Chapter 40: Surprise
Pu Huaiyan stepped back, his back coming to rest against the floor-to-ceiling window.
Startled into thinking he had bumped into it, Shan Dai hurried forward.
Taking advantage of the moment, he pulled her into his arms and held her tight. “Dai’dai.”
Shan Dai wriggled awkwardly, overcome with bashfulness.
Yet when Pu Huaiyan gently loosened his hold, she didn’t walk away either. So he wrapped his arms around her once more. “Remember to send me photos of your lunch. No fishing for three days and drying the nets for two1.”
“…” Shan Dai looked up and laughed, speaking in her own defense, “Aside from that one day when I had no cell signal, I haven’t gone back on my word, have I? Besides…”
She added, “You’re off to Toronto to attend a feast, yet you still want me to send lunch updates?”
“The gala only lasts one day, but I’ll be there for three. Are you trying to starve me to death?” He sounded entirely justified.
“…” Left with no counterargument, Shan Dai gave in completely, promising to eat something nice for a change. “Let’s treat President Pu to a bit of the good life, shall we?”
“Thank you, Madam.” The gentle light in his eyes practically overflowed.
“Mm.” Hearing him call her that was becoming second nature.
She even felt that these seemingly mundane daily exchanges were the intimate sweet nothings shared between them.
Knowing when to stop, Pu Huaiyan released her. “Time to sleep. You’ve been running around these past few days, and you even went out late tonight. You must be tired. When you wake up tomorrow, should I drop you off at your company or at home?”
“The company is fine. Are you heading straight to the airport after that?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Alright.”
Shan Dai walked him to the doorway, her reluctant gaze following him toward the elevator.
Even more reluctant to part than she was, President Pu paused before stepping inside to remind her: “Stay safe. If anything happens tonight, call me. Don’t open the door for strangers.”
“In a five-star hotel, aside from you, no bad guys are going to visit.”
“…” Pu Huaiyan smiled without a word, neither denying it nor trying to.
The weather during the latter half of the night was neither good nor bad. Drizzling intermittently, the rain soaked the city through. Shan Dai suffered from insomnia, which was how she knew. As for the reason: on one hand, she felt she was already so close to Pu Huaiyan—not far at all from officially being together—which brought a subtle fear, akin to being hesitant as one nears home2; on the other hand, he was leaving tomorrow, and she simply couldn’t bear to part with him.
At 9:30 the following morning, Pu Huaiyan knocked on her door.
Shan Dai had just finished changing. She took her luggage down to the car first, after which the three of them had breakfast at the hotel’s buffet. Afterward, Pu Huaiyan drove her to her company before heading to the airport with his special assistant.
For the first time, Shan Dai felt a sense of loneliness in this city. Ziming wasn’t here, and neither was Pu Huaiyan.
In the past, whenever she was here, Lu Zhixing—being a local of Lan City—had always been by her side, and their companies hadn’t been particularly far apart.
Now, times had changed, and it so happened that Ziming was away on a business trip as well.
On the first day of Pu Huaiyan’s departure, Shan Dai received a bouquet of Accordion Roses alongside a gift bag. Inside the bag was a small black box. Opening it revealed a pink diamond ring—large, dazzling, and sparkling brilliantly in her sunlit office.
Shan Dai stared at it for a long while before letting out a helpless smile, taking it out and slipping it onto her left middle finger.
She wanted to snap a picture to send to him—it was so pretty and fitted perfectly—but she was afraid it would only embolden Pu Huaiyan to shower her with even more extravagant gifts tomorrow, so she held back.
She settled for sending him a text message, bantering back and forth for a bit to show that she had received her dear President Pu’s gift.
Life, however, was always full of unexpected twists. Pu Huaiyan had said he would be back in a week, but on his fourth day there, he told Shan Dai that his uncle and aunt had gotten into a car accident and were both hospitalized, so he wouldn’t be able to return on schedule.
Shan Dai’s heart clenched. She had visited her eldest uncle in Chongzhou over the past few days, never expecting that on his end…
On his fifteenth day in Toronto, Pu Huaiyan flew back to the country once. His private jet flew straight to Lan City so he could meet Shan Dai.
The two dined at a hilltop restaurant, took a stroll, and enjoyed the night view of Lan City without doing anything else. A day later, he flew back to Toronto.
The height of summer this year felt abnormally long in their anticipation, yet at the same time absurdly fast, likely because so much had transpired in between.
Ziming was already together with Bentley Bro. After finishing his itinerary in early August, Bentley Bro had returned to Beishi for work. He made a point to fly to Lan City once a week. As for Ziming, she was clearly getting restless too, so all business trips in the recent period—as long as they were north of the Yangtze River—were claimed by her. Once her tasks were done, she would dash over to Beishi to meet Bentley Bro.
The two never grew tired of it, managing to see each other once or twice a week. Neither felt it counted as a long-distance relationship. Besides, Ziming could head to Beishi together with Shan Dai later on; as long as the Lan City branch maintained steady development, she only needed to return periodically, so their relationship posed no major issues.
Shan Dai felt it was great to have Ziming come along, as staying alone in Beishi would inevitably feel lonely.
During this period, Pu Huaiyan returned more than just that one time. Twenty days later, he returned once more, maintaining that regular frequency from then on.
It wasn’t until two months after he first left for Toronto that he finally prepared to return for good, explaining that his uncle and aunt had both been discharged one after another, so he wouldn’t need to head back after this trip.
Shan Dai happened to be on a business trip in Beishi at the time.
Normally, a trip like this could have been left entirely to Ziming. Since Pu Huaiyan wasn’t here, and little Ci wasn’t around either, the city held no attraction for Shan Dai. Over the past two months, she had only visited once to attend her roommate’s wedding banquet. This time, however, she was here to inspect potential office locations.
At three in the afternoon, she and Ziming were checking out a location in Beishi’s top CBD luxury residential and commercial district.
The building stood right next door to Yanxin Times, matching Pu Huaiyan’s request for something nearby, which naturally meant the rent was quite steep.
The venue had been recommended by Bentley Bro from Ziming’s family. He had someone scout a few options for them to choose from, and Ziming had nonchalantly picked this one right next to Yanxin Times.
While Shan Dai felt a bit shy on the surface, she had zero objections in her heart.
They were inspecting the 46th floor.
At such a height, one could take in a panoramic view of the entire Beishi cityscape. At three in the afternoon on August 20th, under the crisp autumn air of Beishi, sunlight fell like silk from beneath the blue sky and white clouds onto the CBD. Streaming through row after row of floor-to-ceiling windows, it bathed the office spaces, giving their floor a generous share of the light.
This was the very purpose of coming to Beishi—a distinct sense of thriving prosperity.
“Just like in Lan City, let’s turn this area into our offices. Diagonal from each other, where both of us can enjoy the sunset. And then the side out front can be the conference rooms. Yep, I think this works,” Ziming directed, making a general layout plan for the space.
“Mm.”
Shan Dai strolled slowly around the interior with her arms crossed, subconsciously wandering over to the window. From this floor, one could see the elevated walkway connecting the buildings of Yanxin Times. The two towers loomed grandly against the city skyline, truly an imposing sight.
Ziming snapped photos of the interior with her phone, planning to check out other places later for comparison.
“Dai’dai, what do you think? This place shouldn’t be any worse than the other two locations. The biggest issue is that the space opposite us is under renovation, and who knows how long that’ll take.” Their own side hardly needed any work—just partitioning a few offices and conference rooms, which could be wrapped up in a few days before moving in.
The unit across from them seemed to be preparing for something like a private business club, reportedly undergoing renovations for two months without completion.
Shan Dai said, “Anything is fine by me. You make the call, Mingming.”
Ziming turned around. Seeing the big beauty leaning against the window, she chuckled and ran over. “Oh my, is that so? If anything goes, then let me pick another place. I think this one is way too expensive.”
Shan Dai looked back.
The two looked at each other. Under Ziming’s teasing gaze, Shan Dai let out a helpless laugh. She glanced at the building opposite once more and pointed. “Those two buildings over there are interconnected, and the interior is built beautifully. If we get the chance, let’s go take a walk around.”
“Sure! Once you officially become Mrs. Pu, I’ll definitely be able to go. For now, I’ll just hold back.”
Shan Dai chuckled softly and turned around. “Let’s keep looking. The floor area here is a bit large, and ours is just a small company.”
Ziming countered, “Oh, please! Being too small is a problem, but being too big definitely isn’t! Who knows, in a couple of years, we might expand our company to New York.”
“Mm. A person ought to have dreams.” She nodded earnestly. “Back when I walked through Yanxin Tower, I was thinking about when our company could grow to enjoy such prestige. Looking at it now, that day isn’t far off.”
A low chuckle drifted over—masculine, familiar, and pleasant to the ear.
Shan Dai and Ziming turned toward the exit in unison.
Pu Huaiyan was wearing a Charles blue shirt and black striped trousers, holding a matching suit jacket over his arm. He stood at the entrance, watching them.
“Ah…” Ziming gasped in shock. Th-This was President Pu in the flesh?! Oh gosh, the real person was even handsomer than in photos! Young, handsome, tall—he was practically a male model!
Shan Dai’s breathing had long gone haywire—or rather, she had unconsciously held her breath altogether.
He hadn’t said he was returning today, let alone that he would come looking for her.
Pu Huaiyan gave Ziming a warm, smiling nod before taking two steps forward toward Shan Dai. “How does it look? If it suits your needs, I’ll sign it for you two. Consider the first lease contract my housewarming gift—how about it?”
Shan Dai snapped back to her senses. Resisting her self-consciousness, she turned her head away, only to look back a second later. “You’re back today?”
“Mm. Just landed.”
A single glance at his attire told Shan Dai that he had indeed just stepped off the plane, not even having put down his suit jacket yet. When they messaged yesterday, she mentioned that she would be looking at office spaces this afternoon, so he had come straight here without even stopping by his own company.
Ziming’s phone happened to vibrate in her palm. Mentioning that she needed to step outside to take a call, she nodded to Pu Huaiyan and brushed past him.
In an instant, the vast office floor was left with only Shan Dai herself.
Pu Huaiyan finally drew closer to her, stopping right in front of her before looking down.
Shan Dai had known for a long time that there was a height gap between them. Even in high heels, she had to tilt her head up slightly. Besides, she had a delicate frame while Pu Huaiyan was tall and broad; even in a loose, simple shirt, he could completely envelop her figure, almost wrapping her in his presence.
Without saying a word, he first withdrew his hand from his pocket.
Shan Dai only felt a faint shimmer before her eyes. He then lifted her hand, sliding a purple diamond ring onto her slender, tapered finger like a freshly peeled bamboo shoot.
“Don’t…” Shan Dai immediately covered it… God only knew how many things he had sent her over the past month. Roses arrived almost every two or three days, often accompanied by handbags and jewelry.
It had all started one day when she liked a post on little Ci’s moments—little Ci had posted photos of a new handbag she bought, and Shan Dai had commented that it was pretty.
Little Ci then messaged her privately, mentioning that she planned to use that bag for her wedding. Shan Dai ended up chatting with her about wedding arrangements for a while. Though she hadn’t held a wedding ceremony herself back then, she was certainly more knowledgeable than a young girl of her age. Furthermore, having attended her roommate’s wedding in Beishi last month, she was even more equipped to offer the young girl some advice.
And then! Unbeknownst to her, whether little Ci served as President Pu’s dedicated informant, she had informed President Pu that Shan Dai liked a handbag of a certain style and brand. Sure enough, Shan Dai received a gift from President Pu shortly after, which led to her receiving a similar gift almost every week thereafter.
On top of that, Pu Huaiyan had gifted her two cars over the course of two months, saying that one was too few and that having two more would let her switch between them. Later, upon hearing that she and Ziming had gone camping and gotten a flat tire—leaving them miserably trying to learn how to change a tire in the mountains—he sent her a top-tier off-road vehicle the very next day. That brought the total to three cars in two months, or four including the Bentley.
Even Ziming, a young lady from a wealthy background, was stunned, remarking that when it came to spending money to make Shan Dai comfortable, Pu Huaiyan spent completely blindly without caring about the numbers.
Jewelry and accessories were far too numerous to count; she had already lost track of how many beautiful diamond rings, necklaces, and bracelets she had received.
Additionally, regarding that luxury high-rise apartment, when she needed to buy new furniture, he asked her to provide her preferred style and color choices, after which he handled everything himself.
When he gave her two million in Beijing earlier, he said it was for buying furniture, but in reality, she had no idea how much money he had poured into that apartment. The astronomical prices of those furnishings were staggering, leaving her two million completely untouched.
Finally, when she moved in—since he wasn’t around that day due to being in Toronto—he sent a massive red envelope to express his apologies.
She originally thought she would never need to use that red envelope, but as fate would have it, plans failed to keep up with changes. She actually faced a financial bottleneck once during those two months.
Last month, two entertainment companies they collaborated with ran into trouble one after another, making project payment recovery difficult. Meanwhile, the company’s remaining funds were slated for the new branch and could not be withdrawn, leaving several upcoming projects unable to move forward.
While chatting with Ziming, Ziming suggested asking Bentley Bro to borrow the money, saying he had plenty and could resolve it in a heartbeat.
Shan Dai replied that she might as well misappropriate the red envelope President Pu had given her. It was more than enough, and there was no need to borrow money when Ziming and Bentley Bro had just gotten together.
At the time, Shan Dai was chatting with Ziming while simultaneously messaging Pu Huaiyan in far-off Toronto. By mistake, she accidentally sent the message meant for Ziming to Pu Huaiyan instead.
Before Ziming could reply, Pu Huaiyan messaged her back: Borrowing money? You can borrow it even if we aren’t together.
When she received it: “…” She truly felt like the sky was falling.
No matter how vaguely she tried to hide it afterward, Pu Huaiyan didn’t buy it. He stated that if she didn’t tell him, he would have someone investigate, guessing it was a company issue—something that would take zero effort to look into.
Helpless, Shan Dai could only lay out the situation to him.
He immediately transferred a sum of money over. Shan Dai needed six million yuan for turnover, and he transferred exactly six million—neither more nor less—without putting her in an awkward position by mixing work and private matters. He knew she didn’t need money for personal matters right now, and for work, six million was plenty to solve the urgent crisis.
Meanwhile, the housewarming red envelope he had given her was 6,660,000 yuan, carrying an auspicious meaning3.
That was why she had contemplated reallocating it in the first place.
Forty-eight hours later, once Shan Dai received her project payments, she wired the money back to him. Not charging interest was already her being well-behaved, yet Pu Huaiyan sent the six million right back without a word, adding a memo: Unconditional Gift.
Most importantly, just last week, she received a property deed for a home in Beishi.
That’s right—Pu Huaiyan had bought her another property in Beishi, saying she could live there when coming over for work instead of staying in hotels. Located in the most expensive, prime area of downtown Beijing, it was another top-tier luxury high-rise apartment.
Since he was away, she and Ziming had only gone to inspect that apartment yesterday.
Ziming did a rough calculation for her: over these past few months—between cars, real estate, renovations, countless pieces of jewelry, and handbags—Pu Huaiyan had gifted her over six hundred million RMB.
So how could he give her yet another gift the moment he arrived today?
Stopping her refusal, Pu Huaiyan spoke in a soft tone: “When Zhou Xiangming was bidding on items back then, I happened to flip through the catalog and saw this loose gemstone. I thought it looked nice, so I won the bid and had it cut and set. I feel purple suits your demeanor very well, Dai’dai.”
“Mr. Zhou was bidding on items to prepare for his wedding. What were you bidding for?” Her tone carried a touch of helplessness, a hint of shyness, and even more of a surrender to reality.
Pu Huaiyan replied, “He already has a wife and is still trying so hard. I don’t even have one yet—shouldn’t I be trying harder?”
“…” Shan Dai spun around instantly.
The man let out a low chuckle behind her, wrapping his arm around her as he led her forward a few steps. “How is it? Do you like this place?”
“Generally speaking, yes. It’s ready to be secured.”
“Then let’s secure it. No need to sign a long lease. If you feel it’s unsuitable later on, you can move straight over to Yanxin Times. Consider this place a transition period for you.”
“…” So that was President Pu’s hidden agenda behind being so accommodating about letting her set up office outside.
Shan Dai sent a message to Ziming. Moments later, Ziming arrived alongside the building’s investment manager.
Not recognizing Pu Huaiyan, the manager assumed he was merely an accompanying party. After shaking hands with everyone, they began discussing the contract.
Shan Dai and Ziming were thoroughly familiar with these details, needing only a brief glance to review them.
Shan Dai picked up a pen and signed her name. Finally, Pu Huaiyan took a photo of the account number provided by the investment manager and sent it to his special assistant to arrange the funds transfer.
Ziming watched from the side in astonishment.
Shan Dai whispered secretly to Pu Huaiyan: “There’s no need. I can handle it myself. It’s not a huge sum, and we’ve already prepared enough funds for this.”
“If it’s not a huge sum, there’s even less reason to fuss over it. Let me do it—I ought to congratulate our Madam and her friend on setting up shop in Beijing.”
Shan Dai and Ziming exchanged glances. Ziming was internally shaken to the core—gosh, she had thought President Pu was joking when he offered to pay earlier, but he was actually serious!
With a smile, Ziming blinked at Shan Dai to let her decide, then immediately messaged her Bentley Bro back: Bro, you’re too late. President Pu covered this expense.
??? Which President Pu?
My dear Dai’dai’s… um… pursuer, the boss of Yanxin Times.
??? How many years did he cover? I’ll raise the offer! Tell him not to steal my job, Ming’er, tell him not to steal it!
Just two years, we signed for two years.
That’s not enough, raise it to twenty years!
That won’t do. President Pu suggested that if it feels unsuitable when the lease is up, we can move straight over to Yanxin Times.
…
When Ziming looked up, she saw Pu Huaiyan holding the contract with his arm around Shan Dai as they walked out. He said to her, “Miss Zi, I’ve heard Dai’dai mention you often. If you are free today, dinner is on me. I hope you don’t mind the belated welcome.”
Ziming immediately flashed a brilliant smile. “Of course I’m free! And as for minding—I don’t know if Dai’dai mentioned it to you, President Pu, but ever since watching that interview, I’ve been a total fangirl of yours.”
Pu Huaiyan looked down at Shan Dai. “Fangirl means…?”
Shan Dai smiled.
Ziming immediately explained, “It means admiring you immensely, treating you like an idol. It’s synonymous with being a fan. Since our company handles media and entertainment, we’re used to phrasing it that way. Please excuse my lack of formality, President Pu.”
Pu Huaiyan shook his head right away. “Miss Zi is being too modest. Not many people possess such capability at a young age. I hold you in high regard; both you and Dai’dai are people I admire greatly.”
Ziming was thrilled to bits, happily stepping forward to shake his hand. This man, Pu Huaiyan, was truly too gentlemanly, cultured, and humble.
Shan Dai said to Pu Huaiyan, “Today is Mingming’s birthday.”
Pu Huaiyan raised an eyebrow.
Shan Dai added, “Mm, because her boyfriend is away on a business trip and couldn’t make it, the two of us planned to dine at Meiyuan. Mingming really loves that restaurant.”
Pu Huaiyan said without hesitation, “Then all the more reason for me to host.” He turned to Ziming and asked, “I hope I won’t be intruding on your get-together?”
Ziming smiled and shook her head. “It’s my honor, President Pu.” She took the lead walking out, coordinating the time as they walked. Since it was still early, everyone agreed to meet at Meiyuan for dinner at six in the evening.
Ziming had reserved the restaurant early on. On her recent trips to Beishi, she loved dining at Meiyuan, considering it the best restaurant in all of Beijing. She thought President Pu was truly incredible—even a private dining establishment he opened for himself could be this amazing.
Shan Dai parted ways with Ziming briefly, getting into Pu Huaiyan’s car to head to his house.
At this hour, Beijing was surprisingly free of traffic. As they drew closer to the suburbs, it grew increasingly peaceful. A thin layer of sunlight permeated both sides of the long street, feeling wonderfully comfortable.
It was rare for just the two of them to be alone, so conversation on the road was inevitable. After Shan Dai inquired about his uncle and aunt’s condition, Pu Huaiyan said, “Actually, five days ago, my uncle and aunt had already been discharged one after another and were completely fine. But Zhou Xiangming wanted to propose these past few days, and he insisted that little Ci likes having family present, refusing to let me leave. Sigh, I didn’t want to show up at all, but I couldn’t get away.”
Shan Dai couldn’t help laughing, finding it thoroughly amusing and understanding his grievance all too well. “Mr. Zhou proposed? Does that mean their wedding is set for the end of this year?”
“Yes, it’s set, though the exact date hasn’t been chosen yet—they’re still calculating it.” With that, he turned his head, gazing passionately at the girl beside him. “Will you come with me at the end of the year?”
Shan Dai quietly turned her head away, murmuring softly, “We’ll talk about it when the time comes.”
Those words were no different from an agreement. Pu Huaiyan understood her subtlety, so he didn’t push further, though the corners of his mouth couldn’t stop curving upward high.
Through the car window glass, Shan Dai caught every detail of his shifting expression.
Unlike his birthday, Pu Huaiyan’s house was devoid of bustling crowds, feeling excessively quiet at the moment. The autumn air of Beishi made a subtle appearance in his courtyard. The dwarf sugar palms in the front yard swayed with the wind, while the swimming pool sparkled with sunlight dancing across the water, still retaining a strong touch of summer.
In the backyard, the tall, sturdy cedars bore pale green needles that looked as though coated in a layer of white snow. The sight seamlessly blended autumn and winter together, obscuring the passage of time so completely that one lost track of the present.
Once again, Shan Dai found herself captivated by this place.
It felt as though winter was close at hand. She remembered when Pu Huaiyan had late-night snacks with her in the hutong, he had told her that he would take her to see the snow in winter.
In a corner of the living room stood a stack of boxes—or rather, quite a few of them.
Pu Huaiyan set down his suit jacket while looking over at them.
Shan Dai suddenly turned back to ask, “Do you remember what you said before about taking me to see the snow in winter, Pu Huaiyan?”
He turned, his gaze locking directly with hers from across half the living room. Then, his thin lips curved upward. “How about we take a vacation right now and go for a trip to the Southern Hemisphere, mm? Beishi won’t snow until November.”
Shan Dai silently turned her head back, the tips of her ears flushing bright red.
Pu Huaiyan asked the butler what the pile of boxes was about.
The butler replied, “Miss Shan sent these over intermittently over the past two months, saying they were clothes and the like. Since they arrived in batches, I didn’t take them upstairs right away, waiting to gather them together.”
Pu Huaiyan turned to look at Shan Dai once more.
Feeling the heat of his gaze stinging her back, she let out a light cough, turned around, and said to him from afar: “It’s just… I went shopping quite a bit recently and saw two nice shirts, so I bought them for President Pu.”
He took a sharp breath, his gaze turning almost scalding.
Shan Dai looked away and said to the butler, “Uncle Cheng, please move the things upstairs. President Pu can try them on when he has time.”
“Alright then.” He immediately went to work.
Pu Huaiyan pointed toward another elevator and said to her, “Come up with me. I’m going to try them on now.”
“…” Shan Dai bit her lip and softly suggested, “You can try them on tonight too.”
“No, right now.”
“…”
Shan Dai silently stepped forward, already knowing where all three elevators in his house were located.
Pu Huaiyan followed behind her, riding straight to the fourth floor.
Upon arrival, hearing the butler’s footsteps, they didn’t step out right away, moving only after the butler had left.
This was Shan Dai’s first time on the fourth floor. It was remarkably quiet here, with lush sunlight saturating the spacious living room. Directly across from the living room was the master bedroom door, which stood wide open—the butler hadn’t closed it earlier, knowing they were coming up.
Pu Huaiyan placed his arm around her waist as they strolled inside.
Seeing that things had progressed to this point, Shan Dai took the initiative to unbox the packages.
Pu Huaiyan assumed the full posture of someone receiving gifts, sitting on the armrest of the sofa without interfering.
He couldn’t help but ask, “Didn’t you say it was just two pieces? Why are there so many boxes?”
“Wasn’t I just saying that casually? I told you to stop sending gifts, but no matter how much I talked, you kept sending them week after week like checking off a punch card.”
He let out a silent chuckle, watching her downturned brows. “But after not seeing you for two months, Madam is still as captivating as ever. I couldn’t resist sending them.”
“…” She asked self-consciously, “Were there no beautiful women in Toronto?”
“A sea of beauties couldn’t match a single fraction of Miss Shan.”
“…”
Shan Dai was struck silent, unable to utter another word. She was truly surprised that someone as quiet and reserved as Pu Huaiyan could deliver such smooth sweet nothings.
She pulled out an off-white shirt, handed it to him, and continued unboxing the rest.
None of the pieces she bought were basic styles. Though appearing simple at a glance, they all featured subtle jacquard patterns that looked exceptionally refined.
The moment Pu Huaiyan took it, he knew Madam had put her heart into choosing it for him.
Shan Dai said, “The sizes are all the same, so it should fit well. You don’t have to try it on—just see if you like it. If you don’t, leave it at the bottom of the closet, and I’ll buy more.”
“There won’t be any chance of them sitting at the bottom of the closet.” He reached up to tug at his collar buttons. “Better try it on anyway. What’s the difference between not trying it on and not receiving the gift?”
Shan Dai casually looked up.
With that single glance, she caught President Pu unbuttoning the second button, followed by the third.
A substantial patch of skin on his chest was already exposed. Seeing that he intended to continue, Shan Dai blurted out, “Aren’t you going to the cloakroom or the bathroom?”
“Right here is fine. It’s hot.”
“How is it hot? Your house is climate-controlled, and Beishi has long passed its hottest phase.”
A certain someone shot her a side-eye.
Shan Dai instantly knew he was doing it on purpose. Pointing a finger at him, she threatened, “Hurry up and go! Don’t seduce me—my self-control is very strong.”
Pu Huaiyan smiled without a word, obediently picking up his new clothes and getting up.
Shan Dai lowered her head to continue unboxing for him.
She really had bought him quite a few clothes over these past two months. His constant stream of gifts made her feel she couldn’t offer nothing in return, but aside from clothes, she didn’t know what else he might lack, so she just bought them. Oh, there was a hat among them too.
Because she had seen little Ci post on her moments once—a photo of her, Zhou Xiangming, and him playing golf—Shan Dai had noticed that President Pu presented a completely different style when dressed in casual wear with a hat, looking utterly charming. Later when she went shopping, she picked out a baseball cap for him… or to be precise, two, since the caps came in matching styles for men and women. She kept one for herself, which she had worn during that camping trip and posted on her moments. Once President Pu realized she wore a matching cap, he was bound to be delighted.
In addition, she had custom-ordered a suit, having secretly recruited little Ci to sneak into his room in Toronto to take his measurements…
In short, she had conducted plenty of undercover work over the past two months.
Little Ci had even asked her if they could get married this year. If they could, she was willing to push her own wedding to next year just to free up the dates for her dear President Pu.
When Pu Huaiyan came out, Shan Dai was still unboxing.
“So many,” he remarked.
Shan Dai looked up, her eyes crinkling into crescent shapes.
Taking in her reaction, Pu Huaiyan’s mood instantly brightened. “Does it look good?”
“A walking clothes hanger,” she nodded, full of admiration. “It looks amazingly good.”
Pu Huaiyan sat back down on the armrest of her sofa, placing a hand over her shoulder as he leaned down. “Madam has great taste.”
Shan Dai felt a wave of warmth spread through her entire body, as if the room had been flooded with sunshine.
She touched the fabric of the shirt on his body—so comfortable, so soft. “I really love this pattern—an off-white base with subtle gray textures. You can wear this straight to work, no problem at all.”
“Mm, I’ll wear it every day.”
“Not every day.” She showed him two other pieces. “This one is black, which also suits President Pu quite well, and this one is navy blue. All of these can be worn to work. Besides…” She pointed at the tailored suit, “This one is a full suit.”
“You even bought me a suit? Why spend so much? Madam’s dividends have all been spent by me.”
“Oh, please! We made a lot this year—investments both inside and outside brought in profits. Rest assured, President Pu.”
He laughed.
With a blush, Shan Dai picked up another box. “This one is for winter—a trench coat. No need to try this one on either; we’ll pull it out in winter.”
Pu Huaiyan stroked the box. “Winter clothes too.”
“It comes in handy, actually—to wear when going to New Zealand.”
“…” Pu Huaiyan immediately cupped her face. “Are you serious? I’ll arrange it right away, Dai’dai. Let’s go on a vacation—just the two of us.”
“Oh, I was joking, just joking!” She let out a light cough, speaking in a melodious, teasing tone, “At least wait until I get the company up and running first.”
“That’ll be soon—it can be settled within a month,” he said, deeply moved. “If I make arrangements now, the timing will be just about right.”
“…”
Shan Dai couldn’t begin to imagine what traveling with him would be like, so she promptly switched the topic: “Do you remember what you were wearing the first time we met? It was still very cold back then. When we went to Meiyuan for dinner, you wore a black trench coat.”
For the first time in front of him, Shan Dai openly displayed her infatuation: “It truly looked so handsome.”
The man turned half-sideways, looking down from his vantage point on the armrest to lock eyes directly with hers.
Realizing what she had just blurted out, Shan Dai even caught herself wearing an openly enamored expression. Her immediate instinct was bashfulness, sub-consciously wanting to duck her head.
Yet for some reason, today of all days, she inexplicably held her ground.
She thought to herself: the reason she was always shy was because she still couldn’t face his transmission of feelings head-on. But during these two months of separation, not a single day went by without him talking to her, and not a single day passed where she didn’t think of him…
There was no need.
Yes, there was no need to keep dodging. They were both adults, and it was perfectly fine to love someone openly and straightforwardly. Just like Pu Huaiyan—before her divorce, the most he had given her was that diamond set, coming up with all sorts of tactful excuses before finally getting it into her hands.
But after her divorce, in a mere two months, he had already gifted her hundreds of millions without feeling the slightest need to be subtle.
When loving someone, subtlety wasn’t necessary.
So today she didn’t hide. Just like his constant composure and steadfastness—though she couldn’t quite reach that level of steadfastness just yet—composure was a capacity she ought to learn as well.
“If there hadn’t been Lu Zhixing, would you have felt a bit of love at first sight for me too, Dai’dai?” Pu Huaiyan asked her.