Rong Qian had always believed that Shen Yi was a gentle, patient, considerate, and gentlemanly man.

And for the most part, this was indeed true. But Rong Qian had forgotten — at his core, Shen Yi was a cold, reserved man. He had simply chosen later in life, for the sake of social ease, to shift from being cold on the outside and warm within, to warm on the outside and cool within.

And so Rong Qian, spoiled by his affections, frequently got carried away — and just as frequently, ended up on the receiving end of a scolding from Shen Yi.

It wasn’t as if she had done anything particularly outrageous. As a criminal investigator, she was naturally going to get injured from time to time. Not wanting Shen Yi to worry, she simply acted as though nothing had happened.

What she didn’t count on was Shen Yi hearing about her injury from someone else entirely. He confronted her with an icy expression, demanding to know why she hadn’t told him.

Rong Qian laughed it off and tried to tease him out of it. “Oh come on, it’s just a little scratch. Do you have to look so serious? Come on, smile for me, smile!”

“Rong. Qian.”

He only used her full name when he was truly angry.

When Shen Yi was angry, the consequences were severe.

Rong Qian’s bravado evaporated instantly. She tugged pitifully at the hem of his jacket, pouting and pleading in her most beseeching manner.

But Shen Yi, for all his indulgence, still had every right to be angry. One sheet of white paper. One pen. A two-thousand-word written self-reflection. He wouldn’t stop being angry until she had finished it.

Rong Qian stared at him, completely floored. Her Shen Yi really did operate on a different wavelength from modern people — a written self-reflection? Of all things he could have thought of!

Hmph! Bad enough he wasn’t the one fussing over her injuries — now he wanted her to write a self-reflection on top of it?

Rong Qian was furious. Cheeks puffed with indignation, she picked up the paper and pen and shut herself in the study.

Shen Yi stayed outside, ear tilted toward the door, wondering if he had gone too far — and working out how he might make it up to her. But before long, Rong Qian came storming back out.

She slapped the paper down in front of Shen Yi with the energy of someone slamming down divorce papers.

Hands planted on her hips, she declared with maximum swagger: “Done!”

Shen Yi picked it up and read it. The page was filled, top to bottom, edge to edge, with the words “I love you,” repeated again and again. Shen Yi stared for a moment, then looked up — and found Rong Qian beaming at him with the most radiant smile.

Rong Qian leaned flatteringly across his lap, soft and pleading: “I was wrong, okay? Please don’t be angry anymore?”

Shen Yi couldn’t even keep up the pretense of anger, let alone a serious expression.

The moment Rong Qian saw him smile, she lit up immediately: “You smiled! You’re not angry anymore!”

“A’Qian, I wasn’t angry.” Shen Yi pulled her up and sat her on his lap, letting out a quiet sigh. “I just don’t understand — why didn’t you want to tell me?”

Rong Qian did have her own reasons. She was afraid that Shen Yi might object to her continuing her work as a criminal investigator.

But when she finally voiced this aloud, Shen Yi looked genuinely puzzled and turned it back on her: “Why would I object?”

“You wouldn’t? But my job is dangerous!”

Shen Yi smiled and said: “I know it’s dangerous. But as long as it’s what you love, I’ll support you. And what I need to do is make myself as capable as I can be — so that I can protect you.”

“How would you protect me, exactly?” Rong Qian cupped her face in both hands, eyes sparkling with anticipation.

Shen Yi held her gaze with quiet gravity and said slowly: “The moment you are faced with any major incident that threatens your life, I will mobilize every resource at my disposal — immediately — to ensure your safety. I will not allow anyone to harm you in any way.”

Rong Qian was moved. Even after all this time as a married couple, this man still managed to say things that left her breathless.

She took the initiative and kissed him as a reward. And then, by the time she came back to herself, she found that Shen Yi had already carried her to the bed.

Speaking of which, there was one other incident Rong Qian still remembered.

It was not long after Shen Yi had first arrived in the present day. Although they had both confessed their feelings, and their marriage was very much a certainty, they had not yet taken that final step — even while sharing a bed.

At its root, Rong Qian was simply not thinking about it, while Shen Yi was exercising iron control over himself.

Rong Qian slept in the same bed as Shen Yi without any improper thoughts whatsoever — sleeping exactly as she always had, and frequently using him as a body pillow.

This, naturally, was torment for Shen Yi. He endured several extremely difficult nights.

He was a healthy, warm-blooded man in the prime of his life — the woman he loved was right there beside him, and his mind was full of thoughts — yet Rong Qian was utterly oblivious, not considering it for even a moment.

This left Shen Yi’s gentlemanly instincts with no choice but to force himself to hold back.

It wasn’t until Rong Qian brought it up while talking with a friend that she finally noticed this detail.

And so that night, the moment Shen Yi climbed into bed, Rong Qian rolled over, pinned him beneath her, and kissed him without a single word of preamble.

Her actions sent him a clear message: she was willing.

And then Shen Yi turned the tables — wrapping his arms around Rong Qian and flipping them over so that she was beneath him instead.

The result was that the following day, Rong Qian didn’t wake up until noon.

From that point on, it was as though some switch inside Shen Yi had been flipped. Rong Qian had the distinct sense that whenever Shen Yi looked at her, his gaze carried a particular kind of warmth — as if his thoughts were perpetually elsewhere. He had shed every trace of restraint and self-denial; when he smiled, there was a certain unmistakable glow about him, and anyone who saw it would immediately know what he had been up to the night before.

When they went abroad for their honeymoon, Shen Yi proved himself an invaluable walking translator.

Rong Qian frequently sang his praises: Shen Yi — essential for overseas travel, indispensable for everyday life, absolutely worth having!

At the airport, Shen Yi regularly helped travelers from all corners of the world who couldn’t communicate due to language barriers.

Of course, the ones he helped most were Chinese travelers — so they wouldn’t be misunderstood, and wouldn’t end up unfairly branded as rude or disruptive.

Rong Qian often stood watching, and in those moments, Shen Yi, surrounded by the crowd, seemed to radiate a light all his own. She would look and look, and before she knew it, she was hopelessly drawn in, unable to pull herself away.

It was always Shen Yi who waved to her and called: “A’Qian, come here.”

“Coming!”

And Rong Qian would spring to her feet and run happily toward him.

With Shen Yi by her side for this lifetime, Rong Qian felt she had all she could ever want.