Chapter 69 What's the difference between this and living as a widow?
Ruan Yao rolled around on the bed in a huff, but her mind started wandering again.
Does he... not actually like her that much?
No, he already proposed to her. It couldn't be just for good luck.
Ruan Yao hugged the quilt, trying hard to convince herself.
Perhaps he really does have very important work to do? She should be understanding.
She decided to wait for him to come back.
She then thought that she should get up early tomorrow morning to make him a loving breakfast as a start to their happy cohabitation.
As she pondered, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and before she knew it, she drifted off to sleep, filled with hope for tomorrow.
It was late at night.
The study door was opened silently.
Huo Yanzhi came out, a chill emanating from him, and went straight to the bedside.
By the moonlight, he gazed quietly at her sleeping face, a suppressed desire surging in his eyes.
After a long while, he leaned down and placed a tender kiss on her lips.
Goodnight, my Yaoyao.
He sighed softly, lifted the covers, lay down beside her, and carefully pulled her soft body tightly into his arms.
*
The morning sunlight streamed into the open kitchen through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
Huo Yanzhi, wearing a black apron, stood in front of the spacious kitchen counter, intently processing the ingredients in his hands.
Long, slender fingers were methodically and precisely arranging the sliced strawberries, one by one, on the stack of pancakes.
The coffee machine grinds the beans, releasing a rich and mellow aroma.
He arranged the perfectly fried bacon and sunny-side-up eggs on a plate, every movement exuding a pleasing and composed quality.
This was the first morning after his marriage that he had fantasized about countless times.
Sunlight, the aroma of food—Ruan Yao, still half asleep, came downstairs and sat down to eat everything he had prepared for her.
Huo Yanzhi arranged everything like works of art, and finally poured a glass of warm milk.
He did all this with a blank expression on his face, but deep in his eyes, an almost pathological sense of satisfaction was surging within him.
Upstairs, in the bedroom.
When Ruan Yao woke up, the spot beside her was empty and felt a little cold.
She slapped her forehead in annoyance; she had overslept.
The promised loving breakfast has fallen through.
She hurriedly washed up, changed her clothes, and went downstairs, assuming that Huo Yanzhi had already gone to the company.
But when she reached the top of the stairs, she was surprised to see Huo Yanzhi sitting at the dining table with a newspaper in front of him, seemingly waiting for her.
The morning light fell on his sharply defined profile, giving him a soft glow.
"Awake?" Hearing the noise, he put down his newspaper and looked up.
Ruan Yao's gaze was immediately drawn to the sumptuous and exquisite breakfast on the table.
Soft soufflé pancakes, garnished with bright red strawberries and blueberries, and drizzled with glistening maple syrup.
Next to it were golden-brown fried bacon and a sunny-side-up egg with a runny yolk.
A steaming hot latte, decorated with a beautiful heart-shaped latte art.
These are all her favorite flavors, and each dish is presented so exquisitely that it looks like a work of art, exactly the style she likes to post on her WeChat Moments.
Ruan Yao's eyes lit up instantly.
Like a happy little butterfly, she fluttered over and looked with delight at the sumptuous breakfast spread across the table.
Wow! This is such a feast! You haven't gone to work yet?
She looked at the beautifully plated food, which was even more appealing than that of a five-star hotel.
Did you make this?
Huo Yanzhi calmly pulled out a chair for her, his tone indifferent.
"It was made by our newly hired part-time housekeeper. She's an expert in all kinds of cooking, so you can tell her what you want to eat in the future."
"Wow, really?" Ruan Yao immediately believed it and took out her phone to take a bunch of pictures of the breakfast. "It looks so good, I have to post it on my WeChat Moments to show off! I declare that this is the first day of my happy cohabitation!"
As she edited her WeChat Moments post, she picked up a large piece of toast, took a big bite, and mumbled her praise.
"Mmm...it tastes amazing! This auntie is such a good cook. Huo Yanzhi, you must give her a raise."
Huo Yanzhi looked at her chubby cheeks and the little bit of oil that had accidentally gotten on the corner of her mouth, and his Adam's apple bobbed up and down almost imperceptibly.
The scene he had imagined countless times was now unfolding before his very eyes.
The overwhelming sense of satisfaction that almost overwhelmed him caused his hand, which was under the table, to tighten quietly.
He simply gave a faint "hmm," as if he were used to it all.
Ruan Yao drank her milk and ate her breakfast, feeling very happy.
She posted a message on her WeChat Moments with the caption: "First breakfast in my new home, overflowing with happiness!"
Huo Yanzhi didn't go to work immediately. He looked at Ruan Yao and spoke as if it were an unintentional remark.
"By the way, there's something I need to tell you."
"What's up?" Ruan Yao was drinking milk, in an extremely good mood.
"Starting tonight, I'll sleep in the guest room."
The satisfied smile on Ruan Yao's face froze instantly.
She stared blankly at Huo Yanzhi, wondering if she had misheard.
"……Why?"
Huo Yanzhi explained, "My work hours are irregular. Sometimes I come back late at night or leave very early, and I'm afraid of disturbing you."
He knew the excuse was lame.
He was simply not ready to be 'husband and wife' with the lucid Ruan Yao yet; the things he wanted to hide would uncontrollably be revealed in his actions and eyes.
It will scare her and hurt her.
He preferred this approach until he was absolutely certain that his disguise was flawless.
Huo Yanzhi's reasoning sounded impeccable and full of consideration.
But Ruan Yao didn't believe a single word of it.
In his past life, he wished he could keep her by his side 24/7.
Now that we've just started living together, we have to sleep in separate rooms. What's the difference between this and living like a widow?
Does this aloof and detached demeanor mean you don't want to touch her?
But she was too embarrassed to say such things aloud, as it would make her seem lustful. So she could only puff out her cheeks in frustration and remain silent.
She gripped the milk cup tightly in her hand, no longer wanting to drink it.
The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt, so she simply pushed the milk cup forward and threw a small tantrum.
"I'm stuffed."
Huo Yanzhi looked at her pitiful appearance, trying her best to pretend she didn't care and only able to vent her anger on the milk, and a very faint smile flashed across his eyes.
He took a wallet from the inside pocket of his suit, pulled out a black card, and placed it in front of her.
"Use this card for household expenses and whatever you want to buy."
Ruan Yao looked at the familiar black card.
It's exactly the same as the black card from my previous life that had no spending limit.
She knew that Huo Yanzhi was using money to coax her.
Realizing that the other person cared, Ruan Yao felt somewhat appeased, but she was still a little depressed.
She didn't like his overly polite manner.
She took the card, deliberately tickled Huo Yanzhi's palm with her fingertips, then stepped forward, affectionately took his arm, pressed herself against him, and spoke in a soft voice.
"Thank you, honey."
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