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She vaguely recalled that the last time they had engaged in a completely formal act was when they were creating Taotao.
Back then, Ning Ye had taken total initiative. Her mind was entirely consumed by maternal love, her gaze as resolute as if she were registering her child's household residency. Although the process was profound, she didn't harbor many romantic thoughts at the time.
It was vastly different from the countless sensory experiences Bian Xun had brought her in the past.
A certain someone had been holding back a tremendous amount of energy.
After experiencing everything that followed—from pregnancy precautions to looming crises—her body had finally fully recovered to a very... suitable state.
So Ning Ye felt it.
Even though she had obviously put on a little weight, when he led her and maneuvered her, it still felt like he was playing with a weightless cluster of leaves.
He could effortlessly mold this handful of leaves into whatever shape he desired.
Whether arching them into a curled-up pile.
Or spreading them out into thin leaves that could easily be crushed to dust.
Clearly, while her weight was light, a certain someone's arm strength seemed to have grown stronger too.
Moreover, even though this certain someone claimed he didn't have OCD and was no longer strictly orderly, the desire for control in his bones hadn't changed a bit.
In the lines of his palms, in his gaze, that tyrannical aura of a predator still lay dormant in his veins, ready to bare its fangs at any moment.
Stared at by such a gaze, Ning Ye's heart fluttered. The cold touch and the scent of sandalwood brought familiar sensory stimulation—comforting yet deeply suggestive, causing one to completely descend into a hazy chaos amidst the heat of their closeness.
She had to admit, looking closely at Bian Xun's deep, smiling eyes and the undulating texture of his muscles, she too felt a strong surge of... desire.
She thought back to college, their first time.
Back then, she had also been utterly bewitched by Bian Xun.
At that age, the male college student version of Bian Xun... was truly handsome.
He possessed a cold, pale stillness rarely seen in ordinary boys, yet his sharp, straight bone structure overflowed with testosterone. Intertwined, it created an indescribable sense of asceticism and conflict, drawing people in like a black hole.
Amidst the heavy coursework and burdensome life back then, she admitted that getting close to him was deeply captivating.
Every Friday night was extremely stress-relieving.
And now, this man's bedside EQ and bedroom skills seemed to far surpass those of the past.
After months of a husband's physical conditioning of his wife, not only was her maintenance impeccable, but now every inch of her reaction, every shudder, was precisely tailored to exactly what he wanted to hear and see.
—Hubby.
The term of endearment he wanted to hear was eventually called out several times, soft and weak, hiding a weeping tone, linking together into fine, dense, soft hooks.
Bian Xun savored it forcefully countless times, yet still felt unsatisfied.
Ning Ye's slender fingers barely covered her cheeks.
Hubby.
...
He took a deep breath.
A thin layer of sweat gave his cold, pale skin a dew-like texture.
"In order to ensure that our child remains, forever, an only daughter."
"This procedure still needs to be maintained."
He saw the urgency in her eyes and wickedly restrained himself, deliberately acting unhurried in those final few seconds.
...
Making it impossible for her to wait any longer.
Bian Xun was smiling.
...
...
"Am I doing better than before?"
"Tell me."
Ning Ye covered the corners of her lips, her voice finally carrying a fragmented sobbing tone, "...It's all, very good."
She couldn't take it anymore.
...
Family life was truly intoxicating.
The CEO thought so.
Since the little one currently lacked the ability to run and jump, and couldn't travel back and forth between the children's room and the parents' room on her own.
Therefore, a certain CEO began enjoying the good life of entering the bedroom as soon as night fell.
Once a person breaks the rules, they can do it anytime, anywhere—
Following their heart's desires.
—However, life couldn't always let him have it so good.
Ning Ye's work transfer was also steadily progressing. She had already signed up for a dispatch in the second half of next year. Currently, the department was sending people out of town in batches. The location was still undecided, but business trips were a certainty.
Her work had become busier too. Although the CEO's crazy behavior of showing public affection had shocked everyone before, Ning Ye's work pace had not been disrupted.
And it had to be said, after that incident, truly no one dared to gossip behind Ning Ye's back anymore. Her work environment had become much smoother.
Thus, there were often situations where the CEO came home from work but his wife was working overtime.
Yet, as the boss of the company, he couldn't say anything, and he still had to pay his wife her overtime wages on time.
Bian Xun reached out and poked Ning Zhitao's chubby cheek, telling her in a low voice, "Your dad only ranks third in your mom's heart."
Ning Zhitao's round eyes had grown a bit wider. Unlike when she was just born, they were no longer weighed down by her eyelids, revealing a bit of innocent curiosity as she looked at her dad.
Bian Xun found her adorable. The corners of his lips curled up as he skillfully picked the child up and placed her on his shoulder, her tiny little paws tugging at his hair.
A baby of just a few months old still felt like a boneless slime, but Bian Xun had already learned how to control this blob of fluid. Holding the child, he walked slowly to the floor-to-ceiling window and saw Ning Ye's figure rushing into the residential complex, carrying her bag and running toward the building's entrance.
Bian Xun's gaze followed her until she disappeared into the building entrance. He chuckled softly and told Ning Zhitao, "I rank second."
"You rank first."
Although Ning Ye poured more energy into her work, she never let herself miss a single step in her little one's growth.
When Ning Zhitao reached her one-month mark, her pediatric check-up scored full marks. She had no issues whatsoever and was thriving robustly.
Ning Ye was extremely happy. Touching Ning Zhitao's cheek, she thought that her previous efforts—drugging Bian Xun from afar, exercising in a timely manner, and working hard to maintain her physical condition and his sperm quality—had all been highly effective.
Little Taotao was a very healthy little fruit.
A one-hundred-day-old baby could have a celebration banquet. Old Master Bian had expressed his desire to throw a massive party well in advance, but Ning Ye had politely declined.
She and Bian Xun celebrated Little Taotao's one-hundred-day milestone at home.
The current King Taotao was still in her infant form and couldn't face the myriad of sketchy relatives in the Bian family. Ning Ye wanted to leave King Taotao plenty of room to develop.
And so, the child's growth trajectory gradually became clear in their eyes, no longer a blank slate.
For example, they could now easily list what kind of formula she liked to drink when she was this small, and what brand of diapers she preferred to wear.
For instance, when Ning Zhitao's height broke the 50-centimeter mark for the first time, Ning Ye was deeply amazed, and the 185-centimeter-tall Bian Xun was equally amazed. It was as if they could intuitively feel the slow, crawling progress of this little life.
Or when Ning Zhitao learned to roll over on her own, learned to fall asleep independently, and could sleep through the night... Very minor details like these brought them countless surprises.
A baby who was only months old was indeed at an age where she could be praised just for having a good poop ^^
Bian Xun recorded every single moment of this process. Consequently, Ning Ye gradually understood that they no longer needed to open that future photo album that could no longer be accessed.
She and Bian Xun mutually decided to schedule their wedding for when the child was just a little bit older. Waiting until Ning Zhitao could walk and form a little bit of memory—
When she grew up, she would remember that she had attended her parents' wedding.
And that she was incredibly important in it.
As the child grew a bit older, the most obvious change was that she clearly knew who Daddy and Mommy were, and she began to interact with them.
Ning Zhitao looked at them with her big eyes. Under the tireless conversations and reading sessions with her parents, she started to pop out simple words.
It felt as if, when she was first born, she was just a little genderless, thoughtless dumpling; although she had arrived in this world, she was actually still sleeping. But when she started to speak and express herself, the distinct Ning Zhitao began to have real form—eyes, nose, and mouth.
According to Ning Ye's observations, Little Taotao's longest record for talking to herself and entertaining herself was up to thirty minutes. Gradually, she began inviting her parents to join in her fun.
Ning Ye never tired of imitating the little baby, making babbling, high-pitched baby talk, and even demanded that Bian Xun make those sounds too, so the child would feel they were all the same species.
But the CEO reservedly refused.
If he spoke like that, he would feel like he was broken.
However, occasionally when Ning Ye passed by the child's room, she could hear a few broken male sounds. Magnetic and elegant, yet with a weird, squeaky tone.
Ning Ye did not push the door open, cleverly preserving their marital dignity.
Bian Xun was just like those parents who originally insisted on not letting their kids keep a cat, but eventually ended up going here kitty kitty all day long.
Let him pretend a little longer ^^
In the past, when they started raising the four-year-old Taotao halfway through, they didn't have such a strong sense of family. They each took on the roles of father and mother, trying hard to love her. But that feeling was vastly different from watching a child grow up day by day, witnessing countless details of love every single day.
The sense of family was like a fine, dense net that had completely trapped him within it.
It had become a massive order.
Therefore, when Ning Ye had to go on a business trip for over a month, the CEO was finally triggered into genuine separation anxiety.
Now, he was the one who couldn't take it.
...
This dispatch had been planned for a long time. The location assigned to Ning Ye's batch was Wujiang Group's branch office in the Northwest.
Bian Xun originally wanted to take Ning Zhitao along, but that place was truly not suitable for an infant under one year old to rush into.
It was also the beginning of autumn; it was cold and dry over there. If the child couldn't acclimatize, who knew how much she would suffer.
Naturally, they couldn't bear it.
And an adult had to stay home to watch the child, so this separation was inevitable.
Bian Xun's dark eyes were solemn, but he behaved quite reasonably.
The CEO considered himself the pillar of the family. When the child's mother wanted to pursue career advancement, he required himself to act appropriately.
Of course, his pride also prevented him from clinging too desperately.
So, after pondering for a long time, he smiled nonchalantly. Go with peace of mind.
Ning Ye was very reluctant to leave. Her luggage had been packed long ago, but the suitcase had never been zipped shut.
Although she was only going for a little over a month, it included closed training where sometimes she couldn't even check her phone.
Upon hearing this, Bian Xun still acted like nothing was wrong, though he took several deep breaths.
His anxiety never showed.
It was just that on the night before her departure, he almost failed to restrain himself and went a bit too hard.
In the end, knowing she had to wake up early to catch a flight, he barely managed to stop, leaning into the sweaty crook of her neck, breathing deeply.
It took Ning Ye quite a while to recover. She whispered in his ear, I will definitely rush back in time for her first birthday.
The timing was just right. As long as the dispatch ended smoothly, her return would coincide exactly with Taotao's first birthday.
The three birthdays they had missed in the past were now slowly being made up for. And the five birthday gifts she had originally prepared for Taotao could finally start being given out.
This time, the little one was going to have a birthday party.
Old Master Bian was eagerly looking forward to it, and this time Ning Ye did not refuse. Because she could feel that Taotao was starting to speak and becoming curious about the whole world. She could start meeting more people, rather than only seeing Daddy and Mommy all day long.
And Ning Zhitao's first birthday party was going to be incredibly grand.
Bian Xun actually didn't care about this kind of formality, and he knew that the Bian family secretly cared a lot.
A bunch of old-fashioned traditionalists watched Old Master Bian's attitude and realized he was treating this great-granddaughter as the most important treasure of his twilight years. Many people started scheming behind the scenes for the inheritance.
But that was fine too.
They had to be shown who would be the king of this family from now on.
The next day, Ning Ye set off for the Northwest.
And Bian Xun began his long-distance relationship.
People around them didn't notice any clues, praising the CEO for balancing his family and career so well.
Only Assistant Zhang could sense that the boss was anxious. Such anxiety was simply rare.
During her dispatch, Ning Ye didn't feel any major emotional fluctuations from Bian Xun. She would also discuss work matters with him, asking for his opinion, since this project ultimately went through Bian Xun's hands anyway.
As long as she could get her phone, she would regularly video call home.
She mainly wanted to see the little one, and Bian Xun was definitely right there beside her.
The man's expression was cold and calm, his dark eyes profound. He asked about her situation every day. His gaze looking through the screen gave a reassuring sense that he was taking good care of everything at home.
Within the palm-sized phone screen, held Ning Ye's home.
The child was a soft little ball.
The man's chest was broad and warm.
Ning Ye snuggled in the cold bed in the Northwest region where the heating hadn't been turned on yet. All her heat came from the back of the phone, which had grown hot from the video call.
Actually, she missed him a little.
However, seeing Bian Xun's composed expression, Ning Ye felt too embarrassed to say it out loud. She could only hold up her phone, kiss Little Taotao on the screen, and silently count down the days.
Her lips lingered on the screen, and then the video call hung up.
After Bian Xun coaxed the child to sleep, he held his phone and lay on the half-empty bed.
Calmly suffering from insomnia.
At first, Ning Ye could still video call home, but in the final week, due to a bid evaluation project at the Northwest branch, she and several colleagues had to undergo a one-week communication blackout.
This week felt very hard for Ning Ye to endure.
Besides missing home, there was naturally the agony of a modern person unable to be without electronic devices.
In the end, she could only go to sleep early every day after finishing work, and finally got her phone back after a week.
Her dispatch mission finally came to a successful conclusion here. Once she returned, she would give a complete presentation to the group. Bian Xun would also sit in and listen at that time.
And tonight was the time for Taotao's birthday party.
It was the last day of her being 0 years old.
Ning Ye opened her phone full of anticipation, and instantly countless messages popped up—from friends, the hospital, various app notifications, as well as numerous texts and missed calls.
There weren't many from Bian Xun. He just sent her a photo every day, letting her see how the little one was growing today.
Unwavering, done every single day, extremely calm and rational.
Ning Ye hummed twice.
She had naturally told Bian Xun before the communication blackout, so it was normal for him to be this peaceful.
Ning Ye replied to her friends' concerns and finally replied to him.
[Received]
The other side instantly switched to "typing..."
But Ning Ye was in a hurry to get to the airport. After waiting for a moment and not receiving a message, she put her phone away and went to pack her luggage.
It wasn't until she reached the airport and passed through security that she saw his long-awaited reply.
[What time are you arriving?]
Just a few cold words.
Strictly business.
Ning Ye huffed twice in her heart and replied: [Arriving soon.]
She planned to go straight to the hotel where the birthday party was being held; there was no time to go home and freshen up.
She missed her little one so, so much.
Of course, she missed him too, but she had no intention of telling him that.
Once the plane landed, pressed for time, Ning Ye took a taxi directly to the hotel.
Along the way, Assistant Zhang called her several times. "Miss Ning, are you already in the car? President Bian insisted that I pick you up, as he can't step away from the birthday party..."
Ning Ye quickly replied to Assistant Zhang, the grumbling in her heart softening a bit.
She hurried to the hotel, and as soon as she walked in, she was amazed by the magnificent birthday decorations.
The entire hotel was plastered with posters for Ning Zhitao's first birthday. There was even a reception desk specifically set up to collect gift money for the child, which would all be saved for her. Old Master Bian seemed to be treating her first birthday like a grand milestone celebration.
Ning Ye walked into the venue in shock. When she looked up, she accurately spotted her child and her father right in the middle of the crowd.
At the same time, Bian Xun's gaze landed precisely on her.
It was still calm and slightly warm, but once it latched onto her, it was hard to tear away.
The venue was filled with people who came to congratulate them, as well as Ning Ye's friends. Everyone was there for her child, so Ning Ye went to personally entertain each of them.
Both the child's father and mother were the main characters today. They were each surrounded by a group of people, socializing around Ning Zhitao, so they surprisingly didn't even get a chance to speak to each other for quite a while.
When it came to the classic segment of the birthday party, people gathered around the little Ning Zhitao on her princess throne and began to observe which of her features looked like her father and which looked like her mother.
For some people with hidden agendas, this was a great opportunity to please Old Master Bian and President Bian.
The little girl was fair and cute, beautifully born.
As for where she looked like her father...
Looking back and forth, somehow her eyes looked like her mother's, her nose looked like her mother's, and her mouth did too.
She looked exactly like Ning Ye, didn't she??
Ning Ye mentally shrugged. There was nothing she could do about it; when her Taotao grew to be four or five years old, she would look exactly like Ning Ye did when she was a child.
So much so that the first time she saw her, she didn't even need a paternity test to believe it for the most part.
The people around couldn't help but feel envious. What powerful genes...
What a perfectly grown angel baby!
Those who wanted to flatter could only find another angle to compliment the Bian family.
"Look at how bright and lively this child's eyes are. A round head means she's smart, and bright eyes mean she's intelligent."
"This child will definitely be very talented in the future!"
Ning Ye thought to herself, that didn't seem to be the case either.
Her little one liked to draw, but in a year of crayon classes, she hadn't shown any extraordinary talent.
She liked to sing and was enrolled in vocal classes, but as of the last time Ning Ye took her to class, the child still occasionally sang off-key.
So far, her little one hadn't shown any outstanding talent in any field.
But so what?
Her love wasn't given based on talent.
Her little one was kind, sensitive, compassionate, and articulate. These qualities might not sound as impressive as being a math genius or having an artistic flair, but in Ning Ye's heart, they still sparkled like diamonds.
...
The birthday party was lively and bustling.
It wasn't until Bian Xun and Ning Ye took the child home that they truly finished dealing with everyone else and returned to their private time as a family of three.
By now, Ning Ye naturally no longer cared about Bian Xun's cold attitude.
She just wanted to hug her little dumpling and get a good night's sleep in her own warm bed.
All the emotions of being away from home would be smoothed and softened, and the cold of the Northwest would no longer be able to invade her dreams.
As for whether Bian Xun missed her or not, it didn't really matter—
Just as Ning Ye looked up, before she could even take off her bag, she was pinned against the door.
A scorching kiss instantly stole all her breath.
The man lowered his head, desperately swallowing everything in her mouth, sucking from her palate to the base of her tongue, kissing her so hard that the corners of her lips went numb, his Adam's apple bobbing intensely.
All the coldness she had brought in from the outside was swallowed by him, exchanged, and turned into boiling, melting honey.
Bian Xun kissed her with extreme abandon.
It was an intensely passionate kiss, so passionate that it felt as if they were going to tear off everything on each other in the next second, tangling together just like this kiss.
The tip of her heart curled up from his heat, and her reason swayed.
But after a deep French kiss that reached her throat, Bian Xun seemed to finally catch his breath. Holding her face, he quieted down. He lowered his eyes to look at the person in front of him.
It was as if he were the travel-worn wanderer who had just found his destination.
Ning Ye leaned against his chest, panting softly. It was a long while before she looked up to meet the dark eyes beneath his brow bone.
Their eyes met, with no other voices or noise around them.
Yearning didn't need to be spoken.
Their lips and teeth held the answer.
She tasted how much he missed her.
And in this glance, she understood the meaning in his eyes again—
He knew she had rushed back under the stars and moon, so he was giving her time to look at the child she had been longing for.
Bian Xun generously let go of her a little.
Ning Ye's heart softened. She couldn't help but stand on her tiptoes to kiss the corner of his lips, then turned around to carefully look at the little person she hadn't seen in a month.
After her birthday party, the little one was sleepy again. Her round, black-grape-like eyes were half-open and half-closed. She let out a milky yawn at the ceiling, grabbed at the air, and caught her mother's hand.
This was the one-year-old Ning Zhitao.
Happy birthday, our baby.
Ning Ye thought of many things to say, from their first meeting to this moment, and finally just gently tapped her cheek.
"So, little Ning Zhitao, you have to grow up quickly, you know?"
In three more years, they would reunite.
Ning Ye took a few steps away, but suddenly stopped and turned back.
The hem of her clothes traced a soft arc in the air, and her hair fell gently onto the crib as she lowered her head to get close to the one-year-old Ning Zhitao again.
Ning Ye kissed her.
And Bian Xun curled his lips into a smile and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind.
"No, it's better to grow up slowly."
Daddy and Mommy are right here.
Accompanying each other.
Accompanying you.
