The crape myrtle blossoms were densely packed, tiny pink flowers nestled tightly together.
Under the forceful beating of the wind and rain, they trembled and shook, scattering down in a soft pink shower.
On the first floor, the four little ones watched the falling petals for a while, then went back inside to bed.
Upstairs, the bedroom light stayed on.
When Qin Yuhe came out, Song Xinya was like a cotton ball soaked through with sweat, crumpling onto the carpet.
All her clothes had fallen to the floor. Qin Yuhe, by contrast, was still fully dressed in his white shirt, black suit trousers, and black jacket.
Only his fly was undone.
Unless you looked closely, his clothes gave little indication that he’d just been through an intense bout of lovemaking.
He bent down and scooped her up from the plush white carpet.
The bathroom door opened, and he sat her on the sink counter.
Qin Yuhe filled the bathtub with warm water, scattered rose petals across the surface, and lit two jasmine-scented candles.
Vivid roses.
Flickering candlelight.
A faint, sweet fragrance.
Every breath of air was steeped in a romantic, intimate atmosphere.
Qin Yuhe took off his black suit jacket. His white shirt underneath was already soaked with sweat, clinging to him and revealing the strong lines of his waist and abdomen.
Once free of his outer layers, he carried her into the tub and settled in with her.
Song Xinya soaked in the water, wiping away tears with one hand while lathering herself with soap with the other.
“Why are you crying?” Qin Yuhe asked.
“Because I’m crying tears of happiness.”
“I know you were happy. You were very enthusiastic.”
When they were face-to-face, she’d risen onto her toes, pursed her lips, and taken the initiative to kiss him.
When he was behind her, she’d leaned her head back and turned her face to the side, determined to kiss him then, too.
Remembering what had just happened, Qin Yuhe praised her again. “Your stamina’s improved, too. You didn’t pass out halfway through.”
“After you’ve worn me out for this long, am I supposed to thank you for the compliment?”
“You can.”
He’d gotten everything he wanted and still had the nerve to act smug.
Song Xinya lifted the bar of soap in her hand and rubbed it across his face.
Qin Yuhe caught her wrist with ease, took the soap from her, and tossed it aside.
Taking her hand, he guided her through a turn in the tub, so that she went from facing away from him to facing him.
The steam had given her skin a soft, rosy glow. Her eyes were dewy, tiny droplets clinging to her lashes, and her lips were red and swollen, like tempting cherries.
He pulled her into his arms.
Steam billowed around them as they nuzzled close.
His lips claimed hers again, brushing her forehead, the corners of her eyes, the tip of her nose, her lips, and her chin. Then they traveled down her neck, lingering, pressing and tasting as they went.
Another round began.
………
The consequence of indulging to the extreme was being utterly unable to get out of bed.
It took Song Xinya two days to finally crawl out of bed.
Qin Yuhe was made of iron, seemingly tireless. No matter how strenuous the night before had been, he still got up on time for work the next morning.
They’d done it so many times, and she’d been so enthusiastic and cooperative this time. Surely she’d be pregnant now, right?
Baby, do your mother a favor and hurry up and come!
If you don’t arrive soon, Mom’s back is going to give out!
Before heading to work, Song Xinya specially downloaded an image of Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy, who grants children, and bowed to it three times.
Under boundless skies and across a vast earth, Guanyin shines her auspicious light.
A willow branch sways beside her jade vase; a golden boy and jade maiden bring a child into the home.
After praying to Guanyin, Song Xinya went to work.
Inside the private elevator at the Qin Group headquarters, the red floor number changed to 8.
As Song Xinya started to step out, Qin Yuhe grabbed her by the collar and pulled her back. He leaned close to her ear and said, “Hey, have I satisfied you yet? Are you still reading those dirty books?”
Song Xinya: “……”
Who was reading them? Who? She’d never read anything like that.
Once a rumor stuck to you, it was hard to shake off.
She’d taken the blame for her sister-in-law, and it looked like she’d be carrying it for the rest of her life.
Muttering under her breath, Song Xinya said, “You’ve stuffed me full. Who’d need to read that kind of book? I definitely don’t.”
“Good. Whenever I catch you reading that sort of thing, I start wondering if I haven’t been satisfying you.”
“……You know perfectly well how incredible your stamina is, don’t you?”
Qin Yuhe laughed heartily, released her collar, and gave her a gentle push forward with a hand against her back.
“Go on, get to work.”
His warm reminder came from behind her. “The new general manager starts today. You’ll meet him.”
“Is there anything I should keep in mind?”
“No. Just be yourself. If anything comes up, I’ll handle it.”
When Song Xinya arrived at the office, Chen Siyan hurried over with the air of someone about to share the latest juicy gossip.
“Ms. Song, you haven’t heard? We’ve got a new general manager!”
“I heard a minute ago.”
Chen Siyan’s big reveal fell flat.
“What I don’t know is whether it’s a man or a woman,” Song Xinya said.
“A man. And he’s ridiculously handsome.”
“More handsome than you?”
“Obviously, he’s just a tiny bit less handsome than me. In my eyes, I’m the most handsome man in the world.”
“Confidence is good. Arrogance isn’t.”
“I don’t care what you think. I care what I think.”
“Wow. Huang Xiaoming, is that you?”
“Jokes aside, what’s the new manager like?”
A clear, mature male voice sounded from behind her. “I’d say I’m not a bad person.”
Song Xinya turned around and saw his face.
………
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