Chapter 25

Even though it was nearing nine o’clock, the streets remained lively, bustling with traffic and the hum of engines, mingled with the chatter of pedestrians and the rhythmic beating of her heart.

— On such an important day for you, I should be a part of it.

That single sentence kept replaying in Cheng Li’s mind.

She thought back to the message she had sent him earlier.

Was it because of that message?

“Did you come back from Beijing?” Cheng Li asked abruptly.

Rong Qi looked at her. “Where else would I have come from?”

So, it was true!

He had flown all the way from Beijing to Shanghai because of one message from her?

Realizing this, Cheng Li felt disoriented, her heartbeat racing again.

She knew she shouldn’t overthink it.

But the thought that he had traveled thousands of miles just to appear before her because of something she said…

The deeper she delved into this, the more it felt like uncovering something monumental.

Cheng Li took a deep breath.

She asked softly, “Have you eaten?”

As soon as the question left her lips, her eyes drifted to the open car door and the passenger seat.

There sat a bag of opened bread and a half-empty bottle of water.

He didn’t say a word, but Cheng Li had already seen it all.

“Wait for me,” Cheng Li said, tossing out the words before running back into the restaurant.

She dashed back to the dining area, where the group was seated in the main hall since the buffet didn’t have a private room large enough for them.

The moment Cheng Li appeared, Zuo Qingqing called out, “Sister Li Mi, come quick! The cheesy baked prawns you love are back!”

“Director Ren, I’m sorry, but I have to leave,” Cheng Li said as she grabbed her bag.

Ren Kuang was startled. “Why are you leaving in such a rush?”

Cheng Li leaned in closer and whispered, “Someone’s here to pick me up.”

Ren Kuang immediately understood and said no more.

However, the rest of the team wasn’t as cooperative, calling out, “Engineer Cheng, why are you leaving so early?”

“Sorry, sorry, it’s a special situation. I’ll treat everyone to afternoon tea tomorrow—anything you want, no limits.”

Seeing how urgent she seemed and hearing her promise, the group finally let her go.

Within minutes, Cheng Li was out of the restaurant, bag in hand, and back at the car, slightly out of breath.

Rong Qi hadn’t returned to the car.

He was still standing by the car, faithfully carrying out the two words she had said: Wait for me.

“Let’s go eat, shall we?” Cheng Li said as she stood before him, her eyes sparkling.

Rong Qi chuckled lightly. “You didn’t have to run so fast. I would’ve waited for you.”

Cheng Li shook her head with a smile. “You’ve waited so long already. Running a bit is no big deal.”

Her words stirred something in Rong Qi, drawing him into a quiet emotion.

After a long pause, he lowered his gaze and said softly, “I’ve been waiting far longer than you think.”

So long that even he couldn’t remember how endless those years had been.

Unaware of the deeper meaning, Cheng Li thought he meant he had been waiting outside the restaurant for a long time.

Feeling even guiltier, she said earnestly, “You can make any request later, and I won’t say no.”

“Anything?” Rong Qi raised an eyebrow and glanced at her.

Having just made such a bold promise, Cheng Li felt inexplicably nervous.

Soon, they got in the car and left the restaurant.

Once inside, Cheng Li looked at Rong Qi and asked, “What do you feel like eating?”

Rong Qi kept his gaze forward and calmly replied, “Do you know where I just came from?”

“Beijing, right?” Cheng Li answered truthfully, though unsure of his intent.

“Then what do you think I’d want to eat?”

Hey—

Was he playing riddles now?

Still, Cheng Li humored him. “Homemade food?”

“Smart.”

By then, the car had already started moving, heading unmistakably in the direction of his home.

Cheng Li sat quietly, though the situation amused her.

If it had been any other man taking a woman home so casually, she would’ve questioned his intentions.

But this was Rong Qi.

Even though the two of them were already legally married, bound by certificates, Rong Qi had never once overstepped any boundaries with her.

With him, Cheng Li felt an innate trust.

When they arrived, Cheng Li noticed that even in Rong Qi’s absence, his home remained impeccably clean and luxurious. Compared to the awe she felt upon first seeing it, the house now seemed cold.

Her own family’s home, though older and less trendy, exuded warmth.

Everywhere in her house were memories of their family of three.

There were trinkets brought back from trips by Teacher Ling.

Souvenirs given by Cheng Dingbo’s workplace.

And medals Cheng Li had earned growing up.

But Rong Qi’s house was purely a house—beautiful and spotless, yet devoid of personal touches.

Even after so much time away, the house remained pristine, unaffected by his presence or absence.

“What’s wrong?” Rong Qi asked when he saw her standing still in the living room.

Cheng Li hesitated. “If I tell you, you might laugh at me.”

“I won’t,” Rong Qi said, meeting her gaze directly.

When he said he wouldn’t, he truly meant it.

So Cheng Li spoke. “I just feel like your house doesn’t have much of ‘you’ in it. It’s so clean and pretty all the time, like it doesn’t matter whether you’re here or not.”

“No life to it, right?” Rong Qi glanced around the room and chuckled softly. “My grandmother said the same thing.”

He surveyed the space. “She told me this house doesn’t feel lived in.”

“Really?” Cheng Li was surprised by the sharpness of his grandmother’s remark.

“She said it looks like a model home, only suitable for display.”

Oh, so that’s what she meant.

Cheng Li nodded in agreement.

“That’s also why she kept urging me to get married,” Rong Qi tilted his head slightly, emphasizing each word: “This home needs a mistress.”

Cheng Li tried hard to keep her composure, but her cheeks betrayed her, flushing crimson.

“Let’s… let’s cook something. You must be really hungry by now,” Cheng Li stammered, escaping toward the kitchen as if fleeing the scene.

Behind her, Rong Qi chuckled softly.

Since it was so late, Cheng Li quickly boiled a packet of noodles. Fortunately, there was still some meat in the freezer. After defrosting it, she sliced it into thin strips and made a simple noodle soup with vegetables and shredded meat.

The two sat down at the dining table. Cheng Li’s bowl was small, while Rong Qi’s was a large bowl brimming with vegetables and meat.

He took a bite, and Cheng Li watched him intently.

“It tastes great.”

Cheng Li propped her chin on her hands, self-praising, “Looks like I have some cooking skills after all.”

“Just ‘some’?” Rong Qi raised his eyes slightly, his tone deliberate and slow. “You’re being too modest. It’s a lot.”

Cheng Li beamed. “You’re surprisingly good at compliments.”

“Just speaking the truth,” Rong Qi replied, his voice teasing and slightly smug.

Cheng Li laughed, lowering her head to eat her own noodles.

As they ate, a sudden crackling sound erupted outside. Soon, a heavy downpour engulfed the world. From the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room, the rain obscured the view of the Huangpu River, turning the previously clear scenery into faint shadows in the mist.

By the time they finished eating, the rain had not let up. Instead, it grew heavier, accompanied by continuous rolling thunder.

Boom!

It was as if the sky was about to split open.

“Could it be someone transcending a heavenly tribulation tonight?” Cheng Li joked, recalling a similar torrential rain earlier in the year when many people made the same comment on social media.

After tidying up, Rong Qi walked over to stand beside her.

The two stood by the window, silently watching the downpour.

Neither spoke for a while.

Eventually, Cheng Li glanced down at her watch.

“The rain outside is too heavy,” Rong Qi finally broke the silence.

Cheng Li nodded. It was indeed too heavy, but she needed to leave. She opened her mouth to say her goodbyes.

Rong Qi said, “I’ve been on a long flight today and drove quite a bit.”

Cheng Li paused, then realized his implication—he was exhausted.

“You don’t have to drive me. I’ll just call for a car,” Cheng Li responded without hesitation. She didn’t find Rong Qi’s honesty ungentlemanly. On the contrary, she appreciated that they didn’t need such formalities between them.

Rong Qi suddenly chuckled softly, his voice low as he said, “I meant, why don’t you stay here tonight?”

Outside, a loud clap of thunder echoed, shaking the earth.

The sound seemed to jolt Rong Qi momentarily. His expression froze, and his brow twitched.

Still reeling from his unexpected suggestion, Cheng Li noticed his reaction to the thunder and pieced it together. “Are you afraid of thunder?”

“…”

After a long pause, Rong Qi reluctantly nodded. “A little.”

Seeing his expression, Cheng Li quickly tried to comfort him. “Actually, being afraid of thunder isn’t a big deal. I used to be scared too. Whenever there was a thunderstorm, I’d ask my mom to sleep with me.”

Wait.

What was she saying?

Rong Qi lifted his eyes to look at her. Cheng Li immediately clarified, “That’s not what I meant.”

“What did you mean?” he asked with a faint smile, his tone teasing.

Oh, come on.

She was trying to comfort him, and now she’d dug herself into a hole.

Cheng Li felt a pang of exasperation.

“But I didn’t bring anything with me,” she said, swiftly changing the subject.

“I have everything here,” Rong Qi replied.

Cheng Li stared at him in shock. Rong Qi smirked. “Don’t look at me like that. The housekeeper prepared them.”

“Why would the housekeeper prepare these things?” Cheng Li asked.

She wasn’t particularly curious; she just wanted to know why.

Rong Qi’s lips quirked slightly, his voice dragging. “Because I’m married.”

Cheng Li: “…”

At the bedroom door, Cheng Li noticed that the room had changed significantly since her last visit. It now had a much more feminine touch—the dark bedding had been replaced with warm pink sheets adorned with fluffy pom-poms.

“The housekeeper has such a girlish heart,” Cheng Li remarked.

Rong Qi opened the wardrobe and said directly, “Sleepwear and other clothes are in here.”

Cheng Li nodded.

“You can take a look. I’ll step out to take a call,” Rong Qi said, leaving the room.

Cheng Li opened one of the drawers inside the wardrobe and found neatly folded, clean underwear arranged in rows.

Moving to the dressing table, she saw it was stocked with various luxury skincare products, some of which were items Cheng Li herself couldn’t bear to buy.

A moment later, her phone buzzed.

Rong Qi: [The clothes have all been washed. You can wear them directly.]

Cheng Li: [Got it.]

She also noticed that the room had an en-suite bathroom, complete with unopened toiletries.

As she held her phone, another message arrived.

Rong Qi: [Is there anything else you need?]

Rong Qi: [I can ask the housekeeper to prepare it.]

Cheng Li: [No need, the housekeeper has been very thorough. Everything’s perfect.]

Rong Qi: [That’s good.]

Cheng Li: [Please thank the housekeeper for me.]

After a while, Rong Qi replied: [The housekeeper says there’s no need to thank her.]

Cheng Li bit her lip and finally laughed out loud in the room, feeling like the presence of the housekeeper somehow eased the awkwardness between them.

After taking a shower, Cheng Li looked around the room one more time.

Finally, she lifted the covers and prepared to go to bed.

There was a knock at the door.

“Coming,” Cheng Li called out, quickly slipping on her slippers and heading to open the door.

When she opened it, she saw Rong Qi standing there in dark blue striped pajamas, his hair damp as if he had just showered.

Seeing him like this—so casual and at home—stunned her. For a moment, it felt like their relationship had taken on a new, undefined intimacy.

After all, seeing each other in sleepwear seemed like something reserved for close relationships.

Rong Qi was holding a glass of milk in his hand.

“Milk helps with sleep,” he said, handing it to her.

Cheng Li took it, her voice low. “Thank you.”

Noticing that her hair was still a bit wet, Rong Qi asked, “Don’t you have a hair dryer?”

“Yes, yes,” Cheng Li said, explaining, “There’s a Dyson in the bathroom—the latest model. But my hair’s too thick, and it takes forever to dry completely. Also, leaving it half-dry is better for the hair.”

Rong Qi nodded, though it seemed he didn’t quite understand her reasoning.

He asked softly, “Are you okay with everything you’ve been using here?”

Cheng Li thought for a moment and replied, “The housekeeper has good taste.”

They stood on either side of the doorway, the tiled floor acting like a boundary line between them—he was outside the room, and she was inside.

Finally, Rong Qi said quietly, “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” Cheng Li replied.

“Go inside,” Rong Qi added before turning and heading back to his room.

Cheng Li closed the door behind her.

She glanced down at the lock below the doorknob but ultimately didn’t reach out to lock it.

That night, she didn’t experience the restless tossing and turning she had anticipated. Perhaps the milk really did help her sleep.

The next morning, Cheng Li woke up before seven.

She quickly freshened up and chose a relatively modest outfit from the wardrobe to wear.

When she opened her door, she peeked out cautiously, glancing left and right.

The entire house was silent.

At first, Cheng Li thought Rong Qi might still be asleep at this hour.

But after walking around the living room, she noticed that his shoes were no longer by the entryway.

She turned and spotted a piece of paper on the dining table.

Cheng Li walked over, picked it up, and read:

“I’ve gone to Beijing. I’ll be back this weekend.”

It was signed with Rong Qi’s name, written in bold, flowing strokes.

Gone?

Cheng Li thought she should feel relieved, but instead, an inexplicable emptiness settled over her.

As she placed the note back on the table, she suddenly realized something.

He had really come back for her—just because of something she had said.

*