Chu Yanxiu’s fists clenched.
Playing hard to get, feigning ignorance, switching tactics!
Thirty-six stratagems, each one different—what other tricks did she have up her sleeve?
But the large hand gripping her fair neck finally loosened a fraction. “Your answer!”
Mu Jiujiu, who had been acting cute and coy, had a momentary lapse of thought: “What answer…”
Chu Yanxiu’s face was cold. Since becoming a CEO, no one had dared make him repeat himself: “Don’t tell anyone that I’ve woken up!”
“Fine then…”
The last syllable was drawn out extremely long, a supremely reluctant voice, paired with a supremely reluctant expression.
And a supremely conflicted question: “But if I don’t tell the doctor, it’ll delay hubby’s treatment…”
Chu Yanxiu scooped up Mu Jiujiu and tossed her onto the sofa. “Tonight, you sleep here!”
“Why can’t Jiujiu snuggle with hubby?”
“…”
“Oh, use me and then…” discard me, sob! She didn’t dare say it.
Chu Yanxiu’s face darkened. “Shut your mouth, close your eyes, sleep!!”
Mu Jiujiu blinked her lashes, then obediently closed her eyes under Chu Yanxiu’s stern gaze.
Chu Yanxiu thought that after this ordeal, Mu Jiujiu wouldn’t be able to sleep, but to his surprise, the little thing was fast asleep in less than three minutes.
Her breathing was even and long, her brow relaxed and smooth.
Looking at the face that was serene yet tinged with a hint of foolishness, a flicker of complexity passed through Chu Yanxiu’s eyes.
So, he held no intimidation over her at all?
Chu Yanxiu rose and walked to the window, opening it.
A nimble black-clad figure slipped in from outside.
The man in black followed Chu Yanxiu to the sofa.
Looking at the woman wrapped up like a zongzi on the sofa, the man in black bent down and loosened the blanket that covered half of Mu Jiujiu’s neck.
Chu Yanxiu watched as Mu Jiujiu’s fair collarbone was revealed. His gaze darkened slightly, and a hint of something heavy—something he himself hadn’t noticed—passed through his eyes.
The man in black pressed a sleep acupoint on Mu Jiujiu, and her tense state instantly relaxed. He straightened up, rolled his neck, and took off the black beret from his head.
“Why is the little thing sleeping here tonight?” Jiang Yun looked at Chu Yanxiu, pinching his voice teasingly: “If she’s not obedient, just spank her bottom a couple times. Throwing her on a cold, hard leather sofa—Master Xiu, you’re so heartless~”
Chu Yanxiu ignored him, directly pulling off his backpack, finding the documents inside, putting on night-vision goggles, and sitting on the sofa to read.
Jiang Yun looked at the ‘zongzi’ and suddenly jolted awake: “Damn, boss, you didn’t blow your cover, did you!”
Chu Yanxiu couldn’t be bothered to give Jiang Yun a glance.
But not denying it was as good as admitting it.
Jiang Yun sighed, walked over to Chu Yanxiu, patted him on the shoulder, and said earnestly: “Genes, to keep humanity from going extinct, have lowered men’s resistance to lust. Boss, this is heaven’s arrangement, no need to blame yourself.”
“Scram!”
In truth, the biggest reason Chu Yanxiu had blown his cover was that victory was already within his grasp.
Still, it would be better if Mu Jiujiu could keep it a secret.
After all, one move can affect the whole game—at a critical moment, better to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Jiang Yun offered Chu Yanxiu advice: “Persuading is not as good as bedding—trust me! As the saying goes, a nun’s room, a maiden’s bed, a widow’s kang—as long as your drill bit is sharp, there’s no well you can’t dig…”
Bang!
“Show some respect!” Despite being cold and heartless, Chu Yanxiu had always respected women: “Instead of cracking jokes, better to have Plan B ready. This woman can’t be trusted!”
Jiang Yun clutched his head, which had been hit by the documents, wincing in pain, not daring to be cheeky anymore: “Mm… yes, boss, I’ll arrange it right away!”
Jiang Yun was a lively one—he’d been Chu Yanxiu’s sidekick since high school, always fond of running his mouth and clowning around. Chu Yanxiu was used to it and basically chose to ignore him.
But once Chu Yanxiu got serious, he’d immediately behave.
Jiang Yun rubbed his head and made a call to his subordinates.
After Chu Yanxiu finished his work, Jiang Yun finally asked: “Boss, should we do a deeper background check on Mu Jiujiu? Although she is indeed Mu Yaoshan’s biological daughter, her parents divorced when she was young, and she didn’t grow up with Mu Yaoshan. Her surname sounds the same but actually follows her mother’s side—though before she married over, her ID was changed to Mu Jiujiu…”
Chu Yanxiu raised his hand to stop him. These were things he’d already investigated; he knew: “Once this matter is settled, I’ll dissolve the engagement with her. No need for deeper investigation.”
Jiang Yun: “Yes.”
Jiang Yun nodded, raising an eyebrow secretly. The Chu family had humiliated the boss to this extent—staging a car accident and fobbing him off with a fool of a bride. If they ever found out the boss was the feared and ruthless head of the Five-Nation Alliance Group, he wondered how they’d cry then.
Just thinking about it was exciting!
After reading and signing the documents, Chu Yanxiu gave the order to leave: “You should go. They’ll be back soon.”
“Alright.”
Jiang Yun packed up the documents, slung on his backpack, and pointed at Mu Jiujiu on the sofa: “Boss, you’d better loosen her blanket. The sleep acupoint will release in two hours. If it’s wrapped this tight, she might feel uncomfortable midway and risk suffocation.”
“Mm.”
Jiang Yun was afraid that Chu Yanxiu wouldn’t take his words seriously, so before leaving, he hesitated and said, “Boss, if you don’t mind, I’ll loosen the blanket for her.”
Chu Yanxiu rubbed his temples and waved his hand lazily.
Jiang Yun glanced at Mu Jiujiu once, then slipped out through the window.
Chu Yanxiu ground the cigarette butt between his teeth.
To avoid arousing suspicion, he hadn’t smoked in over a month.
Tonight, his gums itched like crazy!
He got up and was about to head to the bathroom for a shower when he passed by Mu Jiujiu and nearly stepped on her hair that had spilled onto the floor. Only then did he remember what Jiang Yun had said.
He crouched down in front of the sofa, gathered Mu Jiujiu’s hair that was dangling onto the floor, and placed it back on the sofa.
Then he loosened the blanket over her into two layers, exposing her neck and collarbones, and casually grabbed a throw pillow to tuck under her head.
As he stood up, his fingers withdrew from the pillow, and he inadvertently tapped her forehead.
“You’d better behave yourself. Unless necessary, I don’t want to lay a hand on a woman!”
The warning tone carried an inexplicable hint of indulgence.
It was the sixth day after Mu Jiujiu married into the Chu family.
She woke up on the sofa, shivering from the cold.
She rubbed her eyes and sat up groggily, stretching.
It was still early, and the room wasn’t very bright.
But the morning light filtering through the gauze curtains was still much brighter than last night’s moonlight.
Standing behind the sofa, Chu Yanxiu caught an unexpected glimpse of a tantalizing sight.
The blanket slid down to her waist as Mu Jiujiu stretched, exposing her body.
Chu Yanxiu’s body tensed, and his thin lips parted coldly: “Awake?”
God knows, beneath his stern expression, his voice was extraordinarily low and husky, as if afraid of startling a little rabbit waking from hibernation.
Mu Jiujiu was halfway through a yawn when she twisted her neck ninety degrees and tilted her head up sixty degrees toward the source of the voice.
Under Chu Yanxiu’s cold, sharp, and murderous gaze, Mu Jiujiu only saw a man of imposing stature, with a face as fair as jade, sharply defined and deep-set features, a refined and cold jawline, and those phoenix eyes finally open—clear, profound, and alluring, adding a noble charm to his presence. He looked like a male lead ripped straight from a comic book, so handsome it was hard to look away.
Was he a god descending to earth?
Or was she dreaming?
Her dazed little face slowly shifted into a silly, adoring expression, then bloomed like a sunflower in an instant—radiant and dazzling.
“Husband!”
Her voice was as joyful as a child who’d just been given candy.
Mu Jiujiu jumped off the sofa in one bound, stepped on the blanket, and threw her arms around Chu Yanxiu’s neck.
Great!
So last night wasn’t a dream after all—her husband was really awake!
Chu Yanxiu couldn’t stand such enthusiastic embraces. He was just about to grab Mu Jiujiu and pull her off when he heard faint footsteps approaching from outside the door.
“Husband, you—”
Chu Yanxiu’s eyes narrowed sharply, and he quickly sealed Mu Jiujiu’s parting lips with his own.
“Mmph…”
Time was short, so Chu Yanxiu could only achieve his goal of silencing Mu Jiujiu as quickly as possible.
But who would have thought—the lips pressed against his were soft and sweet, like thin-skinned strawberries brimming with juice, so tender that one bite would burst them open.
Even though Chu Yanxiu had no intention of lingering, he couldn’t help but be pleased by the excessively soft, sweet, and sticky sensation.
Even the hand gripping her waist softened somewhat. With one hand pinching Mu Jiujiu’s waist, he slid the other up along her back.
Mu Jiujiu squinted her eyes in contentment, rose onto her tiptoes, and tightened her arms around Chu Yanxiu’s neck, like a parasitic vine that strangles its host.
But Chu Yanxiu replaced his lips with his right hand.
Mu Jiujiu’s lashes fluttered once, and she looked dazed, as if wondering whether that fleeting kiss had been her imagination.
Her husband’s lips had been warm and tingling, like an electric current—even more comfortable than a cheek-to-cheek rub…
She liked it so much…
Mu Jiujiu savored the memory, unable to resist wanting to bite her own lips that were tingling with a numb, itchy sensation, but before she could, she left a trail of warm, damp breath against Chu Yanxiu’s palm.