoxi came out of the study to find Pei Yu. To her surprise, Pei Yu was standing by the dining area, pouring water from a kettle. She had changed into yoga gear and her hair was tied in a bun; she must have just finished practicing.
Shen Luoxi closed the door and walked over, stopping across from her. She leaned her hands on the counter. “Zhou Jing says you have no work scheduled for tomorrow. In that case, let’s go to the office to discuss the script for ‘As Such’ and sign the contract.”
“Who is the other female lead?” Pei Yu asked.
“Su Ying, whom I mentioned last time. Do you think she’s okay? If you don’t like her, we can change her.”
The words sounded incredibly doting—the kind of “overbearing CEO” rhetoric she used to please Pei Yu—but upon reflection, Shen Luoxi was startled by her own casual remark. In entertainment news, she often read about capital changing actors or stars fighting for roles, followed by a wave of fan backlash. As a businesswoman in her original world, she understood the logic behind it, but she hadn’t expected that when it was her turn, she wouldn’t even consider if Su Ying was suitable. If Pei Yu said she didn’t like her, she was ready to notify the other side to replace her immediately.
“Let’s go see tomorrow and meet the person first,” Pei Yu said, taking a slow sip of water.
“Alright.” Shen Luoxi deferred to her. Given Pei Yu’s character as the virtuous female lead, she likely wouldn’t ask for a replacement anyway.
After the brief talk about work, Shen Luoxi looked toward the guest room. “Where are Yuhan and Yufei?” At this hour, they should have woken up regardless of how much they slept.
Pei Yu finished her water and set the glass down. “They must have gone out. Yuhan knocked on my door at four to borrow a couple of outfits.” After giving them the clothes, Pei Yu had gone back to her room.
Shen Luoxi nodded. “They’re both adults, so there shouldn’t be any problems. If there were, they’d call.”
“Are they a couple?” Pei Yu asked suddenly. At the table this morning, her sister had been taking constant care of Yufei; they looked like a little couple.
Recalling their ending in the novel, Shen Luoxi shook her head with a slightly pained expression. “Not a couple. They might be in the ‘ambiguous’ phase right now. As for later… it’s hard to say.”
Pei Yu wasn’t particularly interested in their affairs, so she didn’t press further. She took her glass and the kettle to the bar, set the kettle down, then took her glass to the kitchen to dump the remaining water and rinse it before putting it back.
“I have to go out in a bit,” Pei Yu said, looking at her. “Do you need to follow me to keep watch?”
“No, go wherever you like,” Shen Luoxi said generously. Her possessiveness wasn’t that strong.
Taking her seriously, Pei Yu went to her room and changed into a sophisticated, form-fitting black slip dress. Her black hair cascaded over her shoulders, and beautiful tassel earrings hung by her face. She wore exquisite sandals that accentuated her slender ankles and elegant calves.
Sitting in the living room, Shen Luoxi heard the door open. The moment she turned around and saw Pei Yu, her eyes flickered with a hazy glow, and a ripple stirred in her heart.
Pei Yu’s bone structure was undoubtedly exquisite and flawless. This long dress made her look like a black rose blooming in a storm lacking the bright flashiness of a red rose, but possessing a unique magnificence and nobility that was mesmerizing.
Shen Luoxi found herself slowly standing up, her expression soft and deeply affectionate.
Thinking she was going to be stopped, Pei Yu paused. Her voice was ice-cold: “Miss Shen, have you changed your mind? Are you coming with me?”