Chapter 1

Chapter 1

In many people’s eyes, my fiancé, Song Qingyun, is something of a master.

As a child, he read through the historical classics and was hailed as a prodigy.

At twenty-one, after graduating from a prestigious university, he entered the investment world. With his sharp eye, he hit it big on an unpopular asset and rose to fame overnight. In the years that followed, as an independent investor, he won battle after battle, multiplying his family’s assets dozens of times over.

Now, he lives in a 280-square-meter penthouse in a high-rise downtown. Every day, he reads, drinks tea, and occasionally makes an investment, carrying himself with the air of a recluse hidden in plain sight.

Generally speaking, people like that always have a few oddities about them, and Song Qingyun is no exception.

He is emotionally detached, quiet, and fond of solitude.

He is a clean freak, and he has a deep intolerance for stupidity.

Aside from necessary business occasions, he rarely leaves the house. His daily life is taken care of by the housekeeper, Auntie Wu.

Toward everyone and everything around him, he maintains a faint sense of distance.

With me, however, he makes an exception.

Song Qingyun and I were childhood sweethearts. We grew up together.

When he was nine, his mother passed away. I was the one who went up the mountain with him in the middle of the night, two tiny children leaning against each other as we slept for a night in front of her grave.

Four years ago, when I was faced with a sudden power grab by my father’s illegitimate son, Song Qingyun planned every step and helped me successfully take over the family company.

When he underwent heart bypass surgery, I was the one who waited outside the operating room alone, praying for him with all my heart. When one of my company’s projects ran into obstacles, he mobilized funds and connections, doing everything he could to turn things around for me.

In the years after both our parents passed away, he and I were like two bright-feathered yet lonely birds, keeping each other company and borrowing warmth from one another.

So, although in the eyes of outsiders,

he is a prodigy, a master,

and I am Eldest Miss Shen, the “brainless rich beauty,”

our relationship is very good.

We are each other’s exception.

Not long ago, I returned from a business trip abroad and went to see him.

I found Auntie Wu absent, and a young girl had appeared in the apartment, bustling about.

“Her name is… Mm. Auntie Wu hurt her leg in a fall, so she asked her niece to fill in for a few months.”

When he said this, Song Qingyun was sitting by the window, narrowing his eyes at an unfinished chess game in silent contemplation.

Tea was boiling at his side, wisps of white steam sketching the outline of his calm, tranquil features. As always, he looked utterly indifferent to everything around him.

“Miss Shen, please call me Zhou Yin. I look forward to your guidance from now on.”

Zhou Yin walked over with her back straight and greeted me.

I looked her over.

She had delicate features and slightly thin lips, and she wore a blue dress that had been washed until it had faded pale. When she spoke, her chin lifted slightly, her pronunciation clear and proper, her wording concise.

To be honest, I didn’t like her at first glance.

How should I put it?

She gave off an inexplicable air of being neither humble nor arrogant.

But it didn’t matter. She would only be working for a few months.

Besides, Auntie Wu had always treated me well.

I smiled, took out the silk scarf I had bought for Auntie Wu overseas from my bag, and handed it to her.

“Hi, Zhou Yin. This is for you. Consider it a little welcome gift from me.”

But Zhou Yin did not reach out to take it.

She gave a faint smile, her expression distant. “That wouldn’t be appropriate. We are merely in an employer-employee relationship. It would be best to follow the contract in all matters.”

The small box containing the silk scarf was left hanging in midair.

Like some poor little bribe that had been rejected.

I raised an eyebrow.

“Following the contract is fine, too. I remember the contract states that the monthly salary of thirty thousand includes a wardrobe allowance, and that attire must be appropriate and elegant. Do you think the dress you’re wearing meets that standard?”

She pressed her lips together and lifted her head slightly.

“Miss Shen and I are not from the same world, so perhaps you don’t understand. I was born poor and am used to being frugal. I do not believe this dress damages the image of the household. Of course, if Miss Shen insists on that view, I will change into something you consider appropriate.”

Every sentence began with “I,” and she put extra emphasis on the final “you.”

I grew impatient listening to her and couldn’t be bothered to say more. Turning around, I tossed out one sentence.

“Then change.”

There was silence behind me for two seconds before a low voice sounded.

“Yes.”

I sat down in front of Song Qingyun’s tea table. Only then did he lift his head. The moment he saw me, his eyes lit up, and he smiled gently.

“Ah Lan, you’re back?”

I couldn’t help laughing.

“Mm, I’m back. And have you returned from your spiritual wandering too, old man?”