“Please perceive my love.”

The bathroom and bedroom doors were wide open.

Sheng Sui could even clearly hear the soft bustling sounds of Aunt Tian outside the door.

The bathroom was spacious, under the ambiguous warm yellow lighting, yet she was trapped in a confined space by broad arms, her lower back pressed against the hard, cold marble countertop, her nostrils filled with an intensely aggressive masculine scent.

Zhou Shiyu’s tone was gentle, the smile in his eyes like that of a refined gentleman; yet Sheng Sui gradually discovered that contrary to his gentle exterior, buried deep in the man’s bones was a pursuit of stimulation in certain aspects.

Like the passionate kisses in the car, like last night’s phone call with Qi Yue.

Sheng Sui wasn’t sure if Zhou Shiyu’s enthusiasm was focused solely on physical pleasure. After all, every so-called “progress” was a completely new experience for her, while Zhou Shiyu was always so effortlessly skilled; by the time she came to her senses, the man had already achieved his satisfaction.

Like last time at the movie theater, Sheng Sui tried to appeal to the man’s conscience, lowering her voice: “…Aunt Tian is still here.”

Zhou Shiyu only looked down to see his wife leaning against him, her soft curves touching him, raised his eyebrow, and gently asked in return:

“So what?”

Sheng Sui couldn’t come up with a response for a moment, only pressing her slender hands against the stone countertop, feeling the异样 sensation that quietly climbed upward, being forced to learn new knowledge daily.

It turned out there were some things that theoretical knowledge from class could never cover.

In biology and physiology class, the teacher had taught her about the anatomical differences between male and female organs, but no one had ever explained in detail that even something as simple as hands, with just a change in gender, could bring such astonishing differences in touch and temperature.

She tried to close her legs but was gently parted, experiencing firsthand the broad knuckles of the man’s fingers.

No matter how gentle Zhou Shiyu’s warm fingers moved, they weren’t as delicate as a woman’s hands; especially when grazing, the roughness of his fingertips became even more apparent. Just the friction at the entrance was enough to make it difficult to remain calm, waves of heat rolling over her.

Sheng Sui bit her lower lip and lowered her head, her pale fingertips gripping Zhou Shiyu’s collar into wrinkles, attempting to escape several times, only to be pulled back by the tight grip around her waist the next second, stumbling back in embarrassment.

Zhou Shiyu always had infinite patience with her, like playing a pipa melody, gently pressing, slowly twisting, wiping and plucking*1, mastering every technique, just to find that secluded spring.

And someone as innocent as Sheng Sui, how could she resist the man’s skilled and masterful performance? Not even needing a complete song, just fingers touching the strings and plucking a few times was enough to make her surrender early, following the man’s intention to wet that hand, taking care of every gap between his fingers.

“……”

Her vision went white repeatedly, Sheng Sui collapsed softly against Zhou Shiyu’s shoulder, then was helped up to listen to the second round of performance.

This time the man wanted to play through a thin silk barrier, his burning lips covering hers. Sheng Sui closed her eyes tightly, her slender arms encircling the man’s neck, responding to his kisses with clumsy but earnest effort.

Zhou Shiyu sensed her努力, chuckling softly: “Have you ever done such things before?”

Sheng Sui was immersed in the melody, her thoughts already scattered: “…No.”

She rarely even watched adult movies, let alone had any experience with self-pleasure.

Who would have thought that her first time would be personally taught by her husband, guiding her hand to cover the thin silk barrier, patiently teaching her different techniques, gently asking if she wanted to learn more.

Sheng Sui only shook her head, constantly admitting her poor aptitude.

With her eyes tightly closed, she heard Zhou Shiyu ask in her ear again:

“Then who are you thinking of now?”

“……”

“What is he doing?”

“……”

Sheng Sui thought this scene today would be something she’d remember for life.

Her new nightgown was wrinkled beyond repair. She pushed Zhou Shiyu to hurry out, her limbs weak, and retreated back to the walk-in closet to change clothes.

Not daring to wear a slip dress anymore, she learned her lesson this time, properly changing into a loose thin sweater and wide-leg pants.

With her confidence restored, Sheng Sui was about to pretend nothing had happened and go out, when Zhou Shiyu returned, knocking on the wooden panel by the wall with his knuckles.

The man looked at her with a smile, his slender middle finger that had just misbehaved holding her thin, soft garment, considerately asking:

“Do you need me to help you wash this?”

Sheng Sui’s aura instantly vanished completely, she rushed forward to snatch back all her belongings, her pink and white face flushing red: “You, you hurry up and get out!”

“Alright,” Zhou Shiyu agreed unhurriedly, those hands that were clean but had just caressed and tempted her ruffled Sheng Sui’s hair, “I’ll go cook, you rest for a while first.”

“……”

After washing her intimate garments and hanging them up, Sheng Sui was too embarrassed to face anyone, escaping reality by playing with Ping’An in the bedroom.

It wasn’t until the aroma from the kitchen wafted over, awakening her appetite, that someone as adaptable as Sheng Sui slowly got up to go to the bathroom.

After testing her blood sugar and injecting insulin, Sheng Sui looked down at the blood-stained test strips and lancets scattered on the marble countertop, not carefully wrapping them in paper as usual, but throwing them all into the trash can by her feet.

At some point, she had stopped worrying about Zhou Shiyu knowing about her illness.

She thought, perhaps she truly considered this place home—

A place where she didn’t need to hide and pretend to be good, where she could be willful and playful.

Zhou Shiyu’s culinary repertoire remained a mystery. For several days in a row, she had never seen him repeat dishes. He could take the same ingredients and create new variations, pairing them with different ingredients to make new dishes.

Tonight’s dinner consisted of tomato-sauced Japanese tofu, green peppers stuffed with shrimp paste, lemon garlic chicken wings, and dry pot pork belly with cabbage, served with diabetes-friendly red bean rice. The dishes were colorful, fragrant, and delicious.

Sheng Sui rolled up her sleeves and went forward to help serve the dishes. Looking at the vibrant colors, she couldn’t help but smile: “After getting used to eating your cooking recently, I feel the cafeteria food isn’t as good as before.”

Previously, she had three meals a day, handling breakfast and dinner herself, looking forward to the school cafeteria lunch each day as a small indulgence.

In contrast now, she deliberately saved her appetite to eat more at dinner.

“I’ll pack lunch for you tomorrow.”

Zhou Shiyu weighed and diced mangoes, strawberries, and kiwis, mixed them with Greek yogurt, then sprinkled some crushed nuts on top, turning to place it in front of Sheng Sui: “This way is better, it can control carbohydrate intake.”

Having someone get up early to cook was troublesome enough, Sheng Sui didn’t dare trouble the man further, waving her hand in refusal: “No need, I just meant to say your cooking is delicious.”

Zhou Shiyu didn’t argue about this matter anymore, only starting to eat after Sheng Sui had tasted every dish, casually asking about her relationship with Aunt Tian.

“Aunt Tian helped me a lot before,” Sheng Sui marveled again at the coincidence between people, more curious about another matter,

“Did you often go to that barbecue restaurant before? I don’t think I ever saw you.”

“I would wait until there were no people before going.”

Zhou Shiyu recalled those times when dusk fell, he would sit in his car from afar, watching the slender girl always sit in the less crowded corners, curving his lips: “Afraid of disturbing others.”

Sheng Sui thought Zhou Shiyu was also a prominent figure at school during high school, so this reason made sense. Recalling those times, she smiled: “You probably don’t know, back then we would all pray to you before exams.”

“I didn’t believe it before, until the final exams of first year spring semester when my friend dragged me along to pray. That was the first time I made it into the top ten of our grade—”

“—Eighth in the grade, perfect score in mathematics.”

Zhou Shiyu smiled as he watched Sheng Sui’s surprised expression, gently explaining: “That time on the school honor roll, your photo was two rows below mine.”

The school ranking honor board was divided by grade, with first and second years sharing one board, while third years had their own separate board.

That was the closest he had been to Sheng Sui openly during their three years of high school.

Sheng Sui didn’t even remember the photo arrangement, looking incredulous as her eyes widened slightly: “You remember this too, your memory is really good.”

“Having a good memory isn’t always an advantage,” Zhou Shiyu deboned the garlic chicken wings with chopsticks for her, placing them in Sheng Sui’s bowl, his pleasant words coming naturally,

“Also, your dimples are very beautiful. I looked at them for a long time back then.”

Sheng Sui knew that during high school, being thin and small, she wasn’t particularly outstanding. But when her husband told her across more than ten years that back then, she had also been silently noticed by someone, even if just for a brief moment, she didn’t know what to feel in her heart.

The warm yellow light from the dining room lamp fell on Zhou Shiyu’s head and shoulders, the halo gentle with years, so warm and beautiful that for a moment Sheng Sui felt it was unreal.

“Praying to you really worked,” the memory box opened, she couldn’t help sharing her impression of her husband from those years, her eyebrows curved, her smile carrying a playful air,

“Back then my dream was to go to Shanghai University. I prayed every day for a month before the college entrance exam, and I really got in later.”

Zhou Shiyu asked her: “Why did you want to get into Shanghai University?”

“I didn’t have any special reason at the time. My mother was here, so I thought if I got into Shanghai University, I could legitimately look for her.”

Who knew the adult world was far more complex than imagined; Sheng Sui took the deboned chicken wing from her husband, casually saying: “What about you? Did you have a reason you absolutely had to come to Shanghai University?”

Zhou Shiyu watched Sheng Sui’s cheeks puff up when eating, like a greedy little hamster, softening his voice: “I really wanted to continue being schoolmates with someone back then.”

“She wanted to study at Shanghai University, so I came.”

Wanting to attend the same school as a good friend was normal. Sheng Sui then thought about the man’s withdrawal and couldn’t help sighing: “We almost became schoolmates.”

Although if they had become schoolmates, the two probably wouldn’t have had any interaction, just like their parallel high school years.

Zhou Shiyu to her was just psychological support for pre-exam prayers;

And she to Zhou Shiyu was probably just a smiling female classmate in the honor wall photo, perhaps meaning even less.

Hearing Sheng Sui say this, Zhou Shiyu was briefly stunned, then lowered his eyes and pulled his lips into a smile, his slightly hoarse voice carrying what sounded like self-mockery: “Yes.”

“Just missed it by a little.”

“……”

After dinner, Sheng Sui went to the living room to feed and play with Ping’An.

After washing dishes, Zhou Shiyu removed his apron and came to the living room, bending down in front of the sofa to ask her: “Let’s do some post-meal exercise, we can go out for a walk or use the treadmill at home, otherwise your blood sugar will rise too quickly.”

Sheng Sui didn’t want to refuse, but her injured right ankle still hurt slightly when walking. She hesitated: “Could we do it tomorrow? I accidentally injured my right foot this afternoon.”

She was about to point to her ankle when she saw Zhou Shiyu frown and squat down: “Where is the injury? Did you disinfect it?”

As he spoke, he gently lifted her ankle, removing her white socks and shoes, looking at the scrape marks on her slender, snow-white ankle bone, his brows furrowing tightly.

Sheng Sui had never had a man stare closely at her feet, let alone seen Zhou Shiyu’s cold, low presence. Embarrassed, she didn’t forget to explain:

“I just accidentally scraped it, it’s fine.” She tried to sit up.

“Don’t move around.”

The man’s lips pressed together, his tone slightly cold. Without saying a word, he got up and went back to the room, quickly returning with a medical kit.

Sheng Sui tilted her head up, obediently waiting for her husband to squat down beside her again.

Zhou Shiyu’s warm, dry large hand held her right foot, steadily placing it on his knee, then turned to get cotton swabs and medical alcohol from the medicine box.

The soft cotton swab rolled gently over her already healed wound. Sheng Sui looked down at her husband’s tightly furrowed brows, his movements incredibly gentle.

Zhou Shiyu asked her: “Does it still hurt?”

It hadn’t hurt for a long time.

Sheng Sui opened her mouth to deny it, but hearing her husband’s suppressed, distressed hoarse voice, she suddenly became delicate: “…It hurt a little at the time, but it’s fine now.”

After speaking, she first disliked her own pretentiousness; such a small matter as a scrape, what was the need to specifically mention it.

Zhou Shiyu fell into a long silence upon hearing this. After applying medicine for a long time, he asked in a low voice: “Why didn’t you mention the injury in the bathroom? You almost fell at the beginning.”

“I accidentally hit the cabinet corner,” Sheng Sui wanted to say she had been weakened by the man’s seduction, but was too shy to admit it, “It has nothing to do with you—”

Her hurried latter half of the sentence hadn’t finished when Zhou Shiyu had already bent down deeply, his defined hands cupping her slender ankle, gently placing a kiss on Sheng Sui’s instep.

“…Sorry.”

The man actually kissed her instep; Sheng Sui was shocked and couldn’t recover for a long time, staring wide-eyed at Zhou Shiyu kneeling on one knee in front of her, bowing his head to put himself in a lower position, his expression reverent and sincere, like a believer prostrating before a deity.

For a moment she was confused, not understanding why this man in a high position would show such a careful and humble attitude in front of her.

“Wow, I’ve heard plenty about wives preparing loving lunch boxes for husbands, but this is the first time in my life I’ve seen the situation reversed.”

At noon at 12 o’clock, in a fast food restaurant near the school, Xiao Ming, who was passing by on business, came to find Sheng Sui. Looking at the lunch box in front of her, she marveled again:

“Spicy thousand-sheet tofu, stir-fried water bamboo with pork, shrimp paste beef rolls, and there’s even yam soup—in senior year of high school, my mom didn’t even take such good care of me.”

Xiao Ming said incredulously: “Your blind date is too excellent. You’ve only been living together for a few days, and he’s already washing hands to make soup for you?”

Sheng Sui also hadn’t expected that after her casual mention last night, Zhou Shiyu would actually pack lunch for her this morning.

Before breakfast, she looked at the table full of dishes, wondering if it might be too lavish, when she saw Zhou Shiyu take out a milk taro-colored thermal lunch box from the cabinet, arranging meat dishes, staples, and fruits in order.

When the man turned around and saw her shocked gaze, he only calmly asked if this would be enough for lunch.

“There are few men this domesticated nowadays,” Xiao Ming looked disdainfully at the hamburger in her hand, picked up a beef roll with chopsticks, her eyes lighting up, “If you think it’s okay, hurry up and marry him.”

Although she felt sorry for her brother, just from the point of getting up early to cook, he was instantly defeated by this unnamed blind date.

Sheng Sui’s index finger anxiously rubbed against her chopsticks, mustering courage: “Actually… I’m already married, just a few days ago.”

“You got married—you’re married?!”

After Xiao Ming recovered from her shock and exclaimed, she stared wide-eyed for a long time, but then veered into an inexplicably strange topic: “Why is everyone around me getting married recently—you’re getting married, Zhou Shiyu is also getting married.”

“I forgot to tell you, on the day we sent Zhang Tao away, Cheng He sent someone to find me,” Xiao Ming reported the latest progress, proudly raising her eyebrow, “If nothing unexpected happens, Zhou Shiyu will soon become our sugar daddy.”

Sheng Sui had always believed Xiao Ming could secure funding through her own abilities, hurriedly congratulating her.

“Let’s put your marriage aside first,” once someone starts gossiping, they can’t stop, Xiao Ming suddenly lowered her voice, mysteriously saying,

“I’ll tell you quietly, Zhou Shiyu seems to be very afraid of his wife.”

Sheng Sui was stunned for a moment: “Huh?”

“I heard this Mrs. Zhou is particularly fierce. Whether in meetings or business negotiations, she demands Zhou Shiyu answer phone calls instantly,” Xiao Ming looked pained, “Also, this morning I went to see Zhou Shiyu alone, thinking he wanted to ask technical questions; but it turns out, he heard I was good at cooking and specifically asked what my specialty dishes were, wanting to make them for his wife.”

Xiao Ming beat her chest in frustration: “Does this make sense! Those who don’t know would think he wanted to hire me as a cook!”

“……”

Who would have thought Zhou Shiyu would directly approach Xiao Ming. Sheng Sui didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “I think Mrs. Zhou probably isn’t a fierce person.”

“The waters of wealthy families run deep, you’re too innocent to understand,” Xiao Ming waved her hand with pretend profundity, joking, “Back to you, you and Zhou Shiyu got married on the same day. Didn’t you two run into each other at the civil registry office?”

“What if, I’m just saying what if,” Sheng Sui carefully probed, “Zhou Shiyu is actually my marriage partner?”

Xiao Ming burst into laughter without hesitation.

“You dare make up such excuses, I know you really don’t want to say,” across the table, Xiao Ming patted her shoulder earnestly, “When you want to talk, you can find me anytime.”

“Anyway, congratulations on getting married. I ate quite a bit of this meal, please thank your husband for me.”

“…Thank him?” Sheng Sui murmured softly, suddenly realizing she had done almost nothing for her husband since marriage, looking up to ask, “How can I thank him?”

Xiao Ming was even more confused: “Just normal couple things? Like buying gifts for each other, he cooks for you, so you pick him up from work?”

Sheng Sui’s work hours were indeed earlier than Zhou Shiyu’s, but she wasn’t sure if he wanted her to pick him up; after hesitating for a long time, she sent a message at exactly 4 o’clock to inquire.

【ss: Would you like me to pick you up after work?】

Afraid of interfering with his work, she immediately added: 【ss: If you’re busy, don’t call back, texting is fine too】

“……”

“It’s rare to see President Zhou smile like this.”

With warm afternoon sun by the window, in the fragrant flower shop, Liang Xubai leaned lazily against the back of the wooden chair, hands in his pockets, his peach blossom eyes smiling as he watched the man typing across from him.

After pondering for a moment, Liang Xubai snapped his fingers, his smile casual: “If I’m not mistaken, that’s the famous Mrs. Zhou on the other end?”

Zhou Shiyu’s gentle smile faded, he sent the address and put down his phone, removed his gold-rimmed glasses, and said flatly:

“Let’s begin.”

Who the other party was went without saying. Liang Xubai raised his eyebrow and sighed, his finger holding a pen tip lightly tapping on paper: “Then let’s talk about your recent life.”

“Have you frequently felt depressed, sad, or gloomy recently?”*1

“No.”

“Have you lost interest in things around you?”*1

“No.”

“Have you had intense conflicts with others, even physical confrontations?”*1

“No.”

“Do you have any new suicide plans recently?”*1

“…No,” the answer came with a moment’s delay. Zhou Shiyu’s expression remained calm, his long legs crossed with hands resting flat on his thighs, looking more like a doctor than Liang Xubai,

“Secretary Chen has already compiled all the answers for you.”

“So what I want isn’t the answers themselves,” Liang Xubai sat up straight, his peach blossom eyes precisely catching the man’s earlier pause, knocking the table with his knuckles,

“Take off your watch.”

Zhou Shiyu’s skin tone was rarely pale among men, the veins and blood vessels on the back of his hands and forearms clearly visible, making the crisscross scars on the inside of his wrist even more hideous.

The old scars were mostly light brown, with a few more recent ones in pale yellow, thin and dense, all gathered in the same location, many overlapping parts making it difficult to distinguish how many times it had been cut in the past.

“No new wounds, much better than the last time you came to me voluntarily,” after carefully examining for a while, Liang Xubai nodded with satisfaction, “It looks like you’re living well in married life.”

“So,” leaning back in his chair again, Liang Xubai smiled, “what do you want me to do?”

Someone who had been ill for so long becomes their own doctor. Moreover, someone like Zhou Shiyu who had thoroughly understood his own condition, seeking a meeting voluntarily could only mean he had a very strong purpose.

“I need to ensure I maintain a ‘normal person’ state consistently,” Zhou Shiyu gave the same answer as last time,

“The current medication dosage cannot meet my needs.”

Sure enough, it was about increasing medication; Liang Xubai couldn’t help but click his tongue: “You look so gentle and refined, how can you be so extreme in your actions?”

“You know very well that only when the drug levels in the body maintain a relatively stable effective concentration is the situation most stable.”*1

Liang Xubai’s lazy smile faded, showing rare seriousness: “Also, whether considering your recovery, her physical and mental safety, or protecting your marriage.”

“I believe your wife has the right to know about your condition.”

For a moment, only two breathing sounds remained in the flower shop. After a long silence, Zhou Shiyu’s posture unchanged, he looked down coldly at the mottled scratches, his thin lips parting slightly:

“I’ll consider it.”

“Suddenly so agreeable?” Liang Xubai smiled in surprise, stroking his chin as he studied the man, saying leisurely, “Indeed, it has to be Mrs. Zhou.”

The two chatted for a long time until nearly 5 PM. Liang Xubai withdrew his frequently wandering gaze from across the street, picked up the rosemary from the round table, and sniffed it.

“Can’t let President Zhou return empty-handed,” Liang Xubai stood up and stretched, casually asking, “The usual?”

The phone rang. Zhou Shiyu refused before answering: “No, I can’t keep them alive.”

After speaking, the man took his black phone and turned around, walking familiarly toward the small alley behind the flower shop.

Liang Xubai didn’t insist, just thoughtfully examining the rosemary in his hand, then heard the flower shop’s front door being pushed open, the pleasant sound of wind chimes ringing.

A young, gentle woman carefully pushed the door open, wearing a pure white fitted inner layer with a brown knit cardigan outside, a dark blue denim skirt reaching her ankles cinched at the waist, her whole being radiating a soft aura.

The woman’s unfamiliarity with her first visit was obvious. After entering, her gaze quickly swept around the shop before she softly asked: “Excuse me, is Zhou Shiyu here?”

Guessing the other party’s identity, Liang Xubai looked at Sheng Sui with interest, asking knowingly: “Miss, you are Zhou Shiyu’s—?”

Following the address Zhou Shiyu gave, Sheng Sui was also somewhat surprised to find it was a flower shop. The man before her had naturally amorous peach blossom eyes, and she answered honestly:

“He… Zhou Shiyu is my husband.”

“So it’s the famous Mrs. Zhou,” the smile in Liang Xubai’s eyes deepened as he turned toward the back door and lazily called out, “—President Zhou, your wife is here.”

Soon, Zhou Shiyu strode back from the back door to the flower shop’s main hall. Seeing Sheng Sui’s rosy cheeks, he gently asked if the wind outside was strong.

Sheng Sui smiled and shook her head. When she tilted her head up to talk to the man, a pair of shallow dimples appeared and disappeared at the corners of her lips.

Having known him for years, this was the first time Liang Xubai saw the word “warmth” on Zhou Shiyu. He couldn’t help but observe the two talking for several more glances. After a while, he raised his eyebrow and took a small potted plant from the row of wooden cabinets by the flower shop entrance.

“Nice to meet you.”

Their conversation was interrupted by the lazy, indifferent male voice. Sheng Sui looked over to see Liang Xubai offering her a pot with short dark green seedlings, smiling: “This pot of baby snapdragon seedlings is for Mrs. Zhou, consider it a wedding gift for you both.”

…Baby snapdragon?

An unheard-of flower name; Sheng Sui blinked slowly, just about to ask what this flower would look like when it bloomed, when she heard Liang Xubai continue:

“This is Zhou Shiyu’s favorite flower. Every time he comes to my shop, he takes a pot home.”

Sheng Sui had no experience with flower care, turning to ask the man’s opinion: “Do you want to raise it?”

“I’ve raised them before, but they all died,” Zhou Shiyu saw her eyes full of eager anticipation, his smile gentle as he curved his lips, “If you want to try, let’s take it home.”

“Then let’s try,” after searching for baby snapdragon images on her phone, Sheng Sui expressed her willingness. After sincerely thanking Liang Xubai, she casually asked,

“By the way, do you know what the flower language of baby snapdragon is?”

Liang Xubai remained silent, crossing his arms as he looked at Zhou Shiyu across from him.

Facing his wife’s curious gaze, Zhou Shiyu raised his hand to ruffle Sheng Sui’s hair, his dark eyes behind the lenses flickering as he said in a low, gentle voice: “The flower language of baby snapdragon is,”

“‘Please perceive my love.'”