Shao Kunye frowned slightly.
He stretched out his leg and kicked that slender, delicate calf. In the night, the pale skin almost reflected the light.
“Wake up.”
Wen Xi woke up groggily. She rubbed her eyes, and when she saw Shao Kunye standing in front of her, she suddenly sat up.
“Y-you’re back?”
Shao Kunye narrowed his eyes. “Who told you to sleep here?”
Seeing the dark, unreadable expression on his face, a trace of helplessness appeared on Wen Xi’s face.
“I saw there was no dog here and thought it wasn’t being used anymore, so I…”
This dog cage had indeed been abandoned for a long time. It used to house the Tibetan mastiff that Shao Kunye kept. Later, the dog had been run over by a car, and the place had remained deserted ever since.
Today, however, it had gained a bit of life again.
When Shao Kunye didn’t say anything, Wen Xi thought he was unhappy. She said cautiously, “I… I don’t have to sleep here. I can sleep on the grass instead.”
After saying that, she reached for Wen Liyang’s hand and prepared to lead him toward the empty patch of grass.
Shao Kunye suddenly grabbed her wrist.
Wen Xi turned back in shock. When she saw the expression on Shao Kunye’s face, she thought she was about to be driven out. Her eyes instantly turned red, and she said in a trembling voice,
“I’m sorry. Please don’t be angry. It’s my fault. I won’t sleep here without your permission again.”
“Please don’t chase me and Liyang away, okay? I won’t cause you any trouble.”
Shao Kunye had only asked casually, yet he had frightened her like this.
Thinking back to how comfortably Wen Xi had been sleeping just now, he vaguely had a guess.
“Did you also sleep in a doghouse at the Jiang Family?”
Tears hung at the corners of Wen Xi’s eyes as she nodded gently.
Shao Kunye sneered. The Jiang Family truly “took good care” of their so-called adopted daughter. In such a big house, they couldn’t even spare a room for her.
Looking at the grass and dust stuck to Wen Xi’s body, Shao Kunye withdrew his gaze.
“The empty room on the first floor is for you.”
Without looking at Wen Xi’s shocked expression, Shao Kunye had already walked away.
A while later, Shao Kunye took off his coat and got into bed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the door being pushed open slightly.
A hesitant figure slowly moved into the room in the darkness, inching forward like a turtle.
Shao Kunye closed his eyes and rested his hands behind his head, too lazy to move.
He didn’t even need to guess. That little liar must have come to thank him.
After waiting for a long time without hearing Wen Xi speak, Shao Kunye sensed something was wrong. He opened his eyes and saw Wen Xi squatting at the foot of the bed, clumsily unfastening his belt.
His low voice sounded.
“What are you doing?”
Wen Xi’s hands trembled. She looked up and saw that Shao Kunye had opened his eyes at some point. His dark eyes met hers directly.
A hint of shyness appeared on Wen Xi’s face.
“I… I want to help you relieve yourself.”
Shao Kunye glanced at the belt that had been loosened halfway, then at Wen Xi’s bright red ears.
“You’re doing this to thank me?”
Wen Xi endured the humiliation and nodded.
“I can do anything—maid, cook, bed partner…” Wen Xi spoke with difficulty. “So please don’t make me and Liyang leave, okay?”
Shao Kunye grabbed Wen Xi’s chin with one hand. Her face stopped right between his legs, creating an extremely ambiguous posture.
Looking down at her from above, Shao Kunye said, “You want to stay that badly?”
Her cheeks were squeezed, and Wen Xi looked pitiful as she spoke.
“My parents are dead. Uncle Jiang sold me to President Chen. I have nowhere else to go…”
When this was mentioned, Shao Kunye finally showed some interest.
“Why did Jiang Songde suddenly give you to Chen Jinpeng?”
Wen Xi pursed her lips.
“H-he found out that Liyang is your son.”
Shao Kunye raised an eyebrow.
“So he wanted to get rid of you?”
“Uncle Jiang was afraid you would find out that he was the one who drugged you back then, so…”
Her voice grew softer and softer because she saw Shao Kunye’s expression turn extremely unpleasant.
Sure enough, the hand pinching Wen Xi’s cheek exerted a bit more force, making her cry out in pain.
“Ah… it hurts…”
Tears welled up in Wen Xi’s eyes, but she didn’t dare struggle. Like a kitten whose neck had been grabbed, she looked at him tearfully, easily stirring a man’s cruel desires.
Shao Kunye glanced downward, the agitation in his eyes deepening.
The hand pinching her cheek shifted slightly, and he said meaningfully,
“You really want to stay that much?”
Wen Xi raised her hand to wipe away her tears and nodded quickly.
Shao Kunye gave a fake smile and pressed Wen Xi’s head down.
“Then let’s see how you perform.”
…
When Shao Kunye came downstairs the next morning, he saw a table filled with steaming hot breakfast.
Wen Xi came out of the kitchen and happened to meet his gaze.
Her eyes were swollen and red. Her lips were also swollen, and there was even some broken skin at the corner of her mouth.
Shao Kunye stared at the torn skin at the corner of her mouth. Remembering the warmth inside her mouth, he felt his body heat up again.
Wen Xi seemed to recall something as well. Her face turned red as she said softly,
“Breakfast is ready.”
Shao Kunye didn’t stand on ceremony and walked over to sit down.
Right now, it was Wen Xi who was begging him to let her stay.
The breakfast was simple white porridge and steamed buns. Shao Kunye couldn’t remember how many years it had been since he had eaten such a “plain” breakfast.
He casually took a bite. The taste was quite good.
Wen Xi stared at his expression. “Is it good?”
Shao Kunye responded with a brief “Mm.”
Wen Xi’s face lit up. “Then can I make it for you every day from now on?”
To Shao Kunye’s ears, what she really meant was: Does that mean I can stay?
Shao Kunye didn’t answer, letting her guess for herself.
When Wen Xi didn’t receive a reply, she felt a little uneasy. But after thinking about it again, Shao Kunye hadn’t refused either, which meant she still had a chance.
Wen Xi volunteered, “I’ll learn how to make other kinds of breakfast too.”
At that moment, Wen Liyang walked over and tugged on Wen Xi’s clothes.
“Mom, I’m hungry.”
Wen Xi suddenly remembered that Wen Liyang hadn’t eaten yet.
“There are buns inside. Mom will get some for you, okay?”
Wen Liyang nodded obediently.
After a while, Wen Xi brought several steaming buns to Wen Liyang. The mother and son sat on a small stool in the corner and began eating.
Wen Liyang looked at where they were sitting, then glanced at the dining table not far away.
He couldn’t help asking, “Mom, why can we only eat here?”
Back at the Jiang Family, everyone disliked them, so they could only eat in the corner.
But now that they were at Dad’s house, why couldn’t they sit at the table?
Wen Xi said softly, “Liyang, Uncle Shao already did a lot by taking us in. We can’t push our luck.”
Wen Liyang pouted.
“But he’s not an uncle. He’s my dad.”
Wen Xi quickly covered his mouth and corrected him.
“Liyang, from now on in this house, you have to call him Uncle Shao.”
It was obvious that Shao Kunye didn’t like Wen Liyang. He definitely wouldn’t allow Wen Liyang to call him “Dad.”
If Shao Kunye got angry, they might be kicked out.
Wen Xi had no idea that every word of their conversation had fallen into Shao Kunye’s ears.
She was more perceptive than he had imagined. No wonder she had managed to survive in the Jiang Family for so long.
However, Wen Xi’s self-awareness saved Shao Kunye a lot of trouble. After finishing breakfast, he went to see the Elder.
When Shao Kunye was fifteen, his parents had died in a terrorist attack. After that, he was raised by his grandfather.
When Shao Dechang saw Shao Kunye, he didn’t look pleased.
“What are you here for?”
Shao Kunye acted as if nothing had happened and sat down across from him.
“Da Costa wants one ton of Bremelanotide.”
Shao Dechang didn’t even glance at him.
“If he wants goods, can’t you give them to him yourself?”
“I don’t have enough stock. Otherwise, would I bother asking you?”
Shao Dechang snorted.
“You want goods? Fine. Go find a proper woman, start a family, and settle down. Otherwise, there’s nothing to discuss.”
“Don’t you just want a child?” Shao Kunye said casually. “I’ll bring you one in a few days.”
Shao Dechang glared angrily. “Don’t think you can just find some random child to fool me!”
Shao Kunye rarely spoke seriously.
“I’m not fooling you. It really is your great-grandson.”
Shao Dechang didn’t believe him.
“Where did you get a son from? When I told you to get married and have children before, you refused.”
Shao Kunye said unhurriedly, “The police station notified me. If you don’t believe it, call Director Chen and ask whether what I’m saying is true.”
Seeing that Shao Kunye didn’t seem to be joking, Shao Dechang became half convinced.
“I really have a great-grandson?”
Shao Kunye curled his lips.
“Just wait until I bring him over for you to see.”
Shao Dechang thought that no matter how reckless Shao Kunye was, he wouldn’t joke about the Shao family’s bloodline. His expression softened a little.
“Who is the child’s mother? She’s not some messy woman, is she?”
“As long as you have a great-grandson, isn’t that enough? Why care about the mother’s identity? It’s not like you’re the one marrying her.”
After thinking about it, Shao Dechang felt that made sense. His grandson clearly wasn’t the type to live a stable life anyway. As long as the family line continued and the child’s mother behaved properly, her background didn’t matter.
No matter how wealthy or powerful she was, she couldn’t surpass the Shao Family.
Only then did Shao Dechang relent.
“If you dare lie to me, I’ll break your legs.”
“So where’s the goods?”
“I’ll have someone deliver them to you later.”
Shao Kunye smiled in satisfaction.
He had known that once the Elder learned about Wen Liyang’s existence, he would compromise.
It seemed that Wen Xi and this child weren’t completely useless after all.
See? They had already come in handy.
With his goal achieved, Shao Kunye stood up and left. Behind him, the Elder shouted,
“Don’t forget to bring that child for me to see!”
Shao Kunye waved his hand and got into the car.
Watching his departing figure, the Elder frowned slightly. But when he thought about having a great-grandson, he couldn’t be bothered to stay angry and happily returned to the villa.
Shao Kunye had Han Tao deliver the goods to the dock. Payment was made on the spot, goods exchanged immediately.
After everything was handled, Han Tao drove Shao Kunye back to the villa.
Just as Han Tao was about to leave, Wen Xi ran out of the kitchen, slightly out of breath.
“Mr. Han, wait a moment.”
Han Tao stopped and looked at her in confusion.
Wen Xi handed him a bag of delicate cookies.
“You saved Liyang before, and I haven’t had the chance to thank you yet.”
“I made these cookies myself. It’s just a small token of appreciation. I hope you won’t dislike them.”
Han Tao said calmly, “Young Master Shao told me to save him. You don’t need to thank me.”
Wen Xi said softly, “But if it weren’t for you, Liyang might have been sold already.”
Han Tao looked at the fragrant cookies in front of him, then at Wen Xi’s sincere expression. In the end, he accepted them.
At that moment, a cold laugh sounded from behind.
“You’re really starting to treat this place like your own home.”