Chang Yan’an was still reeling from the long speech she had just given, and before he could fully process it, she had launched this sudden, scorching kiss. His breath hitched sharply.
Instinctively, his hands grasped her waist, intending to pull her off—
But Xu Qiqi clung to him like an octopus.
Before long, she had successfully ignited his fire. His palms, hot as flames, pressed against her back, and he couldn’t resist pulling her closer.
Sensing his response, she became even bolder, her fingers slipping toward the waistband of his pants.
Chang Yan’an’s Adam’s apple bobbed. His reason barely returned in time, reminding him that there were still two guests sitting on the living room sofa outside.
He quickly caught her hand and leaned back, putting some distance between them.
This movement accidentally knocked over the water basin on the stove, sending it crashing to the ground with a sharp, jarring noise.
The sudden sound startled Xu Qiqi. Just moments ago, she had been fearless and audacious, but now she instinctively burrowed into his arms. Chang Yan’an, helpless, wrapped his arms around her shoulders, trying to steady his unsteady breathing.
“Qiqi?”
From outside, Cheng Fangqiu’s voice carried a hint of inquiry.
Seeing that Xu Qiqi remained silent, Chang Yan’an gently squeezed her shoulder, signaling her to respond.
“N-no problem, I just accidentally knocked over the vegetable bowl. You guys carry on, don’t mind us.”
The room fell into silence once more, an unspoken awkwardness settling between them.
Chang Yan’an lowered his gaze and took in his own disheveled state, his expression darkening slightly.
Xu Qiqi, realizing belatedly that her actions just now had been somewhat inappropriate, averted her gaze guiltily and took a step back, putting some distance between them—giving him the space to calm down faster.
The two stood staring at each other.
Xu Qiqi rubbed the tip of her nose, then kindly suggested, “You should go upstairs and… handle it?”
Chang Yan’an took a deep breath, removed his glasses, and rubbed his brow. It took him a long moment before he finally replied, “No need.”
Xu Qiqi pursed her lips tightly. Feeling the urgent need to find a reasonable excuse for her actions, she quickly summarized her conversation with Cheng Fangqiu from earlier.
“Qiuqiu could immediately tell there was a problem between us. I think she’s smarter than both of us.”
Chang Yan’an lowered his gaze, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, his fingers resting on the countertop, tapping it lightly and rhythmically. So that explains it. No wonder she had changed so suddenly—there had been a strategist behind the scenes.
“Don’t you think so?”
Seeing her looking at him with an expectant expression, seeking his agreement, Chang Yan’an nodded.
“From now on, let’s talk things out properly and not keep things bottled up, okay?”
Chang Yan’an stared at her soft, flushed lips and found that this method of opening up and communicating actually felt quite nice. So, he nodded again.
Xu Qiqi saw him being so cooperative and immediately took the opportunity to push further.
“If I get angry in the future, you have to give in to me, coax me gently, and not just leave with a cold face. That would make me sad. From now on, I’m the boss of this household, alright?”
Chang Yan’an looked at this mischievous little troublemaker, who was seizing the moment to bargain and trying to claim dominance over the household. He felt the urge to laugh. The corners of his lips lifted slightly, and he nodded once again.
“From now on, I won’t bring up your ex-wife anymore. After all, the one you like now is me. As long as we like each other, that’s all that matters, right?”
She kept rambling on, her little mouth chattering non-stop.
When Chang Yan’an heard the words ex-wife, he thought she was about to say something unpleasant again, but surprisingly, she didn’t. So, out of habit, he simply nodded along.
It was only after nodding that he realized—
What did she just say?
She said they like each other?
But didn’t she—?
“Heh, I knew Qiuqiu was right! You do like me!”
Xu Qiqi, having successfully tricked him into confirming what she had most wanted to know, flashed a triumphant smile. She grabbed the hem of her dress and twirled excitedly in the kitchen.
“You stubborn block of wood! If I hadn’t asked outright, how much longer were you planning to keep this to yourself?”
She waltzed over to the sink, taking over the vegetables Zhou Yinghuai had left half-washed, clicking her tongue as she worked. Her delicate face was full of joy, as if the fact that he liked her was something truly worth celebrating.
Chang Yan’an stood frozen in place, staring at her in disbelief.
His strange reaction caught Xu Qiqi’s attention. She tilted her head and asked, puzzled, “Why are you just standing there like an idiot? Hurry up and cook, or it’ll be dark soon!”
Chang Yan’an forcibly suppressed his wildly thudding heart, feigning calm as he asked, “You… like me?”
“What are you pretending for?”
Xu Qiqi’s delicate face flushed red. Annoyed and embarrassed, she threw the vegetables in her hand back onto the counter. “If I didn’t like you, why would I work so hard every night to have your baby?”
Crude words, but they made sense.
Chang Yan’an didn’t say another word. He simply turned around, picked up the knife, and resumed chopping vegetables. On the surface, he appeared calm, but the tips of his ears had already turned a deep shade of red.
Xu Qiqi, standing beside him, continued muttering all sorts of shameless remarks. If this had been before, he would have sternly ordered her to shut up, lectured her about how she shouldn’t say such vulgar things…
But today, he uncharacteristically stayed silent.
Xu Qiqi glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and saw that his dark eyes were full of amusement.
She rarely saw such an obvious trace of joy on his face. Paired with his sharp features, it actually made him look quite… attractive.
She found herself staring at him for a moment, then unconsciously curved her lips into a smile as well.
The meal ended up taking longer to prepare than usual. By the time all the dishes were served, the sun had already set, casting a warm glow through the first-floor windows.
But it wasn’t quite bright enough.
Xu Qiqi got up and turned on all the lights. On her way back, she stopped by the wine cabinet and took out a bottle of red wine.
“My husband’s private collection.”
She leaned in close to Cheng Fangqiu’s ear and whispered, though her so-called whisper was loud enough for everyone at the table to hear.
Cheng Fangqiu looked at the bottle placed in front of her, eyes lighting up. Since arriving in this world, she hadn’t had the chance to drink red wine yet. She had been craving it for a while now.
“What a treat,” she said with a smile.
“I’ll open it,” Chang Yan’an offered, retrieving a corkscrew and a few wine glasses.
The deep red liquid poured into the glasses, refracting an alluring sheen under the light. A faint, rich fragrance of wine slowly filled the air.
Cheng Fangqiu picked up her glass and took a small sip, savoring the taste. Her eyes sparkled with pleasant surprise.
Good wine!
She took two more small sips, feeling unsatisfied. Just as she was about to take another, she suddenly felt a foot nudge her leg.
She lifted her gaze and met a pair of sharp, narrow eyes.
Zhou Yinghuai sat directly across from her, one leg crossed over the other, exuding an air of intimidation. The dim golden light above cast flickering shadows over his chiseled features, draping his tall, slender figure in a layer of soft glow, adding a sense of distance.
He, too, was holding a wine glass, though he had barely taken a sip. Instead, he swirled the liquid leisurely, his movements unhurried.
“Don’t drink so fast. You’ll get drunk.”
“It’s fine, I only had a little.”
Cheng Fangqiu waved a dismissive hand, then lifted her glass and downed the remaining wine in one go. Chang Yan’an had already poured conservatively for the women at the table, so even finishing it wouldn’t make her drunk.
“Qiuqiu, how is it?”
Xu Qiqi, who had been sitting close to her, eagerly leaned in and asked.
Ignoring Zhou Yinghuai’s slightly exasperated gaze, Cheng Fangqiu shifted her focus to Xu Qiqi, smiling as she nodded. “It’s good.”
“Then have some more.”
Xu Qiqi grabbed the bottle and poured more into Cheng Fangqiu’s glass. But this time, her hand slipped, and she ended up pouring half a glass. She gasped in surprise.
“Oops! If you can’t finish it, don’t force yourself. There’s no rule in our house that you have to drink everything.”
“It’s fine. Zhou Yinghuai has a high alcohol tolerance. If I can’t finish, he’ll drink it for me.”
“Oh, right! That’s what men are for.”
Xu Qiqi shot her a playful wink, making Cheng Fangqiu chuckle helplessly.
Xu Qiqi hadn’t been exaggerating when she said Chang Yan’an was skilled at making Rongzhou cuisine. Every dish on the table was beautifully presented, fragrant, and full of authentic flavors.
During the meal, the two men barely spoke. Most of the conversation was carried by the two women.
At one point, Xu Qiqi leaned on Cheng Fangqiu’s shoulder, flashing an ambiguous smile as she locked eyes with Chang Yan’an.
“Fangqiu, thanks to you, my husband and I had a major breakthrough today.”
Chang Yan’an, chewing his food, looked up and glanced at her.
Xu Qiqi grinned and raised her glass.
“A toast to you.”
Xu Qiqi picked up her wine glass, and Cheng Fangqiu immediately followed suit, lightly clinking hers against it.
Before she knew it, more than half of the wine in her glass was gone.
Feeling the heat creeping up her face, she decided not to let Xu Qiqi pour her any more.
As they ate and chatted, the warmth in her body grew stronger. Cheng Fangqiu untied her hair tie and gathered all of her hair into a bun at the back of her head, finally feeling a little cooler.
Sitting across from her, Zhou Yinghuai had been quietly observing her the entire time. Seeing this, his brows furrowed slightly, and he poured her a glass of warm water.
Cheng Fangqiu reached out to take it, took a sip, and then casually set it aside.
“Thank you.”
Her voice carried a soft, lilting tone at the end, like a gentle knock against his heart.
Zhou Yinghuai lifted his gaze and stared straight at her, his dark eyes gradually deepening.
She rested one hand against the side of her face, her delicate, fair wrist gleaming like freshly fallen snow under the light. She wore a faint, relaxed smile, her pale cheeks tinged with a rosy hue, and her alluring, almond-shaped eyes shimmered with a misty haze, traces of intoxication spreading from within.
Her dark hair was swept up into a loose bun, but a few strands had mischievously slipped free, brushing against the slender curve of her swan-like neck before resting against her elegant collarbones.
Perhaps still feeling warm, she tugged lightly at her collar.
In that instant, one smooth, jade-like shoulder slid into view, revealing a faint red mark against her fair skin.
Zhou Yinghuai’s gaze darkened. His fingers clenched slightly as he instinctively moved to stand—
But just as he was about to approach, her loosely gathered hair slipped free, cascading down and covering those glimpses of bare skin.
Yet this oblivious little enchantress still wanted to gather it up again.
“It’s getting late. We should go now.”
Zhou Yinghuai swiftly strode over to Cheng Fangqiu’s side, pressing her hand down to stop her from retying her hair. Instead, he quietly brushed all of her loose strands forward, letting them drape over her chest.
“Huh? You’re leaving already? Won’t you stay for a little longer?”
Xu Qiqi, clearly a little drunk herself, gazed at Cheng Fangqiu with hazy, unfocused eyes and reached out to hold her hand, trying to persuade her to stay.
“Take care.”
At just the right moment, Chang Yan’an stepped forward and gently pulled Xu Qiqi back, preventing her from touching Cheng Fangqiu.
The two men exchanged a glance, a silent understanding passing between them. With a subtle nod, they acknowledged each other.