He Yining had never bought such things before.
Well, no—he had never even set foot in a convenience store!
Now he was being sent to buy women's products, and he had no idea where to find them.
He just grabbed whatever he saw. In no time, he had piled up a random assortment of items.
A few late-night shoppers spotted this incredibly handsome man carrying a heap of sanitary pads and stared in utter shock.
Several middle-aged mothers, in particular, fixed their eyes on He Yining with sparkling interest.
A man who runs out late at night to buy sanitary pads for his wife—how charming was that?
Under the weight of countless stares from everyone in the convenience store, He Yining hurried to the checkout counter, pulled out his wallet, grabbed a handful of cash, and tossed it down, ready to leave.
"Hey, hey, wait! Even if your wife is in a hurry, I still have to scan the barcode!" the cashier, a woman in her forties, called out to stop him. "Otherwise, I can't ring this up!"
He Yining had no choice but to steel himself and come back, watching as the cashier slowly scanned each item.
At that moment, the other motherly customers swarmed around him, chattering away. "Young man, you bought this for your wife, right? What a good husband!"
He Yining's strikingly handsome face flushed bright red, and he could only nod vaguely.
Seeing his reaction, those motherly customers were thoroughly satisfied.
"That's right! A husband should be this considerate of his wife. Young man, how many years have you been married? Any kids? Planning a second one?" The enthusiastic aunties were relentless chatterboxes, cornering the emperor of the business world—the man who made entire commercial empires tremble and people go wild—until he looked as flustered as a greenhorn kid.
He Yining gritted his teeth and endured the aunties' nagging. As soon as the cashier finished ringing him up, he grabbed the bag and fled without waiting for his change.
Shen Qi had watched the whole scene unfold from the car.
The frustration she had suffered earlier that day vanished in an instant. Hugging a cushion, she watched He Yining get lectured by a group of overly enthusiastic aunties on proper husbandly duties, laughing so hard she nearly doubled over.
He Yining stumbled back to the car, only to find Shen Qi laughing so hard tears were streaming down her face. He shoved the bag into her arms, his phoenix eyes narrowing. "Still laughing?"
Shen Qi immediately mimed zipping her lips shut.
She stopped laughing, but she was holding it in so hard tears were still spilling out, okay?
He Yining shot her a glare.
He wanted to use his usual commanding presence to intimidate her, but somehow, when facing others, he was always so cold and untouchable.
Yet when it came to Shen Qi, he just couldn't seem to stay cold.
It was as if he didn't want to...
Seeing her struggling to hold back her laughter, he let out a sigh. "Go ahead and laugh if you want."
Sure enough, the next second, Shen Qi burst out laughing heartily.
When she finally calmed down, she wiped her tears and said, "Yining, you know what? You looked really adorable just now."
Hearing her assessment, He Yining's long, narrow eyes twitched helplessly.
Fine, he admitted it—he liked that compliment.
No, he liked that *she* was the one giving it.
"You..." He Yining reached out and tapped her nose firmly. "Don't let it happen again."
"Yes, yes, yes! As you command!" Shen Qi immediately made a gesture like a Hong Kong police officer.
He Yining shook his head in exasperation, started the car, and drove off.
After a moment, Shen Qi glanced at him cautiously. "Hey, you've seen me at my most embarrassing, and I've seen you at yours. We're even now! Neither of us can tell anyone!"
He Yining's phoenix eyes slanted slightly, glancing at her before his eyelids drooped. "Hmph."
Shen Qi poked his arm, a smile in her voice. "Deal?"
"Fine." He Yining let out a long breath. "We're even."
After saying that, even He Yining couldn't help but smile.
It seemed he was growing more and more fond of spending time with this little thing.
Shen Qi beamed, then opened the bag and immediately yelped, "Hey, why did you buy baby diapers? Oh... no wonder those aunties were asking if you wanted a second child..."
The vein on He Yining's forehead, which had just calmed down, started throbbing again.
This woman...
She really needed some discipline...
Seeing the veins bulging on his forehead, Shen Qi wisely drew an X over her mouth to signal she'd say nothing more.
He Yining shot her another glare and continued driving in silence.
Back home, Shen Qi hurried to the bathroom to freshen up.
When she came out again, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She looked at the bed, with its pure white, handcrafted sheets, and wondered if they'd be ruined tonight...
He Yining didn't go to bed early tonight; he brought some work to handle in the room.
Shen Qi obediently stayed by his side.
Suddenly, He Yining looked up at her, his phoenix eyes flickering. "When that happened today, why didn't you mention my name?"
Shen Qi looked confused. "Why would I mention your name?"
He Yining felt a wave of helplessness.
Right, this woman never seemed to realize she was supposed to be *his* woman.
Well, technically, she wasn't his yet...
A thought suddenly stirred in He Yining's heart.
What if he made her truly his?
The idea popped into his mind out of nowhere.
Then he remembered the woman he had married in his brother's place, and a wave of irritation washed over him.
For a moment, he regretted standing in for his brother in that marriage.
If he weren't married now, could Shen Qi stay by his side?
The He family didn't have strict rules about social status in marriage. As long as he liked someone, everything else could be worked out.
But now that he was married, Shen Qi probably wouldn't agree to be some other woman, would she?
After all, this woman seemed gentle, but she had a strong will and a fierce pride...
He Yining quickly looked away. "Nothing. Go rest first. I still have things to handle."
Sensing the shift in his mood, Shen Qi didn't press further. She just nodded. "Alright, you get some rest too."
She got up and walked to the big bed, pulled back the covers, and snuggled in comfortably.
He Yining watched her figure, his gaze growing complicated.
Maybe he was overthinking it.
Maybe she wasn't even interested...
A sudden restlessness overtook him, and he couldn't focus on the papers in his hands anymore.
It seemed he needed to go back to the He family mansion and have a serious talk with Grandma.
Shen Qi had no idea why He Yining had suddenly become so pensive. She had already fallen asleep happily.
And she was sleeping very, very soundly.