As agreed, there was no rush—yet on the afternoon of the next day, Cen Xi received a call from Grandpa Shang.
“Xi-Xi, Grandfather wants to come to Jingtang Garden tonight to have dinner with you two. Is that okay?”
The old man’s voice on the other end sounded somewhat pitiful, as if he were afraid she would refuse.
Cen Xi had just finished a surgery when she heard this. Her heart gave a sudden, heavy jolt.
Jingtang Garden… her and Shang Hanzhou’s marital home.
If the old man went there tonight, he would immediately discover that she and Shang Hanzhou were not living together at all.
She did not respond immediately.
On the other end, Grandpa Shang sounded even more aggrieved.
“Grandfather is all alone at the old residence. No one keeps me company for meals. Now that Hanzhou is finally back, I just want you two to spend more time eating with me…”
Cen Xi was the type who responded more to softness than pressure. Moreover, Grandpa Shang had always treated her well. Having a meal with him was not an unreasonable request.
“Grandfather, can we go out to eat instead?” she asked tentatively.
That way, he would not find out she was not living with Shang Hanzhou.
Grandpa Shang sighed.
“Food cooked at home tastes better.”
Cen Xi fell silent.
Then Grandpa Shang added, “I already called Hanzhou. He said he’ll follow your decision.”
He already knew?
Now that it had been said this far, Cen Xi could only agree.
“Alright. Then I’ll come after I finish work.”
“No rush, take your time with Hanzhou.”
The moment she agreed, the old man’s tone immediately brightened.
At that moment, inside the old residence—
Grandpa Shang happily placed his final chess piece.
“Checkmate! Old Zhou, you’ve lost again.”
Head Butler wiped his forehead and smiled helplessly.
“Your chess skills are still the best. Only President Shang can really compete with you.”
Thinking of how Shang Hanzhou had returned a few days ago and beaten him three games in a row, Grandpa Shang huffed in dissatisfaction.
But after glancing at the phone call that had just ended, he still smiled broadly.
“I may not beat him at chess—but in this matter, he can’t beat me!”
……
After the call ended, Cen Xi felt a faint headache.
After changing out of her surgical gown, she sat down and opened WeChat, tapping on the rarely used chat.
The conversation was still stuck at last night’s voice call.
Her pale fingers hovered over the screen for a long time. In the end, she opened the keyboard and typed a message, then, without overthinking, hit send.
At that exact moment, her phone vibrated.
In the empty chat box, Shang Hanzhou had also sent a message at the same time.
Shang: 【Grandfather is coming to Jingtang Garden】
Cen Xi: 【Grandfather is coming to Jingtang Garden】
She stared blankly at the screen.
Their messages were identical word for word.
Before she could think further, another message came in from him.
【Should I have my assistant pick you up?】
The question mark showed it was a polite inquiry. If she did not want that, it would also be possible to simply explain to Grandpa Shang that they were not yet living together.
Cen Xi bit her lip and took a deep breath.
They would eventually have to live under the same roof anyway.
She replied: 【Okay】
After she sent it, there was no further reply from him. The conversation fell back into silence again.
Not long after, a red notification appeared in her friend requests:
【Madam, hello. I’m Fang Nian～】
Cen Xi only glanced at it before accepting.
This should have been arranged by Shang Hanzhou.
Fang Nian: 【Madam, this is my phone number 189XX. If you need anything, you can call me anytime (smiley face)】
Cen Xi: 【Alright, thank you for your trouble】
Fang Nian: 【You’re welcome, Madam (peace sign)】
Compared to Shang Hanzhou, Fang Nian felt less robotic. At least he always added emojis.
For some reason, Cen Xi opened her chat with Shang Hanzhou again.
There were only a few messages, but she still read through them once more.
Yes. Confirmed again—they both felt like robots.
Fortunately, after work today, there were no emergency surgeries. Cen Xi returned smoothly to the apartment she shared with Lin Xingyou.
She had lived there for two years. Now that she was about to move out without preparation, she actually felt a bit reluctant.
Lin Xingyou, who occasionally drew not-so-appropriate comics as a side job, had just woken up and was about to eat when she saw Cen Xi rush back.
“Wow, Xi Baby, you got off work early today?”
Cen Xi changed her shoes while replying and quickly walked toward her bedroom.
“Youzi, I’m moving out.”
“What?!”
The woman, who had been lazily lying on the sofa playing with her tablet, immediately sat up.
“Damn! That’s way too fast! I just asked you about this yesterday, and today you’re already moving?”
She threw her tablet aside and, without even putting on shoes, drifted like a ghost into Cen Xi’s room.
Cen Xi pulled out her suitcase.
It had not been used for too long. A thin layer of dust covered the pink surface.
She opened it and laid it flat on the floor, then looked up and sighed.
“I didn’t expect it to happen this fast either.”
Lin Xingyou squatted beside her and hugged her shoulder, rubbing her face against her.
“I can’t bear to part with you, my darling… sob sob… From now on I won’t be able to show you my little adult comics first anymore…”
Cen Xi almost choked.
“You can send them to me on WeChat.”
“Of course!”
Hearing that, Lin Xingyou immediately perked up again.
Regarding Cen Xi’s move, she had already mentally prepared herself after learning that Shang Hanzhou had returned.
They would not be living together anymore, but there would still be plenty of time to hang out.
Lin Xingyou took it very lightly and even started helping her pack.
“Xi Baby, just go live in your mansion without worries. The most important thing is—”
She emphasized,
“Go to bed early with President Shang!”
Cough, cough…
Cen Xi nearly choked on her saliva.
Her fair face turned slightly red.
“I’m not thinking that far ahead yet…”
Should Shang Hanzhou be the same?
“Based on my experience drawing so many comics, your husband definitely has an amazing body! Eight-pack abs for sure!”
Her eyes were practically X-rays.
Although she had only seen him briefly last night in a black shirt, under the dim streetlight she had still vaguely noticed the strong contours beneath the fabric—broad shoulders, narrow waist. He definitely worked out.
“As for the rest…”
Lin Xingyou propped her chin and smiled, letting her gaze drift over Cen Xi.
“Xi Baby, your future happiness is about to begin.”
“……”
Cen Xi felt her face heat up uncontrollably and didn’t know how to respond.
Shang Hanzhou’s… size?
That was probably exaggerated.
She quickly regained her composure.
“Youzi, I’ve seen human anatomy many times. Even if it’s Shang Hanzhou’s, it won’t be anything special.”
Lin Xingyou chuckled.
“You’d better still be this calm when you see it for yourself.”
Cen Xi nodded firmly.
“Mm. I’ll be very calm.”
Absolutely. She would not be startled by him.