The car drove smoothly toward its destination.
Ten minutes later, it pulled into the underground parking garage of Nan’an Residence.
Shen Wanwan followed Qi Luozhou upstairs and asked curiously, “You’re not planning to cook for me yourself, are you?”
It wasn’t exactly the most original idea.
“Mhm.”
Qi Luozhou unlocked the door. He let her enter first before following behind, closing the door as he asked, “You don’t like the idea?”
Shen Wanwan answered casually, “I have a very picky palate. If it doesn’t taste good, I won’t lie about it.”
Her gaze fell on a pair of white women’s slippers by the entrance. They looked brand new, with no signs of being worn. She immediately turned to him with a guarded expression.
“I’m the first girl to come here, right?”
Qi Luozhou changed into his indoor slippers.
“Of course.”
Following her line of sight, his eyes landed on the slippers.
“I bought them especially for you.”
Only then did Shen Wanwan slip her feet into them.
There was still plenty of time, so she leisurely looked around his apartment.
The walls were painted a warm cream color, and the furniture was all light natural wood. The whole place felt warm, bright, and inviting.
A neatly organized shelf beside the sofa held quite a few old-fashioned CD discs. The apartment carried the clean, refreshing atmosphere of a bachelor living alone.
Qi Luozhou took off his trench coat and rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt.
“When you have time, go take a look at the houses we’ve prepared for our future home. Whichever one you like, we’ll live there. You can decide the entire interior design.”
Shen Wanwan responded absentmindedly with an “Okay.”
She sat down on the soft rug and casually slipped one of the discs into the player.
These days, hardly anyone watched movies on discs anymore. The collection Qi Luozhou kept consisted mostly of old films. The slow-paced art-house movie nearly lulled Shen Wanwan to sleep.
Yet somehow…
Perhaps because of the film…
Her heart unexpectedly softened.
It was as though a gentle melody had begun playing inside her, filling her with a sense of comfort and peace.
She turned her head and, through the frosted glass separating the kitchen, saw Qi Luozhou’s blurry silhouette busily cooking.
Suddenly, her phone rang, interrupting her thoughts.
She glanced at the screen and answered.
Shao Yuye had only just learned what happened. Unfortunately, he was out of town and couldn’t make it back immediately.
His anxious voice came through the phone.
“Shao Hongyuan found you? Are you hurt?”
“No. I had my bodyguards with me.” Shen Wanwan reassured him, “I’m perfectly fine. Don’t worry about me.”
Shao Yuye still couldn’t relax.
“I’m coming back right now! Wait for me!”
His panic made Shen Wanwan laugh helplessly.
“It’s only Shao Hongyuan. Didn’t you watch the video? I even slapped him twice. It felt so satisfying.”
“What the hell? Seriously? Your hand must’ve hurt like crazy!”
Instead of worrying about the slap itself, Shao Yuye immediately worried about her hand.
Shen Wanwan burst into laughter.
“Mm. It hurt a lot.” She wrinkled her nose in a spoiled little gesture, “But I was really happy.”
There was a brief silence before Shao Yuye sighed.
“Fine. As long as you’re okay. But if anything really happens, tell me immediately. Got it?”
“I know~
“Then focus on your work.”
After soothing her overly concerned older brother, Shen Wanwan looked toward the dining table. Qi Luozhou had already brought all the dishes over.
“Dinner’s ready.”
She walked over.
The meal wasn’t extravagant—two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes.
He handed her a bowl and a pair of chopsticks.
“Try my cooking?”
Although everything looked far better than what her brother usually made, with an appetizing color and presentation, Shen Wanwan still warned him first.
“Qi Luozhou, you made me wait this long. If it doesn’t taste good… I’m going to be angry.”
She had waited an entire hour.
Carefully, Shen Wanwan picked up a piece of sweet-and-sour pork and placed it into her mouth.
The sweet and tangy flavor spread across her tongue instantly.
To her surprise…
It was delicious!
Miss Shen, who had looked completely resistant just moments ago, immediately asked the question from the bottom of her soul.
“Will you cook for me from now on too?”
Her eyes sparkled brightly.
Qi Luozhou smiled.
“If you like it.”
Shen Wanwan clicked her tongue softly.
“Don’t be too perfect.”
Everything about him suited her so well that it gave her an almost unreal feeling.
Could someone this compatible with her truly exist?
Qi Luozhou smiled warmly.
“I’ll reluctantly take that as a compliment.”
After dinner, Qi Luozhou washed the dishes.
Finding himself smelling too much like cooking oil, he headed into the bathroom for a shower.
As the sound of running water echoed from inside the bathroom, Shen Wanwan hadn’t even had the chance to let her imagination wander when the little light orb attached to her turned bright red first.
{Y-You’re not actually going to… do that next, are you…?}
—{If that’s what’s going to happen…
—{I’ll just go into sleep mode for a little while…}
Shen Wanwan chuckled.
“Mm. Not only are we going to ‘do that,’ we’re also going to ‘do that in reverse.'”
She said it as though she were reciting a tongue twister.
The little light orb trembled shyly in midair.
{Why don’t you ever blush whenever you say things like that?!}
Its host was really nothing like an ordinary girl!
Shouldn’t people get embarrassed and nervous?
Shen Wanwan replied as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
“Why be shy about doing something that makes you happy?”
{Aaaahhh—!}
The little glowing orb turned even redder.
{Goodbye! I’m going into sleep mode now!}
Amid Shen Wanwan’s soft laughter, it curled itself into a tiny ball.
Shen Wanwan casually put on a variety show. By the time Qi Luozhou came out of the bathroom after his shower, she was so engrossed in watching it that she didn’t even spare him a glance.
After drying his hair and changing into fresh clothes, Qi Luozhou sat down beside her.
The sofa dipped slightly under his weight, and before long, the fresh scent of his shower surrounded Shen Wanwan.
“What are you watching?” he asked casually.
“<Independent World>. It’s a murder mystery variety show.”
Somewhat absentmindedly, Shen Wanwan pointed at the girl in red on the screen and spoiled her own prediction.
“She’s the murderer.”
“Mhm.”
Qi Luozhou simply watched alongside her.
The two of them quietly finished the episode together. Just as Shen Wanwan had predicted, the girl in red turned out to be the culprit.
She was getting a little tired from watching anyway. Glancing at her phone, she saw there were only about twenty minutes left until the New Year.
“What should we do now?”
Qi Luozhou replied unhurriedly, “Have you forgotten something?”
Shen Wanwan feigned ignorance.
“What?”
“My reward.”
He leaned a little closer, his peach blossom eyes filled with amusement.
“You forgot?”
“I didn’t.”
She leaned toward him and gently pecked his cheek with her red lips.
A vivid lipstick mark immediately appeared on Qi Luozhou’s fair, clean face.
He had always given people the impression of being calm and detached, as though nothing in the world could truly concern him.
But with that lipstick mark on his face, his entire aura suddenly became much more rakish. Something seemed to stir beneath his deep brown eyes.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he let out a helpless laugh.
“And what’s this supposed to be?”
Shen Wanwan blinked at him playfully, clearly in an excellent mood.
“A queen’s reward.”
As though he’d just heard an especially funny joke, Qi Luozhou’s smile widened. There was a hint of resignation in his voice as he sighed.
“You’re still just a little kid.”
—There you go again, acting like you’re so much older.
Just as Shen Wanwan was about to argue, he leaned in.
His cool lips pressed against hers.
A jolt like electricity raced through her entire body.
She wanted to protest—Qi Luozhou, that’s cheating.
But no words came out. Every syllable was broken apart by his kiss.
Compared to their first kiss, this one was far deeper.
He was soon no longer satisfied with simply touching lips. His agile tongue gently parted her teeth, and in an instant, even her breathing was stolen away.
One arm supported the back of her head and neck as he leaned over her. Shen Wanwan tilted her head back slightly, exposing the graceful line of her neck as she cooperatively accepted his kiss.
How strange.
His lips were clearly cool.
Yet his tongue—and the rest of him—were burning hot.
Shen Wanwan wasn’t used to simply letting someone else take control. Wrapping both arms around his neck, she awkwardly but boldly responded. Mimicking the way he’d teased her, she kissed him back with surprising passion.
Qi Luozhou froze for the briefest moment.
That tiny pause was all Shen Wanwan needed. Her soft lips and tongue effortlessly swept away every shred of his self-control.
His Adam’s apple moved repeatedly. When those usually calm eyes opened again, they were filled with barely restrained desire.
The arm around her tightened instinctively, veins already standing out from the effort of holding himself back.
Without resistance, he surrendered the initiative to her, allowing her to set the pace.
Only when Shen Wanwan, breathing hard, finally pushed him away did the kiss end.
Qi Luozhou slowly opened his eyes.
Under the warm light, the girl’s eyes were tinged with a different emotion, her cheeks flushed crimson.
The lipstick on her lips had long since disappeared, yet they somehow looked even redder and more dewy than before.
Qi Luozhou reached out and gently wiped the lingering moisture from her lips.
“Qi Luozhou.”
Shen Wanwan glared at him, her chest still rising and falling with uneven breaths.
“You’re such a jerk.”
She seriously suspected he’d deliberately pretended to give way just to lure her into taking the lead.
Although it was clearly an insult, he looked as though she’d just praised him instead. The corners of his lips lifted high, his eyes overflowing with laughter.
At that very moment, the clock on the wall struck 12 o’clock.
Qi Luozhou gently tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. His voice was low and husky.
“Wanwan.
“Happy New Year.”