Hunt her

Her WeChat Moments only show posts from the past week, but the amount of content is more than she posts in a whole year.

The further you scroll down, the more your perception is shattered: "She looks aloof, but she's actually quite secretly passionate."

Shen Yi's WeChat Moments are full of handsome photos, all in nine-grid format. The photos are either selfies with his abs on full display or photos taken by others to show off his body proportions.

In short, there wasn't a single useless image.

Yan Xu exited his WeChat Moments, thought for a moment, and then changed his nickname.

"Shen Kongque".

Man as his name suggests.

That fits perfectly.

Second bedroom.

Shen Yi put on her pajamas and lay on the bed, satisfied. She kept clicking on Yan Xu's WeChat profile picture, which was a picture of her standing on the beach, facing the afterglow of the setting sun.

At that moment, a message popped up in the group chat of the four brothers.

The account labeled "Xiao's Son" asked him: "Brother Long, wanna hang out tomorrow? Want to grab a couple of drinks?"

"Ren's son": [Yeah, Brother Long, where have you been these past few days? I went to your house but didn't see you.]

The other account with a black profile picture and a name remained silent.

Shen Yi sent a voice message, his tone smug: "Can't go. My family's strict; my wife won't let me."

Wife?

wife!

He, Shen Yi, has been a widow for over twenty years, but now he has a wife!

Instantly, the group chat exploded like grasshoppers.

The news came in a barrage.

"Xiao's son" even called him directly: "Wow! Brother Long, could it be that beauty? You actually managed to hook her?"

Shen Yi's expression darkened, and he growled, "Get out!"

The next day.

Yan Xu was woken up by the alarm clock.

She walked out of the bedroom, still half asleep, and the smell of steamed buns and fried dough sticks wafted towards her.

The dining table was filled with steamed buns and mantou with various fillings, fried dough sticks, soy milk, porridge, and a seafood wonton that she often ate downstairs.

There was a note under the soy milk: [I didn't know what you liked to eat, so I bought a little of everything. If you can't finish it, put it in the fridge. From now on, you'll be responsible for the rent and utilities, and I'll be responsible for your food and living arrangements. We each have our own responsibilities.]

He thought Yan Xu would be touched by his thoughtfulness, but to her surprise, she said, "Your handwriting is quite beautiful."

She didn't eat any of her breakfast; she put everything in the refrigerator, including the seafood wontons that couldn't be eaten if left out for too long.

She dislikes being taken care of by others, whether in work or in life, and she declines all such requests.

The debts of gratitude accumulated from small favors are the most troublesome and the hardest to repay.

She and Shen Yi should just keep things as they are.

......

Zhenyunxuan Homestay.

Yan Xu was hired as a guesthouse manager on his second day in Yunzhao County, which means it's been about eight or nine days.

There are three people in the shop.

There's Xiaotong, a college student working part-time during her summer vacation, and Aunt Chen, a full-time cleaning lady.

Small but complete.

Xiao Tong jogged over, pushing a cleaning cart: "Sister Yan Xu! You're finally here. The guest in room 106 said the showerhead malfunctioned and burned him. He's furious."

Yan Xu patted her shoulder: "It's okay, I'll take care of it. After you wash the sheets and duvet cover, go to the front desk and get a bottle of sunscreen. The UV rays are strong here, so don't get sunburned."

She always speaks in a steady and calm manner, like a reassuring pill.

Xiao Tong pursed her lips: "Sister Yan Xu, you're so good to me."

Not only does it include meals and accommodation, but the part-time salary is also 500 yuan more than other homestays.

Five hundred! That's enough for her to use for almost half a month at school.

The troublemaker in room 106 was a middle-aged man in his forties who was on a business trip to Yunzhao County. He was looking for a place to vent his anger because the project had not been agreed upon.

"What kind of shady business do you run! The showerheads are all broken, and you burned my hand like this—can you even afford the medical bills?!"

The middle-aged man, wearing a bathrobe, pointed at Aunt Chen and yelled at her.

Aunt Chen, being gentle by nature, quickly bowed and apologized, "I'm so sorry, my boss will be here soon, I'm so sorry."

She was so frightened by the middle-aged man that she almost cried, and her voice was trembling with sobs.

"Aunt Chen!" Yan Xu quickly walked to her side. "It's alright, Aunt Chen. You go help Xiao Tong. I'll take care of things here."

Aunt Chen seemed to have grasped at a straw, nodding repeatedly before fleeing as if she were escaping.

The middle-aged man squinted as he looked Yan Xu up and down.

She wore a silver hairpin in her hair and a pure white short-sleeved shirt tucked into loose light blue jeans. She didn't deliberately accentuate her figure, but her extraordinary temperament was undeniable.

"You're the boss," the middle-aged man said with a teasing look. "Since you're a woman, I won't have to pay your medical bills."

Yan Xu was disgusted by the greasy look in his eyes: "Sir, let me check the showerhead first. I will pay every penny that is due, and I will not pay a penny that is not due."

The middle-aged man eagerly offered, "Since this beautiful lady has chosen to come into my room, I must welcome her!"

Yan Xu suppressed his nausea and quickly walked to the bathroom. The showerhead switch was on the far left, which was the highest temperature setting; if it wasn't hot, he'd be a dead pig.

He was clearly deliberately making things difficult for us.

Yan Xu walked out of the bathroom, intending to talk at the door, but the middle-aged man suddenly blocked her way, preventing her from leaving.

The man whistled, "Why are you running? What do you mean?"

Yan Xu calmed down and said logically, "The showerhead is fine, the water temperature is set too high. Also, tonight's room fee will be refunded immediately. Our inn is small, please find another place to stay."

The premise of "the customer is king" is that the other party must be a normal person.

The middle-aged man said angrily, "He looks like he's trying to seduce people, what's with the act? He'd be better off tonight..."

As he spoke, he reached his hand toward her face.

"Ah! My...my hand!"

Yan Xu reacted swiftly, pulling out the hairpin and stabbing it into his palm with all her might.

She gritted her teeth and warned, "Don't...touch...me."

The middle-aged man's dirty hands were pinned to the wall, blood flowed down the wall, and screams and cries filled the air.

Yan Xu's actions seemed to be a result of a stress reaction and emotional breakdown; her eyes were fixed on the middle-aged man, whose face was contorted with pain.

Shen Yi pressed down on her shoulders and softly called, "...Yan Xu, Yan Xu."

Upon hearing his own name, Yan Xu gradually withdrew his consciousness, pulled out his hairpin, and remained calm as if nothing had happened, with only a trace of ruthlessness remaining in his eyes.

Shen Yi kicked the man hard in the groin: "Get lost!"

The man screamed and staggered to his feet.

Yan Xu tore off a piece of paper to wipe the bloodstains off the hairpin, and glanced at the man: "You can go to the hospital now, I'll pay for the medical expenses."

Remove the hairpin, stab the person, pull out the hairpin, wipe away the blood.

The series of movements were so familiar, as if they had been practiced many times.

A middle-aged man, dragging his bleeding hand, ran out of the guesthouse, crying, "Hospital! Take me to the hospital quickly!"

Yan Xu looked up and met Shen Yi's uneasy gaze: "What do you want?"

Shen Yi's arms were tense. He wanted to reach out and pull her into his arms to tell her not to be afraid, but reason told him not to, as she would feel disgusted.

After a struggle with his mind, reason prevailed, and he relaxed his shoulders and sighed, "If you're scared, just cry. You can lean on my shoulder."

As long as you don't act calm and pretend you don't care.

Yan Xu sneered and put her hairpin back on: "It's just a cooperative marriage. You've really put yourself in the husband's role. I'm fine, thank you for your concern."

They had only known each other for two days, and she couldn't trust him just because they were married.

Even family ties can be betrayed, let alone a marriage of convenience.

Yan Xu is now like a hedgehog; when provoked, he raises his quills and attacks anyone indiscriminately.

Sharp, fierce, and cold, just like her hairpin.

Shen Yi's jaw muscles bulged, and he was amused by her words in an instant: "Next time, try to cover up your lies better."

He automatically ignored the sarcasm in her words and only saw that she was putting on a brave face. She seemed fine on the surface, but her hands were shaking as she put on the hairpin.

The mouth can lie, but the body cannot.

Yan Xu stubbornly denied it: "No."

"You!" He was furious, but he couldn't do anything about it. He reached out and took the hairpin off her head, his tone softening. "Don't wear it anymore, it's stained with blood, it's dirty."