Transmigration; Married to My Ex-Fiancé's Uncle-Chapter 214; Lu family 17

Lu Yuze felt his jaw tighten for an entirely different reason now, his mind briefly going places it absolutely should not go in the middle of a workday. "That won’t work."

"Won’t it?" Shuyin purred. "I think it might. I think you’re more susceptible to your wife’s charms than you want to admit. I think if I really tried, if I used that breathy voice you seemed to like this morning, if I reminded you of how I look when I....."

"Shuyin," Lu Yuze interrupted, his voice strained. "There are children present."

"They’re playing on the balcony," Shuyin informed him cheerfully. "Can’t hear a thing. So about that credit card..."

"No."

"Please?" She drew the word out, making it sound almost indecent. "Pretty please? With me on top?"

Lu Yuze closed his eyes, fighting the entirely inappropriate images that phrase conjured. "You’re impossible."

"I’m creative," Shuyin corrected. "And determined. And your wife, who deserves to be spoiled occasionally. Come on, Yuze, don’t you want your daughter and our new son to have a nice shopping trip? Don’t you want them to have fun, to feel valued and cared for? How can you deny such innocent children..."

"You’re using the children as emotional manipulation," Lu Yuze pointed out.

"I’m using every tool at my disposal," Shuyin agreed shamelessly. "Is it working?"

Despite himself, despite his usual ironclad control, Lu Yuze felt his lips curve slightly. "You’re absolutely shameless."

"Is that a yes?"

He sighed, the sound heavy with resignation. "I’ll have Ah Yue send you a card. With a reasonable limit."

"Define reasonable," Shuyin said immediately.

"An amount sufficient for children’s clothing and perhaps a meal. Not an amount sufficient for acquiring talent agencies or buying out entire establishments."

"You have so little faith in me," Shuyin said, but she sounded pleased. "I promise to only buy moderately expensive things. Mostly. Probably."

"Shuyin."

"I’m joking!" she assured him. "Mostly. Maybe seventy percent joking. We’ll see how the shopping goes."

Lu Yuze shook his head, though she couldn’t see it. "I’m going to regret this."

"Probably," Shuyin agreed cheerfully. "But you’re doing it anyway because you love us. Admit it."

"I’m doing it because arguing with you is exhausting."

"Same thing," Shuyin declared. "Now, speaking of spoiling your beloved wife, what would you like for dinner tonight? Should I cook something? Should we order in? Or should we go out somewhere fancy where you can show off your beautiful family?"

Lu Yuze was quiet for a moment, and Shuyin could almost picture him in his office, sitting behind that massive desk, probably pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation while simultaneously trying not to smile.

"We’ll discuss dinner later," he said finally. "After I’ve assessed the damage from your shopping trip."

"So suspicious," Shuyin chided. "I’m going to be perfectly responsible. You’ll see."

"I’ll believe it when I see the receipts."

"Such little faith," she sighed dramatically. "But I suppose I’ll just have to prove you wrong. Again."

"Again?" Lu Yuze’s tone carried a hint of amusement now. "When exactly have you proven me wrong?"

"This morning," Shuyin said promptly. "When I successfully navigated a hostile board meeting, secured an executive position, and didn’t accidentally destroy your family’s company in the process. You were worried, admit it." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"I was... cautiously optimistic," he allowed.

"You were worried," Shuyin repeated confidently. "But I handled it. Just like I’ll handle this shopping trip with perfect fiscal responsibility."

"Shuyin."

"Yes, husband?"

"The fact that you’re calling basic shopping ’fiscal responsibility’ is exactly why you’re not getting an unlimited card."

She laughed at that, the sound warm and genuine. "Fair enough. I’ll take my reasonable limit and be grateful for it."

"A miracle," Lu Yuze said dryly. "Mark the date."

"Don’t push your luck," Shuyin warned, but her tone was affectionate. "I’m being agreeable right now, but I could always change my mind and just charge everything to Ting Fei’s card instead."

"Ting Fei has instructions to be reasonable."

"Ting Fei is very easy to manipulate when children are involved," Shuyin countered. "Especially Chen Xiao. One sad look from that boy and your assistant would probably buy him the entire store."

Lu Yuze made a sound that might have been an acknowledgment. "Then I’ll have to trust you to show restraint."

"Look at you," Shuyin said softly, something shifting in her voice. "You trusting me..... That’s new."

"Don’t make me regret it."

"I won’t," she promised, and this time there was no teasing in her tone. Just sincerity. "I’ll take good care of them. And I’ll be responsible. You have my word."

Shuyin muttered. "But what if there’s an emergency? What if I need immediate access to funds?"

"Then you call Ting Fei, who has authorization to handle any legitimate emergency expense," Lu Yuze replied with infuriating logic. "Or you can call me directly. What you don’t get is a card with no spending limits that would allow you to bankrupt me through shopping."

"I would not bankrupt you through shopping!"

"You bankrupted yourself through poor financial decisions," he reminded her with brutal honesty. "Forgive me if I’m not eager to give you the tools to repeat that performance with my money."

Shuyin opened her mouth to argue, then closed it. He had a point.

She had squandered everything she had manipulated to get entirely last night and was already in debt for seven hundred million yuan.

"Fine," she conceded with poor grace. "But for the record, I think this demonstrates a fundamental lack of trust in our marriage."

"Our contract marriage," Lu Yuze corrected, but his tone was lighter now, almost playful. "And I trust you completely with most things. Corporate warfare, strategic blackmail, protecting children, you’re excellent at all of those. Financial restraint? That remains to be proven."

"You’re mean," Shuyin informed him. "Cruel, even. Here I am, your devoted wife, asking for a simple convenience, and you’re treating me like I’m fiscally incompetent."

"You’re my strategically acquired contract wife who still owes me seven hundred million yuan," he corrected. "And I’m treating you like someone whose spending habits need supervision until proven otherwise."