is just a joke, don't take it seriously.

He genuinely devoted his time, money, and energy.

And he gave without expecting anything in return, sometimes even without taking credit for what he had done in front of her.

What Shen Yi did for her went far beyond the scope of their cooperative marriage.

Yan Xu sat at the foot of the bed, still lost in doubt: "Why would he like me? Is it just because she married him?"

Yan Xu racked his brains but couldn't figure it out, so he simply went to sleep.

correct.

She recently discovered that her sleep quality has improved, just like her appetite.

After marrying Shen Yi, she visibly became better and healthier.

Yan Xu fell asleep as soon as she finished thinking, but the man lying on the sofa couldn't sleep.

He curled up on the 1.6-meter-long sofa, tossing and turning, his mind going over and over whether he had said anything wrong.

He slapped his leg and sat up abruptly.

"I should have kept quiet." He began to regret his impulsiveness. "No flowers, no gifts, no candlelight dinner, no ceremony at all. What if she thinks I was just joking and not serious?"

The more he thought about it, the more panicked he became, with a thousand possibilities swirling in his mind.

"I hope she doesn't think I'm a playboy. What if I scare her away and she never talks to me again...?"

What should I do?

What should I do?

Will she drag him straight to the civil affairs bureau for a divorce when he wakes up tomorrow...?

Why did you confess so quickly?

Shen Yi felt uneasy and couldn't sleep at all.

He picked up his phone and opened his chat with Yan Xu, struggling with the decision: "Should I tell her I was just joking and tell her not to take it seriously?"

After thinking it over, this seems to be the safest reason.

Shen Yi was now like a frightened bird, fearing that Yan Xu would divorce him directly to reject his affections.

Shen Yi carefully crafted the wording and sent it over, instantly feeling at ease.

He breathed a sigh of relief: "Phew, this time it won't go wrong."

......

overnight.

Both of them slept soundly.

Yan Xu stretched and got out of bed, feeling exceptionally relaxed and happy.

She opened the curtains and contentedly basked in the warm sunlight on her face, just like her mood at that moment.

Yan Xu picked up his phone to check the messages, only to be struck hard by the first unread message.

Shen Yi said, "I was just joking last night, don't take it seriously."

...It was all a joke.

Tell her not to take it seriously.

Yan Xu's anger overflowed from his chest: "You're quite the player, talking so seriously, but it was all a lie. Ha, I actually believed you."

That's true, why would he want her?

They were just a couple who had come together later in life, yet she actually believed that Shen Yi liked her.

Yan Xu laughed in anger.

I laugh at myself for being so stupid, taking a few nice words from others so seriously.

Yan Xu walked out of the bedroom and found Shen Yi still sleeping, with a smile on his face.

She was sleeping quite soundly.

As Yan Xu left, he deliberately slammed the door shut, instantly waking Shen Yi.

He was still shaken: "An earthquake?"

He messaged Yan Xu: "[It looks like there was an earthquake just now. Keep an eye out at Zhenyun Pavilion. If there's an earthquake, run."]

Yan Xu rolled her eyes at her phone: [It wasn't an earthquake, I just slammed the door shut.]

"..."

Did he do something wrong again to upset her?

Something about her seems off.

Shen Yi was a little frustrated when his dream of dating her was suddenly shattered. He called Xiao Yuanyang and asked, "Come to Yunzhao County and keep me company."

Xiao Yuanyang refused: "I've already been given an ultimatum by Aunt Gong. If you help me escape again, she will cut off our cooperation. Brother, it's not that I don't want to go to great lengths for you, it's just that if I help you, my life will be in danger."

Shen Yi's lips curled down: "All you do is lock me up all day long. Fine, don't tell them I called you."

After hanging up the phone, Shen Yi quickly tidied up and went out.

......

As autumn approaches, fallen leaves are fluttering outside Zhenyunxuan, and there's no way to sweep them all away.

Yan Xu: "Don't sweep Aunt Chen's leaves, they're quite pretty too."

Aunt Chen glanced at the few more withered leaves drifting down from the sky and immediately lost interest in sweeping: "Fine."

Zhenyunxuan is becoming increasingly deserted.

There was no more noise from Xiaotong and Yanzheng arguing, nor their figures running around grabbing things, and there were almost no customers coming and going.

I suddenly feel so out of place at Zhenyunxuan now.

It has lost a lot of its lively, homey feel.

Yan Xu sat in the lounge area, quietly watching the leaves fall to the ground one after another, layer upon layer, through the floor-to-ceiling window.

Strange, the hardware store is closed again today.

Yan Xu wanted to see if Shen Yi had sent her a message, but then she remembered the messages she'd seen that morning... they were all jokes...

Suddenly I didn't want to look at my phone anymore.

Whether it's open or not, it's none of her business.

The more I think about it, the angrier I get.

Yan Xu got up and went to the backyard, not wanting to see the hardware store again; out of sight, out of mind.

Aunt Chen noticed her actions, forgot about the hardware store with its doors tightly shut, and thought, "Did her husband upset her again?"

Young people getting married these days are not like they were back then.

She used to suffer injustices during her marriage but could only swallow them, while girls nowadays can speak out directly.

That's great. Times are progressing, and the ways people get along are also progressing.

......

Shen Yi left home in the morning and took a taxi away from Yunzhao County.

The Kunming Investment Promotion Conference is in full swing.

This investment promotion conference was held at a five-star hotel under the Shen Group, and many rising stars from various industries came to seek financing, including Xiao Jingxing.

Second-floor private rooms.

Shen Yi stood in front of the one-way glass with his hands in his pockets, looking down at the panoramic view of the first floor.

Ren Mingting patted Shen Yi on the shoulder: "Brother Long, it's been so long since I've seen you out having fun. The first thing you do when you show up is work. Are you still the Brother Long I know?"

Xiao Yuanyang reminded Ren Mingting not to bother him: "He's having a rough time in love lately, so don't provoke him, or you'll get yourself into trouble."

Hearing that his love life was going poorly, Ren Mingting became intrigued: "What's wrong... Doesn't your sister-in-law like you? If even you, the eldest son of the Shen family, don't like her, then who would she like?"

Although Shen Yi has a bad reputation and likes to have fun, he has his limits when it comes to having fun.

I avoid women, try to smoke as little as possible, and I don't care about alcohol.

Because of his strong principles, Shen Yi is the target of many young ladies in the circle of wealthy young men.

However, his aloofness and straight-male personality deterred many girls who liked him.

He finally found a girl he liked, but she didn't like him back...

Isn't this just God playing a cruel joke?

Shen Yi gritted his teeth and shot Ren Mingting a murderous look, which immediately shut Ren Mingting up.

Shen Yi: "Later, Xiao Jingxing, who's on the very edge, wants to raise funds. Just refuse him. There's something wrong with him."

Knowing full well that Shen Yi is in Yunzhao County, his coming to the group seeking investment is probably an attempt to use his marriage to Yan Xu as leverage in negotiations.

Ren Mingting realized that Brother Long had returned to Kunming specifically because of this man.

Ren Mingting patted his chest and said, "No problem."

Xiao Jingxing looked around the investment promotion meeting but couldn't find Shen Yi anywhere. It seemed that he really hadn't come.