Ni Sitian lowered her head guiltily, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

"Do you still want to protect him?" Xu Tingchuan's voice couldn't help but become stern.

“No, no.” Ni Sitian shook her head, biting her lip. “You’ve been working so hard lately, dealing with Shen Muzhi and the company. I don’t want you to worry about anything else…”

Since she married him, it seems she has never helped him with anything. She always said she wanted to be his wife, but she couldn't even manage not to cause him any trouble. She really didn't want to distract him at crucial moments.

As Xu Tingchuan listened to her words, his fingers gently traced her cheek, feeling both heartache and helplessness.

"Just touch it and it will be fine." Seeing that his anger was slowly subsiding, Ni Sitian became bolder and playfully acted coquettishly.

"There won't be a next time," Xu Tingchuan said coldly, his face stern.

Ni Sitian blinked. What did he mean by "no next time"? Did he mean she couldn't keep things from him anymore? Or that he wouldn't let her family treat her like this again?

Xu Tingchuan felt a pang of heartache when he saw the clear handprint on her face, yet she still smiled and told him it didn't hurt.

He reached out and wrapped his arms around her neck, pulling her into his embrace. "You're not allowed to be bullied anymore."

Ni Sitian leaned on his shoulder and nodded. After a while, she muttered softly, "Breakfast is going to get cold."

Xu Tingchuan released her, flicked her nose, grabbed a towel, and got up to go to the bathroom to wash up.

Ni Sitian reheated the breakfast for Xu Tingchuan and changed back into her slippers. Since they had already been discovered, there was no need for them to go out again.

After finishing breakfast, Xu Tingchuan changed his clothes.

Ni Sitian stood on tiptoe to tie his tie. She used to not even be able to tie a red scarf properly, but now she can tie a tie very well.

Xu Tingchuan looked down at the top of her head, raised his hand and touched her head, then suddenly asked, "When will they have time?"

"Huh?" Ni Sitian looked up in confusion.

"Let's arrange a time to meet," Xu Tingchuan said calmly.

Ni Sitian pursed her lips and nodded. No matter how despicable those people were, it was impossible to avoid meeting them.

Xu Tingchuan's fingers traced her swollen cheek again. He tilted his head to the side and lightly touched her cheek with his lips. "I'm going to work."

"Okay, drive carefully." Ni Sitian saw him off, then returned inside and began tidying up the house.

She had originally planned to visit Zhilan again today, but she couldn't go out in this condition, otherwise she would cause another person to worry.

After tidying up the house for a while, she went into the small study.

A few days ago, I received a message from the editor that because the book sold well, it has been reprinted. I also received news that the higher-ups have decided to release a comic book version.

She was eager to try it herself, so she talked to the editors, and they agreed to give her the opportunity to review the manuscript, asking her to submit the character sketches within a specified period.

Although she had been studying with Wu Miaoshui for several months, she was only a beginner in drawing, especially comics, which were an extremely difficult challenge for her. She had been drawing for several days and had only managed to produce a rough sketch of the female lead.

Ni Sitian focused intently on drawing the male lead. She had a picture of him in her mind, so her brushstrokes flowed smoothly.

After I finished drawing it, I saw that it was Xu Tingchuan again.

She looked at the drawing paper, feeling both helpless and amused. It seemed that no matter what kind of man she drew, he would always look a bit like Xu Tingchuan.

Just as I was considering whether to wipe it clean and start over, my phone rang. It was Ni Ziqi calling.

She answered the call, and Ni Ziqi didn't waste any words, directly informing her of the time and place to meet.

Without waiting for her reply, Ni Ziqi hung up the phone, showing the same disrespectful attitude as always.