Han Junshao and Fu Tang both understood Shang Chenzhou’s temper.
They didn’t dare continue the topic.
Xiao Yan looked at them thoughtfully, unable to understand why President Han and President Fu had such strong opinions about President Shang’s wife.
Saturday morning.
Shang Chenzhou dragged his exhausted body back to the apartment.
After entering, he found the place unusually quiet.
He thought Fang Xihe was still asleep, so he quietly took off his coat, hung it up, and walked inside.
No one was on the bed.
The bathroom door was open, clearly empty.
The kitchen also showed no sign of Fang Xihe.
He took out his phone and called her.
It rang for quite a while before being picked up.
Fang Xihe’s voice came from the other end. “Husband, what’s up?”
Shang Chenzhou said, “Where did you go?”
Only then did Fang Xihe remember she hadn’t told him about working on Saturdays.
“I’m at the company. From now on, we have to work Saturdays, so it’s a single day off each week.”
A trace of displeasure flashed across Shang Chenzhou’s face.
“Do you get off work at the usual time? I’ll come pick you up.”
Fang Xihe originally wanted to say no, but remembering that she was currently acting like someone deeply in love, she replied sweetly, “I get off at 5:30. I’ll wait for you.”
Shang Chenzhou pressed his lips together and hung up.
Fang Xihe shivered at the goosebumps on her arms, put away her phone, and returned to her workstation to continue working.
Shang Chenzhou took a shower, set an alarm, and lay down on the bed.
The blanket still carried Fang Xihe’s scent, faint and pleasant.
At 5:30 in the afternoon, Fang Xihe immediately shut down her computer and headed out.
Just as she reached the company entrance, her phone rang.
It was Wang Yuan.
She hesitated for a moment before answering. “Wang Yuan.”
“Xihe, Feifei and I are having a hotpot tonight. Want to come?”
Fang Xihe looked up and saw that tall figure under the streetlight outside. Handsome and upright, even in ordinary clothes, his presence stood out.
Among the crowd, he was the center of attention.
She said, “No, Shang Chenzhou is picking me up. I’ve been tired all day and just want to go home and rest.”
There was a brief pause on the other end before Wang Yuan asked, “You two made up?”
Fang Xihe guessed Wang Yuan must have heard about their recent argument from Zhan Feifei.
After all, she had asked Feifei for Shang Chenzhou’s company address before.
She glanced at the figure outside again.
“Yeah.”
“I won’t talk anymore. I need to catch the subway.”
“…Oh, okay.”
Wang Yuan hung up and said to Zhan Feifei, “Xihe’s not coming.”
Zhan Feifei replied, “I told you not to call. It’s the weekend. Of course she wants to spend time alone with Shang Chenzhou.”
Wang Yuan forced a stiff smile.
Fang Xihe put her phone into her bag.
She wasn’t the original host and wasn’t close to Wang Yuan or Zhan Feifei, so she didn’t want to join them.
She adjusted her expression and jogged toward Shang Chenzhou.
“Husband.”
Shang Chenzhou coughed lightly and looked away.
Fang Xihe took the initiative to hook her arm around his. “You don’t like me calling you husband?”
“No.”
He just wasn’t used to it.
“Since you like it, I’ll keep calling you that. Husband, let’s go borrow a car.”
“Mm.”
The two returned to the apartment.
Shang Chenzhou went straight into the kitchen to cook.
After working six days in a row, Fang Xihe felt half-dead. After changing into home clothes, she collapsed onto the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Just as she was about to zone out, Zhang Junhua called.
She couldn’t keep ignoring her forever.
She answered and held the phone to her ear.
The background on Zhang Junhua’s side was noisy as she shouted, “Xihe, your father and I came to Jiangcheng to see you. We just got off the high-speed train. Send me your address so we can take a taxi over.”
Fang Xihe froze.
It felt like the sky had collapsed.
Her exhaustion vanished instantly as she shot to her feet, her voice cracking, “Why did you come?”
The commotion was loud enough that Shang Chenzhou came out of the kitchen, wearing a checkered apron and holding a spatula.
“What’s wrong?”
Fang Xihe rushed over, pushed him back into the kitchen, and slammed the door shut.
Shang Chenzhou’s expression darkened.
But Fang Xihe had no time to care.
Zhang Junhua hadn’t heard the male voice and continued shouting, “Stop wasting time. Send the address quickly. We’re waiting for a taxi.”
Then she hung up.
Fang Xihe rushed into the kitchen. “Shang Chenzhou, we’re doomed. My parents are here!”
“What do I do? They want my address. How am I supposed to explain that I’m living with you? They’ll definitely explode.”
She paced anxiously.
Suddenly, she thought of something.
She turned and grabbed Shang Chenzhou’s arm, looking at him hopefully. “Can you temporarily stay at the company?”
Shang Chenzhou lowered his gaze at her without speaking.
His eyes were so heavy that it made her afraid.
Fang Xihe bit her lip.
Great. The relationship they had just repaired was ruined again.
He hadn’t come home for a week, and the moment he returned, she was driving him away. Of course he would be angry.
His presence was too overwhelming.
Fang Xihe wondered if she should just confess to Zhang Junhua to avoid being pushed into blind dates later.
At that moment, Shang Chenzhou pulled his arm away and walked out silently.
He took out a large black suitcase from under the bed, opened the wardrobe, and began packing his clothes one by one.
Then he went to the bathroom and packed his toiletries.
Throughout the entire process, he didn’t say a single word.
Fang Xihe felt extremely guilty.
She felt like a terrible person.
Zhang Junhua sent a voice message.
Fang Xihe didn’t listen and simply sent the apartment address.
A few minutes later.
Shang Chenzhou dragged the suitcase to the door and reached for the handle.
Looking at his back, Fang Xihe felt something stir in her heart. She ran over and hugged him from behind.
“Husband, don’t go. I’ll tell my parents the truth later.”
The gloom in Shang Chenzhou’s eyes slowly faded. He turned around, cupped her face, and kissed her.
Their lips met, their breaths intertwined.
Fang Xihe’s eyes widened in shock.
This was the first time Shang Chenzhou had taken the initiative to kiss her.
No, the second time.
The first time, she had rejected him.
Her lips were gently nibbled, her teeth pried apart.
A completely different experience.
Their heartbeats were intense and unmistakable.
A current ran through her entire body, sending shivers everywhere.
Fang Xihe clenched his shirt tightly, her heart pounding.
After an unknown amount of time, Shang Chenzhou slowly pulled away.
His dark eyes were deep and intense, as if they could swallow her whole.
His rough fingertips brushed over her slightly swollen lips as he said in a low voice, “I’m leaving.”
He took the suitcase and left the apartment.
Fang Xihe’s mind felt dazed.
His compromise filled her with guilt.
But this wasn’t the time to dwell on it.
She checked the apartment thoroughly to make sure none of his belongings were left.
Then she noticed a pair of men’s underwear and socks hanging on the balcony.
She quickly took them down and stuffed them into the deepest part of a cabinet.
Half an hour later, Zhang Junhua and Fang Daqiang arrived.
Fang Xihe welcomed them inside.
Zhang Junhua looked around the small apartment and asked, “Weren’t you sharing a place before? Why are you living alone now? This must cost a lot, right?”