"Okay, Dad, rest assured, I will definitely help Sinian be careful about everything," Xiao Jinglan said as she refilled Mr. Song's tea.
Although the Lu Family couldn't compare to the Song Family, the couple still held a respectable status in their circle.
However, their daughter Lu Zhaozhao barely made any appearance in the social circles.
Some said it was because they loved her too much to expose her to the public, but if they truly loved her, why would they marry her off to Sinian, whose reputation was so unbearable, just to secure a contract with the Song Family?
Perhaps Lu Zhaozhao was just a puppet after all.
If she could just obey, she would be taken into their fold.
And if not...
Xiao Jinglan laughed at the thought.
She's just a freshman in college; Xiao Jinglan had plenty of ways to make her comply!
She couldn't believe she would escape from her grasp, could she?
The next morning,
When Lu Zhaozhao woke up, Sinian wasn't in the room.
She slowly got up from the sofa, grabbed her phone, and realized it was already 9 AM.
Lu Zhaozhao looked up at the large bed across from her, frowned slightly, and leapt from the sofa, rushing towards the bed in a few strides.
She tightly clung to the blanket and rolled around the bed a few times.
The sheets and pillows all carried Sinian's scent, the traces of his existence.
He was still alive, how wonderful.
"Is the bed comfortable?" Suddenly, a faint voice echoed in the room.
Lu Zhaozhao's rolling figure suddenly froze, stuck in place.
Sinian hadn't left?!
It was all over; her image was completely destroyed!
Thinking that Sinian had seen her act like a hooligan just now, she felt so embarrassed she could have dug a three-bedroom apartment out of the floor with her toes.
Lu Zhaozhao took a deep breath and mustered her courage, peeking half of her small face out from under the blanket, "Mr. Song, why didn't you go to work?"
Sinian, lightly drying his wet hair with a towel, gazed at her face and enunciated, "Zhao Xi said that husbands should go to work late on the second day of marriage."
He added that it was generally what newlywed husbands did.
As he spoke, Sinian sat on the edge of the bed.
He didn't understand why it was necessary, but if that's what a husband should do, then Lu Zhaozhao should have it too.
"He..." Lu Zhaozhao got stuck mid-sentence.
What Zhao Xi said was correct, but in her and Sinian's situation, it was utterly impossible!
She understood, but did he?!
The more Lu Zhaozhao thought about it, the more her head ached.
Last night, she had researched a lot of information about depression.
Among them, the symptoms that resembled Sinian's the most were emotional bluntness, simply put, he couldn't perceive and articulate his own or others' emotions.
Because of the lack of emotions, those with emotional bluntness focus primarily on factual information about the external world, which makes them seem cold-hearted.
In her past life, she always thought Sinian was cold to her because he didn't like her; she never thought he was ill.
Lu Zhaozhao's eyes dampened, filled with sympathy.
Sinian's eyebrows slightly lifted as he scanned her from head to toe.
Just now, she was happily rolling on the bed, but ever since he appeared, she seemed hardly able to move.
Did she not like him being here?
Sinian pondered for a moment and then slowly stood up, "I'm going to work now, you can sleep some more."
"Alright." Lu Zhaozhao hugged the quilt and mumbled a response, then all was quiet.
Song Sinian naturally went to the adjacent dressing room to change his clothes.
Just after he closed the door, he heard rustling sounds coming from the bed.
He gently turned the doorknob and, through the slightly opened door, saw Lu Zhaozhao tumbling on the bed with the quilt again.
Song Sinian's brows furrowed slightly, then he closed the door again.
It seemed she really didn't like him being here.
Song Sinian sat on the sofa in the dressing room, pondered for a moment, then picked up his phone and drafted a message to send.
"Advance all the work-related trips that are scheduled soon."
Since she wasn't used to seeing him, he decided to leave for a few days.
Lu Zhaozhao had originally planned to wait in bed for Song Sinian to leave before getting up.
But she had gone to bed very late last night and, moreover, sleeping on the sofa was uncomfortable.
So, by the time Song Sinian dressed and came out of the dressing room, she was already asleep in bed.
Song Sinian approached, his gaze falling on the docilely sleeping Lu Zhaozhao, and a flicker of starlight passed through his dark pupils.
He leaned over, his silhouette backlit, casting a shadow that enveloped her.
He raised his hand to gently caress her cheek. The person in her sleep suddenly moved, causing Song Sinian's breath to catch and he froze on the spot.
But the next second, the sleeping person rubbed her little face against his warm palm...
"…"
Her character hadn't changed much; whenever he reached out to her, she never pushed him away.
Even in her sleep…
When Lu Zhaozhao woke up again, it was nearly noon.
She changed into light clothing and went downstairs.
"Madam, would you like to eat now?"
Just as she reached the first-floor staircase, she heard a gentle voice.
Seeing Lu Zhaozhao look over, the person bowed respectfully, "I am the new butler, Qian Hong. Madam, please feel free to instruct me at any time."
Qian Hong? The new butler was her?
She and Liao Yan were both veterans of the Song family, but she was from the side of Song Sinian's mother, so she had always disliked Xiao Jinglan.
She was also one of the few who took extra care of her.
Lu Zhaozhao chuckled lightly at Qian Hong, "I'll be relying on Butler Qian from now on."
Qian Hong was momentarily startled; she had heard before coming that Lu Zhaozhao had dismissed all the servants upon entering the home.
She had thought this new madam was difficult to get along with, but her temper didn't seem as bad as she had imagined.
Was it all an act?
Qian Hong was wary, which Lu Zhaozhao naturally noticed.
Her concern for Song Sinian was sincere, so it was natural for her to be cautious.
It seemed that winning her over and having her on the same side would take some time.
Lu Zhaozhao hooked her lips into a smile, looking at Qian Hong, "I'm a bit hungry, let's have a meal first."
"Of course, madam."
Just as Qian Hong was about to leave, she saw a servant running over in a panic, "Butler Qian, Lady Xiao is here; she's already in the parking lot."
Hearing the servant's words, Qian Hong's expression slightly changed, "Take her to the reception room first, say madam accidentally dirtied her clothes while eating and is washing up."
"Yes."
Watching the servant hurry off, Qian Hong then looked seriously at Lu Zhaozhao and said, "I apologize, madam, for making a decision without consulting you first; I hope you can understand. Lady Xiao, she..."