Meanwhile, Xia Zhi returned to the bedroom dejectedly. She pushed open the door and saw Wen Shihan sitting on the sofa reading. His slender fingers flipped through the pages, making a soft rustling sound in the quiet room. The warm yellow light fell on him, giving him an elegant and noble glow, like an untouchable deity.
Wen Shihan seemed to hear her come in. He raised his head and looked toward her. Perhaps it was the soft yellow light, but the sharp edge in his eyes had softened, and his whole demeanor appeared unusually gentle.
Xia Zhi’s heart skipped a beat.
She quickly looked away, grabbed the pajamas she had bought today, and hurried into the bathroom. This time her pajamas were long sleeved and long pants, so there should not be another awkward incident like before.
After her shower, Xia Zhi came out while drying her hair and started looking for a hairdryer. She had searched for a long time in the bathroom but could not find it, so it must be somewhere in the bedroom. She carefully opened every cabinet in the room. Suddenly, a large wardrobe caught her attention.
It should be in here, right?
She opened it with anticipation. A box inside suddenly rolled out and landed by Wen Shihan’s feet. The lid popped open, revealing what was inside.
A pair of silver handcuffs, a black leather whip, and various indescribable items in different colors and sizes.
Xia Zhi: “…”
Wen Shihan’s gaze shifted over at that moment.
Xia Zhi quickly grabbed a blanket and covered the items, then shut the cabinet door in a hurry. She sneaked a glance toward Wen Shihan. He had already lowered his gaze back to the book, as if he had not seen anything. Xia Zhi let out a quiet breath of relief.
However,
“The hairdryer is in the top drawer of the bedside cabinet.”
Xia Zhi followed his directions, opened the drawer, and took out the hairdryer. But just as she plugged it in and was about to use it, she froze.
Her boss had also come from twenty years ago, so how did he know exactly where the hairdryer was? Could it be that he had already opened all the cabinets in the room? Maybe he had already seen those items earlier. Otherwise, with all the noise she just made, how could he remain completely unfazed?
Maybe he had seen even more things in those cabinets.
Xia Zhi’s face flushed instantly, even her hand holding the hairdryer trembling slightly.
“Do you want me to help you dry it?” Wen Shihan flipped a page of his book, his cool voice breaking the quiet.
Xia Zhi, “…” She did not expect her boss to tease her.
Suppressing her embarrassment, she said, “No need.”
She quickly turned on the hairdryer. The loud humming sound filled the bedroom, breaking the silence and easing the awkwardness.
After drying her hair, she heard knocking at the door. Wen Yi and Wen Le’s voices came from outside. “Mom, Dad, it’s us.”
Xia Zhi put down the hairdryer and opened the door. Outside, Wen Yi and Wen Le stood holding their pillows, their bright eyes blinking up at her.
“What are you two doing?”
The two children walked into the bedroom with their pillows. Wen Le said, “Mom, Dad, we want to sleep with you tonight.”
Xia Zhi, “…”
Wen Yi placed her pillow on the bed and turned around. “Mom, didn’t you want to sleep with me?”
Xia Zhi, “Yes, but…”
She had meant going to Wen Yi’s room to sleep with her, not having Wen Yi and Wen Le come here to sleep with her.
And when Wen Le said he wanted to sleep with both her and Wen Shihan tonight, it could not be what she was thinking, right?
Before she could finish that thought, Wen Yi and Wen Le, like two busy little bees, moved Wen Shihan’s pillow and blanket from the sofa onto the bed right in front of their stunned parents.
They moved everything
onto
the bed.
Xia Zhi, “…”
Wen Shihan, “…”
Xia Zhi was so shocked her jaw nearly dropped.
Wen Yi and Wen Le lay down in the middle of the bed and patted the space beside them. “Mom, Dad, come here.”
Xia Zhi stood there, feeling conflicted. “This…”
“Mom, I really want to sleep with you tonight.” Wen Le tugged at her arm, his innocent face making it impossible to refuse.
Every member of the Wen family was good at acting spoiled.
Wen Yi added, “We haven’t slept with you in a long time.”
“And you and Dad are husband and wife, it’s not appropriate to sleep separately, right?”
Xia Zhi felt like she had just been lectured by a seven year old.
Husband and wife should not sleep separately, that was true, but she and her boss were a special case. Sleeping separately was understandable.
Seeing that neither Xia Zhi nor Wen Shihan moved, Wen Yi and Wen Le exchanged a mischievous look. They jumped off the bed and dragged both of them onto it.
Xia Zhi did not even know how it happened. By the time she came back to her senses, she was already lying on the bed together with Wen Yi, Wen Le, and Wen Shihan.
Thankfully, Wen Yi and Wen Le lay in the middle, while she and Wen Shihan were on opposite sides. Otherwise, it would have been unbearably awkward.
The lights in the bedroom were turned off, leaving only the warm bedside lamps glowing softly. Xia Zhi lay there staring at the ceiling, so nervous she barely dared to blink.
She was lying on the same bed as her boss.
Even with two children between them, they were still on the same bed. She could almost hear his breathing.
Wen Yi played with Xia Zhi’s fingers, then suddenly let out a puzzled sound. “Mom, where is your ring?”
Xia Zhi froze for a moment, unsure how to answer.
When she woke up, she had been wearing a ring. Inside the wedding band was engraved “W&X eternal heart,” and it was obvious what the W and X stood for. Later, Xia Zhi felt too embarrassed, so she took the ring off and placed it in the jewelry box on the bedside table. She had not expected Wen Yi to bring it up now.
Over there, Wen Le also picked up Wen Shihan’s hand and examined his fingers closely, then said, “Dad, you’re not wearing a wedding ring either.”
Xia Zhi slightly lifted herself and glanced toward Wen Shihan. His face was bathed in warm light, softening even his usually sharp features.
His expression did not change at all. His calm voice drifted through the quiet air as he said, “I’ll wear it later.”
Xia Zhi: “…”
Boss, you agreed way too quickly. At least struggle a little first.
“Dad, you said it.”
“I said it.”
Wen Yi played with Xia Zhi’s bare fingers and hinted, “Mom, Dad said he’ll wear a wedding ring.”
Xia Zhi truly did not expect her boss, Wen Shihan, to become so lacking in principles. Whatever the children said, he agreed to it. Wasn’t that putting her on the spot?
But when her gaze fell on the faint strands of gray in Wen Shihan’s hair, she suddenly felt relieved. Wen Shihan was already fifty this year, and Wen Yi and Wen Le were children he had later in life. Men seemed to have especially little resistance when it came to children born in their later years.
Forget it. She should understand the excitement of an older man having children later in life.
Xia Zhi relaxed and lay back down, saying, “Alright, I’ll wear one too.”
“Mom, will you forget us forever?” Wen Yi rolled into Xia Zhi’s arms and hugged her tightly. Under the soft lighting, her eyes seemed to glisten with moisture.
Xia Zhi: “…”
Perhaps the night simply made people more sentimental. Xia Zhi sighed and told a kind lie, “No, I’ll remember soon.”
“Then hurry and remember, Mom.”
“Okay.”
Seeing how readily Xia Zhi agreed, the tension in Wen Yi and Wen Le’s hearts eased a little. They did not dwell on the issue anymore and changed the topic to stories about their family, mainly about her and Wen Shihan.
This was the first time since Xia Zhi arrived in her twenties that she received such a dense amount of information all at once. From Wen Yi and Wen Le’s narration, she learned for the first time that she and Wen Shihan had once been deeply in love. So in love that they were inseparable at all times. So in love that he would send her flowers every single day. So in love that he used multiple drones to write her name across the sky. So in love that he took her traveling all over the country and around the world…
Xia Zhi slightly raised herself and glanced at her boss. Her boss… did not seem like someone capable of such romance…
Wen Le and Wen Yi continued chattering. The room was extremely quiet, filled only with the voices of the two children. As their storytelling went on, Xia Zhi’s expression of shock never faded, and her mind kept repeating: “Those incredibly romantic things were actually done by the boss?”
At one moment, she even had the thought: “So they were once that deeply in love.”
But right after that thought, she suddenly shuddered and snapped back to her senses. Why were these two children only talking about her and Wen Shihan, instead of the whole family? Could it be that they were subtly trying to brainwash her and Wen Shihan, making them believe they had once been deeply in love, so as to shake their current completely unfamiliar relationship?
At that realization, Xia Zhi broke out in a slight cold sweat. These kids were only seven, how could they have so many schemes?
As expected of the boss’s children. Their intelligence and cunning were practically a copy of him. She had almost fallen into their trap.
“Don’t just talk about me and your dad. Tell me about yourselves too. I’m more interested in that,” she said.
Wen Yi and Wen Le exchanged a glance, both seeing the words “plan failed” in each other’s eyes. They had not expected Mom to snap out of it so quickly.
Left with no choice, they temporarily set aside their plan and followed Xia Zhi’s lead, talking about interesting things in their family.
By the end, Wen Yi grew sleepy. Her eyelids drooped, then struggled open, only to droop again. Yet her small, lovely mouth kept talking. Xia Zhi gently patted her shoulder and said, “If you’re sleepy, go to sleep.”
“But I still have so much I want to tell you, Mom.”
Xia Zhi smiled and said, “I’m not going anywhere. We’ll have plenty of time to talk in the future.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Wen Yi wrapped her arms around Xia Zhi’s waist, snuggled her small body into her embrace, and slowly closed her eyes. With a faint smile still on her lips, she murmured, “Then I’m relieved.”
Xia Zhi let out a soft laugh.
“Mom, is little sister asleep?” Wen Le crawled over and asked, blinking his bright eyes.
Xia Zhi nodded and pulled the blanket over him. “It’s late. You should go to sleep too.”
“Okay.” Wen Le suddenly said, “Mom, Dad, can you take us to and from school on Monday? It’s been a long time since you’ve done that.”
Actually, it had not been that long. Xia Zhi and Wen Shihan had always taken care of their children personally. Only when they occasionally went out would they ask Assistant Song to help pick up and drop off Wen Yu, Wen Lun, Wen Yi, and Wen Le.
As soon as Wen Le finished speaking, Xia Zhi and Wen Shihan exchanged a glance at the same time, then quietly looked away, as if that moment of eye contact had never happened.
“What time?” Wen Shihan’s deep voice sounded in the dark night. “What time do you need to be taken to school?”
A flash of delight appeared in Wen Le’s eyes. “Dad, you agreed?”
“Mm.”
What was there not to agree to?
Besides, they were his children now. Even though everything before him felt unfamiliar, he would still take responsibility where it was due.
“We need to be at school by 8 a.m.”
“Got it.”
“Mom, you can take us too, right?”
“Of course.”
…
Today was Monday, the day to take the children to school.
On Saturday night, Wen Yi and Wen Le had insisted on sleeping with Xia Zhi and Wen Shihan. On Sunday night, they tried the same trick again, but this time Wen Shihan sent them back to their own room.
At six in the morning, Xia Zhi lifted the soft, warm blanket. She walked to the bathroom in the bedroom and pushed the door open, only to freeze the moment she saw who was inside.
Wen Shihan was shaving. White foam covered the area around his lips, and his long fingers held an electric razor as he carefully removed the foam. It was a very simple action, yet he carried it out with elegance and charm. Though his hair had already turned gray, time had not carved signs of weariness onto his face. Instead, he appeared even more composed and captivating.
Xia Zhi had never understood why some women would fall for a fifty-year-old man. Now, looking at Wen Shihan, she finally had her answer.
A handsome man remains handsome even when he grows old.
Wen Shihan seemed to have heard the door open. He raised his head, and their eyes met in the bright reflection of the mirror.
Xia Zhi forced a stiff smile and said, “Boss, you’re up this early too.”
Wen Shihan gave a soft “mm” and lowered his head again to continue shaving.
For a moment, Xia Zhi did not know whether to go in or retreat, and ended up stuck at the doorway.
“Are you not coming in?” Wen Shihan glanced at her.
Her feet reacted faster than her brain. By the time she was standing in front of the sink, Xia Zhi bit her lip in frustration.
As expected, the aftereffects of being an employee were endless. The moment Wen Shihan spoke in that commanding tone, her body instinctively obeyed him.
Xia Zhi reached for the white rinsing cup on the left side of the sink. When she saw the words printed on it, “Zhizhi, the beloved wife of Hanhan,” goosebumps instantly rose all over her body. Next to it was a black rinsing cup, printed with “Hanhan, the beloved husband of Zhizhi.”
They were a pair of couple cups.
Even the toothbrushes, towels, and clothes were all matching couple items.
When Xia Zhi first saw them, she had been shocked, and then that shock turned into disbelief.
She simply could not understand.
Did a middle-aged couple really have to be this lovey-dovey?
Xia Zhi turned on the tap and filled the cup with water, then switched on the electric toothbrush. For a moment, the bathroom was filled with the buzzing sound of the machine, and oddly enough, she found the noise somewhat harmonious.
Neither of them disturbed the other, each busy with their own routine.
Wen Shihan pushed the bathroom door open and left. Xia Zhi squeezed out some facial cleanser and began washing her face. When she finished and stepped out as well, her feet froze once again.
In front of the large full-length mirror, Wen Shihan stood in a perfectly tailored black suit, calmly tying his tie. The suit fit him impeccably, accentuating his upright posture and refined aura, making him even more distinguished and captivating, enough to leave people completely mesmerized.
No wonder so many women used to throw themselves at him.
Even if he were not the CEO of Wenyue Group, he would still be enough to enchant countless women.
But was this outfit not a bit too formal?
Then Xia Zhi thought about it and found it understandable. Although the children were already older, today was Wen Shihan’s first time taking them to school. He must be taking it very seriously.
Since Wen Shihan was putting in this much effort, Xia Zhi certainly would not fall behind. She quickly put on her makeup, changed into a stylish outfit, and looked both beautiful and full of energy. Walking on the street, she would definitely attract plenty of attention.
Xia Zhi went to knock on each child’s door. When Wen Lun saw his parents standing at the doorway, he let out a loud whistle and shouted, “Mom, Dad, you’re dressed so formally today, you could walk the red carpet.”
Xia Zhi smiled faintly. As she turned to knock on Wen Yu’s door, it opened almost immediately. Wen Yu stood there in a blue school uniform, a black backpack slung over one shoulder, looking clean-cut and handsome, like a boy straight out of a painting. At just seventeen, he already had the kind of presence that could leave a lasting impression.
“Big brother, can you stop acting so cool?” Wen Lun could not help but run his mouth again.
Wen Yu narrowed his eyes and looked at him dangerously. Wen Lun quickly hid behind Wen Shihan and said, “Big brother, don’t do anything rash.”
Xia Zhi shook her head.
Wen Lun really was the type who was weak but loved to provoke trouble.
She then went to Wen Le and Wen Yi’s room. The two little ones were still sleeping soundly. Wen Shihan went to wake Wen Le, while Xia Zhi went to wake Wen Yi.
Xia Zhi gently pushed open Wen Yi’s door. The room was dim. She turned on the light, and Wen Yi let out a soft murmur before continuing to sleep.
Walking to the bedside, Xia Zhi gently nudged her. “Yiyi, wake up, it’s time for school.”
“I don’t want to.” Wen Yi turned over and buried her face into the blanket, refusing to get up, as if she was getting back at them for not letting her sleep with them the night before.
Xia Zhi: “…”
Left with no choice, Xia Zhi resorted to force. She pulled Wen Yi up from the bed. “You can’t sleep anymore, or you’ll be late for school.”
Wen Yi was as slippery as an eel. She quickly wriggled free from Xia Zhi’s grip and rolled back into the warm, comfortable blanket.
Xia Zhi thought for a moment. Then she quietly slipped her index finger under Wen Yi’s arm and gently tickled her. Pretending to sleep no longer worked. Wen Yi burst into laughter, giggling uncontrollably as she begged for mercy. “Mom, I’m getting up, I’m getting up, okay?”
Xia Zhi had only been trying it out, but she did not expect Wen Yi to be just as ticklish as she was. At that moment, she felt a little more balanced. Finally, the child resembled her in at least one way.
Wen Yi sat up. After a night’s sleep, her hair was a complete mess, like a bird’s nest, and Xia Zhi had to suppress her laughter with great effort.
Xia Zhi had always loved dressing up since she was young, so styling her daughter was no challenge at all. She combed Wen Yi’s messy hair straight and braided it into two plaits. In the mirror, Wen Yi’s fair skin and delicate features made her look already stunning at such a young age.
Xia Zhi had to admit that Wen Shihan’s genes were excellent. Every one of the children was exceptionally good-looking. If they had taken after her, they might still be attractive, but not with that kind of striking beauty at first glance.
“Are you done?” Wen Shihan knocked lightly on the door with his knuckles.
Xia Zhi followed the sound and looked over, only to see Wen Shihan standing at the doorway holding Wen Le in his arms. Wen Le rested against his shoulder, eyes closed, sleeping soundly. His cheeks were flushed with two adorable patches of pink, so cute that one could not resist wanting to pinch them.
Xia Zhi paused, momentarily stunned by Wen Shihan’s unexpectedly gentle, fatherly side. She had not expected him to carry a child like that.
When Wen Yi saw Wen Shihan holding Wen Le, her heart stirred. She raised both arms and blinked her bright, doe-like eyes at Xia Zhi. “Mom, I want to be carried too.”
Xia Zhi crouched slightly. Wen Yi happily ran over and wrapped her arms around Xia Zhi’s neck. Xia Zhi placed her hands on Wen Yi’s waist and was just about to lift her when a strong arm reached over and took Wen Yi out of her embrace.
Xia Zhi stared in shock at Wen Shihan, who was now holding two seven-year-old children. These were not toddlers, they were seven years old, yet he could carry both of them at once.
Seeing Wen Shihan heading downstairs with the two children, Xia Zhi quickly said, “Let me carry Wen Yi.”
“No need.”
In her haste, Xia Zhi blurted out, “Boss, you’re not young anymore, be careful not to hurt your back.”
Wen Shihan turned around and looked at her with a deep, steady gaze. The storm gathering in his eyes made Xia Zhi’s heart skip a beat. Oh no, she had said the wrong thing.
Wen Shihan said, “Don’t worry, even adding you in, I still wouldn’t hurt my back.”
Xia Zhi: “…”
Boss, when did you start making dry jokes?