Chapter 8, Chapter 8 "Husband"
Yu Yue's private plane landed in Beijing at sunset.
Aside from the flight crew, only he and his assistant Qi Xuan were on the plane. He was busy with work, and his phone remained untouched.
After landing, as soon as he got into the car, Qi Xuan told him that President Cheng needed to see him and that the message had been sent to him.
Upon hearing this, You Yue picked up his phone and asked, "What did she say?"
"Ms. Cheng said she's at your grandmother's and wants you to have dinner there."
"Okay, I understand." You Yue instructed the driver, "Then let's not go back to the company, let's go straight there."
Route correction.
You Yue returned the call.
Cheng Hexi answered quickly.
She didn't exchange any pleasantries; her first words were simply "A-Yue," addressing him by his name as the old lady had done.
You Yue, who had been leaning back in her chair, opened her half-closed eyes upon hearing this sound, only to realize a moment later that she was acting.
He hummed in agreement and said, "I'll probably be there in about forty or fifty minutes. You guys eat first?"
"It's okay, Grandma said there's no rush, we're having some snacks."
Cheng Hexi's words and tone were completely different from usual, and You Yue couldn't help but soften as if to match her.
The two chatted for a while, and Qi Xuan, who was in the passenger seat, was surprised by his appearance.
You Yue is always very busy when he returns from a business trip.
He read through some documents in the car, capped his pen, and glanced out the window.
In the heart of a bustling commercial district, an entire wall of Liangxiao's brand's latest seasonal products was laid out.
A giant LED screen displayed his birthday wishes, next to a brand-new shopping mall Valentine's Day promotional sign.
Liang Xiao, Ying Zeqing, and You Yue are very close. When they get busy, they are all equally busy. A few days ago, they even said they would find time to get together after Liang Xiao's birthday.
His birthday is May 21st, and today is May 20th.
May 20th? Valentine's Day?
Youyue doesn't celebrate Qixi Festival in China, nor has she participated in any Valentine's Day activities abroad, and has never paid attention to such days.
He suddenly spoke up, asking Qi Xuan, "Did you prepare a gift for your girlfriend today?"
Qi Xuan was taken aback, wondering where this question came from.
But out of professionalism, he paused for only two seconds before replying, "Ready."
Upon hearing this, You Yue simply hummed in response and handed him the signed documents without saying anything more.
After a while, he picked up the laptop, turned it on, and casually inquired, "What did you buy?"
"..." Qi Xuan: "A bag."
After moving in together, You Yue and Cheng Hexi's clothes and accessories were all stored in that walk-in closet.
Cheng Hexi's jewelry was neatly arranged in various cabinets, next to his cufflinks, ties, and other items.
You Yue discovered that she had many bracelets and earrings, displayed there in a dazzling array.
There are also many high heels; there are more than a dozen pairs in the downstairs entryway, and an entire cabinet upstairs is filled with them.
There are dozens of pairs, just the black ones with red backgrounds.
He didn't understand the difference, but he could tell she liked it.
There are only a few bags, and they are not frequently replaced.
Based on this, it seems he doesn't like bags.
You Yue opened his laptop, trying to recall and guess her preferences, and finally opened the official website of a high-end jewelry brand.
He scrolled through the webpage for two minutes using the touchpad and then decided on the most expensive diamond necklace.
He believes his understated yet sophisticated demeanor perfectly matches Cheng Hexi's personality.
After making her selection, You Yue sent the pictures to Qi Xuan and asked him to inquire at the store whether they had the item in stock.
-
The villa's gate was wide open, and Cheng Hexi's car was parked in a conspicuous spot.
The car drove smoothly in and stopped in the yard of the detached villa.
The flowers in the garden are in full bloom.
You Yue got out of the car, didn't knock, and went straight into the house by entering the password.
Stepping into the entryway, he took off his suit jacket and hung it up. After walking a few more steps, he saw Cheng Hexi chatting with the old lady in the living room.
The two seemed to be having a very pleasant conversation, and they were both laughing happily.
You Yue didn't interrupt, but stood quietly watching them from a distance.
Cheng Hexi noticed him first, with a lingering smile on her face, looking very relaxed.
It was already quite hot in Beijing in mid-May, just a hair's breadth away from true summer.
She didn't tie her hair up today and wore a white long dress. You Yue then specifically looked at her neck and saw that she was wearing a platinum necklace with a white mother-of-pearl pendant. The workmanship was exquisite and suited her temperament very well.
Afterwards, the necklace's owner still wore that smile and called him "husband".
Having already set a precedent with that affectionate "A-Yue," You Yue wasn't particularly surprised at this moment.
He looked over.
The woman's expression remained unchanged, as if she had called him many times before, and her tone was much more intimate than usual.
He caught her acting, smiled, and walked over.
She was talking to her grandmother, but she naturally sat down next to her.
The long flight was tiring, but You Yue didn't fasten his cuffs, and his shirt sleeves were casually rolled up, revealing a black wristwatch, yet there was no sign of fatigue on his face.
The watch was fastened on her left wrist; the hand had distinct knuckles, and the wedding ring at the base of her ring finger was very noticeable in the light.
Cheng Hexi gently placed her hand on his hand.
Aunt Yun said the cookies were ready and brought out a plate of them.
You Yue reached out and took it at the right moment, placing it on the coffee table in front of Cheng Hexi and the old lady.
The old lady smiled and told Cheng Hexi to try it, then went to the kitchen out of curiosity.
Cheng Hexi was about to get up as well, but was stopped by the people around her.
You Yue didn't say anything, he just looked at her.
Is this to leave them some alone time?
Cheng Hexi understood what this meant and sat up straight again.
"Does this have to continue?"
After her grandmother left, she turned her head to look at You Yue and asked in a low voice.
She didn't remove her hand, but her eyes were clear and bright, and the feigned dependence and sweetness she had just put on were completely gone.
He reached out with his other hand and grabbed a cookie.
You Yue looked at the person next to him and stated calmly, "It was you who put your hand on it."
Cheng Hexi finished a cookie, took a wet wipe to wipe her fingers, and a few seconds later, You Yue took her hand back.
She then said, "Yes, what else? We sit more than a meter apart, just like usual."
Hearing this, You Yue laughed.
She was puzzled by the sudden smile, but didn't pay much attention to it, and instead went on to comment on the taste of the cookies.
"This is delicious, you should try it."
Unsurprisingly, I was rejected again.
As I said before, "I don't like sweets."
"It's not very sweet." Cheng Hexi ate another piece, then suddenly realized something and asked him, "If you're not eating it, you didn't make it especially for me, did you?"
You Yue confirmed her guess.
“I did it last time I came, and Grandma and Aunt Yun thought you would come too.”
“Then you should have called me.” Cheng Hexi brought up old grievances.
“Someone went on a business trip right after they started living together after getting married,” You Yue retorted, asking, “Was it you?”
Cheng Hexi tilted her head and smiled slightly.
She vaguely realized why she liked this place.
It is human nature to seek warmth, and she was no exception.
"Are you going home in a bit?" she asked.
You Yue took a sip of tea and said, "Let's go back to the company."
On this point, the two can empathize with each other.
As the head of the company, Cheng Hexi always has a lot of things to do when she returns from business trips, such as signing documents and holding meetings. These are things that cannot be delegated to others.
The same applies to Youyue.
This position looks glamorous, but who isn't a highly capable workaholic who can hold it?
So she politely asked, "Did your business trip go well?"
You Yue nodded without saying anything more.
-
During the meal, You Yue served Cheng Hexi food twice.
There's one dish she loves to eat, and one dish she doesn't.
Cheng Hexi is a picky eater, but she can make do with foods she doesn't like.
As she ate, she thought to herself that she shouldn't reciprocate, lest she pick up something he didn't like and reveal the fact that the two of them had almost never eaten together.
During the meal, the old man suddenly mentioned, "Today is May 20th."
Cheng Hexi looked up, but didn't reply immediately.
When You Yue encountered an easy question, he laughed and said, "You're so fashionable?"
The old lady rolled her eyes at him and said, "I'm not that old yet."
"I didn't say 'you old man'," he explained helplessly.
Cheng Hexi chimed in at the opportune moment: "Valentine's Day?"
You Yue hummed in agreement, understanding what the old lady had meant. He said, "I've prepared a gift for you."
As soon as he finished speaking, the person next to him immediately turned his head to look at him.
You Yue saw that she still had a bright smile on her face, but he didn't know what she was thinking.
Hearing the old lady praise, "That's great, you two are quite romantic."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Hexi was still confused.
She didn't prepare a gift, and besides, in her mind, May 20th wasn't Valentine's Day at all.
The old lady didn't leave her wondering for long.
“Last time it was A-Yue’s birthday, he specifically told me that I would have dinner with him when I came back from my business trip.”
“…Oh,” Cheng Hexi smiled and quickly realized what had happened: “I went to Hong Kong on a business trip. I didn’t finish what I was doing on A-Yue’s birthday, so I had to come back to make it up to him.”
You Yue then learned that she had gone to Hong Kong at that time.
The topic quickly moved on, and the two of them started talking about other things.
The old lady loves tea, and Cheng Hexi is very skilled in tea ceremony.
You Yue didn't understand much, so he remained silent as a listener, offering emotional support only when needed.
He is a completely different person in front of his close family and in public.
That unruly and calm decisiveness was completely subdued, becoming like an iceberg beneath the sea.
And this is what the exposed tip of the iceberg looks like.
That's quite surprising.
After the meal, the old lady mysteriously stopped You Yue and asked if they had gone on a date.
You Yue answered quite naturally: "She flew back from Hong Kong and asked me out to dinner, and even picked me up from the company."
"Oh, oh, oh." Grandma nodded with satisfaction.
He took the opportunity to offer a word of advice: "We get along very well, so please don't keep worrying about it."
“I’m just concerned—” the old lady said, “Ah Xiao came home and visited me while you were away on your business trip. You know he’s having a concert in Beijing in June? Take He Xi with you.”
You Yue raised an eyebrow.
"After I talked to him, he readily agreed and said he would send you the ticket. Did you receive it?"
"……received."
Whether inside or outside the entertainment industry, Liang Xiao is the type of person with excellent interpersonal skills. He has a good personality, is generous, and loves to give tickets to his friends.
He has held many concerts in the largest stadium in Beijing, but You Yue has only been there a handful of times; he was simply too busy.
He just checked his phone and saw that Qi Xuan had sent him a message saying that two tickets had been delivered to the company and were currently stored in the secretary's office.
So that's how it is.
-
After finishing their meal and sitting for a while, the two got up together to say goodbye.
Before leaving, Grandma stood in the entryway and nagged them: "Go on more dates, don't always work overtime, spend some time at home. You two are such workaholics, don't work yourselves sick!"
The two men, who were usually the ones who had the final say in public, obediently agreed.
After closing the door, they were to get into two different cars, each heading to a different destination.
Cheng Hexi put on a gray suit jacket over her white dress, and somehow produced a hair tie, quickly tying her hair up, transforming back into "President Cheng".
There was no coldness or aloofness, but there was also no deep affection.
As night fell, the temperature difference between day and night was significant in May, and the wind still carried a chill.
They stood at the gate of the courtyard and returned to their original way of getting along.
When You Yue returned to the company, many things awaited him.
Cheng Hexi attended more than a dozen meetings today, and has finished all the work that needed to be done. Now she has decided to go straight home.
Before she got into the car, You Yue stopped her and she heard the man ask, "I'll probably be back very late. What time do we go back to the ancestral home tomorrow?"
"Just arrive before noon; there's no point in going earlier."
Cheng Hexi asked him, "Are you at the company tomorrow morning?"
The man hummed in agreement.
There are two meetings that absolutely must be held tomorrow.
He said, "I'll come pick you up."
Cheng Hexi didn't agree: "I'll pick you up, the driver can go."
You Yue agreed: "Okay."
He lazily rested his hand on the car roof, looked at her, and suddenly spoke, bluntly saying, "You don't trust me, that's why you won't ride in my car."
Over the years, apart from the cars driven by her own hired driver, Cheng Hexi has almost never ridden in the passenger seat of anyone else's car.
When You Yue said this, he was not carrying any personal emotion, but he was very determined, and there was no extra emotion on his face.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Hexi removed her hand from the doorknob, turned around, and smiled.
"No, it's not that bad, it's not directed at you."
She said calmly, "My dad is in this state because of a car accident, so I rarely ride in other people's cars."
It's not surprising that the "plastic husband" is categorized as "someone else".
You Yue didn't react to these words. "I didn't care."
The topic was then casually turned over and done with.
"Drive slowly." Watching Cheng Hexi open the car door, You Yue said, "Go back and check the gift; it's on the entryway cabinet."
"Yes, thank you."
Cheng Hexi was somewhat surprised that he had actually prepared a gift.
On second thought, You Yue indeed wouldn't stoop to lying about such a trivial matter.
After thanking her, she felt it wasn't quite sincere, so she added a polite concern, "Don't overwork yourself."
-
After they both got into the car, You Yue still let her go first.
The white Continental GT drove away from the villa area, its beautiful coupe-like body lines merging into the traffic.
The bustling street scene outside the window recedes into the distance, and the car stops at the intersection, its eye-catching red taillights strung together in a line.
The last two digits of the license plate of the car in front of her were her mother's birthday—quite a coincidence. In that moment of reverie, she thought back to the years she had lived in Paris with her mother and grandmother.
After that period, family changes and the ups and downs of life meant that I never experienced pure happiness again.
While waiting at a red light, she took out her marriage certificate, which she had casually placed in a drawer, and glanced at it. She discovered that You Yue's birthday was the day before she returned to Beijing from Hong Kong.
May 13th.
She didn't even notice it on the day they got their marriage certificate.
Opening a post-rock playlist, Cheng Hexi watched as the bright red numbers on the traffic light gradually decreased. She thought to herself: You Yue even remembered to send gifts for this kind of 520 event that's just a way to boost consumption. That's quite thoughtful of him.
She would have to reciprocate for it to be considered a truly evenly matched contest.
A note from the author:
----------------------
The concert is coming, so the kiss camera mentioned in the promotional material will be here soon, right?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com