Wen Lan immediately lowered her head and discreetly checked their clothes.
Although they were somewhat rumpled, both of them were still fully dressed.
She could feel Lu Zhixing’s arm wrapped around her waist, his warm breath brushing directly against her neck. Half asleep, he instinctively burrowed deeper into her embrace, letting out a few soft, indistinct murmurs. His messy black hair tickled her neck, making it itch unbearably.
Only after the person in her arms settled back into slow, even breathing did Wen Lan finally let out the breath she had been holding.
This is way too intimate.
She had lived this long without ever being so close to another person.
Looking down at his soft black hair, she quietly lifted her hand from his abdomen. Then she pulled the quilt over him, carefully raised his head just enough to slide her arm free, and gently tucked the blanket back into his hands.
Seeing him sleeping peacefully on his side somehow made her face grow warm again.
After getting out of bed, her gaze landed on the carefully wrapped bouquet sitting on the table, causing her to pause once more.
She clearly remembered buying flowers yesterday afternoon.
Could it be… I gave them to him after getting drunk?
The once vibrant mist roses had wilted slightly after sitting overnight. The edges of their petals had even begun to yellow.
After studying them for a while, Wen Lan picked up the bouquet, placed it in the nearby vase, and set it on the small bedside cabinet.
Lu Zhixing had been sleeping soundly in her bed, clutching the edge of the quilt tightly. His cheeks still held a faint blush, making the bright red mark near his ear stand out even more.
Wen Lan leaned in for a closer look.
She had originally assumed it was merely a birthmark, but now that she was examining it up close, it did not seem to be one. The surface was slightly raised, more like the scar left behind by a cut.
She pondered it silently for a moment before burying her doubts.
The room was completely quiet.
Moving as lightly as possible, Wen Lan walked to the wardrobe, took out a fresh set of pajamas, and entered the bathroom.
After placing the clothes into the laundry basket and washing up, she stared thoughtfully at her reflection in the mirror.
She had been here for quite some time now.
Without realizing it, she had already grown accustomed to this face, one that differed somewhat from the one she used to have.
When Wen Lan finished her shower and stepped back into the bedroom, the man who had been lying on the bed was nowhere to be seen.
She glanced at the bedside vase.
The mist roses were gone.
The bed had also been neatly made, leaving only a faint lingering floral fragrance in the air.
Did my lawful husband run away out of embarrassment?
Wen Lan had been wondering how she would face Lu Zhixing after waking up. Now she found the situation both amusing and oddly relieving.
Just as she was about to change clothes and head downstairs, someone knocked on the door.
At the same time, a sweet, childish voice called from outside.
“Mama.”
It was the little dumpling.
Wen Lan immediately strode to the door, opened it, and bent down to scoop the little girl into her arms.
The tiny child frowned deeply, her chubby little face filled with unhappiness.
She lowered her head without saying a word, yet her small arms clung tightly around Wen Lan’s neck.
The mixture of sulking and affection left Wen Lan somewhat bewildered.
After observing her carefully, Wen Lan became completely certain.
The little one was upset today.
“What’s wrong?”
After a moment’s thought, Wen Lan gently stroked the child’s hair with her free hand, her gesture full of comfort and reassurance.
Wen Wu clenched her tiny fists.
Hearing Wen Lan’s concern, the little grievance she had been holding onto instantly grew much bigger.
She raised her head and complained in her soft, childish voice,
“Mama, you and Daddy went out to play all day. You definitely forgot about me!”
Wen Lan immediately shook her head.
“How could we? Zhixing and I both missed you very much.”
Hearing that, the little girl instantly brightened.
Covering her mouth shyly with both hands, she mumbled in her adorable baby voice,
“But… you didn’t bring me a present.”
Wen Lan froze.
Looking into those bright, innocent eyes, she found herself completely speechless.
She really had forgotten to buy the little one a gift yesterday.
She cleared her throat.
“Then next time Mama goes out, I’ll bring you two presents instead. How does that sound?”
After thinking it over, she decided to make it up to her.
The little girl blinked.
Immediately, her face lit up with a radiant smile. She was incredibly easy to appease.
Nodding vigorously, she lifted her little face and planted an affectionate kiss on Wen Lan.
“Thank you, Mama~”
Wen Lan smiled softly.
Ruffling the little girl’s hair, she set off to find Lu Zhixing.
Halfway there, however, she suddenly stopped.
She frowned thoughtfully.
Wait… where exactly is my lawful husband’s room?
“Wife-Lord?”
A familiar voice suddenly came from behind her.
Wen Lan stiffened.
Turning around, she saw Lu Zhixing leaning casually against a doorway, looking at her.
He appeared to have just finished bathing as well, his hair still slightly damp.
Wen Lan glanced at the room behind him and realized it was directly opposite hers and the little girl’s room. The three rooms formed a loose triangle.
“Good morning, Zhixing.”
Keeping her composure, Wen Lan greeted Lu Zhixing as though nothing had happened. The little dumpling in her arms immediately wriggled to get down, so Wen Lan set Wen Wu on the floor and watched as the little girl dashed toward Lu Zhixing like a tiny cannonball.
“Good morning, Daddy!”
The little girl’s voice was full of energy and cheer.
Lu Zhixing bent down and kissed her lightly, his voice as gentle as ever.
“Good morning, Dudu.”
Standing a short distance away, Wen Lan watched the two members of her family with a smile.
“Madam, Zhixing, Young Miss, breakfast is ready. Please come downstairs.”
Just then, Uncle Xiao called up from downstairs.
Holding the little girl’s hand, Lu Zhixing glanced at Wen Lan. Before he could say anything, Wen Lan reached over and took his other hand.
“Let’s go.”
Wen Lan kept her gaze forward. As they walked downstairs, her height advantage still allowed her to catch sight of the man’s bright red ears.
“Come, come. The porridge is just right this morning.”
Uncle Xiao beamed as he looked at the family coming downstairs together.
Wen Lan lifted the little dumpling onto her chair before taking her own seat. Looking at the bowl in front of her, she saw that the porridge was thick, snowy white, and wonderfully fragrant.
“Thank you, Uncle Xiao.”
“You’re too polite, Madam. Hurry and eat. Zhixing, you should eat more too. It’s good for your stomach.”
Lu Zhixing nodded.
“Uncle Xiao, you should eat too.”
“I’ve already eaten. You all go ahead.”
Uncle Xiao waved his hand with a smile.
Sitting in her little chair, Wen Wu blinked curiously.
“Is Aunt Leng Feng not here today?”
Normally, Uncle Xiao and Aunt Leng Feng always appeared together.
As Uncle Xiao handed the little girl her glass of milk, he smiled and replied,
“Aunt Leng Feng took the day off today. I heard her younger brother, Su Qing, is sick.”
“Brother Su Qing is sick?”
Wen Wu frowned as she sipped her milk.
After thinking for a moment, Wen Lan also remembered him. Her impression of Su Qing was simply that he was a very frail-looking man.
“Our Young Miss is such a kind-hearted child. Don’t worry, Leng Feng is taking care of him.”
After chatting for a few more moments, Uncle Xiao left. He still had plenty to do. Earlier that morning, he had noticed that the mist rose garden was a little messy. Later, he planned to ask the gardener, Xiao Wang, to tidy it up.
Lu Zhixing lowered his head and gently wiped the milk from the corner of Wen Wu’s mouth before lightly pinching her soft little cheek.
“No talking while eating.”
Covering her mouth with both hands, Wen Wu nodded solemnly, her chubby little face unusually serious.
Wen Lan said nothing, but her eyes were filled with amusement.
Overall, breakfast passed in a warm and cheerful atmosphere.
After they finished eating, Wen Lan planned to drive Lu Zhixing to work.
However, the little dumpling kept trailing after her with longing eyes.
She did not say a word. She simply looked up at Wen Lan with a face that resembled hers by seventy or eighty percent, her bright, clear eyes filled with hope.
Wen Lan simply could not bring herself to leave.
The child looked far too much like her. Looking at her inevitably reminded Wen Lan of how much her own parents had doted on her when she was little.
“…Forget it.”
Bending down, Wen Lan picked up the little girl.
Originally, she had planned to meet Yi Luo after dropping Lu Zhixing off at work to discuss the next stage of their collaboration.
Now, she would have to postpone it by a day.
Wen Wu’s eyes curved into happy crescents as she hugged Wen Lan’s shoulder and cooed sweetly,
“Thank you, Mama~”
Standing beside them, Lu Zhixing watched the little girl with mild helplessness.
She had actually learned how to recruit reinforcements.
“Let’s go, Zhixing.”
“Mm.”
…
Fortunately, the little dumpling behaved herself the entire way.
As Wen Lan looked at the company entrance ahead and then glanced at Lu Zhixing beside her, she had not even opened her mouth before he spoke first.
With complete seriousness, he said,
“Five o’clock. See you then.”
His deep amber eyes sparkled brightly.
Suppressing a laugh, Wen Lan nodded.
“All right. See you then.”
Only after watching Lu Zhixing enter the building did she start the car and drive away.
As they passed through the busy commercial district, she clearly heard faint rustling noises from the back seat.
“Mama, are you hot?”
Keeping her eyes on the road, Wen Lan shook her head.
“No.”
“…Mama, do you want some sweet ice cream?”
Wen Lan pulled the car over and looked at the little dumpling leaning over the driver’s seat.
Against her true feelings, she nodded.
“I do.”
The little girl’s eyes widened into perfect circles in disbelief.
Then, once she recovered, she suddenly leaned over and gave Wen Lan a big kiss.
“Thank you, Mama!”
“I want two strawberry ice creams.”
Wen Lan tapped the little girl’s forehead gently.
“You can’t eat too much.”
Wen Wu obediently waved her little hand.
“I won’t.”
“I want two. One is for Mama.”
Wen Lan froze.
Looking down at the little girl, her heart softened at those words.
“All right.”
After they left the dessert shop, Wen Lan looked at the little one, who was still reluctant to leave, and ended up buying her one extra ice cream after all.
Wen Wu was simply too adorable not to indulge.
She ate her ice cream very carefully, making sure not to drip any on herself. Every so often, she would even feed a few bites to Wen Lan.
Wen Lan had never taken care of a child before.
After watching the little girl finish two whole ice creams, she began worrying that she might catch a chill. She remembered that children’s stomachs were usually quite delicate.
She secretly observed Wen Wu for quite some time before finally relaxing in relief.
Fortunately, nothing happened.
After returning home, they had lunch as usual.
Once Wen Lan had coaxed the little dumpling into taking her afternoon nap, she checked the time.
It was exactly three-thirty.
She took a sip of warm tea and planned to relax for another half hour before heading out to pick up Lu Zhixing.
Time ticked steadily by.
Half reclining on the sofa with her eyes closed, Wen Lan was resting when her phone suddenly rang.
Picking it up, she discovered that the messages were from Zhou Nian.
Zhou Nian: I’m back! Senaadir overseas was so boring. @Wen Lan By the way, I brought you a present. I’ll give it to you tonight. 【Smile (^ω^)】
Zhou Nian: I got one for Brother Xing too. 【Smile (^ω^)】
Zhou Nian: The last time I left, you two didn’t argue, did you? 【Pulling Hair】【Chaotic】
Zhou Nian: …Are you there? (⊙o⊙)! Lanlan, why aren’t you saying anything?
Wen Lan looked at the string of messages. After thinking for a moment, she replied to Zhou Nian in the briefest, most concise way possible. Unexpectedly…
Zhou Nian: That’s great! Brother Xing isn’t angry! Lanlan, you’re amazing!
Wen Lan stared at Zhou Nian’s reply in puzzlement. She had just made so many important points, yet Zhou Nian had only noticed the very first sentence? She truly could not imagine Lu Zhixing getting angry. The man was always gentle and refined, and she had never once seen him raise his voice at anyone. She could not help wondering if Zhou Nian had some kind of misunderstanding about Lu Zhixing.
She typed a message on her phone, preparing to send it.
“Zhixing has a very good temper. He wouldn’t get angry over something so trivial. ^-^”
Looking at the plain smiley, Wen Lan decided to add the accompanying emoticon (^ω^) before sending it to Zhou Nian.
After waiting for quite a while without receiving a reply, Wen Lan checked the time, grabbed her coat, and headed out.
It was time to pick Lu Zhixing up from work.
Traffic in Shangcheng was especially congested in the evening. Wen Lan had no choice but to park in a nearby parking lot instead of in front of the company and walk the rest of the way.
She glanced at her watch. It was already 4:48 PM. As she drew closer, she saw a tall, slender figure standing beside a towering banana tree in the distance. She hesitated and stopped in her tracks.
Was that Lu Zhixing?
She recognized her husband after only a few seconds. Because of the angle, he had his back to her. His posture was perfectly straight, his frame tall and lean. Although the lingering heat of the evening had yet to fade, he was still dressed in a formal suit. Even his wrists were buttoned beneath dark cuffs, unwilling to reveal even a sliver of skin. He looked restrained, disciplined, and almost ascetic.
Wen Lan lowered her eyes to her watch.
Exactly 4:50 PM.
There were still ten minutes before the time they had agreed on.
That silly man had no idea how long he had been standing there by the roadside. Quietly watching the endless stream of pedestrians and cars across the street, he waited with eager anticipation for his appointment with his wife.
Wen Lan gazed at his back for a moment.
Then she turned and left.
…
Lu Zhixing checked his watch again.
It was already 4:55 PM.
He lightly tugged at his collar and took a step back.
His heart was pounding with nervous anticipation.
For some inexplicable reason, anything related to Wen Lan always made him nervous. Especially something as sweet as a promise to meet after work. After missing their previous appointment, he was absolutely determined not to let anything go wrong this time.
Just as he silently counted down the passing seconds, a Lovely Cone ice cream suddenly appeared before his eyes.
A pink strawberry flavor.
Lu Zhixing froze for a moment before quickly turning around.
“Wife?”
Wen Lan gently waved the cone in her hand and smiled as she nodded.
“The traffic was bad. I got here a little late.”
Lu Zhixing accepted the ice cream. The cool temperature instantly chilled his palm. His eyes curved into a smile, and his voice became even gentler.
“Not at all. I only just arrived myself.”
“Go ahead and eat. It’ll melt in this heat.”
Wen Lan glanced at the man whose brows had relaxed into a bright smile, but she chose not to expose his lie.
She took his hand and led him into the shade. Only after the flush on Lu Zhixing’s face, brought on by the lingering heat, had faded did they return to the parking lot.
Seated neatly in the passenger seat, Lu Zhixing maintained his usual proper posture.
Wen Lan found herself unable to look away.
Lu Zhixing looked at her in confusion, a little uneasy.
“What is it, Wife?”
Wen Lan reached out and lightly tapped the corner of his lips.
The meaning was obvious.
Lu Zhixing understood immediately. His fair face flushed scarlet, and rare embarrassment crossed his features.
“Did some ice cream get on me?”
He was just about to reach for a wet wipe when the person beside him suddenly lifted his chin.
A soft, gentle kiss landed near the corner of his lips.
“There. It’s gone now.”
Wen Lan sat back in her seat.
She had told a small lie as well.
There hadn’t been any ice cream on the corner of his lips.
Yet, looking at Lu Zhixing, whose blush had spread all the way to his neck, she somehow felt that she had tasted something sweet too.