After her identity was stolen, she lived in the short-lived villain's phone.

Chapter 382 Going to the Hotel?
Chi Yu opened the passenger door and ducked inside.

Shen Yanzhi doesn't smoke, and his cars are regularly serviced, so all of his cars are spotless and odorless.

Ever since Chi Yu and Shen Yanzhi completely confessed to each other, every time they met, the topic revolved around Chi Yu needing to recharge.

This time is no exception.

"Where are we going now?" Chi Yu asked.

The two had already experimented and found that if both hands were held tightly, the charging efficiency would be higher than if one hand was held, but if they were hugging and holding hands, the efficiency would be 0.5 times higher than if they were holding hands with both hands.

Shen Yanzhi silently calculated the time in his mind, as well as his current location with Chi Yu, then turned to ask Chi Yu's opinion: "How about going to the hotel?"

The car interior was cramped, making it difficult for the two to hug comfortably.

If he were to send Chi Yu back to the Su family first, and then hold hands and hug in the study like last time… it would be feasible, but Shen Yanzhi would feel psychological pressure. Last time it was out of necessity, but if he were to go to the Su family again this time, he would feel like he was doing something wrong.

However, Shen Yanzhi's own residence was not on the way to the Su family's house.

All things considered, going to a hotel is actually the simplest and most convenient decision.

Chi Yu also thought going to the hotel was the most convenient option, and she nodded, "Sure."

Shen Yanzhi drove in the direction of the Su family's residence, and then stopped at a hotel along the way.

The two carried their ID cards and checked in directly at the front desk.

When he first said it, Shen Yanzhi didn't think anything of it. But now, holding the room key in his hand and the two of them taking the elevator upstairs, he suddenly realized how presumptuous his question to Chi Yu had been.

Shen Yanzhi clutched the thin card tightly, his heart filled with mixed emotions. This was the first time he had ever invited a girl to a hotel.

Compared to Shen Yanzhi's complicated feelings, Chi Yu, walking behind him, remained calm.

Or perhaps, her filter for Shen Yanzhi was incredibly thick, and she never even considered the other possibility.

Of course, if the person who invited her to the hotel wasn't Shen Yanzhi, but someone else, Chi Yu wouldn't have this attitude.

Even for a short break, Shen Yanzhi booked the presidential suite.

Shen Yanzhi easily found the room, and the moment he placed the room card on it, the door lock beeped open.

When Shen Yanzhi swiped his room card, Chi Yu was standing next to him. From the angle from which he looked down, he could only see Chi Yu's glossy black hair and half of her fair profile.

Shen Yanzhi felt as if his heart had been gently struck at that moment.

He used to stay in hotels every time he went on a business trip, and he never felt anything was wrong when he was alone. But now that she was standing next to him, it gave him a completely different feeling.

Shen Yanzhi's breath hitched, and the desire to be with Chi Yu grew stronger in his heart.

Ever since realizing he had fallen for Chi Yu, every time Shen Yanzhi met her, it made him realize even more clearly how much he wanted to be with her.

If Chi Yu weren't currently preparing for exams, he would have confessed his feelings long ago.

Shen Yanzhi pushed the door open, and the two of them went in one after the other.

Standing in the entryway, Chi Yu put down her small shoulder bag, and Shen Yanzhi's well-defined hand reached out: "Cherish your time."

Chi Yu: "...Hmm."

She lowered her head and placed her hand in Shen Yanzhi's hand. Their hands touched, and Shen Yanzhi slowly grasped Chi Yu's hand.

The next second, Shen Yanzhi gently pulled Chi Yuyan into his arms, holding her tightly.

Nestled in Shen Yanzhi's arms once more, even though it wasn't the first time, Chi Yu felt her heart still racing uncontrollably.

Shen Yanzhi adjusted their positions before slowly taking Chi Yu's other hand.

The room was quiet, and the only sound they could hear was the beating of their own hearts.

Shen Yanzhi leaned against the wall, his gaze fixed on Chi Yu.

The last time he hugged Chi Yu in the study, he was so focused on calming his own nervousness that he only noticed now how visibly tense and stiff Chi Yu's body was against his.

Shen Yanzhi couldn't help but let go of Chi Yu's hand and reached out to pat her shoulder: "Don't be nervous, relax. If you're tired, lean on me."

Chi Yu was somewhat dead.

If it were Su Chengyan, Su Muyang, or other friends, Chi Yu wouldn't be nervous even if they were to hug or kiss, let alone stick together.

But when facing Shen Yanzhi, she seemed to lose control.

However, Chi Yu still replied, "...Okay."

Shen Yanzhi pursed his lips, thinking that Chi Yu didn't like being close to him. He lowered his eyelids and held Chi Yu's hand again: "I have to go out tomorrow."

There were only the two of them in the room. Shen Yanzhi must have been referring to her. Chi Yu replied, "Where are we going?"

"Going to Norway to see the Northern Lights." Jiang Chi had already asked Shen Yanzhi for his ID yesterday, and everyone booked their tickets together. Chi Yu subconsciously asked, "You're going on vacation?"

"I guess so. I had dinner with Jiang Chang and the others that day, and Jiang Chi was there too..." Shen Yanzhi briefly recounted how they had dinner together that day and then invited him to see the aurora.

Chi Yu had spent three months by Shen Yanzhi's side, and she knew most of Shen Yanzhi's friends and relatives.

Now, when the two chat, Shen Yanzhi doesn't need to introduce Chi Yu at all; Chi Yu can tell who Shen Yanzhi is talking about.

However, Shen Yanzhi still omitted some of the things Jiang Chi and Jiang Xu said that day.

"So many friends are going together." Hearing that Jiang Chang and the others were going, Chi Yu was a little envious. She also felt that Shen Yanzhi's decision to agree to go on the trip with them was the right one. Shen Yanzhi had worked at Shen's for so long, and every day was just work. Now that he had put down that responsibility, he finally had time to go out and have some fun.

Hearing the longing in Chi Yu's tone, Shen Yanzhi's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

He really wanted to take Chi Yu with him.

However, his rationality prevented him from delaying Chi Yu's exam preparation.

Just like how he is now trying his best to restrain himself and not confess his feelings for the time being.

However, he couldn't resist saying, "When you have time in the future, I'll take you there too."

Chi Yu's long eyelashes trembled as she agreed, "Okay."

Upon hearing her name, Shen Yanzhi pursed his lips, but ultimately couldn't help but let them curl upwards slightly.

She readily agreed. Those two simple words ignited a fire in his heart, as if he had returned to his high school days, when he had spent days and nights working on an advanced math problem and finally solved it with joy and success.

Shen Yanzhi hadn't felt this pure and abundant emotion in a long time. If he weren't still rational, he really wanted to reach out and hug Chi Yu tightly.

I would be very satisfied even if I did nothing.

If emotions were real, Shen Yanzhi would probably be beaming with joy right now.

However, Chi Yu had no idea about his abundant emotions. Thinking about where Shen Yanzhi got all this leisure time, Chi Yu suddenly thought of another question: "By the way, last time my brother said that the shareholders of Shen's Group issued a letter of understanding to Feng Jingge and Wen Lan in the name of Shen's Group. What happened to them afterward? Were they released?"

"No, but it will be soon." Shen Yanzhi told Chi Yu what had happened after that day.

The shareholders were unwilling for Shen Yanzhi to donate the profits, and in order not to offend the Feng and Wen families, they preferred to have Shen Yanzhi step down two days early in order to give Feng Jingge and Wen Lan a letter of understanding.

Although the Feng and Wen families were somewhat dissatisfied that the letter of understanding was not written by Shen Yanzhi personally, after hearing that Shen Yanzhi would rather resign from his position as president of Shen's Group than give them a letter of understanding, they knew that there was no hope of reconciliation with Shen Yanzhi. So they had no choice but to make do and take the letter of understanding given by Shen's Group to the police.

Although Feng Jingge and Wen Lan caused such a stir online in order to gain Shen Yanzhi's attention, it was Shen's family that ultimately benefited.

Although the two initially engaged in malicious marketing, they later reversed Shen Yanzhi's reputation, so it can be said that their merits and demerits canceled each other out.

Furthermore, after being arrested by the police, the two showed a good attitude of admitting their mistakes with the help of the Wen and Lan families. Therefore, even without Shen Yanzhi's letter of forgiveness, the police only punished the two with a fine of 1000 yuan and a one-week detention.

Chi Yu frowned: "Only a week..."

"Yes. The law generally judges cases based on the actual harm caused. In the end, their marketing strategy is more beneficial than harmful to both me and the Shen family," Shen Yanzhi explained.

In fact, Chi Yu understood this principle, just like the news cases she had seen online before.

Malicious assault is generally determined by the amount of harm caused to the victim by the perpetrator; the more serious the harm, the heavier the punishment.

Even though Shen Yanzhi was criticized by netizens across the internet on the first day, the damage caused by those comments was not physical, but psychological.

In law, the definition of psychological harm has always been a very blurry line.

Even worse, many netizens will immediately delete their comments after the news takes a turn and they realize they have wronged someone, as if this will allow them to pretend that nothing ever happened.

This makes it even more difficult to determine for laws that require evidence.

Chi Yu then asked, "Are netizens aware of this matter? Has the police released any announcements about it online?"

She's been so engrossed in doing practice problems and taking online classes lately that she hasn't had the time or energy to pay attention to online discussions.

"No." Shen Yanzhi rarely chatted with people like this. His previous lifestyle was more like when he was working, where he would get straight to the point, even when he was chatting with Ms. Jiang.

But at this moment, Shen Yanzhi felt that such casual conversation was actually quite interesting.

"The police do not publish every case report online. Generally, the police will only issue an electronic notice for cases that receive a lot of attention from netizens."

He explained to Chi Yu in detail: "But we can't rule out that the Wen and Lan families and the Shen family did something in between."

After all, if netizens find out about this, these three companies will be the first to suffer.

It would have been better if Shen Yanzhi hadn't said anything; his words only made Chi Yu more curious about how netizens would react after learning the truth.

Unbeknownst to Chi Yu herself, during her casual conversation with Shen Yanzhi, her thoughts were drawn in, and she gradually relaxed, leaning her weight towards Shen Yanzhi.

(End of this chapter)