There he went again

Chi Ye held her quietly, neither of them speaking. He kept one arm around her and stroked her hair with his other hand.

Shen Zhiyi's eyes slowly regained focus. The tears sticking to her face felt awful, leaving her whole face tight. She struggled to get out of Chi Ye's embrace, but his arm tightened around her.

"Tell me what you need."

"A towel. I want to wipe my face." After crying for so long, her voice had turned hoarse. She had never felt this awkward before. She wanted to avoid him, but there was nowhere to hide. Chi Ye was everywhere.

This lounge was his, and so was the arm around her waist. Even the air around her carried his presence. Shen Zhiyi couldn't escape this encirclement.

"Wait here."

Chi Ye got up and went to the washroom, returning shortly with a damp gray towel. Shen Zhiyi reached out to take it, but he refused.

"Sit still. Don't move."

After giving that instruction in a low voice, he wiped her with careful movements that betrayed his inexperience. He was so thorough that he missed nothing, even wiping the damp strands of her hair.

"All done. Feeling a little better now?"

Shen Zhiyi nodded. He put the towel away and smiled. "Then let's go home and eat."

Shen Zhiyi sat on the bed with the quilt gathered around her. Her hair was long and smooth, and when she looked up at Chi Ye, his heart took a sudden, heavy blow.

Chi Ye stood by the window. She looked up, and he looked down. Her eyes mostly held confusion. With her slender neck, she looked like someone waiting to be redeemed, to be kissed.

She looked like the Shen Zhiyi in his dreams. He didn't dare look too closely, yet he couldn't tear his gaze away.

"Shen, Shen Zhiyi, um..." Even Chi Ye's voice had gone hoarse, his words stumbling out in fragments.

Lured in, he bent down, drawing closer and closer until their breaths slowly began to mingle. He gazed into her eyes, where there was a river of spring moonlight, cool yet tinged with tenderness.

The closer he got, the clearer his heartbeat became. It pounded against his eardrums again and again. His hand braced on the bed curled nervously, gripping the sheet in an unnatural hold.

He closed his eyes, moving closer, then closer still.

"Do you have a death wish, Chi Ye?"

Chi Ye's eyes flew open, his pupils dilating in fright. He quickly backed away, shaking his head. In that instant, he even wanted to flee the planet.

"I, I was checking whether you were really awake. As long as you're awake. As long as you're awake."

He hurriedly turned around and put the towel back, then strode out and pulled open the lounge door.

"Hurry up and get up. We're going home. If, if we wait any longer, the Housekeeper will start rushing us again."

[There he went again.]

Chu Yanqing had invited many wealthy guests to his birthday celebration. As his close friend, Chi Ye had naturally received an invitation. Chu Yanqing had never asked him about his situation with Shen Zhiyi, but he had prepared an invitation for her as well.

Chi Ye thought this was an opportunity. If he brought Shen Zhiyi along, everyone in their circle would know he had a girlfriend, and no one else would be foolish enough to insist on a blind date with him.

Shen Zhiyi accepted his suggestion. Her main concern was what gift to give Chu Yanqing. With a wave of his hand, Chi Ye said he had already prepared it.

After she stopped going to S University, she returned to her old routine, sleeping during the day and watching television through sleepless nights. Chi Ye could see that something wasn't quite right with her, but his questions got him nowhere.

Despite his suspicions, he had no way to confirm anything. Still, attending the banquet should give Shen Zhiyi more chances to interact with others, which would be good.

He had consulted a few psychologists, whose main advice was to communicate and interact more. Every day, whenever he saw Shen Zhiyi, he talked nonstop.

Now it was time to take her out to meet other people.

Once they had changed, the two of them prepared to leave. With no need to make dinner that night, the Housekeeper watched them and secretly took out his phone to snap a photo.

"How much should I sell this photo to the young master for someday? It ought to be worth a tidy retirement fund." After looking at the photo, he lowered his head and muttered to himself.

Then, remembering his duties, he put his phone away and stood up straight, smiling kindly.

"Young master and Miss Shen are such a perfect match. How enviable!"

Chi Ye said, "Tsk. Shut up."

The Housekeeper smiled faintly. "You're becoming more and more human, young master. The old master would certainly be pleased to see it."

Chi Ye no longer wanted to argue. He was tired. He would let the Housekeeper carry on this one-man show by himself. He had plenty to do.

Chi Ye and Shen Zhiyi wore formal attire in the same color: black.

Neither of them was given to smiling, making them look unapproachable. Chi Ye frowned at the high heels on her feet.

"Don't wear heels. Change into flats."

Shen Zhiyi said, "No need."

Chi Ye checked his watch, then reminded her,

"This banquet will last quite a while. I'm worried standing around will be hard on you." His suggestion was sincere.

"Why would I stand?" Shen Zhiyi asked earnestly.

Chi Ye paused for a moment, then pointed at their outfits.

"You're my girlfriend and my date. Take a guess-do we need to socialize?"

[What a hassle.]

Shen Zhiyi already felt tired just hearing about it, but she had a favor to repay. Once again, she wavered between refusing and agreeing.

Seeing her hesitation, Chi Ye immediately added,

"That works too. Just find somewhere to rest when we get there. You don't have to follow me around."

In the end, she didn't change into flats. She was wearing an evening gown, after all, and flats wouldn't look as good with it. As someone who had half an education in art, she did have her own aesthetic standards and principles.

The banquet was being held at the Chu Family's hotel. Almost everyone attending was a recognizable name in Jiang City. Chi Ye came solely as a representative of his own company.

His older cousin would probably represent the Chi Family. They were on good terms, so he would likely come to celebrate Chu Yanqing's birthday.

As the star of the day, Chu Yanqing was naturally busy. He appeared briefly, then hurried away again. The luxury cars outside the hotel could have circled all of Jiang City.

A fragrant scent surrounded them as soon as they entered the hotel. Chi Ye and Shen Zhiyi had arrived neither early nor late. They got out of the car and walked inside arm in arm.

Many people greeted Chi Ye when they saw him, not just because he belonged to the Chi Family, but because most of them wanted to collaborate with his company.

At first, Chi Ye played the gentleman and responded politely. Some people were curious about the woman beside him, too. He answered openly and directly,

"This is my girlfriend, Shen Zhiyi."

Perhaps the news was simply too surprising; before long, it had spread through the entire room.

Later, so many people came to ask that Chi Ye's unpleasant true nature emerged. Impatiently, he hurried off with Shen Zhiyi to find somewhere to sit.

The first thing he did was lower his head to look at her feet.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

Shen Zhiyi felt tired. There was so much noise around her, glittering lights, fine wine, and evening gowns. This was a world she had never encountered before. Still, in a setting like this, it felt as though something might happen tonight.

"I'm fine," she replied softly.

[No. I'm tired.] Her inner voice said the opposite.

She was there as a prop today. All she had to do was help Chi Ye achieve his goal. She lounged in her seat, not caring in the slightest what sort of occasion this was.