Chapter 26.1

Song Wei felt that her relationship with Chen Jubai had grown a bit ambiguous.

She wasn’t sure how things had progressed to this point.

Now, she couldn’t even look him in the eye without her heart racing. Sharing a bed with him left her restless. Even Yang Yingqiu’s calming tonic was ineffective; every night, she had to clutch her teddy bear, waiting for him to fall asleep before she could manage to doze off. This led to difficult mornings, and not even layers of concealer could hide her panda eyes.

Yang Yingqiu, noticing her pale complexion, gave her a suggestive look one day when the men weren’t around. She leaned in close, voice low, and reminded her, “Control yourself.”

…???

Three seconds later, Song Wei’s face turned beet red. “Mom, what are you talking about?!”

But how could she even explain? It wasn’t like she could outright declare that nothing had happened between them.

After enduring a challenging weekend, Monday arrived, and Jiang Zhendong officially announced that the pilot project would be handed over to Group A of Division One. The group chat buzzed with congratulations.

Taking on this project meant endless overtime for her.

After the morning meeting, Song Wei called for a small team meeting with Dong Ruicheng and another team member to dive straight into work.

It wasn’t until after six in the evening that Chen Jubai called her. The moment Song Wei answered, she said, “I have to work late; you go ahead without me.”

He chuckled softly and said simply, “Come upstairs for dinner.”

…Fine.

By that time, most of the office had cleared out. Song Wei sneaked up to the 22nd floor, where the executive offices were dark and empty. She slipped into the inner office.

Inside, only Chen Jubai was there. On the small tea table sat a meal of three dishes and a soup, still steaming hot.

Her stomach growled after the busy afternoon, and without much hesitation, she plopped down and said, “Thanks!”

He sat down beside her. As she unwrapped her chopsticks, she asked, “Why aren’t you eating at home?”

“I’m working late.”

Something clicked in Song Wei’s mind, and she froze momentarily.

When they got married, she’d thought about cultivating their relationship, avoiding becoming like Yang Yingqiu and Song Gaoyi. Now, while they were working overtime as much as her parents, the situation felt different. Sitting here eating dinner together—how could this not be considered fostering their bond?

As for their relationship… it had progressed faster than she’d expected. On the day they got their marriage certificate, she never imagined she’d be in a situation where just looking at him would make her heart race.

Chen Jubai noticed the smile on her face and asked, “What’s funny?”

She tilted her head and looked at him. “Are you keeping me company while I work late?”

Not really; he had his own work to do. Still, Chen Jubai replied, “Yes, keeping you company.”

“I’ll probably be busy for one or two months.”

“That’s fine.”

Satisfied, Song Wei lowered her head to eat. The stir-fried beef dish he’d ordered was incredibly flavorful. Her eyes lit up with surprise. “This is so good!”

“Better than what I cook?”

With her mouth full, Song Wei laughed. “Of course not. Your cooking is the best.” Over the past weeks, Chen Jubai had honed his culinary skills under Song Gaoyi’s guidance to a near-perfect level. She was confident their kitchen would be in good hands from now on.

Chen Jubai smiled and placed some vegetables on her plate. “Eat more.”

As Song Wei ate, she casually discussed her work with him. It was rare to see him during the day at the office, so she used the opportunity to consult him and save herself some trouble later. Suddenly, she realized that coming upstairs for dinner wasn’t a bad idea at all.

Their meal lasted over half an hour. Afterward, Song Wei leaned back on the sofa, rubbing her full stomach, while Chen Jubai cleaned up.

“You should rest in the lounge for a while before heading back downstairs,” he suggested.

“No way. There’s so much work waiting for me.” Thinking of Dong Ruicheng and the others downstairs, she bargained with him, “Could you order two more meals in the future? I have two colleagues working late with me.”

“No problem.”

With her hunger sated, Song Wei prepared to head back downstairs to continue working. Before she could leave, Chen Jubai stopped her. “Let me know when you’re done.”

Without turning back, Song Wei raised her right hand and gave him an air “okay.”

By nine that evening, she finished the day’s tasks. She sent him a message first, then gave her two male colleagues a pep talk. After all, overtime would become their new normal for the foreseeable future.

“Ruicheng, Wenbo, it’s going to be tough for a while, but once the project wraps up, I’ll request vacation time and bonuses for you from Director Jiang. Your performance won’t go unnoticed.”

The two young men responded enthusiastically, “Sister Wei, we understand! Tons of people outside are dying to work on the pilot project. We’ll make the most of this opportunity.”

“Good, let’s call it a night.”

After making sure they left first, Song Wei packed up and turned off the lights.

Stepping out of the office, she was startled by a dark figure in front of her. Thinking it was Chen Jubai, she complained, “Why are you scaring me like this? Didn’t I tell you to wait in the parking lot?”

But as she got a better look, she was startled again. “Senior? You’re still here?”

Shan Kaicheng, hands in his pockets, asked, “Is someone picking you up?”

“…Yes, my family.” Her husband was family, after all.

Shan Kaicheng smiled, “That’s good. I just got off work myself. I ran into Dong Ruicheng and heard you were still here, so I thought I’d offer to give you a ride home.”

Song Wei replied, “Thank you, Senior, but maybe next time.”

“Alright, let’s head down together, then.”

That wouldn’t do. Song Wei excused herself, claiming she needed to use the restroom, and waited until he left before quietly heading down on her own.

The next day, she went upstairs at six-thirty for dinner again. Afterward, she brought two meals down, letting Dong Ruicheng and Wenbo assume she’d picked up takeout. They ate without a second thought.

Once again, she worked until nearly ten. When she reached the parking lot, the dim and empty space echoed with the hum of a single car’s engine.

Through the semi-transparent car window, she could see a vague silhouette of a man in the driver’s seat, focused on his phone.

Song Wei stood at the elevator lobby for half a minute before breaking into a smile and jogging over.

On the third day, Shan Kaicheng showed up again, but once more, Song Wei had her “family” picking her up.

“Your family seems pretty great.”

Song Wei replied, “Yes, they are.”

But today, things took an awkward turn. Chen Jubai didn’t wait in the parking lot this time—he came straight to the seventh floor.

Shan Kaicheng was visibly surprised. “President Chen is still working?”

Chen Jubai glanced at him and then at Song Wei. Song Wei suddenly felt guilty and hurriedly explained, “Senior, I still have a work report to make. President Chen said he happened to be off work and decided to drop by.”

Shen Kaicheng sincerely believed her explanation. “Then I’ll head out first. Don’t stay up too late working.”

“Alright.”

Once he left, Song Wei met Chen Jubai’s inquisitive gaze from a short distance, and her scalp tingled.

They were the only ones on the seventh floor—it was hard not to overthink.

But Song Wei believed that Chen Jubai wouldn’t jump to conclusions. She added, “Manager Shen also stopped by on his way.”

Chen Jubai noticed her tense demeanor and chuckled softly. “I didn’t say anything.”

Song Wei looked around to confirm no one else was nearby. She stepped closer and smiled brightly. “President Chen, let’s head home.”

However, as they neared home and parked the car, he suddenly asked, “You call Shen Kaicheng ‘senior’?”

“Yes, we both graduated from the Computer Science program at A University. Quite a coincidence, isn’t it?”

Chen Jubai’s expression darkened slightly. He opened the car door and stepped out.

Hearing the car door shut with a loud “bang,” Song Wei’s mind filled with question marks. What’s wrong with him?

…

On Friday, Song Wei didn’t schedule any additional tasks because Andy was coming. Since Xingfu Jiaoyu Technology’s acquisition, all communication had been online. Today, they were meeting in person.

At 2 PM, Song Wei and Ling Yaozhi went downstairs to greet them.

Standing at the entrance, the two chatted idly to pass the time while waiting.

Over time, Song Wei had started reporting directly to Ling Yaozhi for some tasks. She gradually understood what people meant when they said that, despite his laid-back appearance, Vice President Ling was a consummate professional in product and business management. He often pointed out details she had overlooked.

Song Wei respected capable individuals. Given their growing rapport, she now spoke with him more casually than she had initially. “Vice President Ling, this collaboration with Xingfu Jiaoyu is their first project, and Andy places great importance on it. Thank you for taking the time to oversee this.”

“There’s no such thing as big or small projects; it’s all work,” Ling Yaozhi replied with a smile. “But when it’s just the two of us, you don’t have to call me Vice President Ling.”

Song Wei returned his smile. “That wouldn’t be appropriate.”

Ling Yaozhi raised an eyebrow. “Why? Do you want me to call you ‘Madam Boss’ instead?”

Song Wei was momentarily stunned.

Ling Yaozhi stopped teasing her and said, “Everyone calls me Old Ling. You can follow Jubai’s lead and do the same.”

She wouldn’t dare, considering their professional hierarchy, not to mention his age and seniority. After a brief pause, Song Wei decided, “Yao-ge?”

“Sure, that works,” Ling Yaozhi replied with a hearty laugh. He then asked curiously, “How are things with Jubai? He’s a total workaholic with zero experience in relationships. If he does anything wrong, don’t overthink it.”

“…He treats me well.”

“Jubai’s character is solid. It hasn’t been easy for him all these years. Now that he’s married, we’re all happy for him.”

Song Wei didn’t know how to respond, so she simply nodded.

As they chatted, a business car carrying Andy and her team pulled up at the main entrance.

Andy was the first to step out. Ling Yaozhi extended his hand in a friendly gesture. “I’m Ling Yaozhi, Vice President of Guangnian. Welcome.”

“Thank you, Vice President Ling.”

After exchanging pleasantries, Andy looked over at Song Wei. Feeling a surge of warmth, Song Wei approached and semi-hugged her. “Andy, it’s been so long.”

Andy was also emotional. Song Wei might not have been her most capable subordinate, but she was the one most similar to her. Andy had felt guilty ever since she failed to protect Song Wei during last year’s layoffs.

“It’s been a while, Weiwei.”