“What did you make? Show me,” Ruan Danchen said softly.
“Wait till noon,” Qi Chenglin replied while placing the lunchboxes into a tote bag. Taking the bag with one hand while holding Ruan Danchen’s hand in the other, they went into the dining room for breakfast.
Qi Chenglin smiled deeply and continued, “Come up earlier this afternoon.”
…
…
Qi Chenglin and Ruan Danchen arrived at the company in the morning. Ruan Danchen went to the design department before Qi Chenglin used the elevator to reach the top floor.
A few colleagues who worked in the secretary room exited the crowded staff elevator and saw Qi Chenglin carrying a tote bag with what seemed to be lunchboxes inside it.
A female colleague asked with glittering eyes, “General manager, are these lunchboxes of love made by your wife?”
Qi Chenglin choked in response to the question. There was absolutely no way he would admit to outsiders that he made all these. It would bring the impression that he was actually a henpecked husband who even became a househusband in the morning.
Thus, Qi Chenglin nodded without feeling guilty. He even looked blankly inscrutable as he straightened his tie.
“My wife treats me well with meticulous care,” Qi Chenglin replied solemnly without any guilty conscience.
“General manager is really blessed.”
“General Manager Qi’s wife is very virtuous.”
Qi Chenglin stood proud and straight when endless compliments came rushing toward him and overwhelmed him. They could even visualize his pride as he returned to his office.
Qi Chenglin initially wanted to place the lunchboxes on the table to show off, but on second thought, these were not made by his wife after all. What if he boasted a little too much and embarrassed himself in the end?
Thus, Qi Chenglin placed the lunchboxes in a small refrigerator in his office silently.
…
…
Qi Chenglin’s trick worked like a charm as Ruan Danchen was physically present in the design department for the whole morning, but mentally, her heart stayed with Qi Chenglin.
Moreover, Ruan Danchen was considered an idler in the design department at present. The only reason why she insisted on working was because of her reluctance in loafing at home and become disjointed with society. At least she could keep up with the times despite being a layabout at work so that she would not run out of topics to talk about with Qi Chenglin when they returned home.
Approximately eleven o’clock in the morning, Ruan Danchen received a phone call from Jiang Yuan.
Why would Jiang Yuan contact Ruan Danchen? The curious Ruan Danchen accepted the phone call and heard Jiang Yuan said, “Madam, the general manager is free at the moment. There’s no business discussion with clients or meetings to attend.”
In conclusion, the general manager was bored to death and waiting for Ruan Danchen to save his life.
“…” Even though Ruan Danchen’s intelligence was deteriorating recently, she could understand the meaning behind Jiang Yuan’s statement. “I’m heading up now.”
Ruan Danchen packed her belongings and took her bag before leaving the design department while muttering to herself. Why did Qi Chenglin ask Jiang Yuan to convey his message when he could just call her personally?
It was not lunchtime yet when Ruan Danchen reached the top floor. Everyone was busy at work and Ruan Danchen could even see someone running off with documents from time to time.
Even so, everyone would stop and greet Ruan Danchen when they met. “Madam, we saw the general manager carrying home-packed meals today.”
“Madam prepared home-packed meals for the general manager despite your busy schedule. You’re a good wife.”
“Your relationship with the general manager is very stable.”
“Lunchboxes of love!”
“…” Ruan Danchen knew Qi Chenglin all too well; she figured Qi Chenglin must have been too embarrassed to admit that he was the one preparing home-packed meals for her.
Ruan Danchen did not debunk her husband’s lies out of sincere love, so she smiled and nodded in response. Since it was virtuous of her to prepare home-packed meals for her husband, she protected her husband’s reputation in public was considered an act of virtue too.
A virtuous and kind wife—that summed up Ruan Danchen.
Ruan Danchen responded to all the compliments with a gentle and polite smile as she headed for Qi Chenglin’s office. Upon entering the office, Qi Chenglin stood up immediately and brought her to rest on the couch.
There were a few additions of cushion pads on the couch that were absent before this.
“I’ve heard that pregnant women get lower backache easily, so these are for you to support your back,” Qi Chenglin explained while placing one cushion pad behind Ruan Danchen’s lower back.
Frankly speaking, Ruan Danchen’s pregnancy had not reached the stage where backache became common. She could hardly feel the fetus’s presence in her womb at the moment other than the recent excessive vomiting. Lower back pain would only start to get worse with enlarging uterus at the late stage of pregnancy.
However, Ruan Danchen did not correct Qi Chenglin’s mistake since this was his act of kindness and love after all. Moreover, she felt comfortable with the cushion pad supporting her back.
“Are you tired? Do you want to take a short nap?” Qi Chenglin asked solicitously after recalling the torment he inflicted on Ruan Danchen last night. He was worried that it might be the last time Ruan Danchen helped him to release his sexual tension with her hand.
Ruan Danchen pouted in response; she knew Qi Chenglin all too well.
However, Ruan Danchen was unwilling to argue with Qi Chenglin as she glanced at his handsome face, so she sighed and leaned closer to him. Then, she rested her head on Qi Chenglin’s thigh after yawning. “Wake me up later.”
Qi Chenglin agreed happily.
Ruan Danchen merely buried her face into Qi Chenglin’s firm lower abdomen instead of actually falling asleep. There was no need for her to worry about staining Qi Chenglin’s shirt with her makeup since she did not apply any ever since her pregnancy. Inhaling the fragrance emitted from Qi Chenglin that made her feel secure, she closed her eyes and pretended to fall asleep.
When it was about time to have lunch, Ruan Danchen woke up automatically without needing Qi Chenglin to call her. Qi Chenglin’s heart melted and fought the urge to laugh at the sight of the drowsy Ruan Danchen who had a red mark on her cheek due to pressure exertion upon lying down. He rubbed the red mark on her face slowly and gently before heading for the refrigerator to heat up the home-packed meals.
A savory aroma wafted into the office when Qi Chenglin returned with the meals later.
Ruan Danchen’s eyes lit up with anticipation. It was good enough to swallow the food prepared by Qi Chenglin, and there was never such a fragrant scent before this.
Ruan Danchen’s anticipation gave Qi Chenglin joy as he thought that all the hard work was not all for nothing. The only thing left to worry at the current moment was her lack of appetite and the possibility of vomiting.
Qi Chenglin placed the lunchboxes in front of Ruan Danchen and opened them. All of them were Ruan Danchen’s current favorite—sweet and sour in flavor. Even though there were frequent episodes of emesis recently, she craved for sweet and sour food and had quite a good appetite for them.
Ruan Danchen tasted each and every food before smiling happily. They were not exquisitely delicious, but the taste was enough to give her thrills of joy. Ruan Danchen did not have high expectations of the current meal Qi Chenglin prepared when she recalled the food he cooked last time ended up being a paste. Surprisingly, this meal was an absolute success which was beyond her expectations.
“Delicious,” Ruan Danchen praised her man which sent him into high spirits.
Ruan Danchen’s lips were smeared with oil, but Qi Chenglin did not use a tissue paper to wipe them clean. Instead, he leaned forward and licked the oil off her lips before replying with a deep and husky voice accompanied with a smile, “My cooking skill isn’t so bad after all.”
“I didn’t see you cook before this, so since when did your cooking skills improve?” Ruan Danchen gulped down the food happily. To be honest, her main purpose was to express her gratitude and motivate him so that he would put in effort persistently.
Qi Chenglin’s ears were flushed pink. His gaze which was penetrating and imposing toward outsiders was now drifting without the usual temperament. Then, he answered after a few moments of hesitation, “I only know how to cook these at the moment.”
Ruan Danchen understood him immediately; Qi Chenglin basically mastered only a few dishes.
This meal ended with great satisfaction. Ruan Danchen wiped her mouth with a piece of tissue paper before planting a kiss on Qi Chenglin’s lips. “My dear husband, how sweet of you to cook these so well. When you want… to release your tension, I… I’ll help you.”
Qi Chenglin’s eyes lit up brightly after listening to Ruan Danchen. She figured it was unwise to promise him simply and added her terms and conditions quickly. “Only once per night. It’s unhealthy to release it multiple times a day.”
Ruan Danchen’s lips twitched as she squeezed her wrist in grievance. “My hand will be sore.”
Qi Chenglin’s heart melted immediately after seeing Ruan Danchen’s pitiful expression. He took her hand quickly and started massaging it gently and cautiously. “Still sore right now?”
“I feel better right now, but the sore was excruciating in the morning and I nearly dropped my chopsticks too.” Ruan Danchen had decided to use her left hand to help him released his sexual tension in the future during her breakfast just now.
Even so, Qi Chenglin massaged Ruan Danchen’s wrist seriously.
The massage continued until Ruan Danchen said, “Eat your lunch quickly. You were just staring at me without eating just now.”
Ruan Danchen tested the food to make sure they were still warm before letting Qi Chenglin take the lunchboxes and started eating.
Qi Chenglin gulped down all the leftovers in a blink of an eye until there was nothing left.
Qi Chenglin woke up very early in the morning just to prepare a meal for Ruan Danchen, and he only had leftovers as his lunch in the end. Ruan Danchen felt a stinging in her nose as this sad thought struck her, figuring that her man really lived a difficult life.
Ruan Danchen wiped the tears that threatened to come out from the corner of her eyes and planted a kiss again on Qi Chenglin’s stuffed cheek due to his full mouth.
After that, Qi Chenglin went to clean the lunchboxes. He instructed Ruan Danchen to take her nap in the office and return to the design department only after she had rested enough.
Initially, Qi Chenglin went through the whole morning leisurely, but work came rushing toward him all of a sudden in the evening. There was a lot on his plate which was a huge contrast with the idling in the morning.
When it was almost time to get off work, Ruan Danchen received a call from Qi Chenglin stating that the meeting was not over yet. It was obvious that Qi Chenglin excused himself after taking a peek at the time and came out to report the situation to Ruan Danchen while they were still in the middle of the meeting.
“I’ve no idea when the meeting will end so don’t wait for me. Don’t starve yourself, just go home and have dinner with Youxuan first,” Qi Chenglin said. Ruan Danchen could even hear the exhaustion in his voice through the phone.
The meeting had been going on for over two hours. There appeared to be some critical and emergency situations in Chang City which required both Qi Chenglin and Qi Chengzhi’s immediate attention, and they must come out with a conclusion after the discussion on the same day.
Ruan Danchen was aware that her presence would just make Qi Chenglin worried, so she agreed to his instruction.
…
…
Ruan Danchen returned home but did not consume much food during her dinner. She was not really hungry after eating a lot of food during lunch as an encouragement to Qi Chenglin.
Ruan Danchen was having doubt at the moment. Was her enlarging abdomen due to the growing fetus or merely having too much food?
Regardless, Ruan Danchen finished her dinner in a hurry and cleaned the food container before giving Jiang Yuan a phone call. Then, she was told that Qi Chenglin was still in the meeting.
“Did he have his dinner?” Ruan Danchen asked.
“Not yet. They thought everything would be settled quickly, but there was no conclusion yet even until this hour. I just asked the secretary to order food delivery right before you called me, but it was dinner rush hour right now. Every restaurant in B City, no matter the reputation, is having long queues at the moment and God knows when the food will be delivered to us,” Jiang Yuan explained.
“Alright, I’ll bring dinner to him personally,” Ruan Danchen figured that it would be faster for her to depart from Prestige Residences to Qilin than to wait for food delivery from the restaurants.
Qi Chenglin and Qi Chengzhi were picky eaters who definitely could not tolerate foods from those small restaurants, and Dynasty certainly could not save them from their urgent needs too. Moreover, the other colleagues who worked overtime in Qilin at the current moment would not order food delivery from Dynasty.
Ruan Danchen was fully aware of the nearby restaurants’ standards that prepared food of only decent taste. Restaurants with slightly better food qualities, on the other hand, would be too crowded without any hope for drastic food deliveries from them.
Thus, Ruan Danchen hung up the phone call and called Song Yu afterward to explain the situation and asked if she needed to bring two dinner sets—one for Qi Chengzhi as well.
Song Yu might deliver dinner to Qi Chengzhi too, which was exactly why Ruan Danchen wanted to ask in advance, or else there would be too much food if she delivered two dinner sets directly without prior questioning. Fortunately, Ruan Danchen inquired Song Yu beforehand, because Song Yu was about to leave the house to deliver food to Qi Chengzhi at the moment.
Thus, without further delay, Ruan Danchen filled the food container quickly. Then, she instructed the child to do his homework at home before leaving the house.
However, the kid chased after Ruan Danchen and held onto her shirt firmly. “Mom, I want to go too.”
Ruan Danchen lowered her gaze and asked, “Are you done with your homework?”
“There isn’t much homework today and I’ve completed them in school. I can bring my book for revision,” the kid answered, reluctant to stay at home alone.
Ruan Danchen gave this some thought before agreeing to his plea.
There was no one at the reception and only security guards were present at the main entrance when Ruan Danchen and the kid arrived at Qilin. This was because only a few related personnel were working overtime and most of them worked in the upper management; whereas the rest of the staff had left the company a long time ago.
Ruan Danchen was wearing a pair of flat shoes, and the kid walked silently like a ninja too. All of a sudden, they heard footsteps at their tails.
Then, someone called out to them from behind. “Danchen!”
Ruan Danchen relaxed immediately and turned around to see Song Yu walking toward them with a bag in her hand.
“Since Chengyue is in mid-pregnancy period, they didn’t ask Dongge to work overtime and let him accompany Chengyue at home instead,” said Song Yu as she walked toward them.
Qi Chengyue took maternity leave from this month onward to rest at home. Even though there were four months left until the expected date of delivery, the elders at home were taking extreme precautions to avoid any potential accidents to Qi Chengyue’s pregnancy. Qi Chengyue did not insist on working too and was enjoying her rest at home in peace at the moment.
Ruan Danchen and Song Yu went up and passed the dinner to Jiang Yuan without disturbing their husbands. It was obvious that Qi Chenglin and Qi Chengzhi planned to have their dinner while continuing the meeting.
Suddenly, the door to the meeting room opened just when they were about to leave. Then, Qi Chengzhi and Qi Chenglin walked out of the room together.
They were pleasantly surprised upon seeing Ruan Danchen and Song Yu.
“Why did you guys come?” Qi Chenglin walked over immediately and stroked Ruan Danchen’s already smooth and neat hair habitually with his long fingers.
Qi Chenglin complained despite his exhilaration. “I thought I asked you to rest at home?”
“I missed you and worried that you’ll have your dinner late. Are you done with your meeting?” Ruan Danchen squinted in satisfaction and comfort when Qi Chenglin massaged her scalp with his long fingers.
“Not yet, we’re just out to get some air. We figured dinner should be delivered soon so we’ll continue the meeting after our stomachs are full,” Qi Chenglin’s voice sounded soft but tiring.
The Qi brothers intended to continue the meeting while having their dinner but decided against it after noticing the exhaustion on everyone’s face.
“The meeting is ending soon. There’s still a little bit left to discuss, then everything will be settled.” Qi Chenglin took a glance at the time before taking Ruan Danchen and the kid back to his office. “We’re taking a forty-five minutes break.”
Qi Chengzhi brought Song Yu along to Qi Chenglin’s office for dinner since his office was nearer to the meeting room. That way, they could continue their discussion while having dinner together.
Even though the kid had taken his dinner which mainly comprised of greens, he still felt hungry due to lack of proteins and fats in his digestive system. Thus, he stared at the food both Qi Chenglin and Qi Chengzhi were munching on with saliva pooling in his mouth.
Ruan Danchen brought some pre-cut fruits for Qi Chenglin as desserts initially, but after noticing the gluttony in the kid’s expression, she took it out to satisfy the kid’s cravings.
Even though Qi Chenglin and Qi Chengzhi were having their business discussion, they wanted their wives to accompany them by their sides. Thus, the ladies sat beside them and chit-chatting softly without disturbing their husbands.
Qi Chenglin’s office had a pleasant and soothing ambiance initially, but all of it was destroyed when there was a sudden argument outside the office.
Qi Chengzhi frowned. “What’s going on?”
The kid’s big round eyes blinked in curiosity and without fear.
Song Yu gestured Ruan Danchen to sit while she went to take a look at the commotion. Then, the door opened to Wu Qiaoyin confronting Jiang Yuan outside the office. Jiang Yuan was blocking Wu Qiaoyin’s attempt to barge into the office while calling the security guards.
They could even hear Jiang Yuan’s particularly cold and annoyed tone when Song Yu opened the door. “Come up and show Miss Wu the way out. What’s wrong with you guys? The upper management is very busy working overtime for a meeting today, and yet you allowed outsiders to barge in and cause further trouble. If you can’t perform such a simple task, then you may as well quit this job.”
Wu Qiaoyin ignored the fact that Jiang Yuan was on a phone call and protested in grievance. “How can you say so? I’m not here to cause trouble! I know Big Brother Qi, you saw me when I came here with my mom last time, so how can you defame me? Let me in, how can you stop me?”
The impatient Jiang Yuan hung up the phone call. When he was about to shove Wu Qiaoyin to the ground floor, Song Yu opened the door.
Wu Qiaoyin’s eyes lit up immediately. “Big Sister Song, it’s me. I… I knew Big Brother Qi is working overtime tonight, so I brought dinner for him. I made them at home myself.”
Wu Qiaoyin lifted up the bag in her hand happily.
Song Yu could not help but rolled her eyes in front of Wu Qiaoyin.
Who did she refer to as Big Sister Song, their relationship was not that close!
Wu Qiaoyin was not even coveting Song Yu’s husband, and yet Song Yu felt disgusted when Wu Qiaoyin referred to her as Big Sister Song. How disgusted would Ruan Danchen feel when Wu Qiaoyin referred to her as Big Sister Ruan?
“Sorry, who are you? I don’t recognize you, so there’s no need to greet me with such affection,” Song Yu replied harshly.
Jiang Yuan spoke to Song Yu immediately, “I’ll take her down now.”
Song Yu nodded and attempted to close the door without any intention in inviting Wu Qiaoyin into the office.
A light bulb went on in Wu Qiaoyin’s head as she bypassed Jiang Yuan in a flash and slammed her hand onto the door frame with great force until blood drained from the tips of her fingers.
Qi Chenglin nearly choked after listening to Wu Qiaoyin just now.
Ruan Danchen gazed scornfully at Qi Chenglin. “Looks like someone will get the benefit if I didn’t deliver dinner tonight.”
“No such thing! I won’t even let her pass through the door. If it wasn’t for the fact that I don’t want to get near her, I’ll take her dinner and throw it into the rubbish bin in front of her.”
Qi Chenglin’s harsh statement broke Wu Qiaoyin’s heart. She wept and said, “Big Brother Qi, I’m merely delivering dinner to you, I didn’t mean anything else. How can you…are you really that disgusted when I’m just delivering food to you? I’m just trying to be kind since you must be exhausted after working overtime, plus the restaurants around here aren’t hygienic too…”
The kid took a glance at Wu Qiaoyin before feeding a strawberry to Ruan Danchen. “Mom, I love you!”
Ruan Danchen felt like she had just consumed a mouthful of love when she ate the strawberry in the kid’s hand with a smile.
Ruan Danchen and the kid’s actions induced discomfort in Qi Chenglin, so he stood up and walked toward the door personally.
Wu Qiaoyin forgot to react completely and instead, she fixed her gaze on Qi Chenglin’s handsome face.
Qi Chenglin had been working for a whole day and involved himself in a meeting for a long period of time. As a result, exhaustion was written all over his face but it brought a different sense of charm with his maturity, which made Wu Qiaoyin drunk in love.
“What did you make? Show me,” Ruan Danchen said softly.
“Wait till noon,” Qi Chenglin replied while placing the lunchboxes into a tote bag. Taking the bag with one hand while holding Ruan Danchen’s hand in the other, they went into the dining room for breakfast.
Qi Chenglin smiled deeply and continued, “Come up earlier this afternoon.”
…
…
Qi Chenglin and Ruan Danchen arrived at the company in the morning. Ruan Danchen went to the design department before Qi Chenglin used the elevator to reach the top floor.
A few colleagues who worked in the secretary room exited the crowded staff elevator and saw Qi Chenglin carrying a tote bag with what seemed to be lunchboxes inside it.
A female colleague asked with glittering eyes, “General manager, are these lunchboxes of love made by your wife?”
Qi Chenglin choked in response to the question. There was absolutely no way he would admit to outsiders that he made all these. It would bring the impression that he was actually a henpecked husband who even became a househusband in the morning.
Thus, Qi Chenglin nodded without feeling guilty. He even looked blankly inscrutable as he straightened his tie.
“My wife treats me well with meticulous care,” Qi Chenglin replied solemnly without any guilty conscience.
“General manager is really blessed.”
“General Manager Qi’s wife is very virtuous.”
Qi Chenglin stood proud and straight when endless compliments came rushing toward him and overwhelmed him. They could even visualize his pride as he returned to his office.
Qi Chenglin initially wanted to place the lunchboxes on the table to show off, but on second thought, these were not made by his wife after all. What if he boasted a little too much and embarrassed himself in the end?
Thus, Qi Chenglin placed the lunchboxes in a small refrigerator in his office silently.
…
…
Qi Chenglin’s trick worked like a charm as Ruan Danchen was physically present in the design department for the whole morning, but mentally, her heart stayed with Qi Chenglin.
Moreover, Ruan Danchen was considered an idler in the design department at present. The only reason why she insisted on working was because of her reluctance in loafing at home and become disjointed with society. At least she could keep up with the times despite being a layabout at work so that she would not run out of topics to talk about with Qi Chenglin when they returned home.
Approximately eleven o’clock in the morning, Ruan Danchen received a phone call from Jiang Yuan.
Why would Jiang Yuan contact Ruan Danchen? The curious Ruan Danchen accepted the phone call and heard Jiang Yuan said, “Madam, the general manager is free at the moment. There’s no business discussion with clients or meetings to attend.”
In conclusion, the general manager was bored to death and waiting for Ruan Danchen to save his life.
“…” Even though Ruan Danchen’s intelligence was deteriorating recently, she could understand the meaning behind Jiang Yuan’s statement. “I’m heading up now.”
Ruan Danchen packed her belongings and took her bag before leaving the design department while muttering to herself. Why did Qi Chenglin ask Jiang Yuan to convey his message when he could just call her personally?
It was not lunchtime yet when Ruan Danchen reached the top floor. Everyone was busy at work and Ruan Danchen could even see someone running off with documents from time to time.
Even so, everyone would stop and greet Ruan Danchen when they met. “Madam, we saw the general manager carrying home-packed meals today.”
“Madam prepared home-packed meals for the general manager despite your busy schedule. You’re a good wife.”
“Your relationship with the general manager is very stable.”
“Lunchboxes of love!”
“…” Ruan Danchen knew Qi Chenglin all too well; she figured Qi Chenglin must have been too embarrassed to admit that he was the one preparing home-packed meals for her.
Ruan Danchen did not debunk her husband’s lies out of sincere love, so she smiled and nodded in response. Since it was virtuous of her to prepare home-packed meals for her husband, she protected her husband’s reputation in public was considered an act of virtue too.
A virtuous and kind wife—that summed up Ruan Danchen.
Ruan Danchen responded to all the compliments with a gentle and polite smile as she headed for Qi Chenglin’s office. Upon entering the office, Qi Chenglin stood up immediately and brought her to rest on the couch.
There were a few additions of cushion pads on the couch that were absent before this.
“I’ve heard that pregnant women get lower backache easily, so these are for you to support your back,” Qi Chenglin explained while placing one cushion pad behind Ruan Danchen’s lower back.
Frankly speaking, Ruan Danchen’s pregnancy had not reached the stage where backache became common. She could hardly feel the fetus’s presence in her womb at the moment other than the recent excessive vomiting. Lower back pain would only start to get worse with enlarging uterus at the late stage of pregnancy.
However, Ruan Danchen did not correct Qi Chenglin’s mistake since this was his act of kindness and love after all. Moreover, she felt comfortable with the cushion pad supporting her back.
“Are you tired? Do you want to take a short nap?” Qi Chenglin asked solicitously after recalling the torment he inflicted on Ruan Danchen last night. He was worried that it might be the last time Ruan Danchen helped him to release his sexual tension with her hand.
Ruan Danchen pouted in response; she knew Qi Chenglin all too well.
However, Ruan Danchen was unwilling to argue with Qi Chenglin as she glanced at his handsome face, so she sighed and leaned closer to him. Then, she rested her head on Qi Chenglin’s thigh after yawning. “Wake me up later.”
Qi Chenglin agreed happily.
Ruan Danchen merely buried her face into Qi Chenglin’s firm lower abdomen instead of actually falling asleep. There was no need for her to worry about staining Qi Chenglin’s shirt with her makeup since she did not apply any ever since her pregnancy. Inhaling the fragrance emitted from Qi Chenglin that made her feel secure, she closed her eyes and pretended to fall asleep.
When it was about time to have lunch, Ruan Danchen woke up automatically without needing Qi Chenglin to call her. Qi Chenglin’s heart melted and fought the urge to laugh at the sight of the drowsy Ruan Danchen who had a red mark on her cheek due to pressure exertion upon lying down. He rubbed the red mark on her face slowly and gently before heading for the refrigerator to heat up the home-packed meals.
A savory aroma wafted into the office when Qi Chenglin returned with the meals later.
Ruan Danchen’s eyes lit up with anticipation. It was good enough to swallow the food prepared by Qi Chenglin, and there was never such a fragrant scent before this.
Ruan Danchen’s anticipation gave Qi Chenglin joy as he thought that all the hard work was not all for nothing. The only thing left to worry at the current moment was her lack of appetite and the possibility of vomiting.
Qi Chenglin placed the lunchboxes in front of Ruan Danchen and opened them. All of them were Ruan Danchen’s current favorite—sweet and sour in flavor. Even though there were frequent episodes of emesis recently, she craved for sweet and sour food and had quite a good appetite for them.
Ruan Danchen tasted each and every food before smiling happily. They were not exquisitely delicious, but the taste was enough to give her thrills of joy. Ruan Danchen did not have high expectations of the current meal Qi Chenglin prepared when she recalled the food he cooked last time ended up being a paste. Surprisingly, this meal was an absolute success which was beyond her expectations.
“Delicious,” Ruan Danchen praised her man which sent him into high spirits.
Ruan Danchen’s lips were smeared with oil, but Qi Chenglin did not use a tissue paper to wipe them clean. Instead, he leaned forward and licked the oil off her lips before replying with a deep and husky voice accompanied with a smile, “My cooking skill isn’t so bad after all.”
“I didn’t see you cook before this, so since when did your cooking skills improve?” Ruan Danchen gulped down the food happily. To be honest, her main purpose was to express her gratitude and motivate him so that he would put in effort persistently.
Qi Chenglin’s ears were flushed pink. His gaze which was penetrating and imposing toward outsiders was now drifting without the usual temperament. Then, he answered after a few moments of hesitation, “I only know how to cook these at the moment.”
Ruan Danchen understood him immediately; Qi Chenglin basically mastered only a few dishes.
This meal ended with great satisfaction. Ruan Danchen wiped her mouth with a piece of tissue paper before planting a kiss on Qi Chenglin’s lips. “My dear husband, how sweet of you to cook these so well. When you want… to release your tension, I… I’ll help you.”
Qi Chenglin’s eyes lit up brightly after listening to Ruan Danchen. She figured it was unwise to promise him simply and added her terms and conditions quickly. “Only once per night. It’s unhealthy to release it multiple times a day.”
Ruan Danchen’s lips twitched as she squeezed her wrist in grievance. “My hand will be sore.”
Qi Chenglin’s heart melted immediately after seeing Ruan Danchen’s pitiful expression. He took her hand quickly and started massaging it gently and cautiously. “Still sore right now?”
“I feel better right now, but the sore was excruciating in the morning and I nearly dropped my chopsticks too.” Ruan Danchen had decided to use her left hand to help him released his sexual tension in the future during her breakfast just now.
Even so, Qi Chenglin massaged Ruan Danchen’s wrist seriously.
The massage continued until Ruan Danchen said, “Eat your lunch quickly. You were just staring at me without eating just now.”
Ruan Danchen tested the food to make sure they were still warm before letting Qi Chenglin take the lunchboxes and started eating.
Qi Chenglin gulped down all the leftovers in a blink of an eye until there was nothing left.
Qi Chenglin woke up very early in the morning just to prepare a meal for Ruan Danchen, and he only had leftovers as his lunch in the end. Ruan Danchen felt a stinging in her nose as this sad thought struck her, figuring that her man really lived a difficult life.
Ruan Danchen wiped the tears that threatened to come out from the corner of her eyes and planted a kiss again on Qi Chenglin’s stuffed cheek due to his full mouth.
After that, Qi Chenglin went to clean the lunchboxes. He instructed Ruan Danchen to take her nap in the office and return to the design department only after she had rested enough.
Initially, Qi Chenglin went through the whole morning leisurely, but work came rushing toward him all of a sudden in the evening. There was a lot on his plate which was a huge contrast with the idling in the morning.
When it was almost time to get off work, Ruan Danchen received a call from Qi Chenglin stating that the meeting was not over yet. It was obvious that Qi Chenglin excused himself after taking a peek at the time and came out to report the situation to Ruan Danchen while they were still in the middle of the meeting.
“I’ve no idea when the meeting will end so don’t wait for me. Don’t starve yourself, just go home and have dinner with Youxuan first,” Qi Chenglin said. Ruan Danchen could even hear the exhaustion in his voice through the phone.
The meeting had been going on for over two hours. There appeared to be some critical and emergency situations in Chang City which required both Qi Chenglin and Qi Chengzhi’s immediate attention, and they must come out with a conclusion after the discussion on the same day.
Ruan Danchen was aware that her presence would just make Qi Chenglin worried, so she agreed to his instruction.
…
…
Ruan Danchen returned home but did not consume much food during her dinner. She was not really hungry after eating a lot of food during lunch as an encouragement to Qi Chenglin.
Ruan Danchen was having doubt at the moment. Was her enlarging abdomen due to the growing fetus or merely having too much food?
Regardless, Ruan Danchen finished her dinner in a hurry and cleaned the food container before giving Jiang Yuan a phone call. Then, she was told that Qi Chenglin was still in the meeting.
“Did he have his dinner?” Ruan Danchen asked.
“Not yet. They thought everything would be settled quickly, but there was no conclusion yet even until this hour. I just asked the secretary to order food delivery right before you called me, but it was dinner rush hour right now. Every restaurant in B City, no matter the reputation, is having long queues at the moment and God knows when the food will be delivered to us,” Jiang Yuan explained.
“Alright, I’ll bring dinner to him personally,” Ruan Danchen figured that it would be faster for her to depart from Prestige Residences to Qilin than to wait for food delivery from the restaurants.
Qi Chenglin and Qi Chengzhi were picky eaters who definitely could not tolerate foods from those small restaurants, and Dynasty certainly could not save them from their urgent needs too. Moreover, the other colleagues who worked overtime in Qilin at the current moment would not order food delivery from Dynasty.
Ruan Danchen was fully aware of the nearby restaurants’ standards that prepared food of only decent taste. Restaurants with slightly better food qualities, on the other hand, would be too crowded without any hope for drastic food deliveries from them.
Thus, Ruan Danchen hung up the phone call and called Song Yu afterward to explain the situation and asked if she needed to bring two dinner sets—one for Qi Chengzhi as well.
Song Yu might deliver dinner to Qi Chengzhi too, which was exactly why Ruan Danchen wanted to ask in advance, or else there would be too much food if she delivered two dinner sets directly without prior questioning. Fortunately, Ruan Danchen inquired Song Yu beforehand, because Song Yu was about to leave the house to deliver food to Qi Chengzhi at the moment.
Thus, without further delay, Ruan Danchen filled the food container quickly. Then, she instructed the child to do his homework at home before leaving the house.
However, the kid chased after Ruan Danchen and held onto her shirt firmly. “Mom, I want to go too.”
Ruan Danchen lowered her gaze and asked, “Are you done with your homework?”
“There isn’t much homework today and I’ve completed them in school. I can bring my book for revision,” the kid answered, reluctant to stay at home alone.
Ruan Danchen gave this some thought before agreeing to his plea.
There was no one at the reception and only security guards were present at the main entrance when Ruan Danchen and the kid arrived at Qilin. This was because only a few related personnel were working overtime and most of them worked in the upper management; whereas the rest of the staff had left the company a long time ago.
Ruan Danchen was wearing a pair of flat shoes, and the kid walked silently like a ninja too. All of a sudden, they heard footsteps at their tails.
Then, someone called out to them from behind. “Danchen!”
Ruan Danchen relaxed immediately and turned around to see Song Yu walking toward them with a bag in her hand.
“Since Chengyue is in mid-pregnancy period, they didn’t ask Dongge to work overtime and let him accompany Chengyue at home instead,” said Song Yu as she walked toward them.
Qi Chengyue took maternity leave from this month onward to rest at home. Even though there were four months left until the expected date of delivery, the elders at home were taking extreme precautions to avoid any potential accidents to Qi Chengyue’s pregnancy. Qi Chengyue did not insist on working too and was enjoying her rest at home in peace at the moment.
Ruan Danchen and Song Yu went up and passed the dinner to Jiang Yuan without disturbing their husbands. It was obvious that Qi Chenglin and Qi Chengzhi planned to have their dinner while continuing the meeting.
Suddenly, the door to the meeting room opened just when they were about to leave. Then, Qi Chengzhi and Qi Chenglin walked out of the room together.
They were pleasantly surprised upon seeing Ruan Danchen and Song Yu.
“Why did you guys come?” Qi Chenglin walked over immediately and stroked Ruan Danchen’s already smooth and neat hair habitually with his long fingers.
Qi Chenglin complained despite his exhilaration. “I thought I asked you to rest at home?”
“I missed you and worried that you’ll have your dinner late. Are you done with your meeting?” Ruan Danchen squinted in satisfaction and comfort when Qi Chenglin massaged her scalp with his long fingers.
“Not yet, we’re just out to get some air. We figured dinner should be delivered soon so we’ll continue the meeting after our stomachs are full,” Qi Chenglin’s voice sounded soft but tiring.
The Qi brothers intended to continue the meeting while having their dinner but decided against it after noticing the exhaustion on everyone’s face.
“The meeting is ending soon. There’s still a little bit left to discuss, then everything will be settled.” Qi Chenglin took a glance at the time before taking Ruan Danchen and the kid back to his office. “We’re taking a forty-five minutes break.”
Qi Chengzhi brought Song Yu along to Qi Chenglin’s office for dinner since his office was nearer to the meeting room. That way, they could continue their discussion while having dinner together.
Even though the kid had taken his dinner which mainly comprised of greens, he still felt hungry due to lack of proteins and fats in his digestive system. Thus, he stared at the food both Qi Chenglin and Qi Chengzhi were munching on with saliva pooling in his mouth.
Ruan Danchen brought some pre-cut fruits for Qi Chenglin as desserts initially, but after noticing the gluttony in the kid’s expression, she took it out to satisfy the kid’s cravings.
Even though Qi Chenglin and Qi Chengzhi were having their business discussion, they wanted their wives to accompany them by their sides. Thus, the ladies sat beside them and chit-chatting softly without disturbing their husbands.
Qi Chenglin’s office had a pleasant and soothing ambiance initially, but all of it was destroyed when there was a sudden argument outside the office.
Qi Chengzhi frowned. “What’s going on?”
The kid’s big round eyes blinked in curiosity and without fear.
Song Yu gestured Ruan Danchen to sit while she went to take a look at the commotion. Then, the door opened to Wu Qiaoyin confronting Jiang Yuan outside the office. Jiang Yuan was blocking Wu Qiaoyin’s attempt to barge into the office while calling the security guards.
They could even hear Jiang Yuan’s particularly cold and annoyed tone when Song Yu opened the door. “Come up and show Miss Wu the way out. What’s wrong with you guys? The upper management is very busy working overtime for a meeting today, and yet you allowed outsiders to barge in and cause further trouble. If you can’t perform such a simple task, then you may as well quit this job.”
Wu Qiaoyin ignored the fact that Jiang Yuan was on a phone call and protested in grievance. “How can you say so? I’m not here to cause trouble! I know Big Brother Qi, you saw me when I came here with my mom last time, so how can you defame me? Let me in, how can you stop me?”
The impatient Jiang Yuan hung up the phone call. When he was about to shove Wu Qiaoyin to the ground floor, Song Yu opened the door.
Wu Qiaoyin’s eyes lit up immediately. “Big Sister Song, it’s me. I… I knew Big Brother Qi is working overtime tonight, so I brought dinner for him. I made them at home myself.”
Wu Qiaoyin lifted up the bag in her hand happily.
Song Yu could not help but rolled her eyes in front of Wu Qiaoyin.
Who did she refer to as Big Sister Song, their relationship was not that close!
Wu Qiaoyin was not even coveting Song Yu’s husband, and yet Song Yu felt disgusted when Wu Qiaoyin referred to her as Big Sister Song. How disgusted would Ruan Danchen feel when Wu Qiaoyin referred to her as Big Sister Ruan?
“Sorry, who are you? I don’t recognize you, so there’s no need to greet me with such affection,” Song Yu replied harshly.
Jiang Yuan spoke to Song Yu immediately, “I’ll take her down now.”
Song Yu nodded and attempted to close the door without any intention in inviting Wu Qiaoyin into the office.
A light bulb went on in Wu Qiaoyin’s head as she bypassed Jiang Yuan in a flash and slammed her hand onto the door frame with great force until blood drained from the tips of her fingers.
Qi Chenglin nearly choked after listening to Wu Qiaoyin just now.
Ruan Danchen gazed scornfully at Qi Chenglin. “Looks like someone will get the benefit if I didn’t deliver dinner tonight.”
“No such thing! I won’t even let her pass through the door. If it wasn’t for the fact that I don’t want to get near her, I’ll take her dinner and throw it into the rubbish bin in front of her.”
Qi Chenglin’s harsh statement broke Wu Qiaoyin’s heart. She wept and said, “Big Brother Qi, I’m merely delivering dinner to you, I didn’t mean anything else. How can you…are you really that disgusted when I’m just delivering food to you? I’m just trying to be kind since you must be exhausted after working overtime, plus the restaurants around here aren’t hygienic too…”
The kid took a glance at Wu Qiaoyin before feeding a strawberry to Ruan Danchen. “Mom, I love you!”
Ruan Danchen felt like she had just consumed a mouthful of love when she ate the strawberry in the kid’s hand with a smile.
Ruan Danchen and the kid’s actions induced discomfort in Qi Chenglin, so he stood up and walked toward the door personally.
Wu Qiaoyin forgot to react completely and instead, she fixed her gaze on Qi Chenglin’s handsome face.
Qi Chenglin had been working for a whole day and involved himself in a meeting for a long period of time. As a result, exhaustion was written all over his face but it brought a different sense of charm with his maturity, which made Wu Qiaoyin drunk in love.
