The next day, when Ye Shu awoke, she felt even more exhausted than after pulling an all-nighter.
She opened her eyes to find that Huo Shenting's figure was no longer by her side. The bed still held his warmth, obviously he hadn't been gone long.
She slowly got up and went downstairs, where the nanny, Aunt Zhang, was busy in the kitchen. Seeing Ye Shu descend, she hurried over.
"Madam, you're awake? The master just left and said to let you rest a bit more, not to go upstairs and disturb you."
Hearing this form of address, Ye Shu still felt somewhat uncomfortable.
"Uh, it's fine, I need to go to the company in a while."
Although she had successfully married Huo Shenting, she still had to back to work at Ye Corporation.
Tian Xin had been eyeing her position as head designer for a long time. If she didn't return to work, it would only be a matter of days before Ye Wenzhao couldn't withstand Tian Xin's incessant nagging and handed her the position.
On hearing this, Aunt Zhang asked in a low voice, "Shall I prepare breakfast for you right away then, madam?"
"No need, I'll eat out in a bit."
As her words fell, she saw Huo Shenting, who had already departed, return. The man approached against the light, his tall and handsome figure making Ye Shu take a few extra glances. Thinking back to last night's events, a blush quietly climbed up her cheeks.
Huo Shenting saw her standing at the staircase, her face weary, likely from his lack of restraint last night, which elicited a sense of guilt within him.
"Didn't I tell you to rest a bit longer?"
Ye Shu pursed her lips, unaccustomed to his sudden concern, "I still have to go to the company."
Huo Shenting said this as he walked upstairs, coming up to her and looking down at her with authority, "Can't I, Huo Shenting, provide for my own wife?"
Ye Shu hadn't expected Huo Shenting to be like this after marriage; it warmed her heart, but the current situation of the Ye family didn't allow her to relax even slightly.
"The situation at the Ye family is different now, I must go there."
Huo Shenting frowned, noticing that although her face was clearly filled with fatigue, she still insisted on pushing herself.
"Ye Corporation won't change without you."
Ye Shu looked into his deep eyes and his calm demeanor, her hands tightening.
"Mr. Huo, having grown up in a family like the Huo family, privileged and cherished, with loving parents, of course you wouldn't understand my feelings."
She felt a pang of distress in her heart, and her words came without much thought.
Once, her own parents had also been loving, at least in front of her. But after her mother passed away, she saw the harsh truth of everything.
It was a cruel realization for her, and Huo Shenting, who would never have to deal with such family disasters, could not empathize with her.
This address of 'Mr. Huo' darkened Huo Shenting's expression. His deep gaze fell upon her, his tone aloof.
"So, you've calculated your way into my bed simply because my family name is one your father feared?"
At those words, Ye Shu kept her head down, not daring to meet Huo Shenting's gaze.
That was just one of the reasons; another was that she liked him.
"Yes."
Under Sun Qian's tutelage, Ye Shu couldn't help but retain a bit of pride in her heart. After all, love is supposed to be pure and without purpose, but her climbing into Huo Shenting's bed had a purpose.
Her feelings were not pure, so it was just as well not to speak of them.
As she finished speaking, she saw the man's face in front of her turn as if it could freeze over, exceptionally cold.
His deep eyes seemed capable of freezing someone to the bone.
Ye Shu merely met his gaze for a moment before she no longer dared to look up, murmuring, "Is this not the answer Mr. Huo wanted to hear? If you wish to hear it, I..."
She didn't finish her sentence before Huo Shenting interrupted her, his voice icy to the extreme.
"Ye Shu, you had better be certain of this for the rest of your life."
Ye Shu pursed her lips, not saying a word. The next second, the man turned and briskly walked away from her. Even from his towering figure's departure, it seemed as if he carried his anger with him.
She took a deep breath and withdrew her gaze, pondering to herself that perhaps men, like women, enjoyed hearing sweet nothings. Her answer just now was indeed unwise.
But with Shen Shiqing in Huo Shenting's heart, her sweet words couldn't hook his heart. Men simply like that feeling of being adored by a woman. Ye Shu didn't want to harbor too many hopes for herself; the more lies she told, the more they would hurt when remembered.
She feared that every sincere word she uttered mixed with lies would one day lead to no one believing her truth. She also feared that Huo Shenting would truly believe she didn't love him.
Aunt Zhang heard the sound of Huo Shenting slamming the door as he left. She came out of the kitchen to see Ye Shu standing alone at the bottom of the staircase. She hurried over and quietly asked.
"Madam, are you alright?"
Ye Shu shook her head in response.
"I'm fine, no need to prepare breakfast for me. I like to eat out."
Ever since Tian Xin and Tian Tian entered the Ye family, Ye Shu rarely ate breakfast at home and would go to the breakfast shops outside of Ye Corporation instead.
Seeing Ye Shu's insistence, Aunt Zhang dared not ask her to stay, especially since it was just Ye Shu's first day here. She didn't know what Ye Shu was like; she was only a housekeeper and didn't have much say.
"Alright, madam. Please be safe on your way out. Will you be coming back for dinner?"
Ye Shu nodded, "I will come back for dinner."
"Understood."
Ye Shu nodded slightly, turned, and went back to her room. After she had packed up neatly, she saw the kiss mark Huo Shenting had left on her neck the night before. Her fingertips gently touched the red blotch. Thinking of Huo Shenting's resolute departure, she sighed and left the bedroom.
At Ye Corporation, while Huo Shenting was calling Ye Wenzhao, Tian Xin just happened to be in Ye Wenzhao's office and heard the contents of the call, filled with jealousy.
Now that Ye Shu was with someone like Huo Shenting, she wouldn't have to worry about food or clothing ever again. Even in a divorce, she could get a substantial alimony; she wouldn't need to care about the Ye family's wealth anymore.
She had thought that Ye Shu would no longer come to the company from now on and was about to ask Ye Wenzhao for Ye Shu's position as design director. She was only Ye Wenzhao's secretary at the moment, and though the position was comfortable, it held no real power, not even in speaking.
Before she found the right time to speak, Ye Shu arrived at the company.
Tian Xin saw Ye Shu, dressed in a sharp suit, her long black hair tied behind her head, stepping through the doors of Ye Corporation. In public, she was Ye Shu's stepsister, so the act must go on. She raised a smile, about to greet Ye Shu.
Unexpectedly, Ye Shu walked past her as if she were invisible, not even deigning to give her a glance, and entered the elevator.
Her dismissal left Tian Xin full of resentment, her smile freezing on her face.
This was always Ye Shu's way, time and again, rejecting her face. She must find an opportunity to get back at her tenfold, a hundredfold.