Half an hour later, the car stopped at the gates of the Shen family villa.
Shen Wanwan got out first. Shen Mingzhen had heard she was bringing her fiancé home, so she’d dragged Aunt Jiang to the backyard vegetable garden to pick fresh produce. They still hadn’t returned.
Shen Rong was sitting on the living room sofa reading the newspaper. After Shen Wanwan changed her shoes, she took the initiative to call out, “Dad.”
Only then did Shen Rong lift his head, and immediately spotted the brightly sparkling ring on her left hand.
He let out a quiet snort through his nose before looking at Qi Luozhou with obvious displeasure.
Shen Wanwan introduced, “My fiancé, Qi Luozhou.”
Qi Luozhou politely greeted, “Uncle.”
Shen Rong put down the newspaper and stood up. “Come with me.”
Shen Wanwan protested, “What about me?”
“I have something to say to him. Go find your mother for a while.”
His tone was gentle when speaking to Shen Wanwan, but when his eyes swept back to Qi Luozhou, they instantly turned cold.
Since her Dad clearly had a stomach full of words waiting for Qi Luozhou, Shen Wanwan didn’t bother shielding Qi Luozhou.
“I’m going to find my Mom.”
Qi Luozhou nodded slightly, “Mm.”
He followed Shen Rong into the study, while Shen Wanwan, bored out of her mind, wandered toward the vegetable greenhouse.
Aunt Jiang was holding a small basket full of fresh vegetables as she chatted with Shen Mingzhen.
After just one week apart, Shen Mingzhen looked noticeably thinner.
Shen Wanwan called out, “Mom.”
Shen Mingzhen turned around, joy lighting up her face. “Wanwan, you’re back!”
Seeing the dark circles under her mother’s eyes, Shen Wanwan asked with concern, “Haven’t you been resting well lately?”
Shen Mingzhen stood up.
Aunt Jiang took the scissors from her hand and tactfully stepped away.
Shen Mingzhen gently shook her head.
“Whenever I think of him, I can’t sleep.”
The ‘him’ she meant was Shao Yuye.
She had been following every piece of news about him these past few days.
Her mind was still blank when it came to their past, yet every time she saw Shao Yuye speaking those harsh words into the camera, her heart spasmed with sharp, twisting pain.
“Wanwan, how is he doing now? Has all that online stuff affected him privately?”
“No.” Shen Wanwan reassured her. “Brother is in great condition.”
Shen Mingzhen let out a long sigh, wiping at the moisture gathering at the corners of her eyes. Then she deliberately changed the subject: “Today is a happy day, my daughter bringing my son-in-law home. Come on, Mom will cook you both a good meal.”
Shen Wanwan helped her mother in the kitchen.
Dinner was lavish. The four of them sat at the table, and surprisingly, Shen Rong—who was normally hostile—actually took the initiative to place a piece of drumstick meat onto Qi Luozhou’s plate.
Even Shen Wanwan, calm as she usually was, paused at such dramatic behavior.
Quietly, she glanced at Qi Luozhou.
To win her Dad over so easily… truly a ruthless man.
Qi Luozhou gave her a slight smile.
A cultured, refined smile. Impeccable on the surface, yet with something subtle and hard to decipher beneath it…
On the way back, Shen Wanwan brought it up.
“What exactly did you say to my Dad?”
Half of Qi Luozhou’s face rested in the light, the other half hidden in shadow, giving him an air of mystery.
He turned his head to look at her, meeting her eyes.
His voice, lowered, carried a faint, husky magnetism.
“I told him I would take good care of you.”
Shen Wanwan raised her brows.
“That’s it?”
Qi Luozhou: “Mm.”
Shen Wanwan stopped looking at him and turned her face toward the window.
Such nonsense, she didn’t believe a single word.
That night, Shen Wanwan still returned to Shao Yuye’s place.
Shao Yuye didn’t have work that evening. It was a rare free time. He was curled up on the sofa playing games. Hearing passwords being entered at the door, he tossed aside the controller and hurried over with loud, rapid footsteps to open the door for her.
On the big TV behind him, the main character—previously with zero deaths—lost all control and got KO’d by a sudden swarm of monsters, health bar emptied as he collapsed.
Behind Shen Wanwan, her assistant followed in holding two bags stuffed full of vegetables.
All freshly picked by Shen Mingzhen.
Shao Yuye glanced at the bags and let out a ‘heh.’
“Where’d you go?”
“Home.”
After changing shoes at the entryway, Shen Wanwan headed toward the washroom, speaking casually, “Mom grew these. Cook them when you have time.”
Shao Yuye froze for a moment, his gaze trembling as it fell onto the bags of vegetables. He muttered under his breath, “That’s your Mom.”
The sound of running water from the bathroom drowned him out easily.
Shen Wanwan didn’t hear him and raised her voice, “What did you say?”
Shao Yuye touched his nose awkwardly and stuffed the vegetables into the fridge.
“Nothing.”
It was still early, so the siblings played games together for a while before Shao Yuye went to sleep.
He had a schedule tomorrow and needed to get up early. If he slept too late, his face would get puffy and affect his image.
Shen Wanwan scrolled on her phone for a bit and happened to see a plastic-friend in her Moments showing off the little dessert cake newly released by Chu Tian.
A small and delicate piece, so cute that she suddenly wanted to eat it too.
Her temper, which she held back as it didn’t work out with Su Tingxuan before, flared back up inexplicably.
Probably because she’d already experienced Qi Luozhou agreeing to apply medicine on her last time, she only thought for a second before sending the picture to Qi Luozhou.
Shen Wanwan : [(photo.jpg)]
Shen Wanwan : [I want to eat this.]
001 couldn’t help complaining : {You were doing deep reflection earlier, and now you’re back to solid-state budding and ordering him around…}
Shen Wanwan smiled. “Can’t I?”
Ten seconds later, Qi Luozhou’s reply arrived on her phone.
She opened it, glanced at it, then shook the screen in front of the little light orb.
“Look.
“He’s not Su Tingxuan. He’s Qi Luozhou.”
001 looked at the reliable words on the screen—[Give me 30 minutes.]
It froze for two seconds, then began a new round of screaming:
{Why! Is! The! Male! Lead! So! Good!
{Why is he so good!!!}
Shen Wanwan lightly tapped its round little head. “Dummy. If he weren’t good, why would I marry him?”
001 : {True.}
That really was absolutely flawless logic~
Shen Wanwan lounged on the bed scrolling for a bit, and soon saw Qi Luozhou on the trending searches.
#Qi Luozhou Chu Tian#
She tapped into the tag and saw the photos the reporters took of him, and chuckled.
He wasn’t wearing a baseball cap, only a mask. So even though the reporters only caught his side profile, everyone could still easily tell it was him.
001 whispered : {Could God Zhou be doing this on purpose?}
Celebrities were extremely protective of their privacy, especially top-tier ones like him.
“Who knows.”
Shen Wanwan opened the comments.
[Chu Tian? Is it the Chu Tian I’m thinking of?]
[Yes yes yes, that super pricey—three years without business, one business feeds you for three years—ultra niche dessert shop! And the portions are tiny!!!]
[Does God Zhou even like sweets?]
[Not at all!!! I suspect he bought it for a girl!]
[Thanks for the invite, already eating the dessert God Zhou bought at home. Thanks for the concern, y’all can go now.]
Just then, Xiao Le called.
She had been fighting for the ‘WanZhou’ CP all day, and seeing the trending tag now, she was both jealous and regretful.
“Wanwan, you and God Zhou’s CP was only hot for one day before BE’ing.
“He seems to like someone…”
Late at night, a top-tier celebrity running personally to a niche dessert shop to buy a small cake—
No matter how you looked at it, it was suspicious!
He could’ve just asked his assistant, but he didn’t.
If that wasn’t a sign, what was?!
Shen Wanwan only hummed casually.
Her phone screen showed an incoming call from Qi Luozhou.
She said to Xiao Le:
“No more talking. I’m going to get my delivery.”
Xiao :e’s focus instantly derailed:
“AAAAH damn it what did you even order?! Your body is ridiculous, why do you love sweets so much but never gain weight!! Late at night too, and high-calorie desserts, your buffs are stacked to the max, why don’t you gain any weight?! Why!!”
Meanwhile, Shen Wanwan had already picked up Qi Luozhou’s call.
The man’s voice, muffled under his mask, carried a bit of huskiness.
“Open the door.”
Shen Wanwan opened the door.
Sure enough, he was already standing outside, holding a small, exquisite dessert bag in his hand, his features refined under the hallway light.
When he saw her, he handed over the dessert.
“Qi Luozhou.”
Shen Wanwan’s eyes lit up, as if countless lights were reflected in them.
She took the dessert, deciding to praise him.
“You’re such a perfect—”
“—perfect tool man?”
His voice was calm, with a trace of amusement.
Shen Wanwan spread her hands. “I didn’t say that.”
—You said it yourself.
But since he made her feel comfortable, she was willing to say a few nice words.
“All in all, I’m very satisfied with you.”
Qi Luozhou smiled. “Because I brought you dessert?”
“No.”
Shen Wanwan shook her head.
Because he understood her needs.
And her needs were simple.
What Su Tingxuan called ‘ordering people around’—
She just wanted to test—
Even though his time is also precious, is he willing to spend it on me?
And that was all.
001 was already completely conquered by Qi Luozhou.
It rolled in the air crazily, repeating one line over and over:
{Why is the male lead so good!!!
{It’s late at night and he’s delivering food to you, does your conscience not hurt?!
{He’s really… I’m crying!!!}
“Isn’t this the bare minimum?” Shen Wanwan said righteously. “If he’d pay even a little attention, if he had ears, he’d know what I need. He’s going to be my husband—”
At that point, Shen Wanwan narrowed her eyes dangerously, annoyed again.
“So in those stupid settings, why would I like Su Tingxuan? He doesn’t even have a basic service mindset. How could I ever be into him?”
001: {…}
Valid.
Elsewhere, Xiao Le hung up gloomily, checked the WanZhou Super Topics, then looked at the already explosive trending tag about Qi Luozhou at Chu Tian, and sighed silently.
—Such is timing. Such is fate.
Looks like Wanwan won’t be riding this CP wave with God Zhou after all…