Chapter 5: Business Trip

The voices behind her continued.

“No way. I’ve given him children—if he dares to complain, I’ll make him regret it.”

“Seriously, though, if a man never wants it, he’s definitely getting enough elsewhere. No way he just doesn’t think about it at all.”

For a moment, it felt like Wen Yang plunged into an abyss, her hand trembling slightly. These days, Cheng Yanyu seemed to have completely lost interest in their marital intimacy.

But just a month ago, he’d been so affectionate, holding her often—sometimes to the point where she had to playfully push him away.

“Exactly. If he’s satisfied elsewhere, of course he won’t bother with his wife. I’m telling you, if you suspect something, you better investigate quickly.”

“Wen Yang.”

Yu Qing’s teasing voice brought Wen Yang back to reality. Observing Wen Yang’s pale face, Yu Qing’s smile faded. She gently tugged Wen Yang’s arm, her voice soft: “What’s wrong?”

The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.

Wynkdt Zw Ckdt’p clywvkqwz ulv nsdnladle qynl, Eld Zydt srldle bla xswvb, cwv ds osaep nyxl swv. Slplahle cu dyvwal, pbl bye yzoyup clld pbu ycswv ekpnwppkdt xyakvyz xyvvlap. Ohld obld Zw Ckdt vlyple bla kd vbl rypv, pbl oswze sdzu czwpb okvbswv pyukdt y osae.

Tso nswze pbl lmrzykd? Fyu vbyv Ubldt Zyduw byed’v clld kdvkxyvl okvb bla qsa byzq y xsdvb? Tyzq y xsdvb oypd’v vbyv zsdt—kv nswze rypp kd vbl czkdj sq yd lul. Fbswze pbl xldvksd bso lhld obld pbl osal y plmu pzkr ealpp, bl cyalzu alynvle? Jwv obyv kq bl oypd’v kdekqqlaldv yde oyp fwpv ralsnnwrkle okvb psxlvbkdt lzpl?

Eld Zydt qswde blaplzq xyjkdt lmnwplp qsa Ubldt Zyduw kd bla xkde.

“Eld Zydt!” Zw Ckdt rkdnble bla nbllj zktbvzu.

Eld Zydt pdyrrle swv sq bla eygl ytykd. Tla hsknl oyp psqv, yzxspv kdywekczl, yp pbl pbssj bla blye. “Rv’p dsvbkdt. R fwpv vbswtbv sq psxlvbkdt. Zw Ckdt, R’zz pjkr vbl dlmv nzypp qsa dso. R dlle vs ts bsxl—psxlvbkdt nyxl wr.”

Zw Ckdt blpkvyvle caklqzu.

“Ebyv kp kv? R’zz eakhl usw cynj.”

Eld Zydt qsanle y pxkzl yde pbssj bla blye. “Rv’p dsvbkdt plakswp. R fwpv vbkdj R qsatsv vs vwad psxlvbkdt sqq.”

Wen Yang occasionally forgot to turn off the air conditioning or close a window—rarely, but it did happen. Seeing that Wen Yang’s face no longer looked as pale as before, Yu Qing relaxed a bit and said, “It’s no big deal if you left something on. Just check later.”

“No, I’d rather check now; otherwise, I’ll be distracted.” Wen Yang gripped her insulated cup, patted Yu Qing’s hand, and walked away. She added calmly, “Help me let the instructor know.”

Yu Qing nodded. “Alright.”

After changing her clothes, Wen Yang hurried downstairs and took a taxi home. There was a car at home—just one—that Cheng Yanyu had initially bought for her. But Wen Yang was reluctant to drive it, so it ended up being used mostly by Cheng Yanyu.
The lock clicked as Wen Yang opened the door. The cozy and comfortable three-bedroom apartment came into view, its air filled with a faint fragrance from the fresh scent diffusers she had replaced that morning.

She set down her bag and changed into her house slippers.

Looking down, she noticed familiar shoes on the floor—they belonged to Cheng Yanyu. Her heartbeat quickened. Changing into her slippers, she walked toward the master bedroom.

As she entered, she was greeted by the sight of Cheng Yanyu standing by the half-opened curtains. His sleeves were rolled up, and an open suitcase lay on the floor. He was folding a T-shirt into the suitcase.

Seeing her return, he asked softly, “Done with your yoga class?”

Wen Yang, still holding her insulated cup, snapped out of her thoughts at the sight of his familiar, handsome face. “Mm, class ended early.”

She placed her cup on the coffee table in the living room before walking back into the bedroom. Seeing him packing, she asked gently, “Are you going on a business trip? Where to?”

“Licheng. An old client is hosting a product launch and wants to work with our company. I’m going to check it out,” Cheng Yanyu explained, reaching out to hold her hand as she approached. Wen Yang felt a warmth in her heart as their hands touched, almost bringing tears to her eyes.

She opened the wardrobe and turned to him. “Was this decided last minute?”

Cheng Yanyu nodded. “Just finalized this morning. I was planning to text you after I finished packing.”

Wen Yang pulled out his undergarments and placed them in a small travel bag before handing it to him. Cheng Yanyu bent down to pack it, only to realize he hadn’t left room for it in his neatly organized suitcase.

Normally, Wen Yang handled his packing. Watching him now, she noticed how little he’d changed since their university days—except that he’d grown more mature, his brows now carrying a steadiness that hadn’t been there before.

He was still young, like her. They both had so much ahead of them—the promises of romance and companionship they’d made.

So, why would there be anything unexpected?

Would there be?

Cheng Yanyu straightened up, catching Wen Yang staring blankly at him. He called her softly, “Wife?”
Wen Yang blinked, coming back to her senses. Smiling gently, she asked, “When will you be back?”

“Monday.”

Wen Yang nodded. “Alright, come back soon.”

Cheng Yanyu smiled. “I will.”

As she watched him, she noticed his suitcase was mostly filled with casual clothes. He’d recently started wearing shirts and slacks more often—such a change from the boy who loved his white tees. She remarked, “You look great in dress shirts. Wear something more formal to meet the client. Let me grab a shirt and some trousers for you.”

Opening the wardrobe, she asked, “Should I add a jacket?”

Looking at the shirts, Cheng Yanyu glanced at her and smiled. “Sure, whatever you think.”

“Better to take it all,” she said with a light laugh.

They struggled a bit with packing the formal wear neatly, both of them being more accustomed to casual clothes. Finally, they managed to fit everything in.

Wen Yang turned to look at him, and he gazed back at her. Their eyes met, and they shared a smile.

Cheng Yanyu leaned down to kiss her forehead gently. “I’ll come back early.”

Wen Yang was momentarily stunned but quickly wrapped her arms around his neck, looking into his eyes. “You promise?”

He placed a hand on her waist. “I promise.”

Wen Yang tried to push the words she’d heard at the yoga studio out of her mind. It would all be fine, she told herself. Once he was back, everything would be fine.

Standing on her tiptoes, she kissed him lightly.

Cheng Yanyu responded with a soft kiss on her lips—not deep, but full of tenderness.

His assistant had already called for a car, which was waiting downstairs. Reluctantly, Wen Yang let go of him. Cheng Yanyu closed his suitcase, and Wen Yang walked him to the door.

As he stepped out, he turned to look at her one last time. He couldn’t help but remind her, “I installed the faucet properly—it should be fine. But be careful when you use it. And don’t rush when cutting vegetables. If you’re unsure, just order takeout or eat at the office. It’s close, and Wang Ya and the others always ask about you.”

Wen Yang stood in the doorway, her bright eyes crinkling with a smile as she nodded. “Got it.”

“The weather’s good this week, but it’ll change next week. Don’t worry about storms,” Cheng Yanyu added.

Wen Yang hummed softly in response.

“If anything comes up, call me,” he said, his eyes soft and sincere.

She smiled and nodded again. “I will.”

“Go downstairs quickly, Ah Jian has been waiting for a while,” Wen Yang gently pushed him. Cheng Yanyu looked at his watch, holding onto the luggage handle, and glanced at her with a hint of concern in his eyes.

But the elevator had arrived, so he had no choice but to step inside.

Wen Yang kept a smile on her lips. As soon as the elevator door closed, she shut the door behind her, and the cloud of worry lifted from her heart. She turned to look at the cozy home, at the framed photo of the two of them on the TV cabinet. She felt more at peace. After a workout that left her sweating, she had quickly changed clothes and come back from the yoga room.

In a hurry, it all felt like a dream.

After a shower, she changed into comfortable loungewear and sat down on the sofa, pouring herself a glass of lemon water.

Her phone buzzed with a message.

*Yu Qing: “Did you get home? Reply to me.”*

*Yu Qing: “Did you forget to turn something off? Probably the air conditioner again?”*

Wen Yang immediately knew that Yu Qing had sent the message while she was in class. She picked up her phone and started typing a reply.

*Wen Yang: “I’m home. Yeah, I forgot to turn off the air conditioner, and also the one in the room.”*

*Yu Qing: “You’re really careless, but it’s not a big deal. You only had half a class left, such a waste of money.”*

*Wen Yang: 😛*

*Yu Qing: “Well, your Cheng Yanyu can make money, so it’s no problem for him to splurge.”*

*Wen Yang: “Go away.”*

Yu Qing laughed on the other end, telling her to go back and turn off the air conditioner, saying she was making a mountain out of a molehill.

Wen Yang sent her a funny meme in response.

There were still four days left until next Monday. During these four days while Cheng Yanyu was on his business trip, Wen Yang kept herself busy. She would go shopping and take a walk after breakfast, often carrying her camera to capture the morning scenes. In the afternoon, she attended yoga classes, trying her best to avoid the group of chatty women. When she overheard any discussions about married life, she would subtly move away.

At night, sometimes she would video call Cheng Yanyu or send messages, but he was too busy. One night, he drank too much, and Wen Yang blamed herself for not giving him any hangover medicine, as she had forgotten to bring it this time.

Fortunately, his assistant, Yu Zhan, was there and bought some for him.

The weather suddenly changed on Monday.

When Wen Yang woke up early, she saw thickening clouds. She quickly took down the sheets she had left out to dry yesterday and put them in the closet. Today was also the day that Cheng Yanyu was returning from his business trip.

Fortunately, Licheng was close to Nancheng, and travel between the two was by high-speed rail, so it wouldn’t be affected by the weather like flights.

As heavy rain started to pour down outside, Wen Yang hurriedly brought in the flowers and plants from the balcony and closed the balcony door. As soon as the door closed, the rain came down heavily, the water rushing against the windows. The windows of the house were washed clean by the rain, and only the lights inside shone brightly like beacons.

Wen Yang poured herself a cup of hot water and was about to drink when she heard the sound of the door opening. She was momentarily stunned, put down the cup, and turned around. She saw Cheng Yanyu entering, holding a suitcase. His shirt was wet, his hair was damp, and his leather shoes were covered in water droplets.

---

Thanks for visiting. If you like this story, then I’m shamelessly asking you to visit NovelUpdates and give a 5⭐ review. (人❛ᴗ❛)♪тнайк　чоц♪(❛ᴗ❛*人)

You can also check out my other translations Here