Chapter 42.2

Worried she might misunderstand, he clarified further, “You haven’t interfered with my work. Our marriage has never been an obstacle or a burden. It’s a catalyst. It excites and inspires me.”

There was no response for a while. Chen Jubai could only hear her faint, uneven breathing. He lifted his gaze toward the east side of the tenth floor, where a light shone from her room.

“Song Wei?” he called.

Still no response. He called again, “Wife?”

After five or six seconds, her muffled voice came through, quickly and hurriedly: “I’m going to sleep.”

He chuckled softly. “Alright. Good night.”

…..

By 10:30 PM, the light in her room went out. He lowered his eyes and opened WeChat.

His latest post had garnered a flood of comments and messages, but he ignored them all. Instead, he messaged Zhu Qi:

[Chen Jubai]: Let’s go out.

[Chu Qi]: ??? Where? Shouldn’t you be snuggling with your wife at this hour? Didn’t you just buy a car together?

Ignoring Chu Qi’s teasing, Chen Jubai sent the address of their usual bar.

[Chu Qi]: I just got home. Let’s skip this late-night rendezvous.

[Chen Jubai]: Remember when you were heartbroken after that business trip to Nancheng? I left Song Wei behind to drink with you all night.

The guilt-ridden Chu Qi sprang from his couch, exclaiming, “Wow, this must be serious!”

[Zhu Qi]: On my way!

Chen Jubai arrived first.

The bar was upscale, far from ordinary. But no matter the ambiance, it was still a place to drink.

He took a seat at the bar, ordered a glass of whiskey, and gripped the cold glass, feeling the chill of the ice cubes beneath his fingers.

The bar was loud, the music deafening.

After a moment, he sipped his drink, the sharp burn trailing down his throat, offering no comfort.

When Chu Qi arrived, he found Chen Jubai sitting with perfect posture, radiating an air of unapproachability. His gaze was fixed on the glass before him—vacant and desolate.

Chu Qi swallowed his jokes and approached cautiously, patting Chen Jubai on the shoulder. “One dry martini,” he told the bartender before sitting down.

“Alright, spill it. What’s going on?”

Chen Jubai didn’t answer, just drank his whiskey.

“Couldn’t fix things with fried chicken? And even a six-figure car didn’t help?”

Chen Jubai looked at him and nodded. “Money can’t fix this.”

Startled, Chu Qi reassured him, “Don’t worry. If money can’t fix it, we’ll figure out another way.”

They drank in silence until Chu Qi finally stopped the bartender from refilling Chen Jubai’s glass after the third round. “That’s enough. Talk to me. Don’t bottle it up.”

The issue wasn’t complicated. The root cause was simple: he hadn’t provided Song Wei with enough security. This wasn’t something that could be solved with sweet words or lavish gifts.

Rubbing his temples, Chen Jubai said seriously, “Hongyang Capital reached out to me recently. I’ve decided to accept their investment.”

Chu Qi was stunned. “Why?”

“Guangnian’s equity distribution is unbalanced. Lately, Ning Shuhui’s been making too many moves.”

That was all Chu Qi needed to hear to understand.

Ning Shuhui’s 30% stake was no small matter. To her, Guangnian was practically her personal property, and that was a dangerous mindset.

“But we won’t rush the financing process,” Chen Jubai added.

“Why not?” Chu Qi pressed.

“Ning’s family is on edge these days. Their overseas ventures are their core focus. Everything she’s doing—expanding international markets, pushing for favorable trade terms, even attempting to go public—is paving the way for her overseas business.”

“Ning’s family business primarily deals in essential goods. If her authority is threatened, Guangnian will be the first thing she abandons. If we’re unprepared, we won’t have control over what happens next.”

Chu Qi frowned deeply. “Do you think her recent hectic schedule is a sign of something big?”

“Not sure. But no matter what, we need to act.”

“I’ll do some digging in the coming days.”

The two men exchanged solemn looks and raised their glasses in unison.

After a while, Chu Qi turned to him with a sly grin. “These two things aren’t connected, right? Your wife isn’t jealous of Ning Shuhui, is she?”

Chen Jubai shot him a glare. “She’s not as petty as you.”

If it were just jealousy, she wouldn’t have been so upset.

Unconvinced, Chu Qi laughed. “Still, you can’t blame Song Wei. Until today, no one knew about your relationship. Everyone assumed you and Ning Shuhui were a pair. Imagine hearing people gossip about how you’re set to join the Ning family and run a ‘husband-and-wife business.’ No woman would take that well.”

“Let them talk in the past, but not anymore,” Chu Qi said, patting him on the back. “Don’t worry. That one WeChat post of yours speaks volumes. Go home and make it up to her. If it comes down to it, I’ll buy fried chicken with you again.”

Chu Qi added, “Remember, persistence wins the day. Don’t play it cool. Be relentless, put your pride aside, and show her you care.”

After a moment, he offered, “How about I ask around and see what kind of bag Song Wei likes?”

Chen Jubai glanced at him with a slight smirk. “Why not ask Zhu Qingfei?”

“Uh…” Chu Qi uncharacteristically looked a bit bashful, raising his brows. “Aren’t they good friends?”

Chen Jubai saw right through him. “Sure, trouble yourself with that. But no need to ask about bags or anything money-related—focus on other preferences.”

“No problem!”

Chen Jubai tipped back the last sip of his drink, pushed back his chair, and grabbed his coat. “Let’s go.”

“All sorted?”

“Yeah, need to head back.”

“Right, better get home early. Don’t leave her waiting.”

Chen Jubai shook his head. “She’s at her mom’s.”

“What?” Chu Qi was surprised. “That serious?”

“I’ve got a kitten to feed at home.”

Leaving a kitten like Snowflake hungry all night would make her even harder to handle.

By the time he got home around 11, the kitten was meowing pitifully from hunger.

There was regular cat food on the climbing frame, but Snowflake was a picky eater and wouldn’t touch it without some extras added in.

After preparing her meal, Snowflake darted to her bowl and gobbled it up noisily.

Crouching down, Chen Jubai watched her eat for a while, then snapped a photo to send to Song Wei.

Song Wei hadn’t slept yet. The emotions stirred by that phone call were even stronger than their earlier argument, and she needed more time to calm down.

Still, when she saw the message, she couldn’t help but smile. Was he back to using the kitten to bridge their relationship like he did before they got married?

The more she smiled, the more bittersweet she felt. It was Friday—after a week of work, they should’ve been cozying up in their room, enjoying a beautiful evening together. Instead, they were miles apart.

Looking at the photo, she realized something. Every clumsy attempt he made to reach out seemed to work on her. She knew he was using Snowflake to reconcile, but her heart softened instantly, and she couldn’t resist replying.

In the end, she gave in: “Don’t let her eat too much—she’s already overweight.”

“Change her water too, and isn’t her cat food running low? The new bag is in the drawer under the wine cabinet.”

He replied with a simple “Got it” and sent another photo of an empty bowl, with Snowflake angrily pawing at the phone’s lens.

Adorable. Song Wei’s lips curved into a smile, her motherly instincts toward the kitten peaking.

Her finger hovered over the video call button, but she hesitated and backed out.

Forget it. A video call now? Who does that right after a fight?

Song Wei put down her phone and forced herself to sleep.