Liu Ronghua spotted a familiar figure as she was eating.

Ruan Danchen?

Momentarily startled, Liu Ronghua stared at the figure and she was convinced it was Ruan Danchen. She would not mistake another person for her.

“I have to go to the washroom,” said Liu Ronghua immediately. She stood up and followed Ruan Danchen.

“Danchen.” Liu Ronghua walked slowly toward her. She stared at Ruan Danchen with a sad and pitiful expression as always. “What a coincidence. You came here for dinner?”

Ruan Danchen was stunned. Liu Ronghua was dressed in a very presentable way like a noble lady, adorned with jewelry that cost a fortune. She appeared to be graceful, just like the meaning of her name 1.

It seemed like time favored her and left no trace on her face. Even after seven years, her appearance remained the same. Her figure was still as slim as a young lady. She looked healthy, happy, and radiant.

Ruan Danchen never expected she would meet Liu Ronghua here.

After thinking, she knew that she did not stumble upon her for the past few years because they lived in different worlds.

Liu Ronghua had a private driver to send her anywhere she wanted to go, while Ruan Danchen usually used public transport like the subway. Liu Ronghua would always dine in restaurants like this costly Japanese restaurant.

As for her, she usually ordered delivered food or cook herself. Even if she went out for dinner, she would opt for street food because it would be difficult for her to order dishes in a restaurant as she could not finish the food on her own.

Ruan Danchen nodded, her feelings toward her mother were very complicated. She did not know why calling her ‘Mom’ was such a difficult feat. She sometimes wondered whether she was too cold-blooded as she refused to acknowledge her mother.

After so many years, although she would call Liu Ronghua on every New Year’s Eve to wish her happiness, she did not attempt to meet with her at all.

Ruan Danchen felt a lump in her throat and she could hardly breathe through her nose. She could only breathe through her mouth, and tears started to well up in her eyes.

“Danchen, it’s been many years. You only call me on every New Year’s Eve, but you never come and visit me before. Seven years had passed since we last met, nobody would believe us if we tell others about this.” Liu Ronghua sobbed. It seemed like she was on the verge of crying. “Danchen, do you still hate me?”

“I’ve finally stopped holding a grudge against you after so many years, but I couldn’t face you and those from the Shen family without feeling uncomfortable. Besides, if you meet with me too frequently, Shen Jialiang would feel unhappy about it, and you’d stop meeting with me eventually. I figured I should just save you the trouble,” said Ruan Danchen nonchalantly, trying not to choke.

Genuinely, she no longer loathed her.

Although she could not forgive what they did to her at that time, she could not hold a grudge against them because she had such an adorable son in Qi Youxuan now.

“Nothing like that. You’re my daughter, how could I refuse to meet with you?” said Liu Ronghua hurriedly. “I really miss you throughout the years, but I dare not call you because I’m afraid you might think that I’m planning to make use of you for my benefit.”

Ruan Danchen quivered. Her face turned pale and her hands became ice-cold.

“Danchen, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t talk like that,” said Liu Ronghua immediately.

Ruan Danchen licked her dry lips and sniffed. She could not help but ask a question she had been burning to ask for the past seven years. “Then why did you abandon me at that time? When I was still in the hospital, you didn’t visit me after you told me about the news at the beginning. After that, I continued my studies at A University. My school was just there, but you never came to meet me.”

She had never asked this question every time she called Liu Ronghua for the past seven years—she dreaded that Liu Ronghua’s answer would disappoint her. She did not want to make things difficult for herself and dwell in the past.

However, it seemed like Liu Ronghua missed her very much based on her current expression. She looked like a mother whose feelings were severely hurt by her daughter. Ruan Danchen kept asking herself the same question, ‘If you really miss me so much, why didn’t you come and find me?”

“I…” Liu Ronghua blinked her eyes, she was at a loss. She lowered her head and hesitated for a while, then she raised her head back and said, “At that time…the situation didn’t permit. You were admitted to the hospital at that time, and you left secretly after you settled the discharge procedures on your own. You didn’t even inform me about it. I thought you truly hated me and didn’t want to accept me as your mother anymore, no longer wanting to be involved in my life. After all, you had such a furious reaction at that time, so I dared not find you. I was afraid…even if I went to meet you, you’d refuse to see me and would say things to hurt my feelings on purpose. That’s why I never went to find you.”

Ruan Danchen did not reply to her. Even though Liu Ronghua said that she dared not meet her in the beginning, she wanted to ask Liu Ronghua why she still did not attempt to find her after she started calling her during Chinese New Year.

Liu Ronghua knew where her workplace was but she never came to visit her. Maybe she was afraid that others would find out about their relationship?

Over the years, although Liu Ronghua did not manage to become Mrs. Shen, people called her Madam Liu respectfully. Maybe she did not want others to find out that she had a daughter who was already a grown-up. Perhaps the Shen family did not like Ruan Danchen because of her relationship with Liu Ronghua, reluctant to let others learn about their relationship. Thus, Liu Ronghua dare not find her from the start until now.

Ruan Danchen bit her lips quietly and sneered scornfully.

“Danchen, I—” The door of the men’s washroom opened when she just started to talk.

Qi Youxuan walked out from the men’s washroom and said happily, “Aunt Ruan, I’m done, let’s go back to the restaurant and continue eating.”

He then walked toward her and held Ruan Danchen’s hand.

“This little boy—” Liu Ronghua’s expression changed a little. She stared at Ruan Danchen suspiciously.

After so many years of not seeing her, could she have gotten married and had a son?

However, Ruan Danchen never told her that she had a son before on the phone.

Ruan Danchen’s heart skipped a beat and hurriedly shielded the little boy with her body. She was worried that Liu Ronghua might recognize him, or the little boy might tell her about his family because he was too innocent.

If Liu Ronghua found out about the little boy’s background and discovered that she had dealings with Qi Chenglin, she would probably make use of her to gain something.

The last thing Ruan Danchen wanted was for someone to use the little boy.

Liu Ronghua and everyone from the Shen family had never met him since Qi Chenglin took him away.

The Qi family did well in protecting Qi Youxuan, they never allowed him to appear in the media, and even the kindergarten that he attended had excellent security.

Since Qi Chenglin took Qi Youxuan away from the Shen Family, he lost contact with them. Shen Jialiang did not invest any effort to find out anything about Qi Youxuan because he was not the son of the Shen family. Besides, the Qi Family was very cautious when they deal with the Shen family after the incident.

After the incident, the Shen family stopped getting in touch with the Qi family. As a result, Liu Ronghua was unable to recognize Qi Youxuan even after she saw him in person.

Qi Youxuan did not reply to Liu Ronghua. Ruan Danchen heaved a sigh of relief, she said indifferently, “He’s my friend’s child.”

“Oh,” said Liu Ronghua. She saw Qi Youxuan tugging Ruan Danchen’s blouse when she was just about to talk to Qi Youxuan. “Aunt Ruan, I’m not full yet, let’s go back to the restaurant and continue eating.”

Qi Youxuan could feel that the attitude of Ruan Danchen toward Liu Ronghua was different from her attitude toward others. Ruan Danchen was on her guard when she was talking to her and did not treat her like how she treated her neighbor previously.

Besides, he remembered that Ruan Danchen told him not to tell strangers about his family background at will, so he very obediently followed her instructions and did not tell Liu Ronghua his information voluntarily.

“Excuse me, the child is hungry,” said Ruan Danchen indifferently.

Liu Ronghua forced a smile and said unhappily, “Then you all should continue eating your dinner now.”

Ruan Danchen nodded and walked past Liu Rounghua with Qi Youxuan.

After a few steps, she stopped when she heard Liu Ronghua called her. “Danchen.”

Ruan Danchen turned around, and Liu Ronghua asked, “You’re still not coming back home this year to celebrate Chinese New Year?”

“Chinese New Year should be celebrated at home, but the Shen’s family house isn’t my home,” said Ruan Danchen coolly. “Besides, they’d feel unhappy if they see me. It isn’t good to make each other unhappy during Chinese New Year.”

Ruan Danchen saw Liu Ronghua kept quiet and it seemed like she had nothing else to talk to her, so she left with Qi Youxuan.

After Qi Youxuan sat back on his seat, he saw Liu Ronghua walked toward her friends from far. Though curious about her, he restrained himself from asking Ruan Danchen.

He was full after eating for a while more. Ruan Danchen wiped his mouth for him and brought him to the cashier counter.

When she was verifying her orders at the cashier counter, Liu Ronghua walked toward her again. She said to Ruan Danchen, “Danchen, let me treat you, okay?”

“It’s alright,” Ruan Danchen coldly dismissed her. “I promised the child that I’d treat him.”

“Danchen, please let me foot the bill. I know that it’s not easy for you to live on your own. You’re not earning a lot from your work, and you need to pay for your rent and living expenses. It’s better to save your money, right?” Liu Ronghua smiled at her and took out a credit card from her purse.

Ruan Danchen felt very uncomfortable after listening to her words. She stared at the credit card that she was holding frigidly and stopped her from giving it to the waiter. “You’re paying with Shen Jialiang’s money, right?”

Liu Ronghua was stunned for a while and her body stiffened.

“The money that I earn may be less than the pocket money that Shen Jialiang gives you, but I’m quite comfortable spending the money I earn. I promised to treat the child to dinner, so please don’t make me an adult who eats her own words,” Ruan Danchen replied as she took out her card and gave it to the waiter.

Liu Ronghua’s offer was rebuffed by Ruan Danchen. She could only put her card back in embarrassment, but she could not help but ask softly, “Danchen, do you still hate me? You seemed so reluctant to spend my money even though I’m your mother.”

“It’s better for me to do that because I don’t want to owe Shen Jialiang or you anything, even though I’m owing it indirectly,” said Ruan Danchen coldly. Suddenly, she felt someone hugged her leg tightly.

She lowered her head and saw the little boy was looking at her worriedly as he hugged her leg.

Ruan Danchen was touched by his actions and she stroked the little boy’s head lovingly to reassure him.

“Do you really want to discuss our private matter here?” Ruan Danchen pulled a long face.

Astonished by her question, Liu Ronghua stopped talking awkwardly. She was worried that others might overhear their conversation and found out about their relationship.

The waiter returned Ruan Danchen’s card back. She signed the receipt and bid farewell to Liu Ronghua indifferently. She then left with Qi Youxuan.

Liu Ronghua could only walk back to her seat. One of her friends sitting opposite to her asked curiously, “Who was that young lady just now?”

Liu Ronghua tried to avoid eye contact with her friend and smiled nervously, “She’s the daughter of an old friend. I chatted with her for a while since we bumped into each other.”

…

…

Ruan Danchen brought Qi Youxuan out of the restaurant. She had not received Xiaoyang’s call, so they went shopping in the mall. Qi Youxuan begged and pestered Ruan Danchen unceasingly to bring him to the supermarket at the lower ground floor. They bought plenty of junk food there.

After Ruan Danchen made the payment, they saw many people were queueing after they turned a corner. They approached the crowd and found out that they were queueing in front of a famous shop selling milk tea.

The little boy wanted to try the milk tea after hearing about it, so Ruan Danchen brought him to queue up.

When it was almost their turn, Ruan Danchen received Xiaoyang’s call. He told her they were at the parking lot now.

“We’re queueing to buy milk tea, it’ll take a little longer,” said Ruan Danchen, she was afraid that Qi Chenglin might lose his patience while waiting.

However, it was Qi Chenglin who answered her on the phone. “Which shop?”

Ruan Danchen was startled for a while before she told him the shop’s name.

“Just wait there after you bought the milk tea,” said Qi Chenglin coolly.

After she hung up the phone, Ruan Danchen said, “I think your father is coming to find us.”

When it was their turn, Ruan Danchen bought two cups of milk tea. At first she could not decide whether to buy a cup of milk tea for Qi Chenglin. That guy was so petty, she did not know how to deal with him if he became angry with her for not buying milk tea for him.

However, after thinking it through, she felt that he would not like this kind of beverage, so she did not buy it for him.

Just after they came out of the shop, they saw Qi Chenglin waiting for them at the entrance. He appeared to be extremely quiet in the noisy crowd. It felt like they suddenly discovered a spring in a desert when they saw him.

Qi Chenglin saw the two of them—an adult and a young child-were each holding a cup of milk tea in their hands, and he felt that it was such an adorable scene.

“Dad, why did you come here?” Qi Youxuan walked toward him and held his hand like he was trying to please him.

“The parking lot is too big, I’m afraid that you two won’t be able to spot the car,” explained Qi Chenglin before looking at Ruan Danchen. “Shall we leave now?”

He stared at her quite deeply and intensely. Ruan Danchen blushed and her face felt numb after meeting his gaze. She deliberately walked to the other side of the little boy so that the little boy would stand between them as she was afraid to stand too near to Qi Chenglin.

“Did you drink a lot tonight?” Ruan Danchen found a subject to start a conversation with him as she feared that the situation would turn awkward. She remembered he went for a dinner party tonight, but she did not expect him to come back so early.

“Not too much,” answered Qi Chenglin indifferently, his coal-black eyes slowly focused on her face, then he stared at the cup of milk tea in her hands. “But I feel quite dizzy now.”

“Do you need me to buy you a beverage to sober you up?” asked Ruan Danchen carefully.

“No thanks, the queue is so long,” said Qi Chenglin with his mellow voice. He extended his long arms and took the cup of milk tea from her hands with his fine and attractive long fingers before Ruan Danchen could react to his actions. Then, he took a sip of it with the straw Ruan Danchen was using.

Ruan Danchen did not expect that he would straight away drink the tea from her straw. She blushed furiously when she remembered that she had used her tongue to touch the part of the straw that he was using just now. She hissed bashfully, “Qi—”

However, she decided to hold her tongue because Qi Youxuan was around.

Qi Youxuan was holding his milk tea. His large black eyes were looking around and he suddenly let go of Ruan Danchen’s hand. “That little girl in front is so pretty!”

He dashed forward for a short distance so that Ruan Danchen and Qi Chenglin could still see him, but he was not standing between them anymore.

“…” Ruan Danchen was speechless after she saw Qi Youxuan’s exaggerated acting skills. There was no pretty girl in front of them, the people around them were all men. At that time, she felt a blisteringly hot hand grasped her waist. Then, Qi Chenglin leaned toward her. “So concerned about me?”

“I”m—” Qi Chenglin put the straw into her mouth the moment Ruan Danchen opened her mouth to talk.

“Try it, it’s tasty,” said Qi Chenglin with a cool smile.

“…” Ruan Danchen was forced to keep the straw in her mouth. She wanted to tell him that she had drunk it just now, and she knew whether it was tasty or not.

The next second, she suddenly realized that Qi Chenglin had just used the straw and their saliva was mixed now.

She was not sure whether she was hallucinating or not, but she felt like she could taste his odor.

Ruan Danchen blushed and kept silent.

Qi Chenglin sneered and looked like he was pleased with himself. He then used his strong and firm arm to hug her waist. When he touched her body, Ruan Danchen felt like she was burned by his hand and she leaned on him and trembled.

Qi Chenglin felt that she was behaving unusually. He lowered his head to look at her and saw her ears had turned completely red. They appeared to be smooth and glowing red, her earlobes looked like red jades and looked very tender and attractive. Her long eyelashes were hanging down and her cheeks were reddened like the color of a sunset.

Ruan Danchen’s beauty made Qi Chenglin incredibly aroused. His hand unwittingly tightened its grip on her waist as he pulled her closer to himself.

He looked down and saw her face gradually turning red under his luminous gaze. His emotions stirred more and more the longer he looked at her, and he was dying to lower his head and kiss her.

Just as he was about to plant his lips on her, Ruan Danchen looked up abruptly, causing their gazes to meet each other.

Ruan Danchen trembles were obvious, and her face was totally flushed. She was annoyed to see his smug smile and stared at him irritably. Her voice was soft as she berated, “Qi Chenglin, stop looking at me like that!”

“You were born with a face, yet you don’t want others to look at it?” Qi Chenglin raised a brow and remarked, “If you really want it, I’ll just let you look at me. You can look at me as much as you want.”

Ruan Danchen was taken aback. She felt that it was impossible to talk to him normally, so she decided not to say anything and tried her best not to meet his gaze.

“Do you think I’m handsome?” Qi Chenglin’s sonorous voice resonated in her ear. His voice sounded so close, as if it penetrated her ear, sliding into it.

Ruan Danchen’s ears burned hot and she tried wiggling free, protesting, “Stop it, there’s no end to this, is there?”

“No end at all.” Qi Chenglin’s firm warm hands did not let go of her. “First tell me. Do I look handsome?”

“Qi Chenglin, did you have too much to drink?!” Ruan Danchen stared at him angrily. She could hardly fathom how brazen he was to say all that when Youxuan and Xiao Yang were walking just ahead of them.

She believed that Xiao Yang and Youxuan had certainly heard all the things he said to her.

She tensed up considerably just looking at Xiao Yang’s rear figure.

However, when she looked up, Qi Chenglin swiftly leaned over and pecked her on the lips.

An explosion set off in Ruan Danchen’s brain. Her face was so hot she felt as if it would combust. Completely disregarding her earlier concern whether Youxuan and Xiao Yang would hear her, she raised her voice and yelled, “Qi Chenglin!”

When did this man start to act so indecently toward her!

Qi Youxuan also heard Ruan Danchen’s shy voice. He was afraid to turn around, so held his milk tea and said softly, “Uncle Xiao Yang, can you turn around and check if my dad is being naughty?”

Xiao Yang looked at the boy and replied, “Little Master, I, too, am afraid to turn around.”

The entrance to the parking lot was just around a curve up ahead, and it just so happened that it was close to the Japanese restaurant they ate at earlier.

Liu Ronghua had just finished her meal with her friend and left the premises after footing the bill. She saw Qi Chenglin’s rear figure with one arm wrapped around Ruan Danchen’s waist as they were heading toward the carpark.

Her mind went blank. Although she could not discern the man’s identity, it still took her by surprise that Ruan Danchen seemed to be in a relationship.

It may well turn out that the little boy was not simply ‘a friend’s son’.

“What is it?” Liu Ronghua’s friend turned around and asked after noticing Liu Ronghua glued to the spot.

“Nothing.” She shook her head and left the scene with her friend.

…

…

As the Ruan Danchen and the other three walked toward the car, Qi Youxuan rushed in and wiggled his way to the back seat. Ruan Danchen went in next, but Qi Chenglin hauled her out and said, “You’ll take the window seat, so it’ll be easier for you to get out of the car later.”

Ruan Danchen looked at the empty front passenger seat. She was just about to make a request to sit there when she heard Qi Chenglin snicker sarcastically, “Hehe.” She felt as though sitting at the front passenger seat would be a mistake.

Ruan Danchen hesitated for a while but chose to sit at the backseat in the end. The three of them were cramped together. Qi Chenglin sat in the middle, but more toward Qi Youxuan’s side since the boy did not take up much space.

Nevertheless, she could still sense his sullen mood.

Xiao Yang had just started driving when Qi Chenglin stretched his hand over and wrapped it around her waist.

Ruan Danchen turned her head slightly and threw him an irritated look, but because Xiao Yang and Qi Youxuan were both there, she did not dare make a fuss. As a result, his hand remained there for the entirety of the journey, with Ruan Danchen so anxious that she did not even dare to move.

He was being very indecent as his warm palm would massage her waist from time to time.

Ruan Danchen shot him angry glares constantly, but he still acted oblivious, going as far as to look at her innocently.

‘Is this man always so indecent toward women? Is that why he’s so accustomed to doing this?’

It was a long journey, but the car finally stopped at her apartment building. Ruan Danchen could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

“I’m going down now,” she said. Qi Chenglin’s hand was still on her waist.

He finally retracted his hand after she said that. She opened the door hurriedly so she could get down from the car, but little did she expect Qi Chenglin would stretch his long legs and get down with her.

“I’ll send you up,” Qi Chenglin said in a deep voice.

“It’s okay.” Ruan Danchen did not dare to let him accompany her up. “It’s not good to leave Youxuan here alone.”

“Don’t worry. Uncle Xiao Yang is here with me,” Qi Youxuan’s chirpy voice could be heard from inside the car.

Ruan Danchen had no response.

“Are you still afraid that I’d something to you?” Qi Chenglin taunted.

Ruan Danchen was about to say ‘yes’, but she ended up not speaking up. She went to the other side of the car to say goodbye to Qi Youxuan and headed up.

Qi Chenglin caught up in a few steps and held her hand. Ruan Danchen kept quiet but tried, unsuccessfully, to wrestle her hands out of his grasp. She looked down and saw his hands holding hers. He had a beautiful hand, with finger joints that were well-defined and a palm that was significantly broader than average. He was practically wrapping her entire hand in his, warming it.

He held her hand the entire time, even as they walked to her doorstep after exiting the elevator.

“Go ahead and open the door,” Qi Chenglin said in a low voice. “I’ll leave after you go in.”

Ruan Danchen was at loss for words. She had an indescribable feeling of warmth in her heart and was touched that she had someone to rely on.

She took out her keys in and opened her door quietly, “You can go now.”

QI Chenglin’s lips curled up. “Go on in.”

Before she turned to go in, Ruan Danchen mustered the courage to look at him even though her face was red.

As she was about to close the door, he placed his hand on the door, essentially stopping it. With one foot in the door and the other foot outside, he placed his free hand at the back of her head as he leaned in for a kiss.

Almost instinctively, Ruan Danchen released her grip on the door. She had seemingly become accustomed to his actions, her hands seemed to have a mind of their own and wrapped themselves around his neck immediately.

Qi Chenglin’s hand shifted from the door frame to her waist. He pulled her tightly into his embrace, ensuring that there was not even the slightest gap separating them.

Ruan Danchen was short of breath after being kissed like that. His lips and tongue were so heated, and they attacked her inner mouth repeatedly. His tongue intertwined with hers in an indescribable state of inseparableness.

Out of the blue, he lifted her up and nestled her in him. His lips parted from hers only when her feet landed on the ground.

“Good night. Sleep well,” he said, with his lips caressing hers. His voice was low and incredibly sexy, with a magnetism that drew in her heart and caused her to lean into him.

After he said those words, he let go of her very reluctantly and stepped out, even closing the door for her.

Ruan Danchen finally came to her senses sometime later, but by then Qi Chenglin was long gone. Before her was the large door of her apartment unit, and everything that happened moments earlier seemed like a dream.

Still feeling a little dizzy, she changed her shoes and went to her room to change her clothes. She was about to place her clothes into the washer, but accidentally caught a whiff of Qi Chenglin’s scent on her clothes. His masculine cologne coupled with the faint scent of tobacco made her feel like she was back in his embrace.

Ruan Danchen’s heart was pounding wildly as she stared at her clothes. There was some hesitance before she put them into the washer.

“Ruan Danchen, what are you thinking!” She shook her head all of a sudden and threw the clothes into the washing machine immediately.

…

…

Qi Chenglin left the building and took a deep breath. He tried his best to calm himself down before getting back into the car.

Qi Youxuan was busy sucking up the tapioca pearls in his milk tea, and one by one they traveled through the straw and into his mouth. The texture was like bubble gum, and with each chew, there was a burst of flavor.

Seeing Qi Chenglin approach, Qi Youxuan chewed a couple of times and said, “Dad, when we had Japanese food at the mall today, we met a lady. Aunt Ruan seemed to know her, but Aunt Ruan didn’t like her that much.”

“Hm?” Qi Chenglin heard what he said but did not think much of it. He merely asked, “What did the lady look like?”

Qi Youxuan explained it to him and suddenly remembered something, “They mentioned the Shen family. And someone named Shen Jialiang or something like that.”

Qi Chenglin’s expression was calm as he said, “Okay.”

He looked at his son, knowing how smart the boy was. He was strict with the boy because he did not want him to turn arrogant from all the pampering. After all, he was born into the Qi family as the eldest great-grandson. If good values are not instilled in him from an early age, it will be easy for him to deviate and pick up immoral traits.

Fortunately, the old lady and Guan Liya taught the boy appropriately since he was still young. They taught him well, and the little one did not regard himself as an entitled and self-important kid.

Qi Chenglin’s face softened and he gently stroked Qi Youxuan’s head. “You’re a good boy.”

…

…

During lunch the next day, Ruan Danchen was in the midst of tidying up her desk before going out for lunch.

“Miss Ruan,” came a familiar voice, startling Ruan Danchen. She immediately stopped in her tracks.

She then saw Mu Huaisheng close his car door before walking toward her.

“Mr. Mu,” Ruan Danchen greeted politely, albeit somewhat distantly.

“Are you going to lunch? Mind if I join?” Mu Huaisheng asked and smiled.

Ruan Danchen hesitated. “Its… inconvenient.”

“What’s inconvenient about it?” Mu Huaisheng cocked a brow and asked.

“Mr. Mu, you’re not my client now. If I go for lunch with you, people might gossip,” was all Ruan Danchen could say.

“What could they possibly gossip about? We’re doing anything wrong. Do you really need the approval of others to have a meal with me even when we’re both unmarried?” Mu Huaisheng’s voice remained tranquil, and he did not seem to be expressing any anger. “Have your colleagues begun gossiping yet?”

…

…

Qi Chenglin was sitting in the car, watching as Mu Huaisheng and Ruan Danchen were conversing with each other. He dug up Director Zhao’s card and dialed the number on it.

“Director Zhao, it’s me, Qi Chenglin.”

“…”

“Nothing much. I just need your help with something.”

“…”

“Mm, it’s like this…”

…

…

Ruan Danchen sighed and said, “Mr. Mu, even if you say it’s alright, I’m still the one working there and it’s essential for me to maintain a good relationship with my colleagues. If they gossip about me, it’ll affect my work, and my professionalism might be called into question. They will either think that I use improper methods to get business, or that I’m attempting to make my way into the upper class. As it stands, my work environment is currently really awkward, and I want to avoid more groundless accusations.”

Mu Huaisheng knew exactly what Ruan Danchen was talking about. The fall in her workload was all because of Mu Sisi. As a result, if anyone came close to her, it would incite others to begin gossiping, especially if that person was of high status.

“Even if I’m serious about pursuing a relationship with you? Is that not okay? When did it become a thing to refuse to associate with someone just because they come from a good background?” Mu Huaisheng stood just outside the entrance to the building. People were coming and going, and his presence was very noticeable.

His voice was not too loud. It was mellow and easy on the ears.

“It’s not like you’re taking advantage of me, and I’m not interested in only having a fling. I think you’re a really good person, and I’m serious about my intention of pursuing you to let our relationship develop. We have a clear conscience. Why would we worry about the things others say?” Mu Huaisheng asked calmly.

Ruan Danchen felt uncomfortable. She glanced at her surroundings and kept her voice low. “Mr. Mu, I’m grateful that you admire me, but I have no clue what you find appealing about me that made you like me. At this point, this isn’t something I want to think about. To me, you are my client, Mr. Mu. I have no other thoughts, I…”

Her ringtone began sounding from inside her bag, interrupting her.

Ruan Danchen said, “Excuse me,” then took out her phone from her bag. Director Zhao was calling, so she picked up and greeted, “Director Zhao.”

“Xiao Ruan, have you walked far yet?” Director Zhao asked.

“No, I’m just in front of the company building,” she replied. Finding it awkward to look at Mu Huaisheng, she gave him an apologetic look before letting her eyes drift off.

All of a sudden, she noticed a large Benz parked just up ahead. Ruan Danchen’s heart began thumping hard, and it was because of Qi Chenglin that her heartbeat quickened whenever she saw that logo on a car.

Almost immediately, however, she calmed herself down. She realized that Qi Chenglin was probably still at the company and there was almost no chance that Qi Chenglin was all the way here. It was all a coincidence, she thought. That car simply had the same logo as his.

Since the Benz’s plate number was blocked from her view by the car in front, she decided to just try to ignore it.

Director Zhao continued, “Perfect then. Can you come back for a bit? A client suddenly wants to meet. Could you attend to him? The rest of your colleagues from the design department are out and I can’t find anyone else.”

“No problem,” Ruan Danchen answered at once. She was somewhat relieved to receive Director Zhao’s timely call.

She was willing to forego her hunger if that meant not needing to deal with Mu Huaisheng anymore.

After she hung up, Ruan Danchen smiled and explained, “Mr. Mu, I’m sorry. That was Director Zhao. He wants me to go back to deal with something.”

Mu Huaisheng nodded. “Work is important and I’m in no position to insist on lunch.”

Ruan Danchen felt awkward too, as she did not plan on being so blunt with him. Nonetheless, it was best to make everything clear from the start to prevent him from constantly coming over to bother her.

She nodded at him and headed back to the office building.

“Miss Ruan,” Mu Huaisheng called out from behind.

Ruan Danchen’s halted and she turned back. Mu Huaisheng came up to her and stood before her, saying softly, “I’m serious when it comes to you. If you don’t want to be in a relationship now, we can start off as friends. I hope you give me a chance instead of placing a wall between us. You’re already pushing me away before I even get a chance. We can try being friends first and get to know each other better. If you really don’t fancy me, then I won’t insist.”

She had no idea what to say to him after he said all that. All she could muster was, “I’ll head up now.”

Ruan Danchen ran in quickly, and fortunately for her, the elevator came just in time for her to scamper in. Her response was genuine—she was truly eager to get away from him.

Mu Huaisheng felt a trace of bitterness in her heart and wondered when he became so unwelcomed.

He looked down, sighed, and shook his head before turning around. Then came a moment of shock.

He watched as Qi Chenglin came out from a black Benz and closed the car door casually. The Benz was parked not that far off from Mu Huaisheng’s car.

Qi Chenglin also sported a pair of Ray-Ban Aviator-series sunglasses. His suaveness was very apparent as he walked under the scorching hot afternoon sun.

He walked up the steps and looked at Mu Huaisheng. Without taking off his sunglasses, he nodded before greeting, “Mr. Mu.”

Mu Huaisheng suppressed the misgivings in his mind and asked, “Going to Chengshi?”

In Mu Huaisheng’s mind, the only possible reason for Qi Chenglin’s presence was to go to Chengshi.

Qi Chenglin did not conceal his intention and nodded proudly.

“Business matters?” Mu Huaisheng asked. He felt something was not quite right, but he could not put his finger on it.

To Mu Huaisheng’s surprise, Qi Chenglin merely repeated, “Business matters.”

Mu Huaisheng was speechless.

“I’ll be off,” Qi Chenglin said. He nodded at Mu Huaisheng before going in and waiting at the elevator.

Mu Huaisheng could not help but turn around to look at him. He only turned away after Qi Chenglin entered the elevator. The nagging feeling of suspicion was still ever-present in his heart.

When Mu Huaisheng was discussing work matters with Ruan Danchen at Shengyue, Qi Chenglin was there too. Such a coincidence that the same thing happened again.

…

…

Ruan Danchen went back to the office and Director Zhao was there waiting.

“Hehe, Xiao Ruan, so sorry to call you back from your lunch break,” Director Zhao said while smiling.

“It’s nothing, Director Zhao. Where’s the client?” Ruan Danchen asked. She felt that Director Zhao was being much more courteous to her, probably as a result of her friendship with Song Yu.

“He should be here in a minute,” Director Zhao said. He waited for the client with Ruan Danchen.

After a few minutes, Ruan Danchen saw Qi Chenglin walking into the office. By then he had removed his sunglasses.

“Young Master Lin,” Director Zhao welcomed him graciously.

Qi Chenglin’s lips curled up and his aura was very decorous. “My apologies. In terms of time, I only had a small window to meet now. So sorry to bother you during your break.”

“Not at all, not at all.” Director Zhao smiled. “Xiao Ruan, Young Master Lin came here because there’re a few things he wants to talk about. Perhaps you can bring him out for lunch and discuss the details over a meal?”

“It’s fine. We can discuss in the meeting room. It’s easier to focus. Young Master Lin won’t have any objections to that, right?” Ruan Danchen put on a professional smile.

Seeing Qi Chenglin there made her realize that the Benz she saw was undoubtedly his. She wondered if he was pulling some kind of trick on her because he saw Mu Huaisheng.

On the other hand, Ruan Danchen was puzzled as to whether she really did have that much charm over men. Did she really need Qi Chenglin to devise an elaborate plan or could she just garner help from others?

Bonus scene:

Jiang Yuan: “Young Master Lin, people are saying that you’ll tear down your house just so you can stay at Miss Ruan’s place.”

Qi Chenglin: “Do I look that shameless to you?”

Qi Youxuan: “Dad, when are we tearing down the house?”

“…” Qi Chenglin: “Keep it down. Don’t tell the world.”

- - - - -

Nevertheless, Ruan Danchen believed that her professionalism, and the fact that they were still in the company, was enough for Qi Chenglin not to act indecently toward her.

Qi Chenglin’s expression was relaxed and did not display a hint of emotion. He nodded and said, “I, too, want to get all of the official business out of the way first.”

“That’s that then. Xiao Ruan take your time with Young Master Lin.” Director Zhao smiled and left them.

During that time, the company was basically empty as all her colleagues had gone to lunch. She regretted almost instantly that she did not think things through—it would have been better if she went to a restaurant to discuss things with him because at least there would be plenty of people.

“Young Master Lin, this way please,” Ruan Danchen said. She flashed a smile and kept her distance from him.

Qi Chenglin let out a snicker, for the time being, he was content with playing along. He kept quiet and followed her into the meeting room.

“Young Master Lin, is there anything you’d like to drink?” Ruan Danchen asked.

“I’m fine.” Qi Chenglin sat down, then pointed at the chair beside him. “Please sit.”

Ruan Danchen stared at the empty seat beside him, feeling that it was a tad bit too close and dangerous. With Qi Chenglin’s sly gaze directed right at her, she felt sick in her stomach and hesitated before sitting down.

“I came here to discuss the renovations to my home,” Qi Chenglin said softly. His voice was so soft that Ruan Danchen was forced to lean closer to him, although she was wary of doing so.

“Aren’t you letting me take the job under my own name?” Ruan Danchen asked.

Since the assignment concerned Qi Youxuan’s bedroom and playroom, Ruan Danchen did not really want to work under company guidelines. She wanted to do it for herself, not for Chengshi’s.

“You’re right. It’s not like Director Zhao knows what you and I are talking about. We can still sign the contract personally later. I’m merely using your company office to talk about it,” Qi Chenglin said plainly.

Ruan Danchen thought to herself, ‘How shrewd.’

“Find some time to come over and take a look around the house. How about this weekend?” Qi Chenglin suggested.

Whilst Ruan Danchen was still unsure, he continued, “Youxuan’s school break starts this Friday. He’ll be at home from the weekend onwards.”

Upon hearing that, Ruan Danchen agreed immediately.

Qi Chenglin did not say anything after that.

Ruan Danchen looked at the table in front of her instead of making eye contact with him. All of a sudden, she felt her ears turn extremely hot, and goosebumps began forming on her neck, just below her ears. She knew Qi Chenglin was looking at her, but she had no idea why he just stared at her without talking. She began wondering if he was unhappy with what she said earlier.

Unable to take it any longer, she mustered the courage to look up at him. At some point, he had leaned over exceptionally close to her. When she lifted her head, she nearly bumped into his lips.

Ruan Danchen’s face reddened instantly and she pulled herself back. He then narrowed his eyes at her, and his rich yet displeased voice was heard. “Did Mu Huaisheng ask you out for lunch just now?”

The memory of the Benz flashed through her mind and she recalled it being rather close to her. “You heard everything?”

“How many times has he come to ask you out?” Qi Chenglin’s eyes narrowed even more intensely.

Ruan Danchen felt guilty, but she was unsure if she sensed jealousy in Qi Chenglin’s voice.

“Not a lot of times, just… a few times…” She cowered and answered earnestly.

“And how many times is that exactly?” Qi Chenglin’s voice was somber and rich.

“I don’t know. It’s not like I kept count.” Ruan Danchen mumbled softly. In her heart, she thought, ‘Why is he questioning me like a jealous boyfriend?’

She pulled away again, but he came forward once more.

“It started after Mu Sisi framed me,” Ruan Danchen said weakly. She stepped back rather awkwardly and lost her balance, nearly falling onto the floor.

Ruan Danchen glared at him exasperatedly. Qi Chenglin’s scorching hot hand was placed on her back and he pulled her close into his embrace. At the same time, his other hand held her waist as well, and with both hands firmly holding her, he lifted her onto his lap.

Alarmed, Ruan Danchen’s face turned flushed like a cherry. She never imagined that he would do such a thing, especially when they were in the middle of having a fully professional discussion.

She was trapped on the corner of the meeting table with her back against the edge of the. His muscular chest was just in front of her—it was broad and strong, and it intimidated her.

“Qi Chenglin!” Ruan Danchen warned softly. She did not dare speak too loudly since she had no idea whether there was anyone outside.

“Oh, you’re calling me by name now? You kept calling me Young Master Lin just now, so prim and proper.” Qi Chenglin leaned forward, and when he spoke, his steamy breath spread across her lips, leaving them warm and trembling.

“You came to discuss work, right? Put me down.” Ruan Danchen pushed his chest. Her hands felt incredibly hot.

“We’ve finished discussing work. Now it’s time to discuss personal matters.” Qi Chenglin could not resist holding her body close against his. His thin warm lips rubbed against hers. “Ignore Mu Huaisheng if he comes looking for you again in the future.”

He hugged her and felt her softness, making him lose all control and begin pressing her down on his lower abdomen. He rubbed against her lips. For so long he had been forcing himself to keep his cool. At that moment he felt blissfully thrilled. He felt extremely happy whenever he hugged her.

Ruan Danchen had enough of him always trying to get his way with her and acting so indecently. He never made it clear what he thought of her and how he treated her, and there was a pinch of resentment in her heart because of that.

“Qi Chenglin! What do you want? You do this to me all the time, kissing me, hugging me. What do you treat me as?” Ruan Danchen was slightly agitated as she felt that he treated her as though he was just another woman.

He stopped what he was doing and looked at her with his penetrative gaze. Barely inches away from her lips, his delectable-looking mouth said, “I treat you as my son’s mother.”

Ruan Danchen was at wit’s end. It was the same answer time and again.

“I’m Youxuan’s mother, but I don’t have any sort of relationship with you! It doesn’t mean you can treat me as you please.” Ruan Danchen was irate. She poked his chest, but because her fingertips were soft, it did not feel painful to him.

Ruan Danchen struggled to break free, but Qi Chenglin held her so firmly that she could not escape. Instead, her actions excited him even more.

“Be a good girl,” Qi Chenglin lowered his voice and warned softly.

Ruan Danchen was so frantic and distracted. Qi Chenglin decided to pin himself down on her body immediately.

She gasped in shock and blushed even more. She looked at him in disbelief and was afraid to move a single inch.

His erection was hard and hot!

Looking at her shocked and shy demeanor, Qi Chenglin’s mood improved tremendously, and he could not resist teasing her.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her into his embrace, allowing her forehead to come in contact with his chin. The stubble on his chin prickling lightly against her forehead, somewhat tickling her.

Qi Chenglin looked down and let his lips roam from the corner of her eye to her ears. He then whispered to her, “How did Youxuan pop out then if there was nothing between you and me?”

As he continued rubbing her, memories began flooding back to her. She began to recall what happened that fateful night seven years ago, where he made love to her so intimately the entire night. Present-day Ruan Danchen was in his embrace, and she felt the heat come over her body, making her head go up in flames.

In the midst of all that shame and embarrassment, his lips slid onto hers and began smothering them.

A few attempts were made to push him away, but none were successful. Initially, she was still aware that they were inside the company’s meeting room, but with his kisses, her mind became much fuzzier and she slowly began to lose track of where she was.

Unknowingly, she submitted to him and trembled from his kisses.

All she could feel was the heat of his tongue occupying the entirety of her mouth. It was a strong, liquor-like taste.

After some time, Qi Chenglin let go of her. His kisses were the result of his loss of control— even his cheeks were stained with a pinkish glow of lust.

Ruan Danchen fluttered her eyebrows, and those monochrome eyes of hers were filled with a mistiness. It looked like a mix of passion and displeasure.

“Qi Chenglin, you’re always like this. Is it because of what happened seven years ago that you think I’m a self-deprecating woman who would simply sleep with you as you please? Or do you think that you can just have your way because you constantly do this without my vehement objection?” Ruan Danchen blurted out.

She was conscious of the fact that she liked him and had feelings for him. Her heart thumped wildly whenever she saw him, and her face would redden too. Regardless, that was not a ticket for him to be ambiguous about their relationship and treat her however he wanted just because of what happened seven years ago.

If that really were the case, she was willing to make things clear from the outset and establish that the two of them will never have any kind of relationship in the future. She could accept it if she got to direct all her care toward Youxuan.

Qi Chenglin’s expression turned sullen and he stared at her, seemingly angry.

Never before did she see him with such a freezing-cold expression. Even in the beginning, he was only jokingly cold when teasing her, never has he been so frightening.

His lips were pursed in a tight line and his eyes were staring at her gloomily. His gaze knotted up Ruan Danchen’s stomach, and she instantly regretted saying what she did so rashly.

She realized she was utterly powerless because she still felt guilty despite doing nothing wrong.

Both of them were at a standstill and neither of them said a single word. The intensity of his gaze increased even more, and being rather afraid, she backed off instinctively.

All of a sudden, Qi Chenglin sighed deeply and continued staring at her with those enigmatic eyes. However, they were much gentler than before, even a hint of helplessness was present.

His lips parted slowly, allowing his mellifluous voice to travel out from within. “Am I not making myself clear enough? Is this why you insist that I spell everything out for you?”

Ruan Danchen trembled for a moment, and her monochromatic eyes looked at him in a somewhat confused manner.

Qi Chenglin pulled her closer to himself and leaned in. When the tip of his nose almost touched hers, he looked at her lovingly and began speaking, “I have feelings for you. Be it my heart or my member down below, both of them feel passion when it comes to you. From that night onward, I’ve never felt those feelings again, not to any other woman. I’m just lucky that you’re Youxuan’s mother.

“I said long ago that I’m not a man who treats women however I want. You didn’t believe me, so I’ll repeat that again. Ruan Danchen, I think I like you, the serious kind of like, and I’m sincerely interested in pursuing my feelings for you. It is my hope that you and I will end up genuinely liking each other, to the point where it can someday turn into love. This has nothing to do with the fact that you’re Youxuan’s mother. It solely concerns you. If possible, I’d like you to complete my family so Youxuan has a birth mother instead of a stepmother.”

Ruan Danchen’s mind went blank and her heart was numb.

She never expected her question to lead to a confession. He even mentioned forming a family with him. He could choose to not speak, but instead, he spoke about things that were far into the future.

Qi Chenglin looked at her dazed, with a dopey look. He sighed. The anger she had earlier slowly began to dissipate, and at that moment she looked endearingly clueless.

Incapable of restraining himself, he kissed the corner of her lip and crooned softly, “Couldn’t you see that I was chasing you right from the beginning?”

Ruan Danchen was silent.

‘Was he really chasing me?’

Her face was red, and she looked down as she felt uneasy looking at him.

It was her bashfulness that tickled his heart, prompting him to lean over and kiss her soft lips.

Ruan Danchen neither avoided him nor rebuffed him. She simply allowed him to continue kissing her. Qi Chenglin’s heart began pounding—he wrapped his arms tightly around her and gave her a deeper kiss.

It took him a long time to finally let go of her, and by then her hair was already a mess. Both her eyes were tinted with lust and covered by a layer of impassioned mistiness. Her cheeks were seductively rosy and very alluring.

Qi Chenglin could not resist breaking into a gentle smile as he looked at her. The curvature of his lips was not too significant but was sufficiently warm to send Ruan Danchen’s heart into a frenzy.

“Stop looking at me like that.” She instinctively placed her forehead on his shoulder due to her inability to withstand his gaze.

As she breathed in the ever-present smell of his male cologne, her ears were so red that they might have almost bled.

She never once imagined that she and Qi Chenglin would have such a moment together, whereby he would confess to her and gaze warmly at her while she was in his intimate embrace.

Ruan Danchen knew that from that moment onward, their relationship would officially change—she was going to be his significant other.

She felt emotional knowing that she could neither run away nor reject him. A man like Qi Chenglin would not give her the luxury of doing so.

Despite that, Ruan Danchen was still unable to believe it, as if it was all a dream.

It was amazing to think that someone as magnificent and noble as Qi Chenglin decided to be with her. Most importantly, she could be by Youxuan’s side openly.

Still somewhat trembling in his embrace, Qi Chenglin gazed down at her gentle demeanor before lowering his head and kissing the corner of her eye. He made his way down to her ear, then earlobe, followed by her neck.

Ruan Danchen trembled even more, and both her hands grabbed the lapel of his jacket. She felt his palm on her body, his heat transmitting through her thin clothes and onto her skin.

His nose and lips were filled with her fragrance, and her silky skin made him reluctant to lift his hands off her.

Ruan Danchen’s head was constantly lowered, and the redness began spreading from her scalp to her shoulders. She was still afraid to look up and face him, as she still believed that her newfound relationship with Qi Chenglin was a dream. Her mind was still wandering, and her heartbeat was increasing in speed. She may be in his embrace, but she still felt unreal.

The meeker she was, the more unrestrained Qi Chenglin became. He wanted to carry her away because he might just do her right there if he did not.

He kneaded her soft body and continued kissing from her neck to her lips. The second his thin lips came into contact with hers, an extremely passionate kiss followed suit.

“Are you still going to say that I treat you flippantly next time?” Qi Chenglin hugged her while kissing and saying that.

Ruan Danchen was too shy to say anything. Letting him kiss her was her way of silently affirming their relationship.

Her meekness made Qi Chenglin unable to control himself. While still stuck to her lips, he took a deep breath and forced himself to let go of her. His gaze, however, remained unwavering, and he could not refrain from looking at her face.

Ruan Danchen was getting very anxious. She grabbed his suit jacket but had no idea how to react—in her twenty-six years of life, she did not have the slightest experience in love.

Her first time was given to him due to rather messy circumstances, but there never was a proper relationship between them. Never did she think that her first true relationship would be with Qi Chenglin.

He was much older than her, with much more experience and a much higher status than he. She felt completely at a loss as to what to do.

It felt like she entered a foreign city as a naive young girl, and someone pointed at the most luxurious house there and said, ‘That’s yours’.

Even more unexpected was how she could still like him after what happened seven years ago.

When she thought about that, she could not help but look up at him. For that short moment, she discarded all her feelings of nervousness and shyness just to look at his handsome face.

His dark pupils were luminous, and his expression was full of content. She felt hot and bothered just from looking at the lips that kissed her earlier.

Qi Chenglin’s lips were curled in a slight smirk, one that was very handsome indeed. At his age, he had the charm of a mature man.

Ruan Danchen thought to herself, ‘If a man like him was really adamant about getting a girlfriend, no woman could resist his skills. He’s serious at times and naughty on other occasions.’

Qi Chenglin was still reluctant to let go of her. He could not help but grind on her lower body.

Ruan Danchen blushed. How could the man do such a shameless thing without even asking!

When Qi Chenglin was on the verge of doing her right then and there, voices were heard from outside the door.

Ruan Danchen’s face paled. She recalled that Yang Yunshu and another colleague from the design department chose to lose weight together, and in recent times, their lunch consisted of salad or Konjac noodles from the nearby 7-11 convenience store. They would head down to get food before coming back up to have lunch in the meeting room.

“They’re coming in to eat. Let go of me now.” Ruan Danchen did not give a damn about her embarrassment and looked him directly in the eye. Her face was still blushing, but her eyes revealed her franticness.

Qi Chenglin narrowed his eyes and tightened his grip on her instead. “Let them see us then. I have no intention of making this a secret affair. Didn’t I tell you I was serious with you?”

His words made her heart feel warm and grounded.

Someone as mature as him would definitely be direct in his feelings. Once he acknowledged the relationship, it would good to be public. He did not wish to keep it a secret. Certainty was important to him because it gave people a sense of security. His decision not to hide it made her feel very adored, and she understood why the Shen family wanted Shen Zhijing to marry him, even going to great lengths to attempt to make it materialize.

It was not only because of his background but also because of his character as a person.

Even so, she whispered to him. “Yang Yunshu isn’t like others. If she saw us, she’ll spread so many rumors about me to everyone in the company. Previously she insinuated that I was willing to… sleep with… for the sake of a job.”

– – –

Grandmother Qi: “This little brat finally confessed. I was so anxious.”

Qi Chenglin: “Why are you in such a hurry for? It’s not like your granddaughter-in-law will go anywhere.”

Qi Chengzhi: “Is your member down there in a hurry?”

“…” Qi Chenglin: “Yes.”

Han Zhuoli: “Pity. Your time management sucks. There’s nothing you can do even if you were in a hurry.”

- - - - -

Oddly enough though, Ruan Danchen was not intimidated by Qi Chenglin anymore. She used to get extremely flustered but now she was no longer scared. Perhaps it was because she now knew why he was angry earlier, or perhaps it might be because their relationship had just changed.

“That happened on an afternoon a while back when you came to show me the report,” Ruan Danchen said while blushing.

Qi Chenglin’s expression turned unusually gentle. His mood took a turn for the better after recalling the time he dropped her off and remembered the allure of her face at the time.

Ruan Danchen glared at him and could already imagine what would happen if Yang Yunshu walked in. If Yang Yunshu saw her with Qi Chenglin, she would presume that Ruan Danchen was trying seducing him even if she was nowhere near him.

The faint laughter from outside drew closer, but Qi Chenglin was still latched onto her. Growing more and more frantic, Ruan Danchen begged her, “Please let me down this once. I beg you.”

He pursed his thin, handsome lips and looked at her with those enigmatic eyes.

Ruan Danchen felt uneasy from his stares. She did not want to hide the relationship, but at that moment, she had no intention of letting Yang Yunshu have reason to gossip.

…

…

Yang Yunshu and Wu Min continued their chit-chat and opened the meeting room door. They immediately saw Qi Chenglin and Ruan Danchen standing beside the conference table. Ruan Danchen was blocked by Qi Chenglin, so they could not see her clearly.

All they heard was, “Young Master Lin, let me escort you out.”

Qi Chenglin narrowed his eyes at her and snickered. ‘Young Master Lin? Really?’

Ruan Danchen felt a wave of guilt and felt her head throb just from looking at him. She looked pitiful and apologetic, making it hard for Qi Chenglin to blame her for anything.

He twitched his lip and looked strangely at her as if to tease her. It took him quite a bit of effort to nod and answer unhappily, “Mm.”

Ruan Danchen breathed out a sigh and followed Qi Chenglin out. She lowered her head, so her hair covered her face as she walked out. She especially did not enjoy letting Yang Yunshu see her, especially since Ruan Danchen herself had no idea whether she looked disheveled at the time.

She let out a relieved sigh once she was out of the meeting room. Having sent Qi Chenglin to the design department’s entrance, she made a show of saying, “Young Master Lin, take care.”

Qi Chenglin stopped and stared at Ruan Danchen. He cocked his thick brow and asked, “Aren’t you going to send me off?”

Ruan Danchen was stunned. She blushed but mustered the courage to move her fingers over. She was just about to touch his hand when she heard the clacking of high heels nearing from behind.

Ruan Danchen pulled her hand back immediately and said in a clear voice, “Don’t worry, Young Master Lin, I’ll draw up a few designs as fast as possible so you can choose from them. I’ll get to it right away.”

Qi Chenglin glanced at the approaching Yang Yunshu and twitched his lip coldly. Giving Ruan Danchen a little snicker, he left the design department.

His last glance made Ruan Danchen feel numb in the head.

She turned around to see Yang Yunshu’s sarcastic-looking face. Ruan Danchen glanced at her coldly and ignored her before going back to her own seat. She grabbed her bag and decided to go to a nearby convenience store to get a sandwich. It was far too late to go for a full meal at a restaurant.

Yang Yunshu then began speaking in a mocking tone, “Ruan Danchen, how shameless can you be? Now you’ve even seduced a client on company grounds, completely unaware of your surroundings. Were you really just about to get it on in the meeting room?”

Ruan Danchen grabbed her bag and turned around, frowning. “Yang Yunshu. Is it that hard for you to come to work every day without criticizing others? Why do you always have indecent thoughts?”

“Me? Indecent?” Yang Yunshu cackled coldly. “Even if I’m thinking lewd thoughts, it’ll never be worse than your lewd actions. It makes me feel disgusted! Do you think you can become the next Song Yu just by seducing Qi Chenglin? You think you can just sit around like her without doing anything and have Director Zhao afraid to take action on you? Who do you think you are? Do you really think you could be part of the Qi family? Please, just stop embarrassing yourself!”

“What is it? What’s going on? What are you arguing about?” Wu Min came out of the meeting room after hearing the conversation. She immediately saw Yang Yunshu confronting Ruan Danchen in a heated argument.

“Don’t talk nonsense, Yang Yunshu! You should know who attempted to use unethical means to advance her career. I had a proper work-related discussion with Young Master Lin in the meeting room, that’s all. Don’t you dare start a rumor and make wild accusations!” Ruan Danchen felt slightly guilty when saying that.

Yan Yunshu huffed icily and threw a pocket mirror to Ruan Danchen’s table. “Nothing, you say? Why don’t you take a look in the mirror!”

Ruan Danchen frowned and took the mirror. She looked at her reflection and noticed that it was much better than expected.

Her hair, however, was slightly messy because of Qi Chenglin cupping her face in his hands. From her hair alone, it did look she had been given a bit of loving earlier.

Her lips were not that swollen, but her lipstick was all devoured by Qi Chenglin. The blush in her cheek had not fully disappeared yet and was still rosy, which reinforced the accusation that she had been intimate with Qi Chenglin.

She may be blushing, but she threw the mirror onto the table and said, “Yang Yunshu, do you have any proof of what you’re accusing me of? Have you seen anything with your own two eyes? Don’t start your bloody rumors if you have no proof and didn’t even see anything. I hate and despise people who are unethical when trying to land a project. I swear on the future of my career that I have never and will never use filthy means just to obtain a project. Do you dare swear the same? Do you dare swear that you never made a false accusation toward me? That you weren’t trying to start rumors to taint my reputation? Do you dare to or not?”

Yang Yunshu stood blankly as her face turned green. She was unable to speak.

She kept quiet not because of superstition, but because her stubbornness might lead to a problem in the future.

“You don’t dare to? Then you’d better shut your damn mouth and stop being so atrocious with all your accusations. Don’t even greet me from now on. You disgust me!” Ruan Danchen said without a care in the world.

Yang Yunshu’s repeated fault-finding gave Ruan Danchen no reason to be kind toward her.

Ruan Danchen pursed her lips, threw a piercing glare at Yang Yunshu, then grabbed her bag and left the design department.

…

…

“What was it that caused such a big argument? What if Director Zhao came back and saw everything?” Wu Min tugged on Yang Yunshu’s shirt and both of them went back into the meeting room.

“Didn’t you see her lustful face in the meeting room just now? I have no idea what she did to seduce Qi Chenglin! It was obvious that she did something inappropriate, yet she still refuses to admit it. Instead, she pretended to be the victim and blamed me instead. Isn’t that sickening?” Yang Yunshu said unhappily. She entered the meeting room and sat down with a plop. Then, she began tossing the bowl of salad that she had not eaten yet.

“Who knows what secret potion she poured into their drinks. Even Manager Xu is so protective of her all the time. Since she’s good friends with Song Yu, Director Zhao still lets her stay around even though her workload is so small. She’s barely bringing in any profit for the company. Hasn’t it crossed Director Zhao’s mind that the Qi family wouldn’t treat Chengshi any better just because of her and her relationship with Song Yu?” Yang Yunshu lashed out.

Wu Min sat there in silence, having no desire to be involved in squabbles between colleagues.

Besides, Ruan Danchen was a pleasant character, and Wu Min did not believe that Ruan Danchen was that kind of person. Though Wu Min knew of Yang Yunshu’s character, it was the latter who went up to her and suggested that they slim down and have lunch together. She deemed it would be impolite to decline, so all she did was make sure that she watched her words whenever they spoke.

…

…

Ruan Danchen stormed out of the office in anger. Her stomach ached from hunger, but she had no appetite because of what happened with Yang Yunshu.

Nevertheless, the last thing on her mind was to go back to the office and see Yang Yunshu’s face again. As she walked to the elevator and was wondering where to go, she received a call from Qi Chenglin.

Simply looking at his name on the screen made her heart thump wildly. The anger and annoyance caused by Yang Yunshu disappeared immediately, and she felt her cheek heat up.

Having picked up the call, she heard Qi Chenglin’s rich voice resounding from the phone. “Come down.”

Ruan Danchen’s heartbeat quickened. Ever since they had the big talk that officially began their relationship, it was an entirely different feeling hearing his voice then, as if there was a new layer of intimacy between them.

“You haven’t left?” Ruan Danchen asked in shock.

He hung up without replying.

Stunned, she looked at her phone and mumbled in an irritated fashion, “You and your temper.”

The elevator came, and she stepped into it with a degree of resentment.

Her anger at Yang Yunshu had been diffused after his call, but her mood soon reverted back to annoyance because of his temper.

Once the elevator reached the ground floor, she walked out and saw his black Benz right by the building entrance. It was parked at the exact same spot and had not been moved since he last came down.

She walked toward the car, and when she was about a step away, the car door swung open.

Ruan Danchen scanned her surroundings frantically. Lucky for her, many people were still out having lunch and so no one was around. Ruan Danchen immediately got into the car.

It was not the first time she sat in the front passenger seat, but the feeling was very different this time.

She never expected that she would be together with a man she met just once seven years ago who was also the respected second young master of the Qi family.

Nerves were getting to her as she sat beside him. Even her breathing was getting increasingly heavier. When she entered the car, however, the first thing she smelled was that of food.

She turned to look at him and noticed that his suit jacket had been taken off. It was thrown onto the back seat and he was left wearing only his dress shirt. The sleeves were not rolled up, and he looked just as professional dressed like that, although it was slightly more casual than when he donned a full suit.

Since the dress shirt was the only thing covering him, it was easy for her to spot the muscles on his arms and chest. The clothes were not stretched out, they actually fitted him quite well. It made one wonder how strong and sturdy the muscles underneath his shirt were.

Ruan Danchen blushed simply from looking at him, more so when she imagined being in his embrace. The solidity of his chest was very attractive indeed.

There did not seem to be anything unusual about Qi Chenglin. He looked at her in a teasing manner, making her feel a bit glum as she thought to herself, ‘Am I really in a relationship with him? He’s always looking at me so coldly.’

He kept quiet and stretched his long arms to his back seat. The motion pulled his shirt taut, revealing the shape of his strong chest muscles while also inadvertently shifting him closer to her.

Ruan Danchen froze on the spot, and even her breathing became stifled.

He then retracted his hand, and what he had was a container, held in his clean, beautiful hands. The joints of his thumb were slender and prominent.

“Eat up. This is your lunch.” Ruan Danchen heard his sonorous voice.

Feeling surprised, she took it from him and saw that his other hand was holding a container as well. Qi Chenglin then explained, “You didn’t have lunch, so I went to a nearby restaurant to get some.”

Though she was slightly angry at him earlier for hanging up on her, that quickly disappeared and was replaced by warmth in her heart. She said softly, “Thank you.”

Qi Chenglin was in a good mood. His lips curled and he said, “Don’t mention it. Lift your head a bit.”

Still in a daze due to being alone with him in the tight confines of his car, she lifted her head obediently without thinking too much.

Almost immediately, a shadow loomed over her head. Qi Chenglin’s handsome face leaned closer as soon as she looked up. Before she could react, he caught her off guard and planted a kiss on her lips.

It was not a long kiss, for he broke free of her lips after giving her a peck.

Even so, Ruan Danchen felt extra shy. She could sense her head and cheeks heating up.

Qi Chenglin’s seemed to have quite the appetite after kissing her. He wolfed down his food in a primal manner. Ruan Danchen would never have thought that such a well-dressed and proud man would eat his takeout in such an uncivilized way within the cover of his car.

Most of the shops nearby Chengshi were not well-known and could hardly compare to places like Dynasty, yet Qi Chenglin still ate them quite contentedly.

Ruan Danchen began eating too. She heard Qi Chenglin say, “I’m working overtime tonight. Xiao Yang will pick Youxuan from kindergarten before coming here to pick you. If you don’t mind, you can bring Youxuan home. I’ll come over when I’m done.”

“I don’t mind,” Ruan Danchen replied instantly. She was bubbling with excitement because that was exactly what she wanted.

Qi Chenglin smiled and finished his food before Ruan Danchen. She was a bit slower, so he waited until she finished before he took the empty container from her.

Seeing how spotless it was inside with not even a single grain of rice left, Qi Chenglin chuckled. “You were hungry?”

Ruan Danchen felt slightly embarrassed. She was rather famished after being cooped up in the meeting room with him on an empty stomach.

She said shyly, “I don’t usually eat that much.”

“I didn’t say anything.” Qi Chenglin placed both containers into the plastic bag, stepped out of the car, and threw everything into a nearby rubbish bin.

“I’ll go up now,” said Ruan Danchen once Qi Chenglin came back. As Qi Chenglin seemed to have no objections, she turned to open the door.

“Come here,” Qi Chenglin’s rich voice rang from behind her.

Ruan Danchen could only turn around and let Qi Chenglin caress her.

The moment his hands came into contact with her waist, Ruan Danchen trembled and said, “Lunch break is over. I’m gonna be late.”

“Did anyone gossip just now?” Qi Chenglin’s lips approached her own, and it was only when he was an inch away that he spoke with his mesmeric voice.

Ruan Danchen’s lips trembled and she said softly, “It’s just conflict between colleagues. Nothing much.”

Qi Chenglin looked at her with a serious expression, but he did not say a word. He kissed her once more before letting her go. “You can go up now.”

Their new relationship was still something that Ruan Danchen was unaccustomed to. When she left the car, she did so in a daze.

…

…

At around ten minutes past four in the evening, Ruan Danchen received a call from Xiao Yang saying that he had picked Youxuan up and was on his way to Chengshi. He estimated that he would arrive at about five-thirty.

Ruan Danchen looked at her colleagues, got up, then rushed out of the office. She went to the staircase and said softly, “Xiao Yang, can you park a bit further away when you arrive?”

Xiao Yang did not ask why and happily complied, “Would it be okay if I park at the intersection before Chengshi?”

“That would be fine, thank you,” Ruan Danchen replied.

Ruan Danchen was not particularly bothered with what her colleagues think—her main concern was that her relationship with Qi Chenglin would be spread around by those blabbermouths and somehow make its way to the Shen family’s ears. If they knew she was with Qi Chenglin, they would certainly come looking for her.

Ruan Danchen began packing up her things when the clock struck half-past five while Xiao Yang’s call came a couple of minutes before five-forty. He informed her that they had arrived.

Thus, she packed everything in a hurry and left immediately after.

…

…

Liu Ronghua was sitting in a taxi and was fast approaching Chengshi. From afar, she could spot Ruan Danchen coming out of the office building.

She said immediately, “Sir, can you drop me off just in front of the entrance.”

The roadside was full of cars and the taxi driver was unable to find a suitable spot to park. He had to drive further ahead before finally stopping. The entire sequence of events had taken up quite a bit of her precious time, seeing as she still had to make payment for the ride.

By the time she stepped out of the car, Ruan Danchen had already turned around the corner. She caught up as fast as she could, but Ruan Danchen had already gotten into the Benz. The car sped away, and Liu Ronghua did not manage to catch a glimpse at the plate number either.

She stood rooted to the ground with doubts filling her head. ‘Was it the same man I saw in the shopping mall that day?’

…

…

As soon as Ruan Danchen got into the car, Qi Youxuan remarked excitedly, “Aunt Ruan, Dad said you’ll design my room for me.”

“That’s right.” Ruan Danchen could not resist touching his stiff, curly hair. “Do you have anything in mind? How would you like your room? Just let me know.”

“I’m okay with anything. What’s most important is that Aunt Ruan likes it.” Qi Youxuan smiled bashfully. “When you become my stepmother next time, you’ll have to stay at our home too.”

Ruan Danchen was speechless, but she had no doubts that Qi Youxuan was Qi Chenglin’s son—both father and son had the habit of making decisions for her without caring about her opinion.

All of a sudden, her phone rang. Her mood spiraled downhill when she saw that it was Liu Ronghua’s call.

She picked it up and heard Liu Ronghua say, “Danchen, I’m at your workplace. I wanted to meet up with you, but I saw you leaving in a Benz.”

“Is something up?” Ruan Danchen asked as her heart skipped a beat.

“Nothing, I just wanted to see you,” Liu Ronghua said.

Ruan Danchen pondered for a moment. It was simply impossible that Liu Ronghua had no ulterior motive in wanting to meet her all of a sudden, given it had been seven years since they last spoke. Ruan Danchen’s heart sank—she deeply feared that Liu Ronghua had found out about the little boy’s roots.

“Danchen, that Benz is…” Liu Ronghua asked hesitantly.

Ruan Danchen looked at Qi Youxuan and planned to tell him that it was a client’s call, but then again, she did not want to lie to the kid. All she could do was continue talking. “It’s nothing. Don’t think too much.”

“I’m not thinking too much, Danchen.” Liu Ronghua said immediately. “The other day at the mall, I saw you in the arms of a man. Is he the boy’s father? You…”

“Do you have anything else to say?” Ruan Danchen asked immediately, cutting her off. She did not want to let Liu Ronghua finish her question.

“Danchen, don’t I have a right to care about you? Are you really that incapable of resolving a few of my questions?” Liu Ronghua said in distress as she stood beside the road. A few drops of tears even formed in her eyes.

Ruan Danchen wanted to ask her, ‘Oh, so now you care about me? You never asked me about a single thing after I gave birth to the baby, and for the past seven years, you never once showed that you cared about me. Am I not supposed to be worried that you’re suddenly showing concern for me?’

“No. I’m a bit busy with something. It’s not convenient for me to be speaking with you for so long right now,” was all Ruan Danchen could say. She looked at Qi Youxuan and saw the boy twiddling his fingers.

Liu Ronghua sighed and offered, “Can I come to your home? Where are you… staying now?”

She felt embarrassed to even ask that question, for it was only when she wanted to visit Ruan Danchen that she realized she had no idea where Ruan Danchen stayed. It never even crossed Liu Ronghua’s mind that she might need to get in contact with Ruan Danchen someday.

“Seven years. In seven years, you’ve never once asked me where I stayed. Why now?” Ruan Danchen’s voice was calm and composed.

“I…” Liu Ronghua could not respond to that question. “Danchen, I am an incompetent mother. I’ve not been attentive enough toward you, but I’ve always kept you in my heart. From today onward, I want to make up for everything. I won’t forget it again if you tell me.”

“Actually, my residence isn’t permanent, since I’m renting a room. I move whenever the lease expires. How about this, if I have the time, I’ll call you,” Ruan Danchen said plainly. Before Liu Ronghua could say anything, she hastily continued, “I’m really very busy now. I’ll hang up here and call you later.”

She then hung up immediately.

Qi Youxuan was still fiddling with his thumbs as he tried to sneak a peek at Ruan Danchen. He looked up to see Ruan Danchen smiling at him.

Feeling a bit flustered, the little boy blushed and shied away instantly. He said, somewhat bashfully, “Aunt Ruan, I feel shy when you look at me like that.”

Ruan Danchen was speechless.

True enough, he was as thick-skinned as his father due to his upbringing.

“What do you want to eat tonight?” Ruan Danchen asked.

She had none of the ingredients to cook what the boy wanted, so she told Xiao Yang to stop by a supermarket.

She did not want to bother Qi Chenglin at work, but she was afraid that he would get worried, so she texted him when they reached home. [I’ve reached home with Youxuan.]

…

…

Qi Chenglin was busy discussing work with Luo Yushu when he received the message. His lips curled into a smile when he saw that it was from Ruan Danchen. He stared fondly at the phone—he felt he was living a good and simple life.

Luo Yushu looked on cautiously, not daring to make a sound.

The general manager was not as cold as the director and evidently not as unapproachable. He would smile at his subordinates from time to time. Nevertheless, he was still a member of the Qi family, and that haughty trait he had was still capable of commanding respect from people.

Jiang Yuan then came knocking on the door, bringing with him a bit of takeout dinner.

Qi Chenglin nodded and said, “Manager Luo, you may have your dinner now and resume working later.”

Luo Yushu gave a brief reply before carrying his dinner out.

Jiang Yuan left Qi Chenglin’s dinner on the table and went out of the room as well.

Qi Chenglin smelled the takeout and felt slightly annoyed. It was just like any other restaurant and was completely different from the aroma of Ruan Danchen’s homely cooking.

The more he thought about Ruan Danchen’s cooking, the less inclined he was to eat the meal in front of him.

He struggled to open the container, and although his chopsticks were right next to the food, he could not stomach any of it. He recalled the text Ruan Danchen sent and decided to give her a call.

When she picked up, he heard a humming sound and asked her what it was. “What are you doing? Why is it so noisy?”

“I’m cooking for Youxuan. It’s probably the kitchen fan making that noise.” Ruan Danchen said before she closed the kitchen door. Qi Youxuan was busy watching cartoons in the living room.

Qi Chenglin felt it was rather unfair that he had to put up with takeout while his son ate comfortably in Ruan Danchen’s home.

“Have you eaten?” Ruan Danchen blushed and asked shyly. She was still unaccustomed to their relationship.

“I have some takeout in front of me, but I don’t feel like eating it. I want to eat your cooking.” Qi Chenglin looked at the takeout and frowned even more. The disgust he felt was discernible even from his voice.

Ruan Danchen heard his gentle tone and nearly lost her composure. She fried her vegetables and said, “How about you eat some of the takeout first, and I’ll save some leftovers for you so you can eat when you’re here.”

Qi Chenglin’s mood became much more cheerful and he immediately closed the takeout container. He brought it out and gave it to Jiang Yuan, saying, “I haven’t touched it yet. Give it to whoever wants it.”

“General Manager, you’re not eating?” Jiang Yuan asked in shock.

“Mm. Dinner’s waiting for me at home. I’ll be going back home to eat now,” Qi Chenglin responded, unable to conceal his glee.

Jiang Yuan looked at him oddly. ‘I’ve never seen the general manager this happy to go home for dinner.’

…

…

Qi Youxuan was used to having his bedtime at eight o’clock. After dinner at Ruan Danchen’s place, his sleepiness kicked in at eight and he went to Ruan Danchen’s bedroom to sleep.

When it was around nine, the doorbell to Ruan Danchen’s home rang. Knowing that it was Qi Chenglin, her heartbeat shot through the roof.

She went over and opened the door. True enough it was Qi Chenglin standing there. He lowered his gaze at her, and his expression softened tremendously.

Still feeling a bit shy, Ruan Danchen blushed and stepped aside so he could enter. When Qi Chenglin was already inside, he kissed her abruptly on the lips and asked, “Did you miss me during the evening?”

Ruan Danchen was too nervous to answer his question. Instead, she said softly, “Come inside, I’ll heat up dinner for you. It’ll only take a few minutes.”

Qi Chenglin closed the door behind him and walked over to her so he could give her a hug. He gazed at her lips and said in a raspy voice, “First, tell me. Did you miss me?”

Ruan Danchen had never been in a relationship before and it was only natural that she would never say those sappy things to a man. Being forced into a corner by Qi Chenglin made her face feel so heated, and she failed to utter a single word.

Qi Chenglin seemed to be hellbent on keeping her in his arms as long as she did not tell him what he wanted to hear. Ruan Danchen looked down and spat out a single word, not louder than a mosquito’s hum. “Yes.”

Pleased at last, Qi Chenglin smiled and looked at her reddened face. His lips could still feel the heat of her cheek.

“I’m hungry,” he muttered, with his lips still pressed against hers.

A shiver came over Ruan Danchen. His words and voice were far too suggestive, making her wonder which part of him was feeling the hunger.

Before she could react, QI Chenglin let go of her as if nothing had happened. He walked calmly into the living room.

Ruan Danchen hurried to the kitchen despite still feeling weak in the knees.

She reheated the food and brought everything out to the dining table. Qi Chenglin was sitting on the sofa watching television.

He turned and saw Ruan Danchen holding two sets of bowls and chopsticks. “You haven’t eaten?”

“I ate a bit with Youxuan just now but waited for you to come,” Ruan Danchen said meekly.

Qi Chenglin looked at her with much glee and sat down at the table to eat with her.

After dinner, Qi Chenglin woke Qi Youxuan up, giving him time to clear his hazy mind before bringing him home.

Qi Youxuan was very unhappy. He lazed around on Ruan Danchen’s bed and said, “Dad, you can go home yourself. I need to take care of Aunt Ruan. What if someone takes her away when I’m not here?”

Qi Chenglin snickered. ‘Who would dare do that?’

He glanced briefly at the room door and leaned close to Qi Youxuan, whispering, “Do you want to live with Aunt Ruan every day from now on?”

“Of course I do!” Qi Youxuan blurted out at once. He added, “Of course I want her to be with you, Dad. If I get to live with both of you, that would be the best possible scenario.” Youxuan said that because he was worried that Qi Chenglin might turn sad if he felt that he would be overlooked once had a stepmother.

“If you do, then you have to follow me home tonight,” Qi Chenglin whispered again.

Qi Youxuan still had a reluctant and displeased look on his face. Qi Chenglin pursed his lips and asked patiently, “Do you think Aunt Ruan likes you?”

Qi Youxuan hugged the little teddy that he left in her care. When he climbed into bed to sleep, he saw the teddy placed nicely on the headboard. He was happy because he felt that Ruan Danchen took good care of his belongings and treasured them.

He buried his little red face into the teddy’s soft fur and said, “You’re joking, Dad. I’m such a cute boy. Who wouldn’t like me?”

A speechless Qi Chenglin then said, “Speak properly.”

“I think she likes me,” Qi Youxuan replied immediately. “I think she really, really likes me.”

“So, if you don’t stay here, your Aunt Ruan will begin missing you even more. Then, when she can’t take it anymore, she’ll stay with us,” Qi Chenglin whispered.

Qi Youxuan gasped and stared at his father with his big eyes. Shocked, he said, “Dad, you’re so shameless!”

Qi Chenglin could not think of a reply.

“Okay, I’ve heard enough. I’ll get ready,” Qi Youxuan mumbled as he got off the bed. He promptly packed everything but left the teddy behind. With his bag on his back, he strutted out of the bedroom.

When entering the living room, he told Ruan Danchen, “Aunt Ruan, thanks for your hospitality tonight. I’m sorry for preventing you from sleeping on your bed. I’ll go home with Dad now. If you find the time, come to our home and be our guest!”

Ruan Danchen looked at Qi Youxuan curiously. ‘When did the boy become so courteous?’

Qi Youxuan hardly looked like a boy who had just woken up—his energy level was incredibly high. He waved at Ruan Danchen. “Bye, Aunt Ruan.”

“Bye…” Ruan Danchen said. She was still unable to process what was happening.

…

…

On Friday, Director Zhao went for a business trip to Z City. Yang Yunshu stood outside his wife’s office and knocked before coming in.

Director Zhao’s wife was in the company for the sole purpose of keeping an eye on Director Zhao. She did not want him seeking the company of other women. There was nothing in particular that the director’s wife needed to do, and in her boredom, she surfed the web. Nevertheless, Yang Yunshu could not see what she was doing due to the monitor blocking it from view.

“Please sit.” Madam Zhao looked at Yang Yunshu and pointed at the chair in front of the table.

Yang Yunshu sat down and said, “Madam, I’d like to talk to you about Ruan Danchen.”

Madam Zhao frowned. “What about her?”

“You probably know that Ruan Danchen’s reputation has fallen due to what happened in the Mu incident. She has half as many projects now, and very few clients. This Wednesday, Qi Chenglin came here in the afternoon and said that he had a case he wanted to discuss with her. She brought him to the meeting room. During lunch, I and one of the designers, Wu Min, brought our salads and decided to eat in the meeting room, but when we walked in, we saw Ruan Danchen’s shirt and hair in a mess, her face was red, and she had teary eyes. Though Qi Chenglin was very happy.”

Yan Yunshu analyzed the reaction of the director’s wife. She knew that Director Zhao’s wife hated that kind of thing, especially after what happened with Wang Liwei. As expected, the director’s wife frowned and was displeased.

“Continue,” said Director Zhao’s wife unhappily, her mood having been soured by what she just heard.

“At the time, Qi Chenglin didn’t look happy at all. When Ruan Danchen sent him off at the design department entrance, Qi Chenglin even gave her a cold glare. I think he was trying to warn her. I’m worried that… Ruan Danchen has been trying to use these dirty tactics because she’s not getting any business lately. She tried and failed to seduce Qi Chenglin in the meeting room. After all, Song Yu is one example in the company. She got together with Qi Chengzhi, and everyone treats her nicely, admires her, and aspires to be in her position. Now Ruan Danchen is close to Song Yu. She was never close to Song Yu, but after Song Yu got together with Qi Chengzhi, Ruan Danchen has started getting closer to Song Yu. Her reasons for doing so are too obvious.”

– – –

Bonus scene:

Qi Youxuan: “Dad, when are you tricking Aunt Ruan into staying with us?”

Qi Chenglin: “Nonsense! What do you mean ‘trick’? I’ll use sincerity to convince her.”

“…” Qi Youxuan: “Dad, don’t ever ask me to come home with you again. I want to stay at Aunt Ruan’s house.”

“…” Qi Chenglin: “Are you doubting my sincerity?”

Qi Youxuan: “Dad, you need to have no sense of shame when you’re going after a woman. Look at my Elder Uncle. He brought Auntie back home in just a few days. It’s going to be hard for you because you’re not shameless enough.”

Ruan Danchen: “…”

- - - - -

Madam Zhao’s expression shifted. She started to feel that Yang Yunshu’s words had some sense in it.

“That’s why she wants to imitate Song Yu. That way, even if she doesn’t have many clients—or any clients for that matter—the company still won’t be able to take any actions against her. On the contrary, the company will have to treat her like a goddess. Nonetheless, her plan had failed and she ended up enraging Qi Chenglin. Madam, what I’m truly afraid of is that Qi Chenglin’s wrath toward Ruan Danchen might affect the whole company. It’s true that with Song Yu around, Qi Chenglin won’t cause any trouble for Chengshi, but Song Yu had now become the Qi family’s precious daughter-in-law. She won’t be staying at Chengshi for much longer. Besides, she’s pregnant now so she’s guaranteed to leave sooner or later. When we don’t have Song Yu anymore, why would the Qi family still care about Chengshi? If there are any suitable jobs for us in the future, Qilin might refuse to hand it to us just because of Ruan Danchen. Wouldn’t that cause massive losses for the company?”

Yang Yunshu glanced at Madam Zhao. Hesitantly, she revealed, “Moreover, there’s one more thing, but I’m not sure if I should tell.”

“What is it? Just let me hear it,” Madam Zhao commanded in a stern voice.

“On Monday morning, Ruan Danchen said that she was going to meet a client, but when she came back in the afternoon, her face was flushed, eyes dreamy and lips swollen—it was obvious that she had just…” Yang Yunshu’s reluctance to say the word was evident on her face. “…been with a man. Since we’re colleagues, I didn’t want to make assumptions—what if I was wrong? Hence, I asked her where she had been, and she told me she was out to see a client. What could she have possibly been discussing with a client that made her look like that? I fear that to gain some clients, she resorted to…”

Yang Yunshu sighed. “It’s great to bring in customers for the company, but I’m afraid that she’d spoil the company’s name, making the world think our company allows its employees to use unethical methods in order to gain clients. It doesn’t matter if only Ruan Danchen’s name is spoilt, but because of her rotten name, the rest of us would be too humiliated to admit we’re from this company too. Nowadays, it’s not easy to find a job in this field, so we can’t just easily switch jobs either. I—”

“From my knowledge, you used to be in the design department too, right?” Madam Zhao interrupted abruptly.

“Yes,” Yang Yunshu answered with a troubled expression.

“I heard from Lao Zhao that back then, Qi Chengzhi personally requested him to fire you. You were only able to remain in this company because Lao Zhao shifted you to another department,” Madam Zhao brought up.

“Madam, it was a misunderstanding. When I first came to the company, I was too hasty in trying to prove my worth, so when I saw Qi Chengzhi, I wanted to leave a good impression and could not help but blew my own trumpet. Yet, Ruan Danchen held a grudge against me for a reason even I don’t know—she rattled to Song Yu that I was trying to seduce Qi Chengzhi. Besides, I already had a boyfriend at that time. Nonetheless, Song Yu believed her words and was unhappy about it. Madam, even you know that Qi Chengzhi pampers Song Yu immensely. To make her happy, he didn’t care that I was wrongly accused. Immediately I was transferred away. I had no say in the matter.”

“However, Madam, the reason I am here today is definitely not to exert any kind of revenge toward Ruan Danchen. I’m only telling you facts. She tried so hard to push me out back then, so now that she has done such unspeakable things, of course I won’t help her hide it. Truthfully speaking, the saying ‘repay good for evil’ doesn’t make sense to me.”

If Yang Yunshu had rebutted strongly, it was likely that Madam Zhao would question her words against Ruan Danchen. However, now that Yang Yunshu had spoken so honestly, Madam Zhao could put herself in Yang Yunshu’s shoes and understand her situation.

Madam Zhao nodded. “I’ll keep my eyes out for Ruan Danchen.”

Yang Yunshu guessed that Madam Zhao had no other intentions against Ruan Danchen, yet she did not dare to express her disappointment. As she was leaving, Madam Zhao announced, “Song Yu is on leave right now. She’s not in the company. Besides, that means that we’re left short-handed in the design department, so I’ll get someone to issue a transfer order for you to rejoin the design department. You can go back to your old position. Do report to me any other issues in other departments too, no matter big or small.”

“Thank you, Madam Zhou, for your trust,” Yang Yunshu swiftly thanked as she rejoiced.

Madam Zhao waved her hand dismissively. Then, Yang Yunshu left.

…

…

It was Saturday morning. Ruan Danchen was ready.

Yesterday was Qi Youxuan’s last day of kindergarten. After the holidays, he would be starting as a first-grader in elementary school.

The night before, Qi Chenglin told Ruan Danchen that he would come to pick her up and drive her to Prestige Residences to discuss the design of Qi Youxuan’s toy room. Ruan Danchen was overjoyed to hear that she could spend the whole day with Qi Youxuan.

As she waited at home, her phone rang. When she saw Qi Chenglin’s name displayed on her phone, she immediately leaped to her feet. Qi Chenglin said over the phone, “I’m here. Come down.”

Once she hung up, she hurriedly grabbed her bag and dashed out the door.

Upon reaching the first floor, she saw Qi Chenglin’s black Mercedes stopped at the front. She did not dare to make him wait so she quickly trotted toward the car, opened the door and sat inside.

Qi Chenglin was wearing a black button-up shirt without a suit. His appearance was especially casual compared to usual, yet he still looked smart and stylish.

His tight shirt displayed his attractive body clearly. A black belt was wrapped around his slim waist and his long legs were curled up in the car.

Every inch of his body gave off a fresh and pleasant aura.

Qi Chenglin turned to her. His thin lips moved slightly. In his intoxicating voice, he said, “Why aren’t you greeting me?”

“…” Ruan Danchen was troubled—she did not know what she should say. Her lips twitched, but before she could think of any suitable words, she was pulled toward him.

Qi Chenglin wrapped his arms tightly around her waist and locked lips with her. He came on strong. She felt his thin hot lips against hers. He gave off a powerful aura distinct to him, overbearing yet indulging.

After a long while, he finally let go of her. Indulged in his kiss, she was thrown into a drunken stupor—she did not even realize he had buckled her seatbelt for her. She just sat there obediently.

Qi Chenglin felt as though his body would act subconsciously whenever he touched her. When he removed his hand from the seatbelt, his hand landed on her waist again as if it had its own mind. Ruan Danchen’s cheeks reddened. Seeing her flustered and submissive manner, Qi Chenglin was extremely satisfied.

“It would’ve been great if I was conscious seven years ago that night,” Qi Chenglin commented abruptly as he kissed the corner of her lips.

Ruan Danchen started at him with her gorgeous eyes and a flushed face. Her pupils tremored as she murmured, “If you were conscious, you wouldn’t have wanted me. Then, we wouldn’t be here now.”

“I would. I would always want you,” Qi Chenglin stated firmly in his hoarse voice. He smirked, tightening his grip on her waist. “Would you like me to prove it?”

Ruan Danchen’s lower abdomen pulsed vigorously. She felt defenseless when placed in front of Qi Chenglin.

In all those years, he was the first and only man who could make her heart race. Back when they were at the Shen family’s house, she felt the exact same when she saw him sleeping soundly on the bed.

When she saw him then, she knew she liked him immoderately.

When she cried, it was not because she had to sell her body off to a stranger, but because he would never know it was her that night.

Deep in her heart, she longed for him to know. When she glanced at him one last time before leaving the room, she was deeply in love.

Back then, her heart wrenched at the thought that Qi Chenglin could be under the impression that the woman that night was Shen Zhijing for the rest of his life.

Her whole life she never believed in love at first sight. Now that she was with him, she realized she truly had fallen in love with him at first sight back then. For the many years that passed, she had never fallen for any other men, making her mistakenly assume that what she wanted was a love that developed slowly.

However, now Qi Chenglin would kiss and touch her every time he saw her. She knew that this man would not have the patience to wait for a few months and develop their relationship first.

From the moment she became his target, he had made advances to her at lightning speed. Every word he spoke and every move he made clearly illustrated his urge to make her completely his.

Before this moment, Ruan Danchen never thought about it, but she could confidently say she would not hesitate now.

Perhaps it was because she had done it with him seven years ago. Nonetheless, what was important was the passion and love she had toward him. When completely in love, she would not hesitate—as long as he wanted it, she would give it to him without any reservations and despite her bashfulness.

That feeling for Qi Chenglin remained ever since, even now.

She even had a hunch that after going to his house today, she would not be able to leave.

Though his bright clear eyes seemed calm and unwavering, they reflected Qi Chenglin’s fiery lust.

He stared straight at her through his deep, dark eyes. Only then did he return to his seat and started driving.

Ruan Danchen was staring down. Suddenly, an exquisite hand appeared before her eyes. It was elegant yet manly. Strands of black hair stood out on his fair fingers—they looked especially virile.

The hand in front of her eyes held onto her hand tightly all the way until he parked the car into his garage.

After he exited the car, he went around the car and took her hand again. Their fingers were interlaced as they entered the elevator.

Ruan Danchen felt as if she was floating on air. She did not dare glance at Qi Chenglin the entire way up until they entered his home, with Aunt Zheng greeting them at the door.

When Aunt Zheng saw Ruan Danchen, she smiled a genial smile and greeted, “Miss Ruan.”

Qi Chengzhi introduced, “This is Aunt Zheng.”

Ruan Danchen was surprised that even Aunt Zheng knew who she was. Qi Chenglin had mentioned Aunt Zheng to her before too, so they were not complete strangers.

Aunt Zheng kept her amiable smile on as she looked Ruan Danchen up and down. Aunt Zheng concluded that she was truly a capable woman—a beautiful one to boot.

In the house, Aunt Zheng would hear the father-and-son duo chatter about Ruan Danchen all the time. Even when they were eating, they did not forget to cook up a scheme to trick the lady into coming to their home somehow. As they plotted, they did not think to hide it from Aunt Zheng at all.

Ruan Danchen greeted Aunt Zheng politely, making Aunt Zheng quite content.

However, after what felt like an eternity, Ruan Danchen still did not even see the shadow of Qi Youxuan. According to his personality, he should have bolted out here the moment she arrived.

“Where’s Youxuan?” Ruan Danchen asked as she scanned the house.

“He just started his holiday today. Those at the old mansion misses him, so I sent him there to stay for a few days,” Qi Chenglin explained calmly as he led her into the living room.

Ruan Danchen’s heart dropped. She could only come here without fear because she thought Qi Youxuan would be around. She also wanted to interact with him more. Even so, she came all the way here yet Qi Youxuan was not even home.

Reading her mind, Qi Chenglin glared at her and said cooly, “His holiday is still long. Just let today go.”

Ruan Danchen’s ears were starting to burn up. Her scalp itched and she did not know what to do.

She felt like a sheep entering a lion’s den. Without Qi Youxuan around, she felt especially uncomfortable. Even her hands felt awkward and constantly pulled at the hair by her ears.

“Then… Since he’s not here, I can’t discuss the toy room’s design,” Ruan Danchen mumbled, her face boiling.

“You can take a look at the room first and produce a design draft. If he needs anything else, you can revise the design. Nonetheless, I think as long as you’re the one designing it, he wouldn’t mind anything.” Qi Chenglin looked down to see Ruan Danchen’s face red like a sunrise. His heart throbbed.

His gaze made Ruan Danchen extremely tense. She did not dare to look him in the eye—his eyes were too seductive.

Qi Chenglin looked down at her face which had reddened with shyness. From above, he could see the tip of her high-bridged nose. Overcome by passion, he bents down and pecked her lips.

Aunt Zheng had long known that Qi Chenglin was bringing Ruan Danchen over, so she had prepared a fruit platter and was bringing it out from the kitchen. When she walked out of the kitchen door, she saw that Qi Chenglin helplessly kissed the lady in the living room. Instantly, Aunt Zheng brought the fruit platter back into the kitchen. She did not dare to glance back, not wanting to disturb the couple.

In her mind, she thought that Sir must really like Miss Ruan—he could not even restrain himself for a second. Gazing at her, he looked like he would eat her alive.

With his slender body, he was much taller than Ruan Danchen. Just from this scene, it was obvious that Ruan Danchen would not stand a chance to escape from his embrace.

Ruan Danchen’s face was so hot that it was on the verge of exploding. The warmth of his lips lingered around from the peck; the tenderness made her heartbeat accelerate.

“I’ll bring you to see Youxuan’s toy room and his bedroom. He wants you to redesign his bedroom too,” said Qi Chenglin.

Ruan Danchen was exhilarated. She could not wait to see where the little boy grew up.

Qi Chenglin held her hand and led her upstairs.

…

…

Qi Youxuan was thrown into the car by Qi Chenglin early in the morning. Qi Chenglin had Xiao Yang come to fetch him to the old mansion.

Their regular family gathering was held today, so besides Qi Chenglin, everyone else was there.

Qi Youxuan speculated that this was all part of his father’s scheme. The night before, Qi Youxuan even tidied up his room and waited in anticipation for Ruan Danchen’s arrival today.

Unexpectedly, his dad told him that he needed to go to the old mansion earlier today.

Naturally, Qi Youxuan opposed it immediately. In the end, his dad questioned, “Do you want Aunt Ruan to live in our home?”

Qi Youxuan nodded his head vigorously. “Of course I do. Do you really need to ask?”

“Then, if everything goes smoothly and if you’re willing to cooperate, you’ll see Aunt Ruan sleeping in our home when you return tomorrow,” Qi Chenglin told Qi Youxuan.

Qi Chenglin’s face had an unusually convincing quality. Besides, Qi Youxuan was confident in his dad—if he said it out loud, that meant he could achieve it.

Therefore, Qi Youxuan was willing to sacrifice his happiness temporarily for the good of the finale. He went to the old mansion and left the entire house for his dad.

In spite of that, Qi Youxuan was still melancholic about it. He wondered what could his dad possibly do with Ruan Danchen at home.

“Youxuan, are you not feeling well? You’re not even eating your snacks. What are you pondering upon?” Seeing her grandson absentminded, Guan Liya could not help but worry. She was anxious that their constant restriction on his snacks to make him lose weight had somehow broken him.

Qi Youxuan could only eat snacks once a week, so on usual days, he would have pounced on the snacks mercilessly. Today, he did not even reach for one.

“I don’t have an appetite for food now. I don’t know how Dad and Aunt Ruan are doing. I left the house to both of them, so Dad has to be strong,” Qi Youxuan muttered dejectedly. He was still lost in his thoughts.

When he finished, everyone turned silent. Horrified, he finally snapped out of it.

He turned to see the whole family staring at him with dumbfounded expressions. Qi Youxuan retracted his neck and scanned the room anxiously. Finally, he stuttered, “Did I… say something?”

“Mom, did you hear that? Youxuan said it! Chenglin has a girl!” Guan Liya screamed excitedly. She had tears welled up in her eyes as she turned to Grandmother Qi.

Grandmother Qi stared at Qi Youxuan, her eyes twinkling. “Youxuan, did you say Aunt Ruan just now? Is it the Xiao Ruan that we all know?”

Xia Wenna leaned in curiously too. “They’re at your house now?”

Even Song Yu, who was usually calm and did not like to be a busybody, had the urge to call Ruan Danchen and confirm with her.

Qi Youxuan wished he could bolt out the door and escape. He covered his eyes with his plump hands, unwilling to face the mess he made. He shook his head and in his youthful and crisp voice, he deflected, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I didn’t say a thing just now. I’ve lost my memory.”

Having said that, he rolled his eyes upward and fell on the sofa, pretending he was dead.

Everyone fell silent.

“Sigh, this child. Your dad having a lady is good news, so why are you two hiding it from us?” Grandmother Qi walked over and picked up Qi Youxuan. She sat down at his spot and seated him on her lap.

Grandmother Qi pulled his hands away from his face and questioned, “What exactly is going on? Is the lady Xiao Ruan? They’re at your house now?”

Qi Youxuan widened his gorgeous eyes and stared at Grandmother Qi. He looked exceedingly adorable. “Great-grandma, I’m hungry.”

“…” Grandmother Qi gently smacked his head in annoyance. “Forget it, I won’t ask you anymore. Wenna, Liya, let’s go. Pack up a bit. We’re going to Chenglin’s house. I was wondering why he didn’t come with Qi Youxuan for today’s family gathering.”

Grandmother Qi stood up and placed down Qi Youxuan.

Hearing that, Qi Youxuan hastily pounced onto Grandmother Qi’s legs and shouted, “Great-grandma, you can’t go there! What if you scare Aunt Ruan? If she runs away, where will I find another stepmom? Dad said that when I go home tonight, I’ll see Aunt Ruan sleeping in our home! What if she doesn’t want to stay after seeing you all? I still want to hear her telling me the story of Ultraman fighting little monsters. I sacrificed the chance to stay at her house last time just for today. I purposely left the house to Dad alone so he can make an all-out-effort!”

Qi Youxuan was tremendously distressed. He latched onto Grandmother Qi’s legs tightly and tried to pull her back with all his might.

Despite being a smart child, Qi Youxuan was still a six-year-old. Once agitated, he would spill everything out on his own accord. Thus, they obtained a clear and detailed explanation without asking a single question.

It was still alright before Qi Youxuan said those words, but once he did, Grandmother Qi and Guan Liya were completely riled up.

They were astonished that Qi Chenglin was already this intimate to the lady. Judging from Qi Youxuan’s words, it must not have been a recent thing. After all, he already went to her house.

Now that Qi Chenglin had fished her into his home and prepared to let her stay the night, how could they still stay put? They wanted to go see what was going on immediately.

At this moment, Grandmother Qi was positive that this lady was Ruan Danchen.

“Chengzhi, hurry up and take Youxuan away. Don’t let him latch onto me like this.” Grandmother Qi kicked with all her might but with her old and atrophied legs, she could not get Qi Youxuan off no matter how hard she tried.

Qi Chengzhi strode forward and pulled Qi Youxuan away by the collar.

“Auntie, look what Uncle is doing! How can he be so mean! I’m being choked by the collar!” Qi Youxuan’s chubby hands held onto his collar. He even stuck his tongue out for effect.

Qi Chengzhi clicked his tongue irritatedly and hoisted Qi Youxuan onto his shoulder.

“Ugh, Uncle, put me down! You guys can’t just ruin the perfect life my dad and I are going to have!” Qi Youxuan kicked his little legs fretfully as he saw Qi Chengzhi’s long legs marching toward the front door.

Qi Chengzhi spanked his butt impudently but lightly. “Having a useless teammate like you must’ve been a huge hindrance for your dad.”

Song Yu tugged on Qi Chengzhi’s sleeve. “Carry him properly. The child isn’t comfortable.”

Qi Chengzhi glanced at Song Yu then reluctantly carried Qi Youxuan in his arms properly. He even pouted and complained, “You’re so heavy.”

“Xiao Liu! Xiao Liu!” Grandmother Qi, who was already outside the house, rushed back in again. “Hurry up and bring me a lunar calendar. I’ll bring it over.”

As she said that, Qi Youxuan was carried out of the house by Qi Chengzhi and thrown into his Range Rover. Song Yu sat at the back to accompany the little boy. She was still pregnant so Qi Youxuan sat obediently without throwing a tantrum—he was afraid he might hurt Song Yu.

Grandfather Qi had Xiao Fan prepare the car. He was already sitting inside. Grandmother Qi dashed out with a lunar calendar at hand—she did not even have time to stuff it in her bag. Speedily, she entered the car.

In the end, four groups of people in four separate cars set off to Prestige Residences together.

…

…

Qi Chenglin led Ruan Danchen upstairs. They passed by a bedroom, its door open ajar. Looking inside instinctively, Ruan Danchen saw that the whole room was filled with cold colors and the decorations were all black and grey. Immediately, she saw the big bed in the room.

Suddenly, Qi Chenglin tightened his grip on her hand. He turned to her with passionate eyes. “That’s my room. Do you want to have a look?”

“…” Ruan Danchen was burning up. With a flushed face, she said, “I’ll just look at the toy room.”

Qi Chenglin pouted subtly but kept silent.

He brought her to the toy room. The toys had all been cleared out and were piled in the living room. Right now, the only thing left in the room were the wallpapers.

“We wanted to renovate the whole room so we cleared out all the things,” Qi Chenglin clarified.

There was nothing in the room, so there was not much to see.

Nonetheless, Ruan Danchen came here with full intention of designing the perfect room for Qi Youxuan. She produced a measuring tape from her bag and made several measurements. She even took a few pictures.

Raun Danchen squatted on the floor to measure the length and width of the room. She stood up and tidies her hair. Suddenly, a deep, husky voice sounded beside her ear. “Don’t you have to measure the height?”

Out of nowhere, Qi Chenglin had drawn closer and pressed himself against her back. When he spoke, she could feel his hot breath blowing onto her earlobe. Without turning back, she could see his face from the corner of her eyes. Although she could not see his lips, she could still feel the movement of his hot lips through the irregular breaths landing on her ear as he spoke.

Every time she thought he could not come closer, he would lean in abruptly, giving her no time to prepare at all. However, once she was prepared, she could only feel his hot breath burning her skin.

Just like this, he always made her heart race. It beat faster and faster in a disorderly manner.

Their faces were extremely close together. When she turned her head, she could smell his breath. Ruan Danchen’s was so hot, it was starting to itch, yet she still let him stick onto her. She did not move.

“When you were at MU., I saw Mu Huaisheng hugging you when I went in. Did you stumble when going up the stairs?” Qi Chenglin teased. His smoky voice landed in her ear again.

“…” Ruan Danchen was speechless. She did not expect him to remember an incident from so long ago.

It was an accident. That day, he walked in silently and left silently as well, no reaction in any way. Unexpectedly, it stayed on his mind to this day.

“I was just careless,” Ruan Danchen mumbled weakly. Being so close to him, her heart and body were starting to tremble and she could not raise her voice. Her voice was soft like a mosquito. Luckily, Qi Chenglin was extremely close to her so he could hear her clearly.

His lips twitched and sighed. His breath was searing. In a low, gravelly voice, he muttered, “If you were just careless, why did you let him hug you so tightly?”

“…” Ruan Danchen was a little annoyed. Was he trying to hold her accountable after so long?

“I was just too shocked. When I fell, he caught me. You walked in all of a sudden when I was going to stand on my own feet, giving me a shock. I was totally stunned. If you hadn’t walked in so abruptly, I would’ve backed away much earlier,” Ruan Danchen murmured.

When she saw him back then, she was extremely anxious.

“You still dare to blame it on me?” Qi Chenglin’s lips twitched. The more he thought about it, the more vexed he became. He felt as though Mu Huaisheng had gotten lucky for nothing—he even got to hug her.

He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and placed his sizzling palm flat on her lower abdomen. He pulled her close into his embrace.

Ruan Danchen was shaking. Her back was practically being burnt by his body heat. She felt his solid muscles pressed against her soft back—the contrast was startling.

Somehow, Ruan Danchen had the courage to insult him. “Don’t hold me accountable for something that happened so long ago. You’re so petty. Besides, we weren’t even dating back then. Let’s not talk about me accidentally falling and he just happened to catch me. Even if I was going out with anyone back then, it would be none of your business.”

Qi Chengzhi squinted. Instantly, he pushed her against the wall and pressed his hard and fit body against her. The heat was intense.

Seeing his aggressive manner, the courage that she had mustered up deflated again. She wanted to soothe him but she had never flirted with anyone in her life so, at that moment, she had no idea how to soothe him.

Back when she lived with Liu Ronghua, Liu Ronghua was always busy blandishing men. How would she let Ruan Danchen sweet-talk her into anything?

From young, Ruan Danchen had been a strong and independent girl. How would she know anything about flattery?

Qi Chenglin’s sizzling hands were wrapped tightly around her waist. He kissed her forcefully, pressing his lips against hers with all his might. Her lips felt numb and slightly painful while the back of her head was pressed firmly onto the wall.

“Let’s see if you still dare to let other men touch you,” Qi Chenglin warned somewhat menacingly, his lips still glued onto hers.

“…” Ruan Danchen was gradually running out of breath. Her soft lips were plump and red. She was panting heavily. Seeing her delicate and innocent appearance, the fire inside Qi Chenglin burnt fiercer and fiercer.

“Would you rather I fall and get injured, then let someone catch me?” Ruan Danchen did not dare move, fearful of provoking the flame inside him. Nevertheless, she could not help but give a little fight.

Qi Chenglin inevitably hugged her tightly in his embrace. Her soft body felt exceedingly comfortable and seductive in his arms.

“Then you should follow me around all day. If you fall, I’ll be the one to catch you. Don’t lean into any other men’s arms.” Qi Chenglin grinned as he saw her wrapped coquettishly in his arms. He was devilishly aroused.

“I never knew you were so narrow-minded,” Ruan Danchen muttered with a flushed face. She was not angry. Rather, she felt that it was quite funny.

It was because he cared about her dearly and was always anxious for her. He was such a big and strong man, yet when it came to her, he would become so petty. Ruan Danchen thought that this combination of traits was quite adorable.

Suddenly, Qi Chenglin had a thought. He gazed down at her red hot face. With a tender smile, he rubbed his lips against hers again and again, to and fro. “If I didn’t fall for you, I won’t be so petty.”

Ruan Danchen’s cheeks were at the pinnacle of redness. Qi Chenglin was curious—was the body under her clothes tinted with such an amorous shade of red too?

“I want to see Youxuan’s bedroom,” Ruan Danchen mumbled. Her face and scalp were insanely itchy. She kept her head down shyly, refusing to look at him.

Her heart was beating violently and out of rhythm. Under his gentle and alluring gaze, she was completely dazed.

However, Qi Chenglin did not let go of her. In his low and melodic voice, he unveiled, “You can see it later. I’ve already told you that I really like you, that I love you. You have something that I’ve never seen on anyone else. When I see you, I couldn’t resist the temptation to hug you, to kiss you. I can feel the overwhelming heat flaring up in me. I’ve never felt so impulsive.”

Ruan Danchen felt as if she was going to faint. Subconsciously, she started holding her breath. Only when she was suffocating did she realized she had stopped breathing. Hurriedly, she took a deep breath and spat it out.

She swallowed nervously. Gathering her courage, she looked up. Unexpectedly, just as she raised her head, her gaze fell into his deep, black eyes.

“But you’ve never told me how you feel about me.” Qi Chenglin stared deep into her eyes. Even though he was sure of her answer, he still needed to hear it from her.

He could tell that she still had reservations—there was still hesitation and uncertainty in her heart. He needed to rid her of those thoughts.

Ruan Danchen sucked in her lips. She looked down and stared at the buttons on his shirt. Softly, she whispered, “If I didn’t fall for you, I would’ve stated it clearly like what I did with Mu Huaisheng. If I didn’t fall for you, I wouldn’t have let you hug me and kiss me constantly.”

Qi Chenglin’s expression melted. Thoroughly touched, he looked down and kissed her again passionately.

Ruan Danchen was limp in his arms. She trembled. Qi Chenglin slid her fingers through hers and interlaced them. “I’ll bring you to Youxuan’s room.”

Ruan Danchen followed him out of the room in a daze. She was in no mood to see which room was Qi Youxuan’s. When she finally snapped out of it, they were already standing in Qi Youxuan’s bedroom.

His bedroom was not big, and it was the perfect size for a six-year-old child. She believed that Qi Chenglin had intentions to move him into a different bedroom when he grew older.

A small single bed was placed against the wall. Beside it stood a study table with a small bookshelf joint to it.

On the study table, there was an Apple Desktop Computer. On the bookshelf, there were all kinds of books: comics, an atlas and a picture-filled encyclopedia that was perfect for a child his age.

There were also many plastic figures displayed on the shelf. Additionally, there were some toys that he took from the pile in the living room. The little room felt very cozy.

Ruan Danchen felt that there was no need to renovate the room—it was more or less perfect. She felt blessed that she could see the space where the little boy grew up.

Ruan Danchen walked toward his bed. On the shelf behind the headboard, a few photos of Qi Youxuan were displayed. He was about the same age in the photos as he was now. There was one taken at a beach and one at a zoo.

The boy in the photo looked witty and cute. Even through just photos, she could tell that his huge, black eyes were filled with energy.

Ruan Danchen lingered in Qi Youxuan’s room for a long time. She was reluctant to leave.

In the end, Qi Chenglin told her there would still be chances to see the room next time and dragged her out of the room.

However, he did not bring her to the living room. He made a detour and led her into his bedroom.

Ruan Danchen was stunned. She suddenly noticed that his bed was peculiarly large. It took up a gigantic amount of space in the room. She felt as though she could only see the bed and nothing else.

“Once you are done designing Youxuan’s toy room, do design my room too. Design it however you please.” Qi Chenglin’s muscular arms enveloped her waist and pulled her tight into his embrace.

His words implied that he wanted her to move in with him, to have her name carved into his home. Though indirect, they carried kind of silent intimacy.

Ruan Danchen’s heart inevitably melted. Although this man always acted so indecently whenever he saw her, small actions like this always reassured her. Wordlessly, his actions connoted his seriousness toward this relationship.

As of then, she had been invited into the house.

“When I called you that night, I was right there lying on that bed.” Qi Chenglin’s voice echoed in her head, trickling down her forehead, slowly dripping down her body.

This made Ruan Danchen’s heart skip a beat as she was reminded of what he said. “I sleep in the nude.”

Ruan Danchen felt like her mind was completely blown wide open by the sudden revelation of what she had just been reminded of. Images of Qi Chenglin lying on the bed completely naked was the only thing that filled her very lustful mind. She could not look straight at the bed.

The image that flooded her mind was too vivid, and in addition to that wild imagination, the owner of that bed was right there with her in that room, making her even more awkward than she already was. She dared not to even glance at that bed and avoided it altogether.

She felt Qi Chenglin slowly inching closer towards her—his lips moving ever so slightly from her forehead, brushing softly and gently across her eyelids. She could feel the warmth from his lips. Her focus now fully directed toward every detail of his sweet passionate lips. She could feel it. Every brush inching downwards on her face. It was soft and light—like a feather gently brushing against her skin—and at times, it was heavy and warm. The suction of both his lips moved down her eyes, brushing against the bridge of her nose, her cheeks and finally stopping at her lips. Then, both their lips were completely locked. Both of them kissing back and forth, not willing to let go of their passionate make-out session.

Ruan Danchen could not control herself. She was trembling and shaking, with both her hands clenching tightly at his shirt. She could not stop blinking. Her long lashes were like the wings of a butterfly fluttering uncontrollably.

“Every time I called you on the phone, I can’t help but lust for you. I would enjoy making passionate love with you right on this very bed that I’m lying on right now,” said Qi Chenglin as he seductively licked her lower lip all while speaking in a very sexy deep manly voice. As he said that, he breathed directly into her mouth. “Everything here belongs to me, this is my territory and you are no longer in Shen’s house,” he added.

This very seductive exchange drove Ruan Danchen crazy. She felt hot all over. Every time she tried to look away, he would tilt her head back to face him. His lips were now locked on hers, the warmth turned into uncontrollable flames of lust, warming up her soft and tender lips. Her mind was clouded by lust, conflicting with her own morale.

Ruan Danchen could no longer control herself. She was in a pool of lust. Every kiss only grew tenser, turning her on even further. Since she could not fight her lustful mind, her whole body fell into his warm embrace.

She felt a warm touch on her back. She was slowly being pushed back, inch by inch. Then, with one sudden move, she was being carried from behind. It was smooth and sudden.

Just moments later, her back was touching the cold sheets of the bed, as he made his way on top of her.

“Qi Chenglin…” Ruan Danchen squealed nervously. She did not expect it to be this quick. She did not expect to see daylight already.

“I will not force you if you don’t want this, but I’ll have you know that I very much want this,” Qi Chenglin said in a deep sexy voice as both their lips were touching. She immediately allowed him to fully embrace her. She could feel the sudden change in the size of his warm phallus.

Ruan Danchen was trembling violently for a brief moment as she grabbed his waist tightly. It did not matter if his shirt was still on because the heat that radiated off his body was enough to warm up her palm quite well.

She could feel her stomach clenching as she was nervous. She could not voice out her words, thus making her incapable of rejecting him.

Qi Chenglin’s phallus had a darker and deeper shade. Seeing that she silently consented, he was excited beyond words. He lowered his head and started passionately making out with her.

The surrounding atmosphere grew warmer, blocking out any sound coming from outside as they could only focus on each other, feeling one another. They were completely lost in the moment of lust as not even the doorbell from downstairs could be heard.

Qi Chenglin hugged her tighter. Out of nowhere, he heard Aunt Zheng’s loud voice coming from downstairs. It was obnoxiously loud. “Sir, Madam, young master and ma’am, what are you guys doing here?”

Ruan Danchen instantly froze. Her body tensed up. She felt cold as she nervously stared at Qi Chenglin.

At this moment, Ruan Danchen felt extremely annoyed and he simply thought to himself, these people just had to choose this very moment to show up.

“You need to get up quick,” Ruan Danchen said as she pushed Qi Chenglin hurriedly. She could not possibly let the elders of the Qi family see her like this.

She was worried that upon seeing her, the elders could tell that she had been hooking up with Qi Chenglin since she was completely disheveled.

She was unsure if Qi Chenglin would introduce her to the elders of the family, but since all of the elders were now present at home, she would not want to leave them with a bad first impression of her.

Qi Chenglin refused to get up, still pressing on her body. He cuddled up with her while breathing in deeply. This caused Ruan Danchen to nudge him harder. Her resistance finally made Qi Chenglin let go of her and getting up reluctantly.

Ruan Danchen was feeling really embarrassed at that moment. If it was not for her forced consent, she would not be so embarrassed right now.

She was blushing hard as she was pulled up by Qi Chenglin.

“What do I do now?” Ruan Danchen asked frantically. She was unsure if Qi Chenglin would introduce her to the elders or if he refused, should she find somewhere to hide herself.

“What do you mean, what do you do now?” Qi Chenglin asked while raising his eyebrows as he helped her tidy her clothes up slowly. With his palm still on her body, he playfully groped her a little since he was still lusting for her. Tired of playing, he pulled her into himself, giving her a tight hug all while petting her heavily, not willing to let go, as if he really loved her.

“Stop fooling around would you. Didn’t Aunt Zheng mention that Madam Qi was here too?” said Ruan Danchen with a frantic tone.

“Yea,” Qi Chenglin said with a hollow tone as he reluctantly let go of her. He tucked in his shirt while staring into his reflection in front of a mirror as he fixed his collar.

Ruan Danchen was gasping for air as she shrugged her neck a little. While panting heavily, she said, “It was not like I don’t want to meet them, I just didn’t expect…”

“You didn’t expect me to bring you along to meet them?” Qi Chenglin said with his eyebrows raised, looking surprised. He playfully added, “I told you, I’m very serious about us. About you.”

Aunt Zheng had a rough idea as to what took Qi Chenglin so long to get ready when she was told that he would be bringing home a female guest. She let out a chuckle. In order to get their attention for them to hurry up a little, she intentionally raised her voice.

“Grandpa, Grandma.” Qi Chenglin greeted as he walked Ruan Danchen down the stairs with him. He silently glanced across the room and never expected the entire entourage of the Qi family to arrive. Even Qi Chengyue and Cheng Dongge were present. It was certainly quite a spectacle. “Aunt, uncle, mom, dad.” Qi Chenglin continued to greet his family.

A pair of dark pearly eyes were focusing solely on Qi Youxuan’s body as he stood behind Song Yu.

“I didn’t mean what I said dad, it just slipped my mouth,” cried Qi Youxuan as he tried to explain himself while grabbing onto Song Yu’s leg. “I tried to stopped them from showing up, but they ignored my very strong refusal.”

“Young man, you should know better than to hide your girlfriend from us. You know having one would be amazing news, especially when the lady is Xiao Ruan!” As the elderly Madam Qi happily exclaimed as she could not hide her overwhelming joy upon seeing Ruan Danchen.

She would be worried if it was some other lady and it would have taken some more time to observe the personality of the other lady, but since it was none other than Ruan Danchen—that sweet girl with a wonderful personality—and was personally taught by Song Yu, she knew her well enough to know that this young lady would be a wonderful person.

“I will not beat around the bush, I was hoping to use this very opportunity of a formal family gathering to introduce her formally to the elders,” said Qi Chenglin calmly.

Ruan Danchen was surprised by his sudden announcement and could only stare at him wondering if he was serious about all of that. However, with his very calm and clear appearance, it seemed unlikely that he was lying.

“Really?” said the elderly Madam Qi, as she thought that the announcement he made was indeed too good to be true. She could not shake the feeling as if something was off.

The usual bachelor of the family, Qi Chengzhi that always seemed to have trouble getting into a relationship had finally gotten married this year and had a grandchild on the way. Not long after that, Qi Chengyue, who was initially stressed by her divorce had since got together with a good man like Cheng Dongge. The remaining single people in the family left would be none other than Qi Chengji and Qi Chenglin.

To be fair, Qi Chengji could be excused for being single. Since he was still young, he should not be too rash in making decisions. Qi Chenglin’s case, however, would be slightly more complicated. He was getting older, if she were to bring him along for an intimate blind date with anyone else, he would be rejected.

But, who would have expected that he, too, would have a girlfriend now.

The elderly Madam Qi had never been happier at that moment. She must have thought that she was being rewarded for all the good karma that she had done.

Seeing that Qi Chenglin had nodded, Madam Qi could not contain her excitement as she grabbed Ruan Danchen by the hand and happily said, “Come on now Xiao Ruan, take a seat. Sigh, our little Chenglin may be quick to anger, but he is a decent and responsible man.”

Seated directly opposite of Ruan Danchen was Guan Liya. She seemed to have left a great impression on Guan Liya.

“I’ve asked Chenglin before about his relationship status. I didn’t expect that he was actually talking about you,” Madam Qi added. “If I had known it was you that he was talking about, I wouldn’t have worried so much,” Guan Liya said while laughing cheerfully.

“Xiao Ruan, I was told by Chenglin that you came to B city when you were little with your mother. Besides your mom, is there anyone else in your family?” Madam Qi asked curiously.

“No, not that I know of,” Ruan Danchen answered.

“What does your mother do for a living?” Madam Qi asked further.

This question caught her off guard as Ruan Danchen hesitated if she should tell the truth or not. If she did, it would reveal her ties with the Shen family, and it would also reveal what happened all those years ago.

She was lucky that Qi Chenglin could understand what she had to do all those years ago. However, she was unsure if the rest of his family would be as understanding as him. What if the truth pissed off the entire family? She would not know what to do then.

“When she was still studying at her university, her mother remarried into another family. Her mother never cared much about how she did anyway. The family that her mother remarried into did not like the idea of her having her own daughter, so this was why Danchen has never visited her since her university days. She alone had to bear the weight of her tuition fees and other expenses. She worked really hard to pay off everything,” said Qi Chenglin. It was partly true anyway.

“Some mother she is! How irresponsible!” Madam Qi yelled as she smacked her leg in anger. She felt slightly embarrassed at her outburst and held Ruan Danchen’s hand. “Please forgive my bluntness. If you both agreed to get married, you still have to let your mother know. After that, we shall send a wedding invitation to your stepfather and his family. They can come if they please. That will show them that even without their support, you can still take care of yourself quite well,” said Madam Qi.

After she said that, Madam Qi took out a chinese calendar booklet from her bag and said, “Look, I have even brought along a chinese calendar with me. Let’s pick a date that you like shall we?”

The booklet was forcefully shoved into Ruan Danchen’s hands, making her blush. She was frozen in shock as she does not know how to respond in this very awkward situation. She shyly looked at Qi Chenglin, desperately calling out for help.

“Grandma, you’re gonna scare her away. Today is her first time here anyway and besides, she had just very recently became my official girlfriend,” said Qi Chenglin. “We’ll discuss marriage alone. Besides, I have to propose to her first,” Qi Chenglin added.

Judging from how quick Qi Chenglin jumped to her defense and seeing that Ruan Danchen was already blushing uncontrollably, Madam Qi could not have been happier at the scene. She kept the booklet and stop persisting.

Ruan Danchen did not expect him to say that and could not help herself but to glance at him, but she was met by his eyes as he, too, was looking directly into her eyes. His eyes were filled with life, and she could not take her eyes off his very soft but serious gaze. It did not seem like he was not serious about what he said to Madam Qi. She could feel the serious truth from his words.

She was under his spell. She could not look away from his very stunning warm gaze. The love radiating from just his gaze alone was enough to fill her heart with warmth. She felt nervous around him, and her stomach was churning as she tried to hide her intense blushing.

…

…

Since everyone was now present in the villa, it was decided that the family gathering will be held here so that it would not trouble anyone to return to the mansion.

Aunt Zheng was busy preparing lunch for the guests in the kitchen. She noticed that the ingredients in the fridge were not enough for this many people, she called Xiao Yang to send her to the market to get more ingredients.

Ruan Danchen did not want Aunt Zheng to be overwhelmed by work alone in the kitchen, so she had decided to help her. She helped out by preparing the ingredients that were left in the kitchen. As she was doing that, Song Yu entered the kitchen.

Ruan Danchen let out a nervous laugh as she listened to what Song Yu had to say. “Well, I did not expect you to keep this from me for so long.”

“It’s not that… He was telling the truth though. We had just recently started dating. It had only been days,” Ruan Danchen answered nervously.

This was all due to the fact that when Song Yu and Qi Chengzhi were together, Ruan Danchen was really gossipy, so in a playful retaliation, Song Yu would love to return the favor. The unrelenting probing by Song Yu broke Ruan Danchen as she was in a puddle of her embarrassment begging for mercy.

Ruan Danchen hesitated a little as she was unsure if she should tell Song Yu about Qi Youxuan. However, no matter what she had to say, this would certainly not be the right place. So she held back.

Aunt Zheng returned, and seeing that Song Yu would want to help out in the kitchen with her, Ruan Danchen simply told her off. “You’re pregnant, you shouldn’t be in the kitchen. All this smoke is not good for you. Even if you don’t leave now, Qi Chengzhi would drag you out later.”

Song Yu reluctantly walked out after hearing what she said.

“Aunt Zheng, what kind of taste does the family prefer?” Ruan Danchen asked. She was told that Qi Youxuan had a simple palate as he was not picky when it comes to food, as long as it tasted good.

In truth, she would love to know more about Qi Chenglin.

“Master Qi and young master are not picky either,” Aunt Zheng said while cooking. “As long as it’s not too spicy. Master Qi was working way too hard when he was younger and was always working late. He never had a fixed time for his diet, thus taking a huge toll on his stomach. He spent all these years getting his health back in line. But he still has to keep a close eye on his diet. So nothing too spicy. If it was too spicy, it would cause him to have a gastric attack. Sometimes, it would cause a very bad case of diarrhea,” Aunt Zheng added.

“Speaking of which, he brought some gastric pills home a few days ago,” Aunt Zheng said as she was reminded.

Ruan Danchen thought back a few days ago and remembered that Qi Chenglin joined her to have some traditional Szechuan dish in Dynasty. He knew he could not eat those but still, he never said anything. He had even shared a few bites with her.

She never expected an arrogant, masculine man like Qi Chenglin, would do something so reckless just for her.

“I’m fine on my own Miss Ruan. Go ahead and take a seat outside.” said Aunt Zheng as she noticed Ruan Danchen picking at the vegetables.

“It’s okay, you’ll overwork yourself alone here, look at the number of people you had to cook for.” Ruan Danchen replied with a smile as she helped Aunt Zheng to wash and prepare the vegetables. This would speed up the pace, as Aunt Zheng was cooking on the side.

It was just in time for lunch just as they finished preparing the meal. The food was served and Ruan Danchen sat next to Qi Chenglin. Seated next to her was Qi Youxuan.

She had never thought that she would get to enjoy a meal with Song Yu and Qi Chenglin along with their families. It filled her with joy and warmth as this moment was like a family meal. She felt an overwhelming sensation of love and care.

“Aunty Ruan, look, I have set our picture as my wallpaper,” said Qi Youxuan as he held his Totoro phone while showing Ruan Danchen the picture he had. It was the same picture taken when the 3 of them were at the mall.

“Aunty Ruan, you and daddy both should set the same wallpaper. That way, we will all have matching ones!” said Qi Youxuan excitedly as he showed her the picture. He then placed his phone on the table.

Ruan Danchen took her phone out and immediately set the same picture as her wallpaper. Looking at her phone screen fills her with warmth.

As she glanced over at Qi Youxuan. She noticed how he was so easily satisfied with the little things. This made her grieved a little.

“Daddy, you too!” Youxuan impatiently rushed his dad.

Qi Chenglin never took his phone out, all he did was glance over to Ruan Danchen, giving her a scheming look from his eyes. He suddenly stood up, without saying a word, he went straight to the kitchen.

“What are you up to daddy?” Qi Youxuan asked curiously as he tried to turn toward Qi Chenglin.

“I’m going to grab a drink,” Qi Chenglin replied.

Out of nowhere, Ruan Danchen’s phone rang. It was from Qi Chenglin.

“…” Ruan Danchen was speechless upon seeing his name on her phone. What does he want? She simply thought to herself.

Blushingly, she turned to the elders and said, “Excuse me for a second, I need to answer this call.”

Ruan Danchen excused herself to the living room, and seeing that the coast was clear, she then proceeded to answer the phone. “What on earth are you doing?”

“If I used that wallpaper, what’s in it for me?” Qi Chenglin said seductively as he schemed.

“What do you want then?” Ruan Danchen raised her eyebrows a little. She did not expect this man to even ask for something in return for literally minute things like this.

“Just promise me now, then we can talk terms in the future,” said Qi Chenglin in a soft tone while leaning on the fridge and holding a glass of water in his left hand.

“You’re asking for a lot here, Qi Chenglin. Just for Youxuan’s minor request. Did you ever think about how he would feel? Just by you asking for so much in return. He will be really disappointed and sad if you don’t promise him,” Ruan Danchen replied frustratingly. He dared to ask for so much for his son’s very simple request.

“…” Qi Chenglin said nothing.

His intention was only to tease her, he never expected her to get annoyed at him.

“Just do what you want with this,” Ruan Danchen answered angrily at him and hung up the call.

Qi Chenglin could only stare at his phone, speechless. They only had been officially dating for a couple of days, he never knew she had it in her to snap at him like this, taking control away from him.

After hanging up the call, Ruan Danchen returned to her seat while apologizing to everyone. She felt uneasy seeing Qi Youxuan eating by himself as she could only think about Qi Chenglin.

After a while, Qi Chenglin came back to the table and sat down next to her only to be ignored by her.

Ruan Danchen was busy helping Qi Youxuan to grab the served dishes on the table since his arms were too short. He could not reach the food in front of the table and it did not seem to be enough for him.

“I don’t have enough either,” Qi Chenglin whispered to Ruan Danchen.

Ruan Danchen continued to ignore him.

“Are you really mad at me?” Qi Chenglin added softly.

“…” Ruan Danchen remained silent.

Everyone started to notice Qi Chenglin whispering something under his breath but could not make out what he said to Ruan Danchen. Qi Chenglin let out a fake cough as he took his phone out and placed it on the table.

He tried to make it as sneaky as possible, his index finger pressing the home button, unlocking his phone. While putting his arm away, he seemingly nudged Ruan Danchen’s shoulder by accident.

Ruan Danchen took a glance at the screen of his phone and noticed that he had changed the wallpaper of his phone to the picture requested by his son. This warmed her heart a little.

Ruan Danchen could not help but smile a little as she sneakily glanced at him. She noticed that he was drinking a glass of water pretending to not know anything.

This man’s pride was unbelievable. Ruan Danchen thought to herself.

She took his phone and showed it to Qi Youxuan. “Look, your dad had changed it too.”

Upon seeing his dad’s phone, Qi Youxuan excitedly climbed down his chair and started to run around his dad. He playfully put both his arms on Chenglin’s shoulder, wrapping around him and hugging him.

_________

Mini Scene

Qi Chengzhi. “So how does it feel to have a wife control you?”

Qi Chenglin. “Good”.

Qi Chengzhi. “So what about when your wife gets mad at you?”

Qi Chenglin. “Good”

Qi Chengzhi. “What about coaxing your wife?”

Qi Chenglin. “Good.”

Qi Chengzhi. “What about having your plans ruined by your wife.”

“…” Qi Chenglin. “Go away.”

Qi Chengzhi. “Here’s a monthly ticket to cheer this dude up.”

- - - - -

“Dad, could you please lower your head a little,” said Qi Youxuan as he tiptoed to reach his dad excitedly.

A warm feeling spread in his heart as he gazed at his child’s adorable little face getting excited over small things, so he lowered his head for the little kid to immediately kiss his cheeks with his greasy lips. Satisfied, he rushed back to his seat, continuing to devour that drumstick.

“…” Qi Chenglin was speechless as he did not know how to react in situations like these. His face was smeared with oil from the kiss bestowed by Qi Youxuan earlier. He did not know whether to thank his son or to wipe the grease off his face.

“Come wipe my face for me,” Qi Chenglin said to Ruan Danchen.

Ruan Danchen pulled out a piece of tissue from the tissue box and started wiping his face, all while laughing at him.

The entire interaction between Ruan Danchen and Qi Chenglin made both Grandfather Qi and Grandmother Qi very happy. They too knew about the little phone trick Qi Chenglin tried to hide earlier.

It certainly was rare for him to be so submissive to a lady. It showed just how much this lady meant to him.

Everyone present could not help but feel like a wedding would soon be expected.

…

…

After the delicious meal, everyone sat around making small talk until it was around three in the evening.

Qi Youxuan could not keep himself awake for more than thirty minutes after a heavy lunch as he had a habit of taking an afternoon nap in his preschool. He thus went to his room and took a nap.

Like an innocent child he was, he kept telling Ruan Danchen to promise him that she would stay until he would wake up from his nap.

Ruan Danchen promised him immediately, musing to herself about how long a child’s nap could be. However, even after everyone had left and the time showed to be exactly three in the evening, there was not a sign of this kid waking up anytime soon.

She had no clue that Youxuan had already woken up from his nap and was instead playing with his toys in his room.

He had apparently come up with a plan of making sure than Ruan Danchen would not leave. He would pretend to be asleep until tonight so that Ruan Danchen had no choice but to hold up her end of their promise.

While helping Aunt Zheng clean up the place, she noticed Qi Chenglin staring at his phone, happily grinning away. She wondered what was making him happy.

Upon close inspection, she realized that he was staring at his wallpaper—a wallpaper with all three of them.

Sensing that Ruan Danchen was getting closer to him, he pulled her directly into him, swiftly wrapping his arms around her and forcing her into his warm embrace.

“Aunt Zheng will see us when she gets out,” Ruan Danchen argued weakly.

“What are you afraid of?” teased Qi Chenglin with lips perked. Giving her a quick stare, he added, “Where did that temper come from?”

Knowing that he was talking about the wallpaper incident earlier, she softly replied, “I just didn’t want to disappoint Youxuan.”

“I was just thinking about making you stay the night,” he said while getting closer to her. Seeing her blush somehow made him excited as he could feel the blood rushing down south.

“We’ve only been dating for a few days, don’t you think we’re progressing a little too fast?” countered Ruan Danchen as her face reddened even more.

Playfully, Qi Chenglin replied, “7 years wasn’t fast.” A huge grin plastered on his face, he then added, “Don’t you want to spend a little more time with Youxuan?”

The last sentence made her hesitate a little. She felt conflicted as she thought about how fast her relationship was progressing.

“I don’t think I can hold back my urges any longer. If I keep holding back my urges, I’m afraid it’ll stop functioning normally,” said Qi Chenglin before he let out a sigh. He could not resist his lustful urges as he started to kiss her lips.

However, just as they started their passionate kissing, a loud ringing sound emanated from Chenglin’s phone. Qi Chenglin gave her a grin and seductive look, signaling her as if he was letting her go temporarily. The entire while he kept her in his warm embrace, not letting go to her.

“Are you not going to pick up?” sassed Ruan Danchen as she was locked in his thick strong arms. He had no intention of moving a muscle, and she was completely locked in his embrace. Her blush deepened even more as she could not move away from him.

“I’m busy hugging you, can’t seem to reach my pocket,” Qi Chenglin teasingly replied as he ignored the call, hugging her tighter than before.

Ruan Danchen was stunned from his reply—this man’s tongue sure had his way with words. ‘Not only was he not ashamed for making that statement in a public space, but he owned it with pride too!’ Ruan Danchen thought to herself.

“Take my phone out for me,” insisted Qi Chenglin as he gently brushed his lips against her earlobes. He found it adorable, staring at the tiny follicles protruding from her warm blushing ears—they looked like tiny animals.

“Get it yourself,” Ruan Danchen playfully protested—he was not crippled, after all.

“Come on now,” Qi Chenglin’s teasing amplified. “You wouldn’t want it to keep ringing now would you?” Qi Chenglin added.

While saying that, he kept brushing his soft, warm lips against her ears, slowly progressing toward the corner of her eyes.

Ruan Danchen had no options left as he kissed her softly on her forehead. She reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Looking at the screen for the caller I.D., it simply showed, [Young Master Cheng].

Still kissing her at the moment, he noticed just how flushed her face looked. It was so adorable to him—he could not help himself but love her even more like this.

Without any moment of hesitation, Qi Chenglin scooped her up and sat her on his lap while teasing her. “Just go ahead and call me big brother, stop it with the Young Master Cheng. It’s like we’re complete strangers.”

“Are you going to pick up the phone or not?” Ruan Danchen was annoyed by his constant kissing and teasing. She felt like the flames of lust had completely engulfed her.

“I can’t let go, why don’t you hold the phone for me.” Said Qi Chenglin as his gaze now locked at her soft lips. He leaned in for another kiss. This time on her lips.

Just as things were beginning to heat up, the phone rang again.

Ruan Danchen felt guilty, what if it were something urgent from Young Master Cheng. This time, she dared not to hesitate, she picked up the call and placed it on Qi Chenglin’s ears.

Qi Chenglin had both his hands on her waist, they both were in an awkward position, he playfully pinched at her waist as he tried to answer the call in the most normal voice possible, he said. “What’s wrong?”

“Why didn’t you pick up earlier?” a voice said through the phone’s speakers.

Since they were so close to each other, she could hear everything Young Master Cheng said on the phone. She felt extremely guilty.

Feeling embarrassed for the ability to eavesdrop on his call, she poked at his stomach playfully. ‘Why is he answering the call now, stop fooling around,’ she thought to herself.

“Look at the Wechat text,” the voice said. The phone call ended abruptly after that last line.

Upon hearing this, Qi Chengling finally let go of one hand, looking through his Wechat messages. He noticed the [8by8group] had been quite active lately.

He did not know how or what caused such an uproar, but he had a feeling that he might know what caused it.

The moment he opened the group chat, he was immediately bombarded by what the members had sent. [Whoa! Qi Chenglin had found himself a girlfriend. How absurd is this?] texted Han Zhuoli.

[It was Miss Ruan all along, no wonder he kicked us out the group last time. Keep your guard up, guys.] Gui Zhiqian texted.

[Some brother he is. How dare he keep this from us?] Yan Beicheng replied.

[Since she had already met the parents, it’s about time we invite her in.] Wei Ziqi added.

Qi Chenglin had a grin on his face—he knew exactly what this meant. He knew it was payback by Qi Chengzhi since he too joined in on the fun of teasing him when Qi Chengzhi was dating Song Yu.

He had zero intentions to keep this a secret from those guys, so he immediately added Ruan Danchen into the group.

After a few clicks on the screen, he simply told Ruan Danchen, “Go say hi to the boys.”

Ruan Danchen was observing his every move. She knew Song Yu was once in her shoes, and she had no idea how Song Yu managed to find the courage to even show up in the group. It was rather daunting for her.

Ruan Danchen was trying to stall as she wanted to pretend to ask for his permission but seeing as Qi Chenglin was enjoying himself while making fun of her, she held back.

She took out her phone and booted up the app. Her phone instantly came to life as the messages came flooding in while her phone chimed away. Seeing who was in that group made her nervous as her palms began to sweat, she pushed herself to send, [Hi everyone.]

[What’s up Xiao Ruan.] Yan Beicheng texted in reply.

[Seeing how everyone is all romantic with each other upon entering the group, I feel very excluded!] Han Zhuoli replied.

Gui Zhiqian then texted, [You need to bring out the shameless personality, Lao Han. Look at all of us—we only got to be in a relationship by being extremely shameless. Wei Ziqi was a great example, the moment he became a man, someone had already taken him. Now look at Qi Chengzhi and Qi Chenglin, both of them are absolute delinquents. They are really cunning, you know. So be brave and shameless my brother.]

[Word! Now be shameless Lao Han!] Yan Beicheng replied.

[…] Han Zhuoli was at a loss of words.

[Show yourself Qi Chenglin, you have some explaining to do.] Yan Beicheng added.

[What do you want?] Qi Chenglin texted.

He sent that text with full arrogance, making the ones who were single mad jealous at him.

[Since you’ve found yourself a girlfriend, let’s all plan a date to meet up at night for some dinner.] Yan Beicheng suggested.

[Alright.] Qi Chenglin replied.

He planned the date with his boys before he went upstairs for a change of clothes in order to check on Youxuan. Ruan Danchen followed behind.

Upon reaching Qi Chenglin’s bedroom door, she was stopped by Qi Chenglin. “Are you coming in with me?” he said seductively.

This made her blushed a little. “Go alone,” she sheepishly said.

“It’s not like you’ve never seen me change before,” Qi Chenglin said snarkily, all while staring at her lustfully.

Embarrassed by his flirty gaze, Ruan Danchen nervously replied, “I’ll check on Youxuan.”

After saying that, she nervously flailed her hand out as she walked toward Qi Youxuan’s room.

This made Qi Chenglin pout a little as he reluctantly walked into his room alone.

Still assuming Qi Youxuan was still fast asleep, she did not even knock on his door, afraid of waking him up. Simply turning the doorknob slowly to open the door, she was surprised to see young Youxuan playing with his train set.

He had laid out a long and tall track in front of him as the little train chugged along the tracks, climbing a small hill.

Qi Youxuan was immersed in enjoyment but when Ruan Danchen entered his room suddenly, he was stunned as his tiny child-like brain could not process the sudden intrusion. He could only blink with a dumbfounded look.

He was frozen for about 3 seconds then proceeded to fall backward while loudly exclaiming, “I’m bored, I don’t wanna play anymore.”

Before Ruan Danchen could respond, she could only watch as his tiny head hit the floor loudly. It seemed like it really hurt, however, Youxuan only closed his eyes, he did not even flinch, he almost seemed like he had completely passed out upon impact.

Stunned by his sudden outburst, Ruan Danchen stopped the toy train and went over to him with a bewildered look—she was unsure of how she should act in this situation. She picked him up, still puzzled, and calmly said, “Hey buddy, your dad and I will be going to the Red Roof Club to meet with Yan Beicheng and the others. Do you want to join us?”

Hearing this, Qi Youxuan could no longer keep up his act. He immediately sprung to life and asked, “Is Mumu coming too?”

“Maybe, since Wei Ran is coming along,” speculated Ruan Danchen assumed as she did not ask about the details earlier.

“Then I’m going too!” Youxuan excitedly exclaimed as he ran for the washroom, stood on the tiny stool and violently washed his face in front of the basin.

He had just woken up from a nap thus his hair still a mess. He then asked Ruan Danchen to help him fix his hair.

Qi Chenglin had already done the packing as he waited for Ruan Danchen to bring his son downstairs.

“Hold on please,” Qi Youxuan said as he rushed toward the kitchen.

After a brief moment, he came back with a beautiful tin can.

Ruan Danchen felt strange as she listened to Qi Youxuan’s explanation. “Aunt Song Yu is still pregnant and Uncle Chengzhi wouldn’t allow anyone to smoke. I’m bringing lollipops for everyone so no one would feel awful anymore.”

Ruan Danchen could only stare at his adorable face. ‘How thoughtful of him to share his lollipops with everyone,’ she thought to herself.

…

…

Qi Chenglin drove them all to the Red Roof Club, and it was already five-thirty in the evening when they arrived. The server knew Qi Chenglin personally but was surprised to see Ruan Dachen holding Qi Youxuan’s tiny hand. They truly looked like a mother-and-son pairing.

The server proceeded to escort the three of them to Yan Beicheng’s private room. Upon entering, they noticed that Wei Ziqi’s family had not arrived yet. Qi Chengzhi and Song Yu were already there waiting for them. This made Ruan Danchen slightly more comfortable since knowing that Song Yu was present with them, it would not stress her out as much.

The first thing Qi Youxuan did was to open up the tin can filled with different flavors of lollipops.

“Do you want a lollipop, Uncle Yan?” Youxuan asked excitedly as he ran toward Yan Beicheng.

Yan Beicheng let out an awkward cough as he took out his own lollipop from his pocket. “It’s fine, I have brought my own,” said Yan Beicheng.

Qi Youxuan pouted a little as he looked for Han Zhuoli. At the same time, he took out a lollipop from his pocket, unwrapped it and shoved it in his mouth. “Your uncle Yan gave everyone a lollipop when he arrived,” said Han Zhuoli.

“I called all the big shots here today, I don’t feel like smoking at all,” Gui Zhiqian said as he chewed on some melon seeds.

“…” Qi Youxuan was speechless and he simply bolted back to Qi Chengli’s side. He angrily exclaimed while looking at everyone else, “You guys won’t make any friends like this…”

“Hehe,” Chu Zhaoyang chortled as he slowly unwrapped his lollipop.

Ruan Danchen was confused by the whole exchange as she sat next to Song Yu. Seemingly able to read her mind, Song Yu explained, “Since they’re not allowed to smoke, Youxuan charged them 50 bucks per lollipop the last time he was here.”

“…” Ruan Danchen fell silent.

Qi Chenglin brought his son over and had him seated next to him. This kid was upset since he could not make a quick buck today, and he felt bad for his son. Even though he was genuinely interested in money at such a young age, his interest in business could be encouraged. His son, at the very least, was never interested in losing. ‘If he is to pick up the torch, teaching him from now on won’t seem like a bad idea,’ Chenglin mused to himself.

And so, Qi Chenglin said, “Why don’t you go get yourself some snacks, buddy. Don’t eat too much though, alright? It’s almost time for dinner.”

Hearing this brightened Youxuan’s mood a little bit as he rushed off to get his favorite pistachios.

Ruan Danchen was observing from the sidelines—Qi Chenglin did not seem too strict on his own son. In fact, he was quite flexible in parenting the young boy. This made Youxuan quite independent, and she assumed that it was due to Qi Chenglin’s principles in raising his own kid. Every man should learn to be independent from a young age.

Qi Youxuan’s strong and independent personality was in line with the Qi family principles.

“Xiao Ruan, can we start over with our introductions? From now on, please call me by my name,” said Yan Beicheng.

Han Zhuoli, Gui Zhiqian and everyone else followed suit. It was more or less the same—they did away with formalities and went with their own names. If she needed anything at all in the future, she could contact any of them if she pleased.

Finally, it was Chu Zhaoyang’s turn. He walked toward her while covering his face, offering a brief and simple introduction that went, “Nice to meet you, I’m Chu Zhaoyang.”

“…” Ruan Danchen was speechless.

Finally, Qi Chengzhi said, “Just address me as how Qi Chenglin addresses me. Big brother.”

Ruan Danchen blushed as she did not expect everyone to be that easy-going.

“Next time whenever any of you run into Ruan Danchen, please call her Aunty Qi as well,” said Qi Chenglin as he deshelled pistachios for his son.

“Why?!” Han Zhuoli protested.

“First come first serve, buddy. Whoever finds a wife first gets to call the shots. Who told you guys to be slow in the first place,” sassed Qi Chenglin with a plain expression, eyebrows slightly raised.

Ruan Danchen felt embarrassed as she heard what Chenglin said. How did he spin her into becoming his wife?

Qi Chenglin handed over a plateful of pistachios to his son and said. “Just eat these first. If you have too many, you won’t be able to finish your dinner later.” He then took out a piece of tissue to wipe his hands.

Qi Youxuan had no objections as he happily took the plate of pistachios and started munching on them.

After a short while, Wei Ziqi and his family finally arrived. Seeing that Wei Muran too had come with them, Youxuan excitedly grabbed her and shared his plate of pistachios with his friend.

The main purpose of today’s hangout was to formally introduce Ruan Danchen to the entire group.

Since she was no stranger to alcohol, she drank alongside everyone else as a sign of respect. She never shied away from keeping up with their drinking pace.

There were no ill intentions in feeding her alcohol continuously as it was completely a show of respect. Ruan Danchen thus could finally let loose and drink to her heart’s content.

Her binge drinking habits certainly gained Yan Beicheng and everyone’s respect.

Gui Zhiqian got increasingly excited as he drank—he felt amazing. “Us boys are all really good to each other, and we don’t just invite anyone into our circle. Consider yourself lucky to be invited into this super exclusive circle of friends. You know, Qi Chenglin was single for quite some time, though he was in on-and-off relationships with a few girls. Still, they never seem to last long or go anywhere. He never introduced any of them to us,” said Gui Zhiqian.

“He’s right though.” Han Zhuoli nodded before he continued, “You seem to be a truly special person to him. Even though he said that you two were only dating for a few days, he’s very serious about this relationship then, as he had never made a decision so quickly before.”

With raised eyebrows, Ruan Danchen glanced at Qi Chenglin.

It did not matter if two people are officially dating, hearing about any previous relationships would leave a bitter aftertaste to anyone.

“Are you guys trying to ruin me?” said Qi Chenglin in exasperation.

“No no, nothing like that, we’re just telling her how serious you are to her,” Yan Beicheng chirped in reply.

Not long after, Ruan Danchen received a text message from Qi Chenglin.

It simply read, [When I was young, my family was pushing me to get Youxuan a mother. I met a girl whom I had good first impressions, but after we met, it slowly faded. We had only met that one time, never since then.]

Ruan Danchen felt weird upon receiving the text but it did cheer her up a little. She typed on her screen and replied with, [I didn’t say anything. What are you explaining for?]

Reading her reply, he had a slight grin as he thought about teasing her. So he replied with, [I’m just afraid you wouldn’t let me sleep with you.]

…

Mini Scene

As Yan Beicheng was driving to the Red Roof Club, he noticed a grocery shop along the way. He parked his car and went into the store.

After a quick stroll down a few aisles, he went out with a huge bag of lollipops as he hummed all the way to his car.

Upon arrival, he gave everyone each a lollipop

Han Zhuoli smiled as he held the lollipop and said, “Well prepared this time.”

“Youxuan has to learn not to be too greedy with money. He needs to be educated at his age,” Yan Beicheng added.

- - - - -

Ruan Danchen exhaled roughly. She thought that the alcohol would only turn her face slightly pink, but it had turned puffy and crimson.

Her face felt numb and swollen. As she put her phone away, she whispered softly, “I never even intended to let you sleep with me!”

“I meant to get in my bed 1, what were you thinking about?” Qi Chenglin stopped texting as well. He lowered his head and closed the distance with Ruan Danchen’s ear, and whispered. His warm breath flowed into Ruan Danchen’s ear, tickling it more than it should.

Ruan Danchen’s forehead felt hot and itchy. She snorted softly and said, “If you want to get in your own bed, I couldn’t care less.”

Without realizing it, his hot and dry palm reached out and grabbed her hand that was on her thigh. Rubbing the back of her palm gently and speaking softly, he said, “But if you got in my bed, I’d definitely care.”

Ruan Danchen felt as if her head might explode, and as though she had shut down, she inhaled sharply—her entire body had been set on fire by his flirtatious words.

“Qi Chenglin!” she warned softly as she turned and tried to draw her hand back but could not. The back of her hand felt like it was burning under the heat of his palm. “Who said I would want to… to get in your…” she commented awkwardly.

“Then if I get in yours, that works too,” Qi Chenglin said nonchalantly.

“That’s enough from you!” In that moment, Ruan Danchen felt ten million ‘motherf*cker’ surging through her heart. When this fellow wanted to be shameless, he had no limits! It was simply boundless thirst!

The two of them were the main characters for the evening, sitting there murmuring to each other with their heads lowered. Ruan Danchen’s face was so red, it was obvious she had never been the center of attention.

Qi Youxuan’s big eyes—with its contrasting blacks and whites—were darting to and fro his father and Aunty Ruan. It seemed like the two of them got along well and were very happy.

Ruan Danchen was also afraid that if she kept speaking to Qi Chenglin, Qi Youxuan would feel left out. So at the same time, she made sure to devote some of her attention to Qi Youxuan by using her chopsticks to take food for him from the table. Qi Youxuan liked to eat mantis shrimp but the shell would easily cut one’s hands, so Ruan Danchen helped him peel the shell.

Eventually, Qi Chenglin felt bad for Ruan Danchen’s hands and could bear it no more. He reached over to take all the shrimp. His bony and long fingers still looked elegant even while he was peeling shrimp shells.

The little boy Qi Youxuan could not be happier as he ate the deshelled mantis shrimp.

…

…

It was eight thirty in the evening. The adults around the table had already finished chatting and the children were getting tired, so they began to leave.

Qi Chenglin held Qi Youxuan’s hand in one hand, and Ruan Danchen’s in the other. They walked out with Qi Chengzhi and Song Yu, while Xiao Yang and Chang Lai were already waiting outside.

As they walked to the door, they coincidentally saw Mu Huaisheng coming in with some clients.

Mu Huaisheng waved to Qi Chengzhi and Song Yu first before his gaze fell upon Qi Chenglin and Ruan Danchen holding hands. He was stunned for a moment before he glanced sideways at Ruan Danchen.

Ruan Danchen felt embarrassed under his gaze. Previously she told him that she had no intention of getting involved in romance, and now here she was holding Qi Chenglin’s hand. It most definitely did not look right.

Qi Chenglin seemed worried that she would draw her hand away so he gripped it tighter.

Ruan Danchen tried to assuage him by squeezing his hand in return. Qi Chenglin’s facial expression seemed to relax a bit and he relaxed his grip on her hand as well.

“Who would’ve thought I would meet the two Mr. Qis here,” one of the clients who were with Mu Huaisheng said in muted awe. He seemed especially happy to be able to meet Qi Chengzhi and Qi Chenglin.

Both of them greeted the clients politely. “You’re here to talk business with Mr. Mu, correct? We won’t disturb you,” Qi Chenglin said cordially.

“Very well,” the clients all said while smiling.

In front of the clients, Mu Huaisheng could not say anything and could only give one last look at Ruan Danchen before he left with the clients.

Qi Chengzhi brought Song Yu to his Range Rover. Similarly, Qi Chenglin brought Ruan Danchen and Qi Youxuan to the car.

Qi Youxuan very familiarly climbed into the car and sat himself in the child’s safety seat inside, buckling the seatbelt.

After Qi Chenglin and Ruan Danchen had secured themselves in the back, Qi Chengyi spoke. “Let’s go back to Prestige Residences.”

Ruan Danchen tensed up and slowly tugged at Qi Chenglin’s sleeve. “Send me home first.”

Qi Chengling tilted his head to look at her. This made Ruan Danchen’s heart beat harder, unsure if he would agree. If he insisted on bringing her back to Prestige Residences, she would not be able to do anything about it.

After a long while, only did Qi Chenglin speak. “Let’s send her home first.”

Ruan Danchen sighed in relief.

…

…

The car stopped in front of Ruan Danchen’s house. Qi Chenglin got out of the car first to let Ruan Danchen, who was sitting in the middle, to get out.

Qi Youxuan was too tired and had fallen asleep in his chair. Ruan Danchen looked at Qi Youxuan’s sleepy appearance and felt a little unwilling to go. She looked at him gently and leaned down to kiss his petite, fragrant face, before getting out of the car.

Qi Chenglin closed the door and stood under the pale light of the moon and the dim streetlight. His features looked all the more brooding and his expressions looked even more exceptional.

Ruan Danchen was a little shy, but as usual, she gathered up her courage and took the initiative to hold his hand.

This small action made Qi Chenglin raise his eyebrows. He felt the softness of her palm and held her hand in return.

“Thank you for sending me home,” Ruan Danchen said softly.

Qi Chenglin knew that she was referring to him respecting her wishes by sending her home instead of insisting on taking her to Prestige Residences.

“I respect your decisions,” Qi Chenglin replied with a grunt.

Afraid that he would be unhappy, Ruan Danchen pushed on and explained, “I just think it’s too fast. While seven years ago we had already… but that time we had no romantic feelings for each other. Now, we’re really with each other. Qi Chenglin, you’re my first man, and also the only one all through these years. Right now we are courting each other, and you’re my first love. I’m not afraid of your jokes. I’m already 26 and have never been in a relationship. I don’t know the steps in romance and what they should be, but I feel that going home with you right now would be a bit…”

Qi Chenglin looked into the car, before replying, “I’ll walk you upstairs.”

Ruan Danchen did not reply but let Qi Chenglin lead her by the hand upstairs.

The lights in the elevator were very bright. It was a stark contrast to the gloomy darkness. Both of them still did not speak, making Ruan Danchen feel uneasy.

She forced herself to look up at Qi Chenglin’s elegant and handsome face. His expression was stern, as though he was displeased.

Ruan Danchen wondered if he was unhappy because she insisted on coming home.

If that was the case, she would be unhappy that he was so petty and would have drawn her hand away from his palm.

“What’s up?” Qi Chenglin raised his eyebrows, holding her hand tighter and not letting go.

“Are you upset?” Ruan Danchen asked a little sullenly.

Qi Chenglin’s eyebrows arched once more, and he frowned. “Who said I’m unhappy?”

“…” Ruan Danchen paused, unable to say anything.

The elevator stopped at the 7th floor, and Qi Chenglin led her out to her unit entrance before he spoke lowly, “Open the door, we’ll talk about it when we’re inside.”

Ruan Danchen had just unlocked the door and walked in when she heard the door slam behind her. She did not have the time to react as Qi Chenglin was already embracing her, pressing his lips against hers as he pinned her to the door.

Ruan Danchen panicked but did not resist. She gently rested her hands on his shoulders.

He was too tall and she was almost lifted off of her feet. She felt so fragile in his arms.

Her lips felt raw and were swollen from his kisses; her body weak and trembling. When he broke away, she wanted to pull him back in.

He brushed her forehead and lifted her into his arms. His forearms felt as if they were chiseled from stone—holding her in his embrace seemed like no effort at all. “Just because you follow me home now doesn’t mean I’d think of you as easy and won’t respect how well you’ve treated me. I’ve always felt a sense of impatience when it comes to you. I don’t deny that, neither do I try to cover it up. Ever since I met you and started courting you, I’ve always wanted to lure you into my bed.”

Ruan Danchen was trembling, unable to imagine that he would speak so directly. His actions all this while certainly did not cover up this goal, but was it a good idea to speak so candidly about it?

“You think we’re going too fast, and I won’t insist. But I just wanted to let you know that I fear I can’t wait much longer.” Qi Chenglin’s voice was uniquely low at that point.

Ruan Danchen felt that his chest was really warm, while his lower regions were stirring slowly. It was so hot. Her abdomen contracted tightly, and she dared not move. However, being squeezed like this, her heart could not help but flutter.

“Give me some time to get ready,” Ruan Danchen said quietly. She had not thought of rejecting Qi Chenglin.

Qi Chenglin buried his face in her hair and breathed in deeply before raising his face, looking at her and smiled. “I’m your first love?”

Ruan Danchen slowly lowered her head. It was not a surprise that she would be embarrassed. She was already 26 and have never had a boyfriend—it was very embarrassing.

Qi Chenglin was able to read her thoughts, and he spoke gently to her “It’s not embarrassing. I’m very glad.”

“Qi Chenglin.” Ruan Danchen lifted her head slowly and unsurely, a little ashamed to call out his name.

Qi Chenglin arched his eyebrows once more, but his expressions were warm. His clear and elegant features were gentle—the corners of his mouth and his eyes showing the hints of a warm and gentle smile.

Ruan Danchen felt a warmth flow from her abdomen. She blushed and quickly pecked him on the lips. “Thank you.”

Qi Chenglin was surprised. This was the first time she had kissed him of her own accord, and not him shamelessly pulling her into his arms for the kiss. Even though it was fleeting, it filled his heart with joy.

Her soft and fragrant body was still in his arms, and Qi Chenglin’s heart was all over the place. It took a lot to get his passions under control, and all it took was a fleeting kiss to rekindle them again.

He suddenly kissed her passionately to the point where Ruan Danchen was unable to compose herself.

After a long while, his burning lips were nibbling at her ear lobe, as he whispered hoarsely. “I want it so bad!”

“Youxuan is still waiting in the car,” Ruan Danchen said, her voice trembling.

Qi Chenglin finally put her down, and her feet touched the ground, and saw his face in a half-smile, having read her intentions.

“I’m going,” Qi Chenglin said as he let her go and reached his hand out to open the door.

Suddenly, he stopped again, turned and asked, “Just now when we saw Mu Huaisheng, why were you so uncomfortable?”

“…” Ruan Danchen had not come to her senses yet, and he already asked such a question. She paused before answering, “I told him I had no intention of getting into a relationship, but a few days later, he sees me holding your hand and walking together. I couldn’t help but be embarrassed.”

Qi Chenglin smiled and said, “Go to bed.”

He then left.

…

…

Qi Chenglin returned to the car. Qi Youxuan had woken up a while ago but he was still half asleep and in a daze.

When he saw Qi Chenglin return alone, Qi Youxuan rubbed his eyes and asked, “Daddy, why did you come back alone? Where’s Aunty Ruan? Didn’t you say Aunty Ruan could sleepover tonight?”

“She’s sleeping at her place tonight,” Qi Chenglin said and sighed when he saw Qi Youxuan’s disappointed face. “I wanted to eat Aunty Ruan’s homemade breakfast tomorrow.”

Qi Chenglin raised his eyebrows before mumbling, “You won’t have breakfast with her, but it’s the same if you have dinner with her.”

“Daddy, what do you mean? Aunty Ruan will sleepover at ours tomorrow night?” Qi Youxuan immediately perked up.

Qi Chenglin smirked and looked gently at his clever little boy. “We’ll see.”

“Okay! Daddy, I believe you can do it!” QI Youxuan raised a little fist in encouragement to Qi Chenglin.

…

…

The next day, Ruan Danchen had just finished her breakfast and was heading to the nearby supermarket to buy some groceries. She was debating between going home, going straight to Prestige Residences, or just giving Qi Youxuan a call to discuss the matter of renovating his playroom.

She wanted to see Qi Youxuan and to talk to him—just thinking about it made her heart warm—but she was worried that if she went there directly, she would be seen as being too direct by Qi Chenglin.

Whilst thinking of Qi Chenglin’s handsome and elegant face, she also thought that if she was too direct, he would never let her go.

After deciding to go with the first option, she stepped off the elevator with her groceries in a bag and turned the corner to her apartment door. As she made the turn, she stopped in surprise, nearly dropping the groceries that were in her hand.

She saw the father and son pair, Qi Chenglin and Qi Youxuan, standing in front of the door to her apartment, each with his own luggage.

“Aunty Ruan, you’ve finally come back!” Qi Youxuan said as he ran over to Ruan Danchen the moment he saw her. He threw himself at her thighs and hugged her.

Ruan Danchen stumbled to pick him up and looked at Qi Chenglin in surprise. “What are you two…”

“Aunty Ruan, our house is under renovation. You were supposed to design my toy room and my daddy’s bedroom right? Today daddy called up some workers to clear out all the furniture in the rooms, so right now there’s no way we can stay in the house!” Qi Youxuan did not look unhappy at all that he could not go home. His little face was so happy.

“Once the renovations are done, the house would be smelling of formaldehyde, so it’s still not inhabitable. If Youxuan is affected by it, I wouldn’t know what to do,” Qi Chenglin explained matter-of-factly.

“…” Ruan Danchen had nothing to say.

Could it be that Qi Chenglin’s parents had nowhere to stay?

“My parents have nowhere to stay as well,” Qi Chenglin said very solemnly.

“…” Ruan Danchen was still speechless.

“Aunty Ruan, I’m so hungry. I haven’t even eaten breakfast yet.” Qi Youxuan rubbed his little round tummy, sounding so miserable.

“You guys came over without eating?” Ruan Danchen said, shocked, and scrambled to grab a key to open the door.

“Yeah, early this morning they came to clear out the room. Nanny Zheng also went home to her own house.” Qi Youxuan followed behind her like a little tail, explaining as he walked in through the door.

Ruan Danchen hurriedly brought the groceries into the kitchen. “Just wait a bit. I’ll prepare something right now.”

“I’m not eating.” Qi Chenglin walked to the kitchen entrance and almost blocked out all the light from outside for a moment.

“I know. I’m only making two portions.” Ruan Danchen blushed and thought, ‘Why is this grown man trying to compete with a kid.’

Qi Youxuan did not stay in the kitchen. He dragged his luggage and casually walked into Ruan Danchen’s bedroom and started to unpack.

Ruan Danchen took out milk, white bread, ham, and vegetables. She hastily made a simple ham sandwich, and poured two glasses of warm milk—one for Qi Chenglin and another for Qi Youxuan.

After they finished, she took the plates and cups into the kitchen to wash. Not long after, she saw Qi Chenglin walking in from the corner of her eye. His lanky body squeezing in through the door and closing it as he walked in.

“This small apartment of mine isn’t enough for so many people,” Ruan Danchen said softly.

“Then you want to chase Youxuan out? He was so happy to come here and stay with you.” Qi Chenglin arched his eyebrows, as he needled her.

Ruan Danchen could not bear to chase Qi Youxuan out. Hearing Qi Chenglin’s needling voice once more, “Or do you want to kick me out, his dad?”

Ruan Danchen stopped. Just based on Qi Chenglin’s tone, she dared not speak.

“I didn’t say that,” she said weakly. “It’s just that this place isn’t enough. You could let Youxuan stay here, you…”

“In a while, we’ll go to the furniture store to buy a small bed for Youxuan to sleep in the living room. I’ve done the research. If we put the bed near that window and put a screen to block it, he’ll be perfectly fine.” Qi Chenglin did not wait for her to finish, cutting her off, and completely negating whatever Ruan Danchen intended to say.

Ruan Danchen did not ask where he would be sleeping. They already brought their luggage and his intentions could not be clearer. She did not need to ask unnecessary questions.

This man clearly said he could wait, and then? It was only for a night?

She had never seen such a shameless, bold man!

After Ruan Danchen finished cleaning up and walked out to the living room. She could not see Qi Youxuan so she walked straight to her bedroom and found that he had already brought his luggage into her room and unpacked.

Seeing Ruan Danchen and Qi Chenglin walk in, the little boy was excited and shy at the same time, nervously pinching at his tummy. “Aunty Ruan, where should I put my clothes?”

Ruan Danchen looked at Qi Youxuan putting his clothes on her bed. He kept his underwear in a separate clear bag.

At this time, Ruan Danchen felt a very unique sense of happiness—living with a son and feeling very much like a family.

“In a while, we’ll go to the furniture store. Let’s look for a small wardrobe for you to keep your clothes,” Ruan Danchen said. “But you brought so little, is it enough?”

“If it’s not enough, we can go home and grab more,” Qi Chenglin said. “The house is under renovation and it’s uninhabitable. But clothes can always be kept there.”

Qi Youxuan was very excited. It felt like they were going to move in. Following Ruan Danchen and Qi Chenglin to the furniture store, he got to choose a small single bed that he liked. In the end, he chose a very cartoony one. They made arrangements for it to be delivered in the afternoon.

They had originally wanted to let him choose a screen, but decided to get him a shelf instead so that he could put his books and toys on them, and also use it to partition a small space for himself.

The apartment Ruan Danchen rented had limited space so the nice-looking wardrobes would not fit. They could only give Qi Youxuan a simple wardrobe and a small chest for his personal belongings since they were not particularly bulky anyways. The wardrobe was foldable, and the chest for personal belongings was not big. They put it in the boot of Qi Chenglin’s car and transported it home.

Even though she knew Qi Youxuan was only living there temporarily, but being unable to buy nice furniture made Ruan Danchen felt very bad.

—

Mini scene

At the furniture store, Qi Youxuan saw a round water bed and excitedly jumped onto it. It felt like he was floating on the surface of the water, soft and cool. The fluttering feeling was extremely unique.

“Daddy, buy this big bed for your bedroom, it’s so interesting!” Qi Youxuan rolled around on top of the bed, he was so happy.

One of the staff saw them and came to promote the benefits of the bed to them.

Qi Chenglin looked at the bed, and then at Ruan Danchen before saying bluntly, “This bed doesn’t transfer force well.”

Ruan Danchen: “…”

Salesman: “…”

A sketch within a sketch:

Qi Youxuan: “What does it mean?”

Old Man: “Your dad means he needs more monthly votes.”

- - - - -