Chapter 37.1

Song Wei held the kitten in a daze before eventually reaching for her phone.

It had run out of battery and powered off.

After restarting it, she noticed two missed calls from the delivery driver from last night. Apparently, he had rung the doorbell repeatedly, but they hadn’t heard a thing. In the end, he left the food at the door and uploaded a photo to confirm delivery.

There were also three missed calls and six or seven WeChat messages from Zhu Qingfei.

[Zhu Qingfei:] Song Xiaowei!!! Aaaaah!
[Zhu Qingfei:] What are you doing? Why aren’t you replying to me?!!
[Zhu Qingfei:] Song Wei??
[Zhu Qingfei:] Are you alright? Do you need me to call the police?
[Zhu Qingfei:] Oh, never mind, President Chen answered me.
[Zhu Qingfei:] Tsk tsk tsk, something happened, huh~

Ignoring the barrage of messages, Song Wei simply replied: “What did you do?”

The response came almost immediately with a phone call, Zhu Qingfei’s tone brimming with mischief. “Oh, the boss lady is finally awake? Was last night quite the romantic escapade?”

Song Wei felt flustered and cleared her throat lightly. “What did he tell you?”

“Not much. Just said he was busy. But if your husband says he’s busy at night, even an idiot can guess what that means.”

“…”

Zhu Qingfei laughed. “Forget it. You married women have your nightly indulgences. How could you possibly understand the suffering of us single ladies?”

“…” Song Wei decided to steer the conversation away. “What about you? Any progress with Chu Qi?”

For Zhu Qingfei, the only things that could excite her as much as a promotion or a raise were matters involving Chu Qi.

Caught off guard, Zhu Qingfei’s voice lowered. “Kind of? Weiwei, I went to his place last night.”

Song Wei immediately bolted upright in bed. “What did you just say?!”

“Oh, relax. I have my principles. I didn’t force anything on him.”

“What exactly happened?”

Zhu Qingfei explained everything in detail. “Last night, I went out with a girl from my department and ran into Chu Qi at the bar. He seemed to be drinking alone, looking pretty drunk. Since there was no one else around, I took it upon myself to take him home. That’s all.”

Song Wei let out a sigh of relief. “And you stayed the night at his place?”

“No. Once he fell asleep, I left.” Regret filled Zhu Qingfei’s voice. “Looking back, maybe I shouldn’t have left. I could’ve been there making him breakfast right now, having a cozy morning together, slowly winning his heart…”

Song Wei chuckled. “Does he know you took him home?”

“He does.”

“Then that’s enough. Take it slow.”

Take it slow… The words instantly reminded Song Wei of something, causing her to gulp nervously.

Zhu Qingfei continued venting her excitement, while Song Wei absently mouthed to her cat: “We can’t take it slow. Fast is better.”

After ten more minutes of chatter, Zhu Qingfei sighed dramatically. “I really shouldn’t have left last night. I’m so stupid.”

Song Wei teased, “Why don’t you go back now?”

“Ugh!”

“Alright, I’m still sleepy. You can keep debating this with yourself. I’m going back to bed. Bye.”

“Oh~~ sleepy, huh~~”

Song Wei hung up immediately.

After a two-hour nap in the morning, she and Chen Jubai spent the afternoon shopping for small furniture and appliances they needed. By evening, they had bought groceries and headed to Yang Yingqiu’s place for dinner. Afterward, Song Wei called her father, Song Gaoyi.

The previous week, they had visited his house together. Though the place was small, it was tidy and comfortable for him to live alone.

After the call, Yang Yingqiu, still in the living room, casually asked, “How’s your dad doing these days?”

“He’s doing well. I saw him last time, and he seemed in good spirits. It seems the research institute isn’t too busy lately.”

Yang Yingqiu paused briefly before continuing her search for a book. Without addressing the topic further, she added, “I have work to finish. Make sure to lock the door when you leave.”

“Got it.”

On the drive home, Chen Jubai mentioned he had ordered a car for her.

Surprised, Song Wei asked, “Why did you buy a car?”

“Sometimes I get busy with work and can’t pick you up on time. Having a car will make things easier for you.”

“…” Song Wei hesitated for a moment, then admitted sheepishly, “But I’m not very good at driving. I haven’t been on the road much since getting my license.”

“It’s fine. I’ll teach you.”

“Alright, then.”

Back home, Song Wei showered before settling in the living room with her laptop. She invited Little Snowflake to join her while she worked.

Having been busy all weekend, she had accumulated several tasks that needed to be completed before Monday. Tonight was the deadline.

Immersed in her work, she quickly lost track of time.

When Chen Jubai came out of the bedroom, he saw the serene scene: Song Wei working intently, and the little cat dozing peacefully beside her. It reminded him of their second night at her parents’ house—her focus as she bit on a pen, and Snowflake’s soft snores. The warmth of the memory was indescribable.

He quietly poured a glass of water in the kitchen before walking over to the sofa. “Have some water.”

Song Wei looked up with a bright, sweet smile. “Thank you.”

Chen Jubai grabbed his laptop and settled on the single sofa nearby, quietly starting his work.

The two focused on their respective tasks, the spacious living room filled only with the rhythmic tapping of keyboards and the occasional sound of Snowflake, their cat, leaping about.

In the mild early summer, the 33rd-floor night view sparkled. The hum of the city and a gentle breeze filtered through the half-open windows, gradually calming the lively little feline.

At 10 PM, Chen Jubai glanced at his watch, then looked at her. Song Wei was still engrossed in her computer.

By 10:30, he refilled her water glass and gently moved the sleeping Snowflake away.

At 11 PM, he looked her way again. She remained absorbed in her work.

Closing his laptop, Chen Jubai asked, “What are you working on? How much is left?”

“Last week, the system framework was finalized. I’m running some internal tests,” she replied.

Chen Jubai moved closer, sitting next to her on the small sofa. “Why hasn’t Shan Kaicheng sent it to me?”

With the sofa already cramped, Song Wei had to lean back as she explained, “It’s not ready for official testing yet. Manager Shan wanted to privately coordinate with me first to catch any major issues.”

“Let me see.”

Song Wei handed him the laptop and leaned closer to look with him, her shoulder nearly resting on his.

The screen displayed a testing interface featuring all the functionalities they’d previously discussed. Chen Jubai’s navigation through the program was smooth, completing it in mere minutes.

“No significant issues,” he concluded.

“Mm,” Song Wei responded, taking back the laptop. “I need to run through it a few more times to ensure nothing’s missed.”

Chen Jubai, noting her serious expression, refrained from saying more. Instead, he stayed beside her, resting a hand lightly on her back.

Before long, she shifted uncomfortably. “It’s hot. Can you sit elsewhere?”

Chen Jubai retrieved the remote from the coffee table and lowered the temperature on the central air conditioning.

Seeing this, Song Wei chuckled. “You really have to stick around here?”

Shrugging, Chen replied, “I’ve got nothing else to do. Don’t mind me; just keep working.”

Song Wei knew exactly what he was hinting at. A man who had recently tasted passion wasn’t easily appeased. However, her priority tonight was finishing this task to prepare for her meeting with Shan Kaicheng tomorrow.

She leaned in and kissed his cheek, her voice soft. “Just give me a bit longer.”

Chen Jubai smiled faintly, his gaze warm. “Alright, take your time.”

True to his word, he didn’t interrupt her—his hands stayed still, and he remained silent, merely watching her work with rapt attention.

As he observed, he marveled at her dedication. Unlike people like Zhuo Wan, who commanded respect through sheer presence, or Ling Yaozhi and Jiang Zhendong, who thrived on networking, Song Wei’s leadership style was rooted in her diligence and precision.

While he could complete a program run in five or six minutes, it took her nearly twenty to meticulously go through every detail. She would record any concerns she noticed, then focus on those areas during the next pass.

Despite her senior position, she approached every task with meticulous care. The quality of her work was such that it was impossible not to appreciate her.

When Song Wei began her third test run, Chen Jubai glanced at the clock in the corner of her screen: 12:12 AM.

“That’s enough for today,” he finally said. “It’s not even in official testing yet, and some issues you’ve flagged might not even occur later. Save it for tomorrow.”

Realizing he was right, Song Wei saved her files, exited the program, and shut down her computer.

After setting the laptop on the coffee table, she hesitated briefly before climbing onto his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck, and smiling brightly. “We have work tomorrow, you know.”

Chen Jubai caught her hint immediately. Though tempted, he wasn’t insistent. Holding her waist, he responded, “Let’s sleep.”

“What time is it?”

“A quarter past twelve.”

“Hm… A quarter past twelve…” She tilted her head thoughtfully. Though shy, last night’s experience made her bolder. Leaning close to his ear, she whispered, “It took us about forty minutes last night from start to finish. Do you think you can finish by one tonight?”

Her voice was soft and teasing, instantly stirring him. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and he remained silent.

Song Wei hugged him tightly, her chin resting on his shoulder as her face turned red. “New products require repeated testing before they can be launched. Shouldn’t we practice a few more times to get better at it?”

“Ah, so this is about practice makes perfect?” he chuckled.

“If you turn me down, I’m going to bed,” she threatened playfully, pouting in mock indignation—a far cry from the focused manager she’d been minutes earlier.

In the next moment, she found herself lifted off the ground and carried toward the bedroom.

Practice makes perfect.