Chapter 16 : Clinging to a Rich Woman
Chapter 16: Clinging to a Rich Woman
“Doing your line of work, does it make money?”
The two sat across from each other at the table. The copper hot pot bubbled vigorously, the red oil broth rolling with heat, its rich aroma filling the entire room.
The ingredients had been brought by Su Xi, and beside them were several cans of cold beer, their surfaces covered with fine beads of condensation.
“Not bad.”
Shen Qingzhou picked up his chopsticks, swished a slice of tripe in the broth, and answered casually.
In truth, when calculated carefully, this line of work did bring in quite a lot—otherwise, it wouldn’t be able to support the food and clothing expenses of dozens of children at the welfare institute.
“I don’t think so.”
Su Xi’s cool gaze swept across the somewhat simple room. A few miscellaneous items were piled in the corner—not messy, but certainly lacking any refinement. Finally, her eyes landed on an ink painting hanging on the wall.
“If it really made money, you wouldn’t be renting a place like this.”
The painting itself depicted an ordinary scene: a lone figure rowing a boat across the center of a lake, distant mountains shaded in dark hues, nearby waters calm and flowing. Paintings like this were everywhere on the market—nothing unusual.
But the moment Su Xi’s gaze fixed on it, her body suddenly sank, as if she had stepped into empty air. The lively atmosphere around her vanished instantly, and the scene before her spun violently.
When she regained her senses, she was already standing at the bow of a boat.
Beneath her feet flowed clear water, cool mist creeping up around her ankles. On both sides, green mountains loomed faintly, wrapped in drifting clouds. A gentle breeze carrying the scent of vegetation brushed past, tossing her hair and fluttering her skirt.
The world was silent, save for the soft sound of the oar cutting through water—strange and unreal.
Just as unease rose in her heart and she looked around in confusion, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind, tinged with surprise: “Eh, how did you get in here?”
Su Xi turned sharply, only to see Shen Qingzhou standing at the stern, holding a bamboo pole. His green robe fluttered slightly in the wind, his features appearing especially refined against the landscape.
Before she could ask what was happening, he frowned. “You shouldn’t be here. Go back quickly.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Su Xi felt emptiness beneath her feet again. The surrounding mountains and waters stretched infinitely and rushed backward at high speed.
“Eating hot pot—why are you spacing out?”
Shen Qingzhou’s voice pulled her back. The blurred light and shadows around her reassembled. Before her was still the bubbling copper pot, steam obscuring her vision. She was still seated on the wooden chair. The mountains and waters from before seemed like a vivid illusion.
“Eh?”
Su Xi let out a soft exclamation. The unease in her heart hadn’t faded as she looked again at the painting on the wall. It was still the same ordinary boating scene, the ink tones balanced—yet now it held no trace of anything unusual, as if what she had experienced was merely her imagination.
“What’s wrong?”
Following her gaze, Shen Qingzhou glanced at the painting, his expression calm.
“Where did this painting come from?”
Suppressing her astonishment, Su Xi asked curiously.
“I painted it.”
“You painted it?”
Her face was filled with shock, her surprise impossible to hide.
“Mm. If you like it, I’ll give it to you,” Shen Qingzhou said lightly.
But inwardly, he was puzzled. He hadn’t expected Su Xi to resonate with the painting. Could it be because of that day?
“Alright then, thank you.”
Su Xi didn’t stand on ceremony at all. A smile curved her lips, softening her otherwise cool features.
Seeing her accept it so readily, Shen Qingzhou was momentarily stunned.
“What? Regretting it already?”
Su Xi had been watching his expression the whole time. Seeing this, she raised a brow and countered, a hint of mischief in her eyes.
“Of course not. I painted it myself—what’s there to regret? But don’t regret it later.”
“Regret? Why would I regret it?”
She pressed further, vaguely feeling that the painting must be unusual. Yet the more unusual it seemed, the more curious she became.
“Because once you take my painting, you’ll be mine.”
Shen Qingzhou laughed loudly and tilted his head back to take a sip of beer, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
He didn’t say that casually—once she took the painting and kept it at home, spending time with it, things would go far beyond what they were now.
“Then you’d better work hard.”
Su Xi’s voice remained naturally cool. Even when speaking such flirtatious words, there was no softness—only a hint of a young lady’s pride.
“You’re too poor right now to support me. But if you’re willing, I can support you instead…”
“That’s not impossible.” Shen Qingzhou raised a brow.
“Then it’s settled.”
Smiling, Su Xi raised her hand and gestured a number. “From now on, I’ll give you… twenty thousand… no, fifty thousand a month. What do you think?”
As she spoke, she couldn’t help but laugh, her eyes curving as her body trembled with amusement—an enchanting sight.
Watching her laugh, Shen Qingzhou felt warmth stir in his chest. Leaning forward across the steaming hot pot, he kissed her lips.
Su Xi was startled at first, her eyelashes trembling, but she didn’t resist. Perhaps because of the hot pot, her lips felt especially warm and flushed.
Then she suddenly felt her body lighten—Shen Qingzhou had lifted her straight up across the table.
“Careful, the hot pot,” Su Xi exclaimed softly, afraid of being burned.
But immediately after, she realized she had been lifted entirely into the air, her feet leaving the ground, suspended midair.
Though she wasn’t heavy, her height gave her some weight—but Shen Qingzhou held her effortlessly.
Her hands instinctively rested on his arms. The muscles beneath her fingertips were smooth and relaxed, without any tension, as if she weren’t a living person at all, but a light piece of straw.
This ease reminded her of that night—when he had held her like that for over half an hour, only putting her down when she had run out of strength and begged for mercy.
Thinking of it, her surprise faded, replaced by a rising warmth that made her whole body burn.
As for the bubbling hot pot—who cared about it now?
Missing one meal wouldn’t kill anyone.
“You… let go first…”
“No. Keep it on—I like you wearing it.”
“Don’t tear it, I still have to wear it tomorrow…”
“Then leave it—no one can see it anyway…”
“You beast, can’t you be gentler?”
“But I can feel how honest your body is…”
“I still have to go to work tomorrow and sit all day…”
“That’s true… then I…”
…
“You lied…”
---
When Shen Qingzhou woke up, it was already broad daylight. Sunlight streamed in from outside, dispelling all the gloom in the room.
Su Xi had already left early. As a lawyer, she was extremely disciplined.
Shen Qingzhou got out of bed, picked up the clothes scattered on the floor, and put them on.
Then he realized his underwear was missing and had to take out a new pair to wear.
After walking out of the room, instead of immediately looking at the hot pot on the table, he looked toward the painting on the wall—and as expected, it was gone.
“Sigh, then you can’t blame me.”
Shen Qingzhou sighed softly, preparing to clean up the table. That’s when he noticed a bank card placed at the corner.
Oh? Already living off a rich woman?
He casually picked it up and stuffed it into his pocket. Just then, a light knock sounded from outside the door.
“Master Shen, are you home?” A gentle voice came from outside.