Chapter 25: He Wants to Get Married.
After hanging up the phone, Shan Dai flipped over and buried herself in the covers, preparing to coax herself to sleep.
Before sleeping, she took a glance at the floor and was surprised to discover that water had already submerged the carpet on her side of the bed. It was over.
Shan Dai immediately picked up the landline phone to call the front desk.
“Hello, Oriental Rose Hotel.”
“Hello, I’m staying in Room 1206. The window in my room is leaking water. I told you yesterday morning to send someone to handle it, but nobody came, right?”
“Oh, oh, that. I heard from the housekeeping lady that no one was in the room, so she didn’t go in.”
“…” Shan Dai said, feeling completely helpless, “When I went out, I came up to the front desk and told you guys to handle it. I was already about to leave, so of course I wouldn’t be in. What should we do now then? The rain leakage is very severe, and more than half the floor is already soaked.”
“Ah, is that so? Then please wait a moment, I’ll send someone up to inspect it.”
“Alright.”
Shan Dai hung up the phone and briefly packed her luggage by the window, lifting it to move it elsewhere.
Before long, people from the hotel arrived—a male manager and the female staff member who had just registered her at the front desk.
The two checked in front of the window for a while and opened the window, but before they could even speak, they were drenched by rainwater. They hurriedly shut it again, while rain kept surging in under their eyes.
“This… how could it be like this?” The manager scratched his hair. “It’s so late, and with weather like this, it’s hard to find anyone to repair it.”
The two turned their heads to look at Shan Dai with difficulty, and the male manager said, “Hello, we are extremely sorry for causing you such trouble. Look, is it okay if we switch you to another room? This side can only be repaired tomorrow.”
Shan Dai nodded.
The female staff member said, “However, today there is only one small Standard Room left. Is that okay?”
Shan Dai: “How small is it?”
“Um… basically, it’s the hotel’s discount room, smaller than our Executive King Room here. It’s just two floors down, we can go take a look.”
Shan Dai followed the female staff member to the elevator.
Arriving at the room on the 10th floor, the moment the door opened, Shan Dai wanted to run.
How small was that room? Inside were stuffed two one-meter-wide beds—one right against the inner wall, and one right against the bathroom wall near the entrance. The aisle in the middle could only fit a single nightstand, and the only passable space in the entire room was at the foot of the beds, which was so narrow that her suitcase wouldn’t even be able to open flat.
The bathroom was also dark, cramped, and oppressive.
Furthermore, it looked like no one had stayed there for a long time. In the rainy air, a damp, musty smell hit her right in the face.
Shan Dai turned around and walked out immediately. “Just give me some cloth to stuff into the window. I’ll make do staying in my own room.”
The female staff member probably also knew the conditions of this room were quite poor, so she gave a dry laugh, closed the door, and accompanied her back upstairs.
That male manager was already taking cloth to rescue the situation.
Seeing them return and knowing she didn’t want to move out, he told Shan Dai that he had briefly handled it, and currently the water leakage looked a bit better. He had also spread several layers of bath towels on the floor to increase friction, telling her to walk carefully and not slip, and to call them if there were any further issues in the middle of the night.
Shan Dai agreed and sent them off.
She lay tiredly on the bed, turning over after a while to look at the carpet beneath her feet. She felt that the soaked area had expanded even more, indicating that the window was still leaking water.
“I won’t wake up sleeping in water tomorrow, right?” Shan Dai murmured, resting her chin on her hand with a bitter laugh. In the end, she got out of bed, went to the bathroom to fetch fresh bath towels, and went to the window to stuff two more layers into it.
She returned to sit on the bed. Her feet were wet, and while waiting for her feet to dry, she picked up her phone out of sheer boredom to take a look.
Unexpectedly, Pu Huaiyan had sent her a WeChat message three minutes ago.
Pu Huaiyan: “Send me a message when you wake up in the morning. Shall we have breakfast together?”
Shan Dai replied: “Alright.”
Pu Huaiyan: “Not asleep yet?”
Two hours had already passed since he booked the room; he must have thought she was asleep.
Shan Dai replied in distress: “My room’s window is leaking water.” Following that, her fingers typed away tap-tap-tap, telling him the process and outcome of the entire situation.
In less than a minute, a knock came from the door.
Shan Dai went to open the door.
The man’s gaze swept halfway across her bathrobe before shifting away to meet her eyes. “Is it still leaking?”
“Yes.” Shan Dai’s gaze couldn’t help but fall on him as well. He had already washed up and was currently wearing a hotel bathrobe.
She uncomfortably shifted her gaze toward her room. “Though it shouldn’t affect my sleep. Worst case scenario, the whole carpet in the room will be wet tomorrow. I’ll just be careful.”
“Let me take a look.”
Shan Dai pushed open the door.
Pu Huaiyan stepped inside, a soft reminder coming from behind him: “Be careful not to slip.” He was wearing hotel slippers, and she was afraid they weren’t slip-resistant enough.
Pu Huaiyan gave an “mm.” Just as his feet reached the bedside, the heavy, wet sensation let him know that this area was already soaked. He looked down, knitting his brows. If the rain didn’t stop tonight, the whole room would be soaked without even waiting for the middle of the night.
He turned around and said, “Come over to my place? Staying here overnight is very dangerous when you wake up.”
“What about you, President Pu?”
Pu Huaiyan: “You sleep in the bedroom, I’ll be in the living room.”
“…” Shan Dai subconsciously shook her head.
Pu Huaiyan raised an eyebrow: “You are already divorced. Besides, do you not trust me?”
“…” Shan Dai was extremely embarrassed, explaining in a low voice, “I didn’t mean it like that. Plus, the divorce certificate isn’t finalized yet. If word gets out, neither of us will have any face left.”
“Who would spread it? You?”
“…”
“I certainly won’t, and I also trust Ms. Shan,” he teased.
“…” Shan Dai stood weakly leaning against the wall. “Stop being cheeky. I’ll just make do for one night.”
The man stared at her helpless face for a few seconds, his heart softening. He didn’t force her, knowing that even if she were single, she wouldn’t necessarily go over—a lonely man and a solitary woman being too intimate.
So he switched methods: “If not, let’s change hotels. Pack your things, there are plenty of hotels nearby.”
Shan Dai sighed: “It’s raining so hard, forget it.” She raised her head, “President Pu, go to sleep. It’s so late. Today you drove to Linzhou and came back overnight, worked overtime, picked me up, rescued your friends, and now…” The heartache in her eyes wasn’t hidden at all, “You must be exhausted. Go rest quickly.”
Pu Huaiyan watched her quietly for a good while, the rhythm of his heartbeat abnormally obvious.
He stepped closer, stopping in front of her. “I’m not tired, really.”
The young girl leaned against the door panel, shaking her head firmly. “Go rest. The minor issue at hand is completely negligible compared to resting—not worth mentioning at all. I don’t care about it; I just informed them so that if it floods the ceiling downstairs tomorrow, they won’t demand compensation from me.” She gave a bitter smile.
Pu Huaiyan knew she wouldn’t go over and compromised: “Then let’s swap rooms. I’ll sleep here, and you go to mine.” Without waiting for her to refuse, he pressed his advantage, “Your leg is injured; what if you fall? You must care about it, otherwise in the middle of the night you’ll still have to call me saying, ‘President Pu, save me.’ Then I’ll start suspecting whether I collided with bad spirits on my birthday this year, with the whole world waiting twenty-four hours a day for me to rescue them.”
“…” Shan Dai burst out laughing, and as she laughed, she suddenly said, “But to me, President Pu, you are no different from a savior.”
The depths of Pu Huaiyan’s eyes were jet-black yet sparkling, like obsidian. “Silly girl, don’t say such things.”
She fell into a dilemma.
Pu Huaiyan deployed a pity play once more: “I’m feeling a bit sleepy too. If you go early, we can both sleep earlier. If you stay here by yourself, I won’t be able to rest peacefully all night—waking up countless times.”
The look in Shan Dai’s eyes instantly changed.
Then Pu Huaiyan pulled her wrist and walked out. She followed step-by-step, completely unable to refuse.
After Pu Huaiyan brought her inside, he grabbed his phone on the way out and pointed to the bed, telling her to rest early.
Shan Dai stood at the door, watching him head back.
That bed in her room had been slept in by her for a few days, holding a faint jasmine fragrance on the pillow that smelled very pleasant. The moment Pu Huaiyan lay down after returning, he felt that even if a real flood hit the room tonight, he would sleep very comfortably.
It was just that in such an environment, his mind involuntarily acted like it had for the past hour—completely filled with the scene on the long street tonight that wouldn’t go away, the scene of her standing firmly with an umbrella, and the final scene of them holding each other…
He was completely unable to fall asleep, his mind replaying over and over her silk dress ruffled by the wind and rain, and the rainwater on her face.
At the same time, in the other room.
Drowsy and semi-conscious, listening to the overwhelming thunder outside, Shan Dai’s mind also repeatedly flashed back to the moment on the street tonight when Pu Huaiyan pulled her into his arms… She was thinking whether she should move to this city and never leave again, or never come here ever again.
She didn’t know what time she fell asleep later on. When she opened her eyes again, she found the rain outside had stopped. Thinking that her original room shouldn’t have any big issues left, she comfortably went back to sleep.
This hotel’s facilities weren’t good, but the soundproofing was quite decent. Sleeping on days without wind or rain was extremely comfortable. She woke up fully at twelve o’clock.
After checking the time, Shan Dai immediately remembered Pu Huaiyan’s invitation for a meal last night. It was already noon—how could they eat breakfast? It was over.
Shan Dai immediately went onto WeChat to send a message: “President Pu, good afternoon! Sorry, I woke up late. Have you left yet? Shall we have lunch together?”
No reply.
Shan Dai went to wash up, checking her phone while bustling about. When she was done, there was still no message. Shan Dai sent another sentence over: “Is President Pu busy? Should I order lunch for you?”
Still no reply.
Shan Dai stepped in her slippers and went to Room 1206.
Knocking on the door, nobody responded.
Did he really leave… to work overtime?
But where did he put his room card? How was she supposed to return to the room to fetch her things?
Shan Dai stood at the door, contemplating solutions for a moment, and could only awkwardly call a certain someone.
After ringing for a few seconds, it was picked up.
“Hello…” A raspy male voice came through, inexplicably brimming with sex appeal.
Shan Dai paused, then quietly widened her eyes to stare at the door in front of her. “President Pu, are you still sleeping?”
“Mm.” A lazy reply, along with the sound of the duvet turning over. “You’re awake?”
“Yes.”
“So early.”
“It’s twelve o’clock.”
“…”
Shan Dai smiled faintly, leaning against the wall near the door and looking down at her feet, saying casually, “I thought you had left.”
“Go where?”
“To work overtime.”
“Sleepy.”
“I thought no matter how sleepy you were, President Pu, you would still get up to work overtime.”
“Earn money with a life to spend it, but no life left to spend it.”
“…” She laughed. Heavens, to hear this sentence from the mouth of the overtime maniac Pu Huaiyan was truly a miracle!
The room door was suddenly opened from the inside. Shan Dai was startled and turned back holding her phone. “So fast! You scared me to death.”
The man with slightly disheveled hair propped his hand against the doorframe, looking out at her. Her eyes looked watery with grievance. One look and Pu Huaiyan felt pained. “Sorry.”
Shan Dai was easily coaxed, her face instantly turning into a smile.
Then she immediately noticed that the man had just woken up and wasn’t dressed very neatly. The bathrobe revealed half of his chest, solid pectoral muscles looming faintly. Coupled with two strands of hair hanging slightly down, his entire persona was lazy to the extreme. A faint cedar fragrance drifted past her nose—fresh, charming, and bursting with pheromones.
Shan Dai whispered, “Good morning.”
“Isn’t it already twelve o’clock?”
She smiled, “Whenever one gets up, that’s when morning is.”
Pu Huaiyan raised a corner of his thin lips with novelty, very interested in this phrasing. He scanned her up and down—Madam looked like she had slept quite well, in great spirits. Her small, pinkish cheeks held a trace of lively cuteness in addition to her usual ethereal air.
“Did you sleep well?”
“Pretty well.” She put her hands behind her back and stretched. “The Business Suite seems more comfortable than mine. Expensive for a reason.”
He let out a laugh, looking at her lazy appearance. His heart tickled—so cute, Ms. Shan was truly cute, Madam was truly cute.
Shan Dai said, “Why don’t you continue sleeping, President Pu? I’m not hungry anyway. We can eat afternoon tea together after you wake up.”
“Not sleepy anymore.” He opened the door. “Come in. Wait a bit for me and we’ll go eat lunch. Think about what cuisine you want to eat first, I’ll take you there in a bit.”
Shan Dai followed him inside by one step, but was suddenly scooped up around the waist by the man who turned back, lifted out, and set down outside.
Shan Dai was startled. Only when her feet touched the ground did she shrink her body slightly, her breathing hurried.
The man’s voice teased beside her ear: “Forgot—the inside is all soaked. Don’t come in.”
Ah? All soaked? She looked down. Sure enough, the originally off-white carpet at the entryway had completely darkened in color, spreading all the way to the door.
“How long did it rain last night?”
“Until five o’clock.”
“Did you only go to sleep at five o’clock?” She looked up.
“Mm.”
No wonder he was still sleeping at this hour. She really regretted waking him up. “Sorry, why don’t you go sleep for a bit longer?”
“Not sleepy anymore.” He turned his head to look inside the room. “What do you need? I’ll get it for you.”
“Get clothes.”
“What clothes?”
“A beige dress, and…” She awkwardly lowered her head, “I’ll go in and find them myself. I don’t know what to wear either.”
“Undergarments?”
“…”
The man went straight into the room. Shan Dai felt burning hot all over, leaning against the door panel while quietly lowering her head, then stealthily tilting her head to peek inside.
Pu Huaiyan opened her suitcase, which she had temporarily moved to the small living room last night, searched through it, picked out a beige silk dress, and went to find underwear.
He picked up a pink set, then noticed another white set. Pausing, he asked, “Any requirement for the color?”
“…” Shan Dai felt like her whole body was about to catch fire. “White…” She was afraid the pink one would be see-through.
The man wrapped the white set inside the dress, stood up, brought it out, and handed it to her.
Shan Dai immediately hugged it in her arms. “Take your time, President Pu.” As soon as she finished speaking, she greased her soles and slipped away.
Just as Pu Huaiyan was about to tell her to walk slowly and be careful of her knees, she had already arrived, ducked inside, and closed the door.
He gave a helpless smile and went back to wash up.
On the other side, after changing her clothes, Shan Dai didn’t go back to look for him right away. She brewed a cup of tea for herself. Only after ten-odd minutes passed did a knock sound on the door.
She set down her teacup on the counter of the kitchenette and went to open the door.
Standing at the door, the tall man wearing a bathrobe—looking just like a bathrobe model—said, “Wait for me a moment, I’ll change my clothes.”
Only then did Shan Dai remember that he had gone over wearing a bathrobe last night and hadn’t brought clothes. She immediately and nimbly stepped out, standing by the doorway.
Then she realized all her belongings… her suitcase, chargers, bags, and the like, had all been brought out by Pu Huaiyan and placed over by her door.
Walking inside with his back to her, he said, “I’ve contacted the hotel. They’re coming to repair the room. Also, they said they’d refund the room fees for these few days as compensation.”
“Oh, oh, okay. Then is it better for me to move tonight, or just stay in your room, President Pu?” She turned back to ask.
The man took two steps back, supported himself against the doorframe, and said to her in a voice like a whisper: “I’ll give you two choices.”
“?”
“One, stay at my place after the birthday tonight.”
“…”?????
“Two, change hotels. I’ll book one for you near my house.”
“Okay then, let’s book one near President Pu’s house.”
Pu Huaiyan: “Consider it a bit more, there’s a free option.”
Her cheeks flushed slightly pink. “No need to consider, it’s very good.”
The man walked into the room, a sentence drifting from his back: “Infuriating girl.”
“…” Shan Dai felt completely innocent as she went to lean against the doorway, looking as if she were standing in punishment.
In Room 1206 ahead, housekeepers were coming in and out moving things, taking out the entire soaking wet carpet after a while.
The only hardship President Pu had suffered in his life was probably staying one night in a floating water hotel here.
Pu Huaiyan hadn’t closed the door. Shan Dai could hear the sound of him going into the bathroom to change clothes, hear the sound of him walking, and hear him taking a brief phone call—from the company. President Pu was truly busy, getting calls even on a Saturday noon.
After a moment, she heard the refrigerator being opened. Shan Dai turned her head to look inside. Neatly dressed, the man was exceptionally tall, handsome, and dashing once more. He pulled out a bottle of ice water from the fridge.
Shan Dai said instinctively, “That water is so cold. Drink something warm, President Pu; you haven’t eaten breakfast all morning.” Walking inside, she added, “I brewed tea just now.”
Pu Huaiyan looked down at the porcelain cup on the counter. “What tea?”
“Black tea, tastes pretty good. I’ll…” Just as she was about to say ‘I’ll brew a cup for you’, the man picked up her teacup—from which she had only taken two sips—and took a light sip.
Shan Dai’s eyes widened.
Before she could speak, he had already continued drinking.
Shan Dai said immediately, “That’s mine, I’ve drunk from it.”
He glanced at her and continued drinking, finishing it in one gulp.
Shan Dai: “…”
He walked outside, pulling her suitcase toward the elevator.
Shan Dai followed: “Are we going to the hotel right after we finish eating, President Pu?”
“Going to my house.”
“…” Shan Dai instantly slammed the brakes on her steps.
Pu Huaiyan turned back.
She said, “Can I go at night instead? Let’s go to the hotel first.”
Pu Huaiyan didn’t want to make things difficult for her. “Coming with me to the company works too.”
“??” She shook her head. “I’d better stay at the hotel. You can just pick me up after you get off work tonight. It’s inconvenient for me to go to Yanxin Times; if I run into people who know me, I won’t know how to explain.”
Pu Huaiyan recalled that she had been there before, and indeed some of Lu Zhixing’s subordinates recognized her.
“I’m not going to Yanxin, but to another company.”
“Yuanshi?”
“Mm.” The elevator arrived and he stepped inside. “Rest in my office. It’s Saturday today so there’s barely anyone at the company, and that college friend of yours won’t be there either, don’t worry. In the afternoon, we’ll head home directly.”
Shan Dai hesitated for two seconds, then nodded. “In your company, are you the only one working overtime on weekends, President Pu?”
Pu Huaiyan laughed, “Yeah. And you won’t even show me some sympathy, you just infuriate me.”
Shan Dai looked at him sideways. Infuriating him? Not at all, but she knew his underlying meaning, so she didn’t have much confidence to refute it either.
After loading the luggage into the garage, Pu Huaiyan got into the car and asked the woman who was already familiar with the passenger seat, “What do you want to eat for lunch?”
“Um, eat some… porridge? I just woke up and don’t have much of an appetite. Would you eat casserole porridge, President Pu?”
“Cantonese cuisine?”
“Mm.”
“I might not necessarily be able to find authentic Cantonese cuisine for you in Beijing,” he joked.
Shan Dai smiled as well. If another company president said this, it would feel fake—what delicacies of land and sea hadn’t they eaten? But he was very genuine, because he was someone who ordinarily didn’t like eating out.
She said, “Let’s try one more time. If it doesn’t work out, I won’t touch Cantonese restaurants in Beijing again.”
“Deal.” Driving the car to the intersection, Pu Huaiyan took out his phone to send messages asking Beijing locals where to find authentic Cantonese restaurants.
Good friend number one replied to him: “Changing your tastes today? Starting to eat lunch?”
Good friend number two replied: “Don’t you drink coffee at noon? How come you’re starting to eat human food?”
Then both sent him restaurant names.
It was the exact same restaurant—looks like it was pretty good. He brought her directly over.
Facts proved that this restaurant truly lived up to its reputation. It was a small, unpretentious shop hidden in an alley in the city center.
Shan Dai drank two small bowls of casserole porridge, containing shrimp balls, vegetables, and oysters, every single piece of which she devoured completely.
Pu Huaiyan probably grew up eating Western food and rarely drank porridge, taking slow sips one by one, focusing entirely on saving the good ingredients in the porridge for her.
He was the kind of person who was good to her physically and unconsciously.
Therefore, when Shan Dai wanted to come to Beijing to develop her career, his love overflowed bright and clear right out of his bones.
Yesterday’s rainstorm made today’s sunlight look exceptionally clean. At high noon, the sun was bright and strong. Sitting on the outer side of the restaurant, the bright light in the alley shimmered through willow branches at the shop entrance, casting a layer of light over his side profile. His handsome brows and eyes looked even more dashing—the kind of facial contour that made people fall in love at first sight.
Shan Dai accidentally noticed this picture-like scene when she looked up.
So handsome…
Frequently eating with such a person, looking at such a perfect face, and being taken care of by him down to every detail was also a form of nourishment for one’s life.
Feeling sleepy in the afternoon, Shan Dai closed her eyes to nap as soon as she got into the car. June in Beijing was truly hot. The air conditioning in the car was set very low and felt so comfortable that she was completely able to fall asleep.
The car drove for an unknown amount of time before stopping.
Pu Huaiyan hadn’t intended to wake her, but she was probably used to the slight bumpy feeling of driving. A moment after stopping, she opened her eyes.
Those eyes were like butterflies, fluttering twice before opening romantically. Her pupils moved beautifully beneath her long lashes, slowly focusing on his face.
“Arrived?”
“Not yet. I came home to fetch two documents. Wait for me, stay in the car.”
Shan Dai leaned forward to look out. Sure enough, this wasn’t the CBD office area, but the entrance of a quiet, geometrically shaped luxury mansion.
The Foxtail Palms surrounding the area formed a natural fence, blocking the view from the outside world.
In the scorching summer heat, the garden’s swimming pool sparkled brilliantly under the sunlight.
Stunned for a moment, she turned her head to look at the man unbuckling his seatbelt. “Is this President Pu’s house?”
“Mm.”
“Do you live with your family?”
“No, I don’t have a single relative in the country.”
She raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Only yourself? Then Secretary Shen…”
Pu Huaiyan: “She came back on break to play, and will soon go back to Toronto for school.”
So that was why. So in the whole of Beijing, he was all alone? How lonely.
She looked again at that super-modern building outside that shone brilliantly in the midday sunlight, full of character. It felt as though the distinguished Mr. Pu was meant to live in such a house from birth. Inexplicably, she felt his house abroad was probably similar to this as well.
“Is it going to be here tonight?”
“Mm.”
“Then… until what time do you have to work this afternoon?” She rubbed the space between her eyebrows with a bit of fatigue.
Pu Huaiyan took it all in. “How about you sleep in the guest room at home?”
“Huh?” She was surprised and immediately shook her head. “Where is the hotel near here? I’ll just go to the hotel first, then you go be busy, and pick me up on the way back tonight for dinner.”
“There are no hotels nearby.”
Shan Dai raised her eyebrows. “Didn’t you say…”
“About two kilometers away, not particularly close either.”
Shan Dai suddenly understood.
Pu Huaiyan’s voice drifted into her ears at this moment: “If you are willing to rest in the guest room upstairs, I’ll just work overtime at home and won’t go out.”
Shan Dai turned back.
After four eyes met for a long moment, she could only nod helplessly. “Alright then.” It was indeed very troublesome for him to specifically return to the company after already reaching home; the distance from the Beijing suburbs to the city center company was very far.
After unbuckling her seatbelt, Pu Huaiyan got out of the car. Shan Dai hopped out from the passenger side. He had already fetched her luggage, waving his hand to bring her inside the house.
A middle-aged man around sixty years old came out to greet them, smiling. “Sir brought a guest.”
Pu Huaiyan nodded. “Ms. Shan.” After saying that, he told Shan Dai, “The housekeeper at home, Uncle Cheng. Find him if you need anything.”
The housekeeper nodded in greeting to Shan Dai, and she responded with a smile.
Then the man brought her into an elevator near the entrance hall.
Shan Dai looked toward the main hall from afar. Pu Huaiyan’s house was so beautiful. A total of eight floor-to-ceiling lattice windows on four sides gathered all the sunlight into the hall. The scenery of the garden lawn looked like a painting framed by the lattices. Sitting in the central living room, one would feel as if they were inside a dream.
The elevator doors slowly closed, and Pu Huaiyan spoke up: “Take an afternoon nap. If you can’t sleep, come down to play—the living room, secondary hall, garden, anywhere at home is fine. There’s food in the kitchen; go get it yourself or have the auntie bring it up to your room. Don’t be shy.”
He looked at Shan Dai. “Today’s guests are very familiar with me, so they won’t be reserved. You and I are family too, right?”
Shan Dai nodded, touched by the words “family”, the corners of her mouth curving up.
The third floor arrived. Pu Huaiyan led her toward the guest room. “I’m going to work in the study. It’s at the end of the left side on the second floor. You can come find me if you get bored.”
“What would I go find President Pu for?” She said casually, feeling she definitely wouldn’t go look for him.
“If you come, I’ll naturally give you benefits.”
“…” She couldn’t help but laugh, sighing in her heart that his “pursuit” was quite hard work. If it were any unmarried girl with no relationship experience, where would there be any need for such careful planning and painstaking effort, even offering benefits? He himself was already a huge benefit.
Pu Huaiyan pushed open a large pitch-black door. In the black-and-white toned room, light spilled onto the floor, showing a view of the garden trees. Shan Dai fell in love with it at first glance.
Pu Huaiyan brought her suitcase inside, pointed to the bed to let her rest, and turned around to leave right after.
Shan Dai watched quietly. He was always so gentlemanly—at the hotel as well, walking toward the room door as soon as he finished his tasks, never staying a second extra.
Watching him reach the door, the man turned back. Seeing her staring straight at him, he raised his stern brows slightly.
No reason… just inexplicably, reluctant… reluctant to leave her only reliance in this bustling, complex imperial capital.
The thought of wanting to come grew stronger and stronger.
Snapping out of her thoughts, she flashed him a subtle smile.
The door closed. Shan Dai slowly sat down on the sofa, looking around at the simple yet expensive decor. She could tell the paintings on the guest room walls were auction items.
After sitting for a while, she felt sleepy again. Perhaps because the weather was too good, she felt like resting after being full and satisfied. She opened her suitcase, pulled out the shirt she had bought yesterday, grabbed a bathrobe to change into, lay down on the bed, and fell asleep before long.
An unknown amount of time passed before she vaguely felt thirsty. Her consciousness broke free from the haze, she fluttered her eyelids open, and woke up.
The sky outside was still early.
Shan Dai climbed up and sat for a while to catch her breath, intending to head outside to walk around and find water to drink.
Before picking up her clothes to change, she suddenly remembered that today was Pu Huaiyan’s birthday family banquet and his friends would be coming. Her dress was too business-like—meant for meeting clients when going out.
She searched through her suitcase again and dug out an irregular fishtail skirt. This was brought for her to wear during her vacation, and she hadn’t touched it during her days in Beijing.
Shan Dai changed into it. The wine-red skirt made her skin tone look almost translucent. She also applied light makeup.
When going out, she forgot where the elevator was, so she stepped on the carpet and walked slowly toward the stairs.
Halfway down, she discovered she wasn’t wearing slippers. She had also forgotten whether there were slippers in the guest room. However, Pu Huaiyan’s place was entirely carpeted and very comfortable, so she didn’t go back.
Reaching the second floor, hearing a burst of conversation, Shan Dai quietly looked down from the railing. Heavens, several people were already there.
Only Pu Huaiyan wasn’t present.
In the distant kitchen, two aunties were busy inside, probably preparing Pu Huaiyan’s birthday dinner.
Shan Dai felt a bit embarrassed to go downstairs. She took a glance toward the end of the left side, wondering if there was tea to drink over at Pu Huaiyan’s.
If not, going over to greet him worked too—visiting the hard-working President Pu. She couldn’t really just care about playing on her own in his house.
She walked over in that direction.
Before reaching the door, she heard someone call from behind, “Wow, Ms. Shan!”
Shan Dai immediately turned back, and then instantly smiled. Shen Jiani bounced and ran up the stairs toward her. “Ms. Shan, you’re here! I was just thinking when I’d get to see you.”
“I… my hotel room had a bit of an issue, so I checked out early at noon and came to President Pu’s place in advance,” she explained.
“Oh oh oh~ That’s awesome!” Shen Jiani was very excited. “You can stay here tonight too. There are plenty of rooms here, no need to go to a hotel.”
Shan Dai nodded somewhat embarrassedly. “Are you going back tonight?”
“I don’t know yet, depends on whether Brother Ming goes back.” She curved her eyes, her small face filled with a sweet smile. “If they don’t go back, I won’t go back.”
Shan Dai: “Is your house near Qishan Hutong? That’s not close to here. Did you get caught in the rain when you went back last night?”
“I didn’t get caught in the rain, but that’s not my home.”
“Mm?” She was puzzled. “But President Pu said your home was nearby.”
“Oh, I stay at Brother Ming’s place. No one has lived in our house for many years, and I don’t want to live alone, so whenever I return to the country, I stay at Brother Ming’s place. His courtyard house is near Qishan Hutong.”
“Oh~” Shan Dai suddenly understood. “You’re staying at a relative’s house.” She had always thought she and Pu Huaiyan lived together, but didn’t President Pu say he had no relatives in the country?
Shen Jiani explained: “Not a relative, he’s my boyfriend.”
Shan Dai widened her eyes: “What? Boyfriend?”
“Hehehe,” her smile was still exceptionally bright, not subtle at all. “Yes, we’ve been together for several years.”
“What?” Shan Dai thought about her age, “Aren’t you only 21?”
Shen Jiani nodded: “I wanted to be with him when I was 16, but back then he was 23. Brother Ming said if he dared to be with 16-year-old me, my older brothers would break his legs and throw him into the Pacific Ocean to feed the fish.”
“…”
“So he didn’t get together with me until I turned 18, which is why we’ve only been together for three years.”
Only… three years…
Good heavens, Shan Dai had never imagined that Shen Jiani, who was only 21 and looked so young, actually had a boyfriend and had been together for three years, and had wanted to be together since age 16.
Shan Dai was so curious: “Have you known each other since childhood?”
“Yes, in our neighborhood in Toronto, our houses were next door, separated by a hedge fence in the yard. When I was little, I used to climb over the wall to his house all the time.”
“…” Suppressing a laugh, “Was there no gate?”
“There was a gate, but I didn’t like walking through the gate; I liked climbing over the wall. He’s also good friends with my older brother.” Saying that, she pulled Shan Dai’s hand to the railing, pointing at a man in a white shirt among the people in the downstairs living room, who was holding a cup of tea and savoring it.
“This one, Zhou Xiangming.”
The other party happened to look up and smiled at them.
Shan Dai took a deep breath, smiling awkwardly at him. Heavens, it was the man Pu Huaiyan mentioned two days ago—his childhood best friend who went to Yale with him, bought meals for him, and was the man she met in the parking lot of Duo-Jia Hospital.
This person was actually Shen Jiani’s boyfriend.
Shen Jiani suddenly turned her head, her eyes looking at her brightly: “When we get married next year, will you come attend, pretty please?”
Shan Dai: “…” She was shocked for a long moment before speaking up: “You’re… getting married next year?”
“Most likely. My daddy and mommy agreed I can get married after graduating with my master’s degree. I’m starting my master’s degree this year, and it’s only a one-year program, unless I delay my graduation.”
“…”
Everyone around Pu Huaiyan was getting married young.
CiCi and her husband got married last month, he recently attended two weddings for a friend and an executive, and even this younger cousin who was seven years younger than him was getting married.
So, Pu Huaiyan counted as the one getting married latest among his family and friends?
Shan Dai promised her: “If there’s an opportunity, I’ll definitely come attend your wedding.”
“Awesome~ Come together with my brother when the time comes.” Saying that, she tilted her head, looked behind Shan Dai, and curved her eyes playfully, “Hello, happy birthday.”
Shan Dai abruptly turned her head back.
Not far away at a large black door stood a man with both hands stuffed into his trousers pockets, quietly watching her silhouette. How long he had been standing there she didn’t know, nor did she know how much of her conversation with Shen Jiani he had heard, or whether he had listened to the entire “marriage” topic.
She walked over awkwardly.
Pu Huaiyan made space for her and closed the door again. Looking back, Shan Dai realized Shen Jiani hadn’t come over.
Only the two of them were in the entryway, making Shan Dai feel even more embarrassed.
“What were you chatting about?” Pu Huaiyan asked.
Shan Dai: “Did you not hear, President Pu?”
“I heard.”
“…”
Shan Dai laughed, teasing him, “Then why ask?”
“I thought you might have something you wanted to ask me.”
“…” Shan Dai was truly impressed by him. Unable to hold back, she asked in a low voice, “Everyone around President Pu gets married at an early age, huh?”
“Pretty much.”
“Then do you, occasionally, also lament that you should put marriage on your agenda?”
“Yes.”
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