Chapter 84

“Isn’t there a part-time housekeeper?”

Shen Lihuan answered casually, “Money makes the mare go. Anything that can be solved with money is not a real problem.”

Seeing that her parents didn’t seem inclined to object, she continued, “Mom, Dad, don’t worry. We’re only living out for a little over a month. Once school starts, I’ll move back.”

Gu Qinglan and Shen Jiashu exchanged a glance, then shook their heads with a helpless smile and agreed to their daughter’s request. “Alright then, leave the arrangements to Assistant Yuan. You just get your things ready and wait to move in.”

“That’s great! Thank you, Mom and Dad!”

Shen Lihuan’s peach blossom eyes lit up. She kissed both her parents on the cheek and said cheerfully, “I’m going to tell Changqing the good news right now!”

Watching her joyful figure bounce away, Gu Qinglan couldn’t help laughing and sighing, “As expected, once you have a partner, your parents are forgotten.”

Shen Jiashu scooped her up in his arms. “It’s normal for young people to be passionate. With Lihuan not at home, you still have me. Let’s enjoy our own little world.”

Gu Qinglan playfully hit his firm chest, unable to hide her smile.

Knowing the housing arrangement was settled, You Changqing was equally delighted. The next morning, she brought it up with her parents.

You Changhong, who had been nodding off like a little chick pecking rice, immediately caught the key phrase: his sister was moving out to live with Sister Lihuan! He instantly perked up, big eyes sparkling as he stared at her.

You Changqing was stunned by his gleaming gaze and reached out to push his face to the side. “Kids shouldn’t be so curious.”

You Changhong pouted and turned to their surprised parents. “I support Sis moving out. With Sister Lihuan taking care of her, she’ll be living the good life.”

You Zongzheng gave him a glance. “So you’re saying your sister’s not living well at home?”

You Changhong covered his mouth and shook his head vigorously—he definitely hadn’t said that.

Yang Zhiying relaxed her furrowed brow and smiled helplessly. “Changhong didn’t mean that, Zongzheng, don’t scold him.”

“Changqing,” she turned to her daughter, “it’s not that your dad and I won’t let you move out. It’s just that buying a place just to live with Lihuan seems a bit excessive, doesn’t it?”

You Changqing stirred the milk in her cup. “Mom, how is this excessive? Real estate appreciates over time. And if I ever need to live outside in the future, I won’t have to book a hotel. Besides, we’re only staying there for a short time. Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.”

Seeing her daughter’s determination, You Zongzheng had no choice but to relent. “Do as you like. Just remember, living out there isn’t the same as at home. You two need to be careful.”

“Don’t worry, Dad. Lihuan always has bodyguards with her.”

Finally convinced, You Zongzheng sighed and nodded. A smile spread across You Changqing’s face—it was obvious how happy she was.

He shook his head. His daughter was clearly wrapped around Shen Lihuan’s finger. Looks like it was time to start preparing for their wedding.

Yang Zhiying held her daughter’s hand and reminded her of all sorts of things to watch out for. You Changqing listened carefully the whole time, while You Changhong lay on the sofa next to them, acting as an attentive audience member, occasionally tossing in a question or two.

Assistant Yuan moved quickly. By the end of the day, a three-bedroom duplex apartment was secured. That afternoon, Shen Lihuan and You Changqing moved in.

Gu Qinglan, not quite at ease, went with them to inspect the new place. Only after confirming everything was clean, tidy, and fully equipped did she feel reassured.

“Thank you for all your hard work. A special assistant shouldn’t have to run around for these trivial matters.”

Gu Qinglan offered her thanks to Assistant Yuan, who was standing ramrod straight. He quickly shook his head. “It’s no trouble at all. It’s an honor to be of service to the young lady.”

Even though she knew it was just polite talk, Gu Qinglan had to admit that his words were quite pleasing to hear.

“Oh, and the young lady mentioned she wanted to hire someone to cook. Among a few candidates, I selected a woman in her fifties—Auntie Zheng. She’s got decades of cooking experience and is great with homestyle dishes. More importantly, she has a gentle nature and isn’t the type to cause trouble. She’ll get along well with both young ladies.”

“I trust your judgment, Assistant Yuan. Thank you for all the running around you’ve done for me and Changqing today. This is a Shengyan diamond membership card—you can use it for 50% off.”

Shen Lihuan was very satisfied with his work and offered the card as a reward.

Assistant Yuan’s eyes lit up. He was a loyal Shengyan user, and a diamond card was a true status symbol. “Thank you, young lady. I’ve been using Shengyan skincare products—they’re fantastic.”

He accepted the card with both hands, and for once, the normally stone-faced man couldn’t help letting a smile slip—it was clear he genuinely appreciated the gift.

After seeing Gu Qinglan and Assistant Yuan off, Shen Lihuan immediately pulled You Changqing back into the bedroom. “Baby, I missed you so much.”

She gently laid her down on the bed, quickly shut the door, and dove in after her.

“I missed you too. I couldn’t be too affectionate with you when we were outside, but now it’s just the two of us.”

You Changqing suddenly gasped and arched her neck—it turned out Shen Lihuan had planted a hard kiss right on her collarbone. She winced and said, “Lihuan, be gentle.”

“I can’t. You tempted me. Today, I’ll show you just how terrifying a starved woman can be.”

Shen Lihuan raised her head, a wicked smile on her lips. Before You Changqing could react, she was swept into a world of pleasure.

All You Changqing felt was herself struggling to float in an endless ocean, unable to reach the shore. In the end, she passed out from exhaustion.

Shen Lihuan, fully satisfied, tucked her in carefully, then padded barefoot to the kitchen to make something nourishing for her wife.

At a little past 7 p.m., You Changqing was awakened by the grumble of her stomach. She lifted her heavy eyelids and tried to reach out beside her, but her whole body ached like she’d been run over by a truck.

She blushed furiously, remembering their earlier “exercise.” Aside from the final step, she and Lihuan had done, well… everything else. Ahem.

She buried her face, burning hot and nearly hot enough to fry an egg, into the pillow. Did everyone in Sujiu get this emotional, or was Li Huan just naturally gifted?

Estimating the time, Shen Lihuan figured Changqing should be awake by now. She carried a bowl of warm porridge into the room, only to find that Changqing was indeed awake, but had buried her face in the pillow out of embarrassment and didn’t even notice her come in.

Shen Lihuan smiled gently. “Changqing, are you awake?”

Upon hearing Shen Lihuan’s voice, You Changqing’s body gave a little jolt. She lifted her face to look at her, eyes dewy. “Lihuan, I really hurt.”

Shen Lihuan set the bowl on the table and quickly walked over to the bed. “I got too excited. I’ll carry you for a soak and help you apply some ointment. It’ll stop hurting soon.”

As she spoke, she reached for the blanket, but You Changqing clutched it tightly and stared at her with flushed cheeks. Shen Lihuan gave a helpless smile. “Now you’re shy? What part of you haven’t I already seen?”

You Changqing reached out and covered her mouth. “Lihuan.”

Shen Lihuan took her hand and kissed it. “It was my fault. I’ll be gentle next time.”

Feeling her tenderness, You Changqing was still a bit shy, but she let go of the blanket.

Shen Lihuan smiled and picked up a thin throw. After lifting the blanket, she wrapped You Changqing’s bare body in the throw and carried her into the bathroom.

You Changqing didn’t get a chance to look at herself yet, but she was sure there had to be a lot of marks on her body. When she caught sight of her bare calf, she became even more certain.

Her legs were covered in red kiss marks. Anyone could tell at a glance just how intimate those marks were. She let out a groan and covered her face.

Unaware of her inner despair, Shen Lihuan gently placed her in the bathtub filled with warm water. Then she added a few drops of green liquid, which released a cool, fresh scent into the bathroom.

As her sore body soaked in the warm water, You Changqing let out a relaxed sigh. Shen Lihuan pulled over a stool and began gently washing her body with a towel.

You Changqing’s body was covered in ambiguous marks, especially her chest and thighs. Seeing this made Shen Lihuan feel terribly guilty, to the point she wanted to slap herself—serves you right for getting carried away and losing control.

You Changqing was startled to see her own sorry state, but when she saw how distressed and remorseful Lihuan looked, she couldn’t even muster any anger. She simply reached out and tapped Lihuan’s arm, speaking softly and sweetly, “Look at the mess you made. Don’t you dare do that again next time.”

“I swear!”

Shen Lihuan almost wanted to swear an oath to the heavens.

In truth, it only looked bad. There weren’t any real injuries. It was just that You Changqing’s skin was incredibly delicate, leaving marks even from the slightest touch—let alone such intense activity. Shen Lihuan had been thoroughly scared by her own “beastly” behavior, and next time, she definitely wouldn’t get so carried away.

She could just hold herself back.

After bathing You Changqing, Shen Lihuan carried her back to the bed and gently dried off all the droplets on her body. Then she pulled out a jar of ointment and carefully applied it to her all over. “How’s that? Does it feel better now?”

You Changqing nodded. “Much better. The sore spots feel all warm now, like someone just gave me a massage.”

“As long as you’re feeling better.”

After finishing with the ointment, Shen Lihuan helped her into her clothes. The air had cooled a bit by then—she couldn’t risk Changqing catching a cold.

Like a little doll, You Changqing let Shen Lihuan move her around. She looked up with her face freshly flushed from the bath and gazed at Lihuan. “When I moved out, Chang Hong said that if I lived with you, you’d spoil me silly. Look at me now—I don’t even have to bathe or dress myself anymore.”

“That guy Chang Hong really has good eyes. I want to spoil you.”

Shen Lihuan helped her put on her pants, then cupped her face for a tender kiss.

While Shen Lihuan and You Changqing were wrapped in their gentle bliss, something new was brewing on Gu Tingyu’s side.

Gu Tingyu was thirty-four this year—not exactly old. But since he was nine years older than Guan Kening, he worried she might mind the age gap.

So on the day he was to meet Guan Kening, he went out of his way to get a fresh haircut. Instead of his usual dark business suits, he put on a youthful-looking casual outfit.

Guan Kening didn’t know much about her blind date—only the basics. She had no idea what kind of person he was or how easy he’d be to get along with.

In fact, her parents had been just as surprised that Madam Shen would take a liking to their daughter and even introduce her to her younger brother.

They did think their daughter was outstanding, of course—but comparing her to President Gu, they honestly didn’t feel they were in the same league at all.