Chapter 586: 586: Comparing Her to a Puppy

The sun gradually sank below the horizon, and the evening was cool and clear. People on the beach slowly dispersed, leaving the once bustling seaside quiet and almost silent.

As the moon was about to rise from the edge of the sky, Xu Chaomu finally glanced at Shen Chi and obediently followed him home.

“Walking barefoot is too cold tonight, I’ll carry you to the car.”

Having said that, Shen Chi didn’t wait for Xu Chaomu’s agreement, stuffed the camera and various other items into her hands, and then lifted her up in his arms.

Xu Chaomu hooked her lips into a smile, neither rejecting nor being too intimate.

Instead, she looked down at Shen Chi, then at herself, and laughed.

“What are you laughing at?” Shen Chi curiously asked.

“Our white clothes have turned black,” she laughed.

Shen Chi looked and found it was true. The white T-shirt that was clean in the morning was now stained with seawater and dirt.

Both of them were about equally dirty.

“Tired?” Shen Chi asked.

Xu Chaomu shook her head without speaking.

Although she was quite happy, it wasn’t like before, where she could let loose and play carefree. Shen Chi could always see a faint worry between her brows.

He noticed that whenever she seemed to be having a great time, her smile would fade away within a few seconds.

He knew she was troubled.

He carried her to the car and opened the passenger door.

Just as he was putting her down, Xu Chaomu suddenly gave a mischievous smile and wiped her hands on his white T-shirt a few times.

Her hands were cleaned, but his shirt got even dirtier.

“Little rascal,” Shen Chi looked at her fondly, his smile growing wider.

She sat in the passenger seat, tilting her head, quietly waiting for him to get in the car.

Shen Chi threw all the picked-up items into the trunk and then drove out of the seaside area.

“I’ll take you to a nice restaurant for dinner later,” Shen Chi said.

Xu Chaomu nodded, still silent.

She sat quietly in the passenger seat, her hands interlacing and wringing, her head bowed at times, and then looking up into the distance.

After leaving the place, the sound of the sea waves hitting the shore gradually faded away.

As the sound grew distant, the car entered the busy city.

Xu Chaomu hadn’t eaten all day yesterday, and he didn’t dare let her go hungry any longer.

Soon, as the night was about to fall, he drove to a nicely decorated restaurant.

The environment was elegant, with crystal chandeliers making the place as bright as day. The decor was Western-style, and there was someone playing the piano in the restaurant, adding an air of sophistication.

Shen Chi led Xu Chaomu to a seat, and a waiter quickly came over with the menu.

Since Shen Chi often came here, he picked several good dishes, most of which suited Xu Chaomu’s taste.

He knew exactly what Xu Chaomu liked to eat.

“Mumu, you’re starting work at Shen’s on Monday. Are you ready?” Shen Chi said.

“Mhm.” Xu Chaomu took a sip of the lemon water in front of her and faintly responded.

She stirred the lemon water with a straw, her expression unchanging.

“If you have any problems in the Group, find Xiao Mo.” Shen Chi said, “Of course, you can also come to me.”

“Don’t let the people in the Group know about our relationship,” Xu Chaomu said softly, her head lowered.

Before, she had complained about Shen Chi never taking her to Shen Group, but now, she felt a bit apprehensive.

At least, she wasn’t prepared for it.

“Okay,” Shen Chi agreed with her.

The dishes Shen Chi ordered soon arrived.

“Try this pan-seared silver cod, and the sea urchin sauce baked shrimp. They’re their signature dishes here,” Shen Chi said.

Xu Chaomu tried them and found that they were indeed delicious.

She was really hungry and ate a good amount of food in no time, while Shen Chi hardly touched his meal, just watching her.

When Xu Chaomu was feeling satisfied with her meal, she looked up to see Shen Chi staring at her, and she felt a bit embarrassed.

“I ate it all; there’s nothing left for you,” Xu Chaomu said apologetically with a smile.

“It’s fine; if it’s not enough, I’ll order more,” Shen Chi said.

Xu Chaomu was really embarrassed, as there were many empty plates in front of her.

Looking at other young ladies, they were eating their food delicately and slowly.

Xu Chaomu smiled at Shen Chi, her face turning red: “I was hungry…”

“Then eat more; you don’t need to save money for me.” Shen Chi smiled as well.

Shen Chi wasn’t very hungry himself. He had only a little to eat and sat sipping red wine.

While tasting the wine, he turned on his phone.

It had been off the whole day, and upon turning it on, there were over forty missed calls.

Shen Chi looked through them one by one, ignoring the calls from people who weren’t important.

Many of the calls were from his mother.

Shen Chi scoffed and then opened his text messages. Sure enough, Zhou Ran had sent him a text.

The message was brief: Achi, answer the phone.

This was indeed his mother’s style, straightforward, even when asking for favors.

Likewise, after reading it, Shen Chi deleted it; he had no intention of calling his mother back proactively.

While he was checking the messages, a call came in from a servant at Waterside Pavillion.

“Fourth Young Master.”

“Hm?”

“I just went and picked up the little dog you mentioned, and now it’s being cared for in the small house.”

“Take good care of it.”

“Yes, Fourth Young Master.”

Shen Chi hung up and placed the phone on the table.

Xu Chaomu was hungry and had eaten quite a bit; now, she was eating a piece of salt and pepper pork rib.

Seeing Shen Chi looking at her again, she felt embarrassed and put down her chopsticks.

Shen Chi laughed instead: “Why be embarrassed in front of me? Should I feed you?”

“No,” Xu Chaomu murmured with her head down.

“Then eat more; after we finish, I’ll take you to see Wealth.”

“Did you bring Wealth back?”

“Yes, I am quite looking forward to it, wondering what sort of ugly dog has such a tacky name.”

“My Wealth is very cute,” Xu Chaomu said discontentedly.

“Cutier than you?”

“Whatever.” Xu Chaomu was even more displeased, comparing her to a dog.

However, since returning to C City, she really hadn’t seen Wealth again, and she was truly looking forward to it.

Would the little dog still recognize her?

During the five years in Paris, Wealth was quite close to her. When she lived alone outside, it was the one that always accompanied her.

“Did you buy this dog?” Shen Chi asked.

“No, I found it. When I found it, it was just a few months old, abandoned on the road, looking pitiful.”

She was reminded of herself. Back then, just after she turned ten, she lost her parents.

“With you to accompany it, it’s not pitiful anymore,” Shen Chi said.

“That’s true, I took good care of it.”

Talking about the little dog, Xu Chaomu’s face finally brightened with a smile, and she began to talk more.