Chapter 3 Wedding Surprise
The unfamiliar smell of cedar entered Yu Ling's nose, and she opened her eyes quickly.
At half past six, my biological clock is as accurate as an atomic clock.
There’s a simple ceiling lamp above her head, and the sheets beneath her are as soft as clouds… Wait, this isn’t her doghouse that’s filled with design drafts!
Fragments of last night's memories, wrapped in the aroma of tomato beef brisket and the spiciness of mapo tofu, "clanged" into my mind: the silhouette of the person wearing a little whale apron in the open kitchen, a dinner so delicious that you licked the plate, and... the "click" sound of her escaping to the second bedroom with the green radish and locking the door, feeling guilty in the dead silence.
Outside the door, there was the sound of running water and the clinking of dishes... then silence as a chicken.
That night, she slept in a strange bed with her ears erect, like a rabbit that had accidentally entered the lion's territory.
Now, the living room is empty.
A sweet, mellow aroma of cereals wafted through the air—not the meaty aroma from last night. She sniffed, as if drawn by an invisible hook, and made her way to the kitchen.
Then--
She! Petrified!
On the island counter, the morning light gilded two breakfasts! A soft, sunny-side-up egg had crispy golden edges, the bacon was fried to a light, slick shine, and emerald green broccoli garnished it. The oatmeal porridge, topped with dried cranberries and toasted almond slices, was warm and inviting!
Is this breakfast?! This is a Michelin-style presentation!
The "ordinary employee" Zhao Chen, who had orchestrated all this, stood at the inner side of the counter with his back to her, still wearing the same light gray tracksuit and dark blue cardigan.
He lowered his head slightly, concentrating as if on scientific research. His slender fingers gripped a chef's knife, gleaming with cold light and a blade so thin it could be used as a weapon!
With a flash of his knife, the golden mango flesh was instantly peeled from the core. Under his fingers, it was like magic, transformed into evenly sized, sharp-edged diamond-shaped pieces! His movements were smooth and flowing, with a kind of cold precision!
Holy crap! This knife skills! Is this cutting vegetables or micro-carving?!
Yu Ling was so frightened that she couldn't even breathe. This was definitely not a skill a social animal should have!
Just when she was about to burst her lungs, Zhao Chen stopped without warning. He turned his head.
The morning light fell on his face, softening his features. His amber eyes were clear and gentle, as if the sharp knife light just now was Yu Ling's illusion.
"Good morning." The corners of his mouth raised, and his smile was as pure as the first ray of sunshine in the morning. "Are you awake? Just right, breakfast is just ready. Go wash up first?" His tone was as natural as the daily life of an old couple, completely ignoring her eyes that were about to fall to the ground and her gaze glued to the knife.
"Morning...Morning." Yu Ling's tongue was tied, and her eyes moved with difficulty from the knife that could be a family heirloom to the breakfast that could be called a work of art. "Did you make all this?" Her voice was so dry that sand could be rubbed out.
"Yeah." He responded lightly, and with a flick of the knife, the mango pieces fell accurately into the glass bowl. "Use whatever is in the refrigerator. Warm the oatmeal with milk and add some honey." The tone of his voice made it seem as if frying a perfect soft-boiled egg and cutting fruits into standard geometric shapes was as easy as breathing.
Just something random?! Yu Ling looked at the impeccable plate, then thought about the cold milk and cereal she had for breakfast. A mixture of shock, absurdity, and an unexpected warmth danced wildly in her chest.
"I'm going to wash up!" She practically scrambled away from the scene. She splashed ice water on her face, trying to quench her throbbing. Her reflection in the mirror was filled with panic.
Calm down! Agreement! Non-interference! He's just a dedicated 'dinner companion'! She silently chanted a heart-clearing mantra, but the cold touch of the knife lingered on her fingertips.
When she came out, Zhao Chen was already sitting at the table, his tablet aside. He had eaten half of his meal.
"Sit down." He raised his eyes and gestured to the person across from him, pushing over the bowl of golden mango cubes drizzled with honey and with mint leaves deliberately pushed to the side of the bowl. "Try it? It's quite sweet."
The porridge was smooth and warm, the runny egg mixed with the charred bacon and refreshing broccoli...the richness made her tongue dance! It instantly beat all the greasy sandwiches downstairs!
"How does it taste...?" He looked at her, with a hint of anticipation hidden in his amber eyes?
"It's so delicious!" She praised sincerely, but then felt embarrassed because of her "lack of cooking skills".
Zhao Chen's lips curled up in delight. "That's good," he said, lowering his head to continue his elegant meal. The silence strangely melted Yu Ling's guard.
She just stood up to clean up the dishes when Zhao Chen took over naturally: "I'll do it. You get ready for work." His movements were so fast that people couldn't react.
"Ah? No need..." Before he could finish his sentence, he rolled up his sleeves and walked to the sink. The sound of water running over bone china was crisp and clear. Yu Ling watched his tall back as he washed dishes, his shoulders outlined in the morning light. This script...did I get the wrong one?
"By the way," he wiped his hands and turned around, his tone as casual as asking "What day is it today?" "Is your company in the Genesis Building? It's on the way, I'll give you a ride."
"Send me there?" Yu Ling was stunned and instinctively resisted, "No need! The subway is so convenient!"
Zhao Chen paused in wiping his hands. He frowned slightly, his eyes instantly covered with a layer of clear and appropriate grievance, and his voice lowered a few notes:
"But... the agreement states, 'Protect each other's image in front of their respective families of origin.'"
He paused, leaving a blank that made people think a lot, "What if one day your mother makes a surprise inspection and asks, 'Did Xiao Zhao send you to work?'... and I say no?" He shrugged, and the unfinished meaning was like a small needle pricking Yu Ling's persistence - now she's been exposed, how can they 'work together to fool people into getting married'?
Yu Ling: “…”
She was completely choked by this "perfect logic" based on the terms of the agreement! Playing the role of a loving couple... pick-up and drop-off seems to be standard?
Seeing her frustrated, the grievance in Zhao Chen's eyes evaporated, replaced by a gentle, harmless, and even slightly cunning smile:
"So, let's go? If you dawdle any longer you'll have to clock in." He picked up his tweed coat and put it on, then like a magic trick, he picked up a pair of car keys from the entrance cabinet and shook them.
On the keychain, a low-key silver trident logo blinded Yu Ling in the morning light!
Martha! Laura! Dee!
"You...your car?" His voice was split.
"Oh, this one," Zhao Chen glanced at the key, his expression as natural as picking up a bunch of green onions. "It's a friend's. He's been traveling abroad for a few months and was worried the car would get worn out in the garage, so he forced it on me."
As he spoke, he opened the drawer of the hallway cabinet and threw the Maserati keys in with a clang, like throwing away garbage! "I usually take the subway. I wanted to give you a ride today." The excuse was as perfunctory as paper.
Yu Ling stared at the Maserati keys carelessly discarded in a drawer, then looked at the handsome face before her that said, "I'm honest." The cloud of doubt in her heart suddenly exploded into a mushroom cloud! Friends? A car that slipped? The mystery surrounding this man was deeper than the Mariana Trench!
"Let's go, we're really late." Zhao Chen opened the door as if he was blind.
Yu Ling took a deep breath, suppressing the "Fuck it!" that was swirling in her mind. Whatever! He'd be a jerk not to ride in a luxury car! Just treat it like reconnaissance deep behind enemy lines!
In the following days, Yu Ling deeply experienced what "the ultimate service of the agreed husband" meant, or in other words - the full invasion of Zhao Chen's "home clinging spirit"!
【Feeding】
Every morning, she's awakened by the whimsical, never-the-same five-star aroma wafting from the kitchen. On the table, two nutritious, exquisite works of art are always presented, meticulously avoiding her pitfalls (cilantro? offal? Absolutely not!). Even if she casually says, "I feel a bit hot," the next morning, a warm, rock sugar and snow pear soup awaits her!
Yu Ling OS: Big brother, did you install a bug or are you a worm in my stomach?!
He took care of all the housework, his movements as professional and efficient as a robot vacuum. Yu Ling tried to fulfill her "shift duty," but as soon as she picked up the mop, he gently but firmly "asked" her to leave:
"You're tired from work, I'll take care of this. 'Non-interference'? My way of doing things is simply that I don't want to see you suffer." The excuse was so plausible and impeccable! Yu Ling could only cry and feel like a waste.
【Pick-up and drop-off】
No matter how much she emphasized how convenient, environmentally friendly and worry-free the subway was, he always had a perfect excuse of "agreement" (to maintain his image) or "being on his way" ("I just happened to be going nearby", "the company is closed today") to show up downstairs of her company on time, punctually, rain or shine.
At first, sitting in the passenger seat (the car models switched seamlessly between low-key Mercedes-Benz, Audi, and even the more eye-catching Land Rover Range Rover, which he always explained as "a friend's") made her feel very uncomfortable, especially when she met the astonished looks of her colleagues with dislocated jaws.
"Don't drive this car next time! It's too eye-catching!" she once gritted her teeth.
"Okay. Let's get a more low-key car tomorrow." The next day, when a shiny new black Range Rover, understatedly luxurious and sophisticated, was parked downstairs, Yu Ling gave up completely. Fine, you have a lot of friends, your friends are rich, and your friends are good drivers! She tried to hypnotize herself into being just another passerby trying to get a ride.
【Late Night Feeding】
A real warm current suddenly came to me late at night when I was working overtime.
It was past ten o'clock, and Yu Ling was the only one left in the office. She was trapped by a pile of garbled data, dizzy, and hungry. She rubbed her temples, which were about to burst, and picked up her phone to order takeout, but the screen lit up before she did.
【ZhaoC】: Still at the office? Starving? Locate me, I'm nearby.
She was stunned, and her hands detected the location faster than her brain.
Ling: Yeah, working overtime. A little hungry, no problem, I'll order some takeout to keep going.
Less than five minutes after the message was sent, there was a knock on the door. Zhao Chen came in carrying an insulated bag. His shoulders were cold, but his smile was as bright as the sun.
"Excuse me? I brought some midnight snacks. The security guy is quite easy to talk to." (Yu Ling's OS: How did you get the security guy to do that?!)
She opened the insulated bag—it was the Cantonese-style raw fish congee she'd mentioned a few days ago, the one with the long queue! There were also crystal-clear shrimp dumplings and emerald green lettuce with oyster sauce! The alluring aroma instantly captivated her taste buds and her weary nerves!
"Eat it while it's hot." He unpacked the cutlery and handed it to her, then pulled over a chair and sat down. "Wait until you finish eating. You'll have free time when you get back." His tone was relaxed, but his eyes showed a gentle insistence that could not be refused.
Yu Ling picked up the warm bowl of porridge, the warmth on her fingertips piercing her heart. The only sounds in the office were the sound of her sips and the occasional swipe of his phone.
He was as quiet as a mountain, his silent companionship more effective than any chicken soup. The warm porridge slid down my esophagus, spreading warmth, and the hard shell of late-night fatigue that had been digested alone for so long, cracked with a "crack."
The tip of her nose felt strangely sore. She quickly lowered her head, pretending the heat was stinging her eyes. Zhao Chen noticed her subtle emotion and silently pushed the shrimp dumplings closer.
After she finished eating in no time, he cleaned up the food neatly.
"Alright? I'll leave first. Don't get panda eyes from working so hard." He stood up. "Send a message before we finish, and I'll pick up."
“No need! Take a taxi…”
"It's not safe so late." He interrupted, his gentle tone hiding an unquestionable toughness, and a very faint sharp light flashed in his eyes, "Be obedient. I'll wait for your message at home." Without waiting for her to refute, he turned and left.
The word "be obedient" tickled her heart like a feather. Yu Ling sat back at her computer, her anxiety miraculously dissipating. Her stomach felt warm, and her heart seemed to be quietly warmed as well. The sound of her typing on the keyboard became lighter.
【Sweet Pet Critical Attack】
A few days later, on a weekend morning.
Yu Ling, slipping on her slippers, wandered over to the French window to look at her beloved pothos. Its leaves shone bright green in the sunlight, brimming with life. She leaned closer, a look of deep satisfaction on her face...
His eyes fixed suddenly!
Next to the green radish, a small, palm-sized white ceramic kettle appeared! It had a cute, rounded shape, a slender spout, and an unbelievably pure and mellow glaze. It looked incredibly expensive! The soil was moist, emitting a refreshing scent of earth and a faint hint of something that didn't belong to the cheap nutrient solution she'd bought.
She remembered that she had watered the plants herself last night! And, she had never bought this kind of pot before!
My heart rate instantly soared to 180!
It was Zhao Chen! Not only did he remember to water the plants and use nutrient solution, he even prepared such a delicate little pot?! Just for her! Green radish!
She held the small, warm pot, standing in the morning light. The rustle of traffic outside the window, the lingering aroma of breakfast, the financial magazine he'd been reading on the sofa (the cover featured a financial summit executive, his profile looked familiar?)... All the details of life he'd quietly infiltrated, along with the morning fish porridge, the precise breakfast, the silent companionship, the warmth that had been forcibly suppressed by "agreements" and "roommates," burst forth in a cascade because of this pot, which existed only for her, the green ivy!
A thoughtfulness that is almost voyeuristic. A concern that reaches even the smallest details of life.
This is not an obligation. This is not reciprocity.
This is... pampering! indulgence! violent attack!
A strange and turbulent emotion slammed into her chest, burning her so hard that she felt flustered. She looked down at the warm pot in her palm, her fingertips curled up, and her cheeks burned uncontrollably.
The hard shell of "maladaptability" within my heart cracked with a sharp, dangerous crack. Something was emerging uncontrollably from the crack, trembling with the thrill of early spring breaking through the earth.
Who is he? What is hidden behind this "surprise"?
Yu Ling clenched the kettle tightly, and for the first time realized clearly that her curiosity and desire to explore her husband in the agreement had grown like wild weeds, completely submerging the boundaries of the agreement paper!
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