Chapter 11

Ji Qingyu always took her time with her nightly routine. Especially after spending the night on a plane, even though the mattress and sheets were clean and tidy, it was still a journey of over twenty hours. She had a habit of thoroughly cleaning herself from head to toe after returning home from a trip. She had a lot of hair, and after washing it, she applied a hair mask and patiently waited for it to absorb. She swore she wasn’t dawdling.

While waiting, she quickly brushed her teeth and washed her face, then wrapped her clean hair in a drying cap and applied a face mask. After showering and drying her body, she considered that Feng Chengze would also be sleeping in the room, so she didn’t feel comfortable applying body lotion in front of him. Before putting on her pajamas, she made sure to moisturize every part of her body, even her ankles. However, by the time she came out of the bathroom, it had indeed been an hour and a half.

But could she be blamed for that?

She even thought it was unscientific for Feng Chengze to finish his routine in just twenty minutes. Even through the phone screen, she could sense his impatience and urgency from the question mark he sent. If she considered him her husband, she would have rolled her eyes, but treating him as a roommate made her feel a bit guilty, so she quickly replied: [I’m ready, sorry for the wait.]

Two minutes later, Feng Chengze entered with a blank expression.

Their manners were clearly different. She remembered to knock, but he skipped that polite step entirely.

Ji Qingyu: …Oh my, what kind of man is this?

She suppressed her smile, silently took off her drying cap, and started blow-drying her hair. The buzzing sound was from the hairdryer.

Feng Chengze sat on the bed with his laptop, wearing blue-light-blocking glasses. The lenses reflected light, hiding the restrained emotions in his eyes.

The sound of footsteps. She walked out of the bathroom in her slippers and sat at the vanity.

The sound of clapping. She put on a headband, revealing her smooth forehead, poured some essence into her hands, and began patting it onto her face, not forgetting her neck. She layered skincare products on her face. Feng Chengze glanced at the time, calm and serene. Great, it had been another half hour since he came in, and she still wasn’t done.

He couldn’t take it anymore.
He took off his glasses and tossed them onto the bedside table with a thud.

Ji Qingyu didn’t notice, cupping her face and taking a deep breath. She didn’t even recognize the brand of this face cream, which was probably a custom luxury product. It felt very comfortable, making her skin soft. Having money is great!

Thinking about who provided her with this god-like life, Ji Qingyu didn’t mind Feng Chengze’s cold demeanor at all. He wasn’t even that bad-tempered. She might be even more arrogant and proud if she had his wealth and power.

After diligently finishing her skincare routine, she turned around with a gentle smile on her face, went to the walk-in closet to find a thin blanket, and sat down lightly on the bed.

This bed was huge, much bigger than the 1.8-meter bed at her home, so they could easily stay on their own sides. She softly said, “Mr. Feng, I’m going to sleep first.”

Feng Chengze closed his laptop, leaned over, and placed it on the bedside table. He didn’t even respond with an “mm,” treating her words like a passing breeze, not worth a reply. Both reading lights were on; he turned off his side and lay down, closing his eyes, with no intention of having a night chat.

Ji Qingyu still smiled. She glanced around, looking at the jewelry cabinet in the closet and the spacious master bedroom. How could she be angry?

Then she turned off her reading light, and the room was plunged into darkness. Surprisingly, in this bustling area, there was such a quiet moment, with no sound from outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. Lying next to a breathing man, she wasn’t panicked at all. Regardless of how she and Feng Chengze started, at least now he had no interest in her. She happily pulled up the thin blanket and prepared to sleep.

Her carefree nature was evident. Just before falling asleep, she thought a little about Feng Yu. She didn’t mean to compare, but Feng Yu was much more considerate among wealthy men than his brother.

Sigh.
Better not to think too much. She still didn’t understand why she and Feng Yu broke up. If he had hurt her, missing him without knowing the truth would be a waste of emotions. Maybe she was really tired, as she soon fell asleep.

Hearing the even breathing beside him, Feng Chengze irritably covered his eyes with his hand. His body was exhausted, but he couldn’t sleep. This was the first time in his memory that he had shared a bed with a woman. Even if he tried to ignore it, her presence enveloped him completely. There was no need to worry about the two nannies noticing anything. They knew who signed their contracts and who paid their salaries. It was just an employment relationship, not like they were relatives of the Feng family. Anyone with a bit of intelligence and caution would know what to say and what not to say. He could easily sleep on the sofa in the living room or book a suite at a hotel near the company. There would always be a reasonable explanation. However, as soon as this thought arose, he suppressed it. Although he still didn’t understand why he married Ji Qingyu, he always trusted his choices and judgments. He might not care much about whom he married, but he didn’t believe he would enter a marriage “out of necessity” or “against his will.” No one could force him, and he would never doubt any decision made by “Feng Chengze.”

He must have been willing. Over the past few years, he and Ji Qingyu had been a real couple and had a daughter. “Maintaining the current life unchanged” meant everything remained the same.

Everything.

Feng Chengze mentally reviewed the tasks he needed to do, prioritizing them by importance and urgency. Thinking about it, he slowly drifted into sleep.

Ji Qingyu liked to move around in her sleep. She kicked off the thin blanket and feeling cold in the middle of the night; she instinctively moved towards the warmth. She slipped into the thin quilt beside her and found a comfortable position to snuggle up.

Feng Chengze felt the smooth skin brushing against him, wanting to hold and embrace it. Half-asleep, he wrapped his large hand around Ji Qingyu’s waist, pulling her into his arms, not allowing her to move away. She obediently nestled against him, her hand on his chest, her leg draped over him, clinging like a vine.

Both slept soundly.

Although Ji Qingyu had the entire bed on the plane to herself, she tossed and turned, not sleeping well for several hours. Feng Chengze had even less rest, not closing his eyes for more than three hours. At this moment, the mattress was comfortable, the room was temperature-controlled with blackout curtains leaving no gaps, and they quickly fell into a deep sleep. They wished they could sleep forever.

It was the knocking that woke them, one knock after another, disturbing their morning sleep. Ji Qingyu frowned in annoyance, curling her fingers and scratching, feeling the soft silk fabric and some firm muscles beneath her fingertips.

?
??
What was this?
Startled, she opened her eyes wide, meeting Feng Chengze’s sleepy gaze.
“…”
“…”
Their eyes met.

Ji Qingyu was too exhausted to scream. She twitched the corner of her mouth and quickly withdrew her hand from his chest, retreating. His consciousness also returned, and he decisively pulled out his numb arm that she had been pressing on. Both of them appeared calm—they had to be calm. Both she and he were adults and knew that showing emotions at this time would only make the situation more awkward and worse. Only by pretending that nothing had happened could they remain unscathed and maintain peace.

“Going to die, going to die,” Ji Qingyu wailed in her heart. She knew her sleeping habits weren’t great. It was manageable in college since the bed was small and had guardrails to limit her movements. But once she was back in her own bed at home, she would start off fine before sleep, only to wake up at the foot of the bed. She must have rolled over to Feng Chengze’s side in the middle of the night, desperately squeezing into his arms.

Feng Chengze sat up straight, his posture somewhat awkward. He bent over deliberately and curled up his legs, his face dark and heavy as if the ink could drip from it. He thought it was probably the habit of this body acting up, pulling her into his arms at night.

For a moment, he felt a headache. He wanted to apologize to her, but the words got stuck in his throat.

A faint but persistent knocking sound came. Ji Qingyu lifted the quilt, got out of bed, and hurried to the door barefoot, not even bothering to put on slippers. She opened the door, and Feng Jiayuan, dressed in her school uniform and with her hair tied in two cute buns, slipped in like an eel, her voice crisp and bright: “Mom, good morning!”

Ji Qingyu weakly hugged her: “Good morning, baby…”

Sister Liu woke Feng Jiayuan up at seven o’clock every day. After changing clothes, washing up, and tying her hair, she had a simple breakfast at home. Sometimes, if Ji Qingyu or Feng Chengze got up early, they would accompany her for breakfast and drive her to school. However, the unchanging habit was that she would say good morning to her parents as long as they were all at home. No one could negotiate or argue with this stubborn girl about this matter unless she didn’t have to go to school that day.

Feng Jiayuan ran to the bedside again, pouting, her chubby hands holding her cheeks. She leaning against the edge of the bed, her eyes sparkling, she called out to Feng Chengze: “Daddy, good morning!”

She opened her arms, asking for a loving hug.

Feng Chengze didn’t get out of bed. He hesitated and leaned over to give her a hug. Just waking up, his voice was low and slightly hoarse: “Good morning.”

After waking up her parents and saying good morning, Feng Jiayuan ran off contentedly. She flirted and ran away faster than a rabbit, leaving her father and mother in silent bewilderment.

Ji Qingyu finally understood why, five years later, her WeChat chat background with Yuan Bao was filled with small words on a picture—
“Biological! Don’t be angry!”
“Who is the gentlest mother in the world? It’s me!”
“I’m not raising a child. I’m cultivating my patience.”