The next morning, the room was bright when she woke up. The breeze stirred the curtains, casting warm light onto the bamboo floorboards. Wen Yuan sat up in bed, rubbed her eyes, and after glancing around, fully came to her senses.
She turned her head slowly—Huo Shengye, who should have been sleeping beside her, had left at some point.
Wen Yuan reached out and touched the sheets on that side; they were cold.
Out of habit, she first pressed her phone to check the time and weather forecast. A glance showed it was already nearly nine o’clock. After quickly checking the temperature, she got out of bed and headed into the bathroom.
Just as she finished washing up and was about to find clothes to change into, she heard the sound of the bedroom door being pushed open, followed by footsteps that were somewhat familiar.
Huo Shengye walked in. Wen Yuan, who had just stepped out of the en-suite bathroom, locked eyes with him.
The man was wearing a satin casual shirt, white, paired with brown trousers that were impeccably ironed, without a single wrinkle.
His overall style leaned vintage. The white shirt made his already fair skin appear even fairer, as if he were glowing.
At first glance, he didn’t look like a twenty-nine-year-old at all. If he swapped his outfit for a trendy T-shirt, jeans, and some cool accessories, with that face, he could easily pass for a nineteen-year-old boy.
Wen Yuan quickly dismissed the thought that had popped into her mind, feeling somewhat surprised.
She had never been one to judge people by their appearance, so why did Huo Shengye always manage to catch her attention?
Back when she was studying abroad in the U.S., many handsome guys had pursued her—Asian, foreign, all kinds. Each one was incredibly good-looking, the kind who could easily walk the runway, with plenty of admirers.
But even so, she had never been distracted by anyone’s looks.
Yet, when it came to Huo Shengye’s face…
Wen Yuan sighed inwardly. It seemed that Huo Shengye’s face perfectly matched her ultimate standard for a handsome man—capable of being both cool and sweet, smiling like spring sunshine, cold as a winter’s frost, and usually carrying an air of serene elegance, as calm as water.
His features were too outstanding, and combined, they were equally remarkable—flawless from every angle.
“Hmm.”
Wen Yuan stared at him, lost in thought. Huo Shengye approached, and she was still dazed. Amused, he simply leaned down and gave her a kiss.
The warmth on her lips lingered for a brief second before he pulled away.
A faint blush slowly spread across Wen Yuan’s cheeks. Huo Shengye smiled as he stepped back, standing straight and upright as if he hadn’t done anything provocative.
“Change your clothes and have breakfast. Later, I’ll be going to your home to propose marriage,” Huo Shengye said.
Wen Yuan naturally responded, “Then… what about me?”
If the groom goes to propose, wouldn’t it be a bit awkward for the bride to be there?
Wen Yuan thought about it and felt it might be too embarrassing, though she wasn’t entirely clear on the customs.
Huo Shengye replied, “If Yuan’er wants to go home, you can come along.”
Wen Yuan walked toward the walk-in closet, then turned back to glance at Huo Shengye. She shook her head. “No, no, I think I’ll… stay here instead.”
Wen Yuan had a feeling that when Huo Shengye went to her home to propose, he would probably say some astonishing things. If she were there, it would likely be very embarrassing.
And embarrassment aside, if he said something that made her uncomfortable and she showed it, Song Huiyue would inevitably notice and worry.
Weighing the pros and cons, Wen Yuan decided it would be better to let Huo Shengye go by himself for now, while she rested in the courtyard.
“That works too. Didn’t Yuan’er want to see the ponds? I’ll have someone show you around later—there are quite a few ponds nearby.”
Wen Yuan hummed in agreement and headed into the walk-in closet.
When she came out after changing, Huo Shengye was waiting for her outside the door. “Let’s go. Breakfast is set up downstairs. We’ll eat together.”
Eat together.
Wen Yuan was slightly surprised. Huo Shengye smiled, “If Yuan’er hadn’t woken up soon, I was about to go up and get you out of bed.”
Wen Yuan felt a little embarrassed and tried to explain, “I don’t usually sleep this late. I normally get up around seven. Today…”
“Just an exception,” Huo Shengye finished for her, still smiling.
Wen Yuan flushed and mumbled, “…Right.”
Huo Shengye’s eyes crinkled with even more amusement as he wrapped an arm around Wen Yuan and led her into the elevator. Pressing the button for the first floor, he nodded, “It’s fine. Yuan’er will have plenty of time to prove that later.”
What did he mean?
By the time they reached the first floor, Wen Yuan belatedly understood.
And once she understood, she felt a bit strange. So, was Huo Shengye implying that from now on, they would be sleeping together?
Oh, no—more like, would she and he be living together?
Cohabitating?
The thought startled Wen Yuan. She felt the pace was moving a bit too fast. Huo Shengye pulled out a dining chair for her.
“I wasn’t sure what Yuan’er usually likes to eat, so I had the chef prepare a bit of everything. Want to try? If there’s anything you like or want to eat, you can tell me directly.”
Wen Yuan sat down and snapped back to attention, glancing over the spread on the table. There were noodle soups, fried dumplings, steamed buns, shrimp dumplings, pastries, and Western-style breakfast items like steak, whole wheat bread, and nuts—everything was there.
It was quite lavish.
Wen Yuan nodded and said okay, momentarily unsure where to start.
Having studied abroad in Country U, Wen Yuan cherished good food all the more.
Though she wasn’t as particular about food as Qiu Lening, she was still accustomed to fine dining. When she first arrived in Country U, everything tasted awful—either sickeningly sweet or unbearably sour—and even expensive meals were no exception.
Gradually, Wen Yuan came to a realization: good food must be treasured.
And upon returning to Country K, that realization turned into not wasting food.
Seeing that Huo Shengye was about to put down his chopsticks while there was still so much untouched on the table, Wen Yuan called out to him, “Sir, have a bit more.”
The words carried a strong sense of familiarity, leaving Huo Shengye pleasantly surprised.
Seeing that Huo Shengye didn’t seem displeased, Wen Yuan grew bolder. She picked up another pair of chopsticks and placed a few fried dumplings onto his plate.
“Have a little more,” she said again.
Huo Shengye nodded almost immediately, “Okay.”
After nearly ten more minutes, once everything on the table had been taken care of, Wen Yuan finally set down her chopsticks.
She patted her stomach and sighed softly, “So full.”
Huo Shengye glanced at Wen Yuan, then at her gesture, his eyes filled with tenderness.
Huo Shengye stood up first. “Then I’ll get ready to head out. I’ll have someone come over in a bit.”
Wen Yuan: “Hmm?”
“To accompany Yuan’er to see the ponds nearby and show you around the old estate,” Huo Shengye said.
“Oh.” Wen Yuan, having just eaten her fill, wasn’t in the mood to move. “How about… in half an hour? I’m really full.”
She looked like a little kitten that had just drunk its fill of milk.
Huo Shengye chuckled, “Alright.”
With that, Huo Shengye turned and left. There were no servants in the room, and once he was gone, Wen Yuan relaxed completely.
She had a habit of washing up after eating. Earlier, Huo Shengye had told Wen Yuan that the washroom near the Western Tulan Restaurant had small individually packaged mouthwash she could use. After Huo Shengye left, Wen Yuan stood up and entered the washroom.
The mouthwash was white peach flavored, which Wen Yuan liked, so she was feeling quite cheerful. However, when she came out of the washroom, she was startled.
Several servants suddenly entered from the main hall entrance. Wen Yuan wondered what they were doing and peeked around the doorframe, only to see the servants quietly and efficiently clearing the dishes and utensils from the table.
Wen Yuan relaxed and stepped out. Seeing Wen Yuan, the servants were slightly surprised but quickly bowed to her.
But the next moment, Wen Yuan was even more shocked, because what these people said to her was—
“Good morning, Madam! May the Madam enjoy boundless fortune and eternal peace!”
Their voices were loud and unified, which was fine, but—boundless fortune and eternal peace??
Wen Yuan was instantly bewildered, though at that moment she reflexively smiled and nodded to everyone.
After those people left, Wen Yuan blinked and looked up at the sky, unable to hold back anymore—three question marks popped up above her head.
This was definitely the modern era.
Or perhaps, wealthy families were really… unique? Trendsetting? Special?
Wen Yuan felt somewhat conflicted. She picked up her phone intending to send a message to Qiu Lening to vent about this, but just as she was about to dial, Qiu Lening’s call suddenly appeared on the screen—a video call.
Wen Yuan’s pupils contracted slightly, her expression changed, thinking something had happened, and she quickly swiped to answer.
On the screen appeared an exceptionally festive scene—
Red silk, large red flowers, gilt-red boxes opened to reveal endless golden light, gleaming brilliantly under the sun, full boxes of gold bars dazzling the eyes.
Qiu Lening’s astonished voice came from the other side of the screen: “My dear, this is only the second box!!! Do you know how many boxes there are?”
Wen Yuan was already stunned. She shook her head softly, her voice small: “I don’t know.”
Qiu Lening excitedly shouted: “—Nine, ten, nine boxes!!”