On the other end of the phone, Yang Lingyun’s voice carried a hint of amusement.
“Zongxu, you’ve arrived in Singapore, right?”
“Mhm, I arrived.”
“Have you settled in? Has Aunt Zhou gotten there yet?”
“Everything’s been arranged.”
As he spoke, Xie Zongxu walked toward the balcony, his footsteps unusually light.
Yang Lingyun paused on the other end, as though carefully choosing her words before speaking again.
“Well, I called the Li Family today.”
Xie Zongxu’s steps slowed slightly.
“Mhm?”
“I originally wanted to ask what Li Yang likes to eat so Aunt Zhou could prepare in advance. But guess what happened?”
There was a trace of laughter in Yang Lingyun’s voice.
“The Li Family said she left early this morning and went on a trip.”
Xie Zongxu remained silent.
After waiting two seconds without a response from her son, Yang Lingyun continued on her own.
“I thought that was a little too much of a coincidence, wasn’t it? You went to Singapore, and she went traveling? Zongxu, tell your mother the truth. Did you kidnap that girl and take her with you?”
Standing on the balcony, Xie Zongxu had the floor-to-ceiling window behind him. Through the glass, he could see the curled-up figure sleeping on the bed.
The corner of his lips lifted slightly.
“Mom is overthinking things.”
“Really?”
Yang Lingyun clearly did not believe him.
“Then tell me, where did she go traveling?”
“I don’t know.”
Yang Lingyun sounded dissatisfied.
“You two are about to get engaged, and you don’t even know where she went on vacation?”
Xie Zongxu did not pick up that topic and merely said calmly,
“Does Mom have anything else to discuss?”
Yang Lingyun was momentarily speechless at his attitude.
She had not called merely to ask about that.
Clearing her throat, she changed her tone.
“Fine, fine, I won’t ask. But Zongxu, I have to remind you. While you’re in Singapore these few days, don’t forget to call that girl more often.”
Leaning against the balcony railing, Xie Zongxu felt the night breeze carrying the distinctive scent of tropical plants.
He did not respond.
Yang Lingyun continued,
“I met Li Yang. She’s a good girl. Pretty, open-minded, and easygoing. But no matter how wonderful she is, she’s still a young woman. You need to take the initiative. You can’t just wait for her to come looking for you. Understand?”
Xie Zongxu glanced back toward the room.
The person on the bed was sleeping soundly, completely motionless.
He withdrew his gaze and responded with a calm,
“Mhm.”
Yang Lingyun was obviously unsatisfied with that reaction.
“Don’t just keep saying ‘mhm.’ I’m talking seriously here. I know you’re busy with work and don’t have time to think about these things, but this time it’s different. This is someone you’re going to spend your whole life with. You need to put your heart into it.”
Listening to his mother’s endless advice, Xie Zongxu suddenly felt like laughing.
Put his heart into it?
The person was already asleep on his bed.
Lowering his head, he lit a cigarette. Smoke drifted upward, blurring his features.
“Got it.”
Yang Lingyun continued nagging for a few more minutes, mostly reminding him to take care of himself, not focus only on work, and remember to eat.
Xie Zongxu responded to each reminder one by one before finally saying,
“Mom, get some rest early.”
“Alright, alright. You should go to bed early too.”
Yang Lingyun paused before adding,
“Remember to call her!”
Xie Zongxu hung up and stood on the balcony for a while.
Singapore’s nights were unlike Beijing’s dry climate. The breeze carried a warm, damp humidity, and distant lights sparkled across the horizon.
Turning around, he went back into the room and stopped beside the bed.
Lowering his gaze, he looked at Li Yang.
After watching her for several seconds, he withdrew his gaze and left the master bedroom.
As he gently closed the door behind him, he paused and quietly instructed Aunt Zhou, who was standing by the staircase.
“Let her sleep. Don’t wake her.”
Aunt Zhou was startled.
“Then dinner…”
“Leave it. Heat it up for her when she wakes up.”
Aunt Zhou nodded before asking,
“What about you, Sir? You haven’t eaten either.”
“Not hungry.”
After saying that, Xie Zongxu walked directly toward the study.
Halfway there, he suddenly remembered something, stopped, and glanced upstairs again.
“Tomorrow morning, don’t wake her too early.”
Aunt Zhou smiled and agreed.
…
When Li Yang woke up, daylight was already streaming through the windows.
Sunlight poured through the floor-to-ceiling glass and spread a warm glow across the floor.
Blinking, she stared blankly at the unfamiliar ceiling for several seconds before remembering where she was.
Singapore.
Xie Zongxu’s house.
She suddenly sat upright and grabbed her phone.
9:17.
She had slept for a full twelve hours?
Rubbing her eyes, her memories gradually returned.
The previous night, she had only intended to sit by the bed for a while and wait for Xie Zongxu to come upstairs so they could have dinner together.
Instead, the moment she touched the bed, she had lost all awareness.
Looking down at herself, she saw she was still wearing the same loungewear she had changed into. It was wrinkled, and her hair was a complete mess.
This was bad.
They had agreed to try married life, and on the very first night she had slept like the dead and had not even eaten dinner with him.
Rubbing her face, Li Yang threw back the blanket and got out of bed.
Barefoot, she walked into the bathroom.
After quickly washing up and changing clothes, she headed downstairs.
Aunt Zhou was busy in the living room. Hearing footsteps, she looked up and smiled.
“Madam is awake? Did you sleep well?”
Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Li Yang nodded.
“Pretty well. Um… where’s Xie Zongxu?”
“Sir left early this morning. He went to the company.”
Putting down what she was doing, Aunt Zhou walked toward the dining room as she spoke.
“Before leaving, Sir specifically instructed us to let you sleep a little longer. Breakfast has been kept warm for you.”
Li Yang followed her into the dining room and looked at the table.
It was filled with breakfast dishes.
Porridge, side dishes, fried eggs, bread.
A combination of Chinese and Western cuisine.
Everything imaginable was there.
“Isn’t this a little too much?”
“Sir was worried you might not be used to the food here, so he had everything prepared.”
Aunt Zhou smiled as she served her a bowl of porridge.
“Try this preserved egg and lean pork porridge. Sir specifically requested it. He said people from Beijing like to eat this in the morning.”
Li Yang accepted the bowl.
After taking a spoonful, she discovered it really was the familiar taste she knew.
“What time did he leave?”
“Around seven-thirty.”
Aunt Zhou stood nearby.
“When Sir left, he also said you should take it easy today. If you want to go sightseeing, the driver can take you. He knows all the fun places.”
Li Yang was momentarily stunned.
Her original plan had been simple.
Xie Zongxu would go to work, and she would spend the day exploring Singapore on her own.
After all, they had seven days together. They could not spend every day sitting around staring at each other.
Yet she had not expected him to arrange even that.
“Did he say what time he’d be back tonight?”
Aunt Zhou shook her head.
“Sir didn’t say. But he’s usually very busy. Sometimes he comes home late. Does Madam need something from him?”
Li Yang shook her head.
“Nothing. I was just asking.”
She lowered her head and continued eating her porridge, but her thoughts had already drifted elsewhere.
Since he had arranged everything, there was even less reason for her to be polite.
After breakfast, she went upstairs, changed into an outfit suitable for going out, and packed a few things before heading downstairs to find Aunt Zhou.
“Aunt Zhou, I’d like to go out and look around. Would it be possible to call the driver?”
Aunt Zhou was cleaning up in the kitchen. Hearing this, she immediately wiped her hands and came out.
“Of course, of course. I’ll call Uncle Chen right away. Where would Madam like to go?”
Li Yang thought for a moment.
“Chinatown. I heard it’s pretty lively there.”
Aunt Zhou smiled and nodded.
“Alright. I’ll have Uncle Chen take you there. It’s a wonderful place, and there are lots of good things to eat.”
Ten minutes later, Li Yang was seated in the black Maybach.
The driver was a middle-aged man in his fifties.
He was not particularly talkative, but he was friendly.
Along the way, he casually introduced Singapore’s customs and local culture to Li Yang, explaining where the best places to visit and eat were.
He spoke knowledgeably and with great enthusiasm.