Her eyes were red-rimmed as she fought back the urge to cry, leaning into his embrace. Muffled, she said, "Shen Xiaoxing, why are you so good to me?"
The man rested his chin on top of her head, deeply inhaling her faint fragrance, his low voice thick and resonant: "Because you're my Mrs. Shen. If I'm not good to you, who else would I be good to?"
"But..." An Ruo had never revealed her feelings to this man before. Today, the atmosphere was just right, and she couldn't help but whisper, "I'm not that great. What if one day you realize I'm not worth your feelings—will you—"
The man knew what she was about to say and cut her off directly, his voice deep: "Whether you're outstanding or not, good or bad, has nothing to do with what I'm saying. I love you—I just love you as a person."
An Ruo's chest trembled. She was stunned, a look of shock in her eyes, unable to believe this man had just said he loved her.
But they were husband and wife, married first and in love later—feelings could be cultivated slowly.
Still...
Hearing those three words from his own lips, she was too moved to meet his eyes.
She lowered her voice and asked, "When... when did you fall in love with me?"
The man's deep eyes were fixed on her, his large hand gently stroking the top of her head, his voice tender and magnetic: "Remember the first time you went back to the old mansion with me, when Shen Tingfeng pushed me down?"
"I remember."
"At that moment, you rushed over desperately. When I heard your voice, my heart skipped a beat. Maybe it started from then."
Or maybe it was from the first time she stepped into the villa, standing bewildered in the vast living room with her suitcase, looking around helplessly...
He had been captivated by her face through the surveillance camera, but back then, he mostly thought she resembled his mother, gaining an advantage in appearance.
So he paid a bit more attention to her. Aside from suspecting she was sent by the second branch, he didn't actually dislike this girl.
"That early?"
"Early?" The man leaned close to her ear, his breath brushing against her cheek, ticklish. He said softly, "I only know that at that time, you were the first woman besides my mother who was willing to risk her life to protect me."
Hearing his assessment of her, An Ruo felt warmth in her heart. She leaned gently against him, quietly listening to his strong heartbeat.
"If I was that good, why did you still deliberately bully me later?"
"Mrs. Shen, I'm being wronged! When did I bully you?"
How did he remember it being this girl who bullied him?
Taking advantage of his blindness, she played little tricks and deliberately teased him.
"You did. Back then, you had such a bad temper, throwing things at the slightest provocation, and you were so fierce. I was on edge every day, afraid of upsetting you."
The man held her tighter: "Really?"
"Mm."
"I'm sorry, Mrs. Shen. I apologize." Shen Xiaoxing gently wrapped his large hand around her small one, resting his chin in the crook of her neck, his voice deepening: "But back then, I wasn't targeting you. My random outbursts were actually intentional."
An Ruo frowned slightly: "Intentional?"
"Because there were so many eyes watching in the villa. You had just come to me, and I was too guarded. I had no choice but to lose my temper in front of you to prove to them that we weren't getting along."
Before, she didn't understand his life circumstances. Now she knew he was surrounded by enemies in the Shen family, with every word and action monitored. Faced with her sudden appearance, he had to show disgust to dispel the second branch's suspicions.
Now that the misunderstanding was cleared up, An Ruo could understand his past actions.
After all, they weren't familiar with each other back then, and he couldn't openly pull her aside to act together.
"I didn't mean to target you." The man held her and swayed gently, his voice tender: "My fault. I made Mrs. Shen suffer. Whatever punishment you want, your husband will accept."
Thinking back, when they didn't know each other well, they did things that annoyed each other. If anyone was in the wrong, it was him first.
"Then punish you by being good to me for the rest of your life."
The man raised an eyebrow and chuckled lightly: "That's all?"
"Too light?"
"I thought Mrs. Shen would make me kneel on a washboard or have someone beat me up."
An Ruo laughed, turning sideways to touch his handsome face: "I couldn't bear that. Besides, I'm going to spend my whole life with you. If you got beaten and ended up with lasting injuries, wouldn't I be widowed?"
The man let out an exasperated laugh: "Cursing me, little girl?"
"So you need to stay well and live long, or else I'll remarry."
"While I'm alive, you'd better drop that idea." Shen Xiaoxing bit her earlobe maliciously, then added in a low, firm voice: "Even if I die, you won't have that chance. Don't even think about it in this life!"
"How can you be so domineering?"
Had she never noticed before how possessive this man was?
"I've always been domineering. I didn't show it easily before because I was afraid of scaring you off. Now that you're my Mrs. Shen and can't run away, of course, I've revealed my true colors."
An Ruo pretended to sigh reluctantly: "Saying that makes me almost regret marrying you."
"Say that again?"
An Ruo didn't dare.
The man turned her body to face him, his domineering words leaving no room for argument: "You're already married to me. Regret is useless."
On the surface, he seemed cold and indifferent to everything, but his personality was stubborn, vengeful, and narrow-minded...
Since she had stumbled into his heart and provoked him, there was no way out unscathed.
So, he didn't plan to let go in this lifetime.
But he didn't dare say these words, afraid that showing too much would scare her.
She was a delicate young girl, still young. If she knew his true face, how could she stay by his side willingly?
...
They decided to leave after lunch. During that time, the old master summoned Shen Xiaoxing to Lanting Pavilion for a talk. Knowing she was bored, the man came back and took her for a stroll around Jingyuan.
In the courtyard, Lin Zhao was trimming greenery with scissors. A servant walked over softly and lowered her voice: "Madam..."
Lin Zhao admired her carefully cultivated plants and said calmly, "How is it?"
"From my observation, the eldest young mistress's condition is the early stage of morning sickness."
Lin Zhao paused, slowly looking at her: "You mean she's pregnant?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"I can't be mistaken. All her symptoms over the past two days match the early pregnancy reactions."
Lin Zhao raised her face, expression unreadable, and nodded slightly: "At noon, instruct the kitchen to prepare some miscarriage-preventing medicine. Don't say anything until we're sure she's pregnant."
"Yes, I'll tell the kitchen right away."
After the servant left, Lin Zhao put down the scissors and looked up at the girl pushing the man in a wheelchair, strolling around the courtyard not far away.
She averted her gaze, her eyes betraying no emotion.
For the last meal at the old mansion, they still had lunch in Jingyuan.
This time, they arrived early. By the time they sat down, Lin Zhao had just stepped into the dining room.
"Mom."
Seeing her, An Ruo always politely nodded.
The man's expression was indifferent, exuding coldness. He rested one hand on the table, playing with the utensils, not even glancing at Lin Zhao.
"Sit." Lin Zhao nodded at her.
Seeing them seated, the servant immediately brought lunch to the table.