Chapter 17 instructed him to only go back to his bedroom to sleep.
Bai Zhenzhen felt embarrassed and flustered when she realized that someone had seen through her. She brushed a stray hair from her cheek, picked up the wine glass next to her, and brought it to her lips.
A long, slender hand reached out from the side and pressed on her wrist. Shen Huai'an took the juice pitcher that the waiter had just brought and poured half of it into her glass before letting go.
Following his movement, Bai Zhenzhen looked down and realized that she was holding an empty cup. If Shen Huai'an hadn't stopped her, she would have been even more embarrassed.
"Ahem, do you want to drink? You can order whatever you like." Bai Zhenzhen put down her glass and, to cover up her actions, shoved the menu next to her into Shen Huai'an's hands.
Uncle Liu arranged for them to eat at another table. He doesn't drink alcohol, so even if Zhou Minghui wanted to have a drink with Shen Huai'an, that was fine. Shen Qing, like Bai Zhenzhen, drank fruit juice.
The dishes had been ordered and were being served one after another. Zhou Minghui looked at the menu and ordered a glass of red wine. Shen Huai'an, who hadn't seen him for a long time, also drank a glass with him.
The violin performance was canceled by Bai Zhenzhen. After the little incident, everyone's attention was quickly drawn to the delicious dishes on the table.
Shen Huai'an and Zhou Minghui did not continue discussing the case at the dinner table. Their occasional conversations were mostly about their recent lives and work.
Zhou Minghui doesn't plan to leave Pengcheng this time. He intends to invite a few more classmates to start a law firm. If Shen Huai'an hadn't already joined the procuratorate, he would have invited him first.
“Although we weren’t in the same year, I often heard your name mentioned by the teachers. After graduation, I didn’t even need teachers to write you recommendation letters. Many companies were eager to hire you.” Zhou Huai’an said with a hint of regret. If his junior had been willing to partner with him, his law firm would have become famous very quickly.
However, he only dared to think these words in his heart. His junior brother had a bright future ahead of him, while the future of his small law firm was still unknown. He dared not ask someone to resign and work for him.
"Senior brother, you're too modest. I've heard the teacher praise you quite a bit. Now that you've just established your firm, you might surpass us all in no time." Shen Huai'an didn't have many friends growing up. Nowadays, the people he keeps in touch with the most are those he met in college, and Zhou Minghui is one of his closest and most frequent friends.
The two clinked their glasses together, and Zhou Minghui downed the rest of his drink in two gulps. He took off his glasses and laughed, "It's been two years since we last met. Huai'an, you've learned to flatter people now. But I know you mean it, so I'll take your good wishes."
After saying that, his gaze turned to Bai Zhenzhen, "When I first came back a while ago, Lin Yang and the others said they wanted to throw me a welcome party. I was busy when I first returned to the country, so I didn't let them do it. Next week is almost Teacher's birthday, and they plan to go to Teacher's house to celebrate. It's a good opportunity for everyone to get together in a long time. Huai'an, why don't you bring your younger brother and sister-in-law along?"
Upon hearing him mention her, Bai Zhenzhen put down her chopsticks and, under the guise of reaching for a napkin, subtly glanced at Shen Huai'an beside her.
She wasn't sure if this person would let her go, so she remained silent for a moment.
Shen Huai'an did not refuse on the spot, but said, "They have informed me about this matter, but I am not sure if I can find the time. Let's talk about it in a couple of days."
"Okay, be sure to let me know in advance." Zhou Minghui knew he must be very busy at the procuratorate, so he nodded and didn't press for details.
He didn't realize it, but Bai Zhenzhen felt that Shen Huai'an must not want to take her with him. She felt inexplicably displeased and pursed her lips, casually tossing the used napkin onto the table.
As luck would have it, a corner of the napkin hit Shen Huai'an's wrist. The red lipstick stain on the white napkin was particularly eye-catching. His large, well-defined hand paused for a moment before pulling away.
The napkin with lipstick stains was still on the table. Bai Zhenzhen felt guilty for a second and was about to reach for it when Shen Huai'an put down his cutlery, picked up the used napkin, folded it, and put it back.
The other two people at the table didn't notice what was happening. Zhou Minghui seemed to have a low alcohol tolerance; after finishing a glass of red wine, he became more talkative and started talking about another topic.
Bai Zhenzhen glanced down at the neatly folded napkin again, and the anger she had just felt inexplicably dissipated.
As the dinner drew to a close, Zhou Minghui not only chatted a lot with Shen Huai'an, but also became more familiar with Bai Zhenzhen.
Thinking of her status as the only daughter of the richest man, and also of his newly established law firm, Zhou Minghui couldn't help but shamelessly recommend himself again, "Sister-in-law, Miss Bai, our law firm's business scope also includes consulting and employment in economic and legal matters. If you or your friends need anything, you can come to me. Considering my relationship with Huai'an, the price will definitely be preferential."
"Of course, we can exchange contact information first. Mr. Zhou is very capable, and I might actually come to him for help one day." This was a lucky accident. Bai Zhenzhen was going to kick out those ungrateful wretches who were sucking blood from the company, and she would definitely need to consult with people to do things. It was very necessary to make friends with a capable lawyer in advance.
Zhou Minghui's head was spinning, and his usually shrewd and capable mind seemed to have skipped a beat. After hearing her words, he immediately took out his phone and said, "Haha, it's not a question of asking for help. As long as my sister-in-law needs anything, just call me. I will do my best to help."
Shen Huai'an sat in place, quietly watching the two exchange contact information. He lowered his eyes slightly, picked up the glass of water on the table, and slowly took a sip.
While the three were talking, Shen Qing rarely interrupted, focusing on eating her food. Bai Zhenzhen noticed that she really liked a cream cake dessert, so she beckoned to the waiter to pack two more portions. "Take these two back to school and you can share them with your classmates and friends."
After dinner, Shen Qing still had to go back to school for evening self-study. She could save the dessert for a late-night snack after the self-study session.
Shen Qing subconsciously wanted to look at her brother again, but halfway through her gaze she saw the gentle smile on Bai Zhenzhen's lips. She blushed and nodded, saying, "Thank you, sister-in-law."
"You're welcome." Bai Zhenzhen smiled at her again, then took out her card from her bag and handed it to the waiter to settle the bill.
This scene reminded Zhou Minghui of some rumors he had heard elsewhere. Some people were saying in a sarcastic tone that Shen Huai'an, a poor boy from the countryside, somehow got involved with the Bai family, the richest family in the country, and shamelessly became a live-in son-in-law. In order to enjoy a life of luxury, he didn't even care about his dignity as a man.
When Zhou Minghui first heard this, he immediately refuted him on the spot. As far as he knew, Shen Huai'an's marriage to the Bai family was not a case of him marrying into the Bai family, and Shen Huai'an's excellence was beyond doubt. He performed well during his school years, and after graduating and entering the procuratorate, he repeatedly made meritorious contributions and was promoted several ranks in a few years. At the end of the year, when the teacher held a gathering at his home, he was almost always praised by the teacher. How many of his classmates who graduated in the same year could achieve what he has today?
The claim that he was a son-in-law is pure nonsense; it's clearly a smear campaign by those who are jealous of him.
Those people also spread rumors that Miss Bai had a bad temper and acted arrogantly and domineeringly. But when Zhou Minghui met her, he realized that the rumors were indeed unbelievable. Her personality was completely different from what was rumored.
She is not only beautiful but also has a good personality. He saw this all the way. Bai Zhenzhen was carefully comforting Shen Qing's emotions and was also very friendly to his friend, who was his "son-in-law".
Now, Zhou Minghui's slight worry for his friend turned into a subtle envy.
After leaving the restaurant, Uncle Liu went to drive the car over first. Zhou Minghui patted Shen Huai'an on the shoulder and said goodbye to him first, saying that they would contact each other by phone about the rest.
After Bai Zhenzhen and the other two got into the car, Liu first took Shen Qing back to school for evening self-study, and then Uncle Liu drove the two of them back to their residential compound.
When they got home, it was still early, so Shen Huai'an took a book on criminal law and sat on the sofa in the living room to read it. Bai Zhenzhen, on the other hand, felt that she had sweated a lot after going out and went into the bathroom to take a shower first.
Soon, the sound of running water came from the nearby restroom. Shen Huai'an remained motionless, turning the pages of his book at a leisurely pace, as if he were not affected at all.
Half an hour later, Bai Zhenzhen came out of the room wrapped in a bathrobe. After her bath, her skin appeared even whiter, and her slender legs were still damp with moisture, gleaming like white jade. A few strands of wet hair hung over her shoulders, and her eyes were moist. She was as alluring as a blooming rose with dewdrops on her skin.
Unfortunately, the man's heart was as hard as iron, and his seated figure remained motionless.
Bai Zhenzhen casually tossed her wet hair, glanced at the cabinet in the corner one last time before entering the bedroom, and then closed the door.
About an hour later, Shen Huai'an saw that it was getting late, so he put down his book, got up, took a change of clothes, and went to the bathroom to wash up.
When he came out, he was about to take out the thin blanket and pillow from the closet to sleep, but when he opened the drawer, he found nothing. The thin blanket and pillow inside had vanished.
Since Bai Zhenzhen moved in, Aunt Wang has been in charge of cleaning the house, but she doesn't usually touch anything in the house, especially Shen Huai'an's personal belongings.
It goes without saying who was behind this.
That's right, it was indeed Bai Zhenzhen who instructed Aunt Wang to take away the things Shen Huai'an had placed in the living room cabinet. Her purpose was quite obvious: to force him to sleep only in the bedroom.
However, even though she had done it, she wasn't sure whether Shen Huai'an would fall for it.
The bedroom lights had been turned off long ago, but Bai Zhenzhen lay on the bed unable to fall asleep, listening intently to the sounds outside with her eyes closed.
The houses in the family compound were not well soundproofed. She heard Shen Huai'an going into the bathroom to wash up, and she also heard him coming out. But after waiting for more than ten minutes, there was still no sound outside the bedroom door.
Just when she thought Shen Huai'an was going to skip the blanket and pillow and spend the night in the living room, the man's footsteps appeared outside the bedroom door, just as she had hoped.
Shen Huai'an didn't linger. He pushed open the bedroom door and walked in step by step. Bai Zhenzhen, who was lying on the bed, pretended to be asleep with her eyes closed, but her heartbeat involuntarily quickened as he approached.
She felt a gaze fall on her, and her hands, hidden under the blanket, clenched tightly in her palms, barely managing to suppress the instinct to shrink back.
Fortunately, Shen Huai'an didn't seem to realize she was pretending to be asleep, nor did he intend to wake her up for a confrontation.
A slight sinking sound came from the other side of the mattress, and Bai Zhenzhen felt a chill down her spine as the man lifted the covers and lay down next to her.
It went so smoothly it was unbelievable; Bai Zhenzhen almost couldn't resist opening her eyes, turning over, and taking a look back.
In the darkness, her eyelids remained still, but her round eyes moved incessantly, revealing the turmoil within her.
She wasn't sleepy at all at this moment, and after waiting quietly for a while with her body stiff, Bai Zhenzhen couldn't help but be curious. She opened her eyes and wanted to sneak a peek at the person lying next to her to see if it was Shen Huai'an.
Just as she turned her head slightly and tentatively opened her eyes, a soft ray of light suddenly shone on her face.
A note from the author:
-------t---------------
Here I am! [kiss][kiss]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
