Gu Jing Shen was sitting on the sofa, idly scrolling through his tablet, his mind still occupied with several clauses in the case file.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
Three knocks, neither hurried nor slow.
Gu Jing Shen frowned slightly.
He set the tablet down on the coffee table and got up to answer the door.
Several possibilities flashed through his mind, but none of them involved the person standing outside.
The moment the door opened, he froze when he saw Su Jin Yue.
She was dressed simply, her long hair falling loosely over her shoulders, her expression so natural that she looked as though she had merely stopped by to visit an acquaintance.
But what truly caught Gu Jing Shen off guard was what stood behind her.
A suitcase.
He looked at her.
Then at the suitcase.
His usually calm eyes rarely revealed any emotion, yet at this moment, a clear flicker of surprise crossed them.
Why was she here?
Could it be…
Su Jin Yue seemed to read the question in his eyes.
Instead of explaining, she tilted her head slightly and looked at him with an innocent expression.
“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” Gu Jing Shen remained rooted to the spot.
“You…” He had barely uttered the word when Su Jin Yue casually pulled her suitcase inside.
“After all, we’re husband and wife in name.” Her voice was light, as though she were stating something so obvious that there was no need to discuss it.
“And husband and wife are supposed to live together.” Gu Jing Shen stared at Su Jin Yue’s retreating figure, momentarily at a loss for words.
He had imagined many possibilities after they registered their marriage.
He had thought she might continue living with the Su family.
He had also considered that she might rent another apartment.
He had even prepared himself for the possibility that their marriage would exist only on paper.
But he had never expected Su Jin Yue to simply show up at his door with a suitcase.
Gu Jing Shen closed the door and turned to look at the woman standing in the middle of his living room.
Su Jin Yue showed no sign of awkwardness.
She calmly looked around.
Gu Jing Shen’s apartment was much like the man himself: Clean, orderly, and minimalist.
Everything was in its proper place.
There was not a single unnecessary item, nor anything that suggested carelessness.
The place lacked those little personal touches that usually made a home feel lived in.
Su Jin Yue turned back to him and asked naturally, “Where’s my room?” Gu Jing Shen looked at her in confusion.
“How do you know my address?” The question slipped out almost instinctively.
“Wasn’t your home address listed in the personal profile you gave me the first time we met?” Gu Jing Shen remembered that profile very clearly.
It had been prepared so thoroughly that there was hardly any information she could have questioned.
The address of his residence was included as well.
He simply hadn’t expected her to notice it.
His gaze lingered on her face for a few seconds.
“After all, I’m already married to you.
Isn’t it perfectly normal for me to know where my husband lives?” The words “my husband” caused a subtle flicker in Gu Jing Shen’s eyes.
“Why didn’t you call me to pick you up?” Su Jin Yue tilted her head and looked at him, her expression completely unconcerned.
“Isn’t your work very demanding?
Besides, I have two hands and two feet.
I can get here by myself.
Why bother you?” Gu Jing Shen had met quite a few young ladies from wealthy families.
Most of them were accustomed to being taken care of.
They needed someone to drive them wherever they went.
Even the slightest heavy item would have someone else carrying it for them.
Sometimes, even the smallest inconvenience was something they instinctively expected others to handle.
But Su Jin Yue was different.
She did not pretend to be helpless just to wait for him to offer his help.
Nor did she take this opportunity to make demands of him.
Su Jin Yue seemed to have long been accustomed to taking care of herself.
The thought made Gu Jing Shen pause unconsciously.
Only then did he realize that he had been staring at her too obviously.
He immediately withdrew his gaze, his voice returning to its usual calmness.
“Follow me.” Su Jin Yue nodded and pulled her suitcase after him.
As he watched their figures disappear down the hallway, one walking ahead and the other following behind, Gu Jing Shen suddenly felt something strange.
This apartment had always been quiet.
So quiet that he had grown accustomed to having everything under his control.
But from the moment Su Jin Yue pulled her suitcase through that door, perhaps that quiet would never be the same again.
And what surprised him most was that he seemed not to mind it at all.
Gu Jing Shen led her to the spare bedroom and opened the door.
“This is your room.” Su Jin Yue stepped inside.
The room had already been prepared.
The bedsheets were new, as were the blankets and pillows, while half of the wardrobe had been left empty.
Everything was clean and complete, down to even the smallest necessities.
She looked around curiously.
“When did you prepare all this?” “After we registered our marriage,” Gu Jing Shen answered briefly.
Su Jin Yue nodded lightly.
“That’s thoughtful of you.” She opened her suitcase and began taking out her belongings one by one.
Gu Jing Shen stood outside the doorway, watching her busy herself with unpacking.
The room, which had once been empty, gradually filled with her clothes, books, personal belongings, and even the faintest trace of her scent.
A strange feeling slowly crept into his heart.
This apartment had belonged to Gu Jing Shen alone for so long.
And yet, from today onward, there would be another person here.
His wife.
Gu Jing Shen lowered his eyes, concealing the emotions that had briefly surfaced.
“Make yourself at home.” Su Jin Yue paused as she folded a piece of clothing and turned to look at him.
Gu Jing Shen leaned lightly against the doorframe, his expression as calm as ever.
“But I have one request.” Su Jin Yue raised an eyebrow.
“What is it?” “Don’t enter my study without my permission.” Su Jin Yue fell silent for a moment before giving a decisive nod.
“Deal.” She turned back to continue arranging her clothes, her voice light and carrying a hint of amusement.
“I’m not in the habit of prying into other people’s private affairs or professional secrets.” Gu Jing Shen stood against the wall with his hands in his pockets, watching Su Jin Yue arrange her belongings.
He did not know where this marriage would ultimately lead them.
But at least for now, he suddenly realized that perhaps, from the moment she pulled that suitcase through his door, the life he had always kept so meticulously ordered had begun to develop a variable he could no longer control.