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The water splashed against her face, bringing a cool sensation that instantly cleared Fu Nanzhi's mind.

She wiped her face clean in front of the mirror, picked up a comb to smooth her hair, and then pushed the door open to go out.

As she entered the living room, the aroma led her to the table.

Breakfast was ordered by Shen Yi: beef pan-fried buns and steamed dumplings along with chicken and egg soup.

Fu Nanzhi reached out, picked up a steamed dumpling, and put it in her mouth, chewing with puffed cheeks while glancing around, suddenly realizing something was missing.

So she walked to the door in a few steps, intending to ask Shen Yi,

"Honey, what about..."

A pretty face bumped into her, cutting off the rest of her sentence.

Shu Yunyi's expression remained unchanged, bypassing Fu Nanzhi as if she hadn't seen her at all.

Fu Nanzhi, irritated, turned her head to speak, but Shu Yunyi had already slammed the bathroom door shut.

At this moment, Shen Yi came over, and Fu Nanzhi had no choice but to direct her frustration at him.

"Wasn't she gone? Where did she pop up from?"

Fu Nanzhi asked Shen Yi directly.

She hadn't noticed Shu Yunyi's presence since waking up, assuming she had left last night.

Shen Yi replied helplessly:

"It was so late yesterday, where could she have gone? She definitely slept here."

"Slept here?"

Fu Nanzhi's expression changed, suspiciously asking,

"Where did she sleep?"

"Next to you."

Shen Yi casually pointed to the bed to inform her.

"What?!"

"When did she come in?"

"Just last night when you fell asleep. Seeing her curled up on the sofa, I..."

Shen Yi explained further.

Fu Nanzhi rubbed her arms, feeling uncomfortable, having slept next to her rival—what kind of situation was this?

Immediately, she punched Shen Yi's shoulder with a small fist, saying irritably:

"Hmph!"

"You're the one who likes to play the good guy, central air conditioning, huh?"

Saying this, she couldn't hold back her anger, grabbing Shen Yi's ear and asking,

"Shen Yi, are you on my side or hers?!"

"I'm on the side of reason."

The grip wasn't strong, and Shen Yi shook his head to break free, then led her to sit by the table.

He opened the lid of the egg soup and handed it to Fu Nanzhi, changing the subject:

"Eat quickly, or it'll get cold."

Fu Nanzhi glared at Shen Yi while biting into the pan-fried bun.

It seemed as if the bun in her mouth was him, and she wanted to chew him up and swallow him so he couldn't attract anyone else.

Shen Yi, unnerved by her stare, pretended not to see it and focused on drinking his soup.

At this moment, the bathroom door opened, and Shu Yunyi came out after washing up.

After tidying herself up, her hair was twisted and pinned up high with a clip, restoring her usual elegant demeanor.

Shen Yi turned, resting his hand on the back of the chair, calling her,

"Come over and have some breakfast."

Shu Yunyi smoothed the wrinkles of her clothes from sleeping, frowned, and glanced over,

"I'm not eating."

"I'm not hungry, you eat."

Shen Yi pointed at the soup bowl on the table, trying to persuade her,

"It's already ordered, don't waste it, come on."

"I said I'm not hungry."

Shu Yunyi replied impatiently, then started patting herself, suddenly asking,

"Where's my phone?"

Shen Yi glanced at the phone that had been sitting on the table since last night, picked it up, and slipped it into his pocket without hesitation, saying:

"Stop looking for it. I have it."

Shu Yunyi turned around upon hearing this, walked up behind Shen Yi, and stretched out her hand.

"Give it to me."

Shen Yi didn’t budge. Instead, he gestured toward the seat beside him.

"Sit down."

"Eat breakfast. After you finish, I’ll give you the phone."

Shu Yunyi frowned in frustration.

"You... I’m not eating! Just give it to me!"

No matter how much Shu Yunyi protested, Shen Yi remained unmoved.

Fu Nanzhi, who had been silently watching the entire exchange, lowered her head and took a sip of soup, secretly laughing to herself. She enjoyed seeing Shu Yunyi get shut down like this.

But then, as she thought about how Shu Yunyi had once monopolized Shen Yi’s life, the soup in her bowl suddenly didn’t taste so good anymore.

Realizing she couldn’t talk Shen Yi into handing over the phone, Shu Yunyi sighed and plopped herself down into a chair. She pulled the soup bowl over and lifted the lid.

Shen Yi didn’t say anything to provoke her further. He quietly handed her a spoon.

The three of them ate breakfast in silence, finishing within ten minutes at lightning speed.

Shu Yunyi didn’t eat much. After finishing her egg soup, she wiped her mouth and said:

"Give me the phone."

Shen Yi pulled the phone out of his pocket and placed it on the table, then got up to clean up the mess.

Fu Nanzhi grabbed a napkin to wipe her mouth, stood up, walked over to the wall, and took her cardigan off the hook to put it on. Only then did she turn to Shen Yi and say:

"Take me to the office."

Shu Yunyi, who was busy clearing out unnecessary messages on the phone, looked up and said:

"Take me first."

"And why should you be first?"

"Otherwise? Should I let you go first?"

"…"

Both of them were equally insistent.

Seeing the argument escalate, Shen Yi couldn’t help but sigh. Not again.

He swept the leftover food scraps into a trash bag, tied it up, and decisively announced:

"Stop arguing. Whoever’s destination is closer gets dropped off first."

Letting them bicker endlessly wasn’t going to get them anywhere, so Shen Yi quickly put an end to it.

Grabbing his car keys, Shen Yi put on his shoes and picked up the trash bag before heading out the door.

Downstairs, he tossed the trash into the bin, got into the car, and started the engine.

Shu Yunyi was quicker on her feet and managed to grab the front passenger seat, leaving Fu Nanzhi to sit in the back.

Fu Nanzhi didn’t mind the seating arrangement too much since, based on the route, Shen Yi would have to drop her off at the office first.

This rental apartment was chosen by Shen Yi, and it was naturally closer to Tiancheng Corporation, where he used to work.

After some sluggish maneuvering, the car finally exited the neighborhood. It was already nine o’clock.

Shen Yi turned the steering wheel and sped down the road, stopping the car in front of Tiancheng Corporation.

Fu Nanzhi opened the door and got out. As she passed Shen Yi’s side of the car, she leaned in and whispered:

"I don’t care what you’re planning to do today..."

"Tonight, you must come to Peaceful Lake Residence!"

"I’ve already handled everything with Mom. She’s now staying at Bojing Garden and won’t be coming back."

Without waiting for Shen Yi’s response, she walked straight into the company.

Inside, her beloved cousin was waiting for her. Fu Nanzhi planned to spend plenty of time bonding with her today.

After dropping off Fu Nanzhi, Shen Yi drove toward Jingyuan University.

On the way, Shu Yunyi crossed her arms and turned her head to look at Shen Yi.

"What did she just whisper to you?"

Shen Yi kept his eyes fixed ahead, worried that if he spoke, it would lead to another argument, so he said, "Nothing..."

Shu Yunyi didn't believe him at all. Even though she only heard bits and pieces, she could guess most of it.

"Xiao Yi, don't listen to her nonsense."

Her expression was earnest as she continued, "No one loves you more than I do. I would never hurt you..."

"Why don't you move in with me?"

Shen Yi still shook his head, denying, "It's nothing, don't overthink it."

The car stopped; they had arrived at Jingyuan University.

Shu Yunyi unbuckled her seatbelt but didn't hurry to get out. Instead, she turned to him and said, "If you're worried about being uncomfortable at school..."

"We can also stay at my mom's place. It's spacious and has plenty of empty rooms."

"I'll talk to Mom about it. I mentioned you to her yesterday, and she won't mind..."

Shu Yunyi's words were sincere, doing her utmost to persuade him, fearing that Shen Yi might be swayed if she wasn't careful.

Shen Yi didn't outright reject her but instead evaded, "I'll think about it..."

This answer obviously didn't satisfy Shu Yunyi, so Shen Yi added, "In the meantime, I promise not to go to her place either."

Shu Yunyi's lips moved slightly before she finally nodded.

She knew it would be difficult to achieve her goal in one go, but at least she couldn't let Shen Yi lean towards Fu Nanzhi.

Watching Shu Yunyi enter the campus, Shen Yi then drove back home.

He couldn't fulfill either of their requests for now; agreeing to one would hurt the other. For now, he could only simulate a path forward.

Tossing the keys onto the table, Shen Yi sat down and opened the simulator.

The light screen unfolded, and the simulation seed glowed brightly within.

The night had passed, and everything was already loaded. With a determined gaze, Shen Yi pressed the button.

[Start Simulation]!

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