Shen Zhi had never stepped into a home like Gu Anqi's before.
It was small, warm, strangely cozy, and full of personality. Her streaming lights were set up in one corner. Her couch was buried under pillows shaped like dumplings, carrots, and cartoon animals. A giant plush cat sat proudly on her chair like it owned the apartment. The walls had soft fairy lights. Her slippers had bunny ears.
It was the exact opposite of his cold, polished penthouse. Yet somehow…he did not want to leave.
Anqi stood awkwardly at the doorway as he looked around. Her face burned with embarrassment.
"So, um… this is my house," she whispered. "Please do not judge me for the plushies. They multiply on their own."
Shen Zhi turned toward her.
"I am not judging."
His eyes drifted to the giant carrot blanket on her couch.
"I am… adjusting."
Anqi squeaked.
"This is the worst day of my life."
He blinked slowly, confused.
"I thought it was yesterday."
"It is a tie."
Her flustered expression made something soften in him again. He stepped farther inside, taking in her small kitchen, her simple shelves, the little note stuck on her fridge that said "DRINK WATER YOU GREMLIN".
Her world was nothing like his. No marble floors. No empty, echoing rooms. Just warmth everywhere.
He liked it.
She noticed his eyes lingering on a plush with floppy ears.
"That one's name is Sir Wiggles," she said softly.
Shen Zhi stared at her."…Sir Wiggles."
"Yes. He has a job. He supervises me."
A tiny crease formed between Shen Zhi's brows. "What exactly does he supervise?"
"My behavior."
"Does he succeed?"
"No."
He said nothing, but something close to amusement flickered quietly in his eyes. He had never been inside someone's space that made him feel strangely grounded.
"Would you like to sit?" Anqi asked timidly.
"Yes."
She motioned to the couch.Unfortunately, the couch was entirely covered in plushies.
She quickly began scooping them into her arms. "I am sorry. They are everywhere. They have formed a society."
He moved automatically to help without thinking.
A mistake.
The moment his gloved hand touched a plush bunny, Anqi watched in slow horror.
Shen Zhi, the cold, intimidating CEO feared by boardrooms, stood stiffly holding a pink bunny with drooping ears and a tiny heart on its chest.
Their eyes met. She almost died.
She slapped both hands over her mouth to contain the laugh. It escaped anyway.
A tiny snort.
He froze."…You are laughing at me."
"No no no, I am not laughing, you are imagining it," she gasped.
Her shoulders shook.
Shen Zhi looked down at the plush in his hand, then at her again. "It is pink."
"It is very pink."
He placed it aside with slow, dignified care, as if handling a fragile weapon of embarrassment.
When he turned back toward her, she was still smiling. Bright. Warm. Genuine.
And he felt something inside him soften.
They sat on the couch, a careful distance between them. Enough space to breathe, but close enough that Anqi could feel the quiet presence of him. Shen Zhi looked calm, but something in his posture felt… hesitant. As if he was resisting the urge to move closer.
She glanced at him shyly. "You watched my stream yesterday."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"I was… curious about you."
Her heart skipped. "Curious?"
"Yes."
That was the whole explanation. He did not elaborate. He simply looked at her as if that alone justified everything.
Anqi swallowed. "You should not be curious about me. I am very ordinary."
His gaze sharpened slightly."You are not ordinary."
She nearly melted into the couch.
He looked away then, as if he had admitted too much.
That was his first vulnerable moment. She felt it. He felt it. The room felt it.
He cleared his throat softly. "You seemed distressed last night."
"Oh. Yes. I screamed into my pillow until my soul leaked out."
His eyes widened a little. "Leaked out."
"Just a little. I taped it back."
He held back whatever reaction was forming, but the corner of his mouth softened.
Silence settled, but it did not feel heavy.It felt strangely comfortable.
Then—
A loud banging sounded on her door.
"ANQI OPEN THE DOOR OR I AM KICKING IT DOWN."
Anqi jolted.
"That is Lin Xu. He is dramatic."
Shen Zhi's expression tightened. "Your friend."
"Yes."
Lin Xu banged again.
"I KNOW YOU ARE HOME, YOU LITTLE PANCAKE."
She opened the door before he could shout further.
Lin Xu barged in, breathless and frantic, holding two bubble teas. "I came to rescue you from emotional spiraling. Did you faint after the banquet? Did you cry? Did you scream? I brought tapioca therap—"
He stopped.
His head moved slowly.
His eyes widened.
He looked at Shen Zhi sitting on her couch. The CEO of Shen Group. Inside her tiny apartment. Holding a pink plush bunny.
Lin Xu screamed.
Anqi slapped her hands over his mouth. "Lin Xu stop."
He pointed wildly at Shen Zhi. "Why is the iceberg king in your house. Why is he on your couch. Why does he look like a forbidden DLC skin pack."
Shen Zhi's eyebrow twitched.
Lin Xu turned to him.
"Sir, with all due respect, what are you doing here. Do you need help. Blink twice if she kidnapped you."
"I came willingly," Shen Zhi replied.
Lin Xu froze."Huh?"
Anqi groaned. "Please stop talking."
Lin Xu squinted at Shen Zhi with dramatic suspicion.
"You are not allowed to hurt her feelings. If you do, I will fight you. Not physically, but emotionally. I will cry so loud your stock price drops."
Shen Zhi stared at him for a long moment. Then, very calmly, he said:
"I have no intention of hurting her."
Lin Xu paused."...What did you just say."
Anqi turned red. Shen Zhi looked unbothered.
Lin Xu gasped louder. "You like her."
Anqi flailed. "HE NEVER SAID THAT."
Shen Zhi looked directly at Anqi. "I never denied it."
Silence fell like a bomb.
Anqi's mouth opened. Closed. Opened again.
Lin Xu turned to her, whisper-screaming. "I told you. I told you he had feelings. I have eyes. I am not blind. He was looking at you last night like you were the last dumpling in the world."
"Lin Xu PLEASE."
Shen Zhi finally stood.His presence filled the room instantly.
"I should leave," he said quietly.
Anqi's heart dipped unexpectedly. "Oh… yes. Right. You must be busy."
He paused at the door and turned back to her.
"Miss Gu."
She looked up.
His voice lowered.
"I will come again."
Her breath caught.
After he left, Lin Xu slowly turned toward her with a face that screamed scandal.
"Girl," he whispered dramatically. "You are going to die. From romance."
Anqi buried her face in a cushion.
"Please bury me now."
But her heart was already beating too fast.
Too warm. Too hopeful.
Something had changed.
And she could not pretend she did not feel it.