Xie Cheng was seized by an impulse to push this woman away. Yet, when he looked up, his gaze met hers—a pure, innocent, and adorably captivating look that made his heart constrict. Any lingering unkind thoughts were instantly wiped away by his own hands. Resigned to his fate, he escorted Xia Kelan back.
"Come in and sit for a while. It's raining so heavily outside. Stay until the rain stops."
As soon as Xia Kelan's feet touched the ground, she walked straight into the living room.
"You're soaked through. Let me go upstairs to grab a towel for you. Wait here."
Xie Cheng observed the water dripping from Xia Kelan, splashing relentlessly across the floor. He felt a twinge of annoyance but still instructed her before heading upstairs.
In the master bedroom, he grabbed two towels and ran a bath of hot water. Xia Kelan, utterly bored, stood in place, nervously picking at her fingers. Hearing some movement, she looked up. Xie Cheng, dressed only in a thin white shirt, looked even more defined as the rainwater clung to him, outlining his strong, muscular abdomen.
Gulp—Xia Kelan swallowed hard.
In the next moment, a towel was draped over her head, blocking out all the light.
"What are you doing?" she exclaimed.
"Why are you staring?" Xie Cheng grabbed the towel and began rubbing her hair vigorously. It was so painful that Xia Kelan squealed, struggling unsuccessfully to escape his grasp.
Xie Cheng wrapped the towel around her and tucked it in.
"Wrap yourself up and go upstairs. Take a bath."
"Don't let the water drip on the floor. It's a hassle to clean up."
Xia Kelan let out a muffled, "Okay," while rolling her eyes.
"So annoying..."
"Go on!"
She hurried up the stairs.
Pushing open the bathroom door, a misty fog filled the air, radiating a comfortable warmth. Xia Kelan kicked off her slippers and walked toward the tub, curiously touching the water.
"Didn't expect this old guy to be so thoughtful," she muttered. Then, she rolled her eyes. "Probably learned this from all the women he's been with. Tch..."
She tossed a bar of rose-scented soap into the water, and it quickly dissolved, releasing a flurry of rich bubbles. Xia Kelan sank into the water, her eyes squinting in comfort.
Meanwhile, Xie Cheng was downstairs, mopping the floor. There was no maid at Xia Kelan's place, but clearly, there must be a part-time worker who came daily to clean. Otherwise, with the way her clothes were carelessly piled everywhere, the house could not possibly be so tidy.
"How come there's still a bag of unfinished snacks here?"
"Jelly wrappers... the leftover half-pack of spicy strips..."
Though Xie Cheng didn't have obsessive-compulsive disorder, he couldn't help but shake his head at Xia Kelan's carelessness. After tidying up quickly, he sat on the couch to wait for her.
He waited for half an hour, sensing something was wrong. He quickly rushed upstairs and knocked on the bathroom door.
"Xia Kelan?"
"Are you in there?"
"Have you finished your bath?"
No answer came from the bathroom. Growing increasingly anxious, Xie Cheng's hand grasped the doorknob, and with a light twist, it opened.
He pushed the door open and entered the misty bathroom, finding Xia Kelan lying in the tub.
Could she have caught a cold and fainted from fever?
His heart skipped a beat, and he rushed forward to speak, but then he heard soft music playing from her phone. Xia Kelan, however, was fast asleep, drooling.
"Seriously..."
Xie Cheng gently touched the water, finding it cool. He quickly turned on the hot water, reached into the bottom, and opened the tub's drain, letting the water continue flowing.
The warm water likely stirred Xia Kelan from her sleep. Her bleary eyes opened, and she just happened to see Xie Cheng's hand reaching into the water.
What a coincidence—he touched her leg.
"Pervert!" Xia Kelan screamed, splashing a huge wave of water that drenched Xie Cheng.
"Get out! Get out!" she demanded.
Xie Cheng hurriedly retreated, flustered.
"Okay, okay, I'm leaving now."
He quickly exited the bathroom, his clothes soaked. He sighed deeply, feeling a headache.
"I'll leave now. Don't fall back asleep."
With that, he quickly exited the villa.
...
Su Wanwan entered the door. When Fu Liangmu, sitting in the living room watching TV, heard the sound, he immediately stood up and walked over, his sharp gaze scanning her. Seeing that she hadn't gotten wet from the rain, he finally relaxed.
"I've been simmering some ginger tea to warm you up. Sit here and rest for a bit. I'll bring it to you."
The mention of ginger tea instantly wiped away the joy Su Wanwan had from buying the cake. With a face full of grievance, she looked at him.
"I don't want to drink it..."
"No, you must drink it."
Fu Liangmu didn't relent. He pulled Su Wanwan to sit down and went to the kitchen to fetch a bowl of ginger tea. The scent was strong and pungent.
Fu Liangmu held the bowl, scooping a spoonful and bringing it to her lips.
Su Wanwan pouted, backing away repeatedly.
"I won't drink it. I'm not drinking it, no matter what!"
Not drinking ginger was her last act of stubbornness!
"Wanwan, stop making a scene."
"I'm really not cold. I'm wearing the coat you gave me."
Fu Liangmu fell silent for a moment, then suddenly set the bowl down. Su Wanwan let out a quiet sigh of relief. But just as she relaxed, Fu Liangmu took a sip himself.
He seized her chin and kissed her firmly.
Su Wanwan's eyes widened, struggling, her hands pressing against his chest, feeling the spicy warmth of ginger spreading in her mouth.
"Still don't want to drink?" Fu Liangmu raised an eyebrow, a playful glint in his dark eyes.
"Then I'll keep feeding you."
Su Wanwan snatched the bowl from him. "Fine, I'll drink it..."
Without further hesitation, she gulped it all down. Her exquisite features scrunched up as she coughed and choked.
Fu Liangmu pressed a piece of candy into her mouth, gently stroking her smooth black hair.
"Good girl."
Su Wanwan, still upset with him, kept her back turned to him when she climbed into bed.
Fu Liangmu wasn't in a rush, knowing that sooner or later, she would come around. Half an hour later, he held his fragrant wife, and they peacefully drifted off to sleep.
...
However, in the middle of the night, a group chat kept ringing incessantly.
Fu Jinghan sat on the railing of the second floor, gripping his vibrating phone, furiously tossing out red envelopes. Each one was two hundred, one every minute, his intentions clear.
"Vote for No. 2."
The people he pulled into the chat were those who hadn't had a chance to vote yet. The purpose was obvious—he was campaigning for votes. Since he couldn't outmatch Su Wanwan in a straightforward competition, he'd resort to other methods.
"Director, is the second picture yours?"
"Oh my God! I thought that was Su Wanwan's!"
The employees behind the phone screen were all deeply shocked. They couldn't have imagined that Su Wanwan's design would utterly outshine Fu Jinghan's. The comparison between the two was not even close...
Fu Jinghan read their messages, feeling a little embarrassed, but losing face in front of a small group of people was better than doing so in front of the entire company.
He gritted his teeth and responded.
"Yes, No. 2 is mine. I hope you can cast your votes for me."
"If I win this competition, I won't treat any of you unfairly."