He: Impressive!
Xu Zhiyuan sent a happy emoji over.
Looking at the emoji, He Jiayu could almost see Xu Zhiyuan’s expression through it—she was probably beaming with pride and a hint of smugness right now.
Xu Zhiyuan: Actually, it was just good luck.
He Jiayu chuckled softly. This modesty of hers carried a touch of pride.
He: It’s because of your talent.
Xu Zhiyuan hugged her phone and couldn’t help but laugh. She tried to hold it back, but she just couldn’t control her expression. If He Jiayu were here right now, he’d see how silly and gleeful her smile was.
He: I’ll ask Nanny Zhang to prepare something special for dinner tonight. How about we celebrate?
Xu Zhiyuan: Sounds great! I’ll go tell Nanny Zhang.
As soon as she said it, Xu Zhiyuan got up to find Nanny Zhang.
Although she hadn’t interacted with Nanny Zhang much yet, she was now able to talk to her with a normal mindset.
After conveying her request to Nanny Zhang and asking her to prepare a couple extra dishes for dinner, Xu Zhiyuan returned to the media room.
Nanny Zhang watched her retreating figure and couldn’t help but smile.
She had noticed the changes in Xu Zhiyuan. The current Xu Zhiyuan was much better—no longer as gloomy as before, when she often kept her head down, remained silent, and seemed lacking in confidence. Now, although she still didn’t talk much, she smiled often, her personality had brightened, and she carried herself with more confidence.
Nanny Zhang had initially worried that He Jiayu and Xu Zhiyuan might not get along, but now she had no such concerns at all.
These past few days, she had observed their interactions quite clearly.
In the evening, He Jiayu returned home early. Not seeing Xu Zhiyuan in the living room, he guessed she was still in the media room and went to find her.
“You’re back,” Xu Zhiyuan looked up at him, a bright smile on her face. It seemed her good mood had lasted the entire day. “Come over here, my new song is almost ready.”
He Jiayu chuckled softly and walked over, stopping beside her. He leaned down, one hand resting on the back of her chair and the other on the table, almost as if he were encircling Xu Zhiyuan in his arms.
At first, Xu Zhiyuan didn’t realize how intimate their current posture was. She clicked open the saved file and only when she looked up at He Jiayu did she notice how close he was. His face was right beside her cheek, so near that she could see his eyelashes clearly.
Her heart skipped a beat. Suddenly, Xu Zhiyuan felt a little warm—whether it was because of the person beside her or because the air conditioning wasn’t set low enough, she wasn’t sure.
Feeling the warm breath against her face, He Jiayu also turned his head slightly. Seeing her already flushed cheeks, the smile on his face deepened. “What’s wrong? Is there something on my face?”
“N-no, nothing,” Xu Zhiyuan shook her head. “Let’s listen to the song.”
“Alright.”
He Jiayu turned his attention back to the computer in front of him.
He noticed there were already several files on the computer. Among them, five appeared to be audio files, while the other two had filenames starting with “Script.”
His wife not only wrote songs but also scripts.
At that moment, He Jiayu thought to himself that perhaps he should consider incorporating the cultural and entertainment industry into his plans for the second half of the year.
Guangsheng Entertainment wasn’t considered top-tier in the industry, but it did have award-winning actors and actresses on its roster. However, the works it produced received lukewarm responses and lacked truly breakout hits. To be honest, it couldn’t really compare with those leading entertainment companies.
If they could produce high-quality works and capture the market, it would drive the development of Guangsheng Entertainment, enhancing its reputation and standing.
While lost in thought, Xu Zhiyuan had already opened the file.
The first thing she heard was a melodious piano solo.
As a wealthy second-generation heir, He Jiayu couldn’t be called all-around talented, but he had learned many skills growing up, and piano was one of them. So he had some understanding of piano. The playing wasn’t particularly skilled, but the melody truly amazed him.
“Did you play the piano?”
“Yes, how is it? Not very good, right?” Xu Zhiyuan said somewhat sheepishly. “I only learned the basics. This is the best I could manage.” As she spoke, she turned to look at him, her eyes sparkling. “You can play the piano, right? Actually, I was hoping you could help me record the piano part. What do you think? Interested?”
Looking into her expectant eyes, He Jiayu felt his heart soften completely at that moment.
“Of course,” He Jiayu said. “Can we specify separately that the piano performer is me? I’d also like to experience what it feels like to be famous.”
“Aren’t you already famous? You’re He Jiayu, after all,” Xu Zhiyuan said. “Who in the capital doesn’t know you? Adding your name might even bring more attention to this song.”
“It’s different. I’m famous because I’m the eldest son of the He family, and the He family’s status today is built on the accumulation of generations,” He Jiayu explained. “The circles are different too.”
“No problem, I’ll make a separate note then,” Xu Zhiyuan thought He Jiayu was truly an interesting person. “Let’s go eat first. We’ll record after dinner.”
“Okay.”
He Jiayu straightened up and naturally took Xu Zhiyuan’s hand, pulling her to her feet. Before Xu Zhiyuan could feel embarrassed, he had already let go.
Feeling the lingering warmth, Xu Zhiyuan’s ears slowly turned red again. She stole a glance at He Jiayu and found him acting completely normal, as if he had just done something very ordinary. She quickly calmed down again.
Maybe He Jiayu was just casually helping her up. Why was she overthinking it?
Besides, they were husband and wife. Intimate gestures between spouses were normal.
Yes, that’s all it was.
Xu Zhiyuan calmed down, and her ears returned to their normal color.
In the dining room, the meal was already laid out. The lighting had been adjusted to a warm yellow hue, and candles were placed on the table.
At a glance, Xu Zhiyuan thought of so-called candlelit dinners. Her eyes involuntarily drifted toward He Jiayu. Did he arrange this? It didn’t seem like it.
He Jiayu appeared very composed, though inwardly he felt somewhat helpless. Was Nanny Zhang perhaps overthinking things?
Seeing his nonchalant demeanor, Xu Zhiyuan stopped overanalyzing. She walked over and sat down, noticing that Nanny Zhang had prepared five dishes and even set out red wine.
“Isn’t this too many dishes?”
“Not at all,” He Jiayu raised his glass. “Congratulations to Miss Xu for topping the new song charts on her debut!”
Xu Zhiyuan quickly raised her glass as well. “Thank you!”
This was her first time drinking red wine, and she found the taste acceptable. She took a tentative sip—it was a bit astringent, not something she particularly liked, but still tolerable. So she took another sip.
He Jiayu: …
It was clear—his wife didn’t know how to drink. Who drinks red wine by downing half the glass in one sip and finishing it in two?
He quickly picked up some dishes and placed them in Xu Zhiyuan’s bowl. “Eat first.”
“Mm-hmm.”