Just like the previous days, Shen Yi woke up before the dawn. His hand reached out to pull his wife against him, not liking the fact that he couldn’t feel her body snuggled beside his. He reached out further but felt nothing but the warm sheet where she slept earlier.

His eyes flicked open suddenly as he looked around their room. Panic shot through him when he didn’t see her. He was startled to know that this would happen sooner or later.

Shen Yi still felt conflicted by the fact that he wanted her to stay, but her eagerness to reach the dream she desperately wanted had him wonder how long he was able to keep her.

Would Lu Xinyi leave him just like what Li Qiao did? He shook his head. They weren’t the same. While Li Qiao knew what she wanted in her life, her love for him wasn’t enough for her to stay. On the other hand, Lu Xinyi had made it clear that he was part of her future.

He was in charge of a business empire. He could have any woman he so desired. One that could stand beside him with equal fame and status. Yet, he couldn’t find any woman in his liking until he met Lu Xinyi. -.

Shen Yi was sure he might have forgotten his name momentarily when he saw her at the cruise ship. She wore a green sundress barely reaching her knees, her skin glowed from the afternoon rays of the setting sun and her hair danced with the summer breeze. She had awakened something that had laid dormant for years. Something was pushing him even closer to her, something he wanted to feel more of.

It was true he didn’t have much experience dealing with women. Hence, he’d tried his best to distance himself from social-climbing gold-diggers.

Lu Xinyi, on the other hand, was someone who held no standing and money. Although she could very much fight for her right as the Young Miss of the Sun family, Lu Xinyi wasn’t a proud and pompous woman. She didn’t brag about her connection with the Sun family and chose to live as a commoner. Most importantly, she didn’t beg him to screw her like some sex-deprived behemoth in heat.

His lips curled into a smile as he remembered the memory of her, eyes sparkling as he laid the pros and cons of their arranged marriage. Ah, he never knew that women can be swayed easily with good food before meeting her.

Shen Yi got out of their bed and quickly grabbed a pair of sweatpants from his dresser. Where could his wife be this time?

He took a sane moment to close his eyes and breathe slowly, trying to calm himself. No, Lu Xinyi wouldn’t leave him. He then grabbed a shirt and pulled it on before deciding to look for Lu Xinyi downstairs.

He didn’t even reach the stairs when he noticed there was someone within his study. His ears picked up Madam Jin talking which meant that she wasn’t alone. He walked through the door, only to see his wife holding and reading familiar documents that he forgot to hide.

Oh **. Shen Yi hoped that this wouldn’t cause trouble between them. Noticing that her Master Yi wanted some privacy with his wife, Madam Jin excused herself from the younger woman. Lu Xinyi nodded, but her attention was fixated at the document in her hands.

She lifted up her gaze when she heard his footsteps.

“Hey,” she greeted him with a weak smile.

Shen Yi held her arm and pulled her against him. “Why were you not in bed with me when I woke up?”

He was so used on having her next to him whenever he wakes up every morning—taking time to watch her sleep for a few minutes, leaning close to brush his lips on her cheek, and wishing he had enough time to spend with her before their busy hours consume their day.

“Sorry. I feel restless.” Lu Xinyi confessed. She knew she should be happy passing Silver Leaf, but something was amiss. Something was missing. Her eyes then shifted to the documents she left on her husband’s desk. Shen Yi followed her gaze.

“Do you hate me now?”

His question caught her off-guard. Lu Xinyi looked up with wide eyes at her husband. What?

Shen Yi kept his silence; his jaw tightened as he waited for her response. He had not realized that Lu Xinyi would find those documents. Had she read all of them?

“Of course not.” Lu Xinyi shook her head. “Shen Yi, I could never hate you.” Wrapping her arms around him, she listened to his steady heartbeat as she leaned her head on his chest. “You know how much I love you.”

She knew Shen Yi had run a background check. In all honesty, no sane rich man would marry a woman without knowing who she was and where she came from. Lu Xinyi would have done the same thing, but she lacked resources. She was just lucky that he wasn’t a psychopath on the loose and hadn’t harmed her in any way.

His long fingers made their way into her silken hair and tipped her face up to meet his. His lips brushed over her own gently.

“Do I?”

“You doubt my feelings for you?” she countered. “Aren’t you bothered by what you’ve found out about me?”

“No.” Shen Yi tucked some of her stray hair behind her ear. “That only gave me a sneak peek of what kind of life you have before marrying me. I want to know the real Lu Xinyi.” He lifted both of her hands and held it together. “I want to know who you really are, see and accept your imperfections. I want to see it with my own eyes—who this Lu Xinyi in front of me is, and I care not where she came from.”