Volume 1, Chapter 26: The 199-Priced Goods!

The door lock clicked twice, and the door, which had been securely fastened, creaked open just a crack.

Si Yan stepped inside, clutching a key in his hand. It was fortunate he had prepared in advance; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to get through that door today, and his little treasure would have stayed angry with him!

Su Yu was lying on the bed and hadn't reacted yet when a shadow suddenly loomed over her, and she was swept up into his arms.

A second later, she was sitting firmly on Si Yan’s lap. Her nose stung, and her eyes were as red as a wronged rabbit’s, with tears still swirling in their depths. Si Yan clearly hadn't expected her to actually be on the verge of tears. He panicked, quickly reaching up to gently wipe the moisture from the corners of her eyes with his thumb, his tone soft and coaxing: "Don't cry."

"I hadn't even said anything yet, and you ran off in a huff with a gift for me."

He paused, deliberately softening his voice, adding with a pitiable tone, "You didn't even put it on for me; my trousers are about to fall off."

And they really were about to fall off! It was a manual job.

As he spoke, he slid that belt from Su Yu’s clenched hand and pulled her to her feet.

"My treasure, will you put it on for me?" Si Yan lowered his gaze slightly, his tone carrying a genuine hint of supplication.

He held her hands, pressing the belt back into her palms, repeating the earlier motions with gentle care, as if the tense suspicion from moments ago had never existed.

Su Yu gave a low response, but unlike downstairs, she didn't loosely wrap her arms around his waist to fasten it. That was far too intimate, and she was still nursing a bit of a grudge. She moved behind him, pinching the ends of the belt, keeping her fingertips from brushing against his body, and quickly threaded it through the loops, fastening it in a few quick motions.

Si Yan felt the distance she was deliberately maintaining. Though he felt a bit uncomfortable, he knew he was the one in the wrong today, so it wasn't his place to force anything. He checked himself in the full-length mirror, his eyes brightening as he looked at the brand-new belt on his waist; he was clearly very satisfied.

The man patted the logo on the belt, then turned around. His gaze rested on Su Yu, who had retreated several steps away, keeping her distance. He spoke with a suggestive undertone: "Hmm, that’s a good belt."

*Hmph, it’s a 199-yuan piece of junk.*

*Can’t he tell?*

Su Yu remembered that his belts were all genuine crocodile leather costing tens of thousands. She had no idea what kind of taste he had to think this belt she bought was a "good" one. Cheap goods were never good. It would definitely fall apart in half a year!

Su Yu didn't reply, turning her head away to avoid looking at him.

The man walked straight toward her, intent on pulling her into his arms and making her sit on his lap.

Su Yu glared at him with wide, round eyes, struggling to keep from leaning into him. "It's not like there’s nowhere else to sit! I don't want to sit on your lap!"

Si Yan assumed she was still throwing a little temper tantrum and didn't pay it much mind. He reached out to pinch her cheek and changed the subject: "Treasure, did you buy anything for yourself?"

"I didn't buy anything!" Su Yu retorted sharply, her tone still tinged with residual anger. She had been so preoccupied with using the belt to smooth things over that she hadn't had the heart to browse the mall for herself.

Si Yan’s brow furrowed immediately. *She didn't buy anything? What does that mean? Was there not enough money?* How could a woman of Si Yan’s ever be short of money?

He didn't ask further, simply pulling his black card from his pocket and stuffing it into her shirt pocket without room for argument. When his fingertips grazed her waist, he gave it a soft press. "Next time you go, buy yourself more. Don't be thrifty."

"Your husband’s money is like paper—spend as much as you like."

"Next time..."

"There’s a next time?"

Su Yu paused, looking up at Si Yan, her eyes full of surprise. She had assumed that after today, he would never let her go out alone again.

"Of course there is!"

Seeing her expression, Si Yan couldn't help but chuckle. He reached out to pinch her earlobe, his tone filled with confident tenderness. "We are getting married soon."

"Once you become my wife, you can go wherever you like in Wangcheng, and I will accompany you."

As he spoke, he leaned down and kissed her soft little cheek, his smile deepening at the undisguised astonishment in her eyes. This little thing—she thought far too poorly of him. She wasn't going anywhere, anyway!

*If he follows me everywhere, that’s not shopping,* she thought. *That’s a horror story!*

Su Yu didn't say anything more. She silently scooted toward the center of the bed, sinking limply into the bedding, and said in a muffled voice, "I want to sleep for a while. I'm tired."

"Do you want me to sleep with you?"

The man released his hold on her, leaning down to whisper in her ear. His warm breath brushed against her earlobe as he asked in a low voice.

Su Yu immediately rolled over, grabbed the quilt, and wrapped herself up tightly, burying even her head inside. A muffled voice emerged: "No need! Call me when it's time to eat!"

Si Yan didn't pay much attention to her obvious, distant moodiness, as his "little treasure" was like this every day. If Su Yu didn't scold him one day, he would expect it to rain blood from the sky.

The man simply attributed it to her being genuinely tired from her day out at the mall. He thoughtfully tucked the corner of the quilt around her, stood up quietly, and stepped out, carefully switching off the lights.

Only when the room was completely silent and she was certain she was alone did Su Yu peek out from under the covers, staring at the pitch-black ceiling and sighing softly.

Marrying someone you love doesn't necessarily guarantee happiness, but marrying someone you don't love certainly guarantees misery.

Become the wife of a madman like Si Yan? Su Yu had never considered it.

All she wanted was to go back, to honestly find someone she liked, get married, and live a plain, simple life filled with the mundane matters of daily existence.

The study was quiet, with only the faint glow of an electronic screen reflecting on the walls.

Following Si Yan's instructions, Huang Yu had pulled up the mall's surveillance footage from the day. The screen clearly displayed every move Su Yu and Faith Rowe made as they shopped side-by-side. Where they stopped, what they said, and how Su Yu had picked up that belt—it was all visible.

Huang Yu stood by, hands at his sides, though he couldn't help but steal glances at Si Yan on the sofa. He could clearly feel that his boss’s attention was barely on the screen today.

Those eyes, usually filled with a chilling coldness, were half-closed, fixed on empty space as if lost in thought. Even more unusual, his boss seemed exceptionally happy. Unlike the usual times when Su Yu would infuriate him until his face darkened, the corners of Si Yan’s mouth were currently curled slightly upward.

The smile was faint but genuine, and the atmosphere around him had softened significantly, leaving Huang Yu completely baffled.

*What’s wrong with the boss? He wouldn't even smile like this if he won fifty billion in the lottery! And he’s smiling so... strangely.*

*I’ve got it! It must be that Miss Su scolded the boss, and the boss actually enjoyed it.*

*Hah, clever as I am!*