Lu Yao’s sudden burst of enthusiasm had set everything spiraling out of control, starting from dinner and lasting through the entire evening.
Sunlight filtered through the thin gauze curtains, causing Shen Zhirou to squint slightly. When she opened her eyes, she saw Lu Yao still sleeping soundly in her arms and assumed it was early, since her phone alarm hadn’t gone off.
She hooked her arm around, grabbed her phone from the nightstand, and checked the time. Still groggy from sleep, Shen Zhirou snapped fully awake in an instant—it was already past nine in the morning. She and Lu Yao had kept going late into the night; after showering, Shen Zhirou felt like she had barely gotten a few hours of rest.
That wouldn’t have been a problem on an ordinary day, but they had agreed to visit Lu Yao’s parents that Saturday. Shen Zhirou hurriedly shook the girl in her arms.
Lu Yao was jolted awake by Shen Zhirou’s shaking. Not fully roused yet and carrying a touch of morning grumpiness, she said with a hint of irritation, “What is it? Isn’t today Saturday?”
“Yaoyao, didn’t we say we’d head to your parents’ place for lunch? It’s already past nine, and I haven’t bought them gifts yet. If we don’t get up now, we’ll be late.” Shen Zhirou’s voice held a note of urgency, but she still spoke in that gentle, coaxing tone.
At those words, Lu Yao’s lingering sleep-induced irritation faded a little. She secretly resolved that from now on, whenever they visited her parents, they would schedule it for the afternoon—no more rushing like this.
“Okay, no need to panic. We’ll freshen up and pick up something for them on the way.” Lu Yao said this, but her body stayed put. Shen Zhirou’s embrace felt too good, and the mattress was heavenly; she really didn’t want to leave.
Seeing that Lu Yao wasn’t moving, Shen Zhirou leaned in to kiss her forehead coaxingly. “Let’s get out of bed first. You can hold me all you want when we get back, okay?”
Lu Yao froze for a moment, a strange sensation stirring in her chest. Hadn’t they agreed to treat each other with polite respect? Why did their interactions lately feel so off—like they were actually dating?
She quickly shook her head to dispel the notion. She had no plans to date anyone in this lifetime; Shen Zhirou was merely her marriage partner, and that was that.
With that thought, Lu Yao wriggled out of Shen Zhirou’s arms, though with a trace of reluctance.
Shen Zhirou didn’t notice a thing and hopped up to freshen up right away.
As Lu Yao washed up in the bathroom, she caught sight of the cluster of hickeys dotting her neck. Her lips curved into an unconscious smile as memories of the night’s escapades with Shen Zhirou flooded back. She had just been thinking about keeping some distance, but now she couldn’t resist the urge to tease Shen Zhirou again.
While applying her eyebrows, she called out toward the doorway, “Zhirou, come here for a second.”
Shen Zhirou caught the shift in address and knew the little kitten-like Yaoyao had retreated once more, making way for the usual aloof Lu Yao.
“Coming.” Shen Zhirou replied, setting aside her wandering thoughts as she headed to the bathroom.
Lu Yao had nearly finished her makeup inside, though she was still in her nightgown, its thin straps draped loosely over her shoulders. Red marks covered the skin of her neck; with her naturally fair complexion, even light pressure left traces, and last night Shen Zhirou—stirred up by Lu Yao—hadn’t held back at all.
Shen Zhirou’s eyes met Lu Yao’s in the mirror, and in the next instant, her cheeks flushed. Pursing her lips, she coaxed softly, “Yaoyao, does it still hurt? I didn’t mean to last night. Are you upset?”
Shen Zhirou edged closer. Seeing no particular expression on Lu Yao’s face left her a bit uneasy—after all, she had gone overboard, and it would be fair if Yaoyao was angry.
“Not upset. I actually think they look kind of cute. They’ll match nicely with that off-shoulder caramel dress of mine later.” Lu Yao let out a light chuckle, her gaze locking with Shen Zhirou’s in the mirror.
Shen Zhirou glanced at the hickeys near Lu Yao’s neck, her ears turning pink as she gently suggested, “How about we skip the off-shoulder dress today, okay?”
“Does Jie Jie not want me to wear it?” Lu Yao’s gaze was languid, a teasing glint in her cool eyes.
Shen Zhirou let out a small breath of relief; the way Yaoyao was asking meant she wasn’t mad. “Yeah, it wouldn’t look good if Uncle and Auntie saw. Just wear a plain T-shirt for now, paired with those wide-leg white jeans—they’ll look great on you.”
Lu Yao eyed Shen Zhirou with keen interest, leaning back lazily against her shoulder. “Jie Jie likes me in that? Since Jie Jie has already picked it out for me, sure, I’ll go with those.”
Shen Zhirou wrapped her arms around Lu Yao from behind, coaxing the boneless little kitten in her embrace. “Then, can you cover up your neck with some concealer later? It’s pretty noticeable.”
Lu Yao poked Shen Zhirou’s arm, which was wrapped protectively around her, with her fingertip. Her voice was lazy as she replied, “Jie Jie wasn’t afraid of it being obvious last night when you were doing it?”
As she spoke, Lu Yao turned and nestled into Shen Zhirou’s embrace. Her fair arms wrapped skillfully around Shen Zhirou’s neck, and she rested her head against Shen Zhirou’s shoulder. Pretending to be casual, she blew a warm puff of breath onto Shen Zhirou’s neck, making her involuntarily shrink back a little.
Only then did Lu Yao continue in a soft voice, “Or did Jie Jie just lose control of herself last night? Hmm?”
Shen Zhirou’s cheek flushed red at Lu Yao’s words. She hadn’t just lost control last night—if Lu Yao kept this up for a few more moments now, she wouldn’t be able to hold back either.
To prevent that from happening, Shen Zhirou softly coaxed the girl in her arms. “Yaoyao, we have to leave soon. Can you be good today? We can do whatever you want when we get back. I’ll listen to you, okay? This is my first time visiting your home, so just do me this favor.”
“Mm~” Lu Yao rubbed lazily against Shen Zhirou in her embrace and chuckled as she gazed at her. “Since Jie Jie put it that way, I’ll reluctantly go along with it.”
As she spoke, she rose somewhat unwillingly from Shen Zhirou’s arms. She planned to have a clear talk with her mother later: fewer of these gatherings in the future. They were just a waste of her time. Otherwise, Shen Zhirou would have taken the bait again right then and there.
At the thought, Lu Yao’s lips curved upward unconsciously.
She went back to her room to change. She put on a simple, fitted short black T-shirt, paired it with thin wide-leg jeans, and finished the look with white thick-soled sneakers—a stark contrast to her usual style.
Meanwhile, Shen Zhirou whipped up two simple sandwiches in the kitchen. Lu Yao’s had egg and ham; hers skipped the egg. She also heated two cups of milk.
When she carried the milk to the dining table, she froze for a moment at the sight of Lu Yao’s outfit.
Lu Yao flashed her a smile, reaching out for the milk as she asked, “Satisfied? Am I obedient enough today?”
“You look good in anything. I’ll listen to you when we get back.” Shen Zhirou smiled in return and slid the sandwich over. “Eat your breakfast first. We need to head out.”
“Okay.” Lu Yao didn’t object. Over the past few days, she’d grown accustomed to Shen Zhirou’s cooking. Even the lunches from the company restaurant sometimes paled in comparison.
After breakfast, Shen Zhirou fussed over Lu Yao’s neck, layering on concealer until the skin tone was a shade darker but at least adequately covered. The two of them drove toward the mall.
Lu Yao eyed the now-visibly tenser Shen Zhirou in the passenger seat. Leaning back lazily, she smiled and asked, “That nervous?”
Shen Zhirou tucked a strand of long hair behind her ear. “A little. It’s my first time visiting, and I want to make a good impression on your parents.”
“Don’t worry. With me here, what are they going to do—eat you?” Lu Yao offered some reassurance, amused by Shen Zhirou’s air of facing a formidable enemy. Was this all for her sake? Trying to impress her parents?
Shen Zhirou stayed on edge the whole drive. They stopped at the mall to buy tea for Lu Jitong and durians and cherries—Zhang Huichun’s favorite fruits—for her. Only then did they head to Lu Yao’s parents’ house. By now, though, it was nearly eleven, and they were running a bit late.
Meanwhile, over at Zhang Huichun’s, the meal preparations were almost complete. Besides Uncle’s family, she’d deliberately invited Ye Qi as well—just to make Shen Zhirou squirm. If it drove Shen Zhirou away for good, all the better. Her daughter could go on blind dates as many times as needed. Why settle for someone from such a poor background like Shen Zhirou?
Lu Jifeng chuckled as he watched Ye Qi eagerly pitching in with Zhang Huichun in the kitchen. “If you ask me, Xiao Ye would make the best match. Where else are you going to find a son-in-law this thoughtful?”
Ye Qi rubbed the back of his neck, feigning a touch of embarrassment. “Uncle, I’m just here to lend a hand and mooch a meal. I’m happy enough hanging out with you and Auntie. Whoever Yaoyao ends up picking is her call.”
“You sweet-talker—you and your uncle love it. We’re thrilled to have you keeping us company. Lu Yao’s such a workaholic; she never has time to come home. Without you around, we’d be bored out of our minds.” Zhang Huichun smiled.
But as she realized Shen Zhirou still hadn’t shown up, her expression darkened. She grumbled, “Not like that Shen Zhirou. Even getting her to come for a meal takes begging three or four times. I’d like to see what kind of tricks she uses to keep Lu Yao wrapped around her finger.”
She knew her own daughter better than anyone. Lu Yao was a total workaholic with a cool, detached personality, always keeping everyone at arm’s length—not too close, not too distant. As Lu Yao’s mother, how could Zhang Huichun not understand her inside and out? That Shen Zhirou was probably just after her daughter’s good looks and fat paycheck. Once the novelty wore off, she’d naturally get fed up with Lu Yao’s hot-and-cold attitude.
In Zhang Huichun’s eyes, Ye Qi was still the better match. He knew Lu Yao well, understood her temperament, and could make allowances for it—far superior to that Shen Zhirou. And to top it off, Shen Zhirou’s mother had the nerve to demand a bride price, which only made Zhang Huichun’s impression of her even worse.
