But she was afraid that Shen Chi would soon finish his bath and come out, so she put down the puppet and closed the drawer.
In the drawer by his bedside, she didnât find any messy items, just a few books, some pens, and a few trinkets. It seemed there wasnât anything like lipstick, facial masks, or nail polish that a woman would use.
Of course, there were neither condoms nor birth control pills.
Xu Chaomu closed the drawer, what was in his drawer had nothing to do with her.
She walked over to the wardrobe and casually flipped through it. This manâs wardrobe was still the same as it was five years ago, forever limited to black, white, and gray, very monotonous.
The neatly pressed suits, the clean shirts, all exuded that familiar scent.
That scent, which she had smelled for eight years, hadnât changed at all, even after five years.
Just as she buried her small head in the pile of clothes, a thought suddenly flashed through her mindâthis scent, she seemed to have smelled it not long agoâ¦
She closed her eyes, and rapid scenes passed through her mind.
But, perhaps her life had been too rich, she couldnât recall it.
In these five years, Nie Chenglang had taken her to many places. Maybe⦠she had brushed past Shen Chi?
Could it be that night?
She had always been suspiciousâ¦
âMumu, did you get it? If you donât come over, Iâm going out.â
The shameless voice of someone rose in the bathroom, indifferent.
âYou, donât come out! Iâm almost finished finding it,â Xu Chaomu said in a panic, forgetting the matter at hand as she hurriedly looked for his pajamas.
âMumu, actually even if I did go out, itâs not such a big deal, youâll have to see it sooner or later anywayâ¦â the person continued unabashedly.
âDamn it, have you no shame? Who wants to see you!â
She was not familiar with his closet, and after searching for quite a while, she finally found a gray bathrobe. She walked over to the bathroom to hand it over to him.
âOpen the door, take your clothes!â Xu Chaomu said impatiently, knocking hard on the bathroom door.
âMumu, your attitude isnât very good, be careful or Iâll pull you in to help me dress.â
âIf you dare to be indecent, Iâll dare to take nude pictures of you!â
âWould you really let other women see your husband?â
Shen Chi opened the door and took the clothes from her hand.
Looking up, he saw that Xu Chaomu had already turned around, her back facing him.
Having not seen her for five years, she seemed to have become much more reserved.
Shen Chi didnât play around anymore, he slightly curved the corners of his lips and put on the bathrobe.
âIâm going back now, Iâm sleepy.â Xu Chaomu didnât look back, she was afraid that this man would wander around without clothes.
She opened the room door and ran off like a wisp of smoke.
Actually, her heart was in turmoil because of that familiar scent on himâ¦
She left, and he didnât stop her.
The light cast on him, making his facial features ever more distinct.
He walked to the balcony, opening the window.
Immediately, moonlight poured over him like flowing water. The cool evening breeze gently caressed him.
He lit a cigarette and phoned Xiao Mo.
âMr. Shen, you havenât slept yet?â Xiao Mo sounded groggy.
âMhm, canât sleep.â
âIs it because of Xu Chaomu?â
Shen Chi was silent for a few seconds, not speaking.
Xiao Mo knew that aside from Xu Chaomu, nothing would keep Shen Chi awake.
âXiao Mo, has Jian Sisi been taken care of?â
âI followed your instructions to the letter.â n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âWhat about the bug situation?â
âI looked into it right after arranging for her.â
âWhat did you find?â
âAfter I got her the hotel room, she immediately made a call to a man.â
âAnd then?â
âShe said the baby was saved and told him not to worry.â
âAnything else?â
âThe rest is still to be investigated. Mr. Shen, do you really intend to keep Jian Sisiâs child?â
âKeep it for now, itâll be useful when the fish takes the bait.â
âWhat do you mean?â Xiao Mo was confused. He thought that after seeing Shen Chiâs expression in the hospital that evening, Shen Chi truly couldnât bear to part with Jian Sisiâs child.
âKeep tracking her, monitor her every word and action.â
âOf course,â Xiao Mo said. âBut Mr. Shen, about the childâ¦â
âAfter we catch the fish, dispose of it.â
âYou donât want the child?â
âIsnât Chaomu pregnant? Why would I want another womanâs child.â
Heâd rather be a stepfather himself than to have Xu Chaomu be a stepmother.
Because, she had just said in the bathroom that she didnât want to be a stepmother.
The words she said, he always took to heart.
âBut⦠Mr. Shen, Xu Chaomuâs child is someone elseâsâ¦â Xiao Mo quietly reminded him.
No man could stand the thought of raising anotherâs child, could they? Was Shen Chi willing to bear such a burden?
How deeply must he be in love with Xu Chaomuâ¦
âItâs none of your business, just take care of the things Iâve entrusted you with.â
âGot it,â Xiao Mo said. âMr. Shen, Iâm going to sleep nowâ¦â
âMhm.â
Xiao Mo hung up the phone and yawned, going back to sleep.
Shen Chi extinguished his cigarette and stood on the balcony a while longer; he knew she was right next door.
Wearing the bathrobe that she personally handed to him, he savored every day that she was with him, and that was enough.
No landscape could rival the joy of her beaming smileâ¦
The next morning, Xu Chaomu overslept and couldnât wake up early.
Shen Chi asked the butler, Ling, to make her a light breakfast. After straightening out his clothes, he planned to head to the corporation.
âYoung Master Four, why donât you sleep in a bit more? You came back so late last night,â the butler Ling said.
âIâm fine. Just take good care of her.â
Shen Chi slightly curved his lips, glancing upstairs.
âOf course, I will certainly take good care of Miss Xu. You can rest assured.â
âWith Butler Ling looking after her, of course Iâm at ease,â Shen Chi said.
After speaking, Shen Chi walked out of the Shen Family villa.
In this season, greenery was lush everywhere, and the air was heavy with the scent of summer. The Ziwei flowers in the garden were in full bloom, clusters after clusters, quite a sight to behold.
Old Cheng had been waiting outside the Shen Family villa. Seeing Shen Chi, he quickly opened the passenger door.
âMr. Shen, please.â
âMhm.â
Shen Chi got in the car, and as Old Cheng settled in the driverâs seat, they set off toward the corporation.
Not long after the car left the Shen Family villa, Shen Chi received a call from an unfamiliar number.
He usually didnât answer such calls, but he suddenly felt that this number seemed familiar.
Frowning, he thought for a while, right, it was that manâs cell phone number, the one called Nie Chenglang.
With a sneer curling at the corner of his lips, he slowly answered the call.
Shen Chi didnât speak upon picking up, waiting for the other party to speak first.
âMay I ask if this is Mr. Shen Chi?â
âYes.â
âAre you free today? Letâs set a time to meet and talk.â
The manâs voice on the phone was very gentle and didnât betray any particular emotions.
Shen Chi found it interesting; this man was not like what he had imagined.
âIâm sorry, Iâm booked for the near future.â
âI mean no offense, I just want to talk to you,â Nie Chenglang said calmly.
âThen speak now, itâs the same thing.â
âYou should know what I want to talk about, is Chaomu with you?â
âMhm.â
âIs she doing well?â
âSheâs fine, you donât need to worry about her.â
âLet me see her, or at least, let me talk to her on the phone.â