The person on the bed remained unresponsive, so Ni Jingxi simply stared at his face, looking at it repeatedly. In the dream she had in the nursing home, she could barely remember what he looked like.
Indeed, what couple can go a month without seeing each other, and rarely even talk on the phone?
She gazed at Huo Shenyan's sleeping face, and as she looked, she suddenly remembered that she had to work overtime tonight because Wen Tang hadn't been able to interview him, and she found it a little funny.
What's this?
The important person that others would go to great lengths to see was lying in her bed at that moment.
Author's Note: After being away for so long, your handsome boyfriend is back!
As you all have seen, this is a romance novel, my first attempt at writing one.
Starting tomorrow, updates will begin at 10 AM. Any delays or absences will be announced in advance in the accompanying text.
I've started a giveaway event on Weibo, so please feel free to retweet and support me!
Without further ado, this book is incredibly charming and sweet. Lord Ni is so handsome, and Mr. Huo is so doting. Okay, just follow along!
*
I'll be giving away 300 RMB in red envelopes for each chapter for the first three days after the story starts. Don't try to save me money, everyone leave comments and let's go!!!
Most importantly, double update today! Double update! Double update! I'm saying it three times because it's important! The next chapter will be updated at 7 PM. (With so many perks, don't you all want to praise me? Come on! Come on! Come on!!!!!!!!!)
Chapter 2
The sound of rain pattering outside the window remained crisp and clear even in the stillness of the night.
Ni Jingxi snapped out of her daze and prepared to take a shower before coming back, but just as she unbuttoned her shirt, a sleepy voice came from behind her, "Xingxing."
This is Ni Jingxi's nickname, a nickname that only her family knows and can use.
Ni Jingxi stopped unbuttoning her shirt and subconsciously turned her head, turning half of her body back as well.
Sitting on the bed, Huo Shenyan had clearly just woken up. His short hair was not combed into a neat slicked-back style as it had been in the previous video. Instead, it was casually draped over his shoulders, instantly diminishing much of his deep and composed demeanor.
His eyes fell on Ni Jingxi, initially looking at her face, but her chest was too alluring. So he shifted his gaze slightly downwards.
She wore a light blue shirt with the top two buttons undone, revealing her long, snow-white neck, collarbone, and chest, with the edge of her light-colored bra faintly visible. The unintentional glimpse of her skin was more alluring than any temptation.
Huo Shenyan's dark eyes narrowed slightly. His long, narrow eyes, which usually appeared cold and indifferent, were now tinged with a hint of brightness due to the desire in them.
It's the kind of bright light that wants to devour people.
He raised his head slightly and finally faced Ni Jingxi. Chen Run's voice was still hoarse from just waking up.
"come over."
Ni Jingxi looked into his eyes, then looked down and discovered the view on her chest.
She reached out and pulled her shirt up, temporarily concealing her snow-white neck and collarbone. But her movements seemed slow, unable to conceal the fragrance filling the room.
Huo Shenyan threw off the covers and got out of bed.
He didn't realize it when he was sitting on the bed, but once he stood up, the tall, handsome man, even in slippers, still looked cramped in the room.
The house that Ni Jingxi's family lives in was an old house that was allocated by her work unit when her maternal grandfather was alive.
In a place like Shanghai, the location here is impeccable. Unfortunately, real estate developers can no longer demolish the properties. With the ever-changing housing prices, families who previously hoped to buy new homes through demolition compensation can no longer count on it.
After her grandmother went to the nursing home, Ni Jingxi was the only person living in the house for a time.
Later, after she married Huo Shenyan, she didn't move into his villa; instead, she insisted on staying there instead. Huo Shenyan understood her insistence and didn't object; in fact, he often stayed there with her.
Of course, this also became a reason why the Huo family elders had a lot of opinions about her.
After all, Huo Shenyan was born into a noble family and never suffered any hardship, even when he studied abroad. Now, however, he lives with her in this small house of only about fifty square meters, which is actually smaller than the Huo family's swimming pool.
Huo Shenyan reached her in two steps. Ni Jingxi tilted her head slightly and stared intently at his face. He was too busy with work; he had spent half a month in the United States and then another half month in Hong Kong.
To be honest, the two of them hadn't seen each other for a month.
Huo Shenyan has a demanding job and isn't the type to text frequently. So much so that after having that dream, Ni Jingxi was stuck in traffic on the elevated highway on her way back to the company when she checked her phone and discovered that the only messages they had exchanged were "good morning" and "good night."
Moreover, there's a time difference between them, so she's often asleep when he sends her a "good morning" message.
There probably aren't many couples who act like them.
While Ni Jingxi was lost in thought, Huo Shenyan reached out and pinched her wrist. But as soon as he pinched her, he frowned. He had originally intended to hug her, but now he lowered his eyes to examine her wrist.
She had pulled her shirt sleeves up halfway, revealing her fair wrists. I didn't notice it at first, but when I reached out and pinched them, I realized how delicate and slender they were.
"How did you lose so much weight?"
Huo Shenyan's voice was warm, deep, and powerful; it was the kind of deep, god-like voice that could elicit screams from a group of little girls the moment he opened his mouth.
Ni Jingxi was slightly dazed by his question. She had been suffering from a viral cold with recurring high fevers, and coincidentally, the newspaper was short-staffed due to staff shortages when someone was away on a business trip. She had to work during the day and go to the emergency room at night.
After all that, I lost about ten pounds.
She didn't tell Huo Shenyan about this. They were both adults, and even as a married couple, they couldn't rely on each other for everything.
He had his own things to do. Ni Jingxi wasn't so pretentious as to expect that a single phone call from her would make Huo Shenyan drop everything and rush back to Shanghai just to be with her while she took her medicine and got her injections.
After all, he's not a doctor, and she wouldn't immediately become energetic just by seeing him.
So she spoke up, "Isn't it pretty?"
"Too thin." Huo Shenyan uttered two heavy words, his emotions palpable.
Ni Jingxi found it somewhat amusing, probably because this man had been in a high position for too long, and everyone around him treated every word he uttered with utmost care and attention to every subtle expression he made.
This led him to develop a concise speaking style; he would only say a few words and never say anything more.
Anyway, people will naturally try to guess what the higher-ups are thinking.
Ni Jingxi chuckled lightly: "I think it's pretty good. Others who are clamoring to lose weight haven't achieved this kind of effect."
"You're not allowed to learn from them." This time, Huo Shenyan was direct.
She chuckled, gave him a gentle nudge, and pointed to herself: "I feel sticky and uncomfortable all over. I'm going to take a shower first."
Huo Shenyan did not say anything upon hearing this.
Ni Jingxi grabbed her pajamas and underwear and headed straight to the bathroom. She washed her hair while showering; because her long hair was so thick, it took her half an hour to get it only half-dry.
When she returned to the bedroom, she opened the door and found that the person on the bed was fast asleep again.
She blinked helplessly, then carefully turned off the light, tiptoed to the bedside, gently lifted a corner of the thin blanket, and lay down on the bed.
This bed was bought when she was in middle school. It's only 1.5 meters wide, but it feels spacious when she sleeps alone.
Now there was another person beside me, and the man's body was like a hot furnace, radiating heat even though we weren't pressed tightly together.
Huo Shenyan disliked the sound of air conditioning, and Ni Jingxi would always accommodate him by not turning it on when he was around.
The nights in Shanghai in September are still somewhat gloomy, even though it's raining outside.
Ni Jingxi tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep, until someone leaned in from behind and gently embraced her. Her back pressed against his chest, their bodies like two matching gears, instantly fitting tightly together.
Before she knew it, she had fallen into a deep sleep.
*
In the early morning, the heavy rain that had fallen all night had stopped, and the sun was shining brightly, turning the city, which had just been washed by the rain, into a golden yellow.
Even this alleyway, which usually looks very cramped, appears bright and spacious at this moment.
Outside the window, there was the hustle and bustle of early morning, with adults urging their children to hurry up and go to school, shouting at the dripping clothes upstairs, and the occasional clear bird song passing through the window.
Ni Jingxi suddenly opened her eyes and sat up, reaching for the headboard. When she saw the time on her phone, it was 7:30.
Thankfully, I wasn't late.
She let out a soft sigh, threw off the covers, put on her slippers, and went straight out to the bathroom to wash up.
Then she opened the bedroom door and saw the man standing in the living room. He was facing away from the bedroom door, his long legs encased in dark trousers, and his light blue shirt was crisp and neat, without a single wrinkle.
His exceptionally good proportions and long legs made even Ni Jingxi, who is 1.7 meters tall, want to applaud him.
At this moment, the various scenes from last night resurfaced in her mind.
Fortunately, she had improved considerably compared to last night when she was so terrified she almost lost her mind. At least she still had the leisure to admire her husband's long legs.
She leaned against the door, almost hugging herself to her chest.
In just a short while, the man standing by the dining table seemed to sense something and subconsciously turned around to look. When he saw Ni Jingxi leaning against the door, his originally calm face slowly relaxed.
Although Huo Shenyan's expression did not change much, a faint smile appeared in his deep eyes.
"I'm awake," he said first.
Seeing him about to come over, Ni Jingxi suddenly remembered that she hadn't washed up yet. She took a few quick steps into the bathroom and said, "I'll wash up first."
Huo Shenyan watched her actions and finally showed a clear smile on his face.
"Come and have breakfast first." Huo Shenyan said as Ni Jingxi was about to walk back to her room.
Ni Jingxi sighed, "We're going to be late."
"No." Huo Shenyan's tone was calm, yet it conveyed a firm and resolute certainty.
Ni Jingxi stood there watching him, but finally obediently walked over and sat down in the chair opposite him. Breakfast was already laid out, and there was a food box next to it that looked like it was for holding these breakfast items. It was typical Cantonese dim sum: shrimp dumplings, rice noodle rolls, flaky egg tarts, and freshly cooked fish congee. The fresh and fragrant aroma could be smelled as soon as she sat down.
"Did Tang Mian bring the breakfast?" Ni Jingxi asked casually.
Tang Mian is Huo Shenyan's assistant, the kind who's on call 24/7, ready to handle any of his needs. Before Ni Jingxi married Huo Shenyan, Tang Mian spent the most time by his side, and even now, the two of them have spent more time together than she has with him.
Unexpectedly, Huo Shenyan frowned slightly upon hearing this. His snow-white chopsticks, which had just touched the shrimp dumpling basket, paused for a moment before gently picking up a shrimp dumpling and placing it on the white porcelain plate in front of Ni Jingxi.
He said, "I asked him to prepare it."
Ni Jingxi was stunned. After thinking for a long time, she wondered if he was trying to take credit for her.
When Ni Jingxi finished breakfast, she looked at the table full of food and was about to tidy it up—she couldn't leave it like that all morning. Just then, Tang Mian's driver came up, tidied up the table, and took a food container downstairs.
"Go change your clothes, I'll take you to work."
Hearing Huo Shenyan say that, Ni Jingxi didn't refuse and turned to go into her room to change. When she came out, Tang Mian was still standing in the living room, but Huo Shenyan was now holding a tie.
When Ni Jingxi saw this, she went over and took the tie from his hand, tying it for him.
Before marrying him, Ni Jingxi had never tied a tie for anyone. The first time she saw him wearing a tie, Ni Jingxi wanted to help, but ended up making things worse.