Episode 38

The next day, Shen Xi woke up sore for the second time in a row. Looking up to see Su Hang's wide grin, Shen Xi suddenly had a strong urge to punch his proud face.

"Good morning." Su Hang laid on his side, one hand propping up his head. He had been staring at Shen Xi for more than half an hour already.

"Help me up." Shen Xi tried to move, but after two consecutive days of overwork, she felt nothing but her aching back.

Shen Xi started to wonder if this man was possessed. No matter how serious, indifferent, steady (in their last life), or stupid and cute (in this life) Su Hang acted; he had always been obedient and tempered. But somehow, the moment he got to the bed, Su Hang would turn into an animal. How in the world did she end up falling for his pitiful expression? With the retarded excuse of learning how to use a condom, Su Hang had asked Shen Xi for help, and Shen Xi's soft heart ended up relenting.

"I'll rub it for you." Su Hang saw Shen Xi frown as she rubbed her back and knew it must be because of yesterday's, cough, activities. So Su Hang reached out and very conscientiously helped Shen Xi knead her back.

"What time is it?" Shen Xi mumbled out.

"Just after eight," Su Hang replied.

"It's past eight?" Shen Xi stopped Su Hang's hands and said: "Then why are you still here? You should get ready for work."

"It's fine, I have time." Su Hang moved Shen Xi's hand away and continued his massage.

"It's more than a half hour's drive to the company, and you still need to get dressed and eat breakfast. Quickly get up, ah," Shen Xi said.

"I'll continue the massage for another ten minutes," Su Hang replied.

Shen Xi couldn't convince him to go, so in the end, she let him continue rubbing her back.

"So, you'd rather remedy your faults instead of taking preventive measures," Shen Xi couldn't help but mutter. "Can't you restrain yourself, ah?"

Su Hang's hand paused, then began to knead Shen Xi's back a little more diligently. Su Hang said: "I can extend the massage for another ten minutes."

"Don't." Shen Xi refused.

"If you can't control your actions, you can only find remedies after the fact," Su Hang quietly mumbled.

"You... ah!" Su Hang probably didn't intend for Shen Xi to understand his mutterings, but Shen Xi was close enough to hear him clearly. Angry, Shen Xi reached out and tried to push the man. However, because of her weak body, Su Hang didn't budge, and instead, it was Shen Xi who ended up rolling away.

"Bark!" Hearing his mother's voice, Chu Wu perked up and ran to the stairs, wanting to go to the second floor. But before he could do so, he was caught by the quick-eyed Mrs. Zhang.

"Chu Wu, stay. You can't go up right now." Mrs. Zhang looked at the clock nearby. The Madam and Sir were running late; she should move breakfast back for another half hour.

However, Mrs. Zhang soon found out that she was mistaken. Five minutes later, the couple came down, with one looking angry and the other wearing an apologetic smile. Strangely, breakfast was still harmonious despite their contrasting expressions.

When it was time for Su Hang to leave, Shen Xi was still angry and didn't want to send him off. But when she thought back to the sad words Su Hang had said yesterday, Shen Xi couldn't help but stand. In the end, she walked the man to the door.

"Be careful on the road. Drive slowly," Shen Xi told him.

"Un." Seeing that Shen Xi was sending him off despite being angry, Su Hang's woeful expression was immediately replaced with joy.

"Oh, and..." Just as Su Hang was about to get in his car, Shen Xi remembered something and hastily called out.

"What?" Su Hang immediately straightened and turned to her.

"When you're free, let's take another wedding photos," Shen Xi said. "I don't like the ones we have now."

Shen Xi had this idea when she left the attic yesterday afternoon. She didn't want to put those awkward-looking photos around the house. Since she's already been transported back into the past, Shen Xi decided they might as well retake their wedding photos too.

Su Hang was confused at first but seemed to gradually understand as a smile slowly started to bloom on his face. Su Hang was so excited he closed the car door, ran back to Shen Xi, and held her tightly in his arms.

"Xiao Xi!" Su Hang exclaimed.

"Ah?!" Shen Xi suddenly had a man clinging onto her.

"Xiao Xi," Su Hang called out once more.

"What?" Shen Xi was dumbfounded.

"I'm really, really happy." Su Hang didn't know how else to express his glee.

"It's just pictures, ah. What are you so happy about." Shen Xi was speechless.

"I'm going to work now," Su Hang resolutely replied. "I'll go to work early, finish early, then quickly rearrange my schedule for the photoshoot."

After he said this, Su Hang didn't wait for Shen Xi's reply and instead, ran back to the car.

"This guy..." Shen Xi watched Su Hang's car drive away, then shook her head and laughed.

Shen Xi simply wanted to have wedding photos where she was looking back at Su Hang's longing gaze. However, she didn't know that her tiny desire to fix past regrets dispelled a large shadow in Su Hang's heart.

Because those photos that showed Shen Xi's forced smiles were proof of Su Hang's selfishness. On that day, Su Hang did the despicable and decided to go back on his initial intention of only being a fake couple with Shen Xi.

Because of this, in the next four days, Fang Yu would later have a strong urge to jump out of the Su company building. He would wonder why his life got so much harder despite his Boss's harmonious sex life. How would shout: This isn't scientific!

Of course, Shen Xi wouldn't know this. After she sent Su Hang off, she decided to drive back to the Shen family home for a visit. She hadn't seen her parents for weeks.

"Miss, you've come back?" Sister Li, their maid, kindly greeted Shen Xi at the door.

"Yes. Where's my mother?" Shen Xi asked with a smile.

"Madam is at the glass greenhouse in the backyard," Sister Li replied.

Shen Xi nodded then entered the house, walking towards the backyard. The Shen family home was a large villa with two magnificent gardens both in front of the house and at the back. Special gardeners were hired to maintain the two. Because Mother Shen loved flowers, Father Shen also built a huge greenhouse in the backyard filled with Mother Shen's most favorite orchids. There was also a piano in the greenhouse, which the young Shen Xi often used while her mother tended to her plants.

"Mom." Shen Xi pushed the glass door open. It was cold outside, but the moment Shen Xi came in, she immediately felt warm.

"Xiao Xi?" Mother Shen walked out from behind a planter, a watering can in her hands. She looked at her long-absent daughter in surprise.

Shen Xi saw that her mother's face was a little pale. She hurriedly took the watering can and pouted. "Mom, have you been overworking yourself again? You look ashen."

"No, I just got up too fast when I heard your voice," Mother Shen replied with a smile.

Shen Xi helped her mother sit down on a nearby sofa and complained: "Why were you in such a hurry, ah."

"How can I not be?" Mother Shen said: "You've become a married woman who doesn't visit for an entire half-month."

"Mom~~" Shen Xi hurriedly tried to coax: "It's just that I had too many things on my plate these past few weeks. I promise not to do it again. I'll come back every week to accompany you."

Mother Shen was instantly in a better mood and began to scrutinize her daughter. They hadn't seen each other for half a month, but Shen Xi looked lively and full of spirit. It seemed that her daughter was living a very happy life. However, Mother Shen could feel a slight change in her eyes.

It seemed that Su Hang succeeded.

"Where's Su Hang?" Mother Shen suddenly asked.

"He went to work," Shen Xi replied.

"Tell him to come over for dinner tonight," Mother Shen said, feeling a little helpless. Maybe all mother-in-laws felt inherently picky towards their son-in-law. But since her daughter was now married, Mother Shen wanted to try her best to be nice to her son-in-law, lest he begins bullying her daughter at home.

"Alright, I'll tell him." Shen Xi nodded.

"By the way, tomorrow is the Su family's New Year's dinner. Will you be going?" Mother Shen asked again.

"Oh, that's what I wanted to talk to you about." Since Mother Shen brought it up first, Shen Xi explained: "The relationship between the Su family and Su Hang had always been bad. While Su company is said to be owned by the Su family, truthfully, most of its shares are in Su Hang's hands. So if you don't want to attend to their new year's party, there's no reason for you to go."

"Your father did once mention that Su Hang was the one who's really in charge of the Su company. Otherwise, he wouldn't have the power to force the Su company shareholders to help us and give 3 billion yuan to our company," Shen Xi's mother said. "But I didn't expect their relationship to be so rocky."

"Un." If Shen Xi didn't know Su Hang's past, Shen Xi wouldn't have believed it either.

"Then...what's your opinion?" Mother Shen asked her daughter.

"What?" Shen Xi was puzzled.

"No matter how awful their relationship is like in closed doors, to outsiders, Su Hang was a lucky boy who was saved from the outside world. He was carefully cultivated and given the family company to handle. Even if you do know the truth, if things become ugly, it'll be Su Hang's reputation that takes the hit," Mother Shen told her.

"He doesn't care about that." Shen Xi frowned.

"And you?" Mother Shen asked.

"I...." Shen Xi figured that Su Hang's reputation couldn't get any worse than that of her previous life, so she smiled and said: "I don't care either."

It was Mother Shen who knew her daughter best. Seeing that Shen Xi couldn't help but smile whenever she mentioned Su Hang, Mother Shen sighed.

"Mom, what's the matter? Why'd you sigh all of a sudden?" Shen Xi asked, confused.

"I'm sighing because when a girl is of age, she must be married off, ah," Mother Shen quipped.

"Mom, are you going to attend the Su party or not?" The embarrassed Shen Xi asked.

Mother Shen chuckled and stopped teasing her daughter. "When Liu Fang came by to give us the invitation, I did wonder why it was her and not you and Su Hang that sent the invitation. However, because she was there in person, I had to agree."

"Then...should I go with you?" Shen Xi thought about it.

"It's alright. Since Su Hang wants to draw a clear dividing line between him and the Su family, you shouldn't go." Mother Shen laughed. "Don't worry; although I don't like attending these kinds of parties, I can still deal with it. Next time, I won't accept their invitation."

"Un!" Shen Xi nodded. Anyway, Father Shen will be there with her.

The two chatted for a while, with Shen Xi watering the flowers for her mother. She also sent a text to Su Hang, telling him to come to the Shen family home after work for dinner. Shen Xi was cheerful and carefree the entire day, happy to spend time with her mother.

6:30 p.m.

Father Shen was delighted to see Shen Xi when he arrived home. "Ah, Xiao Xi!"

"Dad." Shen Xi saw her father and gave him a great big hug.

"You haven't visited in a while," Father Shen complained.

"Dad, I've only been married for less than three months. Your words make it seem like I'm an outsider." Shen Xi pouted.

"Right, right, right, It's all Dad's fault. I said the wrong thing." Father Shen tried to coax her.

"Come on, don't tease your father." Mother Shen smiled. "Xiao Xi, where's Su Hang? The food's going to get cold."

"I'll call him." Shen Xi took out her cellphone, then dialed Su Hang. The call soon connected.

"Where are you?" Shen Xi asked.

"I'm at the door." After Su Hang answered, he hesitated, then added: "That... can you come out for a bit?"

Puzzled, Shen Xi ended the call. She hastily made an excuse to her parents, then ran out the front door and saw Su Hang's Mercedes already on the driveway. Shen Xi walked over and asked: "What's wrong?"

"It's this." Su Hang took her hand and led her to the back of the car. He opened the trunk, and Shen Xi saw that it was filled with gifts.

"What's this?" Shen Xi was bewildered.

"I-I don't know what dad and mom liked, so I just bought as much as I could," Su Hang explained. "Can you help me choose?"

"You bought all these today?" Shen Xi looked through the bags. There were a lot of rare things that shouldn't be easy to find.

"No, I bought all these beforehand." Su Hang shook his head.

Shen Xi was very confused. Su Hang couldn't have known that she would ask him to come over for dinner in advance.

"When we got married, I figured that we would visit your parents in the future," Su Hang said. "We can't just come empty-handed, so I prepared a few things in advance."

Shen Xi's heart ached as she looked at this man who was trying to explain himself in a low voice. You were already preparing for this so early on in our marriage? In our last life, why did it take me more than a year to give you a chance, ah?

"Su Hang!" Shen Xi suddenly called out.

"Yes?" Su Hang turned to her.

Shen Xi went on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around Su Hang's neck, and kissed him without hesitation.

Su Hang deepened the kiss, and as he did so, he couldn't help but think back to how Shen Xi had previously described her ideal partner.

"I imagined him taller than me. I would go on my tiptoes to kiss him."

Now, Shen Xi was standing on her tiptoes for him.

Su Hang: (*^__^*)