Episode 108: Xu Junheng and Wen Haijing's Final Answer
Wen Haijing's voice was soft yet firm: "I don't want to have any more children."
“Okay. I’ll take better safety precautions from now on,” Xu Junheng replied.
His gaze, like that of a predator surveying its territory, lingered intently and intensely on her snow-white shoulders and neck, where her skin was as white as snow.
He stopped talking, lowered his head, and kissed Wen Haijing's slightly pursed lips. Then his fingertips explored the camisole she was wearing underneath.
With a slight hook and a pull, he removed her tank top. Now, she was only wearing a black lace bra.
Xu Junheng's breathing suddenly became heavy. His gaze swept over the landscape where snow and black intertwined, and a dark fire raged in his eyes.
He reached out and first gently stroked the delicate shoulder strap, feeling the smoothness and coolness of the skin beneath the lace. Then, his palm, with an irresistible warmth and strength, slowly covered that area.
The moment Wen Haijing's palm touched his, her body trembled slightly.
Xu Junheng leaned down, his hot breath spraying onto her skin. He lowered his head with a clear intention, wanting to give her the ultimate tenderness with his lips and teeth.
However, at that very moment, the screen of the phone on the other side of the sofa suddenly lit up.
Both of them paused for a moment.
Wen Haijing subconsciously turned her head to look, and the word "Mother" was clearly displayed on the screen.
She did not use the term "mother" to refer to Wang Suying, but instead used "mother" which she felt was more distant.
"Wait a minute, let me see what she posted." Wen Haijing picked up her phone.
It was a 60-second voice message, and before she could finish listening, the other party sent another one.
Xu Junheng moved with lightning speed, reaching out to retrieve the soft, thin blanket that had slipped to the other end of the sofa. Then, he straightened up and unfolded the blanket, wrapping it tightly around Wen Haijing's body, leaving only a small section of her snow-white shoulder line visible at her neck.
"Don't catch a cold," he said softly.
Wen Haijing continued listening to the audio recording. Xu Junheng did not continue his previous aggression, but instead lowered his head and gently kissed the skin along the exposed edge of her shoulder with his warm lips.
The mother's voice, with its usual tone, cut to the chase: "Jingjing, I've thought about it, and I still have to tell you this. I'm doing this for your own good! You gave birth to a daughter, which is ultimately... useless. Take good care of your health and hurry up and have another son. That would be a complete family, and you'd be able to stand firm in your husband's family."
“You have to make the most of your youth, you know? Mom is thinking of you. Your husband doesn’t really care about your younger brother anymore. Haiguang is our family’s only son…”
The 60-second audio message repeatedly revolves around the core arguments of "daughters are useless" and "having a son ensures stability."
Then there were two more.
Later, there were even some hearsay "folk remedies for having a child" and impatient urging.
Wen Haijing listened expressionlessly, her fingers gripping the thin blanket tightly around her. Those outdated, objectifying statements that tied her self-worth to bearing a son made her shake her head.
Absurdity, anger, and a deep-seated sorrow—the inability of loved ones to understand one's own situation—were intertwined.
Before she even finished listening to the second message, Wen Haijing put down her phone; she didn't plan to listen to the rest.
Xu Junheng buried his face in the crook of her neck, which was wrapped in a blanket, and then asked:
"Don't you want to listen anymore?"
Wen Haijing gave a soft "hmm," her voice somewhat muffled.
"Ignore it." He said succinctly, his tone showing no surprise or judgment at those remarks, only a calm acceptance of a pre-existing problem. "If there's anything that's inconvenient to resolve, tell me, and I'll handle it."
Xu Junheng did not analyze the absurdity of his mother Wang Suying's words, nor did he comfort her by saying "having a daughter is also very good", because in the value system they built together, those words were not worth refuting, and their daughter was their priceless treasure.
Xu Junheng’s tone was full of respect: “For me, because I love you very much, and you are so intelligent, I hope you will give me a baby that belongs to both of us, or rather, I have always hoped that you will be the mother of my child.”
He changed the subject, his tone still steady but with a deeper tenderness: "You said earlier that you didn't want to have any more children. I think you might be worried about affecting your studies and career plans, or there might be other reasons. I completely agree with that. Actually, although you had a natural birth the day you gave birth, I was extremely anxious waiting outside the delivery room for those few hours."
Wen Haijing's heart stirred slightly. She turned around and met his gaze. His eyes were deep and honest, reflecting her image and filled with acceptance and support for all her choices.
"Thank you, Junheng," she said softly, raising her hand to stroke his sharply defined cheek.
Xu Junheng took her hand and kissed it.
Wen Haijing nestled into his arms, inhaling his familiar and comforting scent. The slight ripples in her heart caused by her family of origin quickly subsided.
She knew he meant what he said.
Xu Junheng has dealt with Wen Haijing's parents and brother in an extremely calm and indifferent manner over the years.
Two years ago, the Wen family's old home was demolished, and they received a considerable amount of compensation.
However, Wen Dongping and Wang Suying gave all the money to their son without hesitation so that he could buy a house in the city. They also gave him the rest of the money, calling it "supporting his business."
In their eyes, their daughter didn't deserve a single penny of the demolition compensation.
Wen Haijing's older brother, Wen Haiguang, was ambitious but lacked practical skills. He blindly opened a shop with the money and quickly lost everything. Instead of settling down and finding a stable job, he mortgaged the house his parents bought with the demolition compensation, along with their old house, to continue his unrealistic "entrepreneurial dream." In the end, he lost everything, and the house was also seized by the bank because he couldn't repay the loan.
When things got really ugly, Wang Suying tried to contact Wen Haijing again, and even wanted to ask her sister Wang Suping to come to Vancouver to find Wen Haijing. In her words, she was still complaining about being poor and asking for money, and even implied, "My son-in-law is so rich, what's wrong with helping his brother-in-law? Where is his conscience?"
That time, Xu Junheng didn't let Wen Haijing show up either. He directly had his assistant contact the Wen family and give them his "arrangements": Wen's parents and brother's family could move into the employee dormitory provided by Xu's Group's branch in the city for temporary accommodation, free of charge.
In addition, Xu Junheng personally pays 5,000 yuan per month for living expenses, which is directly transferred to Wen's mother Wang Suying's account to ensure her basic survival.
However, Xu Junheng also made it clear that if they went abroad to ask Wen Haijing for money, he would take back the dormitory and stop paying the monthly living expenses of 5,000 yuan.
Xu Junheng's attitude was clear, and his methods were decisive. The dormitory was merely a place to live; the property belonged to the company, thus eliminating the possibility of it being mortgaged.
A living allowance of 5,000 yuan is enough to make ends meet in the local area, but it is absolutely impossible to support any so-called "entrepreneurship" or luxury consumption.
He acted like a shrewd risk manager, precisely cutting off all possibilities that could cause trouble to spread back to Wen Haijing, providing only the bare minimum of survival security that could not be squandered.
Warmth? He can't give it, nor does he intend to. All his warmth and generosity have already been poured into his wife and children.
For his father-in-law, who was insatiably greedy and incorrigible, he had only cold, hard rules based on responsibility.
That year, after his business failed, Wen Haiguang set his sights on Xu Junheng, hoping to "arrange" for him to join the Xu Group, even if he started as a security guard. "At least it's a stable job, and it's a big company, so it's prestigious."
As expected, Xu Junheng rejected the request outright, leaving no room for negotiation.
Afterwards, Xu Junheng told Wen Haijing about it, explaining, "First, he's a relative. In a company, especially at the grassroots level, kinship often does more harm than good, affecting fairness. Second, you know his past behavior. He's ambitious but lacks a sense of responsibility. Giving someone with ingrained habits a 'secure job' is often not help, but indulgence. It will only make him more dependent and deprive him of the last bit of motivation and pressure to earn his own living."
Wen Haijing remembered one time when her cousin Wen Xueyan called her after she went to the Xu Group on business. She said that in the meeting room, after the meeting ended, Wen Xueyan saw Wang Suying leave and went in to question Xu Junheng: "Aren't you worried about what people will say if you handle things like this? Is this how you treat your elders? How can you be so disrespectful to our Haiguang? Why don't you give him a position?"
Upon hearing this, Xu Junheng chuckled softly.
"Reputation?" He repeated the word as if savoring an old, insignificant object: "When has my reputation ever been good?"
He paused slightly, his tone devoid of self-mockery, only displaying a worldly-wise indifference: "纨绔 (wan ku, spoiled brat), 冷血 (leng xu, cold-blooded), 狠力 (hěn lì, ruthless), 花公子 (huā gōng zǐ, playboy)... which of these words wasn't associated with me in my younger years? I didn't care myself, so what do other people's opinions matter to me? After I married your daughter, my reputation actually improved considerably, and some people even praised me for being steady and family-oriented. As for how you see me, I don't care. Your daughter, you don't love her, but I do."
Wen Haijing was deeply moved as she recalled how Xu Junheng had helped her resolve the troubles caused by her family of origin time and time again over the years. No longer bound by family ties or tormented by guilt, she was able to move forward with a lighter burden, pursuing her own studies, career, and happiness.
"Jingjing, what are you thinking about?" Xu Junheng asked, interrupting Wen Haijing's thoughts.
Wen Haijing found herself pinned down and held in his arms again, the blanket pulled off by him.
“I just remembered how you helped me solve the problems caused by my family of origin time and time again. Thank you. Even though my mother spread rumors about you being heartless a few times, you were not angry.”
He lowered his head. "Jingjing, you're the one who helped me clear my name of all my past bad reputation. My dad, the board of directors, and business partners trust me more because of that. Now, whenever I bring you to a business dinner, people see how knowledgeable you are, how harmonious our marriage is, and how stable our family is, and clients have a better impression of us. I'm definitely going to give you credit for this."
Wen Haijing met his gaze and saw in that deep tenderness a man's unreserved trust and affection for her.
He openly laid bare his most shameful past, and attributed all the positive changes to her. This unvarnished love made her feel more grounded and precious than any vain reputation.
However, the next second, that composure was completely swallowed up by the dark fire that suddenly rose in his eyes. He said no more, his tall body pressing down with an irresistible sense of oppression, one hand on the back of the sofa beside her ear, the other hand precisely gripping her two slender wrists and gently pressing them above her head.
His kiss landed immediately, hot and urgent as if declaring his sovereignty, aiming to capture her breath again.
However, just as his lips were about to cover hers, Wen Haijing turned her head away, and the passionate kiss landed only on her cheek.
She issued a subtle but clear protest: "Um... wait."
Xu Junheng paused, stepping back slightly: "Jingjing, what's wrong?"
Wen Haijing met his burning gaze, her cheeks flushed, her breathing slightly unsteady, but her eyes gleamed with a rare light, both shy and bold. Her voice was as soft as a feather, yet exceptionally clear: "Today... I want to be on top, is that alright? I've never tried it before."
Xu Junheng was visibly taken aback, and the grip on her wrist loosened slightly. He seemed surprised that she would make such a request, especially at a time when he was almost completely in control.
But the surprise lasted only a very short moment. A hint of understanding and interest quickly flashed across his deep eyes, along with an even more intense flame ignited by this unexpected "challenge".
He didn't refuse, nor did he utter a single word. He simply let out a low, muffled, and pleasant chuckle from his throat, then, as instructed, released his grip on her, leaning back and settling comfortably into the depths of the sofa. Then, he reached out and gently pulled her towards him.
He didn't let her move immediately. Instead, while she was in that position, he lowered his head and began another form of "attack." His kisses no longer landed on her lips, but instead traveled down her fair shoulders, delicate collarbones, and slender neck, leaving fine, burning marks.
Then, he reached for the condom he had prepared beforehand and quickly put on protection. The whole process was smooth and natural, carrying a solemn sense of absolute responsibility towards her.
With preparations complete, he looked up at her intently, offering encouragement and an invitation through his eyes.
Wen Haijing's heart pounded like a drum, her body weak from his series of kisses, but her desire to take the initiative grew even stronger.
"Jingjing, sit on it and move yourself," Wen Haijing heard him whisper in her ear.
She mustered her courage, placed her hands on his strong shoulders, and slowly, with a hesitant and awkward motion, straddled his lean waist.
She leaned down slightly, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pressed herself even closer to him.
At such close range, she could feel his burning body temperature, his firm and taut muscles, and the short, stiff stubble that had just sprouted on his chin. When it brushed against her soft skin, it brought a slightly prickly and strange sensation, which, mixed with his cool scent, created a unique and aggressive masculine charm that belonged to him.
Xu Junheng looked up at her, his eyes as dark as an abyss, clearly reflecting her shy yet brave appearance at that moment.
He placed his hands on her sides, his grip steady, providing both support and guidance. The movements were varied, sometimes gentle, sometimes deep.
He handed the initiative to her, enjoying the delicate charm she displayed as she gained the upper hand, while simultaneously using his burning presence and aggressive gaze to silently declare that he was ready to take over everything at any moment.
I really like it, please update it soon!
Thank you for your comment, it's very heartwarming! Feel free to write a book review! ^_^
If possible, is it possible to write about autumn first in the next book?
Is the whole book finished yet?
Thank you for your message. If you write about the clear autumn day first, I will send you a separate reply. Thank you for your continued reading, support, and companionship. Wishing you a happy life! ^_^ (The outline I'm currently writing is "Heartbeat Again," but it's not finalized yet.)
Thank you for your comments and for your continued reading and support. This book is now complete. There may be a few minor revisions later on. I'm very touched by your continued support.
Indeed~~
I really loved this story, thank you so much, Professor Toyama!
I second that.
It's finished, but I'm still thinking about the extra chapters and behind-the-scenes footage of President Cheng and Wen Xueyan.
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