Chapter 70 As long as she's happy
In the quiet restaurant, Du Yunchuan sat nervously opposite Shang Qiuzhu. Just as he reached for the wonton bowl, Shang Qiuzhu coldly raised her eyes.
Du Yunchuan's hand froze in mid-air, and he awkwardly withdrew it. Instead, he grabbed the cold, hard slice of bread next to him and took a big, aggrieved bite.
"Delete the fingerprints later." Shangqiu Zhu's voice was as cold as ice.
Du Yunchuan's face immediately fell. "Then where will I stay?" He looked pitifully at Shang Qiuzhu. "I promise I won't bother you. I won't even go up to the second floor; I'll just make do in the guest room on the first floor..."
"No way," Shangqiu Zhu interrupted directly.
"How stingy!"
Shangqiu Zhu took out a checkbook from the sideboard, scribbled a number on it in a flourish, and tossed it over: "Hotel stay."
Du Yunchuan glanced at the amount on the check, his eyes lighting up, but he immediately put on a pitiful expression: "But..."
"Say one more word and the check is void."
Du Yunchuan immediately stuffed the check into his pocket and made a gesture of pulling his mouth shut.
Yan Shuang came out of the kitchen carrying several plates of delicate dishes. A faint blush still lingered on her porcelain-white cheeks. Her eyelashes were lowered, but they could not hide the lingering tears in her eyes.
She placed a steaming bowl of wontons in front of Du Yunchuan, saying, "Please enjoy, Mr. Du."
In the clear, emerald-green broth, the paper-thin wonton wrappers subtly reveal the pink shrimp filling inside.
Du Yunchuan's eyes lit up, and he was about to reach out to take it when he felt Shang Qiuzhu's cold gaze beside him.
He sheepishly withdrew his hand, "It was made by Little Shuang herself, how could I dare..."
Yan Shuang smiled and gently placed the spoon on the edge of the bowl: "I don't know if it suits your taste."
Du Yunchuan quickly scooped up a wonton and put it in his mouth, saying, "Our little Shuang sister is the best."
Shangqiu Zhu reached out and took the tray from Yan Shuang's hand: "Sit down and eat."
Du Yunchuan wolfed down his food while stealing glances at the two people opposite him.
The steam from the wontons rose up, blurring Yan Shuang's gentle, lowered eyes. Shang Qiuzhu sat beside her, holding a spoon, and subtly pushed the plate towards her as Yan Shuang reached for some food.
They didn't say anything, and they were separated by half a person's distance, yet there was a tacit understanding and tenderness that no one else could penetrate.
This familiar rhythm is more like that of a couple deeply in love than lovers who have walked hand in hand for half their lives, with the air filled with the tranquility that comes with years of experience.
The doorbell rang.
"It must be Assistant Lin." Yan Shuang put down her spoon and was about to get up when a hand with distinct knuckles gently pressed on the back of her hand.
Shangqiu Zhu slightly raised her chin and gave Du Yunchuan a look that said, "Go away."
Du Yunchuan was stuffing the last wonton into his mouth when he saw this and almost choked.
He widened his eyes and pointed at himself: "Me?"
Shangqiu Zhu's icy eyes swept over indifferently.
"What a guy who forgets his friends for the sake of a pretty girl..." Du Yunchuan muttered under his breath, reluctantly standing up.
He deliberately stomped his slippers loudly, glancing back every few steps as he moved towards the door, muttering, "I, the dignified young master of the Du family, have actually been reduced to working as a doorman..."
As soon as the door opened, Lin Sheng was indeed standing outside, but behind him was a team of luxury brand company employees pushing a mobile coat rack, with dust covers hanging on the clothes.
The leader was a female manager dressed in a sharp suit; her makeup was exquisite, and her every move exuded professionalism.
Du Yunchuan's eyes widened instantly, and he let out a loud whistle: "Wow~ President Shang is really generous!" He turned his head and shouted towards the restaurant, "Come and see! Someone has brought the entire Fashion Week home just to win a smile from a beauty!"
Yan Shuang put down her chopsticks and jogged over, "No, no, these weren't bought by President Shang..."
Before she could finish speaking, Shang Qiuzhu walked over slowly. His black pajamas made him look even taller and more imposing, and every step he took carried a sense of pressure.
"Oh?" Du Yunchuan deliberately added fuel to the fire. "Who is so generous? Could it be a suitor of Xiaoshuang?" He deliberately dragged out his words, his eyes scanning back and forth between the two.
The temperature in the entryway seemed to drop ten degrees. Shangqiu Zhutou's slightly furrowed brows swept over the elegant clothes.
The female manager stepped forward with a smile. "Good morning, Ms. Yan. We've brought you the series you selected yesterday."
With a gentle wave of her hand, the staff immediately and efficiently removed the dust cover.
The first item was a champagne gold evening gown.
"This piece is made with the finest Italian silk, and each inch requires artisans to spend thirty-six hours hand-sewing it."
The female manager put on white gloves and carefully displayed the hem of the skirt.
Then came the second item, the third item... The female manager was about to introduce each item in detail.
"No need, no need," Yan Shuang quickly waved her hand, smiling as she said, "Just put it away for now..."
Before he could finish speaking, steady footsteps sounded behind him.
Shangqiu Zhu stood calmly beside Yan Shuang and said indifferently, "Hang it in the master bedroom wardrobe."
The female manager keenly sensed the jealousy in the air and tactfully bowed and took her leave.
Staff members pushed coat racks upstairs in single file, while Du Yunchuan stood to the side, his shoulders shaking from trying not to laugh.
Inside the bedroom, the door closed gently as the last staff member left.
Yan Shuang had just breathed a sigh of relief when she heard steady footsteps behind her.
Shangqiu Zhu walked in with a calm expression and casually unbuttoned her pajamas.
Yan Shuang's gaze unconsciously followed his movements, and as the second button was unbuttoned, the outline of his firm chest muscles could be vaguely seen.
Her cheeks flushed instantly when she realized what she was looking at.
She hurriedly turned around to walk towards the dressing room, but suddenly a warm hand grabbed her wrist.
Yan Shuang stopped.
Shangqiu Zhu didn't let go. Instead, she continued to unbutton the shirt slowly with her other hand, seemingly casually asking, "Who gave it to me?"
The voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable sense of oppression.
Her wardrobe always contains only simple, basic pieces; these fancy clothes are simply not her style.
Yan Shuang's gaze unconsciously fell on his open collar, then she hurriedly looked away.
She said directly, "I accompanied Mrs. Lin to the fashion show yesterday, and she insisted on giving me a gift. I couldn't refuse..." She sighed, "I'll find a way to return it in a while."
Shangqiu Zhu's gaze lingered on her face for a moment. Perhaps it was the self-denial in her words that made him irritable, and the questions that had been lingering on his tongue suddenly disappeared. He even forgot to continue asking about the identity of "Madam Lin".
Why do you want to withdraw?
"It's too expensive. I don't like owing favors to others."
"So," his voice was a half-octave lower than usual, "I didn't use the card I gave you because I didn't want to owe you a favor?"
Yan Shuang looked confused: "What card?"
She blinked, then suddenly remembered something, turned and walked to the dressing table, pulled open the bottom drawer, and touched a leather compartment.
Yan Shuang hesitated for a moment before pulling out the black card.
The card was neatly placed in this corner that would hardly ever be touched.
Shangqiu Zhu's gaze fell on her hands.
That globally limited Centurion Black Card, a symbol of status that many people dream of, was like a hot potato in her hands.
Yan Shuang knew, of course, what it meant when Shang Qiuzhu gave her that card; it was simply the rules of the game for adults.
But she was just being stubborn and didn't want to spend the money.
She didn't want the numbers on that card to become proof of her clearly marked price.
She wouldn't say a single word about these things.
She accepted it anyway.
It wasn't because she coveted the zeros at the end of the string of numbers, but because she knew someone like Shang Qiuzhu. If she didn't accept, he would definitely feel slighted.
Shangqiu Zhu stared into Yan Shuang's eyes, which seemed to be shrouded in a thin mist.
She still had a smile on her lips, but the aloofness in her eyes was like an ice wall, keeping him out.
In her mind, the black card and those haute couture clothes she gave out were just burdens that she had to handle carefully.
His face slowly darkened.
But the next second, when he saw her slightly furrow her brows, the anger in his chest was instantly replaced by another emotion.
He raised his hand and rubbed his temples, the gloom in his eyes dissipating, and finally just sighed, "Nothing else."
Shangqiu Zhu's voice softened, carrying a hint of compromise, "Use it however you like."
She looked up at him, and the mist in her eyes seemed to dissipate a little.
Yan Shuang was taken aback at first, then said guiltily, "I thought President Shang gave me this card to buy groceries, so I haven't used it yet because I haven't had time to go to the supermarket lately."
This lame excuse softened Shangqiu Zhu's heart.
He suddenly felt that none of his frustrations mattered anymore.
"Then let's go buy groceries." He nodded casually, "Buy what you like to eat."
Yan Shuang was stunned again, clearly not expecting him to be so nonchalant.
All the defenses she had prepared, all the entanglements about the deal and her self-esteem, were gently blown away by the wind at this moment.
The black card that she had been treating like a hot potato suddenly became an ordinary card that could be used to buy groceries.
Seeing her stunned expression, Shangqiu Zhu couldn't help but ruffle her hair again. "Hmm?"
After a long while, Yan Shuang heard herself say, "Okay, then I'll make sweet and sour pork ribs tonight." She paused, then added with a smile, "Use this card to buy the best pork ribs!"
Upon hearing this, Shangqiu Zhu's lips curled up slightly.
"Mm." His voice was deep and full of indulgence. "Buy sugar, buy vinegar, buy ribs, whatever you want."
If Du Yunchuan were present, he would probably lament in anguish that this black card, which could have bought the entire Wall Street, had fallen to such a state.
But at this moment, it's in her hands, waiting to fulfill its sacred mission of buying groceries.
It's just a card that will make her happy.
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