Looking at his calm and composed face, and his unwavering black eyes, Shu Yi mentally complained.

I'm probably overthinking it.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Shu Yi took the soup bowl that was placed in front of her and continued to pour soup for him.

She handed the soup bowl back to him, as if finally realizing what was happening, and gave him a rare dark look and a warning.

"Pour your own drink. Are you used to being waited on? Don't you have hands? Who are you ordering around here?"

As if he liked her reaction, he chuckled softly to himself, and Shu Chuanran was delighted, his voice softening.

"Okay, Second Sister."

Shu Yi was somewhat confused by Shu Chuanran's change of heart, and Zhang Youye's reply was no longer sent.

This morning, while having breakfast with Zhang Youye, he received a call from Professor Xu, who said that the research institute urgently needed his help with experimental research.

Judging that he was probably busy in the lab again, Shu Yi put down her phone and glanced at Shu Chuanran, who was drinking soup with his head tilted back.

Seeing him drinking with relish, she casually asked, "Is it that delicious? You've already had two bowls."

"Mm." Shu Chuanran nodded frankly, "If you poured it for me, it must taste good."

I can't figure out what this little fox is up to.

She raised her arms and silently scrutinized him for a while. After a moment of silence, Shu Yi chose to get straight to the point.

"You're acting strange today."

"What's strange about it?" Shu Chuanran asked knowingly.

"What do you think?" The question was thrown back at him.

"I don't find it strange." Saying this, Shu Chuanran pointed to the food on the coffee table and answered honestly, "It's just that my second sister brought me food today, and I'm very happy."

Before anyone could respond, Shu Chuanran's eyes darkened, and he lowered his head to stare at the soup bowl that had been resting slightly in his palm, a slight dryness in his throat.

"But the thought that my second sister only brought me food because of my dad makes me unhappy. Second sister, can't you at least show some concern for me?"

Towards the end, his voice was almost silent, even tinged with a barely perceptible tremor.

Seeing his overly gloomy expression, as if a bucket of cold water had been suddenly poured over her head, Shu Yi's muddled mind finally cleared.

In this silent standoff, she finally realized what was happening—

Shu Chuanran seems to like her.

Shu Yi closed her eyes and adjusted her breathing. She then opened them again, her eyes flashing with confusion and helplessness.

She was utterly bewildered; she had never imagined such a scene would unfold in her world.

Unable to bear the atmosphere, Shu Yi decided to get up and leave. Noticing her intention, Shu Chuanran moved closer to her again, trying to block her way with his tall frame.

He placed his strong forearms on either side of her body, his masculine aura pressing in little by little.

"Second sister, is it really not possible?" His hoarse voice was pleading.

"No, Shu Chuanran, calm down." Startled by his sudden action, Shu Yi quickly reached out to block him. "Don't be silly. You know Zhang Youye and I are already married. It's impossible for us, understand?"

They thought bringing up Zhang Youye was their trump card.

However, the trump card seemed to have failed.

Meeting her overly flustered gaze, Shu Chuanran tilted his head and gave a dismissive smirk.

At this moment, he understood the stark difference between them, yet his dark eyes held an uncontrollable and unfathomable taboo.

"It doesn't matter. As long as Second Sister is willing, I'll be the younger one, okay?" he asked casually.

"What nonsense are you talking about!" Shu Yi exclaimed in a huff.

Sensing that she was so angry she wanted to hit him, he grabbed her wrist, which was itching to strike.

Worried that he might hurt her, a hint of reluctance flashed across his usually indifferent face. In the end, he chose to release his grip on her palm, which could have easily held her captive.

"Okay, enough joking around," Shu Chuanran said.

The restrained and subtle tone ended amidst a sudden surge of ambiguity in the air.

The shadow that had blocked her way was gone, giving her the freedom to come and go. Gazing at the tall figure walking towards the desk, Shu Yi couldn't hold back any longer and got up to give him a hard punch on the back.

"Shu Chuanran, do you really want to die? What if Zhang Youye finds out about this..."

Before the words were finished, the figure in front of him suddenly turned around.

He was punched for no reason, but instead smiled and stared at her for a while. Then, he suddenly leaned closer.

He desperately suppressed the urge to hold her in his arms, and, focusing on her suddenly contracting pupils, he spoke each word clearly.

Tell her about your love that's almost reaching a point of madness.

"So what if he knows? Can he really kill me? Do you know how much I love you? Shuyi, as long as I can have you, I'd be willing to let him cripple me! Do you understand?"

Startled by his sudden confession, Shu Yi stood there completely stunned.

The already heavy atmosphere intensified. With a sigh of relief, suppressing the turmoil in his eyes, Shu Chuanran subconsciously raised his hand to remove the stray hair that had fallen onto her lips.

In the blink of an eye, everything seemed to have settled like dust.

Shu Chuanran's racing heartbeat calmed down as the secret was finally revealed, and he turned around and sat back in his office chair.

He placed his evenly spaced, bony fingers on the armrest and began to tap it intermittently, as if waiting for her response.

Until I heard her blurt out "Nonsense!" and watched her flee the office in the next instant.

The fingertips tapping on the armrest paused. In a dizzying world, Shu Chuanran smiled bitterly, loosened the nails embedded in his palm, and slowly lowered his weightless, bony fingers.

He could feel the burning torch in his heart when her figure completely disappeared from sight.

It's dead again.