Chapter 15:

Lin Qiao felt a bit conflicted but decided to take him home anyway—after all, not taking advantage of such a great deal would make her a complete fool.

After receiving the answer he wanted, Shen Qingzhou casually turned to gaze out the window. As they passed a shopping mall, he turned his head and said to Lin Qiao, “Pull over for a moment.”

Confused, she asked, “What’s up?”

“I need to go in there,” he replied, pointing toward the mall.

Though puzzled, Lin Qiao didn’t think it was a big deal and didn’t ask further questions. She obediently pulled the car to the side of the road.

“I’ll wait in the car,” she said.

Shen Qingzhou nodded. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Master Shen,” she replied politely.

He was polite, but she was even more so—and this realization was oddly irritating to him.

Shen Qingzhou opened the car door and stepped out, quickly walking into the mall. Lin Qiao sat in the car with her arms crossed, feeling bored, and turned on the radio. Coincidentally, the weather forecast was on.

It announced heavy rain for the evening. She glanced at the darkening sky—it indeed looked gloomy.

Maybe she should ask Shen Qingzhou to come another day? Otherwise, heavy rain at night would make traffic inconvenient. Traffic jams were one thing, but more importantly, she worried about accidents.

As she hesitated, the car window was suddenly tapped. Lin Qiao looked toward the passenger window and saw Shen Qingzhou, so she unlocked the doors.

Shen Qingzhou opened the door and got in, carrying three Armani shopping bags. The man beside her looked completely refreshed. The black suit fit him perfectly, the crisp white shirt collar neatly arranged. His physique was ideal for formal wear, especially his narrow waist and broad shoulders, creating a striking silhouette that made her stomach flutter with heat.

Perhaps her gaze was too intense, but even the usually uncommunicative Shen Qingzhou felt the need to explain: “I stayed at the hospital for a while this morning, and my clothes inevitably picked up the smell. It’s only polite to change.”

Lin Qiao silently reached for the shopping bags at his feet and, almost unconsciously, said, “Let me wash them for you.”

Shen Qingzhou was momentarily stunned, his brows slightly furrowed as he looked at her with a complex expression.

Lin Qiao blushed, quickly adding, “Master Shen gave me such a huge discount. It’s only right I help with small things like this, as long as you don’t mind.”

Shen Qingzhou didn’t seem particularly affected by her explanation. He had his own way of thinking, unshaken by others’ words.

He simply nodded slightly. “Then I’ll trouble you, Miss Lin. There’s no need to be so formal. Just call me by my name.”

Lin Qiao opened her mouth but couldn’t bring herself to say it. To cover her embarrassment, she moved the bags to the back seat, straightened herself, and focused on driving.

The car slowly made its way toward Lin Qiao’s new home through Beijing’s smoggy and overcast evening. It was already past six, so naturally Shen Qingzhou would have dinner at the Lin residence. Lin Qiao quietly sent her father a text message, asking him to prepare accordingly. But to her surprise, he called her back.

Nervously glancing at Shen Qingzhou, she apologized and answered the call using her Bluetooth headset. Her father’s voice came through clearly: “Qiaoqiao, why didn’t you tell me Master Shen was coming?”

“What happened?” Lin Qiao asked cautiously.

Her father replied, “I’ve got a client meeting tonight and will be out for dinner. Probably won’t be back until late. Can’t help with arrangements.”

Lin Qiao frowned slightly, then said after a moment’s thought, “It’s okay, I’ll handle it. Dad, don’t drink too much.”

Her father readily agreed, “Don’t worry, I’ll be careful.”

After saying goodbye to her father, Lin Qiao glanced uncomfortably at Shen Qingzhou. He wasn’t looking at her, his gaze fixed outside the window, seemingly indifferent to the conversation. This eased her tension slightly.

The rest of the drive was quiet. After parking in the garage, Lin Qiao and Shen Qingzhou walked toward the house. A rumble of thunder echoed overhead. Lin Qiao looked up at the dark sky, a hint of worry on her face.

“There’s no need to worry. I won’t overstay my welcome,” Shen Qingzhou suddenly said.

Lin Qiao looked at him in surprise, softening her tone. “That’s not what I meant. I just worry the rain might delay your trip back.”

Under the dimming light, his refined profile was slightly blurred. His voice, however, was gentler than before: “It’s fine. Du Xinling is also in Beijing. Xiao Ning is in good hands.”

Lin Qiao exhaled in relief. “Then I’m reassured.”

Shen Qingzhou gave no response, remaining silent as he walked forward.

As they entered the house, he was constantly observing his surroundings. He didn’t comment, but his silence suggested everything was acceptable.

Inside, before Lin Qiao could speak, a servant approached anxiously. “Miss Lin, my son and daughter-in-law are working late tonight. They might not make it back in the rain, and I’m worried about my grandson. May I take the night off?”

Lin Qiao was taken aback, her brows furrowing. She glanced awkwardly at Shen Qingzhou, who immediately responded, “I’ll stay briefly. No need for extra arrangements.”

Though he said no extra effort was needed, some courtesy was still required. After a moment’s hesitation, Lin Qiao agreed to the servant’s request. Her cooking skills were decent enough to manage dinner for two.

The servant hurried off, leaving the large house empty except for the two of them. Holding the shopping bags with Shen Qingzhou’s clothes, Lin Qiao hesitated slightly before saying, “Master Shen, please have a seat. I’ll put these away and be right back. Stay for dinner. There should be ingredients in the kitchen. If you don’t mind, I’ll cook.”

Shen Qingzhou sat on the sofa, looking up at her with a faint, knowing smile in his long, narrow eyes. She had expected some polite refusal, but he agreed without hesitation.

“Alright, thank you.”

“…It’s nothing.”

Lin Qiao exhaled and went upstairs to place the bags near the washing machine, changed clothes, and came back down.

When she descended, she found Shen Qingzhou no longer on the sofa. He was walking leisurely around the house, hands in his pockets, carefully examining every corner, occasionally adjusting the placement of objects.

Knowing he was “working,” Lin Qiao didn’t disturb him and went directly to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Outside, the rain began to fall, accompanied by thunder. The sound of rain was both calming and slightly worrying.

An hour later, Lin Qiao finished a simple four-dish meal and soup, each dish beautifully presented and carefully prepared.

She invited Shen Qingzhou to the dining table, where they sat facing each other. The warm light of the dining room illuminated her fair, delicate face, her flawless skin almost glowing, making him feel a stirring in his chest.

Clearly, his attention wasn’t on the food, but on her.

Trying to hide her nervousness, Lin Qiao subtly clenched her fists under the table and said, “I don’t cook often. If the food isn’t good, please don’t mind, Master Shen.”

He didn’t respond directly but corrected her address: “I told you, just call me by my name.”

Lin Qiao was momentarily dazed, slowly mumbling an “Okay,” clearly uncomfortable.

He didn’t press further, placing his hands on the table, signaling he was ready to eat.

Lin Qiao quickly picked up her chopsticks and invited him to begin. Just as they started eating, the overhead light buzzed and blinked a few times before the entire double-story house plunged into darkness.

It seemed the power had gone out.

Lin Qiao held her bowl and chopsticks, awkwardly meeting Shen Qingzhou’s gaze in the darkness. His expression was unreadable in the dark, and the sound of rain masked their breathing, making the silence less oppressive.

“The power’s out,” Shen Qingzhou murmured, then asked, “Should we fix it?”

Her voice was nearly drowned by the rain: “Can you do it?”

He gave her a strange look and walked out.

Ten minutes later, Shen Qingzhou closed the circuit breaker box and said, “It’s not the issue here. Probably due to the heavy rain causing problems with the nearby lines. Power should return once they fix it.”

Lin Qiao nodded beside him. The dark, large house made her feel uneasy, and she instinctively moved closer to him: “I’m really sorry. I invited you for a simple meal, and this happened.”

He replied indifferently, “No emergency lights at home?”

“…We just moved in and haven’t gotten around to buying any,” she said, lowering her head, her face flushed.

He asked again, “How about candles?”

“Candles?”

Soon, several candles were placed on the table. Though dimmer than electric lights, they provided enough illumination to finish the meal.

Unexpectedly, the ordinary dinner had turned into a romantic candlelit dinner. Lin Qiao couldn’t help but recall the day Shen Qingzhou was sick. Her face, already flushed by the candlelight, grew even redder.

Shen Qingzhou didn’t lift his head, eating quietly with his long eyelashes casting soft shadows on his face, making him seem less cold and more approachable.

They finished dinner intermittently and each took a candle, heading toward the living room.

Lin Qiao noticed the curtain fluttering in a far corner and realized the window was still open. She quickly turned to Shen Qingzhou: “Master Shen, wait a moment. I’ll go close the window.”

She rushed to the corner with the candle, but the rain pouring in quickly extinguished the flame. She placed the candle aside and struggled against the wind and rain to shut the window, her wet curtain whipping against her as she fought to close it.

Unconsciously sighing, Shen Qingzhou placed his candle steadily on the coffee table and approached from the other side to help. These windows had no curtains and were easier to close. After she shut two, she met him. His brand-new suit was now soaked and speckled with raindrops.

At that moment, the lights in the house flickered back on.

Lin Qiao dared not look up, only staring at his chest, speaking softly: “Thank you, Master Shen.”

Shen Qingzhou took a step forward, her face nearly touching his chest. The raindrops on his white shirt made her feel even more guilty.

“You’re welcome,” he said, slowly lowering his head. His soft, low voice brushed her ear, his warm breath sending tingles down her neck. “Call me, Qingzhou.”