As promised, Tao was waiting with the car later when Yuri was getting off work, but she forgot to consider the eyes watching them and had to suffer the consequences as she hurried over to him. Ever since she got married to Kris Wu, no one in the hospital failed to recognize her and her connection to one of the most powerful families in the country so when they saw her approach the sleek black Audi and the two handsome yet deadly looking men in suits and ties waiting at the entrance of the hospital, heads immediately turned.

With a suppressed groan, she entered the backseat and allowed Tao to close the door after her. She could already imagine the things the staffs were going to gossip about now that they saw her and her husband’s bodyguards in person and dreaded her next shift. As the car rolled onto the streets, Yuri finally registered in her mind that Tao was not alone.

“Um, Tao? Are you going to introduce me to your friend?” she asked.

“My apologies, Mrs. Wu. I was going to but you looked like you wanted to get out of there as soon as you can,” Tao pointed out as he drove. Glancing at the man in the passenger seat, he continued, “This is Byun Baekhyun. He will be your bodyguard from today onwards.”

The new bodyguard turned a little in his seat and bowed his head awkwardly at her. “Byun Baekhyun at your service, ma’am. You can just call me Baekhyun. I apologize for this rather awkward introduction.”

“It’s okay,” she smiled. “And please don’t call me ma’am. I’d prefer it you don’t call me Mrs. Wu either, but since I know that’s not happening, might as well just stick to that.”

“Yes, Mrs. Wu.” Baekhyun said and turned back to the front.

Yuri sighed and slouched a little in the backseat. God, I feel so exhausted, she thought. She really couldn’t imagine what it’s going to be like coming to work the day after. Which reminds me…

“Tao, if either of you are going to pick me up from work again, please do so from the basement parking lot so we can avoid all those attentions,” she requested.

“Understood, Mrs. Wu. It will not happen again.”

“Thanks, Tao.”

The penthouse was empty, as expected. Aside from Mrs. Han who greeted her at the door and Baekhyun who had escorted her up, there was no other soul in the lavish home of Kris Wu. The place seemed even more less homey than it already was and it made her feel even more exhausted than she already was, so she quickly disappeared into her own bedroom to wash up for dinner.

Even though she doesn’t share a room with Kris, their bathrooms were connected to each other and like the rest of the penthouse, it was big and lavish; it even has a fancy couch in the middle of it for whatever reason, but Yuri’s favorite has got to be the whirlpool and air tub. She’d only got to use it once after she moved in, and without the need to worry about Kris wanting to use the space next, she excitedly prepared the bath, allowing the water to fill in first while she combed her hair in front of the mirror.

The joy she felt the moment the bath was ready was indescribable; the warm sensation of pulsating water jet massaging and caressing every part of her body made her moan as she completely relaxed in the tub. The feeling was totally welcomed after a long and hard day at work, attending to fussy patients and know-it-all guardians who tested her patience day by day. The bubbles created by the whirlpool activity plus the shooting water from the jets really helped to make her relax, and Yuri swore she could fall asleep right there and then if she wasn’t worried about a possible drowning.

She took her time in the tub and only decided that she’d had enough when her skin began to turn wrinkly and prunie, and she felt so much better than she did when she first came home. She walked out of the bathroom with a robe and a towel to dry her hair, but for some reason her feet carried her towards the door to Kris’ room. Now, Kris never forbade her to enter his bedroom, but it was the first time she’s ever set foot in there.

His room really reminded her of him; as she expected, Kris’ bedroom was industrial themed with black and grey colors. Hers was more or less the same, but she had put in some colors here and there to make it look less dull and more comfortable for herself. It reminded her of their opposite personalities – Kris being cold and aloof while she was more talkative and open. It made her wonder how people with such different personalities can be married because she’s clearly having a hard time with him. Granted, Yuri was aware that she wasn’t exactly trying to get along with him. Not that she refused to, but she just couldn’t figure out how. Everything about Kris was unlike the man she loved, and his aura itself was pushing her away from him. She has yet to feel completely okay being around him, but that feeling had been worse when she first met him. His character with his daughter was enough to make her realize there was a different side of him she’s yet to discover, but he was making it hard for her to get there as well.

With another heavy outward breath, Yuri looked around the man’s room again before turning towards the large window across the foot of the Kris’ bed that had the view of the rest of the city. Yuri stood there while hugging her bathrobe clad body, eyes staring at the night view of her beloved city, lost in the beauty that she forgot she was due for dinner downstairs. So when the door of Kris’ bedroom was thrown open from the outside, she jumped and turned to see Tao storming in with Baekhyun and Mrs. Han in tow.

“Mrs. Wu, there you are,” Baekhyun exclaimed worriedly. “What are you doing here? Are you alright?”

“I–I’m fine, Baekhyun,” she assured, embarrassed to be caught in Kris’ room of all places. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know why I came in here but I got distracted,” she explained, hoping they didn’t think she was up to no good in Kris’ room.

Tao stared at her for a second before nodding. “We understand, Mrs. Wu. But are you sure you’re okay?” he asked again.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

Mrs. Han came forward and said, “When you didn’t come down after so long, we got worried so we went to your room to check but you weren’t there. You weren’t in the shower either.”

“Oh,” was all Yuri could say. She didn’t think she was going to create trouble tonight. “Sorry, everyone. I didn’t mean to scare anybody.”

Tao merely nodded while Mrs. Han approached her with a gentle smile. “It’s alright, Mrs. Wu. If you’re still up for dinner, I can reheat the food for you. In the meantime, you can get dressed and make sure to dry your hair properly,” she reminded her as she guided Yuri out of the room and down the hall towards her own bedroom, Baekhyun trailing after them while Tao was nowhere to be seen.

“Um, yes. Okay,” Yuri said as she turned to close the door. “I’ll be down in a few.”

Kris’ penthouse in China in a ruckus, no thanks to his rowdy friends who decided to crash over after learning that he was leaving the country the next day. He could only sigh at the sight of a drunk Chen and Yixing giggling by themselves on one side of his living room while Xiumin, who had only arrived from Korea in the morning, was having the time of his life getting everything on video. He wasn’t sure why he hasn’t kicked them out of his penthouse yet, but he really was contemplating it when he heard Chen whining about needing more drinks despite not being able to walk straight anymore.

“Chen really at holding in his alcohol, huh?” Lu Han asked as he came to watch his friends next to where Kris was. “I don’t get where he gets the confident to just chug them down if he can’t even handle them. He’s going to have a massive hangover tomorrow.”

“I swear to God if he’s going to use that as