Wen Xiayue didn’t understand.
Qi Lanzhou repeated himself, “Your phone! Give it to me!”
Pouting, Wen Xiayue replied, “It’s in the room. I didn’t bring it with me.”
Qi Lanzhou walked past her and headed straight into the room. After scanning the surroundings, his gaze landed on the nightstand.
Wen Xiayue’s phone was right there.
He picked it up and unlocked the screen—only to find it password-protected.
Pausing, he turned to look at her.
“Unlock it.”
“No.” Wen Xiayue refused immediately.
Is this guy sick or something?
He wants to check my phone just because of a disagreement? What is he trying to do?
Does he want to find out where I heard all those rumors?
No way! That would totally expose the employees at Qi Corporation!
What if he takes his anger out on them?
She rushed over to snatch the phone back.
“If you and Fang Yun are really innocent, why do you care what other people think? Give me my phone!”
Qi Lanzhou raised his arm, holding the phone high above her reach.
She stood on tiptoe but was still far from reaching it. Her cheeks puffed up in frustration.
Taking advantage of the moment, Qi Lanzhou wrapped an arm around her waist.
Realizing she was being restrained, Wen Xiayue suddenly threw her body forward. Caught off guard, Qi Lanzhou lost his balance and fell backward onto the bed.
Her face landed on his chest.
At that moment, his heart was beating unusually fast.
Wen Xiayue shifted upward, bringing her face close to his chin. Her soft lips brushed against his cheek.
Qi Lanzhou froze completely.
What is she doing?
Is she kissing me?
How could she possibly take the initiative to kiss me?
Instinctively, he closed his eyes, preparing to accept the kiss.
But things didn’t go as he imagined.
The phone in his hand was suddenly snatched away.
Holding her reclaimed phone, Wen Xiayue flashed a sly grin, shoved him aside, and quickly climbed off him.
An inexplicable wave of irritation surged through Qi Lanzhou.
He stood up and left the room.
The moment he was gone, Wen Xiayue opened WeChat and deleted every message in that gossip group.
Just in case Qi Lanzhou ever saw them.
That man seemed incredibly petty.
She also deleted her chat history with Ning Yao.
Five o’clock sharp.
The driver was already waiting at the entrance.
As Wen Xiayue stepped outside, she noticed two Siberian tigers near a rock garden having their dinner.
A keeper stood outside the enclosure, using long tongs to pass fresh chunks of meat through the fence.
Though raised in a private estate, the tigers still retained the dignity of kings of beasts. Neither fought nor competed. Each occupied its own territory, leisurely tearing into bone-in meat.
Wen Xiayue stood on the steps watching for a while.
One tiger clamped down on a piece of meat, its amber eyes half-closed as it let out a satisfied rumble.
“Looks like you’re enjoying that,” she muttered, absentmindedly touching her still-flat stomach.
It was strange.
Ever since becoming pregnant, everything seemed to make her think about food.
Watching tigers eat meat made her hungry.
Food commercials on TV made her hungry.
Even when Aunt Wang cut fruit in the kitchen, she could smell it and start swallowing saliva.
Aunt Wang hurried over from behind, carrying a small box.
“Madam, the master asked me to prepare this for you. Have something to eat on the way. He said you might not be used to the food at the Wen family’s house and didn’t want you going hungry.”
Wen Xiayue accepted it and opened the box.
Inside were six egg tarts.
“Thank you, Aunt Wang.”
She smiled warmly.
Just then, Qi Lanzhou walked out of the house and glanced at her.
He was the one who had ordered it.
Yet she was thanking Aunt Wang instead.
His face darkened as he walked past her and got into the car.
Holding the box of egg tarts, Wen Xiayue felt utterly baffled.
“Has your master hit menopause or something?”
Aunt Wang blinked.
“That can’t be. He’s only twenty-six.”
“Then maybe it came early.”
Aunt Wang struggled to suppress her laughter, frantically signaling with her eyes.
Wen Xiayue turned around.
Qi Lanzhou was sitting in the car with the window down, staring at her expressionlessly.
The distance wasn’t that close.
But she had a feeling he’d heard every word.
This man’s hearing was ridiculously sharp.
“Madam, hurry and get in the car,” Aunt Wang urged. “Master is waiting for you.”
Only then did Wen Xiayue get in.
Once seated, she opened the box.
The egg tarts were freshly baked and still warm.
Lowering her head, she inhaled deeply.
A rich milky aroma filled her nose. The flaky pastry layers were perfectly crisp, slightly browned at the edges, while the custard center trembled softly like silky pudding.
One bite.
The crust shattered delightfully.
Sweet but not overly rich.
They were even better than the ones sold outside.
Wen Xiayue felt that Aunt Wang could easily open her own bakery.
Turning her head, she realized Qi Lanzhou was still watching her.
She was a little possessive about food.
“There’s barely enough for me. I’m not sharing.”
“I wasn’t planning to take any,” Qi Lanzhou replied.
“Then why do you keep staring at me?”
“I’m wondering whether you can really eat all six in one sitting.”
Wen Xiayue pouted.
“Actually, it’s your son who wants them.”
“Son?”
“Yep. Your son has a huge appetite. One egg tart isn’t even enough to fill the gaps between his teeth.”
“How do you know it’s a boy?”
“I’m guessing.”
“Guessing?”
“Yeah. Don’t you want a son?” She tilted her head. “Aren’t rich families always hoping for a son to inherit the family business?”
Qi Lanzhou looked away and answered calmly,
“A daughter would be fine too.”
Wen Xiayue paused.
“You like daughters?”
Qi Lanzhou wanted to say:
Son or daughter, it doesn’t matter. As long as it’s yours.
But he remained silent.
Leaning back against his seat, he closed his eyes to rest.
Seeing this, Wen Xiayue stopped talking and quietly finished two egg tarts.
Afterward, her fingers felt sticky.
She lowered her head, looking for tissues.
Glancing toward Qi Lanzhou, she noticed a packet beside his thigh.
His eyes were still closed, seemingly asleep.
“Hubby?” she called softly.
No response.
Deciding to help herself, she leaned across to grab the tissues.
But the space inside the car was limited.
And the tissues were right next to his leg.
Afraid of accidentally touching him, she stretched herself into an awkward position, barely managing to brush the edge of the packet with her fingertips.
Just as she was about to grab it—
The car suddenly turned a corner.
Her body lurched forward.
She landed directly on Qi Lanzhou’s lap.
Her gaze instantly locked onto a very noticeable bulge.
Holy crap!
That’s huge!
Qi Lanzhou’s eyes snapped open.
“What are you doing?” he asked coldly.
Wen Xiayue looked up at him.
“If I said I didn’t mean it, would you believe me?”