Psst! We're moving!
Jiang Chengyu looked at the piano in the painting. If Shen Tang hadn’t specially added a text note next to it, it would have been hard to tell at first glance that the girl in the painting was playing the piano.
The begonia flower on the piano was barely passable; one could tell it was a flower.
This was the one in the living room of Haitang Village.
Giving up piano had always been her regret.
“Do you still want to pursue piano studies?” Jiang Chengyu asked.
“I’ll be thirty in a few years. I should just focus on being Mrs. Shen.” Shen Tang tidied her desk, placing the painting next to the computer, giving it to him as a gift.
“If our daughter likes to play the piano in the future, then we’ll cultivate her interest well.” She looked at her somewhat terrible drawing skills. “If our daughter has a talent for drawing like Zhengzheng, then I’ll definitely let her learn to draw. As for the piano--”
Let regret be regret.
In life, who doesn’t have regrets?
“As a big boss like you, do you have any regrets or things you’ve come to regret?”
She tugged his hand, leading him back to the bedroom.
Before Jiang Chengyu could speak, Shen Tang answered her own question, “Probably not. I see you consider every decision carefully. I need to learn from that too in the future.”
Once you become a boss, you can’t just do as you please anymore.
There was one regret, Jiang Chengyu didn’t say.
Next Tuesday, they would fly to Shenzhen. After visiting grandpa, they would go to the small island for a vacation.
After bathing, Shen Tang took out a suitcase and began packing.
Jiang Chengyu stood nearby, watching her fold his shirts one by one. Her smooth, slender fingers carefully smoothed out each shirt, leaving no wrinkles.
Whatever color his shirt was, she would take a T-shirt of the same color and stack it on top, placing every two items in a dust bag, like matching couple outfits.
Jiang Chengyu noticed the pattern. “Let me pack; you go to sleep.”
Shen Tang let him do the work, but she didn’t leave the walk-in closet, her hands wrapped around his waist.
His abdominal muscles felt good to the touch; she couldn’t get enough of them.
Jiang Chengyu held her hands. “Don’t move around.”
Shen Tang didn’t disrupt his work, and helped him tidy his pajamas.
“Husband, don’t forget to pack a sun protection shirt for me.”
The walk-in closet was silent for a good ten seconds.
That address invisibly pulled their hearts even closer.
“It’s in the suitcase. I packed two.”
Shen Tang was also trying to get used to the address “husband.” Sometimes, she couldn’t help but wonder if he was truly willing to enter into marriage, if he was really the one who would spend his life with her.
It wasn’t until she woke up in his warm, strong embrace in the morning that the uncertainty disappeared, and her heart felt at ease.
All the clothes were neatly packed, filling one suitcase.
The fire Jiang Chengyu had been trying to suppress from her teasing finally had a chance to be extinguished.
The sofa in the walk-in closet wasn’t wide enough. Shen Tang was cradled in Jiang Chengyu’s arms, beneath him, gripping his shoulders.
For the first half of the time, Jiang Chengyu gave himself to her gently.
Later, he took her forcefully.
No matter which way, Shen Tang couldn’t resist.
From the walk-in closet to the bedroom sofa, the intense passion eventually settled into calm. Shen Tang showered and lay in bed, too tired to move. His stamina was comparable to when he was twenty-seven or twenty-eight.
She looked at Jiang Chengyu, who was drinking water. “I’m sleeping, good night, husband.”
“Mm.” Jiang Chengyu put down the water glass.
Her bath towel was placed aside.
Jiang Chengyu buried his head and kissed her most sensitive spot.
Shen Tang shivered slightly, instinctively wanting to kick him.
She didn’t kick him. Jiang Chengyu held her feet, and his warm lips descended again.
Shen Tang’s feet were held by him, making it impossible to move.
He was still kissing.
The tenderness on his tongue broke her down.
The electric tingling sensation couldn’t be released. Unable to embrace Jiang Chengyu, Shen Tang simply reached up and turned off the light, grabbing a pillow to cover her face.
She tried to make the pillow absorb some of her sounds.
Later, Jiang Chengyu wanted her again.
This time, she slept without dreams until dawn.
Shen Tang was awakened by the seven o’clock alarm. She had originally set it for six, but presumably didn’t get up, so Jiang Chengyu changed the alarm time for her.
She groggily opened her eyes, and there was no one beside her.
Jiang Chengyu woke up every day at five or six, so by now he was either at the company or on his way there.
She pulled back the covers and sat up.
Tomorrow’s flight was back to her hometown, so today she needed to go to the company to arrange her upcoming work.
Shen Tang washed up, changed clothes, and went downstairs.
Jiang Chengyu was still at home. He sat at the dining table with two laptops in front of him.
“Why didn’t you go to the company?”
Jiang Chengyu was busy, so he handed her the water glass nearby. “There’s an industry conference today. I’ll go directly to the venue, no time to run to the company first.”
Shen Tang drank half a glass of warm water and sat beside him, quietly eating her breakfast.
He had already eaten breakfast, and specifically stayed to accompany her for a few minutes.
“I’m going to my mom’s place tonight; I might be back a bit late.” Jiang Chengyu informed her.
It was almost time; if he didn’t leave soon, he’d be late.
“I can’t wait for you to finish eating, I have to go now.”
“No need to wait for me, hurry up and go, don’t be late.” Shen Tang wiped her lips with a tissue and leaned in close to him.
Jiang Chengyu closed his laptop, turned his face to her, and she kissed him.
Shen Tang watched his car slowly drive out of the courtyard from the living room’s floor-to-ceiling window.
Eating breakfast with him before never felt like happiness; she never knew when they might break up.
Now it was different.
Every day she woke up, she looked forward to it.
Two days ago, while chatting with Wen Di, Wen Di mentioned she was writing a script about a scumbag, planning to thoroughly torment him.
Wen Di also said she wanted to include a good man in it and asked Shen Tang if she wanted to write their love story with Jiang Chengyu into the script. If so, they could collaborate on a script.
It wasn’t impossible.
Shen Tang pulled her thoughts back, and after breakfast, she hurried to the company.
Chu Ran came to the company today. Although the variety show recording was over, physical training and dance rehearsals still needed to continue. Her new drama was starting production in November, so she needed to pick up her skills in these few months.
With the broadcast of the variety show, she gained public recognition. Many netizens who used to dislike her now became neutral or even fans. As a result, various scripts and business activities came knocking.
After a night of adjustment, Chu Ran accepted the fact that Qin Xing had a girlfriend.
Although she got second place, as Sister Li said, in the hearts of netizens, her transformation couldn’t be measured by ranking.
The variety show had only aired six episodes so far; the later episodes would be her highlight moments, and she would gain another wave of positive reviews then.
What was love compared to a career? A career was essential.
Chu Ran comforted herself.
This morning, they held a meeting to discuss which dramas she should take on next. Chu Ran was the last one to arrive at the conference room.
Shen Tang patted the empty seat next to her. “Here.”
The empty seat was diagonally opposite Qin Xing. If she didn’t deliberately look at him, she could completely avoid eye contact.
The conference room had a faint aroma of coffee. All the ladies were on a diet, so only Qin Xing had a cup of coffee in front of him.
Chu Ran wanted to glance at him but held back.
Shen Tang hadn’t read the script yet. She asked Qin Xing for his opinion. “I’ll take the script with me on the plane and read the ones you recommend first.”
“The first and fourth ones are good. I’ve reviewed the scripts.”
In the quiet conference room, his voice was like surround sound, especially textured when he mentioned he had read all the scripts.
Chu Ran quietly glanced at him, while Qin Xing was looking at the large screen.
She averted her gaze and also looked at the scripts listed on the screen.
If he finished reading the scripts she was going to take on, perhaps he wasn’t so disappointed in her after all.
But the next second, she chuckled self-deprecatingly.
He had a girlfriend now, and helping her vet scripts concerned the company’s interests, which were also his own interests.
Why was she getting so excited?
Chu Ran opened her meeting notebook and carefully recorded the key points they discussed.
Shen Tang watched her take meeting notes, almost dropping her jaw in surprise.
After more than two hours of discussion, when the meeting adjourned, Shen Tang was the first to leave the conference room.
Chu Ran and Qin Xing reached the door at about the same time. She quickened her pace, walking ahead of him, no longer looking at him.
“Boss Shen.” Chu Ran went to find Shen Tang.
Shen Tang turned. “What’s up?”
“I heard you’re going on vacation.”
“Yeah, for about a week. If anything comes up, you can find Sister Li.”
What could Chu Ran have going on? Besides two business engagements, she had no other plans for the upcoming week and would be training at the company.
“Will I get a gift this time?”
“Of course, are two chocolates enough?”
“...You’re so stingy.” Chu Ran took out a rectangular box from her bag. “I was asked to give this to you. I hope you like it, but if you don’t, please don’t blame me.”
She shoved it into Shen Tang’s arms, then turned and scurried off to the training room, as if Shen Tang would chase after her.
Back in her office, Shen Tang opened the box.
The exterior packaging was exquisite, and the wrapping paper was carefully chosen.
After unwrapping it, she found a leather photo album.
The layout inside was custom-designed, with old photos printed into the new album. What was old was the time itself.
On the front page were a few photos of a newborn baby.
Just looking at these few photos, it was impossible to tell that it was her as a child.
Flipping through the pages, her facial features gradually became clearer and more defined.
From her birth to her first birthday, the album was full.
Chen Nanjin and Xiao Zhen never appeared from beginning to end. In the last photo, she was one year old and could walk, with tiny braids and a beautiful princess dress. She wasn’t walking very steadily then, wobbling as she smiled and ran towards someone.
The toy in that person’s hand was half-visible in the camera, but the person wasn’t in the frame.
It should have been Xiao Zhen.
Knowing she didn’t want to see them, Xiao Zhen specifically cropped the photos when making the album.
The past, shattered on the ground, could not be repaired by this single photo album.
However, Jiang Chengyu would probably like this album.
________________________________________
The industry conference adjourned. Jiang Chengyu turned down the evening banquet and went straight back to the old residence.
Mrs. Jiang was in a good mood today, sketching in the courtyard. Recently, with nothing much to do, she started learning to paint with her granddaughter. “How come you have time to come over today?”
Jiang Chengyu sat down beside his mother. “Shen Tang and I are going on vacation, so I came to see you and Dad.”
“You never told us when you went out to play before.” Mrs. Jiang turned her head. “Why report your itinerary this time? Is it--”
With that, she paused.
She found the reason her son came today.
Mrs. Jiang smiled, looking at his ring finger. “I knew it, you came to show me the ring.”
Jiang Chengyu: “Mom, don’t project your thoughts onto me.”
“Don’t be shy, why act like an adult in front of me?” Mrs. Jiang spoke from the heart. “When you’re married and have your own family, that’s when I truly feel you’ve grown up.”
She pointed to the easel. “I’m learning to paint. When I’m good enough, I’ll paint a family portrait for your little family.”
Jiang Chengyu looked at his mother’s easel: “Mom, what are you painting?”
Mrs. Jiang seriously explained: “It’s our courtyard! This is the villa, and this is the garden. Maybe you can’t tell because the flowers aren’t finished yet.”
Jiang Chengyu suddenly fell silent. This painting skill was even worse than Shen Tang’s.