The Bold Yun Xiaoran

"Got it, honey."

Yun Xiaoran had been distracted all this time, afraid that Shen Jin had discovered his secret identity.

But Shen Jin was still watching him like that.

He remembered how she had bought his mother a gold bracelet when she met his parents.

The word "honey" slipped out before he knew it.

By the time Yun Xiaoran realized what he had said, he was staring at Shen Jin in panic.

Shen Jin had spent a dull, exhausting day. Earlier, she had only wanted to tease Yun Xiaoran, asking him now and then what his secret identity was.

But then she heard him call her that. She had been enjoying herself, yet his words made her fight to keep her embarrassment from showing, her beautiful eyes blinking as she gazed at him.

I'm not scared. He's the one who's scared!

Yun Xiaoran had hoped to use her embarrassment as a chance to go wash the dishes.

Instead, Shen Jin was behaving strangely. She neither grew shy nor backed down, leaving Yun Xiaoran with no choice but to avoid her gaze.

"I'm going to wash the dishes." Yun Xiaoran hastily used that excuse to leave the table, while Shen Jin watched him with a barely perceptible smile.

Normally, Shen Jin would never have dared act this way. But today had been so boring that she had decided to tease her husband, never expecting Yun Xiaoran to be even shyer than she had imagined...

Still, he had nothing to do sitting at home. Since he also wanted to work on his social anxiety, he simply agreed to go downstairs with Shen Jin.

Before heading down, Shen Jin remembered to put on a mask.

Yun Xiaoran was already used to it.

Actually, he rather wanted to wear one too, so he wouldn't have to greet people he barely knew.

But going downstairs was supposed to help him practice socializing, so he quickly dismissed the idea.

There were quite a few people around the residential complex at this hour.

Most were grandparents taking their grandchildren out for a stroll.

This was Yun Xiaoran's first time coming down with Shen Jin, who was as cold as a glacier and spoke very little.

As for Yun Xiaoran, there was no chance he would strike up a conversation with her.

The two kept a little distance between them as they strolled along the paths in the neighborhood park.

After a dozen minutes or so, they ran into an older woman on one of the paths. Yun Xiaoran had often encountered her downstairs lately, and after seeing him a few times, the outgoing woman had begun treating him as an acquaintance.

Seeing Yun Xiaoran and Shen Jin, she naturally came over to greet them with her little grandchild in her arms.

"Oh, good evening, young man! We meet again. Is this your girlfriend?"

Yun Xiaoran gave a stiff smile. "Ah, she's my wife."

Sure enough, we've run into a neighbor I barely know.

This is torture.

To Shen Jin, this woman wasn't her mother-in-law, so she didn't need to make a good impression as a daughter-in-law. She had only intended to nod in greeting and move on, but as she did, her eyes met those of the chubby little granddaughter in the woman's arms.

The little one's gaze was pure and innocent.

At the sight of the pretty young woman, her big, round eyes brightened. She opened her little mouth in a smile, revealing a few baby teeth. That innocent, radiant smile was impossible to ignore, and even Shen Jin couldn't resist taking another look.

This little thing is pretty cute.

The perceptive older woman immediately noticed Shen Jin's expression and held her granddaughter out to her.

"Here, would you like to hold her? Our Tiantian loves being held by pretty young ladies."

Shen Jin froze for a moment as the little one was offered to her. The woman certainly knew what to say, and she couldn't refuse the child's expectant little face either. In the end, she reached out and carefully gathered the baby into her arms.

"Tiantian. That's a lovely name."

She began entertaining the baby, her movements a little clumsy and unfamiliar.

Hearing her name, the little one grinned and giggled, her few emerging baby teeth looking utterly adorable.

Shen Jin's lips curved faintly. Standing beside her, Yun Xiaoran had wanted to reach out and play with the baby, but for some reason, he felt strange, though he wore a slight smile.

Seeing this, the older woman said cheerfully, "Young man, look how much your wife likes babies. You'd better work hard and hurry up and have one of your own."

The smile vanished from Yun Xiaoran's face. Looking a little awkward, he instinctively replied:

"Ah, okay."

He and Shen Jin were only a temporary couple. What exactly were they supposed to work hard at? For now, the only thing they could work on was fooling both their families.

Shen Jin, on the other hand, was much more composed than Yun Xiaoran. In the entertainment industry, you really couldn't get by without some control over your expressions.

As she handed the little one back, she said, "We'll do our best."

Yun Xiaoran hastily nodded too, but inwardly he was mortified. He barely knew Shen Jin, and they weren't a real couple.

"Hahaha, dear, stop teasing your husband. Careful, or he might not let you get any sleep tonight."

The older woman had been around the block. She could make dirty jokes without blushing or missing a beat. Who said the older generation was all conservative?

Shen Jin was all bravado and no experience, and now she couldn't keep up. It took her a moment to understand what the woman meant. She froze awkwardly in place, her pretty face flushing pink as conflicting thoughts swirled through her mind.

Yun Xiaoran watched her.

After a moment's hesitation, an oddly vengeful impulse came over him. While the inexperienced Shen Jin was still stunned by the woman's words and staring blankly at him, he reached out and took her hand. Its delicate, smooth skin felt slightly cool, sending a tremor through his heart.

You rotten jerk!

Feeling his warm, large hand envelop hers, Shen Jin stiffened. What had been her home turf had suddenly become his. After that instant of panic, she immediately turned her head and glared at Yun Xiaoran.

Shen Jin had beautiful eyes, but her glare carried an imposing presence of its own. She gazed at Yun Xiaoran reproachfully, her naturally lovely eyes and a diva's acting skills blending seamlessly, as though she had a thousand things to say.

Normally, a glare like that really would have made Yun Xiaoran back down.

But this time was different. Not only did he refuse to retreat, he steeled himself and looked back at her, smugness shining in his eyes. He even tightened his grip on her hand, then feigned composure as he led her forward, savoring its smoothness.

Shen Jin: "..."

Jerk!

She was so angry her teeth ached. She even wanted to throw him over her shoulder right then and there to teach him a lesson.

Strangely, though, something was wrong with her heartbeat. It seemed to be racing...

Th-this is very wrong!

Miss Shen began to panic. She had been single all her life, well over a decade, and had never experienced anything like this. But even in her panic, she refused to lose the upper hand.

She quickly recovered, narrowed her beautiful eyes, and pulled Yun Xiaoran close. In an instant, they were pressed tightly together, looking utterly inseparable.

Surprised by Shen Jin's actions, Yun Xiaoran turned toward her in confusion. The next moment, a sharp pain shot through the tender flesh at his waist.

"Hiss..."

He sucked in a breath and looked down, only to find a devious little hand using their bodies as cover while it pinched his waist hard.

"Sh-Shen Jin, l-let go of me!"

Sensing serious danger, Yun Xiaoran tried to release Shen Jin's hand and push her away, but she held on tightly. Her arm, which had seemed so soft and supple, deftly trapped his wrist with surprising force, refusing to let him pull free.

Her usually pleasant voice now sounded positively wicked, carrying a trace of laughter. "Oh, don't. Weren't you enjoying holding my hand? Why let go?"

Yun Xiaoran: "..."

Watching the young couple walk away, practically glued together, the older woman smiled in satisfaction. "Look at them. How sweet."

While the young couple busied themselves taking liberties with each other without realizing it, the still-single Zhou Zeyu called Yun Xiaoran twice, only for both calls to go unanswered...