“You don’t think it’s dangerous to be talking about this here?” Shi Wan asked.
Shen Siyuan’s eyes flickered. “You’re right. Let’s drop it.”
For a moment she felt the sudden, sharp urge to say it now or never. But when he seemed uninterested, she dismissed it as a phantom hope.
Back at home she had at least expected to go and greet Grandfather Shen. Instead Shen Siyuan took her by the hand and steered her away.
“Where are we going—” she began, then stopped, realizing the truth. “Can we go to my grandfather’s place first?”
That earlier feeling hadn’t been a mistake. He was waiting to sort things out with her at home.
He smiled with an edge. “We’re so in love, Grandpa will understand.”
Her heart stuttered. She blurted, “I’ll be upstairs later.”
As soon as the words left her mouth she wanted to slap herself. What was she even saying?
She stole a glance at him. The Second Young Master’s wolfish look had returned.
“I didn’t mean it like that,” he said.
“I know.” He chuckled, picked her up, and added, “I’ll grant your wish.”
He did. From the beginning she had taken the lead; he followed—and later, he led.
They skipped dinner and didn’t go downstairs. Late into the night Shi Wan finally whimpered, hoarse and breathless, “...isn’t that enough?”
“You were the one who wanted it,” he murmured, his voice low and provoking. He nibbled her sensitive earlobe, the hand at her waist moving with a quiet, relentless heat that seemed to set her skin on fire.
“I really didn’t mean it,” she protested.
He hummed, rolled her beneath him. “Your actions said otherwise.”
...
Shi Wan kept her promise and went to the hospital to take her shift. The woman who’d been hanging around before didn’t come near her again; instead she avoided her as if she’d been scalded. Fine by Shi Wan—she had no patience for dealing with theatrics.
“Shi Wan!” Xie Zhe jogged up from a short distance away, excitement painting his face.
“Senior.” She nodded.
“Thank you.” After staring at her for a long beat, that was all he managed.
“You’re welcome. You earned it.” She smiled faintly and reached out. “Congratulations.”
Xie Zhe’s skills were good—getting in was just a matter of time and the right introduction. Without her, he might never have had the chance. Everyone knew the hacker alliance was notoriously exclusive; no invitation, no entry. Those inside still had to prove themselves through layers of tests. He’d been training for days after joining; his first stop was to come thank her.
“I’m leaving,” she said.
“All right.” He hesitated, as if he had more to ask, but never spoke the question. He turned and headed back toward the dormitory.
Shen Siyuan was already waiting outside the school. When she stepped out of the car, she felt her knees go soft.
“Thought you weren’t coming to pick me up,” she said.
“I worry,” he replied.
They got in the car. Shi Wan asked, “If you keep being seen with me, won’t Mrs. Shen’s side keep watching?”
“They still are,” he said. “But I speak in the name of the Shen family. And they can’t get into this banquet tonight.”
“That’s good.”
That evening, because of his identity, Shen Siyuan wore a mask and split from her when they arrived at the venue. Still, his eyes never left her. Wenren Jin was there too and, watching them, couldn’t help but shake his head.
“You told her everything?” Wenren asked.
“Mostly,” Shen answered. “You can’t hide my life from her. Besides, there are things I couldn’t tell—only the essentials.”
Trust, he thought, was the hardest thing between two people. If she couldn’t trust him now, he’d lay out his cards slowly until her defenses crumbled.
“She can only be mine,” he said softly.
“Wise men don’t fall in love—seems I was the smarter one,” Wenren teased.
“She uses her own way to protect me. She will be my strongest armor,” Shen said. The words held both pride and a tenderness that was almost painful. She was his armor and, at the same time, the soft spot he would never let anyone touch.
Wenren’s smile faltered. It was odd—normally people would say they’d forsaken wisdom because of love. He looked at Shi Wan moving easily among the other high-profile guests and felt no doubt about Shen’s words. Together they would climb to heights others could not reach. They would be a story people told.
“Be careful,” Wenren warned. “Not everyone knows about your other life. You might still run into someone who does.”
“You never know who might show up.” Before Wenren finished, a man ran forward, eyes bright with disbelief. “Sir, is it really you?”
He was a relative of S Nation’s president—the sort of person Wenren had seen once at a state banquet. Wenren gave him a look that said, good luck, and slid aside.
Shen Siyuan hadn’t recognized the man at first. The newcomer’s gaze kept drifting to Shi Wan; when she approached, he immediately stepped forward.
“Let’s talk later,” Shen said, flatly. The man, stunned, glanced at Wenren. “Mr. Wen, what’s going on?”
“No problem—you should go up and say hello.” Wenren nudged him on. “You only get to see this gentleman so rarely. If you miss this chance, you might never have another.”
The man considered it and, encouraged, advanced with practiced deference. “Sir—at the state banquet in S Nation, you were—”
Before he could finish, Shen cut him off with a gaze that felt like a blade. Had he said something wrong? The man looked at Wenren, who continued to urge him forward, and for a moment he felt utterly trapped.
Shen treated it as nothing personal and turned to Shi Wan with a cool compliment. “Sir, you have excellent taste tonight.”
Shi Wan’s eyes narrowed. “I did not.”
Caught by her icy stare, Shen immediately distanced himself, as if to shove the man away. “Do you have something to say?”
“I—I wanted to—” the man stammered.
“Not now. Move aside.” Shen’s tone left no room for argument.
The man froze.
“Wait—say that again.” Shi Wan’s smile was sharp. “You just said the gentleman’s taste was excellent?”
Shen felt a chill. “What women did you bring before?” she pressed, unrelenting.
The man blinked at the unexpected question, but answered anyway. “No one compares to you.”
The smile on Shi Wan’s lips widened. Shen’s face went colder.
“When have you ever brought a woman with you?” she demanded.
“At the S Nation banquet—” the man began.
“Enough. Aren’t you supposed to be looking for someone? Come with me.” Wenren, sensing the moment, clapped a hand over the man’s eyes and dragged him away.
The hand over the man’s mouth felt wet and unpleasant. “Banquet? Female companions?”
“I did not,” Shen said again, though the small show of possessiveness had, in a different way, pleased him. Not like this, though.
Shi Wan’s gaze was cold. “Let’s go.”
“Where to?”
“Home,” she replied.
Everything that needed to be done that night was done. She refused to linger and be ogled like some exhibit. Shen feared there might be consequences to tonight but didn’t argue; then a young man stepped forward with a polite air, holding a glass of wine.
“Mistress,” he said with an ingratiating smile, “weren’t we supposed to go out to dinner together later?”