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

Su Nianhe didn't take it, and wiped her face haphazardly with the back of her hand.

"Since you already know, why are you still asking me?" Her voice was thick with nasal pain, filled with grievance. "I'm just a servant. You bullied me when you were drunk, and I didn't even dare to say anything. Now you're interrogating me. Are you only happy when you kick me out of the compound?"

Shen Huai frowned.

"When did I say I was going to kick you out?"

"If Aunt Liu finds out you're like this, she'll definitely kick me out." Su Nianhe became more and more upset as she spoke, and simply squatted down on the ground, hugging her knees and sobbing.

She was terrified.

In this unfamiliar big city, she was all alone and had finally found a job that would provide her with enough to eat, but she still had to live in fear every day.

Shen Huai looked at the girl who was huddled on the ground and felt a little depressed.

He crouched down to be at her eye level.

"Don't cry." His voice softened a little. "What happened the night before last was my fault. I drank too much and lost control."

Su Nianhe looked up at him with her red and swollen eyes.

This arrogant man is actually apologizing to her?

"Then could you please not bring this up again?" she sniffed and asked cautiously, "and please don't block my door in the middle of the night anymore."

Shen Huai looked at her eyes, which were still glistening with tears, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

"I'll try," he gave an ambiguous answer.

Su Nianhe didn't understand the deeper meaning in his words, and took it as a yes, so she breathed a slight sigh of relief.

She stood up, leaning against the wall. Her legs were numb from squatting for so long, and she swayed slightly.

Shen Huai reacted quickly and grabbed her arm.

As he helped her up, his hand happened to touch a small patch of soft skin on the inside of her arm.

Su Nianhe withdrew her hand as if she had been electrocuted.

"Thank you, I'm fine." She quickly moved away.

Shen Huai withdrew his hand and rubbed his fingertips together.

The soft, tender feel of the inside of her arm seemed to linger on her skin.

He didn't move any further, but stood half a step away from her.

Su Nianhe stood close to the moss-covered brick wall, clutching the faded old canvas bag to her chest, her whole demeanor as wary as a small animal facing danger.

"Are you in such a hurry to find a husband just to marry a man with a city residency permit?" Shen Huai asked, his voice flat.

Su Nianhe nodded, there was no point in hiding it: "Yes. I want to stay in the city, marry an honest man, and live a simple life."

"A decent man?" Shen Huai lingered on the tip of his tongue, his tone slightly cold. "So, if Lu Yi's parents hadn't made that scene yesterday, would you have really agreed to marry him?"

Su Nianhe was stumped by the question.

She wanted to say that she had actually hesitated yesterday at the state-run restaurant, and the image that flashed through her mind was him draping his shirt over her shoulders in the alley.

But how could she dare to say those words?

"Brother Lu is a really good person," she answered honestly. "He has a stable job and doesn't look down on me because I'm from the countryside. Apart from his parents' objections, he's definitely a suitable candidate."

Shen Huai frowned slightly upon hearing the address "Brother Lu".

He took a step forward, his leather shoes making a crisp sound as they stepped on the dry branches.

"Suitable?" Shen Huai stood in front of her. "And what are your own thoughts? Do you like Lu Yi as a person?"

Su Nianhe was stunned for a moment.

She looked up, her face full of confusion.

"Like?" She repeated the two words, feeling that they were very far removed from her own experience.

In Liuhe Village, girls are expected to get married when they reach a certain age.

Parents would send their daughters to whichever family offered the highest dowry.

If you can find a man who doesn't hit you and can feed you properly, you're incredibly lucky.

"I've never been to school, so I don't know what 'liking' means." Su Nianhe gripped the bag straps with both hands, her voice soft. "In the village, everyone looks for a man who can provide enough food, has good character, and owns his own house. That's considered a good life. Who cares about whether they like him or not?"

She was telling the absolute truth.

All she wanted was a shell to shelter her from the wind and rain, a place to hide herself away from, so she would never have to go back to that cannibalistic village.

Shen Huai looked at her.

This girl has a beautiful and delicate face, but her thoughts are extremely simple and crude.

She'll settle down and spend her life with whoever can give her food and a place to live.

Shen Huai raised his hand and braced it against the brick wall beside her face.

The tall body loomed down, trapping her completely between her arms and the wall.

"Technician Shen..." Su Nianhe panicked, pressing her back tightly against the wall.

"I didn't know what liking someone meant before." Shen Huai lowered his head, his voice low, carrying a hint of aggression he rarely displayed.

Su Nianhe didn't know why he suddenly said this, so she could only stare at him blankly.

"But recently, I found out." Shen Huai's breath touched the tip of her nose. "Because of you, I found out."

Su Nianhe's mind went blank.

She wondered if she had misheard.

Shen Huai is the mayor's son and a technical consultant at the textile factory. He is usually as cold as ice and doesn't even glance at the many beautiful female cadres in the factory. Yet now he actually said such a thing to her.

"I get annoyed when I see you wearing an ill-fitting, tight dress to a blind date and standing next to other men."

Shen Huai didn't give her a chance to escape, every word striking her heart: "When I heard that Wang Liping was going to take you to see Lu Yi, I couldn't even continue the meeting. I couldn't sleep at night, my mind was filled with thoughts of you."

Su Nianhe was burning up.

Her cheeks flushed red all the way down to the roots of her neck, and even the small section of her collarbone exposed to the air was tinged with pink.

"When a man and a woman like each other, it's about wanting to hide the person away and not let others see them." Seeing her helpless look, Shen Huai put it more bluntly, "It's like the night before last, wanting to hug you, wanting to kiss you. Wanting to hear you cry and beg for mercy."

Su Nianhe was so frightened that she covered her mouth.

She was illiterate and had no idea that this could happen between men and women.

In her limited understanding, marriage was simply about living together, having children, and cooking.

Shen Huai's words were like a bombshell dropped into her peaceful world.

"What do you think of me?" Shen Huai asked.

Su Nianhe was trapped in his arms, with nowhere to hide.

She clutched the hem of her old coat with both hands and answered honestly, "You...you are the mayor's son, learned and influential. You are a very kind person and have helped me several times. But..."

"But what?"

"But you're usually so scary, so cold." Su Nianhe swallowed hard. "And you have a bad temper too; you'll even block people's doors in the middle of the night."

Shen Huai was amused by her honest answer.

His chest heaved, and he let out a low laugh.

The laughter sent a strange tingling sensation through Su Nianhe's ears.

"Since you want to marry someone from the city and find a man to settle down with."

Shen Huai's smile faded, and his tone became serious. "I also need to find a wife. Perfect timing."

Su Nianhe's eyes widened in disbelief; she couldn't believe what she had just heard.

"How can that be!" She shook her head anxiously. "Aunt Liu won't agree! Sister Wang will scold me too! We're not a good match, please don't make fun of me."

"I'm not making fun of you." Shen Huai ran his fingers through the stray hairs by her ear. "I won't force you to get a marriage certificate right away."

Su Nianhe was stunned.

"Now that we're in a period of reform and opening up, we value free love." Shen Huai looked into her eyes, his voice deep and alluring. "You can start dating first."

To find a partner.

These three words swirled in Su Nianhe's mind several times.

In the city, young people talk about dating; in the countryside, they go straight to meeting and getting engaged.

"Would you like to be my girlfriend?" Shen Huai asked again, as if he wouldn't let her go until she agreed.