Five years without pregnancy means you're too weak; I remarried a powerful man and had triplets

Shen Zhiyi glanced outside. Pei Jin's forehead was already red from being flicked, but he didn't care at all. He was focused on the cards in his hand, looking like he was determined to beat anyone today.

He seemed completely oblivious to the fact that Lu Zichuan had helped her drink earlier.

But Shen Zhiyi felt guilty.

She pursed her lips, the rhythm of the knife falling on the cutting board slowed, and her voice lowered as well: "Don't do this kind of thing again."

Lu Zichuan stopped chopping vegetables.

"Pei Jin is your..." Shen Zhiyi paused, hesitating between the words "boyfriend" and "girlfriend," and finally vaguely used a compromise, "...partner. This will make him feel uncomfortable."

After she finished speaking, the tips of her ears turned slightly red.

She didn't know why she said that.

But she's been there. She knows that if your partner doesn't love you and gives their attention to others, the relationship will fall apart sooner or later.

She didn't want Pei Jin to be sad.

The kitchen was silent for several seconds.

Lu Zichuan stopped chopping vegetables.

He put down the knife, turned around, and looked at her.

His gaze was deep, like two bottomless pools of water.

The redness at the base of her ears hadn't faded yet, but her eyes were clear-headed, unlike someone who had been drinking.

"Who told you that Pei Jin is my partner?" His voice was cold, and his brows were tightly furrowed, as if he had heard something utterly absurd.

"...Hmm?" Shen Zhiyi blinked, looking completely bewildered.

At the banquet last time, she clearly saw Lu Zichuan argue with He Shuyun for Pei Jin's sake. His demeanor didn't seem like a boss protecting his assistant; it was more like...

There are also those rumors circulating in the company that have been going on for who knows how long.

In the break room, in the elevator, and during lunch break, everyone talks about Lu Zichuan and Pei Jin, and they all have an unspoken understanding on their faces.

Wasn't he making her his fake girlfriend just to protect Pei Jin?

"Everyone knows about the rumors that circulated about you two at the banquet and at the company last time."

Shen Zhiyi spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world, even with a hint of self-righteousness.

"At the banquet, my mother misunderstood. She tried to harm the people around me without my consent, which is unacceptable."

Lu Zichuan picked up the knife again and started chopping vegetables. The knife made a "thump-thump-thump" sound when it touched the cutting board.

"And the rumors circulating in the company, you yourself said they're just rumors, how can you take them seriously?"

Shen Zhiyi was completely stunned. "But didn't he stay at your house? I even saw you two wearing matching pajamas last time..."

"Shen Zhiyi." The sound of chopping vegetables stopped again.

Lu Zichuan turned his head, his extremely pale pupils looking deeply at her, and said, word by word, "Pei Jin is just my assistant, nothing more."

"But......"

"But......"

She clutched the hem of her dress, as if she had a lot to say but didn't know where to begin.

Could it be that she really misunderstood?

She frowned and thought about it carefully. It seemed that it was true. From beginning to end, Lu Zichuan had never admitted that Pei Jin was anyone by his side. She was always just his assistant.

But if he and Pei Jin aren't a couple, then why has he been single for so many years?

So many people have surrounded him over the years—outstanding, beautiful, and from good families—did he really not fancy any of them?

Are you that picky?

Or... is he waiting for someone?

A multitude of questions swirled in her mind, and she even forgot that she was cooking.

By the time she came to her senses, Lu Zichuan had already taken the spatula from her hand, turned on the stove, and poured in the oil, his movements as practiced as if he were at home.

Instead, she became the one standing aside, handing over scallions and garlic as a helper.

"Then... what's with the couple's pajamas?" Shen Zhiyi still found it strange and asked in a low voice.

Lu Zichuan added minced garlic to the pan, and the oil released its aroma before he spoke casually, "He stayed up all night to help me revise the merger and acquisition plan. I slept at his house for one night, wearing another set of my pajamas."

"...That's it?"

"That's it."

Shen Zhiyi was stunned for three seconds, then wished she could bury her face in the rice jar next to her.

So what she saw earlier—Pei Jin wandering around the living room in Lu Zichuan's pajamas, and Lu Zichuan coming out of the bedroom in matching loungewear—wasn't a couple's outfit at all; it was just a boss's pajamas that his assistant temporarily wore.

"About that fake girlfriend..."

"My mom is pressuring me to get married, so I need a shield."

Lu Zichuan turned his head to look at her, his voice low and slightly hoarse from the fruit wine, "I chose you because you are the most suitable."

"...Why am I suitable?"

Lu Zichuan did not answer.

He ladled the stir-fried dishes into a plate, his movements unhurried and gentle, his profile appearing exceptionally soft under the warm yellow light of the kitchen.

"How's the salt?" he suddenly asked.

"what?"

"Try it." He took a small spoonful and held it to her lips.

Shen Zhiyi was stunned for a moment, and subconsciously opened her mouth and put the spoon in her mouth.

The food tasted great, just the right amount of salt, but all she could think about was the action he had just taken—feeding her.

"……fine."

She mumbled that her tongue felt terribly hot, unsure whether it was from the temperature of the food or something else.

Lu Zichuan looked at her, and something in his eyes melted away.

He withdrew his hand, put the spoon back into the pot, and made a very soft sound, almost drowned out by the sound of the range hood.

"You haven't answered my question yet."

"What's the problem?"

"Does it mean you don't want to be with me, or that you don't welcome me?"

Shen Zhiyi's hand gripping the pot lid tightened suddenly.

Of course, she wasn't unwelcoming to him.

She just... just didn't dare.

She didn't dare get so close to him, didn't dare let him be so good to her, and didn't dare think about things she shouldn't think about.

"I..." She opened her mouth, but in the end she didn't say anything. She just lowered her head and handed over the washed vegetables.

Lu Zichuan took the dish, his fingertips inadvertently brushing against the back of her hand.

The two of them paused simultaneously.

"It smells so good!" Pei Jin's voice came from the living room. "President Lu, Sister Zhizhi, are you done yet? I'm starving!"

"Right away!" Shen Zhiyi replied quickly, feeling as if she had been granted a pardon, and turned to get a plate to serve the food.

Lu Zichuan watched her flustered figure, a barely perceptible smile appearing in his eyes.

He didn't ask any further questions.

Because he knew that some things couldn't be rushed.

But with the official divorce date fast approaching, he will speed things up.

Moreover, from their eye contact just now, he keenly gleaned something: if she truly had no feelings for him, she wouldn't resist looking into his eyes, much less be unable to resist looking away when their eyes met.

Shen Zhiyi wasn't completely indifferent to him.

He had been suppressing his emotions, but now, as he cooked, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up in a smile.

This sign is a hundred times better than closing a contract worth hundreds of millions.