Chapter 49: The Little Prude Is Rather Good-Looking After All

She was dazed for several seconds before pushing him away.

He did not persist, just silently following behind her.

Tang Yuan got into the car, intending to drive straight to the studio. Chen Meng had already ordered takeout to be delivered there, and now that the renovation was complete, the few of them could gather at the office.

At that moment, however, Shen Zhou's call came through.

"Wife, where are you?"

His tone was mild, likely because he had been drinking a little.

Her heart tightened instinctively. A week had passed since the kidney donor incident, but every time Shen Zhou called her, she couldn't help suspecting whether some step had left a flaw.

Events proved that Shen Zhou was rather arrogant at times.

At least regarding his perception of her, he had always been quite arrogant, believing that she would never dare to do anything out of line.

"I'm heading home right now. Is something the matter?"

Hadn't Song Qianqian gone looking for him? Had she not managed to find him?

Just as that thought crossed her mind, Song Qianqian's voice came from the other end, and the call was abruptly disconnected.

Shen Zhou stared at the phone that had been accidentally hung up, then turned his head to see Song Qianqian looking at him with reddened, anxious eyes.

"Brother Zhou, I didn't mean to."

He raised a hand to massage his brow. The senior executive's condition had finally stabilized, and after meeting with business partners that evening, he had couldn't help drinking a couple of extra glasses.

Song Qianqian slowly moved closer, slipping her arm through his. "I truly know I was wrong. Please don't ignore me."

Song Qianqian had been with him for over two years, and honestly, he was starting to grow a bit tired of her.

Especially since returning from abroad this time, the boredom felt even stronger.

His fingertips pinched his phone, intending to toss her some money to dismiss her, when he caught sight of her doe-like, expressive eyes.

"Brother Zhou, I wore that purple outfit you like so much tonight."

Shen Zhou raised an eyebrow slightly, his fingertips flicking open the collar of her dress.

Her hand grasped his wrist, sounding almost pleading. "I'll be very obedient from now on."

That made him recall many years ago, when a group of boys had wanted to play a prank on Tang Yuan.

As the ringleader of that group, he had done nothing to stop them.

It was during a charity gala held at a suburban estate, and the children of their age were playing in the nearby gardens.

"That's Tang Yuan right there. She'll end up being some family's daughter-in-law among you guys in the future."

"She looks so prudish, though."

"You guys don't understand. The elders love these little prudes."

The final sentence had been spoken by Shen Zhou. He looked toward Tang Yuan in the distance, who was sitting upright and reciting poetry, the corners of his mouth curving slightly.

"The little prude is rather pretty, though."

Someone nearby teased, "Then let's make her Shen Zhou's wife in the future."

Shen Zhou frowned, stretching out his long legs. "I don't like such little prudes."

Several boys, whose personalities were usually rather tyrannical, exchanged glances before quietly creeping up toward Tang Yuan.

By the time Shen Zhou heard the sound of someone falling into the water, it was already too late.

Tang Yuan didn't know how to swim back then, and she was so frightened she burst into tears.

He stood on the bank, hesitated for a moment, and finally reached out.

The little prude stretched out her fingers, gripping his wrist tightly, her eyes full of entreaty. "Brother Shen Zhou, pull me up."

Probably no one could refuse a person looking at them with those eyes.

Yet he didn't pull her up immediately; instead, he stood on the bank and lowered his arm further into the water. "Too heavy, can't pull you up."

She clung to his wrist even tighter, weeping like rain on pear blossoms.

Whether it was tears or water droplets, they burned against his wrist with an uncomfortable heat.

He finally hauled her up and dumped her onto the ground beside him.

She just sat there sobbing. At that time, she had not long been brought back by the Tang family, suffering from malnutrition, and looked much shorter and smaller than her peers.

When she huddled over to cry, the thin fabric of her clothes clearly outlined the contours of her bones.

Cowardly and frail.

Utterly boring.