Chapter 7: Huai Cheng

Pu Rou had gone to bed early, yet still woke up late.

By the time she opened her eyes, the sun was already high overhead. Remembering that she'd promised Sheng Kuang yesterday she would go to work, she thought it over for a moment, then dragged herself up to dress and do her makeup.

The art gallery did start later than most jobs, so her colleagues had only just begun their day.

Pu Rou set her brunch down on her dust-covered desk. Beside her, Meng Ting looked horrified. "Is our gallery going bankrupt?"

She pulled a disinfecting wipe from his desk and started cleaning her own. "What kind of talk is that?"

Meng Ting said, "Then why are you at work?"

Pu Rou's reaction time was notoriously slow—she completely missed his implication.

She tossed the dirty wipe into the trash and said breezily, "From now on, I'm coming to work every day."

Meng Ting didn't take her seriously. "Uh-huh. Noted."

After her brunch, Pu Rou helped her colleagues sort through printed materials. Meng Ting watched from the side, thinking this person was something else.

A connection hire, plain and simple, who rarely showed up.

But when she did, she'd help anyone with anything, and she never pulled the privileged-insider act.

Pu Rou was in the middle of all this when the gallery owner arrived.

A bombshell with big waves strolled toward her office with a coffee in hand. Passing Pu Rou, she seemed unable to believe her eyes—she took off her sunglasses for a second look.

"Hello, Ms. Melody!"

Pu Rou greeted her with enthusiasm.

The woman frowned. "What's going on with you?"

Pu Rou was perfectly straightforward. "My husband told me to get a job."

Melody's real name was Jiang Caiyu. Before opening the gallery, she'd been a famous professional model. After marrying Pu Rou's uncle, she'd taken over part of the family's art business.

Family, of course, knew about Pu Rou and Sheng Kuang's marriage registration.

Jiang Caiyu was a little curious. "Is he hard to get along with?"

Pu Rou shook her head. "He's perfectly nice."

The Sheng family ranked high in Jing City, but it was also a den of tigers and dragons.

Making her go out to work right after the wedding—Jiang Caiyu figured the in-laws probably weren't too pleased with their clinging-vine of a niece.

"You really should work. If you ever get kicked out, at least you'll have some income."

Pu Rou knew Ms. Melody spoke her mind and had long been unhappy with her on-again, off-again attendance.

She flashed a toothy grin. "Come on, Auntie. Smile! You look so pretty today."

Jiang Caiyu was delighted. She fluffed her hair.

"I always said you had good taste."

With that, she clicked off toward her office in her heels.

Meng Ting had heard the whole exchange. His expression was complicated. "Pu Rou, you're married?"

Pu Rou grunted. She looked him up and down. "Why are you staring at me like that? Don't you like men?"

Meng Ting was startled again. "What the hell, who's spreading rumors about me behind my back?"

Pu Rou said, "Xiao He. Last time we went to pick up the sample books together…"

Meng Ting said, "I'm going to go settle scores with her."

Pu Rou said, "Don't tell her I said anything!"

……

Pu Rou spent the whole afternoon helping her colleagues organize materials for the new exhibition. Only as closing time approached did she find a moment to check her phone.

Sheng Kuang had sent a WeChat message at four: "Where should the driver pick you up?"

Seeing it was nearly five, she quickly sent him the gallery's location.

Twenty minutes later, her phone rang.

"Come downstairs."

Short. Businesslike.

For a moment Pu Rou felt like she'd clocked out of one job and was about to start her second shift of the day.

The old Sheng residence sat at the foot of West Mountain in the suburbs—a Ming Dynasty architectural compound.

Thick walls, wooden gates, spirit screens, and hanging-flower doorways, courtyard opening onto courtyard.

Walking through, Pu Rou clicked her tongue in wonder. "Your family's old estate is seriously intimidating!"

"Who actually lives here long-term?"

Sheng Kuang glanced at her sideways.

Today she'd apparently hit the mark by accident—she wore a modified dark-blue qipao, cinched at the waist, high slits, three-quarter sleeves.

In the garden, a crabapple tree was in full bloom, petals drifting down, and she fit right into the scene.

He reached out and brushed a fallen petal from her dark hair.

"Everyone."

"Grandfather, Father's family. Eldest Brother and his wife, Second Brother and his wife."

Pu Rou blinked. Apart from Sheng Kuang, the whole family lived in the old estate?

She pressed down her curiosity, nodded, and asked, "Who in this family can't I offend?"

He stopped walking. "Why do you ask?"

Pu Rou said, "I'm preparing to start some household power struggles."

Sheng Kuang: "……"

Your scheming is written all over your face.

The man's brows relaxed; he seemed in a good mood. "Anyone."

Pu Rou let out a confused "Huh?"

Sheng Kuang repeated, "In this family, you can offend anyone."

They stood in the central courtyard as a steward in a traditional Chinese short jacket came to greet them and led the pair toward the main residence.

Pu Rou lowered her voice. "Why is your family so dramatic? The steward looks like he's about to star in a short drama."

Sheng Kuang answered in his usual tone, "You'll see soon enough."

Twenty minutes later, Pu Rou met the old and young of the Sheng family, and finally understood what he meant—every single one of them loved to act.

The pleasantries went on for quite a while, giving Pu Rou ample time to observe.

Old Master Sheng commanded respect without a word of anger. Sheng Yuanhong was affable and refined. The young stepmother-in-law was all warmth. The rest were Sheng Kuang's brothers and their wives, who looked deeply devoted, husbands leading and wives following.

Everyone wore a mask.

Her vocabulary ran short—she could only feel that the Sheng family carried themselves as if hidden reality-show cameras were everywhere, the footage cut into a final product for one-point-four billion viewers to watch by force, where one wrong word or move would get you cyberbullied.

So everyone traded polite platitudes back and forth.

As it was Pu Rou's first visit, she received generous welcome gifts and red envelopes. She thanked each person sweetly in turn, and the atmosphere stayed reasonably harmonious.

Sheng Yuanhong's current wife, Lin Su, took Pu Rou's hand and said,

"I never would've guessed. Sheng Kuang, that quiet boy, went and found himself a pretty wife to bring home. Just look at her—so elegant."

Sheng Yuanhong looked at Sheng Kuang. "You're married now. Time to be steadier. Learn from your Second Brother. Now that you're at the group headquarters, it's not like the branch company—absorb more advice from your seniors."

Second Son Sheng Lian smiled modestly. "Father, Third Brother has done excellent work since taking charge of overseas markets. Quite a few uncles have praised him to me privately."

Old Master Sheng, seated at the head, took a sip of tea and spoke. "Sheng Chu, you're the eldest. Your brother has just joined the group—offer him some guidance."

Eldest Son Sheng Chu nodded. "Grandfather, 'guidance' is too strong a word. We're brothers."

Pu Rou glanced at Sheng Kuang's face. His expression was placid, eyes fixed on the teacup in front of him, not rising to anyone's bait.

The atmosphere turned a little stiff. Fortunately, Sheng Chu's wife, Qing Lan, chose that moment to call everyone to dinner.

The Sheng family's evening meal was a grand affair. Spring was turning to summer, so the dining area was set under a spacious covered walkway in the garden.

Servants brought dishes over the plank bridge in a steady file—the old mansion's prestige on full display.

Qing Lan, Sheng Chu's wife, sat next to Pu Rou. She looked her over carefully and said,

"She's a real beauty. No wonder she snagged Third Brother. Looking at all the noble ladies in Jing City, none of them hold a candle to our Xiao Rou."

Pu Rou knew she had nothing impressive to her name. Her family background didn't meet the Shengs' standards, her degree was watered down, and a quick inquiry around social circles would reveal she had no career ambition.

Qing Lan's words were simply because there was nothing else to praise.

But Pu Rou was nothing if not at ease with herself. "Sister-in-law flatters me. Sheng Kuang is young and accomplished, a dragon among men. I'm the one who got lucky."

Sheng Kuang, mid-sip of water, lifted his eyes to look at her.

The new bride had entered the house without a trace of nerves, and the Sheng family's status hadn't cowed her in the least.

Everyone at the table paused.