Song Jinchuan fell silent for a moment, then turned around carrying a large pile of bedding.
The door behind him slammed shut, followed by two clicks of the lock turning.
Song Jinchuan: “…”
Was Liang Muxi guarding against him?
Realizing this, Song Jinchuan felt thoroughly unsettled.
A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth.
How utterly ridiculous—someone was actually guarding against him!
Did he look like he would ever develop an interest in Liang Muxi? Absurd!
Song Jinchuan returned to the secondary bedroom and laid out the bedding.
Though he had grown up in an affluent family, his household had cultivated his self-sufficiency skills from a young age. These basic life skills, he knew well.
Once the bed was made, he could finally lie down, but he kept catching a faint, elusive fragrance.
It resembled jasmine, but not quite—there was something… sweet about it.
After searching for a while, he finally located the source of the scent.
It was the pillow.
Being so close, the smell was unmistakable.
Realizing this pillow had been used by Liang Muxi, he furrowed his brow, picked it up, and tossed it aside.
He slept for a while, but it was genuinely uncomfortable, so he retrieved the pillow and placed it back under his head.
Pushing aside that strange feeling, he closed his eyes.
The next morning, Liang Muxi got up and opened her door. Seeing the secondary bedroom door ajar, she walked over—the bed inside was neatly made, with no sign of Song Jinchuan.
She went to the entrance and checked the shoe cabinet.
Only after confirming his leather shoes were gone did she feel certain he had left.
Her shoulders relaxed, and for a moment, she felt considerably lighter.
Having a man suddenly in the house was rather awkward.
After washing up, she made a simple breakfast, ate, changed clothes, applied makeup, and headed downstairs carrying a trash bag.
As she tossed the bag into the dumpster, her phone rang.
Seeing it was Grandma, she turned and walked toward the community gate while answering: “Grandma.”
Old Mrs. Song asked with a smile: “Did you sleep well last night?”
Liang Muxi replied: “Yes, very well.”
Actually, not really—she hadn’t drifted off until around two in the morning.
Old Mrs. Song’s smile grew even wider.
“You two young lovebirds finally slept together. Earlier, I told Jinchuan to bring you to Jiangcheng, but he refused, saying work was too busy and he couldn’t look after you properly.”
“Muxi, don’t blame him. It’s good for a man to have ambition.”
Liang Muxi: “…”
Only then did she realize Grandma had misunderstood.
She and Song Jinchuan hadn’t slept together at all last night, okay?
But the agreement stipulated that she couldn’t reveal their true living arrangements to Grandma, and when necessary, she had to put on a performance for the old lady.
Liang Muxi coughed lightly, forcing a coy little laugh.
“Grandma, I don’t blame… Jinchuan. Don’t worry, I fully support his work.”
“You’re such a sensible child! But don’t be too sensible either. If he makes you angry, hit him, scold him—don’t be afraid. Grandma will back you up.”
Liang Muxi thought to herself: Song Jinchuan was her sugar daddy. Before the divorce, she had to keep him happy. How could she dare scold or hit him? What a joke.
Liang Muxi laughed and brushed it off with a few vague words.
Old Mrs. Song continued: “Now that you and Jinchuan are living together, you’ll need someone to take care of you both—cleaning, cooking, and such. I’ll send someone over from the old residence.”
“No need, Grandma. I can manage on my own. I’ll handle it myself.” She declined hastily.
If someone came from the old residence, her relationship with Song Jinchuan would be exposed.
Before, when they didn’t live together, she could brush things off with a few casual words.
But now that they were under the same roof, if they slept in separate rooms, the old lady would find out immediately.
Old Mrs. Song had actually proposed finding a maid for Liang Muxi multiple times before. Liang Muxi had refused, saying she didn’t like being disturbed, so she had no choice but to agree.
She knew the girl had to work and still clean such a large house—it was exhausting.
This time, she wanted to take the opportunity to send someone to take care of her and make things easier. Of course, her real goal was to plant an informant by their side who could report on the young couple’s situation at any time.
She persisted: “Muxi, you’re so busy with work—where would you find the time? And Jinchuan doesn’t know how to do much either. Even if he did, he wouldn’t have the time. Let me send someone to look after you both.”
Liang Muxi: “Grandma, really, there’s no need. I can manage. We don’t eat at home much anyway, and I can clean on the weekends.”
Old Mrs. Song tried to say more, but Liang Muxi cut in: “Grandma, I want to… enjoy some alone time with Jinchuan. I don’t want to be disturbed. Think about it—cooking together, doing chores together, it’s a way to strengthen our bond.”
Hearing this, Old Mrs. Song felt she had a point.
“Alright then. You two focus on building your relationship. If it ever gets too much, just tell me.”
“Mhm, mhm, mhm.”
After hanging up, Liang Muxi let out a breath.
Finally managed to smooth that over.
She glanced at the time—she was going to be late for work. She tossed her phone into her bag and started running.
Just as she arrived at the company building, she ran into Yang Zhenzhen. The two of them clocked in just in time.
No sooner had she set down her bag than the department manager announced a meeting.
Liang Muxi grabbed a pen and notebook, followed the others into the conference room, and chose a seat in the corner.
Yang Zhenzhen squeezed in beside her and whispered: “Wonder what this is about—a meeting first thing in the morning.”
Liang Muxi: “We’ll find out in a moment.”
Before long, department manager Qin Juan walked in on high heels, dressed in a black-and-white professional suit with her hair styled immaculately.
She clapped twice to signal everyone to quiet down.
Then she said, “As you all know, representatives from Chengxi Group are coming to our company for an inspection. This is a connection the boss worked hard to secure, so we must be fully prepared.”
“Chengxi Group has over a dozen advertising projects coming up. We don’t have much of a chance with the big ones, but we can sink our teeth into the smaller ones.”
“The boss has circled two projects and demands that we secure them. One is Yufu Hotel, the light-luxury hotel under Chengxi Group. The other is a Chengxi Group brand—Fige Custom Smart Home Systems.”
“I’ve called you here to select two teams from among you to conduct research reports.”
Qin Juan was brisk and decisive. Her gaze swept across the room before landing on the left corner.
“Liang Muxi, Yang Zhenzhen—you two take Yufu Hotel. Zheng Feng and Wan Lin take Fige.”
Yang Zhenzhen was delighted. “We can take the chance to go out and have some fun.”
Liang Muxi said, “We can’t let our guard down either. If Manager Qin isn’t satisfied with the reports we bring back, you and I will both be in trouble.”
Yang Zhenzhen didn’t seem concerned.
The meeting ended, and the two teams were promptly sent out.
Liang Muxi and Yang Zhenzhen transferred through two subway lines before arriving at the nearest Yufu Hotel to their company.
Sitting in the hotel lobby, Yang Zhenzhen took out a small compact mirror she carried with her and touched up her makeup.
In this scorching heat, the moment you stepped outside you were drenched in sweat, and her makeup had run.
Liang Muxi sat on another sofa, flipping through a Yufu Hotel brochure.
Yufu Hotel was a brand Chengxi Group had developed in recent years, with eight locations in the capital and expansion underway in other first- and second-tier cities.
As she was reading, the revolving glass door not far away began to move.
A group of people filed in, all dressed in suits.
Liang Muxi looked up and immediately spotted the man leading the group—imposing, with a steady, measured stride.
Song Jinchuan?