Two hours later.

As the red taillights on and off appeared, the car came to a steady stop in front of the ancestral home.

Turning his head to watch Shu Yi, who had been frowning the whole way, get out of the car with her bag, Zhang Youye took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind, and then got out of the car as well.

Standing beside the car, he called out her name: "Shuyi".

Shu Yi stopped and looked back.

There was no moon tonight, and her slender, tall figure stood still under the lamppost at the door.

The warm light source above her head enveloped her, giving her eyes and brows an unusual gentleness.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Zhang Youye walked up to her. When their eyes met, he would unconsciously grin.

Then, he stretched out his warm palm from his pocket and slowly held it horizontally in mid-air.

"What does this mean?" Shu Yi asked, puzzled.

"There was a misunderstanding at the beginning of our first meeting today. I was afraid you would really misunderstand me as a good-for-nothing, so now I would like to formally introduce myself to you."

As he spoke, Zhang Youye raised an eyebrow, his expression returning to seriousness, and his tone becoming earnest and earnest.

But in the clear, deep eyes that met hers, the familiar burning heat reappeared once again.

"Shuyi, hello, my name is Zhang Youye."

"I am very happy to see you today."

It was getting late, and the sky was darkening.

Out of respect for the traditional virtue of reciprocity, Shu Yi smiled helplessly and then extended her palm to hold his hand.

"Hello, my name is Shu Yi."

"I am also very happy to meet you today."

...

My first meeting with Zhang Youye.

It ended in the pitch-black sky.

It's late; Grandpa must be asleep by now.

After returning to the East Courtyard, Shu Yi quickly washed away her fatigue. As she pushed open the door to leave, Ting Li was just walking into the bedroom carrying a bowl of fruit.

"Second Miss, are you done washing up? Come and have some fruit. It was just flown in from New Zealand this afternoon. The old man emphasized before going to bed that as soon as you get back, he should bring it over for you to try."

I ate quite a bit at the mall earlier, and it's almost 11 o'clock now, but the food in my stomach hasn't been digested yet.

Normally, Shuyi doesn't have the habit of eating at this time.

However, not wanting to spoil her grandfather's mood, she sat on the sofa, drying her hair with a towel while stuffing fruit into her stomach.

Halfway through the meal.

The cell phone in my backpack suddenly rang a few times.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a WeChat message from Zhang Youye, a new friend he had added while dining at the mall.

Today was too rushed, I didn't have time to take you to see other places. Next time, I'll take you to explore Jingnan properly.

【Okay, thank you for today.】Shuyi replied politely with a swipe of her finger.

"Don't be so polite with me. If you're free these days, just look up where you want to go in Jingnan. Anyway, there's no work at the lab for the time being, and I'm pretty free lately." The other party replied quickly.

Shuyi put down the fruit in her hand, glanced at Tingli who was making the bed, and simply lay down on the sofa.

With her slender legs casually crossed, she held her phone and continued replying to messages.

Okay, anywhere is fine with me?

[If you want to go, I'll accompany you even at the cost of my life.]

Something about that sounds a bit odd.

It's not like we're going to go through fire and water, why make such a dramatic statement?

Suddenly, the Second Miss's soft laughter reached her ears. After tidying up the bed, Tingli lit the An Yi Incense next to the bedside table while asking questions.

"Second Miss, how was your time with Young Master Youye today? Did you have fun?"

"It's great, I'm having a lot of fun." Shu Yi was chatting happily with Zhang Youye without turning her head.

"Look how happy you are. Have you ever been this happy before?" Tingli asked as he walked to the sofa, always keeping in mind Grandpa Shu's instructions.

Seemingly stumped by Tingli's question, after replying to Zhang Youye's message, she locked her phone and placed it against her chest.

After frowning and thinking for a long time, Shu Yi slowly said, "I haven't been this happy in a long time."

“After my father passed away, I started living alone. During my student years, I was busy studying and couldn’t find like-minded people anywhere. After finally graduating from university, my friends were scattered all over the country. As time went by, I became too lazy to go out, and I couldn’t even be bothered to find a place to relax.”

"Is it because of one person?" Tingli asked in a low voice.

"I guess so."

She responded softly, and the pleasant scent of incense wafted out, its refreshing aroma gradually easing her brow.

"People online say that one person can do a lot of things, but in my eyes, it's no fun to go anywhere alone. Going out to have fun is more fun when you have someone with you."

Suddenly, I remembered Zhang Youye's suggestion to get to know me formally, and I recalled his burning gaze.

Her tone paused inexplicably for a moment, she put her arm behind her ear, closed her eyes, and asked again.

"Zhang Youye was with me for everything today, which was really nice. He's good at charming girls, especially at meals, and he's great at creating a lively atmosphere. Tingli, has he had a lot of girlfriends? He seems to be quite skilled at charming women."

Having finally received the Second Miss's first evaluation of Young Master Youye, Tingli smiled knowingly and then shook his head.

"Second Miss, don't be fooled by Young Master Youye's seemingly carefree attitude. He is actually a very upright person, very polite to everyone and everything. Moreover, the Zhang family has a very strict family tradition, and he has never had a girlfriend."

It's unexpected that Zhang Youye, who looks like a womanizer, is like this.

He's never had a girlfriend.

She didn't know much about the Zhang family's traditions, but with that eye-catching blond hair, how could he not be a playboy?

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!