The kitchen was bathed in warm, golden light.
Wearing an apron, Su Jin Yue stood at the counter, slowly slicing bright red peppers with a sharp kitchen knife.
Several colorful bell peppers had already been arranged neatly on the wooden cutting board.
The steady click, click of the blade against the board filled the kitchen with a rhythmic, almost soothing sound.
But Su Jin Yue’s mind was nowhere near the cooking.
The authoritative threat from her father, Su Zheng Ting, kept replaying in her mind.
“If you don’t divorce him immediately, I’ll freeze all your bank cards next.
Let’s see how long that useless lawyer can afford to support you!” Su Jin Yue curled her lips into a mocking smile, her eyes filled with disdain.
“Support me?
Do I really look like someone who needs to be supported by anyone?” Lost in thought, she failed to notice that the knife had veered slightly off course.
The sharp blade grazed her index finger.
“Ah!” A bead of fresh blood immediately welled up from the wound, staining the tip of her finger red.
Su Jin Yue frowned and hurriedly turned around, looking for a tissue to wipe away the blood.
Just then, a large, warm hand suddenly reached out and caught hers.
The man gently pressed down on the injured finger, applying just enough pressure to stop the bleeding.
Su Jin Yue startled and looked up.
The handsome face of Gu Jing Shen came into view, his eyes filled with concern.
“Are you all right?” he asked in a low voice.
Su Jin Yue hesitated before instinctively trying to pull her hand away.
“I’m fine… I can handle it myself.” When he saw her trying to free her hand, Gu Jing Shen frowned.
His voice carried a hint of authority, gentle yet impossible to refuse.
“Stay still.” He led her out of the kitchen and told her to keep pressure on the wound so it would stop bleeding.
Then he firmly but gently settled her onto the soft sofa before turning around to retrieve the first-aid kit.
Su Jin Yue watched his retreating figure, a strange feeling stirring in her heart.
“It’s just a small cut.
It’s nothing.” Gu Jing Shen didn’t answer.
He sat down in front of her, opened the first-aid kit, and took out some gauze and antiseptic.
“Give me your hand.” After hesitating for a few seconds, Su Jin Yue obediently held it out.
The moment her fingertip touched his broad palm, she couldn’t help but tremble slightly.
Gu Jing Shen noticed the tiny movement but said nothing.
He lowered his head and carefully cleaned the blood around the cut.
The moment the antiseptic touched the wound, Su Jin Yue immediately frowned.
“Does it hurt?” “No.” “Then why are you frowning?” “Just a natural reaction.” Gu Jing Shen carefully lowered his head and blew softly on the wound on Su Jin Yue’s finger, as though trying to ease the sting.
The sudden tenderness of the gesture left Su Jin Yue completely stunned.
Her heart skipped a beat.
Gu Jing Shen raised his eyes to look at her.
Su Jin Yue startled and immediately turned her face away.
“Is something bothering you?” he asked.
“No.” Su Jin Yue answered calmly.
Gu Jing Shen looked at her, clearly unconvinced.
Su Jin Yue reluctantly offered an explanation.
“There was a lot going on at the library today, so I got a little distracted.
It’s nothing worth worrying about.” Su Jin Yue had no intention of telling Gu Jing Shen that her father had forcibly made her quit her job.
Their relationship was merely one of mutual cooperation—two allies who had entered into an arrangement that benefited them both.
They weren’t close enough to share matters that personal.
Besides, it was her problem.
She would deal with it herself.
Ever since marrying her, Gu Jing Shen had already been forced to deal with more than enough trouble brought on by Su Zheng Ting.
From veiled warnings to the invisible pressure placed on his law firm, all of it stemmed from her father’s determination to force her into doing things his way.
She didn’t want to pile yet another burden onto Gu Jing Shen.
Gu Jing Shen knew exactly what she was thinking.
But since she didn’t want to talk about it, he didn’t press her.
He continued bandaging her finger, his movements so gentle that they barely caused her any discomfort.
When he finished, he carefully lowered her hand.
“All done.
Be more careful next time.” At that moment, they were so close that she could almost feel his breath.
Without realizing it, Su Jin Yue found herself staring at every sharp, striking line of his face.
Although Gu Jing Shen was focused on putting away the medical supplies, he was keenly aware of her gaze.
Without looking up, he casually teased, “Staring at me like that is going to wear out my good looks.” Su Jin Yue snapped back to reality.
A hint of embarrassment flashed across her face.
To hide it, she hurriedly changed the subject, her voice once again turning cool.
“A little cut like this isn’t going to kill me.
You should worry about your law firm instead.
I’m afraid my father isn’t going to let you off easily.” Only then did Gu Jing Shen look up.
His deep, dark eyes met hers directly, the corner of his lips lifting into a faint, arrogant smile.
“I started with nothing.
What can a few tricks from Su Zheng Ting possibly do to me?
If I didn’t have some ability, how could I have the nerve to call him ‘Father-in-law’ to his face?” Su Jin Yue froze slightly.
Her eyes widened as she stared at the man before her.
The confidence, capability, arrogance, and almost careless defiance in his eyes were completely different from the calm, meticulous demeanor he usually displayed as a lawyer.
And yet, that very fearlessness created a strange attraction, making her heart skip another beat.
She quickly regained her composure, gave a soft scoff, and turned her face away to conceal the fleeting embarrassment in her eyes.
“Don’t be overly confident.
My father isn’t someone you can deal with easily.
He’d rather destroy everything than admit defeat to an ‘outsider’ like you.” Gu Jing Shen leisurely raised his head, his deep eyes fixed firmly on her face, filled with unwavering determination.
“Then let him try.” His voice remained calm.
“I built my law firm from the ground up, starting with nothing.
If there’s one thing I have plenty of, it’s patience.
If he wants to bring me down, he’ll have to be prepared to pay an equivalent price.” He stood up and finished putting everything away.
Then his gaze fell on her carefully bandaged finger, and his voice unconsciously softened, becoming unexpectedly warm and gentle.
“So you don’t need to worry about me.
If we’re allies on the same boat, then at the very least, trust the person rowing it with you.” Su Jin Yue looked up at him.
Her newly bandaged finger moved slightly, the warmth from his careful touch somehow spreading all the way into the depths of her heart.
Her lips parted as she tried to say something in response, but her throat seemed to tighten.
The sharp defenses she had always kept raised against the outside world seemed to soften, just a little, beneath Gu Jing Shen’s unwavering resolve.
She drew a deep breath and nodded lightly.
Her voice still carried the pride that was characteristic of her, but the distance in it had faded somewhat.
“My father is ruthless and impossible to predict.
What you’re seeing now may only be the beginning.” “I’m not exactly a soft persimmon that he can squeeze whenever he feels like it,” Gu Jing Shen replied confidently.
With that, Gu Jing Shen picked up the first-aid kit and put it back in the cabinet.
Su Jin Yue stood up, intending to return to the kitchen and continue cooking, but Gu Jing Shen stopped her.
“Just rest.
I’ll take care of the rest in the kitchen.” “This is just a small cut.
It really won’t affect me.
I can still cook.
You should get back to your work.” Gu Jing Shen walked over and stopped in front of her.
“Consider it a favor, Miss Su.
Give me a chance to show off my cooking skills.” He paused, then added with an effortless smile, “Otherwise, if people find out that I let my wife keep working in the kitchen after she got hurt, I’m afraid my reputation will suffer serious damage.” Su Jin Yue froze.
The casual way the words “my wife” came from his lips caught her completely off guard.
She pressed her lips together, ready to argue.
But when she met Gu Jing Shen’s steady, deep gaze, the words she had been about to say somehow disappeared before they could leave her mouth.