The thin sleeve slid down her shoulder, while her flowing skirt crumpled above her waist, leaving her half-dressed and clinging onto Fang Jingcheng like a koala. She entrusted her entire weight to his burning hands. Beads of moisture trickled along the veins of his forearm and the creases of his shirt, staining his five-figure suit with a dark, damp patch. Despite their closeness, Fang Jingcheng hadn’t revealed much skin beyond his partially unzipped collar.

Xia Fu stared at his damp forehead, finding the scene both absurd and unexpectedly thrilling.

“What now, Mr. Fang? It’s Monday tomorrow. Will you still have time to get your suit dry-cleaned?”

He seemed to still be immersed in the afterglow, holding her close as he savored her warmth, his expression utterly relaxed. “No big deal… I was planning to pick up a new one from the tailor anyway. I’ll get them to adjust yours a bit too.” As he spoke, he measured her waist with his hand, pulling her into his embrace so she could sit on his arm.

Xia Fu lowered her head, lazily rubbing her face against his neck, expressing her discontent over the need to leave after such an exhausting moment.

“I’m just a technical employee, right? Do I have to wear a suit too?”

Hearing this, Fang Jingcheng reached up and gently patted the back of her head, coaxing her like a child as he carried her towards the bathroom. “Well, that’s how real estate companies are; they pay a lot of attention to employee image. Don’t worry, you’ll look stunning. Besides, my grandma might come to the internship orientation. I’d like to introduce you to her then.”

Meeting the family? Well, there was no getting around that.

After all, unlike his brother, who Fang Jingcheng always grumbled about, his grandmother clearly held a significant place in his heart, having taken care of him since he was young.

Thinking about facing an intimate family relationship she had never experienced, Xia Fu felt an indescribable sense of nervousness.

She had witnessed Fang Jingcheng’s grandmother’s disapproving attitude towards his sister-in-law, Zhang Lan, and had also observed the tension between the brothers. She couldn’t help but wonder what role the family matriarch played in the failed marriage of Fang Jingcheng’s parents—was it silent indulgence or blatant disregard?

Before, she didn’t care, believing their relationship had no future anyway. But now?

She sat quietly at the edge of the bathroom, watching Fang Jingcheng kneeling beside her, her emotions a whirlwind.

With a handful of rose-lychee scented pink lotion, he worked up a foam, creating fluffy bubbles that looked like clouds tinged by sunset. Looking up at her, he gently touched her skin as though she were his goddess, preparing her for some divine attire. When he kissed her knee, his face shone with an almost childlike sincerity, filled with devotion and admiration.

Sweet and dreamy, this gentle affection wrapped around her heart. Only when the fragile bubbles washed away did she finally speak, “What if your grandmother doesn’t like me? You know our backgrounds are different…”

“I don’t care. I like you, and that’s what matters. What difference does it make if she doesn’t?”

Fang Xiyu’s attitude had already softened once before, even canceling a summer matchmaking event for him. If she truly objected, he was prepared to leave the Blue Star Group with Xia Fu. He was, after all, her favorite grandson. Surely she wouldn’t disregard his wishes, and in time, things might even turn around.

Such words were easy to say in the throes of love, but they both knew many real-world factors were still at play. Fang Jingcheng’s wealth and privilege made such freedom come with a hefty price.

Xia Fu understood this well, but when he laid his head on her lap, looking up at her with the innocence of a lamb beneath the shepherdess’s gaze, and whispered, “We’ll always be together,” she prepared herself to see what his love was truly made of.

…

To avoid the crowded subway during her internship, Xia Fu had moved into Fang Jingcheng’s apartment temporarily. Without a cafeteria in the downtown office buildings, Fang Jingcheng preferred making her homemade lunches, filling her bag with a lovingly packed bento. This busy routine distracted her from anxieties about the future.

The awkwardness of meeting his family never came the next day; perhaps to avoid showing favoritism, Fang Xiyu didn’t show up at the orientation.

The marketing department moved at a blistering pace, in the midst of preparing for a major exhibition. Meetings were non-stop, not only within the department but also involving support from other teams. As the company heir, Fang Jingcheng naturally couldn’t escape responsibility.

By noon, he’d already been added to six work group chats, and a quick restroom break meant returning to 50 new messages. The flood of work notifications left him little time to chat, his usual animated stickers replaced by weary Siamese cats clutching coffee mugs.

“Ugh, our director just called a last-minute meeting at noon. I don’t know when it’ll end. Don’t wait for me, baby; don’t let yourself go hungry. I’ll miss you…”

Xia Fu’s workload, by contrast, was lighter since she was interning directly under Fang Siyu. Her supervisor was the same engineer who had questioned her during the competition, so the onboarding process went smoothly. After setting up her coding environment and familiarizing herself with the office software, she could dive right into her research. By the end of the hectic first day, she and Fang Jingcheng finally had a moment alone.

Although she had clocked out, she could still see the tall buildings in S City’s bustling commercial district glowing brightly through the hallway windows. Her high work efficiency allowed her to leave early, her bento bag adorned with a cartoon puppy looking oddly out of place in the lively marketing department.

Peeking around the doorway, Xia Fu scanned the similar cubicles for Fang Jingcheng’s silver-haired head. A kind colleague sipping coffee noticed her bento box, chuckling as they pointed her in the right direction.

“Jingcheng, your girlfriend’s here! Finish up that video and head out, alright?”

“Oh, I’ll be right there. Xia Fu, over here!”

He waved, his silver ring glinting under the pale fluorescent lights, like a tiny star rising in the dim office.

The grueling schedule hadn’t dulled his handsome face; if anything, he looked more vibrant, as though carrying some thrilling secret. Holding his laptop, he approached her, eyes gleaming, “Can we sit somewhere for a bit? I want to show you my progress; I’m almost done with it!”

To avoid disturbing his still-working colleagues, Fang Jingcheng led her to a small, dimly lit meeting room. The lights lowered, and the concept visuals he’d designed for the promo flickered onto the screen.

In just a day, he hadn’t had time for a polished video, but he had managed to sketch a rough storyboard on his tablet, each frame showing the flow of his concept—simple, clear, and brought to life by his animated narration. “Here, we’d use a drone for an aerial view, something like this. This year’s focus is on a full-house water-circulation cooling system, so I wanted to weave water elements throughout, like streams leading into the theme.”

The straightforward images made it easy for Xia Fu to imagine the final product, even as a complete novice.

“How’s that? We discussed the promotional concept in today’s meeting, and the director knows I’m into photography, so they asked for my thoughts. It’s rare to get to work on something I’m really passionate about. I want to make something great to show you.”

“Maybe, at the expo, I’ll get to present this video in front of all the national suppliers?”

The projector’s blue light bathed the tiny meeting room, creating a deep-sea stillness that shut out the world’s noise, amplifying the voice of their inner dreams.

Xia Fu watched his expectant face, remembering his late nights, quietly perfecting his work, and how Ji Xiaowei had openly praised him. He seemed so much happier creating something than sitting at a desk crunching numbers. Maybe the director’s praise wasn’t just flattery aimed at the boss’s son.

“You’re really good at this. Last time I was out with Xiaowei, she mentioned you could make a fortune as a wedding videographer.”

“Really? You’re going to make me blush.”

Fang Jingcheng took her hand, pressing it to his flushed cheek as he explained, “I did think about becoming an independent photographer or starting my own design business if I didn’t join the family company.”

But dreams are just dreams. He kissed her fingers in the dark, rubbing the smooth, cold couple’s ring on her hand, sighing softly. If he hadn’t been born a rich Fang family son, he wouldn’t have been able to give her such expensive gifts or even meet her in the first place.

“You can absolutely choose a job you love, especially if you’re that good at it—it’s the key to an independent life!”

Just as Xia Fu was about to continue, the organized sound of footsteps and voices outside interrupted them.

“Good day, President Fang!”

Chairs scraped against the tiled floor as people stood, greeting the “big boss” visiting unexpectedly. Amidst the noise, Xia Fu heard an elderly woman’s calm voice, “Ah, don’t mind me; I’m just here to see my grandson.”