Deep inside Shen Hongmei’s heart, she felt like Li Zhiyan stopped her just to continue talking about being together, but Li Zhiyan didn’t say a single word about it.
This made her doubt a little what exactly was going on in Li Zhiyan’s mind. Could it be that Xiao Yan no longer wanted to be with her?
When she sent him back earlier, he had said everything so clearly.
Is it because she rejected him and he’s disappointed, losing confidence? Or is it that he has now fallen for Lai Feifei or He Yanrong?
Thinking about Lai Feifei’s overly intimate behavior with Li Zhiyan today, as well as He Yanrong’s expressions of admiration and happiness when talking about Li Zhiyan...
Shen Hongmei felt like these were all very real possibilities.
Walking back home, Li Zhiyan opened the system and claimed his mission reward. His fifteenth shop had arrived!
A Shanghai Aunt franchise store.
"Looking forward to cashing out more and more," he murmured.
Before he reached home, Aunt Lai’s call came in, and Li Zhiyan had a guess—maybe the drunkard woke up to go to the bathroom or something.
She’d call him occasionally, as if him carrying Aunt Lai home drunkenly had nearly become a regular occurrence now.
On the phone, the sound of water dripping came first, followed by the noise of a toilet flushing.
"Shen Hongmei is so naughty, she gave Mom Forget-Zai Milk!"
"Mom won’t fall for that. If she drinks Forget-Zai Milk, she might forget you."
"Aunt Lai, go sleep now. Just hearing your voice makes me feel sleepy."
"Auntie’s going to sleep now."
Whenever Aunt Lai called him, Li Zhiyan’s heart always stirred with a strange feeling. The drunk version of Aunt Lai was truly the world’s cutest creature, bar none.
"Still, Aunt Rong—a woman as gentle as her—managing Century Palace as the manager..."
"There must really be some story behind it."
Li Zhiyan’s curiosity was piqued. If there was a fitting opportunity later, he could ask Aunt Rong.
Of course, Li Zhiyan wouldn’t ask outright. He wasn’t sure what the past had been like for Aunt Rong.
If it made her upset, that would be entirely his fault.
After arriving home, he headed straight for the master bedroom.
His room and Zhao Shumin’s were separated by just a wall.
Plus, the angle of the cameras made it impossible to tell exactly where he had gone.
This made things quite convenient now.
In the master bedroom, Aunt Zhao was livestreaming, clearly chatting with customers who had placed orders, discussing possible modifications to skirts.
Seeing Li Zhiyan return, Zhao Shumin wrapped up her conversation and turned off the livestream.
It wasn’t early anymore, so it was time to rest.
"Xiao Yan, you’re back."
"Are you hungry? I’ve left some food in the fridge for you. If you’re hungry, I’ll heat it up for you."
After all the fuss, Li Zhiyan genuinely felt famished.
"Alright, Auntie, I’m starving!"
"Then wait here. Auntie will go heat it up for you."
Zhao Shumin went to the kitchen, carefully avoiding the cameras.
Li Zhiyan followed her into the kitchen.
"Aunt Zhao, doesn’t it bother you to keep tying that cloth strip around yourself like that?"
"It’s fine, Auntie’s used to it. I’ll take it off when it’s time to shower later anyway."
Watching her place the dishes in the pot to heat them, Li Zhiyan suddenly hugged Zhao Shumin around the waist, his hands getting bolder.
"Xiao Yan, behave yourself!"
"Aunt Zhao, I’ve been very well-behaved already."
Saying that, Li Zhiyan leaned in and kissed Zhao Shumin on the lips, leaving her heart flustered with shyness.
Yet when Li Zhiyan deepened the kiss, she eventually responded.
Ten seconds later, she pulled away from him.
"Alright, Xiao Yan, that’s enough."
"Auntie, you’re really this strict about sticking to rules?"
"Of course. Auntie’s an adult; of course she has to stick to rules."
"There’s still food to heat. Behave, alright?"
"Fine, Aunt Zhao, let me discuss something with you."
Li Zhiyan leaned against the wall, chatting with Zhao Shumin.
"Aunt Zhao, can you stop being so quiet all the time? Speak louder!"
"We used to have neighbors living next door, so I had to keep quiet. But now it’s just the two of us in this house. There’s no need to worry about those things anymore, is there?"
"No one will hear anything. We’re perfectly safe."
Li Zhiyan’s words made Zhao Shumin’s face flush. This child...
But indeed, this house was now just them.