Chapter 21

When Feng Chengze woke up the next day, soft strands of hair were against his neck, slightly tickling but not unbearable. In just a few days, he had quickly adapted to and accepted Ji Qingyu’s presence. His shoulder was already numb, but he remained still, maintaining his original position. He tacitly allowed her to cling to him like a koala—after all, one of his hands was holding her, and even after waking up, he didn’t let go. He lowered his gaze, and from this angle, he could see her curled eyelashes, delicate nose, and lips. Her breathing was not heavy, quite the opposite; it was very light. But as she lay on his chest, her breath brushed over the fabric of his pajamas, making that area feel warm. He stared at her for a while, withdrew his gaze, which had been tempted to explore further, and looked at the ceiling.

Thought about everything, thought about nothing. Waking up in the early morning, the mind was never that clear, but the body was very honest. Under his palm was her waist, and he unconsciously stroked it, inexplicably feeling the desire to destroy, wanting to knead, wanting to grip tightly, wanting her to wake up from her dreams.

Suddenly, she rubbed her face against his neck and kicked his leg, followed by a low moan reaching his ear.

Ji Qingyu was woken up by the heat. She felt trapped under the heavy blanket, her back sweating and struggling to breathe. She wanted to kick off the restraints but found herself entangled again. Struggling to open her eyes, she discovered she was once again nestled in Feng Chengze’s arms. Surprisingly, she didn’t even scream internally; her mood was oddly calm. She blinked, reached out, and gently pushed him away.

Fortunately, he didn’t wake up. Even if he woke up and they looked at each other, they probably wouldn’t feel awkward anymore. Such emotions are too precious, and the threshold gradually increases. After one or two times, it becomes as common as everyday life. Now, they are just snuggling together. If they hugged each other without any clothes on, she might feel embarrassed for a moment.

Feng Chengze was sleeping soundly. When she pushed him, he just frowned, turned over, and didn’t wake up. Ji Qingyu lay in bed for a few minutes, then got up quietly and tiptoed to the bathroom. She peeked out and saw that Feng Chengze was still facing away. She considerately closed the door. Although the bathroom had no privacy at all, strangely enough, it had decent soundproofing. After washing up, she left the bathroom to find only the messy bed. Feng Chengze was nowhere to be seen. Thinking he had gone to the guest bathroom outside, she was surprised to find him in the walk-in closet, putting on a shirt. The buttons were still undone, revealing his well-toned chest. She was stunned for a moment. Unlike in the photos, she could now see clearly and distinctly that he had abs—real, genuine abs.

Ji Qingyu suddenly stopped in her tracks, unsure whether to move forward or retreat.

Feng Chengze was much calmer than her. He glanced at her indifferently and continued to button his shirt slowly.

“Get me a tie,” he said in a low voice.

Ji Qingyu responded with a hum and stepped in. If it had been before last night, hearing such a natural tone would have made her think she was hallucinating. Given their relationship, no matter how fast it developed, it couldn’t have jumped straight to the stage of an old married couple, right? But after what happened last night, she had a new understanding of him.
His name was really well chosen and very fitting.

“Cheng” means to become, and “Ze” means king. There must be strong yet humble people in this world, but they are few and far between. Most of the time, strength is accompanied by absolute self-confidence. Such people never doubt themselves, hesitate, or waver. Once they decide to do something, they move forward with firm steps. The same goes for relationships. After a clear-headed kiss, you either move forward or retreat. If neither person takes the initiative, things will only become more awkward.

After a few days, Ji Qingyu became very familiar with the layout of the walk-in closet. She came to his side and opened a drawer. He had many ties, all neatly arranged by color and pattern, a visual delight. “Which one do you want?”

“Any of them.”
“Any of them” was also a way of saying, “You decide.”

A subtle feeling passed through Ji Qingyu’s heart. She lowered her head, her fingers brushing over the ties, stopping at a black and gray silk tie with a delicate texture and excellent feel. She pulled it out and handed it to him. “Then this one.”

Feng Chengze paused for a moment but still took it. Taking a gradual approach, he didn’t ask her to help him tie it. He guessed she probably wouldn’t know how, as his younger brother Feng Yu rarely wore formal clothes. Thinking of this, he frowned slightly, suppressing the faint, unfamiliar discomfort.

Ji Qingyu indeed didn’t know how to tie a tie, not even the simplest four-in-hand knot. She only knew how to tie a red scarf. Master Ji might have only tied a tie once or twice in his life, and she had only seen it in her parents’ wedding photo. The people she had ambiguous relationships with were all male students in school. Some might wear shirts, but none wore ties. As for Feng Yu, he didn’t have this habit either. She curiously observed Feng Chengze. There had been a similar moment on the plane, but she hadn’t looked closely.

Feng Chengze buttoned his shirt up to the top. Knowing she was watching and studying him, he slowed down as if demonstrating for her. Usually, he could button up quickly and skillfully, but today, he took twice or even three times as long. Perhaps in a good mood, he asked, “Do you want me to pick something for you?”

Ji Qingyu: “…” She had no reason to refuse his “kindness” and nodded. “A necklace.”

Her accessories were more numerous and varied than his neatly arranged watch cabinet. Feng Chengze was silent, almost overwhelmed by the choices, and picked a butterfly necklace. The diamonds were bright and flawless, layered and intricate, crafted so exquisitely that it seemed they could flutter and dance. Unlike a tie, putting on a necklace by oneself wasn’t impossible, just a bit difficult.

Feng Chengze clearly considered this. He came behind her, and they stood in front of the full-length mirror, their reflections overlapping. He bent slightly, hesitated for a few seconds, then used his left hand to gather her black hair, revealing her fair neck, his knuckles lightly touching her skin.

“Sister Liu is coming over tonight.”

These six words instantly broke the gradually thickening atmosphere in the walk-in closet. As new parents, Feng Chengze and Ji Qingyu both showed similar expressions of mild headache at the thought of Feng Jiayuan outside.

Ji Qingyu now deeply respected all full-time mothers and nannies. Human children are high-demand creatures in the natural world. They must be accompanied while eating, drinking, and playing and must be watched constantly because they get hurt easily and have boundless energy. They’re like domestic smartphones: charge for five minutes and talk for two hours. Even someone as capable as Feng Chengze can’t handle it.

Feng Chengze was silent: “…”

After washing up and changing clothes, they exited the master bedroom.

Sister Sun had already helped Feng Jiayuan brush her teeth, wash her face, and tie her hair. Ji Qingyu was almost moved to tears. This household couldn’t do without Sister Liu or Sister Sun. When they arrived at the dining room, apart from the neatly arranged fruit, there was no sign of a sumptuous breakfast.

Feng Jiayuan raised her hand high, “Mom and Dad, we’re going out for breakfast today!”

This was her decision. Although she was young, Sister Sun and Sister Liu wouldn’t take her words lightly. Not just them, but the butler and staff at the Feng residence wouldn’t dismiss her words just because she was only four years old.

Ji Qingyu pondered. She could see glimpses of Feng Chengze’s childhood in Yuan Bao.

“Okay.” Feng Chengze nodded, and the family of three walked out the door under Sister Sun’s watchful eyes. Since they rarely went out for breakfast, they naturally went to a place they wouldn’t usually visit. Then, they ran into Chairman Feng and Zheng Mingyue. Initially thinking it was a fateful encounter, it turned out Feng Jiayuan had shared their location on her smartwatch and arranged the breakfast meeting.

She generously said, “Order whatever you like, don’t be shy. Yuan Bao will pay!”

She even patted her little purse. Despite leaving hurriedly, she had managed to scrape some money from her piggy bank.

Chairman Feng sighed meaningfully, “Granddaughters are still the most filial.” He had two sons who constantly caused him trouble, and he had hardly ever eaten a meal paid for by them. He could only console himself, thinking he must have committed many sins in his past life and deserved everyone’s wrath.

Feng Chengze ignored this, occasionally glancing at his phone emails.

This old, reputable breakfast place in Jing City was well-known and loved by locals. After the meal, Zheng Mingyue smiled and invited them to join a golf outing in the nearby suburbs for a pleasant weekend.

Ji Qingyu’s mind stirred. She wasn’t very interested in golf, but… she turned her head and met Feng Chengze’s gaze. Emotionally, she knew she should spend a wonderful weekend with Yuan Bao. Parenting experts advocate for parents to participate more in their children’s childhood, put down their phones, stay away from the couch and bed, and play with their kids. But, but…

Feng Chengze put down his chopsticks, took a napkin, and handed it to her. “I have some work to do at the company.”

??
What is he doing??

Ji Qingyu was incredulous. Was he making an excuse to escape, leaving her to face his parents alone?

Just as she was about to mentally dedicate the song “What Kind of Man” to him, he calmly said, “Qingyu will also accompany me to a lunch meeting… Yuan Bao is free.”

Chairman Feng didn’t even lift an eyelid.

Zheng Mingyue had already guessed her son would say this. What official business? What lunch meeting? It was just an excuse for the couple to spend time together. Fortunately, they were used to it, and fortunately, Yuan Bao was used to it, too.

Ji Qingyu realized and was overjoyed, looking at Feng Chengze with starry eyes—
What a good man!!

T/N: What Kind of Man is a famous song by Jay Chou（算什么男人).