Chapter Forty-Four
After taking Mo Wansheng to the dessert shop, Huo Yuzheng turned around and went to the suite next to her room.
I took a nap there that morning.
I slept exceptionally soundly that night.
After more than ten hours of flying, physical exhaustion overwhelmed him.
When Huo Yuzheng opened his eyes again, it was nearly dusk in Paris.
The afterglow of the setting sun spilled its paint palette, turning the sky a vibrant orange-pink.
The silhouette of the Eiffel Tower in the distance gradually became clear in the twilight.
Huo Yuzheng got up and took a shower.
He changed into a dark gray shirt and buttoned it in front of the mirror. He remembered the sly look on Mo Wansheng's face when she called him "old and frail" that morning.
The corners of his lips unconsciously turned up.
It's time to pick up his Mrs. Huo.
The stone path was bathed in the golden light of the setting sun. Huo Yuzheng walked toward the dessert shop and could see the bright light shining through the window from afar.
He pushed open the shop door, and the clear sound of wind chimes rang out.
A sweet aroma filled the air inside the store.
At the workbench, Mo Wansheng was focused on putting the final decorations on a strawberry tart.
She wore a white apron, her hair was loosely tied back, and a few stray hairs fell beside her cheeks.
His expression was extremely focused.
Hearing the doorbell ring, Mo Wansheng looked up.
His eyes lit up the moment he saw Huo Yuzheng.
Mo Wansheng's voice was filled with surprise, "You're awake?"
Her hands remained steady as she carefully placed the piping bag down.
Huo Yuzheng walked slowly closer, glancing at the dazzling array of desserts on the worktable: "It seems today's results are quite fruitful."
"Of course!" Mo Wansheng proudly displayed their work. "These are all preparations for the competition. My senior said we have a good chance of winning."
At this moment, He Zihang came out of the kitchen.
He was holding a plate of freshly baked macarons.
Upon seeing Huo Yuzheng, he smiled and nodded in greeting: "Hello, Mr. Huo."
Huo Yuzheng responded politely, "Mr. He, thank you for taking care of Wansheng."
The two men's eyes met briefly in the air, a tacit understanding forming between them.
Mo Wansheng took off her apron and carefully washed her hands.
She turned around, took a small cardboard box from the refrigerator, and handed it to Huo Yuzheng: "This was specially saved for you."
Huo Yuzheng took the box, opened it, and saw six delicate macarons neatly arranged inside.
It was on that day that he called me via video, and I happened to see the rose-flavored macarons.
Mo Wansheng asked expectantly, "Want to try some now?"
Huo Yuzheng shook his head, closed the box, and said, "I'll try it when we get back."
As he spoke, he naturally took the bag from her hand. "Let's go, I'll take you to dinner."
Mo Wansheng turned to He Zihang and asked, "Senior, is there anything else I need to prepare today?"
Hearing this, He Zihang looked at Mo Wansheng, smiled gently, and shook his head.
"No, thank you for your hard work today. We'll discuss the final details tomorrow."
From the moment Huo Yuzheng entered the room, He Zihang focused more of his attention on him, constantly scrutinizing Mo Wansheng, the woman his family had arranged a marriage with.
Mo Wansheng waved goodbye to He Zihang, "Well then, senior, I'll be going now. See you tomorrow!"
Stepping out of the dessert shop, the gentle Parisian evening breeze caressed my face.
Huo Yuzheng carried the dessert box in one hand and took Mo Wansheng's hand in the other.
He asked, "What would you like to eat?"
Mo Wansheng tilted her head and thought for a moment, but didn't have any ideas.
"I don't have any particular food in mind, you decide."
Huo Yuzheng looked down at her and noticed the faint weariness between her brows.
He asked softly, "Are you tired?"
Mo Wansheng pouted and nodded, "Of course it's tiring. Preparing for the competition is very energy-consuming."
She then smiled and raised their clasped hands, "However, Mr. Huo, you seem to have come all this way to see me, so it doesn't seem so tiring."
Huo Yuzheng: "Do you want to go back to the hotel to rest?"
"No need! Let's just walk along the street, maybe we'll come across a restaurant we want to eat at!"
"Okay, I'll do as you say."
They didn't call a taxi; instead, they walked slowly side by side along the banks of the Seine.
The river shimmered with golden-red light, and the sound of an accordion played by a street performer drifted from afar.
They strolled through the streets, enjoying this rare moment of leisure.
Mo Wansheng would occasionally stop and curiously look at the exquisite desserts displayed in a shop window.
Huo Yuzheng would stop and stand with her.
After walking for a while, she gently rested her head on his shoulder.
Although his steps became somewhat uncoordinated as a result, Huo Yuzheng adjusted his pace to make her more comfortable leaning against him.
The evening breeze, the sound of the piano, the lamplight, and the warmth of each other's bodies intertwined.
As they walked to the corner of the street, a rich, sweet aroma wafted on the breeze.
The aroma of melted butter mingles with the scent of grains frying on a hot griddle, along with a subtle hint of sweet and sour fruit.
Mo Wansheng suddenly raised her head and looked toward the source of the smell.
"Crepes! They smell so good!"
Not far away, a crepe stall with warm yellow string lights was steaming.
The stall owner was an elderly French woman wearing a red headscarf, skillfully turning the pancake maker.
Huo Yuzheng let her pull him along quickly to the stall.
“I’d like classic French sweet crêpes,” he said to the old lady fluently in French.
He then turned to Mo Wansheng and asked, "What flavor do you want to eat?"
Mo Wansheng happily pointed to the menu, "I want double Nutella chocolate sauce, plus bananas and strawberries!"
A hint of a smile flashed across Huo Yuzheng's eyes, and he added to the old lady, "Please give me another serving of caramel apples."
When the two crepes were handed to him, Huo Yuzheng's looked particularly lavish.
The caramelized apple filling was almost overflowing, and the surface was sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Huo Yuzheng didn't eat first; he had already noticed that Mo Wansheng had focused all her attention on his crepe.
"Want to try this? The caramel apple is their specialty."
Huo Yuzheng handed the crepe to Mo Wansheng.
Mo Wansheng didn't stand on ceremony and took a small bite from the edge of his crepe.
The warm caramel melts instantly on the tongue, the apple becomes soft and sweet after cooking, and the perfect touch of sea salt balances the sweetness.
The richness of the layers made her eyes widen in surprise.
Huo Yuzheng asked softly, "How is it?"
"It's so delicious!" Mo Wansheng exclaimed sincerely, and couldn't help but lower her head to take a small bite, savoring it carefully.
"The flavor of this caramel is so unique, it's really unexpected."
Mo Wansheng was like a contented little hamster, savoring the food in small bites.
The smile in Huo Yuzheng's eyes deepened.
After she had almost finished tasting it, Mo Wansheng suddenly remembered something.
She quickly pushed her chocolate crepe in front of Huo Yuzheng, saying, "Try mine."
Huo Yuzheng naturally took a bite out of the spot where she had just bitten.
The rich chocolate sauce melts in your mouth with the soft pastry, complemented by banana and strawberry flavors.
Huo Yuzheng nodded. "Yes, the chocolate is also very rich."
He casually switched the crepes between the two of them, saying, "You have the caramel one, and I'll take care of the chocolate one."
A warm feeling welled up in Mo Wansheng's heart.
She took the caramel apple crepe that she had already tasted twice and continued to enjoy it.
After finishing their crepes, they continued walking down the street.
As night deepened, the streetlights cast a warm glow on the stone pavement.
Finally, they stopped in front of a restaurant that looked unremarkable.
The dark green awning and the mottled wooden doors and windows, along with the soft lighting, create a welcoming atmosphere from the outside.
Huo Yuzheng pushed open the heavy wooden door.
The aroma of food wafted over.
"The chef here specializes in home-style French cuisine, which I think you'll enjoy."
Mo Wansheng looked at Huo Yuzheng; he knew far more about everything here than she had imagined.
...
After dinner, they returned to their hotel suite together.
Huo Yuzheng followed Mo Wansheng into her room.
Mo Wansheng sat down on the sofa, looking at Huo Yuzheng with suspicion as he put down what he was holding.
She asked in confusion, "You didn't book a hotel?"
Huo Yuzheng remained expressionless. "Hmm, not decided yet."
The voice was steady, without a single flaw.
Although he had actually booked a room, and it was right next door, and his luggage had already been settled.
Mo Wansheng cleared her throat, feeling her ears burning. "So, you want to sleep with me? There's only one bed here."
She pointed towards the bedroom, trying to make her tone sound calmer.
Huo Yuzheng slowly unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat down next to her.
The sofa sank slightly under his weight, and a familiar presence drew near.
He turned his head to look at Mo Wansheng, a smile in his eyes, "Mrs. Huo, is that not allowed?"
Looking at his self-righteous appearance, Mo Wansheng suddenly felt that continuing to dwell on it would only make her seem too concerned.
She waved her hand and stood up, pretending to be generous. "Alright, alright, it's not like we've never slept in the same bed before."
He said it so casually, but his heart was far from as calm as he appeared.
Her hesitation stemmed from the fact that things were different now.
A month ago they slept in the same bed, but now, after three months of living together, they are sleeping in the same bed again, and things have changed.
She was very clear that she had developed feelings for him that she hadn't had before.
This realization made her current generosity seem particularly insecure.
Huo Yuzheng looked at her feigned composure, a knowing glint in his eyes.
He walked slowly to her, looked down at her, and asked, "Mrs. Huo, are you nervous?"
"Who's nervous?" Mo Wansheng turned her face away and reached for a spare pillow in the wardrobe.
"Just like last time, the same old rule, use the middle as the boundary."
Huo Yuzheng nodded and chuckled softly.
Watching her back as she tried to appear calm, he found everything more interesting than he had imagined.
When Mo Wansheng finished washing up and came out, Huo Yuzheng was already leaning against the other side of the bed reading a book.
The warm yellow reading light outlined his profile, giving him a rather upright and gentlemanly appearance.
Mo Wansheng carefully slipped into bed, deliberately maintaining a safe distance.
She felt the warmth coming from beside her and couldn't help but complain, "Hey, Mr. Huo, you're so rich, why don't you book a suite for yourself?"
"save money."
This reason almost made Mo Wansheng burst out laughing.
She turned around. "Mr. Huo, are you trying to save money? Is the Huo Group about to go bankrupt?"
Huo Yuzheng reached out and pulled her into his arms.
"Well, Mrs. Huo said last time that if we report our schedules every day, the group will go bankrupt, so we need to be careful with our money."
Mo Wansheng remembered that she had indeed teased him like that in a video before, but she didn't expect him to use it as an excuse.
She lightly punched his chest and muttered a curse, "Huo Yuzheng, you're being a scoundrel."
"Hmm." Huo Yuzheng readily admitted, gently stroking her hair with his other hand. "However, I only act like a rogue with Mrs. Huo."
Mo Wansheng rested her head on his strong arm, and the distance she had originally tried to maintain had long since disappeared.
She deliberately pressed on, "So what do you plan to do with the money you save?"
"Buy Mrs. Huo macarons for the rest of her life." His voice was exceptionally gentle in the night. "One a day, until all her teeth fall out."
Mo Wansheng couldn't help but chuckle, "Huo Yuzheng, have you forgotten that I can do it myself?"
“That’s different.” Huo Yuzheng’s fingertips twirled around the ends of her hair.
"You should save what you made for me; what I bought is just for you."
Mo Wansheng subconsciously leaned closer to him, her nose lightly brushing against the collar of his pajamas.
"Then I'll limit the flavors, and make sure there's no repetition every day."
“Okay.” Huo Yuzheng agreed in a low voice, “After your competition, we’ll try all the desserts in Paris first.”
Mo Wansheng: "And then?"
"Then I went to Belgium to buy chocolate, to Italy to try tiramisu, and to Japan to bring back the most seasonal wagashi (Japanese sweets)."
"I'll buy the best sweetness in the world and bring it to you."
"Then you have to eat with me," she said softly. "Otherwise, I'll get tired of eating alone."
Huo Yuzheng chuckled and gently kissed Mo Wansheng's forehead. "Okay, I'll stay with you until all my teeth fall out."
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