"A weekend get-together," Feng Feng said. "Eating takeout every day is so tiresome."
"You don't seem like someone who cooks," Shen Su said directly.
Feng Feng replied, "Do I not?"
Shen Su nodded. He had always felt Feng Feng was otherworldly, and he couldn't picture her cooking in a kitchen.
"Can I stay over tonight?" Shen Su asked. "I'm exhausted from my business trip and want to rest early."
Shen Su's gesture of rubbing his temples indeed made him look tired. Feng Feng, who often traveled for work, empathized with his fatigue and readily agreed. "You can sleep in the guest room. The sheets and bedding are all new."
Shen Su smiled. "Thank you."
Afterward, he asked Feng Feng, "Does your stomach still hurt? Is there anything I can do to help?"
"I took painkillers, and I feel better now," Feng Feng said, making a rare joke with Shen Su. "You can't feel the pain for me."
Shen Su smiled. "I can help you not have period pain for ten months."
Feng Feng's expression froze for a moment, then returned to its usual indifference.
Shen Su knew he had gone too far and quickly explained, "I was just kidding."
"It's not very funny," Feng Feng said bluntly. "I don't like jokes like that. I don't want to hear them again."
Shen Su replied, "Okay, I apologize. Don't be angry." Feng Feng didn't respond and got up to leave the dining room.
Shen Su watched her retreating back and smiled again. She was truly a cold stone that couldn't be warmed.
After sleeping together for so long, she still treated him like a stranger, never showing any attachment. No woman had ever maintained such a detached attitude after months of intimacy with him. She was truly extraordinary.
Shen Su experienced many firsts that night. It was the first time he had cooked in a woman's home and then washed the dishes himself. Standing at the sink, Shen Su found it quite amusing.
When he came out after washing the dishes, he saw Feng Feng sitting on the sofa, drinking milk and looking at her phone, engrossed in something.
She didn't react much when she heard him approach. She pointed to the guest room and said, "You can sleep there tonight."
"You're not feeling well, why haven't you gone to bed yet?" Shen Su asked.
Feng Feng replied, "I'll go after I finish this glass of milk."
Shen Su had brought his suitcase from his business trip. After showering and changing into pajamas, he lay down in the side bedroom of Feng Feng's apartment.
Her apartment wasn't large, and the side bedroom was quite small, incomparable to his villa. However, Shen Su slept quite well that night. He usually didn't sleep well after returning from a business trip, but tonight was an exception.
The next day was the weekend. Shen Su woke up and met Feng Feng in the living room. Feng Feng's menstrual pain was less severe than the previous day, and her complexion looked much better.
She was dressed casually at home in a plain loungewear set, her hair tied up. Her slender, fair neck was exposed. In her natural state, she appeared even more cool and elegant.
After being accustomed to women with heavy makeup, Feng Feng was a pleasant surprise.
Just as Shen Su was admiring her beauty, Feng Feng suddenly said something that dampened the mood. "You should leave."
It seemed she always wanted to maintain a distance from him, wanting no interaction beyond their physical relationship.
"Let's have breakfast together," Shen Su said. "You're not feeling well, so I'll cook."
"No need to trouble you," Feng Feng refused without hesitation.
Shen Su knew she was keeping track of expenses and said, "Consider it rent for staying here last night. I saw bread in your kitchen, so I'll make something simple."
Feng Feng found this deal more favorable than buying something and finally agreed. Shen Su then went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
As he had said, breakfast was quite simple, mostly pre-made items. Eggs and sausages were fried, bread was re-toasted, and a glass of milk was heated. The meal was ready.
Shen Su noticed the coffee machine in Feng Feng's home and realized it was the same model as his. "What a coincidence, I use the same brand of coffee machine."
The coffee machine in Feng Feng's home was a significant investment, costing five figures. She didn't have many hobbies, but coffee was one of them. When she had free time, she would even practice latte art.
This interest was cultivated when she was with someone in the past, who also loved drinking coffee.
When discussing hobbies, Feng Feng became more talkative than before. "Do you usually make it yourself?"
Shen Su replied, "When I have time. My friend brought me some Brazilian beans back, they taste good. I'll bring you a couple of packs next time."
Feng Feng, upon hearing that the beans tasted good, didn't refuse. "How much? I'll transfer the money to you."
Shen Su smiled helplessly. She truly never forgot to settle accounts with him. He felt a little displeased, but not enough to be angry.
At this moment, he was merely curious about Feng Feng, far from being deeply in love. He had always been good at controlling his emotions and wouldn't lose control over such a minor matter.
After a few seconds of silence, Shen Su said, half-jokingly, "After your period is over, you can pay me back with your body."
An ordinary woman hearing such words would either blush shyly or scold him. However, Feng Feng showed no reaction and even nodded. "That's also an option."
Shen Su smiled and gazed at her. "Do you always interact with men like this?"
Feng Feng was taken aback. "Is there a problem?"
Shen Su shook his head. "No problem, I'm just curious. If you were in a relationship, what would your interaction with your partner be like? Would you be this calculating?"
"No," Feng Feng said, her mind clear and logic sharp. "You and I are not in a relationship. It's better to be clear about things."
Shen Su was usually the one saying such things to women. Now that the roles were reversed, he hadn't quite adjusted. He instinctively wanted to ask Feng Feng about her past relationships but then regained his composure and suppressed this curiosity.
Even if he asked, Feng Feng wouldn't answer and would likely become displeased with him.
When their relationship began, she had stated that they wouldn't interfere in each other's private lives. He hadn't expected himself to be the first one to overstep.
After breakfast, Shen Su left. That evening, Gu Song came to his place to find him.
At that time, Shen Su was studying Feng Feng's profile.
Gu Song saw it and asked curiously, "Why are you looking her up? Haven't you already slept together?"
Shen Su's relationship with Feng Feng was no longer a secret among their friends. Gu Song was accustomed to the game of physical attraction. Feng Feng was known for her cold demeanor, and Gu Song had initially thought Shen Su was only playing with her because he knew she wouldn't pester him.
He hadn't expected Shen Su to be secretly looking up Feng Feng's information.
Shen Su himself didn't know why he was investigating Feng Feng. Perhaps he was curious about her romantic history.
However, the information he found didn't include Feng Feng's relationship history. It only contained details about her activities and projects during her student years, information about her parents, and some basic social connections.
Shen Su had known Feng Feng was excellent before, but after reviewing her profile, he gained a new understanding of her excellence. Both her parents were management-level employees in banks, and she was their only child, belonging to a financial family.
Feng Feng had been admitted to Nanjiang University with the fifth-highest score in her entire department. She had secured a guaranteed spot for postgraduate studies in her third year and had participated in several well-known international acquisition cases.
Before even completing her master's degree, foreign companies had extended job offers to her.