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Shen Tang was sleeping soundly beside him. Jiang Chengyu muted his phone, afraid of disturbing her.
The group chat was flooded with countless ‘hahahas’. Fu Chenglin had been planning a nice Valentine’s Day, but Jiang Chengyu’s precisely timed message had given him a heart attack.
Jiang Chengyu wasn’t sleepy, so he picked up his phone and went to the study next door.
Ever since he learned they were fraternal twins, he had been exhilarated these past few days, feeling neither tired nor sleepy.
The study lights were off, but the computer was on.
Jiang Chengyu didn’t open any files or log into his email. He just leaned back in his chair, thinking about what names to give his daughter and son.
He still hadn’t settled on nicknames.
Jiang Chengyu opened his usual notepad. There was a dedicated page for jotting down nicknames for his daughter and son. The girl’s nickname list was a long column, but the boy’s only had two names.
He picked up the fountain pen beside him and added ‘Little Lemon’ to the girl’s backup nicknames, then added a note: (Daddy loves you, looking forward to the day I meet you).
A friend in their group had a daughter named Little Mango, and he had always thought that name was quite cute.
With one more name for the girl, he still couldn’t think of any nice ones for the boy.
He closed the notepad.
Still not feeling sleepy, Jiang Chengyu opened the book he had been halfway through.
He had read this book ten years ago. Shen Tang finished it a few days ago and pestered him to write a review. He had mostly forgotten the content, so he started reading it again from the beginning.
After an unknown amount of time, the computer screen dimmed.
The room suddenly plunged into darkness.
Jiang Chengyu’s distinct deep profile was hidden by the darkness. He got up and turned on the light.
His phone lit up on the desk, with an incoming call.
“Husband, it’s so late, why aren’t you back yet?” Shen Tang woke up and instinctively reached for his side, finding it empty.
Jiang Chengyu had a social engagement tonight. She went to bed early, at 8:30 PM, and he hadn’t returned when she fell asleep. Now she was awake, and he still wasn’t there.
“I came back early, I’m in the study,” Jiang Chengyu said, walking towards the bedroom. He reached the bedroom door in a few steps, still on the phone.
The bedroom door opened, and Shen Tang looked at him. “Still working overtime?”
“No,” Jiang Chengyu ended the call. “Just reading for a bit.” He put down his phone and hugged her. “Why are you awake now? Are you uncomfortable somewhere?”
“Not uncomfortable, I feel fine.”
Shen Tang kissed his face. He had already showered and smelled fresh and pleasant.
Jiang Chengyu turned off the wall lamp. “Today is Valentine’s Day.”
“I forgot without you mentioning it.” She felt like every day was Valentine’s Day now, and she wasn’t as concerned about specific holidays as before.
“Sleepy?” Jiang Chengyu’s warm breath brushed her ear as he spoke.
Shen Tang shook her head. She had just woken up and felt quite refreshed.
“I slept for almost four hours,” she said.
Jiang Chengyu leaned over her. The room was too dark, so he couldn’t see her eyes clearly.
Shen Tang couldn’t see into Jiang Chengyu’s eyes either, but she knew he wanted her.
They hadn’t been intimate since she found out she was pregnant.
With a baby on the way, they couldn’t embrace without restraint like before. Jiang Chengyu intertwined his fingers with hers. “Don’t be nervous, I know what I’m doing.”
Shen Tang held his hand, then clung to his shoulders. As Jiang Chengyu kissed her, she whispered, “I just had a dream.”
Jiang Chengyu asked, “What dream?”
“You bought spicy strips for me to eat.”
“...So that was just a dream.”
His unspoken meaning was that he would never buy her spicy strips in reality.
Shen Tang raised her hand to swat him twice, but Jiang Chengyu had already carefully settled in.
Shen Tang couldn’t help but frown, forgetting to hit him.
Jiang Chengyu took a deep breath. Thinking of the babies in her belly, he couldn’t help but feel nervous.
In the bedroom, it was so quiet they could hear each other’s breathing and heartbeats.
Jiang Chengyu looked down at her. She was a little nervous, her body tense, so much so that he couldn’t move, and didn’t dare to.
He tried to relax her. “Eat fewer spicy strips.”
Shen Tang was still adjusting to him. After a moment, she said, “I ate a whole box in my dream, and it was very satisfying.”
“...”
Jiang Chengyu looked at her intently, patiently giving her time.
Tonight’s activity was an endurance run, not needing the explosive power and intensity of a sprint. He had time to talk to her. “Eating that many spicy strips, can you handle it?”
“Mm.”
After that, Shen Tang said “Mm” several times in a row.
It was unclear if she was answering his question or giving him another kind of response.
________________________________________
The next morning, Shen Tang woke up naturally.
Her body felt fine, and she was in a pleasant mood.
Her first wish from their fifth anniversary night came true: her morning sickness in the first trimester was very mild. She only felt uncomfortable a few times; the rest of the time, she ate well and slept soundly.
Today, she wore a long autumn/winter dress with a high waist and a loose skirt, making it impossible to tell she was almost four months pregnant.
Carefully dressed, Shen Tang went downstairs.
Jiang Chengyu was still home, his shirt sleeves rolled up to his forearms, cooking fried eggs for her in the kitchen.
The man who had been well-fed and satisfied last night looked refreshed and even more abstinent and sexy today.
Shen Tang walked with leisurely steps to the kitchen doorway. “It’s seven-thirty, why haven’t you left yet?”
Jiang Chengyu: “It’s Valentine’s Day, so I’m staying to have breakfast with you.” He turned to look at her. “Are you uncomfortable anywhere?”
He was worried he hadn’t controlled his strength well last night.
Shen Tang walked behind him, placing both hands on his waist. “Except for a little discomfort in my heart from wanting spicy strips, everything else is normal.”
Jiang Chengyu: “Still thinking about that dream?”
“Mm,” Shen Tang said. “It’s like a ‘white moonlight’ presence; I can’t forget it.”
Jiang Chengyu didn’t respond. The fried eggs were ready. He squeezed ketchup on them, which was Shen Tang’s favorite breakfast recently.
Shen Tang didn’t expect him to buy her spicy strips during her pregnancy; she was just saying it.
Her taste had become oddly strange after pregnancy. For example, now, she suddenly wanted to drink lemon juice...
Jiang Chengyu arrived at the company close to 8:30 today, which was very rare for him.
Lu Zhifei had waited for almost an hour and still hadn’t seen him.
Her coffee was nearly empty, and the secretary came over to refill it.
The secretary was astute. Seeing Lu Zhifei early in the morning, she felt that Lu Zhifei was radiant, and her strong female aura had an imperceptible touch of tenderness.
And indeed.
She spotted a diamond ring on Lu Zhifei’s ring finger.
The coffee was refilled. “Ms. Lu, please enjoy.”
Lu Zhifei smiled. “Thank you.”
Ten minutes later, Jiang Chengyu finally arrived.
Lu Zhifei was in the adjacent meeting room. She took her coffee and went to his office.
She had sent him a message this morning, so Jiang Chengyu wasn’t surprised to see her.
Lu Zhifei’s visit today was for business. After exchanging pleasantries, she got straight to the point, “You’re now the second-largest shareholder in General Manager Ge’s new energy company. What are your plans?”
She wasn’t sure if Jiang Chengyu intended to forcefully acquire GM Ge’s company or merely hold shares to gain investment returns.
GM Ge was now like a cat on hot bricks, having almost worn out her phone calling her to help sound out Jiang Chengyu.
If Jiang Chengyu intended to seize control of the company, it would inevitably affect the company’s normal operations, and the management would begin scrambling to take sides, losing interest in working.
This was what GM Ge least wanted to see.
He was forty-three this year, and he had poured his heart and soul into building the company for over a decade. He couldn’t bear to see it fall into internal strife.
Lu Zhifei stated directly, “I’m here on behalf of General Manager Ge. He sincerely wants to talk to you, and he’s serious about running this company, unlike some bosses who only list their companies to make a quick buck.”
She held her coffee cup.
It was an old matter, but it had to be brought up today.
“Actually, this is my fault. If I hadn’t gone to him back then...” Even though Jiang Chengyu knew she was the one who exposed Shen Tang and Xie Yuncheng’s relationship back then, saying it out loud to him now was difficult.
“I apologize, I did such a messed-up thing back then.”
Jiang Chengyu: “Apologies for such things are meaningless. If Shen Tang says it’s in the past, then it’s in the past. If she says it’s not, your apology is useless.”
Regarding investing in the new energy company, it was purely for profit.
He wasn’t interested in management control; changing the team might not be as dedicated as General Manager Ge.
Now with Shen Tang and two babies, he had even less spare time.
Jiang Chengyu gave Lu Zhifei his answer, “I’ve invested in dozens of companies; I don’t have that much energy to hold every one of them in my hand.”
Lu Zhifei breathed a sigh of relief for General Manager Ge, who could finally relax.
Before leaving, she said to Jiang Chengyu, “Congratulations.” She heard that their group chat was still buzzing at two or three in the morning yesterday.
Jiang Chengyu: “Thank you. Same to you.”
He was congratulating her on her new relationship.
The man, now a husband and father, had become much gentler, even remembering to congratulate her.
After Lu Zhifei left, Jiang Chengyu asked his secretary to get him two newspapers from today.
The daily domestic and international news that Jiang Chengyu needed to browse was typically collected and organized by a dedicated person and sent to his email; he didn’t have time to read paper newspapers.
The secretary quickly asked, “What type of newspaper, or just today’s date will do?”
Jiang Chengyu: “Today’s date, anything else is fine.”
The secretary, puzzled, agreed.
Jiang Chengyu sent a message to Shen Tang: [I have meetings all day today, so it’s inconvenient to answer calls. If you miss me, just text me.]
Shen Tang: [I’m thinking of you right now.]
Jiang Chengyu: [Hmm, I’m taking that seriously.]
He reminded her: [If you want to eat anything, I’ll buy it and send it to you. Don’t always ask others for it.]
Shen Tang had just arrived at the company entrance and almost burst out laughing.
She was now the most gluttonous person in the entire company. When she smelled others eating, she couldn’t help but want some. After getting pregnant, she almost couldn’t control her mouth.
It wasn’t that she asked others for food; colleagues would simply save some for her.
She had only asked Qin Xing and Yuanyuan. One day, Qin Xing bought fried dough sticks, and the entire office filled with their aroma. She happened to be craving that very thing and ended up eating Qin Xing’s breakfast.
Qin Xing arrived earlier than her today. He was leaning against his desk, looking down at his phone, his legs casually crossed, and his coffee was steaming.
A rich aroma filled the air.
For the past few months, Shen Tang had been craving coffee but had restrained herself from having a single sip.
Passing by Qin Xing’s office door, she paused. “Chu Ran’s drama wraps up at the end of the month. Sister Li said we should have a get-together. What do you think?”
Qin Xing looked up, walked towards the door, and refused without hesitation. “I don’t have time.”
Shen Tang didn’t press. “Then we’ll get together another time.” Seeing him looking half-asleep, with bloodshot eyes, she asked, “What were you doing last night?”
Qin Xing smiled. “Dating, what else?”
Shen Tang didn’t pry further. “You’re busy.” She returned to her own office.
Good news kept coming these past few days. Approaching noon, Wen Di brought her another piece of news.
An hour ago, Xiao Donghan finally authorized the use of his “gentlemanly scoundrel” persona and life experiences, meaning she could add him to the script.
Shen Tang was astonished. She had almost given up hope, but unexpectedly, four or five months later, he had a change of heart and was willing to give authorization.
[What does he mean?]
Wen Di: [He now knows I’m Yan Heyu’s ex-girlfriend, so he feels comfortable authorizing it to me.]
Shen Tang was speechless: [...That weird?]
Wen Di: [He originally didn’t want to authorize it, thinking I had a crush on him and was just using it as an excuse to get close to him.]
So conceited.
Shen Tang asked: [So he’s not scared now?]
Wen Di: [He’s still a bit scared. He told me more than once that I could ask about his past experiences, but not to overthink it.]
Shen Tang: “...”
Wen Di: [Setting aside the business competition, if Yan Heyu is a ‘white lotus’ (innocent facade), then Xiao Donghan is a ‘green tea’ (manipulative). When those two meet, that’s when it gets really exciting.]
She sent another message:
[I’ve got the character profiles ready. We’ll just change the names later.
Prince Yan Family VS Young Master of Xiao Ning Group
Yan Scum-Madman VS Xiao Gentlemanly Scoundrel
Yan White Lotus VS Xiao Green Tea
Aren’t these two characters something to look forward to?]
Just then, there was a knock at the door. Yuanyuan knocked, holding a package.
“Sister Tang, a package just arrived for you.”
Shen Tang put down her phone. “Thank you.”
She tore open the outer packaging bag. The gift was wrapped in two newspapers, today’s financial papers.
Even before opening it, she guessed it was a gift from Jiang Chengyu. Unable to find nice wrapping paper, he had used newspapers.
Two ordinary newspapers, Shen Tang carefully unwrapped and folded them.
The gift was two bags of spicy strips.
Jiang Chengyu sent a message reminding her: [Lock the office door when you eat them, so Qin Xing doesn’t smell them.]
Shen Tang: “...”
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