Chapter 1

Shen Huan said that she had to go to the hospital to see Meng Zixuan. When she said this, she stood in front of the sink, put down her toothbrush, and her right hand was wet.

Li Ting walked into the bathroom, walked over to the toilet as if he hadn't heard anything, and pulled down half his pants to urinate. After a while, like a computer that had crashed and restarted, his voice came through the bathroom partition: "Hospital?"

Just as Chen Huan was about to speak, Li Ting made a muffled sound in his throat, then answered himself, "Oh, yes, that kid was stabbed in prison."

Li Ting had recently been peeing in the bathroom while she was brushing her teeth in the morning. He hadn't had this habit before. Chen Huan considered it a test of obedience; she couldn't let a complaint show on her face; that would be disrespectful to him.

The sound of urine dripping stopped and the toilet flushed. Shen Huan turned on the faucet and washed his hands again.

Li Ting is 52 years old. When he was young and starting his own business, he barely had enough to eat. He smoked and drank on an empty stomach, and then ate and drank excessively once he made money. Fifteen years ago, when his fund was successful, he immediately became complacent and indulged in a life of luxury, never paying attention to his health.

As he got older, Li Ting became more restrained in his life, but various bad habits had already taken root.

Now that his health had deteriorated, he valued respect even more. He even had to wait until Chen Huan was around to relieve himself. She couldn't leave the bathroom before him. If she left her butt for him to see, he would hold a grudge.

Li Ting pulled up his pants and went back to the bedroom, muttering as he walked, "Woman's kindness."

Chen Huan looked at Li Ting's slightly hunched figure in the mirror. His shoulders and back were bulging, and his waist and abdomen had recently grown larger.

She turned to face him, leaning against the sink and explaining to him.

In the morning, her assistant Xiao Yu called her and said that the public relations department hoped that the management would send someone to the hospital to pretend to do something. The rumors outside were outrageous, saying that the consortium wanted to silence Meng Zixuan forever and hired someone to do it in prison.

"If we can convince Meng Zixuan to hold a flower and take a photo, it will be good for us." Shen Huan said plainly, looking at the marble floor of the bathroom.

Li Ting sneered, not knowing whether he was mocking the public relations officer or her.

She didn't want to go either, but she was the general assistant and always had to clean up other people's messes. When the other leaders heard that it was Meng Zixuan, this hot potato, they either flew to Luxembourg to meet clients or rushed to West Mountain to play golf. One of them didn't even have an excuse and just turned around and walked away.

Li Ting walked to the sofa, took off his silk pajamas, picked up his trousers on the sofa, and uttered a syllable.

Chen Huan thought he was willing to talk to him about what to do, so he was all ears. But after a while, he realized that his waistband was too tight and he couldn't pull it up because he was holding his breath.

She sighed inwardly, wiped her hands on a towel, went to the dressing room, picked out a belt, stood beside him, and lowered her head. She took off the old belt and put it on her slender wrist. The new belt was wrapped around his bulging belly and stuck into the buckle. The tightness was just right.

Her hands moved so quietly that the only sound in the bedroom was the soft click of her belt buckle.

Shen Huan was not in a hurry. He helped him tie it up, then rolled up the old belt in circles and put it in the drawer.

Teacher Li, what do you think is the most appropriate way to deal with this situation now? she asked.

When she was in college, Li Ting taught two professional courses in the Department of Economics and Management.

In her senior year, she interned at Xuantao Capital. The company didn't prioritize CEOs; the interns addressed the managing director, Li Ting, as "Brother Ting" or "Boss." Only Chen Huan, like he was still in college, politely addressed him as "Teacher Li."

Li Ting said that during the first welcome dinner, he remembered her face because of this greeting.

Men always like to be teachers.

Li Ting was very much fooled by her trick. The stiffness on his face softened and he said casually, "Just go ahead and pretend. I can't live without an oxygen tank. What can I do to you?"

Shen Huan hummed in obedience.

They were silent for a while, she brought him a shirt and helped him put it on, then handed him a woolen vest with fine stitching.

Over the past six months, Li Ting's size had gradually changed from M to L, but he hadn't noticed because Shen Huan took care of his wardrobe.

"You have to know." Li Ting suddenly became serious, "Meng Zixuan is a jackal."

Her fair fingers paused on the dark gray cashmere sweater.

"Whoever harmed him," Li Ting continued, "he would spend his whole life thinking about biting their neck."

Although he was clearly talking about Meng Zixian, the gritted teeth in Li Ting's words made Shen Huan a little scared. She turned sideways, rested her head on his shoulder, and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. Li Ting's hand covered hers, his palm thick and warm, making her feel at ease.

Shen Huan left the bedroom and went downstairs. The family nurse Yao Li was sitting on the sofa in the living room. Yao Li saw her, nodded, and politely asked her if she slept well last night.

She knew the nurse was asking about Li Ting, not her. Li Ting used to have half a glass of red wine before bed, but now he has to take blood pressure medication and can't drink, which makes him a little irritable at night. Last night, he yelled at the babysitter, Jin Tuo.

"Same old as always." Shen Huan replied to Yao Li.

Yao Li went upstairs to take Li Ting's blood pressure. Chen Huan walked into the kitchen and chatted with Jin Tuo with a smile. Jin Tuo said she wanted to take two days off this weekend because her cousin and his family were coming to Hancheng, and she had to entertain them.

Jin Tuo's contract gave her 25 days of vacation per year. By April, she'd already taken 23 days. Jin Tuo was a good nanny, but Li Ting had been difficult to take care of lately, so she wanted to avoid him, and Shen Huan understood.

Shen Huan transferred a few tickets to the science and technology exhibition to Jin Tuo on his mobile phone. If the children are interested, they can go and have a look.

Jin Tuo had been a bit timid when she asked for leave, but when Chen Huan didn't give her a cold shoulder, she breathed a sigh of relief. She whispered, "What about the gentleman..." Chen Huan said, "I'll talk to him." Jin Tuo smiled at her and quickly went to prepare the food.

In fact, Li Ting would not notice whether Jintuo was there or not, but he hated the nanny asking him what he wanted to eat.

Chen Huan had told Jin Tuo several times that she should not bother Li Ting with cooking and ordering, but that she could ask him instead. But sometimes, when she didn't reply in time, Jin Tuo would still ask Li Ting.

Last night, when Shen Huan entered the door, he heard Li Ting's impatient voice, "Whatever. Whatever, do you understand?"

Li Ting was also annoyed that Jin Tuo would wait for him in the kitchen at night, warming the food, and then mention when he came in, "The food is warm in the pot."

He is busy with work and has many social engagements, and his daily routine is irregular. This kind of service is more of a burden than a convenience to him.

Chen Huan had explained this matter several times, but Jin Tuo still turned a deaf ear to it.

Chen Huan didn't know whether Jin Tuo couldn't remember or was just pretending not to remember. Why was it that she could remember something just a few days after marrying him, but Jin Tuo, the nanny, couldn't remember it even after working for five years?

Li Ting had many complaints about Jin Tuo, but he didn't suggest replacing her. This might be because of Shen Huan. Shen Huan and Jin Tuo got along well and occasionally watched a movie together on the sofa.

Li Ting is not in good health now, so it is even more inappropriate to replace him. He does not have the patience to adjust to the new player again.

It's funny to think about it, Chen Huan sometimes feels that Jin Tuo and Li Ting are a couple. From time to time, Li Ting's complaints and Jin Tuo's grumblings can be heard in the kitchen, living room and study, and Chen Huan is like a daughter, trying her best to maintain harmony in the family.

While waiting for Yao Li to examine Li Ting, Chen Huan stood in front of the French window in the inner courtyard and looked up at the camphor tree in the yard. The tree was over twenty years old, its trunk slanting across the courtyard, blocking out most of the sky.

The early summer breeze rustled through the leaves, and a few camphor leaves fluttered down onto the shallow pool. They were mostly emerald green, but with hints of burnt yellow tinged within. Camphor trees are evergreen, and it was a warm spring day. Chen Huan wondered why the leaves had turned yellow.

Not a good sign.

Li Ting had a son from his previous marriage, a sophomore at a prestigious private university on the West Coast of the U.S. He wasn't particularly close to his son, but during the holidays, Li Wangnan would occasionally return home for a week to spend time with his father.

He was still young and didn't have many ideas, but his mother seemed to be forcing him to do something.

It would be a lie to say she didn't feel a sense of crisis. Chen Huan confessed to herself that she and Li Ting had married in New York two years ago, and a thin marriage certificate was covered by a prenuptial agreement several red bricks thick. If Li Ting kicked her out today, she would at most get a small house in the east city, and she wouldn't get a single share of the group's profits.

She has little business acumen and has spent the past few years bouncing around the Xuantao Group's financial division, holding seemingly respectable but powerless positions. She serves as executive director of two cultural sub-funds, meeting young artists, visiting sponsored exhibitions, appearing on stage, cutting ribbons, and attending receptions.

She has voting rights on the board of directors of Xuantao Corporation, but it is just a pendant for Li Ting. She has her appear in annual reports and brochures as a director to create the impression of stable internal personnel and family-style management.

Without children, no matter how well she did, the best she could do was get Li Ting to put her in the family trust. With children, regardless of gender, she could have a seat at the table with dignity.

It's not like she and Li Ting hadn't tried before; after they got married, they didn't use contraception. But two years later, there was no good news. A hospital checkup revealed both of them had some minor issues, but neither could blame the other.

Li Tingquan had no intention of urging her, not because he sympathized with her, but because in his eyes, he was in his prime, like an emperor of the old times, and was not allowed to talk about such things.

The sound of the master bedroom door opening was heard upstairs, and first Yao Li's light steps came up and down the stairs, followed by Li Ting's heavy steps.

Shen Huan withdrew his thoughts and turned to go to the living room.

The car drove out of Yunjingli and turned onto Qinglan Street. The street was woven into a lush green tunnel by the leaves of the sycamore trees.

Li Ting's phone rang with calls one after another. The car ride wasn't meant for couples, and Chen Huan understood this, sitting quietly beside him, staring out the window. He himself was constantly on the phone, but he didn't like her playing both sides, so he tried to avoid checking his phone.

During a break in the phone call, Li Ting happily announced that Xiao Lin, the PR specialist, had ordered the couture dress Chen Huan had requested. He turned to look at her face, perhaps expecting to see a surprised smile.

Chen Huan said she didn't want it anymore. He asked why. Chen Huan said it was two weeks late and a little star had worn it at a film festival.

That was an excuse. She didn't like Lin Jing, the PR woman. She was too pretty, lively, and wore a low-cut white shirt that was translucent. During a half-hour meeting, Lin Jing would come over to refill the boss's tea ten times.

"Oh," Li Ting nodded blankly. He couldn't understand these women's calculations. He said that Xiao Lin seemed to be a little slow in doing things.

Shen Huan hummed.

Li Ting said that next time I will ask Xiao Shao to urge it.

Shen Huan didn't respond.

He said, "Let Xiao Shao be in charge of the Yixiang opening ceremony from now on."

Well, Shen Huan smiled at him. Her dimples were slightly visible, and she was as happy as a child.

Li Ting also smiled, like a doting father.