IMH - 39

“Can I stay tonight?”

Of course, Yu Qian meant no. Without even speaking, she waved her hand at him dismissively.

“Then let’s chat for a while. I’ll leave after I finish the dishes.”

Cheng Xiaonan got up and opened the window. The night wind dispersed the lingering scent of pasta sauce in the room. He took a scarf and draped it over Yu Qian’s shoulders, “Don’t catch a cold.”

How could Cheng Xiaonan, a young master, have ever washed dishes? It was just that many years ago, he messed up from the very first step of getting water when cooking.

Later, whenever he encountered something that could be cooked, he would instinctively practice. Cooking dumplings, wontons, or pasta was something he was actually good at.

As for washing dishes, there was a dishwasher at home, so he had never really dealt with it.

He squeezed out a lot of dish soap, and a thick layer of foam rose in the sink.

Fortunately, the kitchen sink faced away from the door, and his tall figure hid his clumsy movements.

After a few minutes, Cheng Xiaonan squeezed a ball of foam from the sink and called to Yu Qian: “Hey? There’s a heart-shaped bubble here, do you want to see it? Am I that amazing? Even washing dishes, it’s in the shape of loving you?”

It wasn’t any magical feat; two bubbles pressed together, from a certain angle, did look a little like a heart, but in reality, it looked more like a butt.

However, Yu Qian didn’t say that. She simply gave an indifferent “Mm.”

Yu Qian sat at the dining table, her voice languid, asking him how he thought of founding “Eleven.”

He said he just wanted to create a company like that.

Cheng Xiaonan spoke lightly, summarizing years of working tirelessly: “After you left, I also worked hard for a while. I was considered a good student in my grade when I graduated.”

He turned back, holding a plate: “It’s not because you said you liked scholars that I had to become one. It’s just... a strong youth makes a strong nation, right? Didn’t that attract our excellent model industry senior back from abroad?”

As he said this, the plate in his hand clinked against the edge of the sink.

The thin porcelain couldn’t withstand the impact and instantly broke into several fragments, silently falling into the foam.

Yu Qian asked: “Did something break?”

“...No, no.”

The broken plate was hidden in the trash can. The intact dinner plate was placed by Cheng Xiaonan into the drying rack. “I’ve never asked you, do you prefer living abroad or in China?”

“China, after all, I’ve lived here since childhood.”

Cheng Xiaonan smiled and said that was good, saving him the trouble of having to think about expanding into overseas markets and asking Old Cheng to help him set up a company abroad.

Coming out of the kitchen, he saw Yu Qian resting her chin on her hand.

Her expression was slightly tired, her eyelids drooped lazily, looking like she was about to fall asleep again.

He crouched in front of her, his fingertips lightly lifting her chin: “Why do you seem so easily tired lately? Is your work schedule too tiring? Do you want to take a break?”

Yu Qian shook her head: “No need.”

Work abroad was clearly more demanding, especially right after going abroad and when Qu Liwen was sick. During that time, she had some financial difficulties and was constantly taking on jobs, regardless of whether she liked them or not, money came first.

In comparison, the current situation, where she could choose work based on her preferences, was extremely relaxed.

However, lately, she had been feeling sleepy earlier than usual; sometimes, she would be asleep before 11 PM.

Yu Qian thought for a moment and felt that Sun Yue’s calming incense might be working.

Cheng Xiaonan’s room also had aromatherapy candles that were the same type as Yu Qian’s, lavender and poppy.

The previous two times Yu Qian fell asleep watching movies, he had indeed lit them.

But could one candle really be that effective?

Seeing that Yu Qian was genuinely too sleepy to open her eyes, Cheng Xiaonan quietly suggested, “Seriously, how about I stay and sleep with you? The kind where we don’t do anything.”

Yu Qian shot him a look, the meaning in her eyes very clear—

Are your words trustworthy?

Perhaps unable to suppress the excitement of being “promoted to full-time,” Cheng Xiaonan, to prove his trustworthiness, called the hotel front desk and had a simple single bed added to Yu Qian’s bedroom.

After showering, he sat on the edge of the bed in his bathrobe, brushed aside the damp hair from his forehead, and smiled smugly: “Sleep tight, goodnight.”

Yu Qian seemed largely unmoved by his presence in the room. In the darkness, her breathing quickly became steady, suggesting she had fallen asleep.

Cheng Xiaonan idly scrolled through his phone, his mind still active even two hours later.

He couldn’t resist turning over and shining the faint light of his phone towards Yu Qian.

Asleep, Yu Qian had a softness she lacked in the daytime. Her eyelashes rested on her lower eyelids, making her look utterly defenseless.

In truth, she was always quiet, even during the day, she didn’t talk much.

Cheng Xiaonan remembered years ago when they went to an amusement park together. In the crowded place, he pulled Yu Qian’s wrist to queue for the most thrilling rollercoaster.

They stood in line, listening to a couple also in line. The girl kept saying she was scared and wanted to go on other rides, while her boyfriend held her close, comforting her.

At that time, Cheng Xiaonan glanced at Yu Qian. Yu Qian’s expression was calm, and she was using her manicured finger to tease a ladybug slowly crawling on the railing.

Later, sitting on the rollercoaster, the car slowly climbed to the highest point along the track. Even Cheng Xiaonan felt a slight tension, like a blunt knife cutting through flesh. Everyone in the car felt a pre-storm silence.

Yu Qian remained impassive.

Cheng Xiaonan suddenly felt then that she was too unhappy.

Just as the rollercoaster was about to reach its peak, he suddenly snapped his fingers and sang to tease her, “Look over here, look over here, look over here, girl beside me.”

Yu Qian did look over, but he was so focused on teasing that when the rollercoaster suddenly accelerated and plunged, Cheng Xiaonan himself startled and let out a scream.

When they got off the rollercoaster, Yu Qian unusually smiled, pointing to the tracks coiling against the sky behind them, and asked him, “You’re afraid of these?”

________________________________________

The next day, woken by his alarm, Cheng Xiaonan had a faint hint of dark circles under his eyes. He sat up, rubbed his hair a few times, and asked Yu Qian if she slept well.

“Not bad.”

Yu Qian paused, then asked, “You?”

“Not really.”

Of course not really.

At first, it was fine. He could lie in bed and warmly reminisce about the past, then think about the present, how after so many years, they were actually together. Just thinking about it made him happy.

But in the latter half of the night, it became impossible. Yu Qian’s shallow breaths in the quiet bedroom stirred Cheng Xiaonan’s nerves with every rise and fall.

Yu Qian was probably warm in her sleep and kicked off half her blanket, one smooth leg poking out from under the thick covers.

The moonlight clearly traced the window frame onto her skin—soft, tender skin, gentle leg lines, with only the sharp angles of the window frame casting dark shadows upon them.

His gaze uncontrollably moved from her ankle, only reaching her knee, then sharply shifted away.

Cheng Xiaonan felt like he was being tortured. He stayed awake until dawn was near before finally drifting into a shallow sleep.

Yu Qian got up, walked past him, and said she was going to the airport to pick up Peter. If he had nothing to do, he could stay in the room and sleep a bit longer.

But Cheng Xiaonan also had an early meeting today and had to get up and get ready with Yu Qian.

They stood side by side in front of the hotel’s spacious vanity. Yu Qian used her own toothbrush, and Cheng Xiaonan unwrapped a hotel toothbrush.

The vanity had soft orange lighting. Both of them wore matching hotel bathrobes, creating an unbelievably warm scene.

Brushing their teeth took only 2 or 3 minutes. During this time, Cheng Xiaonan frequently stole glances at Yu Qian in the mirror.

Yu Qian spat out the foam and asked him, “What are you doing?”

Cheng Xiaonan also promptly spat out the foam, openly admitting, “I want to kiss you.”

Without giving Yu Qian time to react, he leaned in for a direct kiss.

Two people, with toothpaste foam still lingering in their mouths, kissed. Yu Qian poked his shoulder with her long, manicured fingernails, glaring threateningly at him—

Cheng Xiaonan, if I swallow this toothpaste foam, you’re dead.

________________________________________

Every time Peter returned to Imperial City, he made sure to arrive in the morning. Going for breakfast right after landing was a habit of his, almost a ritual for quickly integrating into Imperial City.

It was a sunny day. Yu Qian accompanied Peter to breakfast. On the way back to the hotel, they got stuck in the rush hour traffic on the Third Ring Road.

In the dazzling sunlight, she suddenly recalled Cheng Xiaonan’s minty toothpaste kiss from that morning.

Perhaps it was in the long queue of traffic that she unconsciously smiled for a moment.

Peter immediately noticed and asked her, “Yu Qian, I think you’re in a really good mood today?”

“A little.”

“Don’t you want to tell me why you’re in a good mood? It’s really rare to see you like this.”

The car’s heater was on. Yu Qian thought of Cheng Xiaonan’s sulky face when he put her in the car.

The younger man pouted and said he didn’t want to go to the meeting; he wanted to skip work.

When Yu Qian asked why, he stood in the bright morning sunlight, his brows furrowed with worry, saying he felt that since he had finally been “promoted to full-time,” he should go to the airport with her to pick up Peter.

“At least I should properly show off in front of your rumored lover,” he had said verbatim.

When mentioning Peter, he casually called Peter her “rumored lover.”

And he never once questioned her with reasons like “Is there truly pure friendship between men and women?”

The cars behind honked impatiently, and Yu Qian realized that the car in front had already moved some distance, and she hadn’t followed in time.

Yu Qian started the car. Without turning around, she could guess how gossipy Peter’s gaze must be from the passenger seat.

Perhaps Yu Qian’s driving was too focused. Peter mumbled, quite displeased: “You must have forgotten those days when we shared hardships. I shared everything with you, and now you have secrets. Ah, my daughter’s grown up, she has her own worries now.”

Yu Qian always found it difficult to talk about her feelings; it was a complex emotion, more than just shyness or embarrassment.

Many, many years ago, Qu Liwen told fairy tales to a young Yu Qian, stories that ended with “And so, the prince and princess lived happily ever after.”

Qu Liwen stroked the watch on her wrist and told little Yu Qian that life didn’t have such perfect outcomes.

Later, as she grew up, Yu Qian continually saw in Qu Liwen how her mother was both worldly and despairing, yet also waiting, full of contradictions, but still loving.

Frankly, someone like Yu Qian didn’t really believe in “love.”

But she remembered Cheng Xiaonan’s resentful face when he had to go to his meeting, Yu Qian smiled and said, “Some happy things have happened.”