Chapter 26: “Wouldn’t Dare Without Your Permission”

She hesitated, unsure how Gu Yuchen would react if she told him she was already married.

Having known him for so many years, she understood his possessive nature. The only exception he’d ever made was for his ex, Li Chaomu. He hadn’t forced her to stay; in his eyes, she was someone he loved, not an object. He’d rather drown himself in despair than make Li Chaomu uncomfortable in any way.

He was deeply devoted—but only to Li Chaomu.

With her, it was different. There was no comparison. Even though they’d known each other since childhood, in matters of love, she feared she was nothing more than an object to him. She worried that Gu Yuchen might target Qi Yanjing.

When she came out from the back room, Lili leaned over and asked, “Boss, did you and your brother-in-law have a fight?”

“Brother-in-law?” she asked, confused.

“Aren’t you married to him?”

Wen Zhixian froze for a moment. Oh, she realized. They think I married Gu Yuchen.

“No, I didn’t marry him,” she clarified. “And don’t call him that again. My husband wouldn’t be pleased.”

Even though she and Mr. Qi had no emotional foundation, no one would want to hear their spouse being referred to as someone else’s partner.

Lili nodded quickly.

Wen Zhixian sat by the window, watching the passersby as she tried to calm her emotions. Seeing Gu Yuchen always brought intense emotional swings. Today, upon learning that he’d known about her feelings for years, she felt a deep sadness and disgust—a sense of having her sincere feelings trampled repeatedly.

After sitting for a while, she said goodbye to the staff and went home early.

When she arrived, Mr. Qi was already there, cooking dinner.

Qi Yanjing had expected her to be late, so he was surprised to see her home earlier than he thought.

“Was today very busy?” he asked, noticing the faint scent of coffee on her and her low spirits.

Wen Zhixian smiled faintly. “Pretty busy.”

Qi Yanjing handed her a glass of water and sat beside her. “You don’t seem very happy,” he observed.

She thanked him and looked up at his words, meeting his gaze.

Her eyes, at that moment, reminded him of a kitten craving affection. Without a word, he extended his long arm and pulled her into his embrace, sensing she needed comfort.

Resting against his chest, she said, “Gu Yuchen came to the shop this afternoon.”

Before she could finish, Qi Yanjing interrupted, lowering his gaze to hers. “He didn’t do anything to you, did he?”

That shameless ex of hers, always causing trouble with his hands.

Wen Zhixian shook her head. “No, it’s fine. I just learned some things today that made me feel like my past feelings for him weren’t worth it.”

She looked up to continue, but her gaze paused on his face. She’d never studied him so closely before. Though they slept close at night, once the lights were off, she couldn’t see anything.

Now, Qi Yanjing’s face was just inches away, his sharp jawline, high nose, and cool, reserved demeanor exuding a quiet allure.

She swallowed instinctively. Male beauty is a trap!

After a brief pause, she said directly, “I don’t have feelings for him anymore. I just wanted to share how I feel with you. If you don’t want to hear about these things, I won’t mention them again in front of you.”

She worried Qi Yanjing might misunderstand her mentioning Gu Yuchen, but she simply wanted to share her joys and sorrows with him.

“If you can speak openly about it, I won’t have any doubts,” Qi Yanjing said. What he couldn’t stand was secrecy and evasion.

Wen Zhixian felt a wave of happiness hearing that Qi Yanjing was willing to accept her sharing the small details of her life.

Suddenly, a burnt smell reached her nose. She sat up straight and asked, “What’s that smell?”

Qi Yanjing glanced toward the kitchen. “Seems like it’s the fish I was cooking.”

He got up immediately and headed to the kitchen, with Wen Zhixian following close behind.

Qi Yanjing turned off the heat and quickly lifted the lid. The broth had completely dried up, and the fish was charred.

The two of them stood by the stove, exchanging a look. Wen Zhixian couldn’t help but let out a resigned laugh.

Because of the mishap, dinner wasn’t ready until six-thirty.

“Someone weird came to the café today,” Wen Zhixian said. “He placed such an odd order that I seriously thought he was there to stir up trouble, but then he seemed so sincere. It was bizarre.”

“What was so odd about it?” Qi Yanjing asked.

Wen Zhixian put down her chopsticks, her expression serious. “He said he wanted to order 3,000 cups of coffee per day.”

Qi Yanjing looked up at her, the number itself sounding like trouble.

“I told him it was impossible. The café is already busy as it is; adding 3,000 cups a day would kill us. I even joked that the machines would overheat and smoke. But he earnestly asked if we needed more machines, then reduced the order to 500 cups a day.” She shook her head. “I’ve never met anyone like him.”

Qi Yanjing was thoughtful, then casually remarked, “What kind of benevolent boss orders coffee like that?”

Wen Zhixian thought back to the man’s appearance. “He looked mature and handsome, a real elite type.”

She glanced at Qi Yanjing a few times, feeling that there was some inexplicable similarity between the man and him, though she couldn’t pinpoint what it was.

“Don’t overthink it. Maybe he was just having a momentary lapse in judgment,” Qi Yanjing said offhandedly.

“Uh?” Wen Zhixian was taken aback. She didn’t expect Qi Yanjing to say something so casual.

Qi Yanjing placed more food in her bowl. “It’s nothing. Just eat more.”

“Okay.”

Later that evening, after finishing his work, Qi Yanjing looked at his phone on the table, recalling what Wen Zhixian had mentioned during dinner. He dialed a number.

The call was answered quickly.

“Did you investigate Zhixian?” Qi Yanjing’s tone was calm but carried a hint of displeasure.

The man on the other end chuckled, not at all offended. “Wouldn’t dare without your permission. So I went to see for myself. We even met—had to leave her a little token, right?”

“And that ‘token’ was causing her trouble? Three thousand cups a day? How did you even come up with that?”

The man laughed briefly. “Honestly, I was planning to ask for 5,000.”

Qi Yanjing’s voice was firm. “Don’t bother her again.”

“Got it.” The man’s tone shifted to seriousness. “By the way, how’s your insomnia? How are you doing lately?”

“Pretty good these past two days.”

“That’s good. One more thing—my assistant said Huayi’s Gu Yuchen went to her café this afternoon. The staff there said Gu Yuchen is the boss’s husband. What’s that about?”

Qi Yanjing frowned. “That’s her ex.”

“Then handle it yourself.”

“Understood.”

After hanging up, Qi Yanjing returned to the bedroom, already planning to visit the café tomorrow afternoon to ensure his name wasn’t being overshadowed by Gu Yuchen’s.

Meanwhile, Wen Zhixian was chatting with Qin Zhaoli.

Qin Zhaoli: “Since you two are married, has Qi Yanjing ever… you know?”

Wen Zhixian instantly understood what she meant and promptly corrected her:

Wen Zhixian: “Mr. Qi is a man of impeccable integrity. He’d never do something like that.”