It was an utterly ordinary workday.
Zhang Xiyue stood before an extravagantly ostentatious rosewood desk, delivering the day’s schedule in a crisp, businesslike manner.
“Team meeting at nine thirty. The R&D base at eleven. Lunch with Mr. Sun from Jiyuan Industrial at noon. An interview with Xin Feng Daily at two in the afternoon. And a dinner engagement at seven tonight.”
Cheng Mingjiao didn’t even raise his eyes. “Mm. Got it.”
Zhang Xiyue closed the folder. “Should I send Chenhao’s contract to the project department now?”
Cheng Mingjiao still didn’t look up. “Mm.”
Zhang Xiyue nodded, took the contract, and left.
Almost the instant she turned around, his gaze stuck to her back—only for him to lower his head again the moment she reached the door.
So when Zhang Xiyue closed the door behind her, all she saw was the Emperor, as aloof and indifferent toward her as ever.
She paused for a second, then lifted her hand and shut the door.
Their cold war had been going on for nearly five days.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t really a cold war.
It was the Emperor giving her the silent treatment, all by himself.
It had all started that night.
Cheng Mingjiao had vaguely asked her to treat him the way Qing Tian treated Gu Feng.
So she had called him, “Gu Feng.”
Cheng Mingjiao had clearly been stunned. Even his little prince—previously pressed against her leg, brimming with fighting spirit—had immediately gone limp.
After a long, drawn-out silence, he still sounded utterly incredulous. “What did you just call me?”
“Gu Feng,” Zhang Xiyue replied calmly. “Isn’t that what you wanted me to call you?”
Cheng Mingjiao: “…”
The heated atmosphere instantly turned cold. The two of them, who had been embracing only moments ago, had somehow separated and retreated to opposite corners of the bed. The gap between them was large enough to fit the entire universe.
“You did that on purpose.” In the silence, Cheng Mingjiao’s voice was low.
He wasn’t stupid. Of course he could tell whether Zhang Xiyue had genuinely misunderstood him or was deliberately teasing him.
“You’re looking down on me.” There was a trace of accusation in his voice as he bluntly exposed the truth. “If we were still just boss and assistant, you would never have done something like that. You’re acting this way now because… now that you have me, you don’t cherish me anymore.”
Psychology said that intimacy could breed contempt; it was a normal phenomenon.
He simply hadn’t expected Zhang Xiyue to show signs of it when they had only been together for a few days.
He said nothing more, merely staring at her fixedly.
Zhang Xiyue had regretted it the moment he said, “You did that on purpose.”
From the instant he wrapped his arms around her from behind, she had temporarily forgotten about the so-called mission and allowed herself to sink into the desire and affection that belonged only to the two of them.
In that moment, she had sincerely felt happy and relaxed.
But the second Cheng Mingjiao mentioned the male and female leads, all the pressure came rushing back.
Her mind suddenly filled with faces from the real world—countless fragments of real lives, and the small county town that had shaped every part of who she was.
Along with all the efforts she had made during this time, and the progress bar that had refused to move after reaching 5%.
Why her?
There were more than seven billion people in the real world. Why had she, of all people, been the one transported into a novel?
That thought brought with it a brief loss of control.
And all the emotions she had nowhere to vent, she poured onto Cheng Mingjiao.
Probably just as Cheng Mingjiao had said—because their relationship had changed, she had become so brazen.
But that was wrong.
Cheng Mingjiao wasn’t the culprit behind her unhappiness, and she shouldn’t have taken her temper out on him.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Cheng. I won’t do it again.”
She couldn’t confess the real reason she had been picking on him, so even though her apology was sincere, it still sounded perfunctory and hollow.
Sure enough, after hearing her apology, Cheng Mingjiao simply turned his face away, as if he didn’t even want to look at her.
After hesitating for a moment, Zhang Xiyue got out of bed. “Mr. Cheng, you should get some rest. I’ll go…”
“Where are you going?” Cheng Mingjiao cut her off.
Zhang Xiyue looked awkward as she tested the waters. “Could I sleep on the sofa?”
It was a popular tourist destination, and it was the weekend. Not only was their hotel fully booked, but there probably wasn’t a vacant room at any of the hotels outside, either.
If Cheng Mingjiao wouldn’t even let her sleep on the sofa, she would have no choice but to spend the night in the hotel lobby.
Fortunately, Cheng Mingjiao said nothing.
If he said nothing, that probably meant he was allowing it.
Zhang Xiyue nodded at him, then left the bedroom.
She closed the door behind her, dividing the bedroom and living room into two separate spaces. After turning off the lights, Zhang Xiyue felt her way to the sofa and lay down.
She couldn’t sleep anyway, so she carefully went over everything that had happened between them over the past few days. She realized she had crossed the line more than once, and couldn’t help frowning.
The sofa was soft and offered little support; merely lying on it made her feel tired. Zhang Xiyue rubbed the space between her brows and tossed and turned.
She didn’t know when she finally fell asleep. She only knew that when she woke up, she was in the large bed in the bedroom.
Had Cheng Mingjiao forgiven her?
Her heart stirred. She immediately threw back the covers and got out of bed, only to see Cheng Mingjiao, already fully dressed, standing in the doorway the next second.
“Mr. Cheng,” she greeted him at once.
“There’s an urgent matter at the company. We need to go back,” he said with a stern face.
Zhang Xiyue froze for a moment, realizing he was still angry.
Not only had he not calmed down then—he remained angry for several days afterward.
Zhang Xiyue tried to coax him a few times, but he either kept a straight face or refused to look at her. In short, he barely acknowledged her. Gradually, she no longer dared to say much.
So what was she supposed to do now?
Just let things remain this awkward?
After handing the contract over to the project department, Zhang Xiyue did not return to the CEO’s office right away. Instead, she went downstairs to the break room.
She made herself a cup of coffee and leaned against the counter, deep in thought.
After waiting a long time for her to return, Cheng Mingjiao was silent for a moment before sending her a message: We have a meeting.
After sending it, he waited.
Zhang Xiyue did not reply.
He opened a document and began working.
One minute later, he left his office.
Back when the company had been growing at its fastest, he had bought this building for its headquarters. But ever since moving in, he had always found it too small and kept thinking of relocating somewhere bigger.
But after making a round of the building today, from top to bottom…
Cheng Mingjiao undid the top button of his collar and thought coldly that they really did need to buy a new building.
But not a bigger one. A smaller one—preferably the kind where, standing on the top floor, he could keep the entire company in view.
That way, no matter where Zhang Xiyue went, he would be able to spot her at a glance instead of walking up and down several times without finding so much as a trace of her.
The Emperor, unable to find her, radiated an icy chill. The nearby employees didn’t dare make a sound, frantically exchanging glances.
[Who upset him this time?]
[No idea.]
Cheng Mingjiao went down another floor, thinking that if he still couldn’t find her, he would go to the conference room and use the loudspeaker to call for her.
But just as the thought crossed his mind, he saw her in the break room.
At this hour, she was the only one there, standing all alone with a cup of coffee in her hands as she played on her phone.
Cheng Mingjiao’s heart softened at once.
Although Zhang Xiyue’s apology had been utterly insincere, although she had made no effort to make amends afterward, and although she still called him President Cheng…
Zhang Xiyue looked far too pitiful. Besides, after reflecting on the matter for the past few days, she should have realized the seriousness of her mistake.
Cheng Mingjiao decided to forgive her.
He let out a quiet breath, then walked into the break room with a solemn expression and closed the door behind him.
Zhang Xiyue, who had been replying to a message, looked up at the sound. When she saw him, a flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.
“President Cheng?”
Cheng Mingjiao put on an act. “Why didn’t you reply to my message?”
At once, Zhang Xiyue scrolled down. After seeing his unread message, she hurriedly said, “I’m sorry, President Cheng. I was discussing work with Assistant Zhou just now and didn’t see your message… Wasn’t the meeting supposed to start at nine-thirty? Has it been moved up?”
Cheng Mingjiao didn’t answer her question. Instead, he was thinking about how to reasonably, smoothly, and casually convey the message that he had already forgiven her.
She hadn’t apologized again over the past two days. If he brought it up out of nowhere, would it make him look as though he cared too much?
Cheng Mingjiao fell into deep thought.
After waiting for a while and seeing that he still hadn’t said anything, Zhang Xiyue called out to him again. “President Cheng?”
Cheng Mingjiao came back to himself and asked instinctively, “Isn’t Zhou Ce on sick leave? What work-related matters were you discussing with him?”
“He’s recovering well. He should be able to return to work in the next couple of days,” Zhang Xiyue replied.
Originally, Zhou Ce could have taken another month off. But according to him, the thought of his colleague suffering in his place had left him tossing and turning at home, unable to sleep at night.
Zhang Xiyue, however, felt that his insomnia was probably because he spent too much time on his phone.
When he heard that Zhou Ce would be coming back, Cheng Mingjiao showed little reaction. He merely responded with a faint “Hmm.”
Seeing his attitude, Zhang Xiyue made a decision. “Then will Assistant Zhou be going with you to the press conference three days from now?”
Cheng Mingjiao frowned and looked at her sharply. “What do you mean?”
Zhang Xiyue said gently, “Assistant Zhou should be back the day after tomorrow. If you feel he won’t be able to take part in such an important event immediately after returning to work, I can also—”
“You’re not going to be my executive assistant anymore?” Cheng Mingjiao cut her off, unwilling to hear the rest. “Or are you thinking of resigning?”
Zhang Xiyue froze for a moment. “I was only temporarily filling in as your executive assistant. Now that Assistant Zhou is back, I should return to the assistants’ office.”
Cheng Mingjiao said nothing. His gaze gradually turned sharp.
Zhang Xiyue could no longer figure out what he was thinking.
…He didn’t even want her in the assistant’s office. Was he planning to fire her?
Sure enough, she never should have let a few words from Cheng Mingjiao spur her into agreeing to date him on impulse—nor should she have lost all sense of boundaries just because they were together.
Things had come to this. Not only was there no shortcut ahead, but all the effort she had put in before might go to waste.
Unwilling to let everything she had worked for come to nothing, Zhang Xiyue thought it over for a long while before finally taking a step forward. “President Cheng, I shouldn’t have made such a nasty joke that night. I’m truly sorry for hurting you.”
Hearing her apologize again after two days—especially after the news that Zhou Ce would be returning…
She was about to go back to her own position. Soon, she would no longer be able to see him whenever she wanted, so she was anxious to make up with him, wasn’t she?
Cheng Mingjiao’s expression brightened somewhat. “You really were in the wrong, but—”
“But could you please not fire me just because we broke up, considering I’ve been fairly dedicated at work?” Zhang Xiyue finished for him.
Cheng Mingjiao froze.
Zhang Xiyue was still trying to reason with him gently. “The fact that we dated for a few days—I promise I won’t tell anyone. I won’t let it have any negative impact on you. If you don’t want to see me, then as long as it doesn’t interfere with my work, I’ll try to stay out of your sight as much as possible. I absolutely won’t affect your mood. Could you please not—”
“Zhang Xiyue!” Cheng Mingjiao’s voice suddenly rose.
The employees who had been planning to slack off in the break room heard Cheng Mingjiao’s voice and immediately scattered in terror. In an instant, the perfectly ordinary break room became a place everyone avoided.
Zhang Xiyue, standing right there, was startled by the anger in Cheng Mingjiao’s voice as well.
Before she could react, Cheng Mingjiao announced with a cold face, “I’m really angry now.”
Then he turned and strode away, moving so fast his legs were practically a blur.
By the time Zhang Xiyue chased after him, Cheng Mingjiao had already vanished.
Cheng Mingjiao had ditched work.
When Guo Fengnian pulled up outside a café somewhere in the CBD—still reeling from the blistering scolding his doctoral advisor had given him—Cheng Mingjiao, the employee playing hooky, was sitting there with a pink drink in hand, drinking it with a grimly serious expression.
The moment he saw Guo Fengnian’s car, he walked over, opened the rear door, and climbed in.
Guo Fengnian waited patiently until he had fastened his seat belt before asking, “Why is that milk tea bubbling? It’s not poisonous, is it?”
“Then let it poison me to death.”
Cheng Mingjiao took another hard pull through the straw. He intended to viciously damage his body with flavorings, artificial coloring, and additives, so Zhang Xiyue would understand the price of casually suggesting a breakup.
“Oh, come on, you…” Guo Fengnian didn’t even know what to say to him. “It’s just an argument with Xiyue. There’s no need to self-destruct like this.”
Who was it that, while they were in Yangcheng a few days ago, had made time—no matter how busy he was—to spend two hours every day showing off his relationship to him?
And now, only days later, he was already making a scene.
Still, Guo Fengnian had never expected Cheng Mingjiao, once he started dating, to pull the same sort of running-away-from-home stunt Liang Xiao had during his honeymoon phase—and even call him to come pick him up.
Heh. Cheng Mingjiao really was human after all.
Though Guo Fengnian was secretly amused, he still had to talk him down. “All right, stop drinking that. Have a little less.”
“No. I need to replenish my sugar right now, or I’m going to be pissed to death,” Cheng Mingjiao said, his face set.
Guo Fengnian was curious. “What on earth did Xiyue do to make you this angry?”
“She wants to break up with me.” Cheng Mingjiao gave a cold laugh.
“Oh,” Guo Fengnian said.
Cheng Mingjiao narrowed his eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Guo Fengnian looked utterly baffled. “...What did I say?”
“Why aren’t you surprised at all?” Cheng Mingjiao questioned him with the solemnity of a master detective cracking a case. “Do you think this is perfectly normal?”
Guo Fengnian: “...”
It wasn’t normal.
How could it possibly be normal?
She’d been dating the Young Master for this many days before bringing up a breakup. That was far too abnormal.
Under normal circumstances, shouldn’t she have regretted it within an hour of making things official?
Xiyue’s tolerance really was astonishing.
Of course, even if someone lent him three extra sets of guts, he still wouldn’t dare say that aloud.
Guo Fengnian cleared his throat and pretended not to have heard the Young Master’s interrogation. “So what did you say?”
“What could I say?” Cheng Mingjiao lifted his eyelids and shot him a glance from the passenger seat. “I ran away on the spot.”
Guo Fengnian’s brain failed to catch up. “...You ran away?”
“What else was I supposed to do? Actually break up with her?” Cheng Mingjiao retorted arrogantly.
Guo Fengnian: “...”
“Zhang Xiyue really went too far this time,” Cheng Mingjiao said coldly.
“Why does she want to break up with you?” Guo Fengnian asked.
Cheng Mingjiao paused, then fell silent.
Guo Fengnian didn’t want to speculate, but seeing the look on his face, he suddenly recalled that surprised little “Huh?” Xiyue had let out when he’d had dinner with her alone that day...
“No!” Cheng Mingjiao cut in darkly.
Guo Fengnian flinched and refused to let his thoughts go any further. “Then what was it?”
Cheng Mingjiao fell silent again.
Left with no choice, Guo Fengnian put the car into gear and slowly drove out.
“Because she deliberately twisted what I meant. I got angry, and then she wanted to break up with me.” Cheng Mingjiao stripped the matter down to its essentials.
Guo Fengnian, who was driving, was even more confused. “You got angry... shouldn’t you be the one breaking up with her?”
Cheng Mingjiao turned to look out the window.
It was a workday, and the morning rush for most companies had long passed. The asphalt roads in the CBD were empty and quiet, like the lifeless setting of a video game.
He was quiet for a very, very long time. Only after the car had left the business district did he finally speak.
“She probably doesn’t actually want to break up with me.”
Guo Fengnian: “?”
“She saw that I’d ignored her for so long and thought I was going to break up with her.”
Guo Fengnian: “?”
“She doesn’t want to, but she thinks there’s no way to stop me. That’s why she asked whether, after we broke up, I could please not fire her.”
Just now, in the heat of his anger, Cheng Mingjiao hadn’t been able to think through many things. But now that he had calmed down, his clever brain had regained the high ground.
“It’s not that she cares about this job. She’s just afraid that if I fire her, she’ll never be able to see me again... She only wants to stay by my side, even if she can’t be my girlfriend.”
Guo Fengnian: “?”
Cheng Mingjiao took a deep breath and raised a hand to cover his brow and eyes. “You’re right. Knowing she feels so insecure, I shouldn’t have sulked with her.”
Guo Fengnian: “...I didn’t say anything.”
Cheng Mingjiao lowered his hand and sat up a little straighter. “But now that I’ve already left, wouldn’t going back be incredibly embarrassing?”
Guo Fengnian said, “Then you...”
“Forget it. I’m not in the mood to work anyway. I’m not going back. I’ll ask her to come out... But what if she won’t listen to me?”
After all, he had suddenly run off. Even Zhang Xiyue, who liked him so much, might well be a little angry.
Cheng Mingjiao began to fret. After meeting Guo Fengnian’s eyes, he made up his mind in an instant and issued an imperial decree: “You go trick her into coming out.”
Guo Fengnian pointed at his own face. “...Me?”
At the same time, in the CEO’s office at Yu Huang.
Zhang Xiyue waited for ages, but Cheng Mingjiao never came back.
With the meeting time drawing near, she immediately decided to call him. Before she could even dial his number, however, Guo Fengnian sent her a message: Mingjiao is sick.
Zhang Xiyue froze, then promptly called him.
The phone was answered after only one ring. Guo Fengnian’s awkward voice came through the receiver. “Xiyue... good morning.”
“Is President Cheng with you?” Zhang Xiyue asked without preamble.
Inside a car parked by the roadside, Guo Fengnian glanced at Cheng Mingjiao. Cheng Mingjiao immediately turned to look out the window as though he didn’t care, though his ears were practically tilted in Guo Fengnian’s direction.
The perceptive Little Guo turned on the speakerphone. “Yes, he’s with me.”
“He was perfectly fine just now. How did he suddenly get sick?” Zhang Xiyue asked.
Guo Fengnian cleared his throat. “Maybe he wasn’t feeling well even then. He just pretended to be fine because he didn’t want you to worry...”
“What illness?” Zhang Xiyue pressed.
Guo Fengnian looked at Cheng Mingjiao, silently asking what illness he should say it was.
Afraid Zhang Xiyue might hear him, Cheng Mingjiao raised a hand and mimed touching his forehead.
Guo Fengnian said, “Brain cancer.”
Zhang Xiyue: “!!!”
Cheng Mingjiao snatched the phone away and hung up, pointing at him furiously. “A fever! That meant he has a fever!”
“Oh, oh, oh...” Guo Fengnian hurriedly said with a placating smile.
Zhang Xiyue called again, so quickly that it was obvious how worried she was.
Though Cheng Mingjiao was annoyed by Guo Fengnian’s stupidity, the sight of Zhang Xiyue’s name on the screen still smoothed out his tightly furrowed brows.
He handed the phone back to Guo Fengnian, warning him with his eyes not to spout nonsense again.
Under immense pressure, Dr. Guo accepted it with both hands and answered the call again right in front of him.
“Brain cancer?!” Zhang Xiyue’s stunned voice rang out, filling the entire car.
Cheng Mingjiao turned to look out at the roadside once more, a smile suddenly curling at his lips.
“It was a joke, a joke. It’s just a fever...” Guo Fengnian said with an awkward laugh.
“Has he been to the hospital?” Zhang Xiyue asked.
Only after Cheng Mingjiao nodded did Guo Fengnian answer, “He’s already been. I just took him home. He wouldn’t let me stay with him, and there’s no one else at his place. Could you go check on him?”
Zhang Xiyue paused for several seconds. “He... probably doesn’t want to see me right now.”
Her tone was calm, but filled with hesitation and uncertainty.
Cheng Mingjiao’s heart ached a little.
Guo Fengnian’s conscience ached a little too.
“He wants to see you—he definitely does. Just now, he was even secretly looking at your photo,” Guo Fengnian continued persuading her.
Zhang Xiyue: “?”
Cheng Mingjiao had a photo of her?
The moment Guo Fengnian saw the look in Cheng Mingjiao’s eyes, he knew he had put his foot in his mouth again. He hurriedly wrapped things up. “Come over quickly. I need to get back to school.”
With that, he hung up.
After hearing the dead tone from her phone, Zhang Xiyue thought it over for a moment before informing the members of the team that the meeting was temporarily canceled.
The employees who had been at a loss as to how they were going to report their work immediately erupted into cheers.
Zhang Xiyue had no time to join their celebration. She adjusted the timing of all of today’s tasks as quickly as possible, then drove straight to the villa.
When she arrived at Cheng Mingjiao’s house, it was utterly quiet, as if no one were home.
Zhang Xiyue went to the foot of the stairs and called up twice, “Mr. Cheng?”
No one answered.
She took out her phone and messaged him: *Mr. Cheng, are you resting?*
Cheng Mingjiao replied almost immediately: *I feel awful.*
Seeing that he was willing to respond, Zhang Xiyue breathed a sigh of relief, and her fingers flew over the keyboard: *Have you taken your medicine?*
Cheng Mingjiao: *Mm.*
Zhang Xiyue: *I’m downstairs. Call me if you need anything.*
Her considerate yet clearly bounded message made Cheng Mingjiao’s heart ache again.
Cheng Mingjiao: *Come upstairs now.*
He even thoughtfully sent her a layout of the villa, marking his bedroom with a large check.
Zhang Xiyue hesitated for a second, but ultimately headed upstairs.
Ever since she had become Cheng Mingjiao’s executive assistant, she came to this villa nearly every workday, but this was the first time she had gone upstairs.
Following the map Cheng Mingjiao had sent her, Zhang Xiyue soon reached his room.
Knock, knock, knock.
She knocked three times, then pressed down on the handle and entered without waiting for a response.
The curtains were drawn, leaving the room dim. The first thing she did after stepping inside was look toward the large bed against the wall, only to find the covers neatly made.
Where was Cheng Mingjiao?
A flicker of confusion crossed her eyes. She was just about to call out to him when a strong hand seized her arm. The next moment, her body was lifted off the floor and pinned against the wall.
“Mr. Cheng…”
She cried out in surprise, but in the next second, her lips were covered by his.
Everything happened so suddenly that by the time she came to her senses, she was trapped between Cheng Mingjiao and the wall. Both her feet were standing on his slippers, and she could barely keep her balance thanks only to the hands he had clasped around her waist.
Cheng Mingjiao’s kiss was fierce, frantic, and utterly lacking in restraint, as if he wanted to devour her whole.
Zhang Xiyue could hardly breathe. Her tongue and the root of it were numb and sore, leaving her unable to speak. After a long moment, she pushed against his chest and turned her face away, gasping for breath.
Cheng Mingjiao still tried to follow her for another kiss. She hurriedly stopped him. “Mr. Cheng, wait a moment…”
“No waiting,” Cheng Mingjiao muttered against her lips as he bit them lightly. “I don’t want to wait.”
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
Why had he suddenly become so affectionate out of nowhere?
As if he knew what she was thinking, Cheng Mingjiao clung to her and let out a soft hum. “I want to apologize to you.”
Zhang Xiyue: “?”
“I shouldn’t have ignored you.” Seeing that she truly did not want to kiss him, Cheng Mingjiao simply left her lips and kissed her ear instead. “I shouldn’t have deliberately shut you out… Zhang Xiyue, please don’t be angry with me, all right?”
His lips sparked fires everywhere they touched. Zhang Xiyue’s shoulders trembled with ticklish laughter. She tried to push him away, but had no strength behind it; instead, she went soft, nearly hanging off him.
When no answer came for a long while, Cheng Mingjiao asked, “Zhang Xiyue, why aren’t you saying anything?”
Zhang Xiyue: “...”
She was busy stopping his wandering hands. How was she supposed to have time to talk?
Cheng Mingjiao thought, as expected, she was still angry.
“I’ve never been in a relationship before. I didn’t know how to treat you. So when I got upset, I instinctively ignored you the way I would ignore a friend. I know now that was wrong. I won’t do that again. Please don’t be angry with me anymore.”
There was already a note of hurt in his voice, though his face still tried to maintain an air of restraint.
Zhang Xiyue gave a soft huff and, through his shirt, caught the hand resting against her waist.
“I’m not angry with you...” Weakly lowering her head, she buried her face against his neck. “I’m the one who should apologize. I shouldn’t have deliberately picked on you just because I was in a bad mood.”
Zhang Xiyue admitted her mistakes and corrected them.
Zhang Xiyue was a good Zhang Xiyue.
Cheng Mingjiao kissed the top of her head. “I’m not angry with you anymore either. But from now on, you have to cherish me, the way I cherish you.”
“...Okay.”
Cheng Mingjiao caught Zhang Xiyue as she slowly slid downward, holding her securely in his arms.
Suddenly, Zhang Xiyue was taller than Cheng Mingjiao, and had to lower her head to see his eyes clearly.
They looked at each other in silence. Neither spoke.
Once Zhang Xiyue had rested enough, she took the initiative and kissed Cheng Mingjiao on the lips.
This time, Cheng Mingjiao was no longer as fierce as before. He quietly accepted her kiss.
When her lips left his, he said, “That night, I bought some contraceptives, but we didn’t use them.”
Zhang Xiyue gave a quiet laugh and looped her arms around his neck. “Did you throw them away?”
Cheng Mingjiao said, “No. I brought them back. They’re all in the drawer.”
Her fingertip traced over his full forehead, down the bridge of his nose, and finally came to rest on his lips. “Then we’ll use them today.”
A smile flickered in Cheng Mingjiao’s eyes. All of a sudden, he didn’t understand what he had been stubbornly holding onto these past few days.
Zhang Xiyue might have failed to treasure him for one brief moment, but most of the time, she loved him.
He shouldn’t have nitpicked with a Zhang Xiyue who loved him so much.
The mattress sank beneath them, and the neatly spread sheets became crumpled.
The dark brown sheets resembled rich, fertile earth, which, after a long, long drought, welcomed its first drop of rain.
Then more followed.
Molecules of moisture collided and gathered in the air, gradually becoming a damp haze that filled the bedroom. The lilies on the corner cabinet, having drunk their fill, were forced into bloom, releasing their faint fragrance.
In the dim light, their overlapping figures blurred together. Cheng Mingjiao’s arched back was broad, covered in a scale-like sheen of sweat. Every inch of muscle was taut with explosive force as he completely shielded Zhang Xiyue from view.
At first, Zhang Xiyue’s dress was bunched around her waist. Later, it lay in a heap on the carpet.
At first, Zhang Xiyue was out in the open air; then beneath the covers. Finally, trembling, she stretched out one hand and clutched at the bedsheet, trying to escape—only for another hand, broader and longer than hers, to seize it and pull her back beneath the covers with unquestionable force.
On a weekday morning when she should have been at the office, Zhang Xiyue ended up spending it in the bedroom instead. For more than ten minutes, her mind had been utterly blank. By the time she came back to herself, Cheng Mingjiao had her wrapped up in his arms and legs, leaving her completely unable to move.
Their eyes met.
“Zhang Xiyue,” Cheng Mingjiao said, “you were still calling me President Cheng just now.”
Zhang Xiyue: “...”
“Don’t you think that, after what we’ve done, calling me President Cheng is no longer appropriate?” he asked.
After a brief silence, Zhang Xiyue asked, “Then what should I call you?”
Cheng Mingjiao: “...”
He had heard a similar question just a few days ago.
Hearing her ask it again now made him a little twitchy.
Zhang Xiyue seemed to realize it too. Her voice was a little hoarse, but she still smiled as she said, “I really do want to know. I’m not trying to tease you.”
Only then did Cheng Mingjiao relax. Generously, he said, “Call me whatever you want, as long as it’s not President Cheng.”
Zhang Xiyue considered it for a long while before trying, “Zhuangzhuang?”
Cheng Mingjiao: “...”
Damn Lu Xue. She had corrupted his girlfriend before they had even met.
Seeing his expression, Zhang Xiyue couldn’t help laughing. Cheng Mingjiao’s face softened a little, and he said reluctantly, “You just said you weren’t going to tease me.”
“Is this not okay either?” Zhang Xiyue asked earnestly, looking as though she would never do it again if he said no.
In her eyes, Cheng Mingjiao saw how much she cared about him. With a soft huff, he mumbled, “Whatever. But Zhuangzhuang really is a terrible name.”
Zhang Xiyue smiled silently, kissed his chin, then pushed herself up and whispered into his ear, “Zhuangzhuang.”
Cheng Mingjiao: “...”
He took back what he had just said.
It was actually a pretty nice name. Mostly, it depended on who was saying it.
When Zhang Xiyue said it, it sounded wonderful.
Cheng Mingjiao pulled his girlfriend, who had slipped out of his embrace, back into his arms. Holding her tightly, he said in a muffled voice, “I promise I won’t give you the cold shoulder again. But I can’t promise I won’t ever get mad at you. If I do get mad again, can you coax me a little more? Don’t just say you’re sorry and leave. And don’t be like you were the other day—testing the waters over and over, too afraid to come close.”
Zhang Xiyue hadn’t expected that he had noticed everything she had done over the past few days. After a moment of silence, she said, “I was afraid I wouldn’t know where the line was.”
“What boundaries does a girlfriend need when she’s coaxing her boyfriend?” Cheng Mingjiao gave her a puzzled look. “Just coax me however you want.”
Zhang Xiyue thought about it, cupped his face, and kissed him. “Like this?”
Cheng Mingjiao gave a soft hum.
Zhang Xiyue looped her arms around his neck. “Like this?”
The corners of Cheng Mingjiao’s lips curled upward despite himself.
Zhang Xiyue moved even closer, pressing the tip of her nose to his. “Like this?”
Cheng Mingjiao was already tempted. He hugged her tightly and refused to let go. “Want to do it again?”
Zhang Xiyue: “...”
Cheng Mingjiao said, “I can use my hand too. You seem to really like my hands. Maybe it’s because my fingers have calluses from working out all year—they add a little extra friction when I use them...”
“...I’m hungry. Let’s eat,” Zhang Xiyue cut him off firmly.
Cheng Mingjiao paused, visibly disappointed.
Lunch had been delivered from a nearby hotel. By the time they finally sat down to eat, it was already two in the afternoon.
Cheng Mingjiao was refreshed and invigorated, eating an extra bowl of rice compared with usual. Zhang Xiyue had a good appetite as well, though she was nowhere near his match.
After all that strenuous physical exertion, neither of them had the attention to spare for conversation. They focused instead on replenishing the nutrients their bodies needed.
Just as Zhang Xiyue was eating with concentration, her phone suddenly chimed. She casually picked it up and opened it, only to find a message from Chen Ming.
[Sis Yue, I met a girl today.]
[She’s really special.]
