Good baby, open your eyes.

The consequences of deceiving Zhou Shiyu would only be disastrous.

This principle was the sole conclusion Sheng Sui reached through personal experience.

In the sensual atmosphere of the dim and spacious bedroom, Zhou Shiyu quietly held Sheng Sui in his embrace. When they were skin to skin, his unhurried movements of unwrapping the square package stirred waves of desire.

“I originally didn’t want to be so hasty, worried it would frighten you,” the man’s thin lips pressed close to her ear, asking in a low voice:

“This… have you used it before?”

Knowing he was asking despite already knowing the answer, Sheng Sui shook her head dizzily, unable to find support, forced to lean her back against the man’s burning chest: “…No.”

The seductive chuckling by her ear was like soul-stealing sorcery, leaving Sheng Sui with nothing but her thundering heartbeat and the man’s gentle voice filling her entire world.

Zhou Shiyu always had infinite patience with her: “It’s alright, I’ll teach you.”

The man’s hand enveloped hers, starting by teaching her to tear open the square package, taking out the ring-shaped silicone membrane with its slippery, smooth texture. When fingertips touched and pulled away, transparent liquid could be seen connecting like drawn silk for a brief moment.

As Sheng Sui sat in stunned silence, she heard an ambiguous half-laugh, half-helpless sigh, breath rolling over her neck like hot water, making her instinctively shrink back in fear, grasping the bedsheets wanting to turn and look at him.

Like pleading for mercy, she whispered softly: “Zhou Shiyu…”

Despite his unreasonable wicked behavior, the man’s words were always gentle, responding to every call: “Mm, I’m here.”

Hearing her call, Zhou Shiyu pulled her over, changing to a face-to-face intimate embrace. His well-defined fingers took Sheng Sui’s left hand, the red string bracelet on her pale wrist trembling, the color contrast particularly striking.

Obviously, he had no intention of letting her off, even pushing his luck: “Baby, help me put it on, okay?”

The two-word endearment left Sheng Sui’s mind in a daze. The man’s deliberately lowered voice, beyond its gentleness, had a grainy texture like fine sand scattered on her heart, each grain enough to make her heart tremble.

This was the first time she clearly realized that compared to Zhou Shiyu, she was completely outmatched. He didn’t even need to exert much effort to easily coax her—just a few sweet, softening words and she would obediently do everything.

In the warm embrace, Sheng Sui’s fingertips trembled lightly as she took the membrane, following Zhou Shiyu’s instructions to pinch the protruding tip at the center of the membrane’s circle, but her hands remained unable to carry out the operation, even her eyes unable to face reality directly.

She had originally thought that as long as she identified someone as her husband and their married life was relatively harmonious, such matters would naturally occur. If they were compatible, it would become seasoning for marriage; if incompatible, she wasn’t a person of strong desires anyway, so it wouldn’t affect much.

She hadn’t expected that facing Zhou Shiyu, not only would her heart race so wildly that her vision blurred, but she would even be too shy to look down with her eyes.

In the end, it was still Zhou Shiyu being helpful, holding her hand to explore and fumble, leading her to feel the throbbing heat that nearly burned her palm.

Sheng Sui kept her eyes tightly closed, letting the man educate her, her heart in complete chaos.

A few seconds later, though the knowledge couldn’t enter her brain, she vaguely sensed something was wrong, belatedly understanding the reason for the man’s initial helpless sigh.

“Good baby, open your eyes.”

Zhou Shiyu used a different endearment when kissing her face, his thin lips carefully pecking at her collarbone, teaching attentively: “Remember to buy a size larger next time. This won’t work, okay?”

“…Okay,” Sheng Sui first nodded obediently, then suddenly realized something was wrong and raised her voice in rebuttal as if he’d hit her sore spot,

“I won’t buy it again!”

The woman’s beautiful bright eyes were moistened with mist, like a cat with its tail stepped on, bristling with anger. Even when glaring and losing her temper, she only aroused thoughts of continuing to tease her wickedly.

“Alright, don’t be angry,” Zhou Shiyu ruffled her smooth black hair with a gentle voice, pulling over the down comforter to lie down with her in his arms, the smile in his eyes deepening,

“I’ll buy it from now on, won’t tease you anymore.”

Just what exactly counted as teasing? Sheng Sui was speechless with anger: “…You!”

She lay against Zhou Shiyu’s solid embrace, clearly feeling the man’s chest vibrate when he chuckled lowly. Too flustered and embarrassed to speak clearly, she was held by the shoulders and turned around to face away from him, her back to the man.

“Let’s try a different method,” Zhou Shiyu brushed aside her scattered black hair, his burning lips falling on the back of her neck, finally revealing his long-planned purpose,

“Good baby, be obedient and close your legs together.”

“……”

The doctor had said that Type 1 diabetes patients weren’t recommended for strenuous exercise, as consuming too much sugar in the body could easily lead to hypoglycemia and even coma symptoms.

In her ears were endless sounds of bedframe collisions, crisp impacts, and the shattering of her drifting soul. The sounds were continuous, making Sheng Sui wonder several times in her dazed state whether she would faint from hypoglycemia the next second.

After an unknown amount of time, the world finally returned to stability. When she was drowsily sleepy, she was carried to the bathroom for cleaning, hot water soaking her skin and bringing waves of warmth.

Being gently cared for and placed in the bathtub, Sheng Sui’s lost rationality finally returned somewhat.

With disheveled hair sticking to her forehead, not caring about the shame of her completely unclothed body, she suddenly looked up at Zhou Shiyu with a hoarse voice:

“At the supermarket checkout, no one actually called you, did they?”

Otherwise, how could he have hung up just after she paid and perfectly witnessed her hiding things?

Zhou Shiyu used a hot towel soaked in warm water to wipe away the tear traces on her face, lovingly tidying her messy hair, gentle as always: “I saw you staring at the shelf and thought you had other inconveniences, so I found an excuse to leave.”

The man leaned down wanting to kiss her, but was dodged by Sheng Sui for the first time. His movements paused slightly as he said softly: “I didn’t mean to deceive you.”

“……”

This explanation made logical sense.

Sheng Sui didn’t mind their intimate behavior, but thinking that all her secret struggles and concealment were nothing more than easily seen through with a single glance in Zhou Shiyu’s eyes—being laughed at from head to toe, completely transparent with no privacy—this feeling was hardly pleasant.

When a person could find no fault in anything and every word and action was satisfying, the only explanation was that the other person’s level was far higher than yours.

So-called “satisfaction” was merely the high-positioned other party being willing to lower their stance, understanding and meeting your material or spiritual needs.

For Sheng Sui, Zhou Shiyu was exactly such an existence.

She had actually vaguely sensed this long ago, but it hadn’t been strong before. Now, after spending more time together in marriage, it was like bubbles at the bottom gradually floating to the surface, bursting one after another at the water’s surface.

She treasured and was even more grateful for everything Zhou Shiyu did for her, so she worked hard to repay him as much as possible, to open her heart and learn the honesty she had never been able to achieve before.

Indeed, she was clumsy and naive in romantic matters, inexperienced like a blank sheet of paper, but she was unashamedly frank.

In comparison, intuition told Sheng Sui that Zhou Shiyu always concealed things from her. No matter how hard she tried to part the layers of fog, she would only discover new mazes.

“…I can wash myself,” her mood inexplicably low, Sheng Sui hugged her knees sitting in the bathtub, looking down and speaking softly,

“You should go change clothes too, don’t catch cold.”

Zhou Shiyu looked down at her silently for a long time, finally only leaning down to place a devout kiss on the top of her head: “Alright, call me if you need anything.”

Soon, the large bathroom fell silent. Sheng Sui bathed without a word, only feeling that the space lacking that clear, bitter woody fragrance made her feel stuffy and unable to breathe properly.

After tidying up briefly, she stepped out of the bathtub, changed into the warm pajamas Zhou Shiyu had thoughtfully placed on the shelf, and came out drying her wet hair.

But as soon as she opened the door, she heard Ping’An’s heart-wrenching cries coming from the living room.

The clingy cat rarely threw tantrums. Sheng Sui quickened her pace toward the living room and saw Zhou Shiyu sitting on the sofa holding the small cat, his right hand holding special nail clippers, his left hand soothingly stroking the bristling cat’s fur, apparently trying his best to calm the small cat’s emotions.

Sheng Sui had deep experience with Ping’An’s increasingly sharp claws. Several times when playing with the small cat, even her jeans had been scratched with two shallow tears, and she had to avoid being scratched afterward.

Then came another indignant cat cry. Agile as Ping’An was, he jumped out of Zhou Shiyu’s embrace and hid behind her feet without looking back.

An imperceptible light sigh sounded. The man on the sofa stood up and turned around. Seeing Sheng Sui coming out, he smiled helplessly: “Ping’An has never liked having his nails clipped—”

“What happened to your hand?”

The man’s right index finger had been scratched by sharp claws on the inner side, with small crimson blood beads rolling on his pale skin.

Sheng Sui’s eyelid twitched at the sight. She hurried forward, casually putting down her towel and asking urgently: “Where’s the first aid kit at home?”

Zhou Shiyu had used it last time to treat her wound, but she couldn’t remember where it was placed.

“Third shelf of the cabinet against the wall,” Zhou Shiyu remained calm as always, his gaze falling on her pink and white fuzzy slippers, gently reminding, “Walk slowly, the tile floors at home are slippery.”

Due to her professional background, Sheng Sui was very skilled at emergency wound treatment. She quickly found and opened the first aid kit, taking out disinfecting medical alcohol, cotton swabs, and gauze.

Forgetting about their earlier unpleasantness, she lowered her head with focused expression, skillfully stopping the bleeding and bandaging Zhou Shiyu’s wound.

Fortunately, the finger wound was only superficial, and Ping’An had received his rabies vaccination just a month ago, so standard wound treatment would suffice.

The scratch pain was minimal. Zhou Shiyu quietly let Sheng Sui treat his right hand, only pressing his watch-wearing left wrist against the sofa, his gaze focused when looking at her.

The room was quiet for a moment until the bandaging was nearly finished, when the man finally spoke gently: “Still angry?”

“…Not angry,” Sheng Sui thought she was quite hopeless, softening at Zhou Shiyu’s single sentence. She carefully completed the final part, speaking softly,

“Just embarrassed that you discovered my little scheme.”

After she finished speaking, the man across from her stretched out his long arm, gently pulling her into his embrace, seemingly sighing helplessly: “Sui Sui, you’re too easy to talk to.”

The person in his arms had just bathed, her warm and fragrant scent becoming even richer in the steamy heat. Zhou Shiyu quietly held her for a while, feeling slender but warm hands stroking his back, patting gently.

From his chest came Sheng Sui’s concerned inquiry: “Does your hand still hurt?”

“…It doesn’t hurt.”

The two people, each harboring their own thoughts, embraced tightly. Zhou Shiyu held her with his right hand, his gaze falling on his empty left hand, suddenly feeling the dozens of scratches under the watch strap against his skin beginning to itch.

He could tell at a glance about the leather belt matter—Sheng Sui’s curiosity about his past, her desire for him to show the same openness and straightforwardness as her.

These emotions and wishes were completely outside Zhou Shiyu’s plans. He had thought in the past that as long as the world he wove was peaceful enough, Sheng Sui wouldn’t be distracted by these considerations.

Certain base thoughts began to grow and spread, weaving vast nets in his mind.

If making her feel distressed could gain attention, if honest exposure of scars could put her at ease, if these were what Sheng Sui wanted.

He thought, perhaps he could do it.

—

Having exchanged contact information last time, on Wednesday morning, Lin Xi, who rarely had a day off, contacted Sheng Sui in advance, asking if she was free in the afternoon.

With other teachers and Qi Yue supervising the class, Sheng Sui could confidently come out and meet Zhou Yi’s mother in a private office.

After closing and locking the door, Sheng Sui poured hot water and handed it over, looking at Lin Xi who was dressed low-key but still had outstanding features, once again marveling that she was even more refined in person than on screen.

“Thank you,” Lin Xi took the water glass without affectation and got straight to the point: “I came this time mainly to apologize face-to-face for what I said last time.”

“I indeed shouldn’t have made negative judgments about a person’s character without any evidence.”

“The timing was urgent and I spoke without thinking,” Lin Xi paused briefly, meeting Sheng Sui’s gaze: “Not only did I slander others, but I also questioned Teacher Sheng’s judgment.”

“I know you meant well,” Sheng Sui waved her hand to indicate she no longer minded, gripping her cup tightly and speaking softly, “This question is somewhat presumptuous, but I still want to ask you something.”

“The Zhou Jianbin you mentioned last time, Zhou Shiyu’s father—did he use belts to inflict violence?”

The purpose of asking was first to confirm the tool of violence, and second because Lin Xi had remained active on screen all these years. Even Sheng Sui, who never followed entertainment news, often saw her works, yet had never heard news of Lin Xi being married, injured, or even in poor condition.

“Celebrities must always appear glamorous. No one would pity a miserable appearance.”

Lin Xi’s lip-corner smile faded somewhat as she looked down and drank water: “Also, a smart man like Zhou Jianbin would naturally never hit arms, legs, neck, or other easily exposed areas.”

Sheng Sui thought of how her father hadn’t avoided these areas, leaving her briefly speechless: “…Did you ever think of leaving that man?”

“Emotional relationships between people are very complex. If Zhou Jianbin had been simply an abuser, perhaps I would have found it easier to break away back then.”

Sheng Sui discovered that when talking about the man who had violently abused her, Lin Xi’s tone showed not only fear, hatred, and lingering fear, but occasionally a trace of attachment.

“You’ll definitely think I’m stupid for saying this,” the beautiful woman’s red lips were charming as she smiled self-mockingly at Sheng Sui, “but Zhou Jianbin was very good to me most of the time. In the early period, he gave me many resources, paved the way for me, and did countless romantic things.”

“But later I discovered that compared to violence, I was more afraid of Zhou Jianbin’s unpredictable moods. One second he’d be gently declaring his love, the next he’d either attack you physically or try every means to attempt suicide.”

Talking about the long-buried past, Lin Xi’s body still trembled slightly: “…Sometimes I felt he was a madman, and even the act of hitting people was something he couldn’t control himself.”

Sheng Sui began to regret asking, as this was undoubtedly reopening old wounds. She was about to gently advise Lin Xi that she didn’t need to continue, but the woman cut her off first.

“You might be curious why seeing Zhou Shiyu makes me instinctively afraid, when actually we’ve had little interaction and he’s been quite good to Zhou Yi.”

The unspeakable secret had been suppressed in Lin Xi’s heart for too long. Sheng Sui’s questions finally gave her an outlet to pour it all out: “He looks too much like Zhou Jianbin. When he smiles, they’re practically identical, always making me feel like I’m facing that dead madman.”

Sheng Sui understood that the woman was trapped in the past and unable to escape, saying gently: “Zhou Shiyu is not his father and won’t hurt you.”

“…Right, they’re different,” Lin Xi took a deep breath. Her professional actress training allowed her to instantly return to normal, her smile flawless, “So I must formally apologize to you for that day’s words and actions.”

After speaking, she stood up and bowed slightly to Sheng Sui, saying softly: “When I knew Zhou Shiyu, he had already gone abroad to study. I heard he was an exceptionally outstanding person from childhood.”

Sheng Sui couldn’t be clearer about this point, smiling with curved brows: “Yes, he’s always been excellent.”

Due to Lin Xi’s special status, it wasn’t appropriate for her to appear at school for long. After observing fully armed outside the classroom windows for a while, she left campus and went to wait in her nanny van in the distance for Zhou Yi’s dismissal.

Sheng Sui watched the woman’s tall figure disappear, her mind circling around her recent words, thinking that Lin Xi, after years together, still couldn’t escape the shadow of violence, with unspeakable pain and wariness toward people.

Yet last night, without any reason, she had wanted to demand Zhou Shiyu be completely unreserved with her. Might this be too difficult for her husband to implement?

Until on the subway ride home, watching the endless flow of people at stations, Sheng Sui reflected that she had recently been spoiled by Zhou Shiyu into a willful temperament, not only unappreciative but increasingly greedy.

Last night they had parted on bad terms, and when sleeping, her husband had held her very carefully, as if afraid of making her unhappy.

Forget it. Tonight she must speak openly with him, at least clearly tell him that she would give him sufficient respect in the future, rather than acting entirely according to her moods.

With this thought, Sheng Sui finally lifted the heavy burden from her heart, quickened her pace home, planning to prepare fruit to welcome Zhou Shiyu before he returned.

Pushing open the entrance door, she didn’t see Ping’An coming to greet her. Sheng Sui put down her keys and entered, heading to the dining room for water when she faintly heard water sounds from the half-open bathroom door.

Her gaze fell on the suit jacket on the dining room chair back, and she realized Zhou Shiyu had come home early today.

Before Sheng Sui could react further, the black phone on the dining table vibrated, the screen lighting up with an unfamiliar number.

She remembered Zhou Shiyu had two black and white phones. The white one had contacted her before and should be for private interactions, so the black phone on the table should be for daily work.

Having never seen Zhou Shiyu carelessly leave his phone around before, Sheng Sui saw the phone vibrating non-stop. Since she couldn’t answer it, she could only pick it up and walk toward the bedroom while raising her voice:

“Zhou Shiyu, your phone is ringing.”

Strangely, the man who could usually hear her footsteps even when cooking didn’t respond despite Sheng Sui calling several times.

With the phone about to hang up, she could only knock on the bedroom door with her knuckles, pushing the door open while repeating:

“Your phone is ringing, do you need me to help—”

Before she could finish, the water sounds from the bathroom stopped just as the door handle turned. The freshly bathed man emerged from the room, bare-chested with only a men’s bath towel around his waist.

Zhou Shiyu’s physique was much more robust than Sheng Sui had imagined. Usually when dressed, he simply appeared broad-shouldered with a narrow waist and straight long legs that made him look lean. Now she could see the smooth muscle definition, especially his tight abdomen and shoulders and back, with rolling water droplets following his breathing, sliding down from pronounced but not exaggerated muscles and disappearing into the white bath towel.

But Sheng Sui had no mood to appreciate Zhou Shiyu’s perfect physique at this moment. She even forgot about the vibrating phone in her hand, only standing frozen in place, looking at what she saw before her, momentarily speechless.

From front chest to back, from shoulders crisscrossing and winding to the spine, terrifying marks could be seen everywhere on his pale skin.

She had never seen a body with such horrifying scars.