“Good thing you came.” Her voice was soft, and her body wasn’t trembling as badly as before.
Fu Xingzhou gently smoothed her hair and asked, “Why do you say that?”
Wen Yang was quiet for a few seconds before saying, “Thunderstorms bring back too many bad memories.”
Fu Xingzhou looked at her face, waiting for her to continue. Wen Yang slowly pulled herself out of that emotion, exhaled, and looked up to meet his eyes. Her eyes were misty, but her emotions were clear and focused. She looked fragile yet strong. She softly said, “There were a lot of thunderstorms last year. And it was also during those storms that I found out Cheng Yanyu was cheating.”
Fu Xingzhou brushed her hair aside and said, “I was late today.”
Wen Yang shook her head. “No, you came just in time.”
“How did you know I was at the flower market?”
Fu Xingzhou looked at her and replied, “I went to your studio, wanted to take you home. Your assistant told me you were at the flower market looking for inspiration.”
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Eld Zydt tyhl y pxyzz “Xb.”
Fbl pyke, “Zw Ckdt yde R nswzed’v xyjl ydu rastalpp okvb vbl eayqvp. R oydvle vs oyzj yaswde vbl qzsola xyajlv vs nzlya xu xkde. R eked’v lmrlnv vs awd kdvs Ubldt Zyduw’p xsvbla—yde vbkp rzynl yzps nyaaklp psxl xlxsaklp qasx vbl rypv.”
Ww Dkdtgbsw zkpvldle yde pyke, “Mblal’p yzps y qzsola xyajlv kd vbl olpv ekpvaknv. Zsw nyd ts vblal dlmv vkxl.”
Eld Zydt dseele.
Fbl oayrrle bla yaxp yaswde bkp dlnj yde zlydle kd nzspl, ypjkdt kd y zso hsknl, “Gx R alyzzu vbyv olyj?”
Ww Dkdtgbsw zssjle esod yde jkpple vbl vkr sq bla dspl. “Ls.”
Fbl bye vawzu, ellrzu zshle Ubldt Zyduw—bl bye plld kv qsa bkxplzq. Mbyv oyp lmynvzu obu bl bye awpble cynj qasx Tsdt Isdt. Vsola yde olyzvb yal lypu vs plkgl, cwv vawl yqqlnvksd nyddsv cl pvszld—kv’p dsv psxlvbkdt usw nyd okd okvb vynvknp.
Jynj yv bsxl—
He took off his soaked shirt. Accompanied by lightning and thunder outside and torrential rain streaking down the windows, the droplets formed lines. Fu Xingzhou held Wen Yang on his lap, her clothes messy. She clung to his neck, her breathing uneven, resting low against his shoulder. Fu Xingzhou held her waist and kissed her lips, her long hair cascading down to her waist.
Wen Yang gasped, her eyes misty as she met his gaze. Fu Xingzhou looked at her—her skin was flushed, her body trembling. He sucked on her lips and pulled her waist forward.
Her soft cries were muffled by him. She clung tightly to his neck, biting her lip hard.
A long while later—
The blanket had slipped to the floor in a mess.
Wen Yang curled up in his arms, her arms trembling slightly. Fu Xingzhou propped himself up and kissed her on the forehead. Thunder still rumbled outside. Wen Yang’s mind was blank, filled only with his gentle kisses and movements that made her shiver from time to time. She clung to his neck in a daze and whispered, “You were kind of rough tonight.”
Her voice was soft and sweet.
Fu Xingzhou looked up, brushed her hair aside, and asked, “Rough where?”
Wen Yang opened her eyes and met his gaze, her cheeks burning red. She didn’t answer.
Although he had never been the type to be overly gentle in this aspect, he was always good at knowing when to be intense and when to be soft—well balanced. But tonight, he had clearly pushed her to the edge, to the point she lost all sense of self. The only thing she could focus on or reach for was him—only him.
As a woman—
She obviously liked it, but still wanted to complain a little, just for show.
When she didn’t respond, Fu Xingzhou leaned in and kissed her lips. “Next time, you can tell me to be gentler.”
Wen Yang bit him in return.
Fu Xingzhou slipped his tongue in, letting her nibble him back like a kitten pawing at something.
After a while, Fu Xingzhou picked her up together with the blanket and carried her into the bathroom.
When they came out, the rain and thunder had stopped. Neither of them had eaten yet. Aunt Zhong hadn’t had a chance to call them for dinner. Wen Yang decided to make noodles herself. She found some greens in the fridge, and Fu Xingzhou came over to wash them. Aunt Zhong liked growing her own vegetables and often brought some over. Though they came with a bit of dirt and the occasional bug, they tasted better than store-bought ones.
Wen Yang boiled water for the noodles and started preparing the sauce.
Fu Xingzhou finished washing the vegetables and placed them in a blue basket. He still wore his watch, and water dripped from his knuckles. Wen Yang made tossed noodles, adding meat and some dried radish Aunt Zhong had brought over. She picked up a bite with chopsticks and offered it to Fu Xingzhou to try. He lowered his head and took a bite. When he looked up, Wen Yang was watching him and blinked. “Is it good?”
Fu Xingzhou’s eyes sparkled with a smile. “Delicious.”
Wen Yang’s eyes curved into a smile.
Fu Xingzhou blanched the greens, drizzled some soy sauce, and brought them to the table. The two sat at the dining table. Fu Xingzhou’s phone kept buzzing with messages—mostly work-related.
After dinner—
They put the dishes in the dishwasher.
Jiang Yue came up with some files. Fu Xingzhou had returned in a rush, so of course, he had brought work back with him. Wen Yang made some ginger tea. Seeing Jiang Yue soaked from earlier, she remembered and handed a cup to Fu Xingzhou.
Fu Xingzhou took it, glanced at Jiang Yue, and casually placed that cup by Jiang Yue’s side. Jiang Yue had just opened his file when he suddenly saw the ginger tea. He paused, then looked up at Wen Yang.
Wen Yang smiled and said, “Secretary Jiang, have some. You worked hard just now.”
Jiang Yue looked pleasantly surprised. “Thank you, Miss Wen.”
Wen Yang gave a soft smile. “You’re welcome.”
Since they needed to talk, Wen Yang picked up her laptop and went into the home theater room. She could have gone to the study, but she didn’t want such a formal atmosphere and chose the cozier room instead.
Jiang Yue drank the ginger tea in one go, feeling the cold retreat from his body.
He looked over to see Fu Xingzhou scrolling on the touchpad, straightening his posture and starting work.
—
Wen Yang had been feeling inspired in the afternoon, but after the storm and all those messy emotions, things had settled down—though her thoughts had turned sluggish. She hugged her laptop on the sofa, lazily staring at the screen.
Yu Qing was also struggling with frustration.
She messaged Wen Yang:
Yu Qing: Any progress this afternoon?
Wen Yang: Nope.
Yu Qing: Damn, same here. Woke up with a foggy brain. I miss your tossed noodles.
Wen Yang: You should’ve said so earlier. I’d have sent some over through a runner.
Yu Qing: Wait—President Fu is back? Huh? Wasn’t he supposed to be back the day after tomorrow?
Wen Yang: He finished early and came back ahead of schedule.
Yu Qing: Tsk tsk, another couple’s paradise now.
Wen Yang: He’s working.
Yu Qing: Tsk, no need to explain.
Wen Yang’s face turned red immediately.
Yu Qing: What do we do? What if we can never get it drawn?
Wen Yang: We will. Have some faith in yourself.
Yu Qing: I’m gonna go play some games with Xu Xu. Wanna come?
Wen Yang: Nah, I’ll just space out.
Around 10:30 PM, Fu Xingzhou finally finished work. He pushed open the door to the home theater room and saw Wen Yang watching a tutorial. She was curled up, hugging her knees. Her nightdress flowed softly over the sofa—she looked relaxed and cozy.
Beside her, the laptop screen glowed. It showed a design interface, not a single line drawn.
He looked at her for a few seconds, then walked over and sat down beside her, pulling her into his arms. Wen Yang was feeling sleepy from watching the tutorial, so she leaned over and nestled against him. Fu Xingzhou closed the laptop and smoothed her hair.
“If you’re tired, sleep first. You can keep watching tomorrow.”
Wen Yang rubbed her eyes and gave up resisting. She nodded and leaned into his arms.
Fu Xingzhou closed her laptop to prevent the glaring light from disturbing her, then carried her in his arms back to the master bedroom.
Later that night.
It rained again.
The rain continued until the next morning and was still falling. Wen Yang got up, washed up, and had breakfast. She stood by the window with Aunt Zhong, who said, “Yesterday, the signboard at the Nancheng Flower Market was blown down by the wind.”
Wen Yang, sipping milk, asked, “Did it hit anyone?”
Aunt Zhong replied, “No, luckily not.”
After breakfast, Wen Yang went to get her laptop. Fu Xingzhou grabbed his suit jacket and took her out the door. Their black sedan slowly pulled up to the COCO building. Just as it came to a stop, another sedan arrived. Cheng Yanyu got out of the car, holding a bag, and was about to head up the steps when he saw their car.
Cheng Yanyu paused.
Jiang Yue also saw them. He leaned forward for a look, then turned back to glance at Fu Xingzhou.
Fu Xingzhou looked at Wen Yang.
Wen Yang leaned in and whispered, “I think I dropped my lens. I couldn’t find it this morning. Maybe he’s here to return it.”
Fu Xingzhou gently stroked her hair and said, “Just stay here.”
The next second—
Fu Xingzhou opened the car door and got out.
Cheng Yanyu was on the steps. They looked at each other for a second. Cheng Yanyu came down and handed him the bag.
“Wen Yang dropped a lens yesterday,” he said.
It was a Qingyang brand lens.
Fu Xingzhou’s expression was cold as he looked at Cheng Yanyu.
“You could’ve just used same-city delivery. No need to bring it yourself.”
Cheng Yanyu’s fingers paused.
Fu Xingzhou glanced at him indifferently, opened the car door, got back in, and handed the bag to Wen Yang. Wen Yang reached in and took out the lens. It had been wiped clean, and the “Qingyang” logo was clearly visible. She looked at Fu Xingzhou and said,
“Looks like it’s not broken. I’ll test it tonight.”
Fu Xingzhou responded with a soft “mm.”
He glanced at the cleaned lens.
The other car drove away.
After watching Cheng Yanyu leave, Wen Yang gathered her things to get out of the car too. Before leaving, she leaned over and kissed Fu Xingzhou on the corner of his lips. Fu Xingzhou lowered his eyes, kissed her lips softly, and said,
“There are plenty of lenses. Missing one doesn’t matter.”
Wen Yang nodded.
“But this one’s Qingyang,” she replied.
She understood what he meant.
And Fu Xingzhou understood her too. He kissed her lips again and only let go after a while.
Wen Yang got out of the car with her laptop.
She didn’t take the lens—there were some at the studio already.
Jiang Yue got out of the car, took Cheng Yanyu’s bag, and threw it away, leaving only the lens. Fu Xingzhou flipped through some documents. Jiang Yue wiped the lens again with a special cloth before placing it back on the armrest beside Fu Xingzhou.
Because truth be told—
Jiang Yue had sharp instincts.
Even though Fu Xingzhou didn’t show it in front of Wen Yang, Jiang Yue knew very well that Fu Xingzhou didn’t want Cheng Yanyu touching any of Miss Wen’s things.
Back at the studio.
Yu Qing’s dark circles were even worse. She leaned back in the chair, looking like she hadn’t slept at all. Wen Yang put down her laptop and gave her a box of char siu buns that Aunt Zhong had made. Yu Qing immediately sat up straight.
“Love you, Yang Bao! I’m starving.”
Wen Yang opened the thermos. There was milk inside. She placed it by her hand and said,
“Eat quickly. What time did you go to bed last night?”
Yu Qing took a bite of the bun and said,
“Around four. Then I tried to get some more sleep, but I just couldn’t fall back asleep.”
Seeing her like that, Wen Yang said,
“I think you need to relax. What if once you relax, everything falls into place?”
Yu Qing took a sip of the rich milk and looked up at her.
“And you? Did you sleep well last night?”
Wen Yang paused, then nodded.
“Very well.”
She really did.
The thunder had been loud, but he comforted her again and again. Wen Yang felt warm and safe. She barely woke up at all during the second half of the night. Yu Qing looked at her rosy cheeks and said enviously,
“Must be nice, really nice.”
Wen Yang just smiled and nudged her chair.
That afternoon, Wen Yang went to meet a client. This was the same nitpicky client from last time who wouldn’t stop until she forced him to. He was already preparing for renovation and had hired his own team, not wanting Yunchi to earn another cent. But during the renovation, some issues came up, and he asked Wen Yang—quite bluntly—for adjustments.
Wen Yang took her design work seriously. Since the client had problems, she felt it was her duty to make adjustments. Everything was for the final result. They agreed to meet at 3:30.
Wen Yang arrived at 3:15.
The client was punctual too. Once he arrived, he started explaining what he wanted changed. Wen Yang ordered a coffee and went over the design revisions with him. After they were done—
The client packed up his briefcase and said,
“Didn’t expect you to be so easy to talk to.”
Wen Yang didn’t know what to say. She smiled.
“When did I ever come off as not easy to talk to?”
The client stood up.
“When I asked for a deposit refund! Your reasoning back then nearly drove me mad.”
Wen Yang replied,
“Well, in the end you didn’t get the refund, did you?”
Client: “…Forget it. Once the results are out, I’ll give you guys a good review.”
“Thank you.”
Wen Yang said with a bright smile.
The client walked off with his briefcase.
Leaving Wen Yang alone at the open-air café. Nearby, someone was selling ice cream. Wen Yang sat there, took a photo, and asked Yu Qing and Tao Li if they wanted any.
She was at COCO’s outdoor plaza, not far from the studio.
Yu Qing and the others replied—they didn’t want ice cream, but they all wanted coffee and this café’s signature matcha cake. Wen Yang scanned the code and started placing orders. Just then, two figures appeared ahead.
Li Man, in a brown long dress, and Qin Mu, in an ink-dyed dress, were looking for seats. Qin Mu was holding a Maltese dog in her arms.
Wen Yang looked up—and made direct eye contact with them.
Qin Mu instinctively glanced at Li Man and smiled.
Li Man looked at Wen Yang, who sat at a high round table. The breeze gently tousled Wen Yang’s tied-up hair. She wore a light-colored blouse and a gray long skirt. Her face was strikingly beautiful.
Like a mannequin in a shop window.
Li Man’s expression didn’t change. A few seconds later, she said to Qin Mu,
“You find a seat first.”
Qin Mu raised an eyebrow. There happened to be a spot nearby, so she sat down and adjusted the puppy in her arms.
Li Man took off her sunglasses and walked over to Wen Yang, sitting across from her.
Wen Yang frowned slightly.
“Do you need something?” she asked.
Sansukini: I’ve been very busy with my husband’s passing so I haven’t had any time to translate these days. If you’ve tried to MTL this novel, you’d find that none of the pirated sites have a complete chapter list. They’re missing some 20 chapters, including the extras. I’m trying to purchase the chapters but I don’t know how to register on jjwxc yet. That’s why, eventhough I owe you guys some chapters for last week, I won’t catch up yet so I’ll have time to figure out how to get the other chapters. Meanwhile, can you guys try to support my other novel, Delicate Wife in the 70’s. I’d really appreciate that.
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I’m so sorry for your lost. Thought and prayers to you and your family.
I’m so sorry translator-nim! 😭💔
May he rest in peace 🕊️
I am so sorry for your loss, translator-nim. May his soul rest in perfect peace 🕊️. My prayers are with you.
My condolences Sansukini. Losing a loved one is hard, and especially so when you lose your partner. Wishing you peaceful sleep and a strong support network