"Young Master Shen, I was wrong, I really know I was wrong... I'm sorry, I apologize, I won't dare to do it again next time, Young Master Shen~"

Even after entering the courtyard, Zhan Xinjia was still trying to awaken some of Xiao Shen's "fatherly love" through his good attitude of admitting his mistakes.

The encouraging result is that some progress has been made.

Shen Suqing stopped in his tracks.

He took her hand and lovingly rubbed the red bruise on her wrist, which he had been holding tightly with his knuckles, against his lips, as if trying to soothe the faint, not-so-serious bruise.

You hurt her...

His brows furrowed, clearly regretting that he had used too much force just now; a wave of heartache and self-reproach washed over him.

He gently pecked her wrist, then lowered his eyes.

Holding her wrist against his face, Chen Suqing turned his head and stared intently at her.

Under the moonlight, his eyes shimmered with a silvery-gray light.

The voice remained cold and detached.

Are you hungry?

Originally, Zhan Xinjia was a little scared and guilty when facing the fierce Lord Shen. Knowing that she had done something wrong, she felt wronged and her eyes welled up with tears.

Perhaps being favored is just that unreasonable; anyway, no matter how spoiled she is, it's all because he indulged her.

The girl didn't say anything.

She angrily pulled her hand back, turned her head away, and refused to look at him again.

Seeing that she was sulking and didn't want to communicate for the time being, Shen Suqing's face darkened further, his thin lips pressed down into a thin line, and he didn't say anything more. Instead, he took her hand and led her into the study.

With the lights on, the antique bookshelves and pear wood table in the study complement each other, while several potted green plants sit on the windowsill, creating a warm and elegant atmosphere.

The room was filled with the scent of paper books, mixed with the faint smell of ink emanating from him; he was refined, gentle, and reassuring.

The warm, bright light illuminated the room, clearly revealing the little girl's unhappiness.

She had a long face and ignored him completely, treating him like he wasn't there.

Even so, Shen Suqing still showed no signs of life.

He led her to sit on the soft couch by the window, but instead of sitting down with her, he knelt down in front of her, lowering himself to look up at her.

He patiently asked again.

"Aren't you hungry?"

A beauty looks even more beautiful under the lamplight.

From Zhan Xinjia's perspective, the young man kneeling beside her had features so refined they resembled a copy of an ancient painting: deep-set eyes, a high nose, long eyebrows, and thin lips—almost unrealistically perfect, without a single flaw.

Her face was as beautiful as jade, and she was elegant in every way.

Those excessively beautiful phoenix eyes were half-closed, and at this moment their light was so bright it was bewitching, as if they contained fireflies scattered after a glass lamp had been broken.

Because of tilting her head back, half of her slender neck was exposed beneath the meticulously buttoned white collar. Her Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and she was as clean as a handful of snow in winter, or as precious white porcelain on a shrine.

He looked up at her like that.

Zhan Xinjia stared wide-eyed, almost completely mesmerized. If it weren't for Jide in the yard meowing in time, she probably would have truly succumbed to the "honey trap."

Just say what you want to say, why make it look like you're really enjoying it, testing the veteran cadres like this?

Zhan Xinjia looked away in annoyance, her eyes quickly shifting away, a blush creeping up her ears.

Seeing a triumphant smile appear in the eyes of the young man who had been cold-faced, Zhan Xinjia, who was already feeling guilty, became even more annoyed. Her face turned bright red, and she kicked his knee in annoyance.

"I already said I'm not hungry!..."

"Since Azhi says she's not hungry, then I won't cook dinner tonight."

He cleared his throat by pressing his fist to his lips, his tone solemn and slightly regretful, his exaggerated acting skills extremely clumsy.

"So it turns out that getting angry can fill your stomach. It seems that I don't need to cook for Ah Zhi anymore. I can just deliberately pick a fight with you when Ah Zhi is hungry."

"you!……"

Are you crazy?!

Zhan Xinjia held back for a long time before finally managing to swallow the last four words. She gritted her teeth, her shoulders trembling with anger, her delicate eyebrows furrowed, and her round, clear eyes blazed with fury.

Although this made him even cuter in Shen Suqing's eyes.

Ah Zhi is cute and has a soft heart.

With sharp teeth and bristling fur like a little fox, it looks fierce, but it feels fluffy to the touch, sticky and clingy.

Thinking this, Shen Suqing's heart almost melted into a puddle of water.

Zhan Xinjia had no idea what the wicked man was thinking; she only felt that Lord Shen's gaze towards her was becoming increasingly "kind."

She didn't dare to utter many swear words. After holding it in for a long time, all she could manage was to squeeze out three words with tears welling up in her eyes, looking aggrieved and tearful.

"...I hate you."

Lord Shen is absolutely wicked!

He kept a stern face and scared her the whole way, even telling her lame jokes that weren't funny at all, and he also...

Recalling something, Zhan Xinjia choked up, her nose stung, and she repeated it angrily in a louder voice.

I hate you!

"..."

Shen Suqing looked up in astonishment.

He froze, his expression dazed, as if he were lost in a state of self-doubt, unable to distinguish between fantasy and reality.

Ah Zhi said she hates him...?

His heartbeat slowed to an extreme slowness, so slow that he could barely feel the pulse that symbolized life.

For a moment, his world seemed to freeze in time, everything lost its color, and only the piercing ringing in his ears reminded him that she had said she hated him.

Why?

She was the one who broke the agreement first. She was the one who was having a great time talking with others, she even drank alcohol, and she got all wet.

Is he really that happy? Is he so happy that he doesn't even care that he has a wife at home? He just wanted to ask a few questions, is that not allowed? Doesn't he even have that pitiful right?

He couldn't even remember how he managed to suppress his emotions and grit his teeth to maintain a calm demeanor.

Don't get too close.

Don't scare her.

It can't be too fierce.

We must not scare her.

But Ah Zhi...

Didn't you say that you like Lord Shen the most?

Why can't you love me with the same single-minded focus you have for me? Why are there always things that distract you? Why are there always so many things that interest you?

Everything seemed to be getting out of control.

Shen Suqing felt his thoughts and memories begin to break down, his vision blurred and went black, his mind went blank, he felt dizzy and nauseous, and his heart ached with an indescribable panic and bitterness.

He desperately wanted something, yet he was afraid that asking for too much would push people away.

But it's so painful.

Following his instincts, he trembled as he grasped her hand.

His expression was wounded, and his brows and eyes revealed obvious vulnerability. His slightly rapid speech revealed his unconscious panic.

His tone sounded more like pleading than interrogation.

She even felt a little wronged.

"Why do you hate me?"

"because……"

Recalling his previous fierce and unfamiliar demeanor, Zhan Xinjia almost couldn't hold back her tears. Her eyes were red, and even her fierce accusatory voice was choked with sobs, muffled and strained.

"...You, you despise me, you even said I'm dirty, but, but it wasn't me who deliberately drooled on your hands."

"Young Master Shen is terrifying! He's completely unreasonable. I was already terrified and kept apologizing, but you didn't even say 'It's okay.' How can you be so rude..."

The more she talked, the more aggrieved she became, and her vision gradually became blurred by the mist, making it difficult to even see the figure squatting in front of her.

Zhan Xinjia raised her sleeve to wipe away her tears, but the young man was faster than her.

While feeling heartbroken, Shen Suqing secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He hadn't expected that she was only angry about this...

fine.

He forced a slight smile, gently wiping away her warm tears with his fingertips, and relaxed his brows and eyes, trying to make himself appear more gentle, reliable, and trustworthy.

To erase the bad impression he left on her earlier, and to make her mistakenly believe that Lord Shen had always been this weak and frail.

Darkness? Dictatorship? Selfishness?

How could that be? How could "Master Shen" be like this? It was just a nightmare she misremembered when she was not fully conscious.

It's fake.

Thinking of this, Shen Suqing gently touched her still slightly damp temples with his palm, softened his voice, and spoke as softly as if he were exhaling mist.

"I don't dislike you... If it were Ah Zhi, I'd be fine with anything, let alone saliva, on me."

Don't feel wronged anymore, okay?

"Sweetie, don't cry. Why do you still cry so easily since March?"

Why does the child keep crying after we found him?

Shen Suqing was also a little confused.

Zhan Xinjia angrily grabbed his clean sleeve and wiped her face haphazardly, then stopped crying obediently. After all, it was her who forgot their agreement first, and she couldn't go too far.

Never mind that, she wants to make up with Lord Shen!

Sometimes it's really despairing. Even though she's very angry, when she looks at his devastatingly handsome face and thinks about being able to kiss it whenever she wants, she can't help but let her lips curl into a crazy smile.

This is the kind of thing that makes you laugh out loud even in your dreams.

No, if I can kiss Lord Shen, how bad can my situation get?

Damn, he's amazing for being this handsome!

I give up.

At this point, she needs a way out—

Awkwardly reaching out to poke his shoulder, Zhan Xinjia's eyelashes were still misty as she gazed at him expectantly.

"...Is there any food left at home?"

Although it's a bit frustrating, being angry is one thing, but you can't just not eat.

After changing into clean clothes, Zhan Xinjia sat down in the kitchen and saw the cold, hard food in the bucket not far away. Her guilt surged up again, and she felt uneasy. She lowered her head and sat very upright.

Lord Shen must have prepared a meal and been waiting for her, but she never came back, which is why he's so angry...

Don't forget what you promised Master Shen next time.

This is really bad, it hurts him deeply. She went too far this time and needs to apologize to Master Shen properly again.

Zhan Xinjia silently blamed and reflected on herself.

Beside him, the young man lifted the lid of the steamer on the stove, releasing a burst of steam. The two meals, which he had prepared before leaving the house, were neatly arranged in the steamer, emitting an enticing aroma.

Getting angry is one thing, but you can't just not cook.

After throwing away the leftovers that had solidified and affected the taste, Shen Suqing stubbornly suppressed his anger and cooked a new meal before leaving the house, because he was afraid that his child would be hungry when he came back.

Seeing the little girl eating so heartily, the tangled thoughts in his mind gradually eased, and he immediately felt at ease.

"I'll go prepare some hot water for you to wash up. After you finish eating, just put the dishes and chopsticks in the pot and I'll wash them. Also, Ah Zhi, there's something we really need to talk about."

His expression was extremely solemn.