Chu Xiaoyuan had barely returned to the imperial capital before Chu Kuo sent him off to K City to visit the young master of the Xiang Group and apologize to President Xiang.
Chu Yanxiu immediately breathed a sigh of relief—the little fool was quite pretty.
As for Chu Xiaoyuan, he never let go of prey he had his sights on, and his methods were despicable.
At noon, Chu Yanxiu was sleeping, and Mu Jiujiu didn’t dare disturb him.
She just wondered why he slept so much—sleeping during the day, sleeping at night. He was really dedicated to playing the part of a vegetative state!
At dinner, Chu Kuo and Qiao Yu didn’t come back. They usually attended one gathering or another in the evenings, and rarely ate dinner at home. In fact, they’d only eaten dinner with Mu Jiujiu twice—during the first two days after she married into the Chu family.
Chu Xiaoyuan had been sent away.
Chu Xiaoxuan had been expelled from his third elementary school last winter. Qiao Yu was at her wit’s end trying to manage him, so when spring term started, she simply packed him off to a boarding school.
He only came home every two weeks for a break, and he’d only been gone five days.
Chu Garden returned to its usual quiet. Dinner was Mu Jiujiu’s solo affair, and tonight she didn’t hold back in ordering whatever she wanted.
After she placed her order, Guo Xi made two trips to bring the food upstairs.
After setting down the meal, Guo Xi’s eyes darted around the big bed as she asked with a probing tone, “Young Madam, you’re eating quite a lot today?”
Although Mu Jiujiu looked slim, her appetite was genuinely substantial—Guo Xi knew this well.
Mu Jiujiu gazed at the abundant meal with a delighted expression and said, “Grandma always said that when you’re injured or sick, you have to eat more so you can recover faster!”
A flicker of contempt flashed through Guo Xi’s eyes. “Mm, the young madam is right. Then please, eat up.”
A country bumpkin and an idiot!
Hah!
Eat as much as you can now—once Chu Yanxiu is completely cast aside in a few days, you won’t have it this good!
After Guo Xi went downstairs, Mu Jiujiu hurried to the bedside, crouched by the edge of the bed, and said softly, “Honey, time to get up and eat~”
Chu Yanxiu had woken up the moment Guo Xi knocked on the door.
Now he opened his eyes to find the sky already dark.
He sat up to check the time and was shocked to discover he’d slept straight through from ten in the morning to six in the evening!
For so many years, he’d never slept more than five hours consecutively.
And he’d never slept deeply.
Never!
If yesterday, Mu Jiujiu’s door-opening had been so quiet that he hadn’t been woken up…
Then today, Mu Jiujiu must have eaten lunch in the room, and he hadn’t heard a thing?!
And he’d slept that long?!
Even though he’d had a good rest and felt refreshed, Chu Yanxiu’s face was as stiff and cold as if it had been glued on.
He shot a cold, fierce glare at Mu Jiujiu, who was smiling at him, suddenly suspecting that this woman had drugged him!
Mu Jiujiu caught Chu Yanxiu’s displeased expression and shrank back in fear, timidly pointing at the darkening sky behind her. “Honey, haven’t you slept enough? But Jiujiu saw that the sun has already set, and I was afraid you’d be hungry.”
Mu Jiujiu assumed Chu Yanxiu was just grumpy after waking up.
Because every time she woke him, Chu Yanxiu looked less than pleased.
Mu Jiujiu’s beautiful fox-like eyes were far too innocent and clear.
Chu Yanxiu slowly lowered his guard, rolling his neck and rubbing his shoulders.
He had to admit—a good night’s sleep left his whole body feeling wonderful. It gave him an unprecedented sense of ease, with every bodily function at its peak. It didn’t feel like the effects of being drugged.
Could it be that this simple-minded, foolish woman actually made him feel at ease?
Catching the aroma of food wafting toward him, Chu Yanxiu’s stomach let out a strange growl. His brows furrowed as he tried to collect his thoughts.
Mu Jiujiu covered her mouth and giggled. “Honey, look—your stomach says it’s hungry! So don’t be mad at Jiujiu anymore, okay?”
Her coaxing tone made Chu Yanxiu frown in displeasure, yet unexpectedly, he found it rather agreeable.
He got out of bed, and Mu Jiujiu eagerly ran to fetch his slippers. Only then did Chu Yanxiu suddenly notice this detail.
Every time he got into bed, Mu Jiujiu would take his shoes away from the bedside when she left—after all, a vegetative person didn’t need shoes by the bed.
She was more attentive than he’d imagined.
Chu Yanxiu said nothing, put on his shoes, and went to the bathroom.
Mu Jiujiu followed closely and stood by the sink, eagerly handing him a towel after he washed his face.
After drying his face, Chu Yanxiu looked coldly at Mu Jiujiu, as if questioning why she was so clingy.
Meeting his gaze, Mu Jiujiu asked hesitantly, “Honey, you’ll eat with me, right?”
So she’d been waiting for his answer.
Chu Yanxiu lowered his gaze, setting aside his suspicion. “Mm, let’s go.”
At the table, there was only one pair of chopsticks and one spoon.
Mu Jiujiu used the spoon; Chu Yanxiu used the chopsticks.
Mu Jiujiu ladled the congee into a teacup in portions, drinking from the cup herself, and placed the remaining larger portion in front of Chu Yanxiu.
Chu Yanxiu clearly didn’t fully trust her—he only ate the dishes Mu Jiujiu had already taken from.
Mu Jiujiu had no such schemes in mind. She would taste a dish first, and only if it was good would she enthusiastically recommend it to Chu Yanxiu.
However, in order to avoid arousing Guo Xi’s suspicion, Chu Yanxiu only ate until he was seventy percent full before setting down his chopsticks.
Mu Jiujiu had a habit of going to bed early, which actually made things quite convenient for Chu Yanxiu.
Most urban women liked to stay up late scrolling through their phones, but Mu Jiujiu generally went to sleep by nine o’clock.
She would take her shower promptly at eight.
Seeing her enter the bathroom, Chu Yanxiu went straight into the dressing room to retrieve his mattress, quilt, and pillow.
As he walked out of the dressing room, he thought to himself: Even the most oblivious woman should know by now not to crawl into bed with him tonight!
And yet, at the dressing room door, he ran straight into Mu Jiujiu, completely naked.
She was bare, her fair body radiating a beautiful glow under the dim night light, like a silver fish swimming freely in water, naturally and perfectly blending with the surrounding environment and atmosphere.
But no matter how beautiful the scene, Chu Yanxiu still furrowed his brow. He deeply loathed Mu Jiujiu’s habit of displaying her body without the slightest hint of modesty.
Or perhaps, to be precise, he was angry!
Even if they were husband and wife, he had already made it clear that he didn’t want her—so why was she still so shameless?!
How had she lived before this?!
How many men had she seduced with such a demeanor?
And how many men had seen her in this foolish yet alluring state?!
Chu Yanxiu, who was rarely swayed by emotion, clenched the quilt tightly, his usually cool and detached phoenix eyes suddenly tinged with a hint of red: “You really…”
Mu Jiujiu’s lips trembled slightly as she spoke at the same time as him: “Can I…”
Chu Yanxiu fell silent, narrowed his eyes, and patiently gestured for her to speak first.
Mu Jiujiu raised her hands to cover her chest. Chu Yanxiu thought she had finally developed some sense of decency, but then—
“Husband, if you won’t let Jiujiu get on the bed for cuddles, then can Jiujiu skip the bath? Jiujiu’s ankle hurts~”
Her coquettish and aggrieved voice made Chu Yanxiu’s breath involuntarily grow heavier.
He was angry at himself for such an emotional reaction, and turned toward the sofa: “Whatever!”
“Thank you, husband~”
With that, she walked naked into the dressing room, put on a nightgown, and then went over to the sofa, slipping into the blankets.
Like last night, Mu Jiujiu lay on her stomach on the sofa, facing Chu Yanxiu, chattering on and on without end.
Even though Chu Yanxiu paid her no attention, the corners of her lips remained curved in a smile, her eyes warm and bright, like a fervent fan who felt happy just by gazing at her idol from afar.
Her words were more like talking to herself; even if someone overheard, they would think she was mentally unstable, speaking to a vegetable.
Chu Yanxiu seemed indifferent, yet the moment Mu Jiujiu closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, he noticed.
About ten minutes after Mu Jiujiu fell asleep, Chu Yanxiu turned off the night light and got out of bed.
He pulled the curtain halfway open, letting the pure white moonlight spill across the sofa.
Then, with his back to the moonlight, he walked step by step to the sofa, sat down on the coffee table in front of the long sofa where Mu Jiujiu lay, and reached out to lift the blanket at her feet.
He precisely grabbed Mu Jiujiu’s injured right foot.
“Mm~”
Hearing Mu Jiujiu let out a kitten-like sound of grievance, Chu Yanxiu loosened the pressure of his thumb on her ankle, then began to massage it in circular motions.
His gaze lowered slightly, fixed on the red mark on her ankle. In the darkness, a trace of barely perceptible tenderness flickered in his usually cold and emotionless eyes.