The voluptuous and beautiful nanny, Technician Shen fell for her.

"I was afraid of falling, that's why I hugged you."

After saying this, Su Nianhe's face burned, and she gripped the strap of her old canvas bag so tightly that it formed a deep crease.

Shen Huai sat in the front seat of the car and did not respond immediately.

The streetlight at the entrance of the alley was old and in disrepair, and its light fell on his shoulders and back. His white shirt was blown by the night wind and clung to his back, the wrinkles left when she pounced on him were still there.

Su Nianhe grew increasingly anxious as she waited, afraid that he would misunderstand her as shameless, and also afraid that he would find her troublesome. So she moved her body back a little and added in a low voice, "That pothole was too deep, I didn't sit properly, it really wasn't on purpose."

Shen Huai gripped the handlebars, the veins on the back of his hands clearly visible.

He wanted to scold her and tell her not to hug men casually in the future, but the words caught in his throat.

Does she only consider it proper if he falls to the ground if she doesn't hug him?

But he still hasn't recovered from the shock of her hugging him.

Shen Huai straightened the car and said in a lower voice than before, "I didn't say you did it on purpose."

Su Nianhe breathed a sigh of relief, then asked cautiously, "Why did you stop?"

Shen Huai turned his head away, not looking at her face, but focusing his words on the overly tight skirt in front of her: "If you go back like this, people in the compound will see you, and tomorrow they'll be gossiping again."

Su Nianhe then realized what was happening and quickly lowered her head to cover her collar.

"I don't want to wear it myself."

She hurriedly explained, her voice soft and fragmented: "Sister-in-law Wang said I was embarrassing the Shen family by wearing an old jacket. If I didn't wear it, she would definitely be unhappy. I originally planned to go in, sit for a while, and then come back, but I didn't expect to run into so many people."

Upon hearing the name Wang Liping, Shen Huai pursed his thin lips into a thin line.

Fearing he would blame her, Su Nianhe quickly added, "I didn't do anything inappropriate. Brother Lu just asked me to dance. He's a very proper person and didn't touch me."

"Brother Lu?"

He pronounced the name Shen Huai slowly, and the bicycle bell was touched by his fingertip, making a short, soft sound.

Su Nianhe sensed something was wrong and quickly corrected herself: "Comrade Lu."

Shen Huai lowered his hand and tapped his fingertips on the handlebars: "We've only known each other for half a night, and you're already calling me so intimately."

Su Nianhe felt embarrassed by his words and also felt a little wronged.

She was there to find a match today, and Lu Yi was well-mannered and helpful. Calling him "elder brother" was a common way to address him in the countryside. How did it become something she shouldn't have done in Shen Huai's mouth?

But she didn't dare to talk back to him. She just hugged the canvas bag to her chest and whispered, "I won't call you that anymore."

After hearing these obedient words, Shen Huai had nothing more to say.

He felt he had acted ridiculously tonight.

He had a pile of blueprints left to check at the factory when he heard she was going to a social event. Without even leaving a complete explanation for his family, he rode his bike there.

When he arrived at the club and saw her standing by the dance floor with someone, he forgot even the most basic sense of propriety.

Now she sits in the back seat, timidly offering an explanation, while he fusses over a form of address.

He used to despise this kind of loss of control.

But when it happened to Su Nianhe, all his rules were thrown into disarray.

Seeing that he hadn't spoken for a long time, Su Nianhe felt uneasy and couldn't help but look up at his profile.

The streetlights cast a dim yellow glow, and she could only see his taut jaw and bobbing Adam's apple. He stood by the car, as if he was about to speak, yet also as if he had swallowed all his words.

"Technician Shen."

She called out softly, "Why don't you go back first? I'll take this path; no one will see me."

Shen Huai snapped out of his daze, his tone turning serious: "You dressed like that, walking alone at night?"

Su Nianhe was stumped by the question.

She wanted to say she could walk, but remembering Zhao Qiang from the alley a while ago, she immediately swallowed her words, a chill running down her spine.

Noticing her silence, Shen Huai pushed his bicycle two steps into the alley: "Get off."

Su Nianhe was stunned: "Huh?"

"Get down."

Shen Huai parked the car by the wall, turned around and walked to her: "I'll walk you to the back gate of the compound. Push the car first."

That way, I won't have to take a car, and I won't be pressed against his back anymore.

Su Nianhe understood, and the tension in her heart eased a little. She slowly got off the bicycle while holding onto the seat.

The skirt was narrow, and she almost tripped as soon as her feet touched the ground. Shen Huai reached out to support her elbow, but quickly let go.

He pulled the hem of his white shirt out of his waistband, took it off, and handed it to her.

Su Nianhe was so shocked that she stepped back: "How can this be?"

Shen Huai was wearing a white tank top underneath, his broad shoulders and strong arms giving him an even more imposing presence in the night than when he was wearing a shirt.

Su Nianhe didn't dare to look any longer and hurriedly turned her face away.

Shen Huai shoved the shirt into her arms: "Put this on."

"If someone sees your clothes on me, it will be even more difficult to explain."

"It's dark, no one will recognize us."

"But if you go back like this, Aunt Liu will ask questions."

"I said it's hot to ride a bike."

"Who would be so hot while riding a bike that they give their shirt to someone else to wear?"

Su Nianhe regretted her words as soon as she finished speaking, feeling that she had been incredibly audacious to dare to contradict him.

Shen Huai didn't get angry. He just lowered his head, unfolded his shirt, walked around behind her, and draped it over her shoulders from a distance.

The shirt, still warm from his body and carrying the refreshing scent of soap, fell to the ground, completely covering her tight collar.

Su Nianhe clutched her clothes, her heart pounding in her chest.

"Thanks."

Shen Huai pushed the cart forward, the wheels making a soft rustling sound as they rolled over the gravel: "You went to the social event today, were you looking for a partner?"

Su Nianhe followed beside him, slowing her pace.

The question was too direct, and she didn't know how to answer it for a moment.

Shen Huai didn't urge him, but after walking a few steps, he asked again, "Did Wang Liping force you to go?"

"Not entirely."

Su Nianhe bit her lip and lowered her voice: "Lianhua also said that you can get to know the factory workers there."

Shen Huai stopped: "You want to marry a worker?"

Su Nianhe pulled her shirt tighter, her fingertips touching a button on the cuff. It was hard and hurt her fingertips.

She wanted to say something.

As long as she marries into the city, she won't have to go back to Liuhe Village, won't be sold to that cripple by her own father, and won't have to worry every day about being kicked out of the Shen family.

But once she actually said it, her throat felt dry.

"I want to stay in the city."

She chose the most honest statement: "I don't want to go back to the village."

Shen Huai's hand stopped on the handlebars.

Fearing he might think she was after a city residency permit, Su Nianhe quickly explained, "I know I'm not good enough for a regular worker, and I wasn't looking for the best. As long as he's honest, doesn't hit people, doesn't mind that I come from the countryside, and can let me live a peaceful life, that's enough for me."

These words were so bitter that they made Shen Huai's chest tighten.

She humbled herself too much, so much so that she only asked to avoid being beaten, so much so that she would give her whole life for someone who would give her a stable meal.

Shen Huai thought of Lu Yi from the club.

The foundry workshop is where my parents are long-time employees. They earn a decent wage and are generally well-behaved.

According to Su Nianhe's logic, Lu Yi is indeed a suitable candidate.

The moment the thought crossed Shen Huai's mind, he felt irritated and stomped on the pebbles, sending them rolling to the base of the wall.

"You're only eighteen, what's the rush?"

Su Nianhe paused for a moment: "People my age in the village can already hold a child."

Shen Huai turned his head: "This is not Liuhe Village."

Su Nianhe felt a lump in her throat from his words.

Of course she knew this wasn't Liuhe Village.

But here, she wasn't a city dweller either.

She was a nanny hired by the Shen family, a restless country girl in the eyes of the older women in the compound, and a troublesome person that Wang Liping could easily push out for a blind date.

She had no home and no way out.

Su Nianhe lowered her head, her voice so soft it was almost drowned out by the sound of the wheels: "Technician Shen, you don't understand."

Shen Huai stopped pushing the cart.

"How come I don't understand?"

Su Nianhe clutched her shirt collar, and after speaking, a rare stubbornness appeared in her voice: "You have a family, a job, and Mayor Shen and Aunt Liu to support you. You don't have to go to places you don't want to go, and you don't have to see people you don't want to see. But I can't."

Afraid of bothering him by saying too much, she paused, then swallowed her words back.

Shen Huai stood in the alley, remaining silent for a long time.

Su Nianhe thought he was angry, so she quickly softened her voice: "I'm not complaining about you. I know you came to pick me up today because you meant well."

Shen Huai propped up his bicycle and turned to face her.

He originally had a lot to say.

For example, the Shen family won't easily kick her out; for example, she doesn't need to listen to Wang Liping; for example, Lu Yi might not be suitable for her.

But when these words reached my lips, they all seemed insignificant.

She didn't want a few words of comfort.

What she needed was a place to stay, a way to block Su Dahe's name, and the confidence that no one could bully her anymore.

Shen Huai remained silent for too long, making Su Nianhe increasingly uneasy. She quickly took the shirt off her shoulder and said, "Here's your shirt back. We're almost at the compound."