First, then, love.

Shu Yao lay on the bed, taking in the entire scene.

Looking at He Zheng's wet crotch and his frustrated and irritable appearance.

I couldn't help but burst out laughing.

The sound was crisp and clear. Although it aggravated the wound on the corner of her mouth and made her hiss in pain, her eyes were full of smiles, and her mood completely changed from gloomy to sunny.

Upon hearing her laughter, He Zheng's anger deflated instantly, like a balloon punctured by a needle.

He carried the porridge and the remaining half-cup of water inside.

Place the bowl steadily on the bedside table.

He pulled out a few tissues and hastily wiped the water off his pants.

He turned his head and looked at the God of War who was peeking out from outside the door, and snorted coldly.

"This dog is just like you, only good at bullying its own kind."

He mocked mercilessly, starting to make veiled attacks.

"When it gets into trouble outside, it's more cowardly than anyone else, but at home it's quite good at marking its territory. If it trips me up, it even acts like it's in the right."

Shu Yao was displeased upon hearing this.

His protective instincts kicked in.

"Who are you cursing, He Lao Er?" she glared at him. "The God of War is protecting me at the door. Whose fault is it if you don't watch where you're going?"

After she finished speaking, she waved towards the door.

"God of War, come here."

Upon hearing the mistress's summons, the God of War immediately twitched his two pointed ears.

She glanced at He Zheng's dark face, then mustered her courage and ran over.

Its enormous body lunged directly at the bedside.

With its two front paws resting on the edge of the bed, it stretched out its long pink tongue, trying to lick Shu Yao's face.

"sit down."

He Zheng rebuked him coldly, his military orders were absolute.

The God of War reflexively plopped down on the carpet, sitting upright, but still desperately trying to get his head closer to Shu Yao's hand, while his tail swept the ground with a "slap slap" sound.

Shu Yao hugged the God of War's furry neck tightly.

It buried its face in the thick dog fur and rubbed against it vigorously.

"The God of War is so obedient; he's a good bodyguard."

While stroking the dog's head, she deliberately raised her voice and glanced sideways at He Zheng standing next to her.

"Much better than your grumpy owner, who only knows how to be mean to people and even bullies the dog."

The God of War was overjoyed to receive the mistress's embrace and praise.

It made a comfortable "woof" sound from its throat, and even went so far as to rest its big head on Shu Yao's shoulder, its dog eyes sparkling.

He Zheng stood by the bed.

With arms crossed, he looked down at the loving scene between the man and the dog.

His face visibly darkened.

A strange, acidic sensation surged uncontrollably upwards in my chest.

damn it.

I braved the wind and snow in the middle of the night to rescue you, I cleaned your face and wiped your feet, I bought you a diamond bracelet, and I heated up some porridge for you all night long.

So now you're holding a dog and saying the dog is better than me?

He Zheng's dark eyes narrowed.

He stared intently at the enormous dog head that the God of War had placed on Shu Yao's shoulder, his gaze growing increasingly dangerous.

He put down his water glass and strode over.

He grabbed the thick fur on the back of the God of War's neck and dragged the enormous creature away from the bedside.

"Get out," He Zheng's voice was icy cold. "If you dare to come near the bed again, I'll make dog meat hot pot tonight."

The war god's massive body left two marks on the ground, let out a pitiful whimper, tucked its tail between its legs, and slunk away from the master bedroom.

The princess was startled by him and immediately jumped off the bed and ran away.

He Zheng raised his foot and slammed the door shut with his heel.

It blocked the view of the cat and dog peeking out from outside.

He turned around, pulled up a chair, sat down on the edge of the bed, and picked up the bowl of congee with preserved egg and lean pork.

He stirred it with a spoon, scooped up a spoonful, and blew on it to dissipate the heat.

He held it to Shu Yao's lips.

"Open your mouth and eat."

His tone was harsh, carrying an unquenchable anger.

Shu Yao leaned against the pillow and put the spoon in her mouth.

The warm porridge slid comfortably into my stomach.

Her peach blossom eyes curved into two beautiful crescent moons as she looked at the dark-faced, tough man in front of her.

"Captain He, you're even jealous of a dog? Aren't you ashamed of yourself?"

He Zheng paused, then let out a cold laugh.

He wiped the porridge stains from the corner of her mouth with his thumb.

"I'll do it if I want. If you say another word, I'll throw that cat downstairs too."

*

The next few days passed slowly, but each day was warm.

The snow stopped and started falling again, with wave after wave of cold air.

Shu Yao stayed at home for a whole week.

For the past seven days, He Zheng has taken annual leave, kept his phone off, and stayed at home without leaving his house.

He was like a patient with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder, changing her dressings on time every day.

Unwrap the old gauze, dip a cotton swab in saline solution, and clean the edges of the scab.

Shu Yao was afraid of pain, so she hissed softly and shrank back.

He Zheng grabbed her wrist and said, "Why are you dodging? Just bear with it."

He cursed fiercely, but his movements were gentler than anyone else's; his fingertips rubbed against her skin, as if afraid of breaking the newly grown flesh.

After cleaning, I applied an imported scar removal cream, which felt cool and refreshing.

After a few days, the swelling on my face completely subsided, leaving only a faint yellowish tinge, and the scabs on the corners of my mouth also fell off.

As for the cello that was smashed.

He Zhengzhen found a well-known piano repair master in the industry to come to his home.

The master craftsman, wearing reading glasses, sat on the balcony for an entire afternoon tinkering, replacing the strings with top-quality ones and refinishing the bridge.

He Zheng stood to the side, scanned the code to pay the expensive repair fee, and didn't even blink.

Shu Yao sat on the sofa, holding the repaired violin, and tried playing a scale.

The sound quality is as perfect as ever.

She let out a long sigh of relief, her brows and eyes relaxing.

But if a person is idle for too long, their bones will rust.

After being confined at home for seven days, Shu Yao's panic had been completely soothed by He Zheng's meticulous care.

The morning of the eighth day.

In the restaurant.

He Zheng sat at the marble dining table, peeling a white and whole egg and placing it into the porcelain dish in front of Shu Yao.

"I'm going to work."

Shu Yao took a bite of the egg and suddenly dropped a bombshell.

He Zheng paused, looked up at her, his dark eyes devoid of any emotion.

"no."

It was decisive and efficient, leaving no room for negotiation.

"I'm all better now," Shu Yao put down her chopsticks, stretched out her hands, and waved them in the air.

The gauze has been removed, and the wound on my palm has scabbed over with pink scabs. It looks a bit ugly, but it doesn't affect my mobility.

"My face is less swollen now, if I stay home any longer, I'll get moldy."

"I said no, and that's final," He Zheng said coldly, wiping his hands with a tissue.

"Although the case is closed and that bastard is waiting for sentencing in jail, your current condition is not suitable for going out in the cold wind. You might bump into something and get hurt again."

Shu Yao put down the milk cup.

"I'm in great spirits! There's an indoor string concert at the Starry Sky Center next week, and I'm the principal player. I have to go back to rehearse; I can't let my actions slow down the whole orchestra."

He Zheng remained unmoved and took a sip of his black coffee.

"I've asked Lao Li to speak with your superiors at the center, and they've approved a month of paid leave for you. Just stay home."

"He Zheng! This is house arrest!"

Shu Yao panicked, her peach blossom eyes widened, and her anger surged.

"Say what you will," He Zheng stood up and began clearing the table of dishes. "It's eight degrees below zero outside. With your build, a gust of wind could blow you away."

A head-on confrontation is definitely not going to work.

Shu Yao took a deep breath, her eyes darting around, and immediately changed her strategy.

She stood up, wearing those pink coral fleece socks, and walked to the kitchen sink.

He grabbed He Zheng's strong waist from behind.

She pressed her face against his broad back and rubbed it gently.

"husband."

Her voice was soft and sweet, with a drawn-out ending that carried a deadly hook.

He Zheng froze instantly while washing the dishes, his back muscles tensing up like an iron plate.

This spoiled brat, usually so fierce, but when she calls for her husband, it's never a good thing.

"Being cute won't work," he said in a low, hoarse voice, his Adam's apple bobbing heavily as he stared intently at the foam in the sink.

"I really want to play the violin," she said, walking around to his front, wrapping her arms around his neck, and looking up at him with a pitiful expression.

"I can't practice at home, and I'm afraid of disturbing the downstairs neighbors. The rehearsal hall has good acoustics, and Qiaoqiao urges me on WeChat every day."

She tiptoed and kissed his stubble-covered chin with her soft lips.

"I promise I'll go straight home after rehearsal and won't wander off, okay?"

He Zheng looked down and met her big, watery eyes.

The plea and longing for the cello within are glaringly obvious.

He was fearless in his life, but what he couldn't stand most was her soft, pleading look.

He sighed, wiped the water off his hands on his apron, and then pinched her chin with his rough, large hands.

"If you want to go, you can."

Shu Yao's eyes lit up, and she was about to cheer.

"However," He Zheng's tone shifted, revealing an undeniable forcefulness and domineering attitude.

"There are conditions."

"I'll agree to any conditions!"

"I'll pick you up and drop you off, no exceptions," He Zheng stared at her, his eyes cold and stern, as if issuing a military order. "Every day, I must personally escort you to and from get off work. If I'm not there by the time you leave work, you'd better stay obediently in the rehearsal hall and not step out the door even once. Can you do that?"

Shu Yao nodded repeatedly, like a chick pecking at rice.

"We can do it! We absolutely can!"

As long as she can get some fresh air, I'd be happy to take her out, let alone pick her up or drop her off; I'd even tie her to the car.