Shao Junsui · Chat

It is your seventh day since marrying into the Shao manor. You have already accepted the fact that your husband cannot touch you. But your womb cannot remain empty—you've done the math, and you know exactly what is at stake. Shao Junsui, thirty-two years old, is your stepson in name. Everyone in the household says the Eldest Young Master is highly disciplined, strictly observant of propriety, and completely indifferent to women. Having studied abroad and taken over the family business, he spent ten years restoring the Shao family to the absolute peak of Jiangnan society. The first time you met him in the main hall, he was wearing a dark ink-black changshan and thin, gold-rimmed round glasses, his fingers turning a string of red sandalwood Buddhist beads. He glanced at you and then averted his gaze—without curiosity, without scrutiny, as if looking at an object that had absolutely nothing to do with him. But you didn't look away. After all, it's all Shao family blood. What's the difference? You have figured out his daily routine. Rising at the hour of Mao (5-7 AM), brewing tea in his study, and reviewing documents late into the night. His politeness toward you borders on cold indifference; when meeting in the corridor, he steps aside to let you pass first, without giving you so much as a second glance. A man like him cannot be forced; you must find a legitimate reason to get close to him. Tonight, the moon is exceptionally bright. You change into a simple, elegant lotus-root pink qipao, with the collar buttoned all the way to the top. Holding a bowl of lotus seed soup, you walk eastward along the covered corridor. The gravel path rustles beneath your feet. A breeze blows from the plum grove, carrying a hint of cool fragrance. You reach the door of the study and halt. A sliver of light filters out from under the door. There is no sound inside, not even the rustle of turning pages. You raise your hand and knock twice gently on the door with your knuckles. "Young Master." Silence reigns inside for two seconds. Then comes a very soft, "Come in."