A low, soft "Hmm!" served as her response to Cheng Yi, and Ran Fang lifted his leg, passing by the two of them, heading straight toward the private room.
"She really is influenced by those around her—getting more and more like my brother with that poker face. Now she's acting all haughty too!" Pouting, Kong Huan stomped her foot in frustration, glancing back repeatedly at his departing back.
"Why?" Cheng Yi murmured absentmindedly, not turning around to watch Ran Fang leave. His eyes seemed to completely overlook her existence.
"Yi, I want to be discharged. I don't want to stay in the hospital anymore, okay?" Ding Jia pouted coquettishly, gently shaking Kong Chengyi's arm. "I promise I won't look at all those messy reports. I'll take good care of myself!"
Since that night when she pretended to faint and was hospitalized until today, she had been forced to stay in the hospital, enduring continuous consultations from specialists in various departments, eating bland nutrition meals. Kong Chengyi even confiscated her phone. No matter how much she acted spoiled or pitiful, she couldn't get it back—she had no freedom at all. Had she known how frustrating this life would be, she wouldn't have pretended to faint just to get more attention and care from Kong Chengyi. These successive tests also filled her with worry. What if they found something? What if she was infertile? Would he still cherish her? Would the Kong family accept her so easily?
Her right hand being gently shaken, Kong Chengyi's left hand still leafed through documents. He glanced at the woman leaning on him, coquettishly seeking attention, before returning his gaze to the files.
His reaction was so cold. Ding Jia pursed her lips, swiftly snatching the documents from his hand and tossing them to the floor. Then, without hesitation, she sat on his lap, tugging at him with her sharp, high-pitched voice as she coquettishly pleaded, "Yi…"
"This place is nice. Why go back? If you gain five more pounds, you can go back. You're still too thin now!" His elegant, long fingers brushed her shoulder as he smiled faintly, eyes filled with amusement watching her pout.
"Being cooped up in this room every day—even eating bird's nest and shark fin daily isn't helping me gain weight. Instead, I'm getting depressed! Look, the smell of disinfectant is so strong here!" Blinking with a pout, Ding Jia jabbed his hard chest with determined fingers.
"Aren't I with you every day here? You say I accompany you, but you're still bored?" Holding her fingers gently, Kong Chengyi played with them joyfully. She reminded him of those years—the way she was then, innocent yet pitiful, tugging at his heart and making him love her dearly.
Her fingers were pinched, and Ding Jia suddenly puckered her lips, bursting into quiet sobs. "Wuwu…" she softly complained, "This isn't accompanying me! You have piles upon piles of documents on your desk. You're always signing, always approving, constantly giving orders to Ke Jie!" She had finally managed to get him by her side, but Ke Jie mysteriously appeared again and again, delivering stacks of paperwork to the ward—making her so angry she almost stormed out to escape the hospital.
"Now that you've thrown those away, are you less angry?" Kong Chengyi gently wiped the tears from her eyes with a fingertip, smiling. "Ding Ding, you're basically a nagging wife—only angry at the paperwork!"
"Yi…" Ding Jia suddenly buried her head in his neck, her moist red lips pressing a kiss there. "Can we go home? Just the two of us in our room, okay?" She wanted to be alone with him, free from the interruptions of all these doctors and starry-eyed nurses. She needed to hurry and get pregnant with his child.
His body stiffened slightly as her soft lips touched his neck; unconsciously, he sat upright.
Feeling his tense body, Ding Jia paused for a moment then smiled slyly, flicking her tongue to kiss his earlobe, her voice gentle and warm. "Yi, I'm really fine now. I just want to be comfy with you at home. I can make you breakfast, cook your favorite dishes. Every day, whenever you open your eyes, you'll see me. I want to see you every morning when I wake up…" No matter what, this time she was determined to live with him again, to firmly keep him by her side, and never let him slip away.
Feeling her tongue's teasing touch, Kong Chengyi's strong, well-defined palm slowly slid to her waist, gently massaging it with a rhythm that seemed unconscious yet harmonious—as if playing a symphony along with her tongue. "I'm not suited to live at your place…"
"I know your home isn't suitable. It's too small and plain!" The cheap, old apartment—had she not wanted to win his affection, she wouldn't have chosen such a dirty and impoverished place initially.
"Yi, how about I move in with you? She's already moved out, right? That used to be our home. We shared so many beautiful memories there. I miss the lucky charms I hung on your balcony—I bet they're still there, right? You wouldn't have taken them down!" Xiaoyue Residence was their home from years ago. Now that she was back, of course she wanted to return to her place. She wouldn't forget a single corner filled with their moments together. She knew how reluctant he was to change anything there.
"It's too small. Not suitable for you!" Frowning slightly, Kong Chengyi stopped massaging and flatly refused her request to move back.
In truth, since that night, he hadn't returned to Xiaoyue Residence and didn't know what had happened inside after Hua Lianxi moved out. Didn't know if the flowers on the dining table had been cleared away or silently wilted, or what happened to the small unnamed potted plant on the balcony. What of her varied dresses? The delicate cosmetics in glass bottles?
"Yi!" Ding Jia bit her lip firmly and glared.
"Hm?" His lips twitched from the slight pain. Kong Chengyi raised an eyebrow, meeting her sharp gaze and subtly pulling his drifting thoughts back.
"You didn't listen to me at all. Your heart isn't with me, is it? Are you still thinking of that woman? Wuwu… you don't really love me; you love her!" Like a magic trick, tears welled instantly in Ding Jia's delicate features within a second, her lips tightening into a straight line.
"Ding Ding!" Putting on a stern face, Kong Chengyi disliked her accusations, though he didn't defend himself for his absent-mindedness just now.
"Wuwu… I want to go back to Xiaoyue Residence. That's our home. I don't mind that another woman once walked those floors, but now I want to go back. That place is full of our memories—always so beautiful—reminding me every day. Without those memories, I wouldn't have survived those hard days… wuwu, you just don't understand at all!" Even though she had once left, now she had to claim her territory, thoroughly marking Kong Chengyi as hers. To achieve this, she would stop at nothing—whether relying on her vulnerability, playing coy, or throwing a temper fit when necessary.
"Sweetheart, that place is too small. You need to rest now. Let's find another place." His broad palm rested on her cheek. Kong Chengyi lifted his head slightly and softly kissed her forehead. "If you really want to be discharged, we'll move to the villa in the mountains. The air there is good, and there's plenty of space for you to rest." Stepping back slightly, he finally agreed to let her discharge—Xiaoyue Residence would be sealed away for now. She could stay somewhere else for the time being.
"The villa in the mountains? Does that mean I can be discharged? But I'm scared to live alone. Please don't go back to Xiaoyue Residence, and don't live at the company. Stay with me in the mountains, okay?" Ding Jia smiled brightly, pleading in a rapid stream as she swayed against him. "Yi, please stay with me properly. If you come to the mountain, I'll definitely gain five—or even ten—pounds and get strong. Then I can have your adorable daughter, or your handsome son, okay?"
Holding her slender waist firmly to stop her swaying, Kong Chengyi lazily settled back on the sofa. "Can you promise you won't lose my files? That contract is worth tens of millions." With a sideways glance, he pointed at the documents on the floor.
"Tens of millions?" Sticking out her tongue, Ding Jia was surprised that those thin sheets of paper represented such a valuable contract. She quickly jumped off his lap and picked up the files, handing them back to him. "I promise I won't disturb your work! But you have to spend more time with me. If not, I won't let you off!" Memories flashed of years before—how she had threatened to kick him out of the bedroom whenever she was angry. Ding Jia narrowed her eyes, sharing a tacit understanding with him.
"Hmm!" A faint image flickered through his mind. Kong Chengyi quietly gazed into her bright eyes but didn't reveal his thoughts.
He took out his phone, gave simple instructions to Ke Jie to handle the discharge paperwork, then buried himself in documents until an hour later when he finally accompanied Ding Jia back to the villa in the mountains.
The drive from the city took a full two hours. The newly paved cypress road meandered through the mountains. The villa nestled among rolling hills, the air fresh but the place so vast and empty it felt eerie. Along the way, there were no supermarkets or hotels—it was nearly isolated from the world.
Standing before the large three-story villa, Ding Jia's initial joy suddenly turned to gloom. If Kong Chengyi didn't stay with her here, she would feel like a cast-out consort, hidden deep in the mountains. Even with him staying, she was determined to think of a way to leave as soon as possible.
"Come in. It's cooler here than downtown. Don't catch a cold!" Kong Chengyi held her from behind, gently urging her inside.
As Ding Jia suspected, inside was spacious but cold, completely lacking extra furniture—except for a wine rack stocked with vintages.
"No servants?" Hesitating in the middle of the living room, Ding Jia glanced toward the kitchen but saw no domestic help.
"Didn't you like cooking before? Don't you want to now?" Raising an eyebrow, Kong Chengyi hadn't expected her question since for years he had no habit of hiring servants. He thought she loved cooking—the way she looked when preparing meals was when she appeared most beautiful.
A twitch on Ding Jia's cheek lifted into a sweet smile. "Of course I do! I want to cook for you, just like before. Being able to make you breakfast every day would be my greatest happiness!" Wasn't he most in love with how she prepared breakfast for him early every morning? He was enamored with her cooking.