Xiang Zhilan instinctively tried to pull away when he suddenly gripped her hand so tightly, but his grip only tightened.

"The ring is ready." She pursed her lips and said, the implication being that he could let go.

"Hmm." Shen Muzhi responded but did not let go, saying, "It's not impossible for them to be with Ni Sitian and the others."

When Xiang Zhilan heard him say that, her eyes lit up and she looked at him expectantly.

Shen Muzhi felt a mix of emotions. She was not interested in having a wedding with him, but she was full of anticipation for the wedding with Ni Sitian. Anyone who didn't know better would think that she actually wanted to marry Ni Sitian.

"That might make the timeline even tighter." He had originally planned to finish by mid-June at the earliest.

“It’s okay. If we’re with them, we can share a lot of resources. We won’t have to pick out wedding candies and flowers from each store individually anymore, which will make the preparations much faster,” Xiang Zhilan added immediately, sensing that he was softening his stance.

Shen Muzhi's thin lips curved slightly, and his obsidian-like eyes held a faint smile: "Are you so eager to hold a wedding with me?"

Xiang Zhilan opened her mouth to refute, but those words were indeed spoken by her, so she had no grounds to refute them. She could only puff out her cheeks and glare at him, saying forcefully, "Just tell me whether you agree or not."

Seeing her embarrassed and angry, her face flushed red, Shen Muzhi found it rather amusing. "I agree."

"That's more like it." Having achieved her goal, Xiang Zhilan prepared to turn and leave.

With a slight exertion of his wrist, Shen Muzhi pulled her onto his lap and hugged her tightly.

Xiang Zhilan was still not used to his closeness and was even a little scared. She struggled to stand up and said in a flustered manner, "I, I'm going out."

As she spoke, she strode out of the study and returned to the bedroom, her tightly clenched hands still trembling slightly—a conditioned reflex to the physiological fear she had experienced that night.

Shen Muzhi watched her fleeing figure, his eyes darkening slightly. They had been married for over a week, but she was still quite sensitive to his touch and her avoidance was very obvious.

Especially at night when they slept in the same bed, she slept close to the edge of the bed, with the blanket covering her completely, but even so she couldn't fall asleep.

He has always suffered from insomnia, and he knows very well whether the person lying in the same bed is asleep or not.

It seemed like she was waiting for him to fall asleep before she could finally sleep peacefully.

Sometimes when she woke up a little later, he would find that her hands were still tightly gripping the blanket, indicating a very defensive mindset.

Shen Muzhi gave a self-deprecating twitch at the corner of his mouth. He could understand her situation. Any woman would probably be afraid to lie in bed with a man who had violated her in the past.

However, they are married now, and things can't always be like this. She is pregnant and can't afford to not get enough rest.

It took Xiang Zhilan a while to calm down. She called Ni Sitian to talk about the wedding. The two chatted on the phone for more than half an hour and finalized some things before she could finally relax.

She took her pajamas into the bathroom to wash up, and when she came out after showering, she saw Shen Muzhi already in the bedroom. Feeling a little awkward, she said somewhat uncomfortably, "You've finished reading?"

Shen Muzhi nodded and waved to her.

Xiang Zhilan hesitated for a moment before slowly walking towards him.

As Shen Mu reached out, he instinctively took a step back from Zhi Lan.