Writing a love letter?

Shen Jin had already grown used to having Yun Xiaoran around.

She even felt that if Yun Xiaoran was willing, they could keep their marriage like this indefinitely, without interfering in each other's lives. She would not be too strict with him in that respect. After all, they were only a temporary couple.

As for physical needs...

Shen Jin found herself stumped again. After all, she did not want a romantic relationship and could not satisfy him. She could go her whole life without touching a man, but during their conversation that morning, she had realized Yun Xiaoran could hardly go his whole life without touching a woman.

For now, Shen Jin felt she could be generous. As long as they maintained the appearance of a marriage, she could agree to let Yun Xiaoran pursue a relationship of his own.

As for why she had gotten angry last time, after catching Yun Xiaoran eating with Zhou Yanqi at a restaurant, it was probably because, as his wife, she could not stand seeing her husband date another woman. It made her lose face.

That was why she had been upset.

It was not jealousy.

She, Shen Jin, never got jealous!

After returning home, Yun Xiaoran had headed straight into his room early. He never mentioned what had happened during their walk.

As Shen Jin lay quietly that day, she recalled how Yun Xiaoran had taken her right hand. His large, warm hand had easily enclosed her beautiful, slender hand, its veins clearly visible.

Her heart had been pounding at the time, too.

That shameless creep! He still couldn't shake his stalker-fan nature!

The more Shen Jin thought about it, the sleepier she became. In the end, she actually fell asleep on the sofa.

In his bedroom, Yun Xiaoran had originally planned to send the love poems he had written directly to Zhou Zeyu, but Zhou Zeyu insisted that he write them on a card. With no other choice, Yun Xiaoran found a card-like sheet of paper in the bookcase and began copying them out carefully. Before that, he drafted them in a notebook, copying down the suitable lines and crossing out the unsuitable ones.

His handwriting was neat and beautiful, making the words especially pleasing to look at on paper.

But he still needed to rest and conserve his energy. Tomorrow, he first had to see Li Qingxi to cut ties with her completely, then meet Zhou Yanqi to record a new song.

Overcome with drowsiness, Yun Xiaoran left the card on his desk and went straight to sleep, without even switching off the desk lamp. Fu Bao was still nestled in his arms, eyes narrowed as the cat slowly drifted off.

A little while later, Shen Jin opened Yun Xiaoran's bedroom door.

Yun Xiaoran was not a woman, so he had never developed the habit of closing his door when he slept at night. This also allowed Shen Jin to enter and leave his room freely every time. His bedroom had already been tidied up, leaving it clean and simple.

Coming to the bedside, Shen Jin scooped the cat out of Yun Xiaoran's arms. As she looked around, she could not help nodding.

Pretty clean.

Before leaving, Shen Jin noticed that the desk lamp was still on, so she walked over and reached out to turn it off for him.

When she stopped in front of the desk and saw the red envelope with a heart attached to it, along with the notebook beside it, puzzlement appeared on her delicate face. They seemed to draw her in with a powerful magic.

The notebook was open, revealing two pages of writing and crossed-out lines. It looked as though Yun Xiaoran had agonized over them for quite some time.

Wearing slippers and loose shorts, Shen Jin held the cat in one arm and, puzzled, picked up the notebook with her free hand to read its contents:

[I would cross a thousand mountains and rivers for you, just to whisper "I love you" in your ear.]

After one glance at the opening, her beautiful eyes widened. She looked again at the white envelope on the desk, scarcely able to believe it! Her quick mind instantly worked it out: Yun Xiaoran was writing someone a love letter!

Who was it for?

Could it be for her?

Maybe... maybe it really was!

After spending all this time together, perhaps he had secretly developed feelings for her.

Yun Xiaoran did not take the initiative to approach her and barely spoke, so he had decided to try writing a love letter instead.

After all, she was the "National Goddess" acknowledged by men throughout China. Shen Jin naturally had that much confidence.

Yun Xiaoran stayed home all day, and the two of them saw each other daily, spending morning and night together. It was entirely possible for affection to grow over time!

Even she sometimes felt a strange flicker of affection for him. She had plenty going for her, so it was quite possible that Yun Xiaoran had fallen for her.

"How childish," Shen Jin muttered, then eagerly read on. She did not miss a single word, even in the sentences Yun Xiaoran had crossed out. It was as though she were exploring an undiscovered, mysterious treasure, her eyes filled with excitement and longing.

[If love were a rainstorm, I would wish to be the umbrella in your hand, shielding you from all the cold and damp.]

Reading this silently, Shen Jin blushed faintly. She glanced sideways at the man sleeping soundly on the bed and softly scoffed, "Be my what? You're just a stalker fan!"

He really did care about her a great deal, often enough. He could even tolerate some of her little faults. He was thoughtful and emotionally steady.

Flustered, Shen Jin sat down at the computer desk, set the cat on the floor, and kept reading.

[I am a forgetful person, yet I can never forget your kindness. As long as you are wherever my gaze falls, that is enough. Your lips are so lovely, perfect for saying you love me, and even better for kissing me...]

"Isn't this a little too mushy...?"

Those passionate declarations, so frank and heartfelt, set Shen Jin's delicate face burning, dried her lips, and made her palms sweat. Sitting upright with her head lowered, she lightly ran the tip of her tongue over her dry red lips and swallowed.

Meanwhile, Fu Bao, who had already woken up, was thoroughly confused. Hadn't Mom come to take the cat away?

Why was she interested in the two-legged creature's paper now? Strange humans.

Shen Jin had never imagined that someone so quiet in everyday life could write a love letter that was this... this mushy!

With her head lowered, Shen Jin ought to have scorned such childish words of love, yet she could not stop reading. Even her heartbeat became erratic. Wisps of hair at her temples hung meekly beside her cheeks, and a rarely seen smile appeared on her face.

Then she reached the final sentence in the notebook: "You are my momentary impulse, and the affection I have held for so long."

Shen Jin's heart skipped a beat. She closed the notebook and glanced around, realizing that Yun Xiaoran had not woken up, but the smile still lingered on her face.

A good child in her parents' eyes and a good student in her teachers' eyes, Shen Jin had grown up following the path of a dutiful girl.

She was exceptionally pretty, and ever since she was sixteen, plenty of boys had handed her love letters. Yet she had never fallen for any of them. By all rights, she should have become completely immune to love letters ten years ago.

But she had never expected Yun Xiaoran's love letter today to make her heart race and her face burn. Amid her surprise and nervousness, her beautiful eyes brimmed with delight.

She had never seen these lines before.

"So... mushy."

Shen Jin muttered softly, then grew afraid that Yun Xiaoran might suddenly wake up and discover she had read the love letter. Holding it in both hands against her smooth, fair thighs, she was briefly seized by nerves.

She had not yet figured out how to respond to Yun Xiaoran when the time came. Flustered, she reopened the notebook, gathered Fu Bao into her arms, and hurried away.

She desperately wanted to return to her room and calm down. This was all far too sudden.

She only wanted to be Yun Xiaoran's temporary wife. She had never planned to become his real wife! If Yun Xiaoran delivered this love letter to her, she would have no idea how to respond.

Shen Jin panicked!

For more than twenty years, she had calmly handled all kinds of publicity scandals, big and small, as well as voices of doubt. Now, lying in bed, she stared fixedly at the pillow opposite her, still sitting quietly on the cabinet.