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

5:30 p.m.

28th floor of Building A, Tomson Riviera.

With a soft "beep" from the fingerprint lock, the heavy armored door opened.

Su Xiaoruan rushed in like a happy little magpie, carrying big bags and small packages, and even the pain in her foot seemed to have disappeared.

"Wow! Time to go home!"

She carefully placed the expensive Chanel shopping bag she was carrying on the sofa, then threw herself into the soft, plush carpet and rolled around, her face beaming with an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

Jiang Che followed behind, holding the car keys in his hand, watching this scene with a slight smile on his lips.

That's the joy of raising a kitten. Watching this little wildcat, once covered in mud, gradually become clean and radiant brings a sense of accomplishment that surpasses even writing a million-word novel.

"Don't just sit there laughing like an idiot."

Jiang Che changed his shoes, threw the old phone with the broken SIM card into the drawer, and said, "Go change into your new clothes, and give me back that old shirt after you wash it."

"Yes, brother!"

Su Xiaoruan jumped up and rushed into the guest room with her new clothes in her arms.

While she was changing clothes, Jiang Che walked into the open kitchen that had always been considered "decorative".

As a competent (former) stay-at-home husband, cooking used to be his duty, but today it's a pleasure.

He opened the refrigerator and took out top-quality Wagyu beef, fresh black truffles, and Australian lobsters that were still jumping around.

The [God-Level Home-Style Dishes] skill is activated again.

But this time, it wasn't just a simple home-cooked meal. With the support of the system's cash flow, this meal was upgraded to a Michelin three-star standard.

Soon, the kitchen was filled with the rhythmic sounds of chopping vegetables and the sizzling of hot oil cooking ingredients.

……

Ten minutes later.

The guest room door opened.

Su Xiaoruan came out.

She changed into that off-white Chanel dress and soft lambskin flats. Her hair was clumsily tied into a slightly loose bun, with a few wisps of hair hanging down beside her ears. Far from looking messy, it exuded a lazy elegance.

She walked to the full-length mirror in the living room, turned around, and looked at herself in the mirror, still with some disbelief in her eyes.

Is this really me?

"Stop looking at yourself, you're going to pierce through the mirror."

Jiang Che came out carrying a plate of exquisitely presented appetizers. "Come and help."

"Here you are!"

Su Xiaoruan jogged over, but she didn't go straight to pick up the plates.

As a girl who had struggled at the bottom of society, she knew all too well how to please people and how to make herself seem "useful".

She looked at the living room, which had been cold and impersonal, like a showroom, and felt that something was missing.

"Brother, what kind of flowers does that sister like?" Su Xiaoruan suddenly asked.

"Lily. What's wrong?"

"fine!"

Su Xiaoruan ran to the entryway and rummaged through her shopping bag for a bunch of fragrant lilies she had casually bought at the flower shop downstairs in the mall. She found a crystal vase that Shen Qingge had neglected, filled it with water, and clumsily but carefully arranged the lilies before placing them in the center of the dining table.

Next, she fluffed up the cushions Jiang Che had casually tossed on the sofa, arranging them neatly. She straightened Jiang Che's slippers. She even took a scented candle with a faint milky fragrance from her shopping bag, lit it, and placed it on the coffee table.

In just ten minutes.

The once luxurious yet cold and distant mansion suddenly gained a touch of "warmth and humanity".

That was something Shen Qingge had lived in for a year but never gave to this home.

"good."

Jiang Che looked at all this and nodded, "She's starting to look like the lady of the house."

Su Xiaoruan blushed, feeling secretly delighted. She secretly vowed: I will make this place the most comfortable place, so that my brother can't live without me, and then that fierce older sister won't be able to drive me away!

"Ding-dong—"

"It's 6 PM Beijing time now."

The smart wall clock tells the time.

At that very second, the sound of the fingerprint lock turning came from the doorway.

Su Xiaoruan, who was fiddling with the vase, froze. Her smile vanished instantly, replaced by a tension akin to "the empress returning to check up on her."

"Don't be afraid."

Jiang Che was resting the steak, not turning his head, and said calmly, "Go sit on the sofa, grab a book and read. Remember, no matter how flustered you feel, keep your back straight."

Su Xiaoruan took a deep breath, grabbed an English magazine from the coffee table (whose contents she didn't know), quickly ran to the sofa, sat down, and struck an elegant (pretentious) pose.

"Click".

The heavy front door was pushed open.

Shen Qingge is back.

This was the first time in a year of marriage that she had returned home before the sun had completely set.

She clutched a copy of the "Temporary Family Residence Agreement" that her lawyer had drafted in the car, her mind filled with strong words about how to get rid of that "green tea b*tch" and her best friend Chu Ran's warning, "Your house is going to get robbed."

She had even mentally prepared herself to see a mess on the floor as soon as she entered the house, or that wild girl wandering around the house in revealing clothes.

however.

The moment she stepped through the entryway and saw the interior of the house.

Shen Qingge's high-heeled foot was suspended in mid-air, and she forgot to put it down.

The air was filled with a rich and sophisticated aroma of food—the smell of truffles fried in butter, mixed with a faint scent of lilies.

The living room, which was originally in cool tones, was now filled with the afterglow of the setting sun.

Fresh flowers were placed on the dining table, and incense was burning on the coffee table.

A young girl sat on a single sofa in front of the floor-to-ceiling window.

The young girl wore a well-tailored off-white dress, her hair styled in a gentle bun, and held a book in her hands, reading quietly. The setting sun shone on her profile, outlining a golden, velvety silhouette, making her look as beautiful as an oil painting.

Who... is this?

Shen Qingge's brain briefly went blank.

Where is that filthy, foul-mouthed, tattered delinquent-looking young woman?

Where is that green tea bitch who wore a men's shirt and had a face full of tea last night?

Is this girl in front of me, who looks more sophisticated than a socialite and more refined than a lady from a wealthy family, really Su Xiaoruan?!

"What? Don't you recognize your own home?"

A magnetic voice broke Shen Qingge's daze.

Jiang Che untied his apron and carried the last main dish out of the kitchen. He glanced at Shen Qingge, who was standing in the doorway in a daze, his eyes calm yet tinged with a hint of mockery.

Shen Qingge snapped out of her daze, her gaze struggling to leave Su Xiaoruan and turning to Jiang Che.

She noticed that Jiang Che was different today.

He used to wear a cheap apron from the supermarket when he cooked, which looked a bit greasy.

But today, he was wearing a high-quality black shirt, the cuffs rolled up to reveal his well-defined forearms. His composed and confident demeanor made him look nothing like a stay-at-home dad; he looked more like a star chef enjoying the pleasure of cooking.

"What... is going on?"

Shen Qingge walked into the living room, her voice a little hoarse. She pointed to Su Xiaoruan, then to the flowers on the table, "Did you buy these for her?"

Upon hearing the sound, Su Xiaoruan "panicked" and put down her book (actually, she was holding it upside down), stood up, clasped her hands in front of her, and bowed properly as Jiang Che had taught her:

"My sister's back. You must be tired from work."

Her voice was clear and soft, but without the deliberate affectation of last night; instead, it exuded a sense of docility.

Shen Qingge: "..."

She felt like she had punched a piece of cotton.

I was prepared to be furious, but I couldn't vent it.

"I'm asking you a question." Shen Qingge turned to Jiang Che, trying to regain her composure. "Who told you to buy her all this? This outfit... is it a new Chanel collection from last season? It must have cost tens of thousands of yuan. Jiang Che, where did you get the money?"

This is her biggest concern.

Jiang Che put down the plate, pulled out a chair and sat down, pouring himself a glass of red wine with extremely elegant movements.

"I earned some royalties from writing novels," Jiang Che casually lied, "plus some savings I had from before. What, Mr. Shen, do you want to check the accounts?"

"Your secret stash of money?" Shen Qingge laughed in exasperation. "Your little bit of secret stash of money, is it enough to buy this outfit?"

"not enough."

Jiang Che readily admitted it, raising his head and looking intently at Shen Qingge:

"So I also touched the retirement savings I had saved for my mother."

(Note: This is a white lie, intended to evoke Shen Qingge's sense of guilt.)

really.

Upon hearing the words "a retirement fund left for Mom," Shen Qingge's pupils constricted sharply.

Jiang Che is an orphan with only one adoptive mother who passed away a few years ago. This so-called "retirement fund" is actually Jiang Che's last line of defense and his last shred of dignity.

He actually abandoned all moral boundaries just to buy clothes for this wild girl?

Shen Qingge felt as if something had clenched her heart, a mixture of bitterness, anger, confusion, and a hint of inexplicable jealousy.

"You... spoil her like this?"

Shen Qingge's voice trembled slightly, and the agreement in her hand was crumpled in her hand.

"It's not about pampering."

Jiang Che shook his head, his tone becoming serious:

"Since we're going to keep her here, we can't let her embarrass you. This outfit is to be worthy of this family, and also to be worthy of your status, Shen Qingge."

This straight shot caught Shen Qingge off guard.

For...my sake?

Looking at the completely transformed Su Xiaoruan, she had to admit that now, if Su Xiaoruan were taken out, no one would think she was a delinquent girl they had picked up; instead, they would think she was a rich young lady from a wealthy family.

Jiang Che's words calmed her down by half.

"Alright, stop standing there."

Jiang Che pointed to the head of the table, "Wash your hands and eat. Today's meal is also to make up for yesterday's anniversary dinner."

Shen Qingge glanced at the table full of delicacies.

Wellington steak, black truffle soup, Boston lobster pasta... the color and presentation of each dish were more exquisite than the table that was thrown away last night.

The aroma in the air roused her stomach, which had been empty after a long day of meetings.

Shen Qingge took a deep breath and stuffed the "Family Temporary Residence Agreement" back into her bag.

Bringing it out at this moment would be too jarring and would make me seem too cold-hearted.

"Su Xiaoruan, right?"

Shen Qingge took off her coat, put on slippers, and resumed her haughty queen-like demeanor, coldly glancing at Su Xiaoruan:

"Nice clothes. But don't think that just because you've changed your clothes you can do whatever you want in this house."

"Sit down and eat."

"Thank you, sister!" Su Xiaoruan felt like she had been granted a pardon and quickly sat down, letting out a long sigh of relief: Phew, the first hurdle is over!

however.

As the three of them sat down, this seemingly calm but actually turbulent "compensation dinner" had only just begun.

Jiang Che picked up the decanter, poured Shen Qingge a glass of red wine, and Su Xiaoruan a glass of juice.

"Cheers."

Jiang Che raised his wine glass, his gaze shifting between the two women, a meaningful smile playing on his lips:

"Celebrating that we're going to live together...for a while."

Shen Qingge looked at the glass of wine, then at Su Xiaoruan across from her, who was eating obediently but whose eyes kept drifting toward Jiang Che.

Ugh...