Chapter 81.1

When Yun Feiwu returned to the room, Xia Shutong was already lying on the bed.

Yun Feiwu glanced over and noticed she hadn’t changed into her pajamas, so she went into the walk-in closet and grabbed two sets.

“Ruan Ruan, want to change into your pajamas?” Yun Feiwu blinked.

Xia Shutong turned over. “…No.”

“Then… I’ll change first, and then help you change?” Yun Feiwu pretended not to notice the hint of emotion in Xia Shutong’s voice, her tone playful.

As expected, Xia Shutong sat up immediately, snatched the pajamas from her hands, and glared at her playfully. “No need, I’ll do it myself.”

After quickly changing her clothes, Xia Shutong casually asked, “Maomao, what were you and Xia Hongye talking about just now alone?”

She emphasized the word “alone.”

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G pxkzl yrrlyale kd Zwd Wlkow’p lulp.

Fbl pzsozu rzynle bla nzsvblp ypkel, vbld zlkpwalzu rknjle wr bla ryfyxyp yde cltyd rwvvkdt vblx sd. “Swyd Swyd, yal usw flyzswp sq Fkpvla Dky?”

Fllkdt vbyv Dky Fbwvsdt eked’v alprsde, pbl obkprlale, “Klyzswpu fya.”

Dky Fbwvsdt vwadle shla, ycswv vs pyu psxlvbkdt pswa, cwv obld pbl pyo Zwd Wlkow’p byzq-ealpple pvyvl, bla nblljp vwadle rkdj. “Yysxys… Yysxys.”

Zwd Wlkow ralvldele dsv vs wdelapvyde. “Txx?”

Tla psqv, vlypkdt hsknl oyp kdnalekczu yzzwakdt.

Dky Fbwvsdt, vbsaswtbzu vlyple, kdpvkdnvkhlzu alynble swv yde vswnble Zwd Wlkow’p ycp.

Zwd Wlkow zlv swv y psqv, eayod-swv “bxx,” nzlyazu kdvldvksdyz yde ellrzu rashsnyvkhl.

“Maomao,” Xia Shutong’s face grew redder, but emboldened by Yun Feiwu’s teasing, she moved closer and asked, “Did Xia Hongye tell you about my dark past? Did she say… that I used to cry a lot?”

Yun Feiwu blinked but didn’t answer, her eyes showing evident concern.

Xia Shutong understood the answer.

“Xia Hongye…” Xia Shutong shook her head slowly, swallowing her words.

She didn’t blame Xia Hongye for telling Yun Feiwu, but she truly didn’t care about those painful memories anymore. When she first recalled them, Xia Shutong might have felt pain, but in Yun Feiwu’s embrace, everything felt like a fleeting cloud.

Later, Xia Shutong didn’t tell Yun Feiwu about her crying because she feared Yun Feiwu would feel heartache and worry, and also because she felt ashamed and couldn’t bring herself to say it.

Seeing Yun Feiwu’s pained expression now, Xia Shutong felt deeply troubled—she had moved on, so how could Yun Feiwu get stuck in the past?

So, Xia Shutong decided she needed to quickly pull Yun Feiwu out of that emotional state.

In just a few seconds, countless plans flashed through Xia Shutong’s mind.

“Silly Maomao,” Xia Shutong finally exhaled and leaned toward Yun Feiwu. “I won’t cry anymore. But for now, I want to…”

“Listen to you cry.”

…

Dinner didn’t go as well as expected. The four of them, Xia Shutong and Yun Feiwu, were showing their affection, while Xia Hongye and Xia Cha ate quietly. Especially Xia Cha, who had a furrowed brow the entire time, clearly troubled.

Xia Shutong glanced at Xia Cha across the table and sighed inwardly.

In the past six months, the old fox had changed a lot. The once inscrutable old fox now wore his emotions on his sleeve.

He was getting old.

Xia Shutong took a bite of food, Yun Feiwu’s words about “letting go” flashing through her mind. She hesitated, wondering if she should offer Xia Cha some food and put on a gentle smile like she did at lunch, but ultimately, she didn’t look at him again.

Oh well, he had at least accepted the invitation. As for when she could let go… that could wait for another time.

Definitely not now.

Xia Shutong huffed lightly to herself.

Yun Feiwu noticed her mood change and turned to offer her a bowl of crab soup. “Ruan Ruan, open wide—”

Xia Shutong’s expression softened immediately as she smiled and opened her mouth, drawing a “tsk tsk tsk” from Xia Hongye beside her.

After dinner, just as Xia Shutong was about to go out with Yun Feiwu, Xia Cha spoke up. “Hongye, adjust the TV. Let’s watch the last episode of ‘Mountains and Rivers’ together as a family.”

Xia Hongye raised an eyebrow, puzzled. “Grandpa, haven’t you already seen it…?”

Not just seen it, but watched it multiple times.

Xia Cha glared at her.

Xia Hongye said no more and cheerfully turned on the TV. Xia Shutong and Yun Feiwu could only join them, sitting on the edge of the sofa.

This time, watching TV as a family wasn’t as awkward as before. Xia Cha didn’t leave in a huff due to their displays of affection and even made occasional teasing remarks.

When it came to the horse-riding scene, Xia Cha shook his head, looking exasperated. “Tongtong, why do you act like a little wife?”

Xia Shutong’s ears turned slightly red. “…”

She forced a smile but didn’t respond.

Xia Shutong then pinched Yun Feiwu’s cheek, signaling her to stay quiet. Yun Feiwu leaned down and whispered “childish” in her ear but obediently remained still.

The four of them watched the entire episode, with Xia Cha making occasional jests throughout. Finally, the episode ended, and Xia Shutong exchanged a glance with Yun Feiwu before saying, “Grandpa, let me help you upstairs.”

Xia Shutong could easily tell that Xia Cha was using his way to apologize and show a bit of weakness. Since he had taken the initiative to step back, she couldn’t just stay stubbornly in place; that would be too immature.

Although she couldn’t immediately let go of everything, it wouldn’t hurt to take a few steps down the path he offered.

…

Next, Yun Feiwu had a contract to sign at the office, so Xia Shutong didn’t stay long at the Old Mansion. After breakfast the next day, they both returned to the city. Even though Xia Shutong had given herself a two-day weekend, she still planned to drop by the company.

The car parked in the underground lot, and the two of them walked hand-in-hand, not hiding their affection at all, all the way from the elevator to the meeting room.

Before Yun Feiwu announced their marriage to the public, they would only occasionally hold hands when there were few people around. But after the announcement, although they hadn’t made it public yet, they no longer hid their relationship in the company.

Not only did they hold hands openly, but they also wore their wedding rings on their ring fingers, which were quite conspicuous.

It was so dazzling that the employees were almost blinded.

In the company’s gossip group:

[“OMG, I finally understand what you mean by ‘unspeakable.’ President Xia is actually dating Yun Yun! They are in love!”]

[“Not just dating; they are married!”]

[“I wanted to ask since the Golden Osmanthus Festival. Weren’t they just dating? How did they suddenly get married?”]

[“Right! When I heard Yun Yun’s words during the festival, I didn’t feel it was real, but seeing them wear their wedding rings, I finally felt—how did they get married so quickly?!”]

[“It must be a flash marriage! Ah, so romantic. I bet President Xia proposed!”]

[“I bet Yun Yun did!”]

[“I finally understand the pain of knowing the inside scoop but having to keep quiet. Every time I see people online wondering who Yun Yun’s wife is, I know the truth but can’t say anything. It’s so frustrating.”]

[“Exactly! In the CP super topic of President Xia and Yun Yun, fans are so sad thinking they broke up. But I know the truth and can’t say anything. It’s even more painful!”]

Recently, there had indeed been online discussions about who Yun Feiwu’s wife was. However, since this involved Yun Feiwu’s privacy, netizens were generally respectful and only casually talked about it, unlike the frenzy when they dug into the female lead of “Trajectory.”

…

Yun Feiwu finished signing the contract and went to Xia Shutong’s office, arriving right at noon.

She stood at the door for a moment, then quietly pushed it open a crack. Qian Lingling, who was opposite, immediately raised her head and met Yun Feiwu’s eyes.

Yun Feiwu made a “shh” gesture, and Qian Lingling nodded in understanding, pretending as if nothing had happened.

Yun Feiwu’s lips curved slightly as she quietly pushed the door open a bit more and tiptoed inside. As soon as she entered, she heard Xia Shutong’s somewhat stern voice.

Was she scolding an employee? It sounded a bit intimidating.

However, Yun Feiwu wasn’t scared at all; instead, her smile grew wider.

Just as Yun Feiwu was about to take a few more steps forward to surprise Xia Shutong, Xia Shutong sensed something and suddenly looked toward the door.

The moment she saw Yun Feiwu, Xia Shutong’s expression softened, and even her tone on the phone became gentler: “Just do it again as I said.”

After hanging up, Xia Shutong immediately gave Yun Feiwu a tender smile, her tone completely different from before, soft and gentle: “Maomao, I’m just finishing up.”

“Ruan Ruan.” Since she had been discovered, Yun Feiwu leaned lazily against the doorframe, “Wanna grab lunch?”

“Hmm… What should we eat?” Xia Shutong stood up.

Yun Feiwu tilted her head: “The cafeteria? I’ve never eaten at the company cafeteria.”

She had only heard Xia Shutong mention it a few times on the phone, each time making her crave it.

“No celebrities eat at the company cafeteria.” The cafeteria at Wutong wasn’t bad; it had good quality and fair prices, but it couldn’t compare to outside restaurants. Most of the people eating there were office staff, while the celebrities either had special meals or ate out.

Despite her words, Xia Shutong naturally linked her arm with Yun Feiwu’s and affectionately tilted her head towards her.

Yun Feiwu immediately lowered her head slightly and nuzzled her.

Qian Lingling followed behind them, trying her best to minimize her presence. But in reality, it didn’t matter much because Xia Shutong and Yun Feiwu were unlikely to notice her when they were together.

Thinking about this, Qian Lingling suddenly felt like a lonely little cabbage, with no one to care for her.

At the cafeteria, Yun Feiwu held the tray while Xia Shutong picked the dishes.

“Maomao, what do you want to eat?”

Yun Feiwu glanced around and casually said, “Chicken drumstick?”

Xia Shutong looked around, picked the largest one, and placed it in the bowl.

Yun Feiwu chuckled softly from behind.

“What else? What do you want next?”

“Chicken cutlet?”

So, another bowl full of chicken cutlets.

While picking dishes, Xia Shutong pondered aloud, “Maomao, do you really want to eat meat recently?”

Why else would she pick two meat dishes in a row?

“Yes.” Yun Feiwu nodded, “I’ve been busy with announcements these past few days, so I’ve been eating light.”

Xia Shutong immediately recalled that during dinner at the Old Mansion yesterday, because of Xia Cha’s preference for light flavors, there wasn’t much meat on the table. Does that mean Yun Feiwu hadn’t eaten well these past few days? Guilt surged in Xia Shutong’s heart, feeling that she hadn’t taken good care of her kitty, so she turned and picked more meat dishes.

“Maomao, shall we go for barbecue or steak tonight?” Xia Shutong asked seriously.

“Either is fine.” Yun Feiwu nodded again, her eyes smiling.