Ye Qianqian was about to push his hand away in annoyance. She asked, “If not for you, would I have fallen at all?”


  If she hadn’t fallen, she wouldn’t have had to miss the signing of the documents for her trip to Venice.

  Because she wasn’t able to sign the documents, her voucher for the five-day and six-night trip was now as good as invalid.

  The incident had caused Ye Qianqian to fume for many days.

  “How could you blame me for that? The blackout wasn’t my fault! Moreover, you were inside on your own. Who could know what you were doing that caused your fall?” Shen Zhilie’s expression was one of innocence as he reached his hand around her neck and pulled her close to his chest.

  Ye Qianqian’s body looked especially petite in front of him. When she struggled, it was so inconsequential that Shen Zhilie barely felt a thing.

  “You’re like a criminal making a police report! You’re the one who was harassing me from outside the bathroom. That’s why I fell! It was entirely your fault! Of course, you had to take care of me after that!”


  Shen Zhilie was powerless. He replied, “How could you malign me in front of your father like that? Why don’t you tell him how you usually treat me? Look at my hand! It’s all bruised from your pinches!”


  “You deserve it!” Ye Qianqian hollered back at him before she realized her posture.

  Her body was halfway nestled in Shen Zhilie’s arms. She looked very much like a little bird leaning on him.

  Ye Qianqian suddenly froze and turned to look at Ye Zhenhua.

  The expression on Ye Zhenhua’s face was hard to describe. He looked at them and asked, “Are you two already living together?”


  “Yeah.”


  “No!”


  Both of them answered at the same time as they looked at Ye Zhenhua.

  With one look, Ye Zhenhua knew there was something up. He harrumphed and asked, “How long has it been?”


  “For some time now,” Shen Zhilie replied.

  “Bullsh*t! Not at all!” Ye Qianqian adamantly denied. “Dad, don’t listen to him. We are staying together, but only as a landlord and a renter. He’s responsible for the cooking while I provide him with lodging. That’s all there is to it.”


  “You’re involved in such shady dealings while working in Kingstown?”


  Ye Zhenhua’s words brought thunderclouds to Ye Qianqian’s mind. She retorted, “What do you mean by shady dealings? I didn’t scam or cheat anyone!”


  “Before Shen started cooking for you, what did you eat?”


  “I ate out, especially at fast-food restaurants.”


  Ye Zhenhua looked upset and commented, “It’s no wonder that you lost so much weight. It’s only lately that you’ve been looking a little rounder. I’m betting that Shen’s cooking is pretty good.”


  “No. Dad, I’m begging you. Please don’t let him cook. I’m so sick of eating it!” Ye Qianqian looked at him with puppy dog eyes.

  “Just look at how you’re acting! Of course, I won’t let a guest prepare the meal for us! I’ll do the cooking.” Ye Zhenhua picked up his teacup and took a sip. He said, “But I’ll leave the grocery shopping to the both of you tonight. I’ll be waiting at home with Grandfather for you.”


  “What? No…… It’s so hot……”


  “Leave it to us, Uncle.”


  Shen Zhilie pulled her over and smiled brightly.

  Shen Zhilie spent the rest of the afternoon chatting with Ye Zhenhua. Ye Qianqian had never expected Shen Zhilie to be so knowledgeable.

  Ye Zhenhua enjoyed reading up on history whenever he was free. Shen Zhilie seemed to know quite a bit about everything that Ye Zhenhua brought up.

  The two men hit it off at once and genuinely enjoyed each other’s company.

  Ye Qianqian quietly blew a raspberry. She had been completely left out of the conversation.

  When it was finally past 3 p.m., Ye Qianqian called out, “Come on, let’s go. Don’t we have to buy groceries? Let go!”


  Ye Zhenhua couldn’t bear to end the conversation. When he saw that Ye Qianqian was bored out of her wits, he waved his hand and said, “Off you go, then!”


  Happy to be dismissed, Ye Qianqian pulled Shen Zhilie along as she ran out.

  When they were finally some distance away, Shen Zhilie suddenly pulled Ye Qianqian back. He passionately cupped the sides of her face and kissed her on the lips.

  Ye Qianqian was stunned and looked up at him.

  There was laughter in Shen Zhilie’s eyes as he asked, “How did I perform?”