Chapter 16 Waking up in his arms
It's June, and the height of summer is just around the corner. The inland evenings are scorching hot, but the sea remains cool.
A night breeze blew by, ruffling the hair around Cheng Hexi's ears.
The deck was brightly lit, and the stars in the sky were clearer than usual.
The ruby behind her ear was eye-catching, complementing her red lips.
Cheng Hexi had long known that she liked these vast landscapes.
She was fascinated by the nebulae seen through the telescope, the night view of President Xilin's office, and the boundless night sea before her.
After regaining her senses, a suit jacket with a light cologne scent was draped over her shoulders.
Cheng Hexi belatedly realized the chill of the night and turned her head to look at her side.
"Thank you." She accepted the favor and smiled. "Why hasn't the media praised you for being a gentleman?"
You Yue didn't want to spoil the good atmosphere, and said calmly, "Being married means things have to be a little different than before."
She adjusted her clothes and noticed that You Yue's cufflinks were swaying with his movements. Hearing this, she turned her head to look at him in surprise.
"What does Mr. You mean by this? Have you never been this gentlemanly to anyone else?"
He nodded very seriously: "I've never draped clothes over anyone else."
"That's incredibly flattering," Cheng Hexi said, looking very grateful. "I'll get the media to write a story about you tomorrow."
The person next to him raised an eyebrow.
She made a half-serious joke: "Isn't the 'loving husband' persona all the rage these days?"
You Yue twitched his lips, thinking that she was still as eloquent as ever.
-
Even a suit couldn't keep out the chill of the sea breeze.
Cheng Hexi felt cold even with a coat on, so she guessed You Yue, who was only wearing a shirt, wouldn't be much better off.
But his expression was natural, so it was impossible to tell anything.
"What's wrong?" He turned his head and asked, noticing her gaze.
Cheng Hexi then suggested, "Shall we go back? It's very cold."
"Let's go."
I came here to accompany her; Youyue herself wasn't particularly interested in the sea or the night view.
Her heels were a bit high, and that was probably why You Yue took her hand on the way back, and the two of them walked down the deck side by side like that.
Cheng Hexi suddenly asked again, "Don't you need to go and play with them? It's not easy to come to a gathering, you don't need to stay by my side the whole time."
She said the same thing when she first arrived.
"Does my presence make you feel uncomfortable?" You Yue looked down at her.
Cheng Hexi answered "No".
I wouldn't say I felt uncomfortable; I was just being polite.
A gust of wind ruffled the hair around her ears, and You Yue shifted his body slightly to shield her from the wind.
Cheng Hexi noticed something.
You Yue nodded: "Didn't you just set up a loving husband persona for me?"
Why are we bringing this up again?
She smiled and didn't say anything more.
-
Cruise ships often demonstrate wealth more than private jets.
This room is even larger than their master bedroom, and it is fully furnished.
Upon entering, the room was illuminated by dazzling lights.
Cheng Hexi took off the suit jacket she was wearing and touched the cuffs, which were icy cold.
You Yue stood beside her and naturally took his clothes from her and hung them up.
The indoor temperature was just right, and she was only wearing a white dress as she walked to the bedroom door.
The bedroom only had one large bed, which wasn't surprising.
She tilted her head slightly to look at the man not far behind her who was taking off his cufflinks, thinking that she would be sleeping in this bed with him in a little while.
The bed was large, estimated to be over two meters long and wide, so they wouldn't sleep so close together that they couldn't distinguish one from the other.
However, she wasn't sleeping in a very good position, and I was still a little worried.
You Yue appeared behind her without her noticing and asked, "Are you going to take a shower first?"
Cheng Hexi turned around and said, "Okay."
His gaze swept over Cheng Hexi's left shoulder as he looked up.
To wear the dress, she covered the tattoo on her shoulder, and now it's completely invisible.
You Yue made way for her, and watching her back, he suddenly said, "I'll go sleep on the sofa."
It is a statement of fact.
Cheng Hexi paused, turned around and smiled, looking completely unconcerned.
“No, the sofa is uncomfortable,” she said. “I don’t care that much about these things.”
You Yue started taking off his watch again and didn't continue the conversation.
After a while, he asked, "What were you and Yu'an talking about just now?"
Cheng Hexi said "Oh," and after a moment's thought, said, "She added me on WeChat."
After dinner, You Yue was interrupted by a phone call, and Cheng Hexi left him to go to the bathroom to avoid suspicion.
Chi Yu'an was looking at paintings in the long corridor of the cruise ship when Cheng Hexi passed by her on her way back to the banquet hall.
She greeted me warmly, smiling and revealing two dimples, and asked if I could add her on WeChat.
Chi Yu'an was very much to her liking, but Cheng Hexi was used to keeping her emotions hidden and didn't show it, though she was indeed very willing to chat with her a bit more.
Chi Yu'an is very smart; he can see that.
In fact, Cheng Hexi was a little curious about her relationship with Ying Zeqing, but she couldn't ask in front of him, and she didn't want to inquire about it in front of You Yue either.
After all, their relationship wasn't close enough for them to gossip about his friends.
-
After taking a shower, Cheng Hexi came out of the bathroom and saw You Yue on the sofa replying to emails on his phone.
She had just blow-dried her hair until it was half dry, and after coming out of the bathroom, she turned off the light and didn't speak immediately.
You Yue noticed her presence and looked up at her.
"Finished washing?"
After asking that question, I continued typing.
"Um."
Cheng Hexi pulled her outer robe tighter and said, "I'm going back to my bedroom first."
You Yue replied with an "okay," put away his phone, got up from the sofa, and went into the still-steamy bathroom.
It wasn't yet her usual rest time, so Cheng Hexi couldn't fall asleep immediately. Leaning against the headboard, she took out her phone and saw several messages from Xu Zhumeng.
After graduating and returning to China, their conversations often consisted of one person talking to herself for a while, and the other replying after seeing it.
After replying to the message, she put down her phone, and the only sound in the room was the sound of water from the bathroom.
The pattering rain was even clearer in the quiet environment.
Cheng Hexi's thoughts wandered aimlessly. She and You Yue shared a bedroom and would soon be sleeping in the same bed and under the same blanket.
Interestingly, just two months ago, they were practically strangers.
When You Yue walked into the bedroom in his bathrobe, Cheng Hexi was already lying on the pillow.
She only occupied a small portion of the large bed, dozing off with her eyes closed on the left side of the bed.
You Yue stood motionless at the door, a few drops of moisture still clinging to his black hair.
The scene before him was completely unfamiliar to him.
He moved to his maternal grandmother's house when he was five years old, and he doesn't even remember ever sleeping in the same bed with anyone.
Cheng Hexi didn't take off her outer robe.
The room was quite warm, so she pulled the blanket up to her waist, her long hair cascading like silk onto the sheets.
You Yue walked to the bedside and gently lifted a corner of the blanket.
The noise was very small, but the person on the bed still opened their eyes.
His eyes were clear.
She was genuinely trying to fall asleep; she wasn't embarrassed about sharing a bed with him.
As her gaze swept over his slightly low-cut nightgown, Cheng Hexi noticed for the first time that he was wearing a safety amulet around his neck.
The cord was somewhat long, but very thin, and barely noticeable. The button was also small, usually hidden under his shirt, and wouldn't be visible even if he unbuttoned one button.
His collarbones were prominent, with a string draped over them, making him look very sexy.
Jade is a warm and smooth ornament, but it doesn't really suit his personality.
But he didn't take it off even when he slept, so she guessed it wasn't some kind of decoration.
You Yue got into bed and lay down on the other side of the bed.
Cheng Hexi only then realized how close the two of them were, and belatedly felt a little uncomfortable.
They smelled the same; he could smell it even if she gently tugged at the blanket.
You Yue noticed the gaze of the person next to him and turned his head to look.
Her gaze fell on the safety buckle around her neck.
When she was discovered, Cheng Hexi didn't try to hide it, but asked, "Have you always worn this? I've never seen you wear it before."
He hummed in agreement, "It's usually covered by clothes, so you can't see it."
"You believe in this?" Cheng Hexi asked, somewhat puzzled.
“Grandma asked for it,” You Yue said, lying down beside her and looking at the yellowish light strip on the ceiling. “After my mother passed away, the old lady started believing in these things. She went to great lengths to get it, so I’ve been wearing it ever since, to put her mind at ease.”
When his mother was mentioned, Cheng Hexi paused for a moment before speaking again to apologize to him.
You Yue was silent for a few seconds before realizing what this meant, and then chuckled lightly: "It's okay, no need for that."
Cheng Hexi changed the subject, looked up at the LED strip above her head, and asked him, "Isn't the light too bright?"
You Yue didn't reply, but instead got up and turned off the light strip.
The lower back arches.
Cheng Hexi turned her head to look and saw the jade swaying in front of his chest with his movements.
After that, only two dim bedside lamps remained in the room.
In dim light, even the slightest sound is more noticeable.
The sound of the silk quilt sliding was clearly audible.
Having someone to share a bed with is not comfortable for either of them.
After a few minutes of silence, Cheng Hexi sat up in bed. You Yue noticed the movement on the bed next to her and, after thinking for a moment, asked, "What's wrong?"
"Go get some water."
Cheng Hexi left the bed, and You Yue's gaze moved from her back to the bed where she had been lying, where he saw a long black hair lying on the pillow.
After she returned, she lay back down in bed, turned off the bedside lamp on her side, and then gently turned over, eventually facing away from You Yue.
The room was plunged into darkness.
Under the cover of night, You Yue smelled a strong scent of shower gel, unsure whether it was from her own body or from the person lying next to her.
Cheng Hexi rolled over again, this time returning to a supine position.
You Yue suddenly spoke up, asking, "Insomnia?"
“It’s an old problem,” she said casually. “It’s not serious.”
You Yue didn't ask any more questions.
After a while, he actually spoke up, and what he said was quite unexpected.
He said, "I met you once when I was in college."
"Um?"
Cheng Hexi heard it clearly and asked in surprise.
Stanford and Columbia are located in the west and east of the country, respectively. The PDFs they were reading were not even from the same batch, and their majors were also different.
From her perspective, they had never seen it.
You Yue majored in computer science and mathematics as an undergraduate and met many successful entrepreneurs at Stanford. Cheng Hexi studied business at Columbia University and is also very good at statistics and mathematics.
After graduation, You Yue returned to China directly, while Cheng Hexi worked in investment management at a well-known investment bank in New York.
The timelines overlap, but the events don't; it's always a coincidence within a coincidence.
“I had a friend studying at Berkeley at the time,” he said, then remembered that he also knew Cheng Hexi and corrected himself, “It was Liang Xiao.”
“He was frequently going to Columbia University during that period because of a project. When I went to see him, he was still busy, so I just went into an auditorium.”
Later, You Yue also felt it was quite a coincidence.
It was on a spring afternoon like that that he walked into Columbia University, pushed open a door, and saw her on the stage.
Cheng Hexi asked, "Where am I...?"
“A debate,” he said.
Then both of them fell silent.
After a while, Cheng Hexi said bluntly, "I heard you didn't agree to the person Grandma introduced you to before?"
"You didn't marry me for this reason, did you?"
Even though it was dark and they couldn't see each other's expressions, You Yue could sense her surprise in her tone.
"No," You Yue replied crisply.
He chuckled briefly: "I know the old lady likes you, and from my perspective, we're a good match."
This is purely appreciative; there's no love at first sight as often depicted in romance movies.
But he had to admit that Cheng Hexi did have the ability to make people remember her at first glance.
Cheng Hexi also recalled the scene from that day and was surprised that she could still remember it.
She asked, "Where were you sitting at the time?"
"A seat in the back row of the audience, far away from you."
But he listened very attentively, and missed two calls from Liang Xiao on his phone because of it.
You Yue greatly admires Cheng Hexi's style.
Intelligent, decisive, swift, and capable of killing with a single blow.
She brought this style into the workplace and into leadership positions, which brought her tremendous rewards.
Cheng Hexi also took the opportunity to think about her student days.
She had never met You Yue before, otherwise she wouldn't have had no impression of him at all.
But I've heard of him.
Their identities are no secret in the international student community, and even if they try to keep a low profile, they will still attract attention.
During her senior year of college, Cheng Hexi was interning at an investment bank, while her friends were either preparing for exams or sending out resumes indiscriminately.
After graduating from university, You Yue took a gap year.
That same year, Hongsheng created one of its mobile games that remains popular nationwide to this day, pioneering the gaming industry.
Since then, You Yue has transformed from a wealthy young man overshadowed by his father into the most successful second-generation heir in business reports, proving many people wrong.
Cheng Hexi studied business for both her bachelor's and master's degrees, which was a perfect fit for her major in investment banking. She was capable, had a wide network of contacts, and You Yue had heard of several of the famous cases she had handled.
He didn't know who Cheng Hexi was before that debate, but he gradually came to know the name later.
Xilin's eldest daughter.
Then why is the surname Cheng?
When Cheng Hexi was working, You Yue was in his final year of master's studies at Stanford. She had seen his speech at an IT forum on YouTube.
The video got a lot of views. She was supposed to go to the event, but she missed it because of some things.
At that time, they were all in their twenties, capable, insightful, ambitious, and didn't pay attention to anything else.
-
After chatting, Cheng Hexi's biological clock finally kicked in, and she slowly drifted off to sleep.
I slept well all night.
The next day, You Yue woke up at about the same time as usual, but as soon as he regained consciousness, he keenly noticed the difference.
To be precise, he noticed it in the middle of the night and immediately became much more awake. He gentlemanly moved away and even remembered to tuck the blanket around the person next to him.
You Yue was rebellious since childhood, but his sleeping posture was surprisingly proper. He thought he would get through the night peacefully, like a part of a performance, but he didn't expect Cheng Hexi to be the one with bad sleeping posture.
She was in his arms in the middle of the night, and when she woke up, she was in his arms again.
She hadn't taken off her outer robe last night, but the clothes became disheveled in her sleep, revealing her rounded left shoulder.
The tattoos were also visible.
Last time I only caught a fleeting glimpse, but this time I saw it more clearly.
These eight numbers represent her own birthday.
Whom do you commemorate by getting a tattoo of your birthday?
Mother?
He was at a loss for what to do, sighed softly, lowered his eyes, and tried to move her hand away.
He moved his hand away, only to find that half of her body was still resting on his shoulder.
You Yue is ruthless in business, but appears somewhat lazy in private. However, he is actually very strict about his personal life and never stays in bed.
He tried to get up, and Cheng Hexi frowned, her long eyelashes fluttering as she slept less soundly than before.
On the day they ate together, You Yue realized that she was a very wary person. Even though they were legally married, she never sat in the passenger seat.
It was quite unexpected that she could sleep so unguarded in his arms.
Remembering that she often suffers from insomnia last night, You Yue saw her restless sleeping face and couldn't bear to get up no matter what.
He thought, "I'll just be her pillow for once."
Cheng Hexi wakes up easily; even the slightest noise will make her frown. You Yue simply stopped fussing and closed his eyes to pretend to sleep.
Fortunately, Cheng Hexi's long-term self-discipline has left its mark on her.
After about ten minutes, she slowly woke up from her sleep.
As reason prevailed and her mind cleared, Cheng Hexi realized that she was leaning against a solid chest.
Her hands were always holding something as usual, but this time it wasn't the soft cushion from the bed she usually clung to, but rather...
Her plastic husband's waist.
That single glance was enough to tell that You Yue had an excellent physique, and the sensation under my hand clearly confirmed this fact.
Even though she had seen many storms, Cheng Hexi still couldn't calmly face all of this.
She would pretend to sleep with him, turning her back to him before falling asleep and then clinging to him tightly when she woke up.
Just what I feared most came to pass.
She quickly composed herself, slowly moved her arm away, and looked up to observe You Yue.
The man had his eyes closed, his eyelashes falling onto his lower eyelids, and his nose was high and straight. He didn't look aggressive when he was asleep.
He's really good-looking; even from this upward angle, it doesn't affect his appearance at all.
Her sleeping habits were so different from "President Cheng's" usual image that no one would believe her if Xilin told them.
As for You Yue, Cheng Hexi thought: Although you didn't do it voluntarily, thank you anyway. I slept very well last night.
After getting up, she tucked the blanket in and went to the bathroom to wash up.
You Yue slowly opened his eyes, his gaze clear.
-
After washing her face, Cheng Hexi had already forgotten about the little incident from that morning.
While brushing my teeth, I heard a familiar cell phone ringtone. When I went outside, I found that You Yue had already gotten out of bed and was answering the phone.
She went back to the bathroom and rinsed her mouth in front of the mirror.
I just closed the door, but when I saw that You Yue was awake, I didn't close it again.
Not long after, You Yue hung up the phone and went to the bathroom. He was still wearing a bathrobe, the neckline of which was a little low. His hair was also a bit messy, with black wisps falling in front of his forehead, which made his eyebrows and eyes look even more outstanding.
The atmosphere suddenly became ambiguous.
After all, the two of them slept in the same bed for one night.
Cheng Hexi had almost finished getting ready and was about to give him her spot so she could go next door to change.
You Yue suddenly smiled and asked her, "Did you sleep well last night?"
"It's fine." Cheng Hexi was a little puzzled, but she smiled and didn't ask him the same question.
The cruise ship docked at the pier this morning, and the two of them went back to their respective companies for meetings this afternoon.
The banquet was over, the dance had been performed, and Cheng Hexi was no longer wearing a formal dress.
Short-sleeved black shirt, wide-leg trousers, and black stiletto heels.
Her long hair was loose behind her, and she was still dressed in her usual smart and capable manner.
Cheng Hexi is a typical beauty with great bone structure; she looks beautiful in anything she wears.
She took off her necklace before going to bed last night and is putting it back on in front of the mirror.
As you can imagine, You Yue bought the most expensive item on the official website, which coincidentally matched Cheng Hexi's aesthetic.
Although this brand is a top luxury brand, it has one drawback: the buttons are difficult to fasten.
You Yue changed into a shirt and trousers, walked out the door, and saw her putting on a necklace with her wrist behind her back, so he offered to help her.
Cheng Hexi paused, thinking, "Did he have to button up my dress last night, and also help me put on my necklace?"
To her, it sounded more like a fling, going beyond mere casual flinging.
So she smiled and said, "No need, I can do it myself. Just wait a moment."
“We’re not so unfamiliar with each other now, are we?” he suddenly said, a smile playing on his lips. “You slept with your head on my arm all night. Wearing a necklace is nothing, just a small favor.”
As he spoke, You Yue took the necklace from her hand.
Cheng Hexi paused, then suddenly turned to look at him.
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Author's Note: I'm here! Please give me some nutrient solution, hehe, thanks for reading, everyone! [heart emoji]
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