Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

Qi Chengzhi asked unsympathetically, “Aren"t you going down?”

Song Yu came back to her senses abruptly. She turned to look at him, but he did not do the same. All he did was allow her to see the cold expression of his side profile.

With her eyes looking down, Song Yu stretched her hand over to him slowly. His hand—the fingers of which were well-defined and resting themselves on the gear s.h.i.+ft—was covered by her hands, but he remained aloof and did not grasp it.

She sighed softly and was only able to say, “Please be careful on the road. Call me when you"re home, or text me, I"m okay with that too. I"m sorry about that.”

Qi Chengzhi looked askance at her and continued being cold. His enigmatic eyes made her unable to see his true mood, but in any case, at least he was willing to look at her.

Song Yu leaned forward and kissed his thin, delicate, and tightly shut lips. There was no response from him, only coldness.

She sighed, and with a heavy heart, carried all the ingredients down from the car.

As soon as she steadied herself and closed the door, Qi Chengzhi started the car immediately and drove away without waiting for her.

Song Yu looked on as the rear of the car slowly disappeared from view. She turned around only after that.

Upon reaching home, she sorted out all the things she bought as discovered that there was a CK bag inside. Qi Chengzhi had placed his briefs inside, and when she opened the bag to look inside, she noticed another small plastic bag. When she opened the small bag, she saw that it contained the Durex that he had bought so conveniently.

A red-faced Song Yu knew that Song Donglin and Yu Qianying would be reaching soon. She did not dare to let them see that thing, so she grabbed it and stuffed it inside her bag. Her hands even felt hot when she was holding it.

After that, she took the few CK briefs out of the bag and placed them in the drawer where she kept her undergarments.

Arranged together, the distinctness of men"s and women"s undergarments were obvious. Hers were thin, small, and patterned with lace, while his were solid black boxer briefs. Organizing those garments in such a way made it seem like they were living together, and it felt like a whole new kind of intimacy.

However, her head was hurting from the expression Qi Chengzhi had when she left.

During that sequence of events, she seemed to notice a hint of devastation in his eyes.

Before she could go deep in her thoughts, her parents had come knocking on the door. Song Yu ran to open it and pretended that she was in complete shock. “Dad, mom, why are you here?”

“Isn"t this your first day of work after the holidays? We remembered that you were alone and you"d have no food at home, so we bought some vegetables, meat, and fruit for you.” Yu Qianying and Song Donglin carried the bags and went in one after the other. Song Yu had guessed their intentions correctly.

Yu Qianying took the stuff from Song Donglin and walked into the kitchen, only to find that there were some groceries on the floor.

Her shocked voice came ringing from the kitchen. “You"ve grown up, haven"t you? You"re so independent now, and you even know how to buy your own groceries.”

“Mom, don"t trouble yourself. Let me do it. Go rest with dad.” Song Yu entered the kitchen and saw Yu Qianying gathering up the things that had just been bought and placing them one by one into the fridge.

“What trouble are you talking about? You"re the one who"s been at work all day. Your dad and I are retired and we don"t have anything to do. You should be the one resting.” Yu Qianying shooed Song Yu out of the kitchen and did everything by herself.

Song Yu went to the living room and accompanied Song Donglin. She surmised that it was about time Qi Chengzhi reached home, but still, she did not receive any news from him.

When both her parents had finished dinner and were about to leave, Song Yu was reminded of when she saw them walking out of the cramped public bus while carrying so many things. She took out a hundred and gave Yu Qianying. “Dad, mom, take a taxi back. It"s too late to be using public transport.”

“Taking a taxi home will cost a lot at this hour. Why waste that money? You can use it to eat something a bit better.” Yu Qianying refused it.

“Mom, I"ve already gotten the project for Qilin"s hotel, haven"t I? Once it"s done, and I"m paid, I can even buy a car, so why can"t I afford to pay for the taxi? Keep it. It"s late, it"s cold out there, and it"s a pain to wait for public transport. And also, didn"t I give you some living expenses? Don"t just think about saving them. Enjoy a little when it"s appropriate.” Song Yu stuffed the money stubbornly into Yu Qianying"s hands.

“It"s not easy for you to earn money. I thought about saving up some for your dowry.” Yu Qianying was muttering under her breath, but Song Yu heard everything clearly.

Yu Qianying saved half of the monthly living expenses that Song Yu gave.

“Alright, our child insists on it, so we might as well keep it and take a taxi back home.” Song Donglin helped Yu Qianying keep the cash so Song Yu would feel at ease.

Song Yu, however, was not at ease. She decided to send them off herself by calling a taxi for them. It was only when she saw them get in the car and leave that she finally felt at ease.

She wrapped her overcoat tightly because the wind made her feel cold. She then took out her phone and walked back home while calling Qi Chengzhi.

The phone rang a few times but was cut off.

He had declined her call before when his temper was flaring. She surmised that his temper was probably acting up again.

Song Yu persevered and decided to send him a short text. “Have you eaten?”

She thought about how he went home alone. The original plan was to cook dinner for him since everything they bought was food that he liked.

By then, however, she had finished her meal, but she did not know if he had a proper dinner.

Song Yu stared at the phone as she went up to the building. If he did not reply to her messages, did she have to go all the way to find him?

As soon as she opened the door, a call came. She looked at her phone: it was none other than the man who had been ignoring her calls and messages.

Song Yu had just picked the call up, and before she could say anything, she heard his sarcastic voice. “Are you coming to cook for me if I haven"t eaten?”

His mature voice did a better job at sarcasm than most other people.

Qi Chengzhi"s words stirred Song Yu"s emotions and caused a sudden impetuousness to surge forth from her heart.

Before she could think clearly, she took her bag, went into the kitchen, and placed all the vegetables into the bag.

Yu Qianying did not touch whatever food that Song Yu and Qi Chengzhi bought earlier.

She wore her shoes while asking him, “Are you home?”

After a while, an unwilling ‘Mm" resounded from her phone.

“Got it.” Song Yu went out and said, “We"ll talk soon,” and promptly hung up.

By the time she calmed herself down, she was already seated inside a taxi. It was too late for her to regret her actions.

Aunt Yang was cleaning the dining room with a rag. While she cleaned, she glanced surrept.i.tiously at Qi Chengzhi eating some dumplings. He took one with his chopsticks and frowned, stuffing them unwillingly into his mouth even though he did not particularly like them.

She had no idea what had happened because at first, he said he would not come home for dinner. In the end, however, he came home by himself with a sullen look on his face. He did not eat anything and even stopped her from making something for him. All he did was take the dumplings out of the fridge and cook them. He clearly did not like to eat them, but he still insisted on chomping down on them.

The doorbell rang and Aunt Yang went to get the door. From the dining hall, Qi Chengzhi heard Aunt Yang"s shocked voice coming from the porch, “Miss Song!”

Qi Chengzhi immediately froze. He threw his chopsticks and stood up. His movements were quite exaggerated, and he nearly toppled the chair over. An ear-piercing screech was produced when the chair"s legs rubbed abruptly against the floor.

He supported himself on the chair and tidied up his appearance. Just before he went out, he stopped and turned back into the kitchen. Taking a knife from the rack, he proceeded to look at his reflection and amend his expression into one that was serious and solemn. Then, he placed the knife back down and walked out with his hands placed inside his pant pockets.

When he reached the living room, Song Yu had already entered the house from the front porch. She had bags of various sizes with her. Qi Chengzhi glanced at them and saw that they were the food which both of them bought together earlier.

Aunt Yang took the vegetables from Song Yu and carried them to the kitchen. Qi Chengzhi simply looked at her without speaking, and Song Yu felt embarra.s.sed.

She came to his home without even bothering to inform him, but it was only when she was inside his home that she questioned whether she had been too spontaneous.

“If…you haven"t eaten. I"ll cook for you,” Song Yu said stubbornly under his intense gaze.

She was wearing a random jacket that she had on when she sent Song Donglin and Yu Qianying off. It was not a proper jacket, slightly old and used only when she wanted to buy something from the shops near her residential area.

There was no scarf around her neck either, and the large neck of her sweater exposed her neck and collarbone. Her face was red from the cold, and her hair was messy. It was difficult to describe her appearance as pretty, but it did make one pity for her.

Qi Chengzhi looked at her sad, gentle eyes. They were seducing him so innocently. His throat moved slightly and he took her bag from her in order to place it on the sofa. He then said, “I haven"t eaten.”

Song Yu breathed a sigh of relief when she knew that she did not come all the way for nothing. She felt a bit guilty that he had yet to eat anything even though it was already so late.

She took off her jacket before entering the kitchen. Then, she saw the dumplings on the table and noticed that a small portion had been eaten.

‘Didn"t he say he hadn"t eaten yet?"

Song Yu stopped in her tracks and looked curiously at Qi Chengzhi.

Qi Chengzhi"s gaze s.h.i.+fted away from the dumplings and he said, “When you came just now, Aunt Yang was having her meal. I don"t particularly like dumplings but I didn"t want to waste them, so I gave them to her.”

Song Yu was not petty: if he did not like them, then she would not force him to eat them. Letting Aunt Yang have them was just perfect.

Soon after placing the vegetables in the kitchen, Aunt Yang was about to let the two of them have their s.p.a.ce. She heard Qi Chengzhi"s words, but instead of feeling ashamed, her expression remained as calm as ever.

“Aunt Yang, I"m so sorry to disturb you having your meal,” Song Yu said embarra.s.sedly.

“Hehe, it"s alright. I"m the one who"s embarra.s.sed since I ate the dumplings that you"ve given to sir.” Aunt Yang smiled.

“It"s fine, it"s all the same no matter who eats it,” Song Yu replied.

“Oh hehe, I won"t be bothering you,” Aunt Yang remarked. She went over to carry the dumplings. “I"ll have them in my room.”

Aunt Yang touched her full belly as she walked out of the dining room. She was quite stuffed after dinner, and just looking at the plate of dumplings made her feel anxious.

Song Yu fastened an ap.r.o.n and opened the cabinet to find the necessary seasonings. She then opened the fridge and saw that it contained all of the food she brought, making her feel as though everything she brought with her was superfluous.

Right when she was was.h.i.+ng the vegetables, she could feel a change in the kitchen"s atmosphere. Even though her back was facing him, she knew that he had come in. Her movements of was.h.i.+ng those vegetables paused momentarily and began slowing down.

She could feel the energy behind her getting more and more obvious, and her heart began beating faster and faster.

She wiped her hands dry and turned to see that Qi Chengzhi was already close to her.

In the wake of his gradual approach toward her, Song Yu leaned on the sink and felt trapped.

His tall figure stood before her and looked extra handsome because he was not wearing his gla.s.ses. He lowered his head and looked quietly at her. There was not a single emotion in his deep eyes, but instead, they had an unwavering steadiness.

Looking at that warm and gentle steadiness made her heartache all of a sudden.

She recalled his reaction when they parted ways earlier. He was a man of such magnificence, but she had to hide him from others.

The calmer and gentler he was, the more she found it hard to bear.

After what seemed like a long and silent gaze, Song Yu felt sore in her throat. Her voice was slightly hoa.r.s.e when she spoke.

“I"m sorry about tonight,” she said softly.

“Am I not fit to be seen by anyone?” he asked in a low voice. There were no undulations in his deep voice, but it made her heart feel like exploding.

“My dad"s a bit better, but my mom"s still resentful toward the Qi family. Before you and I got together, Jian Yi gossiped to my mom, and she came to me asking about you. She didn"t allow us to be together.” Song Yu looked at his calm face. A sudden desire to bury herself in his embrace came over her. Doing so made her feel as though there was nothing to think about or worry about.

“But I know that continuing to keep this a secret isn"t the solution. I"m just worried that my mom wouldn"t agree if they knew.” Song Yu looked up at him worryingly. “What if they disagree?”

Qi Chengzhi looked quietly at her. His large, warm hand held hers tightly, and she could feel the contours of his bones. All of a sudden, her heart was calm.

“When you decide to tell them, I"ll go with you,” he leaned toward her and said softly. There was a certain huskiness in his rich-sounding voice.

“Okay.” With him around, she felt brave and unafraid even if her parents did not agree. He truly did have the ability to make a person feel calm.

Seeing her with flushed cheeks and looking down, Qi Chengzhi lowered his head and kissed her gently on the lips. Her face had been trembling, but her expression soon turned gentle again.

He squeezed her hand before letting her go. Without saying anything further, he walked out of the kitchen and sat in the dining table while reading a newspaper.

Song Yu was able to see him from the kitchen, but within moments of her gazing at him, he looked up from the newspaper and locked his eyes on her. Their gazes were calmly interlocked.

Her heart skipped a beat and she turned to continue preparing the meal.

Since she had already eaten dinner, she simply kept him company while he ate.

There were not a lot of dishes: one side of greens, another of meat, and an addition of a cold dish.

Qi Chengzhi ate at a moderate, graceful pace.

The leftovers were placed inside the fridge. Song Yu promptly went to the living room to put on her jacket, take her bag, and leave. Just as she took the jacket from the sofa, Qi Chengzhi grasped her wrist gently.

Almost involuntarily, Song Yu released her grip and allowed the jacket to dropdown.

His other hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her tightly into his embrace. His warm, dry lips brushed against her earlobe and uttered with a hoa.r.s.e voice into her ear, “You might as well stay here. Don"t leave.”

“I… I didn"t bring any extra clothes…” Song Yu was unable to continue her sentence because her lips were attacked by his.

He hugged her and brought her to the sofa, where he then pushed her down.

“Aunt Yang… Aunt Yang will come out…” Surprised that he was doing it in the living room without bothering to go into his room, she pushed him.

“She knows you"re here, so she won"t come out. Otherwise, why"d you think she"d eat the dumplings in her room?” Qi Chengzhi kissed her from her lips to her neck.

Song Yu buried her head in his neck in shyness. She did not know how she would face Aunt Yang the next day. Aunt Yang would probably think that Song Yu came and did not want to leave.

Song Yu was still in a daze as her clothes began coming off. Her fingertips dug subconsciously into his flesh and she called out ‘Qi Chengzhi" with the utmost urgency.

He climbed back up and kissed her forcefully on the lips, but his body then stiffened after that. A drop of sweat hit her on her shoulders.

Song Yu looked at him curiously and held his solemn face with both her hands. “What is it?”

“I don"t have protection.” His husky voice was taut, and unhappiness was brooding within.

Rumor has it that being on the pill was not good, so when she did not want an accident to happen, he decided from the very beginning that he would not let her be on the pill. He would rather sacrifice a small fraction of his own pleasure.

However, Qi Chengzhi sulked at having such a thing happen to him.

“I have them in my bag…” Song Yu"s voice was soft as she recalled how she stuffed them into her bag because she was afraid her parents might notice.

Qi Chengzhi kept quiet and rummaged through her bag, finding the box of Durex in no time. He took one look and noticed that it was the box he bought from the supermarket earlier on.

He returned and looked slyly at her. With a husky, teasing voice, he said, “You forgot to bring extra clothes but you remembered to bring this?”

Song Yu, “…”

Her face flushed red. It was obviously a misunderstanding, but she was afraid he would be unhappy if she told him the truth. She decided that she might as well keep quiet and let the misunderstanding be.

She lifted his neck and buried herself in his chest, nuzzling him gently like a pet trying to please its master.

Qi Chengzhi was greatly aroused by her rubbing, and a fire began surging beneath him. He lowered his head and leaned it to the side, then went in search of her face which had been buried under his neck. His warm lips came into contact with the corner of her eye. Then, he followed the tips of her hair and leaned over to her ear. From there, he went down to her earlobe, then to the back of her ear.

Song Yu shuddered and finally revealed her face to him. She searched for his lips and kissed down on them.

Qi Chengzhi"s shoulders tensed up abruptly. He kissed her gently and cherished that moment.

Qi Chengzhi"s thumb gently rubbed away the sweat from the area around her forehead and the border of her hair. He still felt unsatiated, so he kissed the corner of her lips as well as her eyelids.

Exhausted and tired, Song Yu wrapped herself around his neck. When he kissed her, he did so while narrowing his eyes like a happy cat. She rubbed his palm in delight.

He then kissed her forehead and carried her up horizontally. She was tired, and her droopy eyelids opened and closed from time to time. Her head was placed lazily on his st.u.r.dy chest.

He carried her into the room and placed her on the bed. The only reason he did it on the sofa was because he was not patient enough to wait until they went up to the room. Nevertheless, he felt that doing it on the bed was much more comfortable since it was wide enough for him to do whatever he pleased.

Qi Chengzhi wanted to lie down with her, but she pushed him and said, “Bring the clothes up from downstairs.”

Her smooth, supple skin could be felt when he was in her embrace. There was absolutely no way he would want to leave that behind. He climbed up stubbornly onto the bed and pressed down on her, indicating that he wanted another round.

His lips were busy kissing her when she kicked his calf gently. Song Yu said, “Go. Take those clothes, otherwise, it won"t be nice if Aunt Yang saw them tomorrow.”