Mu Shengchen was far from happy. In fact, he was even more furious than he looked. Even the warm lighting did nothing on his cold features. He had heard Ye Xi and Yan Rui's conversation, but even then he couldn't do anything at all. He clenched his fists around his pen. The man probably didn't receive any strange looks whenever he'd stand side by side with Ning Qianyu...unlike the times they were together.
Ning Qianyu peeked into the study and glanced at him.
He raised his head slightly to see her bowed head and hunched back. She looked like a child who had cracked a vase. Although the sight may have amused him before, it didn't now. She stood at the side, tall and unmoving.
As soon as he saw her like this, the anger in his heart dissipated bit by bit. "Didn't you have lunch with someone else?" he said bitterly. "Why did you come back so quickly?"
"I didn't like the steak," she murmured, nervously folding her hands. "It was cooked medium-rare, so I didn't like how bloody it was."
"You couldn't order a steal well-done?" He cocked up an eyebrow.
"It wouldn't be respectful of me to make requests while he's treating me to a meal, right?" she protested. "I just didn't think it was that important for me to mention it. I just...felt uncomfortable."
Oh. She had been too embarrassed to make any requests because they weren't close. Instead, she had asked him, because they were familiar with each other. The warm and fuzzy feeling returned in his chest, but Mu Shengchen didn't show it. Instead, he asked, "Then why bother having lunch with someone else?"
"He's a professor, and he offered to treat me. It would be embarrassing if I refused him." Seeing that his mood had already brightened, she slowly smiled. "I made steak. Do you want to try it?"
"Is it Medium Well?" He raised his eyebrows.
She nodded. "Just the way you like it."
"All right."
As soon as she placed the plate and the utensils on the table, she sat opposite to Mu Shengchen. Seeing him take a bite, her heart lightened up. It was great to see him enjoying the dishes she cooked out. In fact, seeing him right now... Happy tears slid down her cheeks.
He had been too busy cutting his steak that he didn't notice the woman sniffling in front of him. It was only after he had finished chewing his first bite did he look up, only to be stunned by the sight.
"Are you okay? Why are you crying?" When she shook her head, he pinched her cheek playfully. "Come eat the steak with me."
"I...You haven't eaten all day, you must be hung–" Before she could even finish her sentence, he had already placed a slice of steak in her mouth.
Ning Qianyu chewed on the steak before nodding. "Medium well is obviously better than the medium-rare one–especially since it's less bloody," she said slowly. "But it isn't as seasoned well as the one in the restaurant. I should season it better next time."
"Hm." Honestly, Mu Shengchen was already satisfied with the way it was cooked. After all, anything she created, he'd eat happily. However, just the sound of her offering to cook again was enough to keep him quiet.
Now, they ate the steak together and finished it very quickly.
She flushed in embarrassment upon seeing that she had probably eaten more than Mu Shengchen. She rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly, refusing to look at him in the eye.
"I ate too much," she stuttered out. "How about I cook another serving?"
"There's no need. I'm full anyway." He gazed at her with a smile.
"All right." Standing up, she placed the plates in the dishwasher. When she was finished cleaning up, she noticed that Mu Shengchen was still sitting in the dining room.
"Have you already finished your work?"
He nodded. "I have a lot of time in the afternoon, so I already finished it all up."
She brightened up. "How about we go for a walk then?"
"Sure. I'll just go change–"
However, before he could wheel himself into the room, she immediately stopped him. "You don't have to change, you know," she insisted. "You look handsome in anything. Even in this."
At the sight of her sweet smile and bright eyes, he allowed himself to be pushed out the door in a pair of jeans and a polo shirt. It was far from the formal clothes he dressed himself in, but it still fitted him quite well.
Half an hour later, Ning Qianyu and Mu Shengchen arrived at the Wanda Plaza. This time, she didn't bring him to see the fountain as they usually do. Instead, she had pushed him to a men's clothing store.
"You brought me here?" He furrowed his eyebrows, not really expecting her to do this.
It had been years since he had come out to buy clothes. In fact, ever since he had graduated from the top university and joined the Mu's, his butler was the one preparing everything for him. After the accident, Ye Xi was the one who had been assisting him.
Ning Qianyu didn't answer as her gaze swept across all the displayed suits. When her gaze finally fell on the silky long-sleeves that the model was wearing, she took another step forward.
Her hand slowly reached over to the sleeves, wanting to see if the material was well-made. However, before she could do anything, a stern shout came from behind her.
"Don't touch that!"
When she turned around, she saw that the manager had already stepped out of the counter. "I..." Her cheeks flushed dark red as everyone turned to stare at her. Her hand stopped mid-way.
The store manager wrinkled his nose in disgust as he gazed at her cheap clothes. Seeing as she still hadn't moved away from the mannequin, he stomped over and slapped her hand away.
"If you can't afford it, then don't touch it!" he snapped.
"That's right. Ugh, that's so unethical." The other customers agreed as they pointed at Ning Qianyu. At a loss for what to do, she immediately lowered her head in apology. Her hands quivered.
In an instant, the smile on Mu Shengchen's face dropped. Darkness clouded his vision as he wheeled himself over to Ning Qianyu's side. Holding her hand, he tilted his head. "Are you saying that we couldn't afford this dress?" He sneered.
The manager froze.
Although he didn't recognize the man in the wheelchair, he could tell that he was rich. Mu Shenghcen was wearing an expensive tailor-made suit, and the cufflinks were probably worth thousands of dollars.
How the hell were they together? While one of them was wearing something extremely expensive, the other was dressed cheaply. This was the first time he had ever seen such an interesting couple. Fuck. "Sir, I..."
Before the manager could explain himself, Mu Shengchen had already taken out his phone. "Yan Rui," he said. "Come to Wanda Plaza immediately."
"Yes, Sir." Yan Rui was just about to fly back to B City. However, as soon as he received his boss's call, he didn't even bother to wait as he immediately called himself a taxi.
A part of him couldn't help but wonder if master had gone there just to release his anger.
"Shengchen, let's go. It's fine." Ning Qianyu pulled on his sleeve repeatedly, not wanting for him to make a scene.
"It's fine. Yan Rui is familiar with the boss of Wanda Plaza." Even then, Mu Shengchen leveled his gaze with the store manager. The last thing he needed was for his own wife to be bullied in the square that he had built himself. His hands clenched over his wheelchair.
With all the commotion, more and more people surrounded them.
Although Ning Qianyu wanted to be out of here, Mu Shengchen insisted on doing so. That was the only reason why he stood by her side this entire time. "Are you sure? We can just–" Before she could finish, he squeezed her hand in comfort. She immediately fell silent.
Seeing as this was something he couldn't solve himself, the manager called out the supervisor of Wanda Plaza. Maybe they could discuss the solution with Mu Shengchen.