He wants to adopt a younger sister, but his aloof wife disagrees.

"Jiang Che, is this what you do at home?"

Shen Qingge's voice wasn't loud, and she didn't even scream hysterically, but the cold aura she had cultivated from years of being in a high position instantly lowered the temperature of the entire living room to freezing point.

She stood in the entryway, with the Hermès gift bag lying on the ground at her feet.

Her gaze was like two scalpels, fixed intently on the girl wearing her husband's shirt.

From Shen Qingge's perspective, this scene was filled with a suffocating sense of betrayal:

It's one in the morning, and a man and a woman are alone.

The girl had just finished showering, her body still smelling of shower gel, her wet hair draped over her shoulders. Beneath the oversized men's white shirt were smooth, long legs, her toes curled nervously on the white carpet, exuding an indescribable allure and ambiguity.

Her husband, Jiang Che, was standing less than half a meter away from her, with half a cigarette between his fingers.

"..."

Jiang Che looked at his wife, whose face was frosty, and did not rush over to explain or humbly help her pick up her bag as he used to do when there was a small misunderstanding.

He merely frowned slightly and calmly stubbed out his cigarette.

Before Jiang Che could even speak...

Su Xiaoruan, who had been hiding behind him, made a move.

As a girl who grew up on the streets, Su Xiaoruan possessed a beast-like intuition. She immediately sensed the power and danger of the woman before her—she was from a completely different world, a queen standing at the top of the food chain.

If they were outside, Su Xiaoruan would definitely take a detour.

But now, she is "at home," and in front of her stands that omnipotent uncle.

Su Xiaoruan instinctively chose the most efficient survival strategy: feigning weakness and binding.

Instead of resorting to vulgar insults, she shrank back like a frightened rabbit, hiding behind Jiang Che with only her large eyes and half her head showing.

Then, two small hands timidly grabbed Jiang Che's clothes and gently tugged at them.

"elder brother……"

Su Xiaoruan's voice trembled slightly from crying, becoming incredibly soft and sweet, a stark contrast to the energetic young woman who had been spouting "Holy crap" just moments before.

"This auntie is so fierce... Is she the housekeeper? Is she here to kick me out?"

boom--!

This sentence was like a precision-guided tactical nuclear bomb, exploding directly in Shen Qingge's mind.

elder brother?

Aunt? !

nanny?!!

Shen Qingge's nerves, which had been barely able to maintain their rationality, snapped instantly.

She's only twenty-five years old! She's the undisputed business goddess of Jianghai City!

I was actually called "Auntie" by some random wild girl?! And treated like a nanny?!

"Who are you calling 'Auntie'?!"

Shen Qingge's chest heaved with anger. Her usually composed and aloof face, which remained impassive even in the face of a collapsing mountain, was now flushed crimson. She strode into the living room in her high heels, pointing a trembling finger at Su Xiaoruan:

"Jiang Che! Tell her to shut up! And get her out of here right now!"

Faced with Shen Qingge's outburst, Su Xiaoruan trembled in fright, clinging even tighter to Jiang Che's back, practically hanging on him, and whispered in a tearful voice:

"Brother, I'm scared... I won't say anything, please don't let Auntie hit me..."

This smooth combo is practically a perfect example of the "green tea" trope.

That's enough.

Jiang Che finally spoke.

Instead of pushing away the trembling Su Xiaoruan behind him, he took a step to the left and used his body to block Shen Qingge's almost murderous gaze.

He bent down, picked up the deformed gift bag from the ground, dusted it off, and gently placed it on the table.

His movements were calm and composed, without a trace of guilt.

"Qingge, you scared her." Jiang Che said calmly.

"I scared her?" Shen Qingge looked at Jiang Che in disbelief, as if she were seeing this man for the first time. "Jiang Che, get your facts straight! You brought home some random woman, and she's even wearing your clothes! And you're saying I scared her?"

"She's not some wild woman, her name is Su Xiaoruan."

Jiang Che raised his head and looked directly into Shen Qingge's eyes. There was no trace of his usual timidity and ingratiation in his eyes, only a deep calm.

"I found her on the roadside. She was in danger, injured, and homeless. It was pouring rain outside, and I couldn't just watch her die on the street."

Jiang Che's explanation was very simple, even perfunctory.

In the past, he would have definitely taken out his phone to show the police report or swore an oath of innocence. But today, he didn't want to do that.

Because I'm tired.

Also because... they have more confidence now.

【Ding! 】

[The system detected strong emotional fluctuations in his wife, Shen Qingge (anger, jealousy, and resentment).]

[Emotional value extraction in progress...]

[Congratulations, host, you have received a reward: a key to a Bugatti Veyron Night Voice (limited edition supercar) (already automatically placed in your pocket).]

[Congratulations, host, you have received a reward of 100 million in cash.]

Hearing the system notification in his mind, Jiang Che put his hand in his pocket, his fingertips touching the cold metal car key.

See, you can even make money by arguing.

Then why bow your head?

Shen Qingge was speechless at Jiang Che's cold attitude.

She originally thought Jiang Che would panic and explain, beg for her forgiveness, and then she could take the opportunity to vent her anger and generously forgive him.

But now, Jiang Che's "I'm not wrong, believe it or not" attitude only intensified the sense of grievance she felt.

"Well... well, what a good deed and virtuous act."

Shen Qingge sneered, her eyes slightly reddening. She pointed at Su Xiaoruan's shirt: "Where are those clothes? Don't you have any clothes for guests? Why does she have to wear your shirt? Jiang Che, do you think I, Shen Qingge, am an idiot?"

"Her clothes were too dirty, covered in mud and cheap sequins, so I threw them away."

Jiang Che answered matter-of-factly, "As for why you're wearing mine, it's because your pajamas are too expensive, and I was afraid she'd ruin them and you'd feel bad."

This reason is so impeccable that it's impossible to find fault with it.

"My brother did it for my own good..."

At this moment, Su Xiaoruan poked her head out again and added insult to injury, "Sister, don't blame brother. If you're worried about the clothes, I'll take them off and give them back to him right now. I won't wear them..."

As she spoke, she made a move to unbutton her shirt.

That shirt was worn without anything underneath!

"Stop it!" Shen Qingge screamed, feeling like her blood pressure was about to explode.

This isn't just picking up a pitiful little thing, it's like picking up a living ancestor!

"Fine... Jiang Che, you're good."

Shen Qingge took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the anger in her heart. She was the CEO; she had to maintain her dignity.

"I don't care who she is or how pitiful she is. Now, immediately, take her to a hotel. My family doesn't take in people of unknown origin."

This was her bottom line. She absolutely could not accept having a young and beautiful girl living in her home, even as a guest room.

however.

Jiang Che shook his head.

"no."

Those two simple words plunged the living room into silence once again.

Shen Qingge's eyes widened: "What did you say?"

I said no.

Jiang Che glanced at the still torrential rain outside the window, then at Su Xiaoruan, who was clinging to his clothes behind him.

"She sprained her ankle and can't walk. Plus, she just offended some local thugs; going out now would be suicide. All the hotels around here require ID, and she doesn't have one."

Jiang Che paused, his tone turning somewhat cold and hard:

"Qingge, you're a woman too. I can't do something like kicking a young girl out in the rain in the middle of the night."

"and……"

Jiang Che suddenly stepped forward, closing in on Shen Qingge.

Shen Qingge subconsciously took half a step back. She found that Jiang Che today was frighteningly imposing.

"Besides, didn't you send a WeChat message this morning saying you wouldn't be replying tonight?"

Jiang Che's voice was low, tinged with a self-deprecating smile:

"If you hadn't come back, she would have stayed in the guest room and left tomorrow morning, and nothing would have happened. You came back suddenly without even saying goodbye."

"You..." Shen Qingge was speechless.

This sentence hit her weak spot.

Yes, she broke her promise first, and she also launched a surprise attack later.

Seeing the cleaned-up tableware on the table, Shen Qingge suddenly remembered that today was their wedding anniversary. The dinner she hadn't eaten had probably been thrown away by him.

Guilt, resentment, and anger intertwined in Shen Qingge's heart.

Looking at Jiang Che's familiar yet unfamiliar face, she suddenly felt powerless.

"it is good."

Shen Qingge closed her eyes, let out a long breath, and her voice sounded exhausted:

"You want to keep her, right? Fine, whatever."

She didn't want to argue anymore. Work had already overwhelmed her, and she had come home hoping to rest, but instead, she found herself in this mess.

Shen Qingge opened her eyes and gave Su Xiaoruan a cold look.

"You can stay one night. But only tonight."

"Also, stay away from my husband."

After saying that, Shen Qingge didn't look at Jiang Che again and turned to walk towards the master bedroom.

"Bang!"

The master bedroom door was slammed shut, followed by the sound of it being locked from the inside – "click".

That sound of the door being locked meant that Jiang Che had completely lost his right to enter the room tonight.

The living room returned to silence.

Su Xiaoruan looked at the closed master bedroom door, and her pitiful expression instantly disappeared.

She breathed a sigh of relief, turned to look at Jiang Che, and her big eyes sparkled with admiration.

"Wow...brother, you're so manly!"

Su Xiaoruan exclaimed sincerely.

This uncle is incredibly cool for daring to talk to that fierce-looking woman who had a commanding presence like that!

Jiang Che rolled his eyes at her, annoyed, and flicked her forehead.

"You had a good time acting just now, didn't you? Calling me 'Auntie'? How did you even think of that?"

Su Xiaoruan covered her forehead, stuck out her tongue, and revealed a sly smile like a little fox:

"Hehe, that's just a tactic. Who told her to be so fierce, trying to drive me away as soon as she arrived?"

At this point, Su Xiaoruan leaned closer, grabbed Jiang Che's arm, and shook her head, her voice becoming somewhat hesitant:

"But...brother, is it really okay for you to argue with that sister because of me? What if you get punished by kneeling on a washboard?"

Jiang Che felt the soft touch on his arm and heard the system notification in his mind: "[Emotional value added +100]".

A meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

"fine."

"The days of kneeling on a washboard are over."

Jiang Che patted Su Xiaoruan's head and pointed to the guest room on the other side:

"Go to sleep. I'll take you shopping for clothes tomorrow so you can change out of this shirt."

"Oh...yes, brother!"

Su Xiaoruan immediately stood at attention and saluted. Although her ill-fitting shirt made her look somewhat comical, her pure and beautiful face after removing her makeup radiated a vivid sense of relief after surviving a disaster.

She limped toward the guest room, and before entering, she made a face toward the master bedroom.

Jiang Che watched her retreating figure and touched the heavy Bugatti car key in his pocket.