Chapter 16

Chu Yue left the things at Ji Mingfei's doorstep and told her to take her time unpacking and not to rush over. The items weren't heavy, but the packaging boxes were large, and Ji Mingfei had to carry them three times to move them all.

Ji Mingfei gently pushed open the slightly ajar door of Chu Yue's house and stood nervously in the entryway, carefully observing the surroundings. Last time, she had run away in such a hurry that she couldn't even remember where the bedroom was.

The sound of running water came from the kitchen. Ji Mingfei was about to go help when Chu Yue saw her and immediately sent her to the living room, saying that kitchen fumes were harmful to pregnant women. She also switched the TV to the children's channel and made her watch "Boonie Bears".

If Ji Mingfei hadn't been pregnant, she would definitely have thought Chu Yue treated her like a child.

In the kitchen, Chu Yue was preparing dinner methodically by herself. The aroma of food wafted into the living room through the crack in the door, and Ji Mingfei's stomach rumbled.

I'm so hungry!

After enduring hunger for an hour, it was finally time to eat.

Three dishes and a soup, a feast for the eyes, nose, and palate.

Starving, Ji Mingfei remained silent throughout, only focusing on showing off his food.

Chu Yue served her a bowl of soup and took the opportunity to start a conversation, asking, "I heard that pregnant women often have strange and peculiar tastes. Don't you have any of these symptoms?"

Ji Mingfei took a moment to look up, a grain of rice stuck to the corner of his mouth. Because he hadn't swallowed the food yet, he said unclearly, "I eat the same way as before."

Chu Yue smiled and handed her a tissue, pointing to the corner of her mouth and saying, "You have something on your lips."

Ji Mingfei wiped it haphazardly a couple of times without paying attention to detail.

"Where is your hometown?" Chu Yue asked, putting down her chopsticks.

"Fengchuan."

Fengchuan borders Tianyuan City, where the headquarters of Ansheng Group is located. It is a small prefecture-level city, and the headquarters can be reached in an hour by car.

Chu Yue asked, puzzled, "Then why did you leave headquarters?"

“I don’t like Fengchuan.” Ji Mingfei said, biting his chopsticks.

Chu Yue sensed that she wasn't really interested in talking about this, so she changed the subject, "Are you going home for Chinese New Year this year?"

"Yes, I'm going home to see my mom."

“Overseas offices are different from headquarters. People already work hard when they are away from home, and with the added travel time, they usually get a holiday before the Lunar New Year.”

Ji Mingfei had heard of this kind of benefit a long time ago, and she was incredibly envious back then. However, it also depends on the company's leadership; if you're unlucky enough to encounter a exploitative general manager who insists on giving employees holidays according to national statutory holidays, that's not uncommon.

Ji Mingfei's face lit up instantly, and he repeatedly asked for confirmation, "Can we have a holiday on the eve of the Lunar New Year?"

"This is how I plan to arrange it." Chu Yue wasn't surprised that her employees were happy to have an early holiday, but she was pregnant, and she wondered if her parents would kick her out of the house if she went home like this.

Chu Yue couldn't help but imagine Ji Mingfei being pushed out of the house with her big pregnant belly, looking... pitiful.

Chu Yue pointed to Ji Mingfei's stomach and asked, "Does your family know?"

Ji Mingfei looked down in the direction she was pointing, and it took her a while to realize what she meant. She said, "Tell them when you get home."

Chu Yue was quite surprised by this answer; she hadn't realized Chu Yue was so bold.

After dinner, Chu Yue stopped Ji Mingfei, who was about to clear the dishes, went back to the bedroom to get a key for her, and hinted in her words, "Next time you come late, you can just open the door."

Ji Mingfei blushed on the spot and quickly refused, "I can't take your house key."

“Sometimes I’m busy and may not hear the knocking. If it’s too late and I’ve gone to bed, I’m too lazy to get up and open the door for you.” Chu Yue pulled Ji Mingfei’s hand and put the key in her hand. “I don’t want to go out in the morning and find you collapsed at my door.”

"..."

I won't.

Ji Mingfei wanted to return the key to her, but Chu Yue pushed her to the door. She grabbed the doorknob with one hand and leaned on the door frame with the other, giving a sly smile. "Don't want to leave? My new bathtub is great for soaking in."

"..."

Ji Mingfei walked away quickly.

Chu Yue closed the door, opened the reading app on her phone, and continued playing "The Perfect Pregnancy Preparation for an Omega," which she had only listened to halfway through.

"Due to hormonal changes, pregnant omegas may suddenly crave flavors that are different from their usual tastes..."

*

By the time she was five months pregnant, Ji Mingfei's belly was quite noticeable. It was then that her colleagues at the company realized that she not only had an alpha, but was also pregnant.

However, this incident didn't cause a long stir in the workplace. The company had just announced an early holiday, and everyone was busy scrambling to get train tickets home; there was no time for gossip.

Ji Mingfei not only managed to snag a sleeper ticket, but a lower berth at that. Just as she was about to pay, Chu Yue suddenly messaged her, saying, "I'm driving away on the morning of the 16th. You're coming with me."

"I've already bought the train ticket." To increase credibility, Ji Mingfei even sent her a screenshot showing that the payment was successful.

Chu Yue clicked on the picture, which was a train ticket order with a payment amount of 215 yuan.

"Aren't you tired from taking the train?"

"I bought a sleeper berth."

Chu Yue looked up at Deng Jie and said, "Book the plane tickets."

Two?

"If you don't want to leave, you can book a ticket."

"..."

The eldest brother's attempt to curry favor failed again.

*

As the Lunar New Year approached, Chu Yue became busier. She needed to maintain various relationships related to the company, either inviting people to dinner or attending banquets, and each social engagement ended very late.

Chu Yue stood downstairs, reeking of alcohol, staring at Ji Mingfei's dark windows. She was sure Ji Mingfei was asleep. She checked her phone again, but there were no messages.

She felt inexplicably disappointed.

Whenever Chu Yue passed by Ji Mingfei's house, she always had the urge to knock on the door.

The door lock clicked open, and the tightly closed door suddenly swung open. Ji Mingfei, wrapped in a thick nightgown, stood inside, her long, black hair cascading over her shoulders, looking refreshingly at the drunken Chu Yue in the hallway.

"You're back?" Ji Mingfei's voice was very soft. She frowned slightly when she smelled the alcohol on Chu Yue.

Chu Yue staggered back a step and asked, "Why haven't you rested yet?"

Ji Mingfei remembered that Chu Yue had said she would stay with her during her vulnerable period, but almost a month had passed and she still hadn't heard from her. She was specifically waiting for her to come back tonight because Ji Mingfei didn't want Chu Yue to call her during the Lunar New Year and demand she keep her promise.

"I'm going home tomorrow. Is there anything else?"

"Is the mark gone?" Chu Yue was a little unsteady on her feet, her body limp as she leaned against the wall.

Ji Mingfei quickly went over to help her, but Chu Yue dodged him and asked, "What time are you leaving tomorrow?"

"Ten o'clock in the morning."

"I've got it." Chu Yue leaned against the wall, barely managing to stand up straight. "I'll make a temporary mark for you tomorrow. Goodnight!"

Seeing how drunk she was, Ji Mingfei followed behind her, worried, until Chu Yue closed the door before she went back. She thought to herself, "She's drunk so much, she'll probably forget about it when she wakes up tomorrow."

The next day, after getting up and having breakfast, Ji Mingfei started packing her luggage. On the way, she glanced at the unmoving door next door, but didn't hold out much hope.

Around ten o'clock, Ji Mingfei put on his coat, picked up his suitcase, and prepared to leave. Unexpectedly, the door next door opened! Chu Yue walked in wearing pajamas, looking like she had just woken up.

"You're awake? I was just about to catch my ride. Maybe we can skip this one..."

Chu Yue pulled Ji Mingfei into her arms and buried her head in her neck.

The keys in my hand fell to the ground with a "thud".

Ji Mingfei instinctively wrapped his arms around Chu Yue's waist, forced to tilt his head back and breathe slightly heavily, "Wait...not here..."

After completing the temporary marking, Chu Yue turned and went back to her own home without saying a word the entire time.

Ji Mingfei, still feeling a tingling sensation all over her body, gripped the handle of the suitcase. Staring at the closed door, she murmured to herself, "Could it be that he's not awake...?"

Ji Mingfei touched the mark on her neck, locked the door, and prepared to leave. She first took a bus to the train station, waited in the waiting hall for about twenty minutes after getting her ticket checked, and then successfully boarded the train home.

The sleeper train was quite slow, taking about 6 hours. Ji Mingfei fell asleep as soon as he boarded, and it was almost dark when they arrived at their destination.

She stood at the exit, pulling her suitcase, looking at the familiar neon lights, and waving at passing taxis.

The driver helped put the suitcase into the trunk, and Ji Mingfei, sitting in the back seat, said to the driver who had just gotten in, "Go to the Yingbin Hotel."

The driver fastened his seatbelt, pressed the meter, and skillfully turned the car around.