Cheng Mingjiao showed up at her door in the middle of the night.
He had only wanted to fulfill Zhang Xiyue’s wish to move in with him as soon as possible, which was why he’d rushed over right after hanging up. But when he actually appeared at her doorstep, his eyes nearly filled with tears.
Hearing the knock, Zhang Xiyue hurried to answer the door. The moment she opened it, she saw his reddened eyes.
She jumped. “What happened to you—”
Before she could finish, Cheng Mingjiao wrapped her in a tight embrace.
“Zhang Xiyue, how can you live in such a terrible place...?”
His voice was muffled, and he sounded utterly miserable.
Zhang Xiyue, who had moved into this lavishly renovated, 120-square-meter apartment in a prime location just two months ago: “...”
Cheng Mingjiao’s heart was steeped in sorrow. He refused to listen to Zhang Xiyue’s explanations, and even after entering the apartment, he was still blaming himself.
Not knowing how else to comfort him, Zhang Xiyue simply brought him a small cake.
“I’m not hungry,” Cheng Mingjiao refused. Even while wallowing in guilt, he still had to lecture her. “And it’s so late. Why are you giving me food? Zhang Xiyue, don’t tell me you eat in the middle of the night all the time. That’s really unhealthy.”
“Eat it,” Zhang Xiyue said, not bothering to argue with him.
Cheng Mingjiao gave her a resentful look, then reluctantly took the cake.
Zhang Xiyue watched him eat it bite by bite, then handed him a bottle of juice.
Cheng Mingjiao took two sips before setting it down. Instantly energized, he declared, “Zhang Xiyue, let’s go home.”
Zhang Xiyue: Sugar really did work wonders.
“Don’t worry about your luggage. I’ve already booked a professional moving company. They’ll come pack everything up tomorrow morning. You just need to come with me.” Cheng Mingjiao’s eyes shone, brimming with impatience.
Although Zhang Xiyue had called him less than an hour ago to bring up moving in together, she hadn’t expected him to rush over in the middle of the night. She was completely unprepared.
“...It’s too late tonight. I’ll come over after all my things have been moved,” she declined tactfully.
Cheng Mingjiao failed to catch the tact in her words. “It is a little late. Then we should hurry home and get some sleep.”
Zhang Xiyue: “...”
Her unusually prolonged silence made Cheng Mingjiao realize something was wrong. “You changed your mind?”
“Um...”
“Zhang Xiyue, you can’t do this to me.” Cheng Mingjiao immediately went on the defensive. “You were the one who said you wanted to move in together, so I sacrificed my sleep to come pick you up. Do you know how hard it is to find a designated driver at this hour?”
“I didn’t change my mind. I just didn’t expect you to come rushing over in the middle of the night...”
“What do you mean by that?” Cheng Mingjiao grew even more sensitive. “I made a special trip because I wanted to grant your wish, but you’re making it sound like I’m the one dying to move in together.”
Zhang Xiyue blinked. “Aren’t you?”
“I...”
The stubborn words had already reached his lips, but the next second, Cheng Mingjiao met Zhang Xiyue’s gaze and realized that if he really said them, she might refuse to go with him after all.
The Emperor, who would argue even with the heavens themselves, sullenly shut his mouth and turned his face away, unwilling to look at her.
Zhang Xiyue noticed that, likely because he had been in such a rush, he had buttoned his shirt incorrectly by two buttons. Her heart softened.
“Okay, I haven’t changed my mind. I was just caught off guard. Don’t be upset over this.”
Cheng Mingjiao shot her a sidelong look, still wearing the expression of someone not easily placated.
Zhang Xiyue smiled and straightened the buttons on his shirt.
It was such a small, casual gesture, yet Cheng Mingjiao was lost in a daze for a long while.
Because it reminded him of his parents.
His parents had been married for decades and rarely even argued. As both the product and witness of their marriage, the scene he saw most often was his mother tidying his father’s clothes.
Cheng Mingjiao really didn’t want to move in together now. He wanted to get married straight away.
Too bad the Civil Affairs Bureau wasn’t open at this hour. Otherwise, he would have tricked Zhang Xiyue into going there with him to get their marriage certificate.
Ah, no, tricking her there wouldn’t be right either.
Zhang Xiyue was a bad Zhang Xiyue. She hadn’t even given him a proper confession, yet she had somehow coaxed him into becoming hers.
But Cheng Mingjiao wasn’t a bad Cheng Mingjiao. Before they got married, he had to give her a grand proposal, at the very least.
After fastening his buttons and smoothing his shirt, Zhang Xiyue looked up to find him staring blankly into space.
“Zhuangzhuang,” she called.
Cheng Mingjiao came back to himself and lowered his gaze to meet hers.
They remained silent for a long moment before finally sharing a tender, lingering kiss.
When their lips parted, Cheng Mingjiao’s breathing was still uneven, but he was the first to compromise. “Since you think it’s too soon, I won’t push you.”
Zhang Xiyue’s eyes flickered. She didn’t believe he could be so considerate.
“I’ll stay here, then,” Cheng Mingjiao added.
After saying that, he cast a disdainful glance around the living room.
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
Should she let the Emperor stay and fall asleep amid his complaints about her apartment, or obediently go with him?
Zhang Xiyue chose the latter without hesitation.
On the way downstairs, they were the only two people in the elevator. Cheng Mingjiao looked at their reflections standing side by side in the metal doors and suddenly began humming “Happy Birthday.”
Zhang Xiyue turned toward him. He immediately fell silent. Though his expression did not change at all, his entire body radiated the unmistakable message: If you dare laugh at me, I’ll bristle.
Pretending she hadn’t heard a thing, Zhang Xiyue asked, “Oh, right. Did you call a designated driver when you came over?”
Seeing that she had no intention of making fun of him, Cheng Mingjiao relaxed. “Yeah.”
“Why didn’t you drive yourself?” Zhang Xiyue didn’t understand.
Cheng Mingjiao was quiet for a few seconds before saying, “I don’t have a driver’s license.”
Zhang Xiyue: “?”
Before she could say anything, he began defending himself. “Something like a driver’s license, which everyone can take a test for, is far too easy. I couldn’t be bothered.”
Zhang Xiyue was briefly speechless. Thinking about it carefully, every time he went out, either his assistant or a chauffeur drove. She had never once seen him touch a steering wheel.
“If you don’t have a license… why buy so many cars?” Zhang Xiyue truly couldn’t understand.
Cheng Mingjiao gave a soft snort. “Because I like them.”
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
The Emperor truly was wealthy and willful.
They fell silent again. It wasn’t until they were in the car, after Cheng Mingjiao had fastened his seat belt, that he hesitantly spoke up. “Fine. Actually, I did try to get a license…”
Zhang Xiyue slowly started the car, sparing him a glance.
Cheng Mingjiao steeled himself. “I took the written test twice. Failed both times.”
Zhang Xiyue’s expression remained perfectly calm. “How could that be? You’re so smart, and the written test is so easy. There’s no reason you shouldn’t have passed.”
Cheng Mingjiao pressed his lips together. “I don’t like their correct answers.”
Zhang Xiyue glanced at him again.
“I remember one question very clearly,” Cheng Mingjiao said with a disdainful look. “You’re driving normally when someone suddenly darts across the road, blocks your car, and starts yelling. What should you do? The correct answer was: yield to the pedestrian.”
Zhang Xiyue humbly asked, “Then what do you think you should do?”
Cheng Mingjiao said, “Depends on the situation.”
Zhang Xiyue: “?”
“If it’s an elderly person or a minor, let them go first. If it’s a mentally sound young or middle-aged adult, run them over.”
Zhang Xiyue: “...”
Well. In a way, that was still respecting the elderly and caring for the young.
If she had only just met him, she wouldn’t have doubted for a second that he would actually do it—just like back then in the parking lot at Yunxi Temple.
But after spending more time with him, she had come to realize that although he was difficult to deal with, he was remarkably law-abiding.
The thing about running them over was just empty bravado. If something like that really happened, he would only pull over to the side of the road.
Then he’d call Zhou Ce and demand that he uncover everything about the person within three minutes, before mobilizing the legal team for full-scale battle and letting the other party learn the consequences of offending the emperor.
Imagining Cheng Mingjiao’s fighting spirit blazing in a situation like that, Zhang Xiyue couldn’t help curling her lips into a smile.
Cheng Mingjiao turned his head just then. The lights from a roadside barbecue restaurant swept across Zhang Xiyue’s face, exposing the smile at the corner of her mouth.
He fell quiet for a moment, then said, “But I’m planning to take the test again.”
The light had turned red.
Zhang Xiyue stopped the car and asked, “Why?”
Hadn’t he said he didn’t like those so-called correct answers?
Why did he want to take it again now?
It was already close to midnight, long past Cheng Mingjiao’s usual bedtime.
He lounged lazily in the passenger seat, drowsiness washing over him in waves. “Because I need to make sure that whenever I miss you in the future, I can go see you right away instead of waiting for a driver first.”
The red light’s countdown had begun in earnest. Cheng Mingjiao’s voice was soft and unhurried, like a murmur exchanged in intimate closeness.
His eyelids grew heavier and heavier. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he suddenly startled awake. “Zhang Xiyue, it’s green.”
Zhang Xiyue came back to herself and stepped on the gas, driving through the intersection.
“If you don’t like taking the test, then don’t,” she said, both hands on the steering wheel and her eyes fixed earnestly on the road ahead. “Don’t force yourself for my sake. We’ll be living together anyway. If you want to see me, you won’t need to drive to do it.”
Cheng Mingjiao finally closed his eyes completely, though the corners of his lips lifted high. “Zhang Xiyue, you’re right.”
After that, Cheng Mingjiao’s memories were rather hazy. He only vaguely remembered Zhang Xiyue waking him after they entered the garage, then him yawning as he followed her home.
By the time he was fully awake, it was already past nine the next morning.
Cheng Mingjiao rolled over, reaching out with his arm—only to grasp empty air. Unable to hold the person he wanted to hold, he immediately sat upright.
Zhang Xiyue wasn’t in bed, nor anywhere within his sight.
Had Zhang Xiyue run away?
Remembering that she hadn’t exactly been willing when she came back with him the night before, Cheng Mingjiao’s heart tightened. He pulled out his phone, ready to call her.
Before he could even open his contacts, he saw an unread message she had sent half an hour ago:
I went to make breakfast.
It was as though she had guessed exactly how much he would overthink things if he woke up and couldn’t find her.
Cheng Mingjiao relaxed, then felt as though Zhang Xiyue had seen right through him.
This wouldn’t do.
This was dangerous.
At this rate, Zhang Xiyue would have him completely wrapped around her finger.
But after thinking it over seriously for a long time, Cheng Mingjiao simply couldn’t come up with any downside to being wrapped around her finger. So, humming “Happy Birthday,” he got out of bed and spent nearly twenty minutes meticulously getting ready before going downstairs.
The moment he reached the first floor, he heard sounds coming from the kitchen.
Following the noise, Cheng Mingjiao made his way lightly to the kitchen doorway. There, he found Zhang Xiyue wearing his shirt and the apron she wore most often, toasting bread for him.
The shirt fit him perfectly, but on her it looked so oversized—loose and draping. She had to fold the sleeves several times just to get them up to her elbows, and the hem nearly reached the middle of her thighs. Her long legs swayed as she moved.
Zhang Xiyue looked incredibly sexy like that.
Yet seeing her busy in the kitchen, Cheng Mingjiao felt no desire at all. He simply walked over quietly and wrapped his arms around her from behind.
His warm chest pressed against her back. Zhang Xiyue’s shoulders lifted slightly, but she didn’t push him away.
“I came over in such a hurry yesterday that I didn’t bring any clothes,” she said. “I can only make do with yours for now.”
“Mm.” Cheng Mingjiao held her tighter, his voice muffled. “I like it when you wear my clothes.”
Zhang Xiyue smiled and patted his hands. “Let go. Breakfast is ready.”
Cheng Mingjiao obediently released her and went to sit at the dining table.
Zhang Xiyue brought breakfast over, then handed him his bowl and chopsticks. Only after waiting on the Emperor did she sit down across from him.
“When I woke up this morning, I was worried there wouldn’t be enough spare toiletries,” Zhang Xiyue said, sharing her discovery with him. “But then I found the things we bought together before in the storage room. There’s more than enough.”
Cheng Mingjiao looked rather pleased with himself. “I really am quite thorough.”
“Hm?” Zhang Xiyue didn’t understand.
In an instant, Cheng Mingjiao put on a serious expression. “I mean, after breakfast, let’s go to the mall and look around. We need to get some things for the house.”
Now that they were going to live together, plenty of things needed replacing. For instance, the single armchair in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows in his bedroom. Or the bathtub, which was spacious for one person but far too cramped for two.
“There’s a lot I need to buy,” he said earnestly.
Zhang Xiyue had no idea what he wanted to buy, but she nodded out of habit. “My clothes should be dry by now. I’ll go change first.”
“Okay.”
Zhang Xiyue thought it would just be an ordinary trip to the mall.
She hadn’t expected them to run into Gu Feng and Qing Tian there.
…The last time they had met was at a furniture store. This time, it was in a brand-name bath-products shop at the mall.
Those two really loved shopping for this kind of thing!
Zhang Xiyue put on a smile. After greeting them, she turned to observe Cheng Mingjiao’s reaction.
Cheng Mingjiao was studying a temperature-controlled bathtub, seemingly uninterested in Gu Feng and Qing Tian’s appearance.
Gu Feng and Qing Tian appeared equally uninterested in him.
After exchanging a few more words with the male and female leads, Zhang Xiyue went to Cheng Mingjiao.
“Have you made your choice?” she asked.
Cheng Mingjiao took her hand. “I’ve got my eye on two models. One has better slip resistance, while the other has more features. Which do you think is better?”
“Pick the one you like,” Zhang Xiyue said.
Cheng Mingjiao was dissatisfied. “Zhang Xiyue, you need to have an opinion of your own.”
Zhang Xiyue said, “Either is fine with me.”
Cheng Mingjiao: “...”
Forget it. Zhang Xiyue really did like him so much that she’d lost all sense of self.
He shouldn’t push her.
“Honestly, I have to make every decision myself...” he grumbled, half joking and half sincere.
From beginning to end, he didn’t mention Gu Feng or Qing Tian even once.
While Zhang Xiyue felt relieved, she also found it strange.
If he cared so much about the male and female leads, why was he ignoring them so completely?
But if he didn’t care, why had her progress bar dropped to zero?
None of it made any sense.
Zhang Xiyue had the nagging feeling that something was off, as though she had overlooked some crucial piece of information. Otherwise, why would Cheng Mingjiao’s emotions be moving in the exact opposite direction from her progress bar?
As she pondered this seriously, Cheng Mingjiao appeared in front of her with the receipt in hand. “Let’s go.”
Zhang Xiyue came back to herself. “...You’ve finished buying them?”
“Mm.”
“Which one did you get?”
“I got both.” Cheng Mingjiao looked quite proud of himself. “I agonized over it for ages, then suddenly remembered that my house is huge. It could fit eight bathtubs, and I’m rich enough to buy the entire mall.”
Zhang Xiyue: “...”
Why was he suddenly showing off?
Cheng Mingjiao was in an excellent mood now and didn’t notice her speechless expression. He enthusiastically began listing all the things he wanted to buy.
Just as he was going through his shopping list item by item, he suddenly clicked his tongue.
Zhang Xiyue looked up.
“Counterfeit.” Cheng Mingjiao folded his arms and looked outside with amused interest.
Following his gaze, Zhang Xiyue saw the boy she had run into twice before.
It had been quite some time since they last met, and the brace on his arm had been removed.
Compared with before, his hair had grown longer, and he looked even thinner. He was like a sheet of paper—so frail that a gust of wind might knock him over. His expression was tense as well.
“What’s he skulking around here for?” Cheng Mingjiao asked curiously.
The moment Zhang Xiyue heard that, a bad feeling rose in her chest. “Don’t—”
Too late.
Cheng Mingjiao’s voice boomed, “Hey, Counterfeit!”
This time, not only did the boy look over, but even passersby turned to stare in their direction.
“What are you doing here?” With so many eyes on him, Cheng Mingjiao felt no pressure whatsoever. He asked with complete frankness, “Guo Fengnian said your stepmother fired you?”
Zhang Xiyue: “...”
Was it really okay to ask something like that so bluntly?
She tugged at Cheng Mingjiao’s arm, signaling for him not to be so direct.
It was useless.
Cheng Mingjiao looked disgusted. “I told you before, didn’t I? Your family company has long been under your father and stepmother’s control. Even if your grandmother backs you up, you won’t be able to hold on much longer. Instead of wasting time there, while your grandmother hasn’t completely lost her mind yet, you should try to get hold of more real estate. Later on... Why are you leaving?”
Cheng Mingjiao had offered his advice with the best of intentions, but not only had Counterfeit failed to appreciate it—he had simply turned around and left.
Cheng Mingjiao bristled instantly, ready to go after him and demand an explanation.
Zhang Xiyue quickly stopped him. “All right, all right. Don’t chase after him...”
“He doesn’t know what’s good for him!” Cheng Mingjiao snapped.
“He left in such a hurry. He probably has something he needs to take care of. Don’t be angry...”
As she soothed him, her mind wandered. A biological father, a stepmother, and a grandmother... It sounded a little like what Chen Ming had gone through.
Could it be that wealthy people’s misfortunes were all alike, too?
Thinking of Chen Ming reminded her of yesterday’s phone call, and she could not help feeling worried.
Lately, she had been busy pushing the progress bar forward and had spoken with Chen Ming very little. Especially over the past two weeks, he had stopped asking about work altogether. Even when he did talk to her, it was only about ordinary things in daily life.
He hardly mentioned that girl anymore, either.
She should find time to call him again.
Zhang Xiyue sighed and spent a while longer calming Cheng Mingjiao down.
“He really is so annoying,” Cheng Mingjiao complained after his anger had finally subsided.
Zhang Xiyue did not know whether to laugh or cry. She wanted to say, You called him Counterfeit and lectured him so condescendingly. The fact that he didn’t argue back or hit you already makes him a pretty decent person.
Of course, she could not say that.
Zhang Xiyue comforted him a little more. As they headed out together, she asked, “Why do you and Guo Fengnian call him Counterfeit, anyway?”
“Because his father deliberately gave him a name modeled after mine.” Cheng Mingjiao looked up, spotted a clothing store, and was suddenly inspired. “Zhang Xiyue, let’s buy matching pajamas.”
He changed the subject so abruptly that Zhang Xiyue had no time to think before he dragged her into the store.
The two of them spent most of the day wandering around the mall. By the time they returned home, Zhang Xiyue’s belongings had just been delivered. Under Cheng Mingjiao’s direction, everything was put away neatly, piece by piece.
Looking at all the things in the apartment that now belonged to Zhang Xiyue, Cheng Mingjiao suddenly felt oddly stirred.
Zhang Xiyue, on the other hand, did not feel much about it. But when they lay in the same bed that night, it was difficult for her to think about anything related to her mission.
“Zhang Xiyue...” Cheng Mingjiao knelt on the bed, bent over her, and gripped her waist tightly. Leaning close to her ear, he said, “I think living together is pretty great too.”
Zhang Xiyue could not hear a word he was saying. She merely responded instinctively.
Cheng Mingjiao smiled and kissed her ear again. “I had someone negotiate with your landlord. They agreed to deduct one month’s rent and return the rest of your money.”
Why was he suddenly talking about that again?
Zhang Xiyue let out a muffled moan. When he pulled away, she turned back in confusion.
Meeting her gaze, Cheng Mingjiao’s lips curled into a smug smile. “I know people as poor as you care most about this kind of small change, so I did my best to keep your losses to a minimum.”
Zhang Xiyue: “...”
“What did you say?” Cheng Mingjiao leaned closer to listen.
Zhang Xiyue said, “Shut... up!”
Cheng Mingjiao: “...”
Afterward, the two of them showered together, changed into their matching pajamas, and lay back down.
It was exactly ten thirty.
Cheng Mingjiao closed his eyes and wrapped both his arms and legs tightly around Zhang Xiyue.
Zhang Xiyue struggled twice but couldn’t break free, so she let him hold her.
The lights were already off, and the room was pitch-black.
Zhang Xiyue wasn’t sleepy. After lying quietly for a while, she asked Cheng Mingjiao, “How did you get in touch with my landlord?”
“...Hm?” Cheng Mingjiao murmured blankly.
Zhang Xiyue asked, “Do you know her?”
“No.” Cheng Mingjiao tightened his arms around her.
Zhang Xiyue was genuinely curious about the novel world’s astonishing ability to dig up personal information. “Then how did you find her? Did you go to the Citizen Services Center to look up property records? Or did you contact an agency?”
“Neither.” Cheng Mingjiao answered with his eyes closed. “I saw the information you left with the company. You listed your landlord as your emergency contact.”
Zhang Xiyue had imagined all sorts of possibilities, but she hadn’t expected his method of finding her to be so... simple and reasonable.
After her grandmother passed away, she had no family left. She also worked alone in a big city, while her friends all lived far away. Once, she had fainted from low blood sugar in her rented apartment. When the company couldn’t reach her, they eventually had to call the police, who forced open the door and took her to the hospital.
After that, whenever she rented a place, she always chose one whose landlord lived locally. She would then discuss it with them and put their information down as her emergency contact.
She had carried that habit with her into the novel’s world.
When she moved into her current place, she had even gone to Human Resources specifically to change her emergency contact to her new landlord.
She hadn’t expected that to make things convenient for Cheng Mingjiao.
“Zhuangzhuang is so smart,” Zhang Xiyue praised him generously.
Cheng Mingjiao was too sleepy to react. Even after hearing the compliment, he merely wrapped himself around her more tightly.
Listening to his breathing gradually grow heavier, Zhang Xiyue stopped disturbing him.
Summer had already passed. Even without turning on the air conditioner, the room had begun to feel cool.
Cheng Mingjiao’s embrace, however, was warm.
Entangled in that warmth, Zhang Xiyue’s eyelids gradually grew heavy.
“Zhang Xiyue,” Cheng Mingjiao suddenly said, sounding as if he were sleepwalking.
“Hmm?” Zhang Xiyue answered.
In the darkness, Cheng Mingjiao’s breathing stopped for two seconds before he continued, “I changed your emergency contact to me.”
Zhang Xiyue: “...Okay.”
Cheng Mingjiao rubbed his cheek against hers, then sank back into a baby’s deep sleep.
Zhang Xiyue slept very well. It would have been even better if she hadn’t seen that the progress bar was still at zero the next morning.
She sat on the bed and scratched at her hair, then checked the progress bar again.
Still zero.
Cheng Mingjiao was awake, too. He rolled over and buried his face in her stomach. “Good morning, Zhang Xiyue.”
His voice was still slightly hoarse with sleep, and his mood was so good that even the end of his sentence seemed to ripple upward.
After lounging against Zhang Xiyue to his heart’s content, he lifted his head. “I’ll work hard today, too.”
Looking at his handsome face, Zhang Xiyue once again wondered what exactly had gone wrong.
Still completely baffled, she went downstairs. She had barely reached the living room when Cheng Mingjiao followed her over and cupped her face, kissing her several times.
“I’m hungry,” he said.
“I’ll make breakfast,” Zhang Xiyue replied.
“Okay.”
The brief exchange ended, and the two of them met each other’s gaze. Suddenly, they realized something—
Today was Monday.
Monday...
Zhang Xiyue swallowed hard, turning her head at almost the exact same moment as Cheng Mingjiao.
Zhou Ce stood in the kitchen doorway with a spatula in hand, staring blankly at them as though he were looking at an alien and a prehistoric dinosaur.
Zhang Xiyue’s head was about to split in two. “Assistant Zhou, let me explain. Mr. Cheng and I—”
“We’re dating,” Cheng Mingjiao said succinctly.
Zhang Xiyue: “...”
Zhou Ce: “...”
“Keep it confidential, or you’re fired,” the Tyrant threatened.
Zhang Xiyue: “...”
Zhou Ce: “...”
“Well, this works out. From now on, Zhou Ce can cover for us when we go on dates.” Cheng Mingjiao seemed quite pleased that their relationship had been partially exposed.
Zhang Xiyue gave a dry laugh and looked up at Zhou Ce.
Zhou Ce... Zhou Ce found this hard to accept. Just two days ago, she had been complaining about the Emperor with them in the group chat. And now she had turned around and become the Empress.
How was that any different from betraying the organization?
Sensing Zhou Ce’s aggrieved indignation, Zhang Xiyue felt even more awkward.
Cheng Mingjiao, utterly unable to read the room, took Zhang Xiyue’s hand and led her toward the dining table. Then he thought of something else. “Oh, right. You won’t need to pick me up and drop me off anymore. Zhang Xiyue will commute with me from now on.”
Overcome with excitement, Zhou Ce blurted out, “Thank you for Your Majesty’s grace!”
Cheng Mingjiao: “?”
Zhou Ce: “Um... well...”
Zhang Xiyue said, “He means he’s a little sad that he won’t have to get up early to pick you up anymore.”
Zhou Ce: “Right. A little sad.”
Cheng Mingjiao gave Zhou Ce a glance. “I’ll raise your salary.”
Zhou Ce: “!!!”
From then on, he would wholeheartedly support this Emperor and Empress.
Having secured his reward, Zhou Ce promptly made his exit, leaving the stage—and the lavish breakfast—to the imperial couple.
Two minutes later, Zhang Xiyue received a message from Zhou Ce: May I boldly ask whether you have masochistic tendencies?
Zhang Xiyue: ...That certainly is bold.
Zhou Ce: Why?! How could anyone in this world possibly like their own boss?!
Zhang Xiyue didn’t know how to explain it either, so she could only reply: Because it’s true love.
Zhou Ce was typing for a long time before deleting everything and sending a meme instead: [I think you’ve lost your mind.jpg]
Zhang Xiyue smiled. When she looked up, she met Cheng Mingjiao’s gaze.
“Zhang Xiyue, I want to renovate the basement,” he said.
Zhang Xiyue froze.
In the original novel, after the supporting male character realized that no matter how hard he tried, the heroine loved only the male lead, he finally snapped completely.
He bought a villa and turned its basement into a luxurious prison with exceptional soundproofing, then summoned the heroine there.
He had already made up his mind: he would give them both seven days.
If the heroine could fall in love with him during those seven days, they would date, marry, and have children like a normal couple. If she still could not love him, he would let her go, while he himself would remain there forever.
But less than half an hour after the heroine arrived, the male lead burst in and ruined his plan completely.
What followed was the male lead’s retaliation, which left his already barren life even more empty. He had been utterly despairing from the moment the heroine left with the male lead. Later, on a bright and breezy afternoon, he ended his young life.
Cheng Mingjiao had not gone bankrupt. Nor, as in the original novel, had he been reduced to living in a high-end apartment the moment he appeared.
So he had no need to buy a villa.
When the thought of imprisoning the heroine crossed his mind, all he had to do was renovate the basement of his current villa.
…But why?
Yesterday, he had acted as though he cared so little about the heroine. Why was he still having thoughts like this?
Zhang Xiyue stared steadily at Cheng Mingjiao. She refused to believe his acting was good enough to deceive even himself, so there was probably only one reason he would do this…
He was being influenced by the plot.
The heroine’s pull on the male supporting characters was innate. Even though Cheng Mingjiao was already dating her, thoughts that belonged to the original novel still occasionally surfaced in his mind.
After a long silence, Zhang Xiyue leaned back in her chair. “Fine. Go ahead and renovate it.”
Cheng Mingjiao said, “I want the soundproofing to be excellent.”
Zhang Xiyue smiled. “Sure.”
Cheng Mingjiao continued, “The bar and home theater are already there. Add a few more things—make sure it has everything we could possibly need. Even if we stayed down there for seven days, we wouldn’t get bored.”
That way, when the next long holiday came around, he and Zhang Xiyue wouldn’t have to go anywhere.
At the sensitive mention of “seven days,” Zhang Xiyue remained perfectly composed. “All right.”
She wanted to see whether, once the basement was finished, he would follow the plot and trick the heroine into coming over.
If he really did that, she would take an extended leave from work and stay in the basement twenty-four hours a day too.
Then, when Gu Feng showed up, the four of them could make up a perfect mahjong table.
