Chapter 43 043 "Could I... change positions?"...

On Saturday morning, Meng Ran went to see the owner of the timber store.

In the afternoon, I accompanied Chen Miaoying to her physical education class, and at the same time, I used my phone to discuss the follow-up of account operation with Jiang Yuqing.

The whole day was busy but fulfilling.

After dinner, Meng Ran continued to refine her plans in the study.

At 8:30 p.m., Chen Miaoying, fresh from a bath, knocked on the study door precisely on time.

Meng Ran then remembered that today was another weekly bedtime for her daughter.

Although the mother and daughter had not made a clear agreement, Chen Miaoying seemed to have accepted it: every Saturday, her mother would sleep with her.

Meng Ran was initially conflicted, wondering whether she should refuse if Chen Sulin continued to ask for it today.

After all, she liked it too, but she was worried that if she continued like this without restraint, her sore legs would never fully recover.

Now there's absolutely no need to hesitate anymore.

Meng Ran bent down and hugged her daughter: "Okay, you go and wait for Mommy. Mommy will go wash up and come right away."

Chan Miu-ying: "Then I'll go tell Dad! I'll ask him to prepare a bedtime story for me and Mom!"

Meng Ran smiled and said, "Okay, Dad should be in the bedroom. Mom will call him out for you."

Her toiletries and skincare products were moved to the master bedroom's bathroom. Even if she was going to sleep with her daughter that day, she would first go to the master bedroom to wash up.

As I entered, I happened to run into Chen Sulin, who was coming out of the bathroom in his pajamas.

Chen Sulin: "Are you done with work?"

Meng Ran hummed in agreement: "I'll wash up."

Chen Sulin: "So early today?"

After thinking about it, Meng Ran decided to let Chen Sulin hear the "good news" directly from Chen Miaoying.

She smiled and said, "Yes, I'll go to bed early tonight."

Chen Sulin leaned closer and kissed the corner of her mouth.

When the kiss seemed to be deepening, Meng Ran pushed him away.

“Miaoying is looking for you at the door,” she said. “Go quickly, don’t keep your daughter waiting too long.”

Chen Sulin released her slowly, seemingly displeased that she was so eager to end the kiss, but he still nodded: "Okay."

Watching Chen Sulin leave, I heard Chen Miaoying call out "Dad" in a strong voice from the doorway.

Meng Ran suppressed a laugh and went to the bathroom to wash up.

After washing up and changing into her nightgown, Meng Ran went to the room across the hall to find Chen Miaoying.

Chen Sulin was also in the room, his gaze lingering on her chest for a few seconds.

Meng Ran looked down at the dress. It was the one with the lowest neckline among her several nightgowns, revealing her delicate collarbone and a large expanse of fair chest skin.

She looked up and gave Chen Sulin a warning look.

Chen Miaoying excitedly rushed over: "Mom, you're here! Let's go to bed quickly, I can't wait for Dad to tell me a story!"

Meng Ran stroked her daughter's hair: "Okay."

Chen Miaoying is a woman of action; she quickly climbed onto the bed using both her hands and feet.

When Meng Ran was about to go over, she was blocked by Chen Sulin's figure.

The man was tall and imposing, blocking her path between the bed and the bed; she had to go around him to get past him.

Meng Ran's heart skipped a beat, and she looked up: "What are you doing?"

Chen Sulin: "When did you two make this appointment?"

Meng Ran: "..."

She felt that she had an exceptional comprehension ability and immediately understood Chen Sulin's seemingly nonsensical statement.

Meng Ran: "Um... about half a month ago."

It can't really be called an "appointment," but if we have to trace it back to a specific point in time, it should be the Saturday when Chen Miaoying first slept with her.

Chen Sulin frowned, as if to say: How come I didn't know?

From the bed came Chen Miaoying's urging voice: "Mom and Dad, what are you talking about? Come and keep me company!"

Meng Ran gave Chen Sulin a helpless look, walked past him, and went to the bed to find her daughter.

This time, Chen Sulin did not stop her.

Meng Ran struggled to hold back her laughter.

In this world, perhaps only Chan Miu-ying could make Chan Su-lin suffer in silence, unable to express his bitterness.

Meng Ran got into bed and covered herself with the blanket, letting Chen Miaoying cling to her like an octopus.

The little girl moved her arms and legs around, adjusting herself to find the most comfortable position.

Chen Miaoying: "Dad, you can start now, I'm ready!"

Chen Sulin glanced at Meng Ran.

Meng Ran pretended not to understand his gaze.

Two seconds later, Chen Sulin sat on the edge of the bed, cleared his throat, and began to tell a story.

Chen Miaoying has a very regular schedule, and she gets sleepy very easily when it's time to go to bed.

After listening to her father for a while, Chen Miaoying gradually closed her eyes.

Seeing that his daughter was getting sleepier, Chen Sulin got up to turn off the bedroom light, then came back and gave his daughter a goodnight kiss: "Goodnight."

Chen Miaoying: "Goodnight, Dad."

Meng Ran also kissed her daughter's forehead.

Chen Miaoying mumbled "Goodnight, Mom," closed her eyes, and fell asleep.

Meng Ran helped her daughter adjust her posture and turned around to see that Chen Sulin had not left yet.

She asked softly, "Aren't you going to sleep?"

Fearing he might have other ideas, Meng Ran added, "I definitely have to stay in this room with Miao Ying to sleep, otherwise if she wakes up and sees I'm not there, she'll make a huge scene."

Chen Sulin did not answer, and after a moment, he leaned closer.

Meng Ran was startled, almost thinking he was going to do something here.

Before she could utter a sound, she realized that Chen Sulin simply placed his lips on her forehead.

Just like the goodnight kiss he gave his daughter earlier, only it lingered longer.

A few seconds later, Chen Sulin said, "Good night."

Meng Ran: "...Good night."

Chen Sulin looked at her for a while longer.

Meng Ran's heart was pounding from all the stares before he finally got up and turned off the nightlight in the room.

Once the man closed the door and the footsteps completely disappeared, Meng Ran touched her forehead and couldn't help but smile.

...

On Sunday, Meng Ran met with Jiang Yuqing to discuss the upcoming operational plan.

Jiang Yuqing suggested that they go to Meng Ran's house again in the next couple of days to shoot some more footage and release a promotional video for the pre-sale.

"The last video mainly focused on the production process. This time, we can focus on filming the materials used and the details of the structure."

"Oh right, you can let your cat appear in the photos more often to show off its stability and such."

Meng Ran nodded repeatedly and wrote everything down.

Jiang Yuqing is a near-professional in account management, and Meng Ran mainly follows her ideas, occasionally offering a few thoughts and suggestions.

The two spent the afternoon discussing things at the coffee shop.

Before dinner, Chen Sulin sent a message.

Jiang Yuqing looked at Meng Ran as she took out her phone and said with a look of disgust, "Is it your husband again? I told you he's a complete shrew, and you said it wasn't that bad."

When Meng Ran replied, Jiang Yuqing said, "What did your husband say? Did he change his mind and not let you eat out for dinner anymore?"

Meng Ran smiled and said, "No, I just asked when would be a good time to pick me up."

"That's good," Jiang Yuqing said. "That grilled fish restaurant is newly opened and super popular. If we don't go this time, we'll have to wait in line for ages next time."

"But speaking of which," Jiang Yuqing asked with concern, "you ate spicy food during your period... it should be fine, right?"

Meng Ran: "It's okay, my stomach isn't that fragile. Besides, it's the first day, and the amount wasn't much to begin with, so it won't have any impact."

It's been almost a month since she arrived seven years ago, and she still hasn't had her period, to the point that she almost forgot about it.

After leaving home today, Meng Ran vaguely felt a slight heaviness in her lower abdomen, which gave her a premonition.

Jiang Yuqing, who doesn't have the habit of carrying sanitary napkins with her, promptly lent one to Meng Ran.

A few hours later, it turned out that Meng Ran's premonition was correct.

Unsure if she had sanitary napkins at home, Meng Ran went to a nearby supermarket and bought two more packs, which she put in her bag.

Jiang Yuqing: "Shall we get ready to leave? There are only twenty tables left ahead of us, so we can go early and wait in time to avoid missing our turn."

Meng Ran: "Okay."

After packing their things, the two left the cafe.

The grilled fish restaurant is located in the shopping mall across the street from the coffee shop.

As they walked towards the mall, Jiang Yuqing asked, "By the way, how are things between you and your husband?"

Meng Ran pursed her lips: "What else can happen? It'll just be the same."

Jiang Yuqing stared at Meng Ran.

Meng Ran's eyes flickered: "What are you doing?"

"Something's not right." Jiang Yuqing raised an eyebrow. "You two...have you taken things a step further?"

Meng Ran: "..."

Silence is tantamount to consent.

Jiang Yuqing exclaimed, "I underestimated the attraction between you two; it's happening faster than I imagined."

“I’ve discovered that some things are just destined, like you and Chen Sulin.”

“For example,” Jiang Yuqing pointed to herself, “my destiny, Jiang Yuqing, is probably to work. Otherwise, how could you need me right after I resigned?”

Meng Ran was amused by Jiang Yuqing: "What's wrong? Don't you want to work for me?"

Jiang Yuqing: "How could that be! I can't wait for you to become a big boss so I won't have to look for a new job. I've seen through it all; this world is full of exploitative people, and it's too hard to find a good boss. I might as well work for you!"

"Speaking of which," Jiang Yuqing added, "if this pre-sale is successful, have you considered hiring more people? If we expand the scale, the two of us might not be able to handle it."

Meng Ran: "I haven't thought that far ahead yet."

Jiang Yuqing nodded: "That's true, let's take it one step at a time. There's no point in thinking too much in advance. Besides, it's easy to recruit people now, we can just post a job ad online."

As they spoke, the two arrived at the restaurant.

After finishing the grilled fish, it was almost eight o'clock when Meng Ran sent a message to Chen Sulin saying that she had finished eating.

Chen Sulin replied that he would arrive at the restaurant entrance in five minutes.

After hearing Meng Ran's account, Jiang Yuqing exclaimed in surprise, "So fast? Was he already waiting for you in the parking lot?"

Meng Ran: "I don't think so, right?"

Jiang Yuqing pouted: "I don't think so. Your husband is keeping such a close eye on you, afraid you'll run away every day. He might come early to wait for you."

She glanced at her watch: "Want to make a bet? I bet he'll be here before 7:30."

Meng Ran blinked: "What are we betting on?"

Jiang Yuqing: "How about the price of this grilled fish?"

The meal cost a little over 300 yuan, which isn't expensive for the two of them given their current spending habits.

However, the two of them had been used to splitting the bill since their student days, so they each paid half just now.

Meng Ran: "Okay."

"By the way," Meng Ran asked, "would you like to go downstairs first? Didn't you say you didn't want to see him?"

Jiang Yuqing waved her hand: "It's not that bad. I just don't want to run into your husband, but you don't have to hide from him like a mouse is afraid of a cat."

Less than five minutes later, Chen Sulin sent another message saying he had arrived.

Meng Ran and Jiang Yuqing went out together.

Chen Sulin took the bag from Meng Ran and nodded slightly to Jiang Yuqing.

Jiang Yuqing nodded slightly in response and waved to Meng Ran, "Bye-bye, Ranran."

As he spoke, he made a gesture towards Meng Ran.

Meng Ran smiled. She could tell that Jiang Yuqing was reminding her of the bet they had just made.

In the elevator leading to the underground parking garage, Meng Ran asked, "When did you arrive?"

Chen Sulin: "Not long ago, what happened?"

Meng Ran thought to herself, "How long is 'not long'?"

But even if you ask him, he probably won't remember the exact time.

After getting into the car, Chen Sulin slowly drove out of the underground parking garage.

As they passed through the toll gate, Meng Ran asked, "Could I see your payment record?"

Chen Sulin glanced at her and handed her the phone he had just put down.

Meng Ran took his phone and found it was locked.

She hesitated for a moment, then heard Chen Sulin say, "The password is your birthday."

Meng Ran was taken aback: "...Oh."

Chen Sulin: "You're the one who made me change it."

Meng Ran: "..."

She realized that she still didn't understand herself well enough about who she was five years ago.

It's hard to imagine that she would ask Chen Sulin to change the password.

Meng Ran whispered, "I didn't ask."

Chen Sulin chuckled softly.

Meng Ran unlocked the car with the password and found the parking payment app.

Chen Sulin: "Why did you suddenly want to watch this?"

Meng Ran: "I made a bet with Jiang Yuqing..."

As she spoke, she found the parking record, which showed that the entry time was 7:28.

Meng Ran: "...I bet you arrived before 7:30, I lost."

Chen Sulin turned the steering wheel: "How much money did you lose?"

Meng Ran: "A little over a hundred."

Chen Sulin: "The payment password is Miaoying's birthday."

Meng Ran was taken aback, then realized that he meant he wanted to reimburse her.

She couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips into a smile: "I don't care about your hundred-odd yuan."

Despite saying that, her fingers still honestly tapped his WeChat contacts to find her own name.

Not finding it in the column with the letter M, Meng Ran hesitated for a moment, then went to the column with the letter L, and finally saw her own profile picture.

Meng Ran felt a little heat in her earlobes.

I've never heard him call me that to my face, but the nickname he gave me was quite cheesy.

To be honest, Chen Sulin's name in her contacts was still a three-character name.

Opening the chat window with herself, Meng Ran sent herself a red envelope, the amount of which was half of her dinner money.

"Okay." Meng Ran handed the phone back to him. "I only transferred the money I lost, not much more."

Chen Sulin said in a calm tone, "This is my bank card payment password. You can transfer money anytime you want."

Meng Ran looked at him.

It has to be said that although Chen Sulin had already given her a black card, she was still somewhat moved when she heard those words.

Perhaps it's because telling someone your bank card PIN is the most direct way to express trust.

When Aunt Zhang got home, she breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the two of them.

If the husband and wife don't come home on time, the young lady will definitely throw a tantrum because they didn't say goodnight.

After saying goodnight to Chen Miaoying in the children's room, Meng Ran returned to the master bedroom and took out the newly bought sanitary napkins from her bag.

When I took it to the bathroom, I ran into Chen Sulin.

The man's gaze fell on her hands.

Meng Ran wasn't used to talking to him about this yet, and felt a little awkward: "Oh... I'm on my period today."

Chen Sulin: "..."

He frowned slightly: "Then why are you still running around outside?"

Meng Ran thought to herself, she was going to discuss work with Jiang Yuqing, how did she end up running off like that?

Besides, you can't just stay at home and not go anywhere every time you have your period.

Meng Ran: "I only discovered it after I went out today."

Chen Sulin: "Are you feeling unwell?"

Meng Ran shook her head: "It's alright."

She used to have frequent menstrual cramps, but she didn't know if it was because her constitution changed after having Miao Ying, or if it was just the first day and the symptoms weren't obvious.

In short, apart from a slight feeling of heaviness in my lower abdomen, I had no other discomfort today.

Chen Sulin: "I'll go get you a cup of hot water."

Meng Ran wanted to say no, but the man left before she could stop him.

After a while, Chen Sulin returned with hot water.

Meng Ran sat on the bed and drank a few sips.

Chen Sulin: "Get some rest early today. You can do any work tomorrow."

Meng Ran: "There's no need to be so alarmed..."

Back in middle school, I still did my homework even during my period.

On one occasion, she even had to run 800 meters a few days after her period ended, although she almost fainted afterward.

Chen Sulin didn't allow her to argue: "I'll go to bed early with you tonight too."

Meng Ran: "...Okay."

Chen Sulin went to the bathroom to take a shower.

He told her to leave her work for tomorrow, but Meng Ran couldn't stay idle and still wrote something on her phone.

Only after Chen Sulin came out of the bathroom did she close the document on her phone and go to wash up.

After coming out of the bathroom, Chen Sulin said, "You get into bed first, I'll turn off the light."

Meng Ran replied "Okay" and got into bed.

Suddenly, darkness fell upon me; the bedroom was plunged into darkness.

She knew he couldn't do anything to her today, but in the darkness, hearing his footsteps getting closer, she still felt a little nervous.

Meng Ran had her back to him when she heard the man get into bed and lie down behind her.

Chen Surin's hand covered her lower abdomen through her nightgown.

The man's palms were warm; even through the thin fabric, you could feel the heat.

Chen Sulin's deep voice rang in her ears: "Really, it doesn't hurt?"

Meng Ran: "...Really, I'm not lying to you."

Chen Sulin: "Hmm."

The two were very close, and Meng Ran could feel his breath tickling her ear as he spoke.

She shifted uncomfortably, her earlobe brushing against Chen Sulin's lips.

A tingling sensation spread throughout Meng Ran's body, and she froze.

A moment later, Chen Sulin let out a low sigh: "Why are you so nervous?"

Meng Ran's body stiffened even more: Was this something she could control?

After a few seconds, she asked, "Can I... change positions?"

She nestled in Chen Sulin's arms with her back to him, their bodies so close and pressed together that she dared not move.

Chen Sulin hummed in agreement.

Meng Ran moved to the other side of the bed, changed to a lying position, and closed her eyes.

The first two times she shared a room with Chen Sulin, she fell asleep from exhaustion.

This time was different. Since she was going to bed earlier than usual, she wasn't sleepy at all.

Meng Ran regretted it; she should have played on her phone a little longer.

The man beside her was breathing steadily, and she couldn't tell if he was asleep or not.

After a long while, Meng Ran carefully turned her head and opened her eyes.

Her eyes had adjusted to the light, and in the darkness, she and Chen Sulin made eye contact.

Meng Ran: "..."

Why isn't he sleeping?

Meng Ran opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but Chen Sulin pulled her away with his arm first.

She gasped softly, and then her lips were sealed with a kiss.

For some reason, sleeping turned into kissing.

Perhaps worried that she might be feeling unwell, Chen Sulin's kiss was much gentler than before.

This gentle and slow deep kiss made Meng Ran feel very comfortable, and she quickly became intoxicated by it, involuntarily hugging him in response.

They didn't know how long they kissed, but when they separated, both of them were breathing heavily.

Meng Ran noticed that Chen Sulin's breathing was heavy, and then realized that, physiologically speaking, he might be in a lot of pain right now.

She hesitated: "You..."

Chen Sulin said in a deep voice, "You go to sleep first, I'll go to the study to deal with a few emails."

If she doesn't realize that I'm going to reply to an email at this point, it would be strange if she didn't recognize it as an excuse.

Hearing him about to get up, Meng Ran called out to him, "Chen Sulin..."

Chen Sulin: "Hmm?"

Meng Ran's heart was pounding, but she still asked, "Or... should I help you?"

Chen Sulin did not answer immediately.

During those few seconds of waiting, Meng Ran was filled with regret.

Why is she so concerned about him? It's just a little uncomfortable, it won't kill him.

A few seconds later, the two spoke at the same time.

Meng Ran: "It still counts—"

Chen Sulin: "Can you?"

Meng Ran: "..."

For some reason, these words stirred up an untimely competitive desire in me.

“It’s not some high-end technology,” she said in a muffled voice. “What’s there to not know?”