The most intimate relationship possible.
This sentence made Xu Zhiyuan’s heart flutter intensely.
She didn’t know if this was what it felt like to fall in love. In her past life, she had never been in a relationship, so she didn’t understand the feeling of a racing heart, let alone know what the taste of love was like.
But He Jiayu’s words gave her a very comfortable, almost magical feeling in her heart. She didn’t know what it was, only that it felt incredibly soothing.
“What’s there for me to be unaccustomed to?” Xu Zhiyuan lifted her chin, not wanting to show any weakness. “As you said, we’re husband and wife. Doing… doing such things is perfectly normal.”
He Jiayu was taken aback for a moment, then let out a soft chuckle.
His exchanged-for wife was truly too adorable.
Reaching out to ruffle her hair, He Jiayu agreed, “Yes, yes, perfectly normal.” He took hold of her arm. “Let me help you up. It’s time for breakfast.”
Xu Zhiyuan tried hard to hold back, but in the end, she couldn’t resist scrambling up quickly on her own. “I can get up myself. I… I’ll go brush my teeth first.”
Then, as if fleeing in defeat, she dashed into the bathroom.
All talk and no action.
The corners of He Jiayu’s lips curled into another smile as he threw off the covers and got out of bed as well.
Stretching slightly, he felt a stinging pain on his back. He glanced at it briefly but didn’t pay much attention to the scratches. Worried that Xu Zhiyuan might feel embarrassed if she saw them later, he slipped on his pajama top.
Even with his clothes on, it didn’t make much difference. Xu Zhiyuan, who had lingered in the bathroom for quite some time before emerging, still felt shy when she saw him again. She tried to act as if nothing had happened, but her reddened earlobes betrayed her emotions.
He Jiayu watched with delight but refrained from teasing her. After letting her change her clothes, the two of them went downstairs for breakfast.
Breakfast was simple, though there was an extra bowl of bird’s nest prepared for Xu Zhiyuan this morning.
When Nanny Zhang hadn’t seen the young master get up for his morning exercise, she knew what had happened, which was why she had the kitchen prepare this bowl of bird’s nest.
As He Jiayu and Xu Zhiyuan came downstairs one after the other, Nanny Zhang knew she had made the right call.
Xu Zhiyuan didn’t realize the significance of the bird’s nest. By now, she had already composed herself, though she still found it difficult to meet He Jiayu’s eyes directly.
“I’ll be heading out now.”
“Oh, okay. Be careful on the road,” Xu Zhiyuan quickly replied. When her gaze met He Jiayu’s smiling eyes, she immediately looked away, her heart beating a little too fast.
He Jiayu enjoyed watching her look like a startled little rabbit, making it hard to resist the urge to tease her.
But he knew his limits, so he didn’t act on his thoughts, afraid of pushing his little rabbit too far.
“Alright, I’ll be back for lunch,” He Jiayu added, waiting for Xu Zhiyuan’s response before leaving.
Xu Zhiyuan didn’t go to the media room. Instead, she returned to her room and lay down, burying her head under the covers like an ostrich. She didn’t last long before poking her head out—being buried under the blankets really wasn’t very comfortable.
Recalling what had happened the night before, she let out a groan.
She really couldn’t touch alcohol again. Absolutely not!
As for that kind of thing between husband and wife… it seemed unavoidable. And besides, it wasn’t as bad as she had imagined. In fact, it was… quite comfortable.
Xu Zhiyuan felt her face burning and quickly patted her cheeks.
No more thinking about it. Get those dirty thoughts out of your head!
Xu Zhiyuan silently repeated the words in her mind, wriggling on the bed for quite a while before calming down. Then she hurried off to the media room to get busy.
Her body still ached, but that didn’t stop her from making money, did it?
Before noon, He Jiayu sent a voice call, saying he wouldn’t be able to return at midday. He was about to fly abroad again to handle an unexpected situation.
Xu Zhiyuan felt a mix of relief and an inexplicable discomfort, but she quickly brushed aside this strange emotion.
“How long will you be away on this business trip?”
“It might be around half a month,” He Jiayu replied on the other end. “Yuan Yuan won’t be going with me this time. If you need anything, just contact Yuan Yuan and let him handle it.”
“Alright, take care of yourself while you’re abroad.”
“I will.”
Someone on the other end of the phone called out to He Jiayu, and after saying a quick word, he ended the call.
Looking at the darkened phone screen, Xu Zhiyuan thought to herself that she could enjoy her solo world again—how perfect.
But when she tried to refocus her attention on the computer, it took her a long time to truly concentrate.
…
He Jiayu had only just returned to the country before heading abroad again, which once more sparked discussions in the upper circles of City A.
Who was abroad that made He Jiayu rush off again just days after returning? Had he forgotten he was married?
Moreover, it was rumored that after returning, He Jiayu hadn’t taken his newlywed wife back to the He family’s old residence, nor had he visited the Xu family.
These rumors never reached Xu Zhiyuan’s ears. She spent her days at home, and the contacts on her phone were pitifully few, so naturally, no one went out of their way to bring these unpleasant matters to her attention.
The He family, however, had heard about it, but they didn’t seem to care and had no intention of intervening. Even if someone did try to intervene, it was only to subtly fuel the fire, which led to the gossip spreading more and more wildly. People became increasingly convinced that He Jiayu had gone abroad to find Xu Zhixiao, even claiming that He Jiayu and Xu Zhixiao had already married overseas and that Xu Zhixiao was pregnant.
Yuan Yuan had someone try to manage the situation, but it was of little use—the rumors continued to spread regardless. So, he reported the matter to He Jiayu.
To dispel the rumors, He Jiayu would have to take action himself, bringing Xu Zhiyuan to more public events like banquets. Only then would the rumors naturally fade away.
“Has it reached home?” He Jiayu’s voice was cold. If Xu Zhiyuan had been there, she might have doubted whether it was really him speaking.
“No, the young mistress has been staying at home all along, and Nanny Zhang and the others haven’t said anything unnecessary,” Yuan Yuan replied promptly. It was fortunate that the young mistress preferred staying home and wasn’t fond of socializing; otherwise, she would have found out long ago. “By the way, the young mistress just sent me a script. Would you like to take a look, Mr. He?”
He Jiayu had been abroad for a week and two days already. Apart from her time writing songs, Xu Zhiyuan had been tinkering with scripts, and sometimes she would discuss script-related matters with He Jiayu.
Over these nine days, their conversations had mostly revolved around scripts. Yet, despite this, both He Jiayu and Xu Zhiyuan felt their satisfaction with each other had grown considerably. He Jiayu was rational and level-headed, while Xu Zhiyuan wasn’t the overly sentimental type. Discussing career matters or even gossip suited them just fine. If they had to engage in overly affectionate or clingy conversations, they’d probably run out of things to say within two sentences.
“Send it over. Also, have Guang Sheng prepare accordingly.”
“Understood.”
After forwarding the document to He Jiayu, Yuan Yuan printed out several copies. Instead of heading to Guangsheng immediately, she began reviewing them herself—and soon became completely absorbed.