Chapter 20.1

It was precisely 8:00 PM when he arrived home.

Song Gaoyi was reading in the living room. Seeing him return, he was surprised. “You’re back?”

Chen Jubai stuck to his usual excuse. “I left my laptop in the study—still have some work to finish.”

“Your mom’s in there. She usually wraps up around nine. Why don’t you rest for a bit first?”

“Alright.”

After changing his shoes, he quietly made his way to the bedroom.

When he pushed open the door, he saw her lying on the bed, propped on her elbows, hugging a small teddy bear. Her legs were bent at the knees, swinging in the air, and her silk nightgown had slipped to reveal two slender, fair calves.

A tablet leaned against a pillow in front of her, and she was intently focused, biting a stylus.

Beside her, Snowflake the cat stretched out in a superhero pose, its front legs extended, occasionally scratching its head.

The woman and the cat were perfectly at ease.

He took a few steps closer before Song Wei finally heard the sound and turned her head. “Why are you back?”

Two seconds later, she hurriedly sat upright, tugging at her nightgown.

Chen Jubai’s gaze briefly caught her neckline—lace trim framing a low cut that revealed her collarbones, a smooth, straight shoulder line, and the soft curves of her figure. Her long hair fell forward but couldn’t completely obscure the view.

A faint, dark glint flickered in his eyes.

Last night, she’d gone to bed early, wrapped snugly in her blanket. When she had hugged him like a doll, the softness he felt had caught him off guard.

Before she noticed, his eyes shifted away. “The documents I need are on my laptop.”

“Oh.” Song Wei had been in a good mood, thinking she’d have the room to herself tonight. Now, his sudden return had her feeling uneasy. “Are you leaving again later?”

Chen Jubai chuckled softly. “I’m not leaving.”

“…Then go ahead with your work.”

“Mom’s in the study. I’ll take a shower first.”

“Alright.”

Chen Jubai opened the wardrobe and spotted her laundry piled up inside. Mixed among the clothes was a pair of underwear—obviously just placed there without being sorted.

In the bathroom, he noticed his toothbrush had been placed in a blue toothbrush cup.

Song Wei couldn’t focus on her work anymore, her eyes following his every movement. She finally said, “I bought it with my dad earlier when we stopped by the convenience store.”

Chen Jubai turned to look at her. “Thank you.”

“I also put your razor in the alcove. It’s easier for it to stay dry there than on the counter.”

The alcove, once home to her sanitary products, now held his razor. He thanked her again.

When the sound of water running came from the bathroom, Song Wei messaged Zhu Qingfei: [I think I’m feeling a little nervous.]

She’d been nervous last night too but had gone to bed early and didn’t dwell on it.

Tonight, should she pretend to sleep again? But she couldn’t pretend forever.

She had noticed his gaze drop earlier and the slight change in his expression. She hadn’t had time to react.

Would he suddenly pounce on her? He’d never been in a relationship… but did he…? Song Wei shook her head, dismissing the inappropriate thoughts.

But could a man suppress his desires for too long?

If he did make a move, could she refuse him?

While she spiraled into overthinking, Zhu Qingfei replied: [What’s going on? Did Mr. Chen kiss you?]

Song Wei: [No.]

Song Wei: [He’s staying at my place tonight.]

Zhu Qingfei: [Ohhh, I see~]

Zhu Qingfei: [If you’re not planning for kids, remember to use protection.]

Song Wei’s face turned beet red. She tossed her phone aside. What nonsense!

The sound of running water stopped, and her gaze involuntarily drifted toward the bathroom.

The door opened, and the next second, Song Wei covered her eyes. “Why aren’t you wearing clothes?!”

Even with a single glimpse, his figure replayed vividly in her mind—wet hair, broad shoulders, a slim waist, water droplets clinging to his chest, and a defined six-pack…

Song Wei felt like she was losing her mind.

In the age of short videos, she’d previously worked in internet product development. The algorithm would push her countless clips of “borderline suggestive” men. A brief pause on one video, and her feed would be filled with them.

Now, the real deal was standing before her, and she suspected he was doing it on purpose!

However, his tone was calm and matter-of-fact. “It’s a bit warm. I’ll put on clothes in a bit.”

“It’s not even cold outside. How can it be warm…”

Chen Jubai sighed. “The water you used was way too hot. I tried adjusting it for a while but couldn’t get it right.” Last night was the same.

“…” The showerhead was indeed a little faulty.

“Where’s the hair dryer?”

“On the shelf in the cabinet above the sink.”

He went back inside to dry his hair. Song Wei didn’t dare look anymore, leaning against the headboard and pulling up the blanket as she returned her focus to her tablet.

Five or six minutes later, he came out, this time dressed.

Snowflake jumped off the bed and rubbed against him. Chen Jubai bent down to pick it up, then sat at the edge of the bed. “What are you looking at?”

“Researching materials. Competitor analysis.”

“Is this for the Xingfu Jiaoyu Tech project?”

“Yeah.”

Chen Jubai had been busy recently and wasn’t too familiar with this project. “I heard from Su Gong that this was a resource you brought in?”

“Not really. Just a coincidence—my previous boss happened to start his own business.”

“Not every boss who goes solo would give projects to their former employees. No one does unprofitable deals.”

Song Wei understood his point and looked up at him with a teasing smile. “So, does that mean I’m impressive?”

“Mm.” His agreement was straightforward. “The company has been operating for a few years now. It’s time to shift away from small-business thinking. Your joining came at the right time.”

Song Wei couldn’t help but smile. She appreciated the compliment.

“I’ll give you a bonus when the project wraps up.”

“Really?” Song Wei’s eyes sparkled as she sat upright. This was unexpected income!

“Really. It’s part of the Guangnian reward system. But don’t expect too much—it’s not a big amount.”

“No problem. Anything is nice.”

A moment passed, and he still hadn’t left.

“Didn’t you say you had work to do?” she asked.

“Dad said mom would finish around nine. There’s still some time.”

“You can just go in. There are two desks in there, and she’s not going to eat you.”

Chen Jubai didn’t respond, just lowered his head to pet the cat. His pursed lips said everything.

Song Wei understood—he was afraid of her mother.

This is quite interesting.

Suddenly, she no longer felt tense.

Song Wei reassured him, “Actually, Principal Yang can indeed be intimidating—strict, with many demands. When she puts on a stern face, she can scare anyone half to death. I’ve lived through this for so many years. But she doesn’t pick fights for no reason. She’s fair, not the kind of unreasonable, rigid mother you might think. You’ll understand later.” Of course, Song Gao Yi was her exception.

“I see,” Chen Jubai looked up at her. “Your parents seem to have a good relationship.”

Song Wei’s smile froze slightly before she replied faintly, “They’re only like this these past couple of days.”

“Hmm?”

“Because you’re here.”

He didn’t quite understand, and Song Wei had no intention of elaborating. “I’ll tell you when the time is right.”

Little Snowflake meowed, climbing up his body as if it were a rock wall.

Song Wei asked, “Why does Snowflake stick to you so much? From the first day you came, she’s been like this. You haven’t even fed her.”

The man paused for a moment, then said, “Maybe it’s fate.”

Their conversation was interrupted when a notification from Zhu Qingfei popped up on Song Wei’s phone: [How are you feeling now? Still nervous? Any progress?]

This reminded Song Wei of something. She asked him, “When do you have some free time?”

“What’s up?”

“I was thinking about meeting your friends. Have you told them you’re married?”

“Chu Qi knows.”

“Then let’s arrange a time to meet Mr. Chu? Also, Qingfei—she’s been wanting to have dinner with you.”

“No problem, but it’ll have to wait until we return from Shenzhen.”

Speaking of that, Song Wei hadn’t congratulated him yet. She earnestly said, “Congratulations on moving forward. All those late nights recently paid off. I’ve heard this opportunity is rare and challenging. Keep up the good work.”

Chen Jubai raised his eyes to meet hers, his gaze deep and unreadable.

Feeling uncomfortable under his scrutiny, Song Wei avoided his gaze slightly. “Jiang Zhendong mentioned it to me, and I also looked up Changyan Tech online. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself…”

The man, sitting just a meter away, silently watched her for a long moment. Finally, he spoke in a soft yet apologetic tone: “I remember the second time we met, you asked me what I’d do if my girlfriend or wife needed companionship. Right now, I really can’t provide much of that, and I’m sorry.”

“I can’t make you any promises either, but I’ll do my best to allocate more time for our family so you won’t feel neglected.”

Song Wei’s ears gradually turned red. How could he still remember something from so long ago? Back then, it had just been an offhand remark. Hearing him bring it up so seriously now was mortifying.

Although they hadn’t been married long—just after the wedding, he’d gone on a week-long business trip—Song Wei didn’t feel deprived of anything. In fact, she quite enjoyed the current arrangement. They didn’t need to keep in constant contact, yet they weren’t out of touch, leaving space for personal freedom.

If anything, she felt that they were spending too much time together lately. She was still adjusting to the rapid progress in their relationship.

Chen Jubai’s warm voice broke her thoughts. “If I’m away on business, I’ll call you every evening, okay? Thirty minutes? Or we can video call—or I can just leave the video on while we both work.”

Song Wei quickly interrupted, “Just a call is fine. No need for video.”

“All right.”

It was about time, so he went to the study to work overtime.

Song Wei touched her warm cheeks. They were burning.

At 11 p.m., the seasoned workaholic ended his tasks early and returned to the bedroom.

She was asleep, hugging her little bear.

Chen Jubai lay down. About half an hour later, the little bear fell off the bed again.

Five minutes later, the woman mumbled something, turned over, and unconsciously rolled into his arms, hugging him.