Whenever Song Xinya ate with Qin Yuhe, the shrimp came peeled, the fish deboned, the snails picked clean, and the fruit skinned.
She never had to reach for a dish, because her bowl was always full—and always filled with the foods she liked.
She had never told him what she liked to eat. He had inferred her preferences from the way her eyes lit up when she saw certain dishes, her reactions while eating, and how often she reached for them.
Qin Yuhe’s powers of observation were evident not only in the business world. When it came to taking care of her, they were just as remarkable.
His manner was elegant and proper, and he did everything with an unhurried ease. When observing other people’s preferences, he never made them feel as though they were being watched. They were completely unaware of his scrutiny, yet he had already noticed everything.
Being with Qin Yuhe made Song Xinya feel nothing but relaxed and happy.
The dazzling, magnificent starry ceiling filled the room with a romantic, enchanting atmosphere. The man sitting across from her was devastatingly handsome, the food on the table was a feast for the eyes and the palate, and the bottle of wine—worth as much as a house—tasted wonderful.
Song Xinya had thoroughly enjoyed lunch.
When she looped her arm through Qin Yuhe’s and walked toward the restaurant entrance, the galaxy-like starry ceiling suddenly vanished. After a brief moment of darkness, the entire space abruptly lit up.
The starry ceiling appeared when she arrived.
It disappeared when she left.
Just as Qin Yuhe had said, the starry ceiling was meant for her alone.
The elevator stopped on the eighth floor. After saying goodbye to Qin Yuhe, Song Xinya headed toward the office.
When she reached the company entrance and extended a hand to push the door open, a male colleague sitting nearby sprang to his feet and rushed over to pull it open for her.
When she took her cup to the break room, the cup had already been filled with water before her hand even touched the kettle.
After organizing a stack of documents and preparing to make copies, a colleague briskly took them from her. “Teacher Song, let me do that for you.”
Every person Song Xinya encountered as she walked through the office treated her with respect and courtesy, greeting her with kind, polite smiles.
Even Zhao Yinian, who had always enjoyed picking fights with her, lowered her head and walked around her as though she were a mouse that had spotted a cat.
Song Xinya had personally experienced the power of Qin Yuhe’s words: the identity of Mrs. Qin was indeed intimidating. Once their relationship was made public, many troubles around her would disappear.
She was more than happy to enjoy the peace and quiet.
There was no obligation to suffer through life. If she had blessings to enjoy, she would enjoy them. She deserved it.
As she drank the hand-ground coffee a colleague had made for her, Song Xinya searched the internet for social news, wanting to see whether any reports had surfaced about Sheng Tianjun being beaten at the beauty salon.
She searched through every news site, but there was not the slightest report about it.
There was no record of Sheng Tianjun reporting the incident to the police, either.
At quitting time, Song Xinya received a call from Han Jingyi.
“Xinxin, Sheng Tianjun was beaten so badly that he’s in the ICU.”
Song Xinya smiled. “How bad is ‘so badly’?”
Han Jingyi replied, “His nose is broken, he has a fractured skull, four broken ribs, and fractures in both his wrists and ankles.”
Song Xinya asked, “He’s hurt that badly? When is he planning to die?”
Han Jingyi fell silent.
After a moment, he realized something was wrong. Song Xinya was not the kind of person who would curse someone to die for no reason.
“Did something happen that I don’t know about?”
“Something did happen,” Song Xinya said. “He was beaten. As for the specifics, I don’t know either.”
Han Jingyi tactfully chose not to ask any further.
“Xinxin, Sheng Tianjun’s father, Sheng Changpu—the burn specialist—has returned from the United States.”
“He had better come back. His son is practically dying. As his father, he should be here to arrange the funeral.”
Han Jingyi was speechless again.
After a pause, he pushed a finger against the bridge of his gold-rimmed glasses and asked, “Do you still want to meet Sheng Changpu?”
“Yes. I’d like to see what kind of father could raise a son that deranged.”
Han Jingyi fell silent once more.
A moment later, he said, “I’ll find a way to arrange a meeting. I’ll accompany you so you can meet Sheng Changpu in person.”
After gathering her things, Song Xinya picked up her handbag and headed out of the office.
At the entrance, she saw Qin Yuhe waiting there with one hand in his trouser pocket.
He walked over, took the bag from her hand, and wrapped his other arm around her. “I came to pick you up from work.”
Ever since they had made their relationship public, he no longer tried to keep a low profile. It was rush hour, with people coming and going, yet the president of the group was standing openly outside her company, waiting for her.
The news that she was President Qin’s wife had already spread throughout the entire group.
The employees passing by looked at Song Xinya with undisguised envy.
Nestled against Qin Yuhe’s chest, Song Xinya looked up at the smooth line of his jaw. “You’re not working late today?”
“I’m not. I pushed everything onto my assistant.”
“Can your assistant handle everything?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Then what are we going to do?”
“When we get home, I’ll make you something like a cucumber salad.”
Song Xinya lightly punched him in the chest. “How can you still joke around? Don’t let this interfere with your work.”
“You seem rather concerned about the company’s affairs now.”
“Of course I am. The money you earn is marital property. Naturally, I have to care about my money.”
“Are you a money lover?”
“Yes.”
“Excellent. As it happens, I have plenty of money.”
“When you hear me say I love money, why don’t you call me materialistic?”
“There are no materialistic women in this world,” Qin Yuhe said. “There are only women who want to live well. ‘Materialistic’ is a derogatory term invented by broke young men to disguise their despicable desire to have a woman without spending a single cent.”
“Women are expensive by nature. Clothes, shoes, handbags, skincare products, cosmetics—all of these things have clearly marked prices, and none of them are cheap. Women spend enormous amounts of time, money, and energy maintaining their beauty. If a man wants to have a beautiful woman, then he needs to honestly pay the price—whether that price is money, time, or at the very least, respect and consideration.”
“When you get down to it, wanting a woman to be beautiful and understanding while also demanding that she spend none of his money—what kind of partner is he looking for? Clearly, he wants a slave who can serve as a status symbol, a stepping-stone, and someone who works without pay.”
“There has never been such a thing as a free beauty, just as there has never been a free lunch.”
Song Xinya listened to Qin Yuhe’s speech, her eyes filled with admiration.
Wow. No wonder he was a group president. He was really good with words.
Qin Yuhe held Song Xinya as they entered the elevator. In the small, enclosed space, with no one else around, he placed both hands on the small of her back.
His body pressed against hers, his manner intimate and suggestive. His deep, alluring eyes gazed at her.
“Kiss me.”
Song Xinya’s cheeks grew warm. “This elevator is very fast. It takes only forty seconds to reach the first floor.”
“Then we’ll kiss for forty seconds.”
Qin Yuhe lowered his head and kissed her lips.
He kissed her with restraint and tenderness, his lips lingering at the edges of hers, sucking lightly and slowly grazing over them.
Unlike before, he didn’t force his tongue into her mouth to ravage and bite it with fierce dominance.
A week passed. During the day, Song Xinya and Qin Yuhe each stayed busy with work. At night, they lay in bed talking, reading, and falling asleep in each other’s arms.
The only thing missing was sex.
In the past, whenever they spent the night together, Qin Yuhe wouldn’t stop until he had worked her into a sweaty, exhausted mess, leaving his fluids all over her body and the sheets.
Now, since she didn’t bring it up, neither did he.
Another three days passed, and Saturday arrived. Qin Yuhe received a call from Old Master Qin.
“You came back from Magic City. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Qin Yuhe said, “Grandpa, with so many trusted old-timers in the company, wouldn’t you have known I was back even without me telling you?”
Old Master Qin sounded reproachful. “You’ve been back for ten days and still haven’t come to see me.”
Qin Yuhe said, “You even know I’ve been back for ten days. Grandpa, are you really that bored? Do you get your kicks from monitoring your grandson every day?”
Old Master Qin gave a cold laugh. “You’re a prince, not a hostage. Do you think I need to watch you every day?”
“Grandpa, don’t put it that way. The people finally welcomed the New China. If someone overheard you, they might think you were trying to restore the Qing dynasty and make me an emperor from some feudal era.”
“Restore the Qing? Do you take me for Yuan Shikai?”
“You’re my grandfather.”
“Good. As long as you remember that. Bring Yaya back to the old residence today. Your grandmother and I have both missed you.”
After the call ended, Old Madam Qin came out of the kitchen in an anxious mood.
“Old Hunk, did you buy the bull penises I asked for at the market?”
Old Master Qin said, “Old Beauty, when have I ever failed to do something you asked?”
“Are they fresh? I mean freshly cut from a bull—the whole thing.”
“I watched the butcher cut them off himself.”
“Two?”
“I bought eight.”
“Eight is good. Eight at once—have the chef stew all of them together and make Little He drink the broth.”
Old Master Qin said, “You make your own grandson drink soup made from bull penises every time. And now you’re using eight of them. Did you ask what he thinks?”
“It’s the principle of ‘like cures like.’ You eat what you want to strengthen. After drinking broth stewed from eight bull penises, our Little He will be even more potent.”
“The wound on Little He’s abdomen has healed completely. He can put as much strength into it as he wants now. He ought to get to work with Yaya and make us a great-grandchild.”
At the thought of their eldest grandson and granddaughter arriving soon, the old couple couldn’t stop grinning.
With Qin Yuhe and Song Xinya’s looks, just imagine how beautiful their children would be!
Qin Yuhe brought Song Xinya to the old residence just as the bull-penis soup finished stewing and was carried to the table.
Catching the gamey, fishy smell drifting through the air, Qin Yuhe smiled helplessly. “Grandma, what kind of culinary monstrosity have you made for me this time?”
Old Madam Qin said, “Big Grandson, do you even know how to talk? What do you mean, ‘culinary monstrosity’? Would Grandma ever harm you? I made you something good.”
Qin Yuhe lifted the lid of the enormous clay pot placed in front of him and couldn’t help bursting out laughing.
“One bull penis wasn’t enough to satisfy me anymore? You stewed eight of them for me at once. Just how weak are my kidneys?”
Old Madam Qin said, “The more, the better. This soup has a powerful aftereffect. Once you drink it, I guarantee you’ll be more hardworking in bed than a donkey on a production brigade!”
