Ye Shu was taken away from the Ye family by Huo Shenting and got into his car. As soon as she was inside, her expression changed, reverting to her dignified ladylike demeanor with traces of tears in the corners of her eyes, proving that she had cried earlier.
"Thank you, Mr. Huo, for earlier. Without your cooperation, I might not have been able to play that part well."
Her sadness was real, but her tears were fake. She wanted to elevate Tian Xin and Tian Tian to a certain prestige, then brutally pull them down, preferably shattering them completely.
She was never the type who didn't know how to scheme. Huo Shenting knew her true nature, so there was no need for her to pretend to be a lamb in front of him.
However, Huo Shenting liked it when she acted like a lamb, at least it didn't make him as guarded as he was now.
"Miss Ye should know that I would not cooperate with you without a reason."
Ye Shu certainly knew that Huo Shenting would not cooperate without a reason. He had absolutely no need to cooperate with her; there was nothing he disdained doing that anyone could force him to do.
"What are your conditions?"
She felt somewhat apprehensive as she asked this question, even though she and Huo Shenting had already gotten their marriage certificate. She still feared that Huo Shenting might retaliate against her over yesterday's incident.
"Sign this."
Huo Shenting took out a document folder from next to him and then threw it onto her lap.
Ye Shu took the documents out of the folder; her face turned red instantly.
The clauses in the document were outrageous.
Not only was she required to fulfill marital duties and be at his beck and call, but it also dictated what time she should be home and what time she could be outside, under the pretext of preventing her from embarrassing him in public.
These were nothing short of tyrannical clauses, thoroughly controlling her post-marriage life.
This man… It seemed he had prepared all these things well in advance.
"After all, it's both our first marriage, and Miss Ye coerced me into this marriage, so it isn't excessive for me to make these requests, is it?"
Ye Shu pursed her lips, closing the document.
"Mr. Huo is right. It's everyone's first marriage, indeed there's no need for all this. I know Mr. Huo has someone else in his heart; rest assured I will not occupy the role of your wife for too long."
The document was too humiliating; Ye Shu couldn't bring herself to sign it.
Huo Shenting looked at Ye Shu's crimson face, even her ears were flushed, and scoffed.
"Miss Ye, you wouldn't be feeling shy, would you? After doing such crazy things yesterday, now you can't even sign your name on this document? Miss Ye, you opened the door to a new world for me; you must take responsibility. From now on, it isn't up to you to decide how long you will sit in the position of Mrs. Huo; I hold that power."
Ye Shu, having heard this, froze slightly. What did opening the door to his new world mean?
She couldn't quite understand.
"Mr. Huo…"
She hadn't finished speaking when Huo Shenting interrupted her, "Didn't you enjoy calling me 'husband' just a while ago?"
Ye Shu pursed her lips, looking at the man in front of her, unsure of what he was really thinking. After all, his attitude was not like this yesterday.
His current demeanor was somewhat beyond Ye Shu's expectations, yet there was a warm feeling inside her; things not progressing in the worst direction meant they were good for her.
"Such a title as 'husband' certainly cannot be used in front of everyone else. Having found a husband like Mr. Huo, wouldn't I just be inviting jealousy unnecessarily?"
Huo Shenting, although disapproving of her nonsensical explanation, didn't make too much of a fuss about it and his handsome face moved closer to hers by a few inches.
"So Shu'er likes to call me only when we are alone. Since that's the case, tonight I'll let you call out to your heart's content."
By evening, Ye Shu finally understood what Huo Shenting meant by "opening the doors to a new world."
A man who had just tasted flesh should not be provoked lightly, or he'd teach you a lesson in no uncertain terms.
After it was over, Ye Shu lay in the bed, unable to move, while the man entered the bathroom, visibly pleased, to clean up.
She had initially thought that Huo Shenting was truly taking her back to the Huo family home, and during the ride, she had been thinking of ways to persuade him otherwise.
After all, they were now secretly married, and they hadn't even had a wedding ceremony.
Moreover, their marriage wasn't based on love and was surely not going to last long, especially since Huo Shenting had Shen Shiqing in his heart.
Huo Shenting had agreed to marry her under coercion, and her only motive was to seek refuge, preventing the Ye family from using her marriage for their purposes.
These issues would inevitably need to be confronted later. Huo Shenting certainly didn't want to hold a wedding with her either. This clandestine state of marriage was ideal for him, as Shen Shiqing was a public figure. If they were to be together in the future, then Huo Shenting's current marriage would be scandalized.
Huo Shenting loved Shen Shiqing so much, how could he bear to see her suffer the slightest distress?
While Ye Shu pondered this, the man emerged from the bathroom. He didn't wear any clothes, just a towel wrapped around his waist, with water dripping from his hair down his neck onto his solid chest.
The saying goes, "Clothed to look thin, undressed to show flesh," probably referring to bodies like that of Huo Shenting.
With such beauty before her, Ye Shu forgot all about the troubling issues, staring blankly at Huo Shenting.
Seeing her gaze fixed solely on him in the clear depths of his eyes made his heart stir slightly.
His voice was deep and pleasant, roughened by a hint of huskiness, adding an extra touch of sexiness.
"Don't feel like getting up? Are you waiting for me to help you wash?"
Upon hearing his words, Ye Shu immediately sat up on the bed, a surge of pain in her abdomen, and she glanced at him disapprovingly.
In Ye Shu's mind, Huo Shenting, though aloof and hard to approach, had always been decent, his behavior always reflecting his good upbringing and gentlemanly manners.
Looking back now, she felt that she had been blinded by his looks—this man was rough and ungentle.
He wouldn't stop until her tears forced him to, far from any gentlemanly manners.
Seeing her slow movements, Huo Shenting, recalling his lack of restraint earlier, immediately went to her side and swept her up around her waist.
"Moving so slowly, isn't it just that you want me to help you wash?"
Ye Shu found herself lifted sideways into his arms and carried into the bathroom, clenching his neck tightly, afraid he might suddenly let go.
Her strap slipped off her shoulder, exposing glimpses of her soft, fair skin—a sight Huo Shenting had a clear view of from his position.
Ye Shu noticed his gaze wandering where it shouldn't and immediately covered up, struggling to get down, unable to endure being toyed with repeatedly by Huo Shenting.
However, just as her toes touched the ground, the man holding her tightened his grip.
"Ye Shu, don't move."
Immobilized in his firm hold, Ye Shu bit back fiercely, "Beast!"