Chapter 154 Unusual Stubbornness "Since you're awake, why not..."
The next morning, before the alarm even went off, Zhu Liushuang woke up. She groggily opened her eyes, her vision filled with the darkness of the ceiling.
Her mind was a little fuzzy, and after a moment of stunned silence, she remembered that she had slept in the master bedroom last night. Because of her insomnia, they finally became husband and wife in name only.
However... it seems that someone was still sulking before falling asleep in the early hours of the morning.
I wonder if he's calmed down yet?
Just as Zhu Liushuang was about to lift the blanket to look at him, the man lying beside her automatically leaned closer as if he had eyes in the back of his head.
"Wife—" His voice was hoarse and deep, with a slight nasal tone, "Awake so early?"
Before she could respond, He Ming's long arm wrapped around her naturally.
The heavy weight on her chest made Zhu Liushuang grumble, "Your biological clock is already up so early? It's so heavy, honey, could you move your hands a little further away..."
As soon as he finished speaking, the man suddenly perked up. Instead of letting go of her hand, he hugged her even tighter.
"Since you're awake, why don't you..."
The second half of his sentence ended abruptly, replaced by his more direct action.
Zhu Liushuang could clearly feel the heat emanating from his body, carrying an irresistible and unyielding force, as he shamelessly clung to her.
The warmth of his breath still lingered on her earlobe, and his tight embrace made it hard to breathe. Realizing his next move, her heart pounded: "Stop it—I need to get up and check on Mom..."
Seeing that he didn't react, she propped herself up on her arm and tried to push him away. But he grabbed her wrist and his fist fell into her palm, leaving her unable to move.
"Mom hasn't woken up yet..." He Ming said in a muffled voice, "Lie with me a little longer."
“She’s getting old and has a light sleep, plus she’s just moved to a new environment, I’m worried she won’t sleep well,” Zhu Liushuang subconsciously argued.
"Wife—" he pleaded with her.
"It's a workday today, I have to go to work later..."
She hadn't said two words when she fell silent because of a tingling, itchy sensation on her neck. Out of the corner of her eye, the man's hairy head appeared as a blurry black shadow in front of her.
After letting him hold her and kiss her for a while, Zhu Liushuang sat up and turned on the light.
Along with the ceiling light, He Ming's eyes also lit up. He was looking up at her, his gaze intense, the desire in his eyes almost palpable.
Looking into his phoenix eyes, which were red at the corners, Zhu Liushuang felt her heart surge. She deliberately avoided his burning gaze and said, "It really won't work, it'll make me late for work."
The usually aloof and reserved man acted like a stubborn child for the first time. He pulled her head down, as if to kiss her: "It's only 5:30..."
"He Ming!" Zhu Liushuang couldn't help but raise her voice, her gaze focusing on his dark circles.
His dark circles are so heavy...
Could it be that you didn't sleep well all night?
Just because you didn't perform well?
She was both annoyed and amused, and also felt a little sorry for him.
While she was making wild guesses, the man immediately quieted down after being glared at by her disapproving look.
He gave a dry "hmm" and then released his hands from her grasp: "I'll take another ten minutes to sleep, then I'll take you to work."
Now free, Zhu Liushuang rolled over and got out of bed. As she changed her clothes, she stole glances at a man who was taking a nap with his eyes closed.
His expression was normal, his lips relaxed, so he probably wasn't angry. After glancing at him a few times, she secretly felt relieved and turned to leave the house.
With a "bang," the door slammed shut. In the master bedroom, separated only by a wall, the man who had said he was going to "take a nap" suddenly opened his eyes, staring intently at the door.
His thin lips were pressed tightly together, and a faint sense of frustration welled up in his eyes.
————
That morning, as usual, He Ming drove Zhu Liushuang to work.
As soon as she arrived at the company, she received care and concern from her colleagues.
"Good morning, Liu Shuang. We have a private car driver again today... I saw him in the underground parking garage just now." Zhuang Xiaoqian put her arm around her shoulder from behind.
Zhu Liushuang smiled gently and said shyly, "Sister Zhuang, please don't tease me..."
"I'm not joking, I'm extremely envious!"
No sooner had she finished speaking than someone else chimed in, "What are you two talking about? It's quite lively!"
"It's nothing, it's nothing." Zhu Liushuang winked at Zhuang Xiaoqian, then turned to Li Jingjia, "We just chatted for a bit."
Li Jingjia clearly didn't believe her: "Sister Xiaoqian, you can't treat me like an outsider!"
"We're all on the same side..." Zhuang Xiaoqian put one arm around Zhu Liushuang and pulled Li Jingjia over with the other, saying, "Jingjia, haven't you noticed that Liushuang looks especially good lately?"
Upon hearing this, Li Jingjia turned her head and looked closely, then said, "Indeed, Liu Shuang, you went to get cosmetic surgery?"
Where would she get the money for cosmetic procedures?
Zhu Liushuang inwardly scoffed, but smiled and said, "You probably look good because you've been getting enough sleep lately."
“Don’t listen to her…” Zhuang Xiaoqian shrugged Li Jingjia’s arm. “She’s just in high spirits because of good things happening to her, she’s been nourished by love.”
"Liu Shuang, you're dating someone!" Li Jingjia exclaimed softly, asking curiously, "What does your boyfriend do? Is he rich? Is he handsome?"
Zhu Liushuang tried her best to maintain a polite smile, but she didn't really want to answer these overly private questions.
Fortunately, Zhuang Xiaoqian came to her rescue in time: "Young lady, you're shy, Jingjia, don't make things difficult for Liushuang. Once things are more stable in the future, you might be able to see each other more often."
“Yes, it’s my fault for being so talkative. I asked so many questions right away…” Li Jingjia was quick-witted and immediately understood. “As someone who’s been through this, I still have to tell you something: keep your eyes open when you’re dating. Time will tell.”
"Thank you, Sister Jingjia," Zhu Liushuang said obediently.
The little incident in the morning didn't cause much of a stir in her heart, but the WeChat message He Ming sent at noon made her eat lunch absentmindedly.
Honey, I have to work overtime tonight. I ordered three dishes and a soup from that private restaurant near our house for you and Mom; it should be delivered around 6 pm.
During her lunch break, she took out her phone and carefully reviewed the message.
Before leaving work, she couldn't resist opening WeChat again. Unfortunately, apart from her reply of "okay," no new messages appeared in the chat box.
He must be busy, right?
He mentioned it last night that he might have to work overtime recently, but I didn't expect the busyness to come so quickly.
A fleeting, unspoken emotion crossed Zhu Liushuang's face as she hurriedly packed her things, preparing to hitch a ride home from get off work.
Actually, she had been thinking about that thing she hadn't had a chance to start that morning. It wasn't that she didn't want to, but she was held back by the weekday schedule...
She was indeed shy and hesitated to speak, but she had already secretly decided that she would put in extra effort tonight and spend an unforgettable night with him.
The anticipation she had been building up for so long vanished in an instant, and the pounding in Zhu Liushuang's heart came to a sudden halt. All the tenderness and sweetness she had envisioned in her mind turned into shattered illusions.
I wouldn't say I was heartbroken, but I was definitely a little disappointed.
Returning home with lingering emotions, Zhu Liushuang had dinner with her mother, cleaned up the kitchen, and then accompanied her mother to wash up and watch TV.
"Why is A-Ming already working overtime at the beginning of the year?" Gu Chunling sighed as she sat on the sofa. "He looked rather haggard this morning. Did he stay up too late last night?"
Hearing her mother ask this, Zhu Liushuang guiltily agreed, "Yes, they have quite a lot of business."
"Shouldn't you eat something to nourish yourself? Young people these days sit for long periods and stay up late, so their health isn't very good..." Gu Chunling even forgot to watch TV and worriedly advised, "Although Dr. Xie has passed away, his students are all over Gucheng. Why don't you ask him to see a traditional Chinese medicine doctor when you have time?"
"Yes, I'll talk to him..."
Just then, the doorknob in the entryway moved.
The two looked towards the front door, and saw He Ming carrying a laptop, looking travel-worn, as he entered the house.
"Mom, Shuangshuang—" He hung up his coat, changed his shoes, and strode into the living room.
Zhu Liushuang's slightly open mouth was still open when she asked in surprise, "Didn't you say you were working overtime?"
No wonder she was surprised; it was only 7:30, which was his usual time to get home.
The space beside him sank in, and the man looked towards the television, saying, "I can do my job from home today, so I came back."
"Oh, have you finished eating?" Zhu Liushuang asked with concern as her extinguished hope returned to her eyes.
Gu Chunling added, "A-Ming, you ordered too much food today. Shuangshuang and I couldn't finish it and left most of it uneaten... Mom will heat it up for you."
"Mom, you sit down, I'll go." Zhu Liushuang pulled her mother's arm down.
“I ate at the company cafeteria,” He Ming said with a faint smile. “You two don’t need to bother.”
"It's fine as long as you eat. No matter how busy you are at work, remember to eat three meals a day on time." Gu Chunling paused for a moment, then said, "My feet hurt a bit, and it's not comfortable to sit on the sofa to watch TV. I'd better go back to my room and lie down."
"Didn't you just say it didn't hurt much anymore?" Upon hearing her mother say it hurt, Zhu Liushuang became tense and didn't notice the look her mother was giving her.
"It comes and goes, it just stopped hurting, and now it's started again..." Gu Chunling said helplessly to her daughter, "Shuangshuang, help Mom back to her room."
“I’ll do it—” He Ming stood up before Zhu Liushuang could.
Gu Chunling waved her hand: "A-Ming, you go to work first, Shuangshuang can help me."
“Yes, you go ahead and do your work, I’ll take care of things here.” Zhu Liushuang quickly helped her mother up and carefully walked towards the second bedroom.
She helped her mother to bed, propped her legs up, and chatted with her for a while before preparing to leave. Just as she reached the door, her mother called her back.
"Shuangshuang, Mom's foot has recovered quite a bit, don't worry. I was in a hurry to get back inside because I wanted to... wanted to..."
"You want to give me and Amin Teng a place?" Zhu Liushuang had already guessed it.
"Sigh—" Gu Chunling sighed and said nervously, "I've already caused you two trouble. If I keep occupying the living room, I'm afraid A-Ming will have some thoughts about it."
"What are you saying, Mom—" Zhu Liushuang turned her head, "It was A-Ming's idea to bring you here to take care of you in the first place."
He was overjoyed!
Of course, she refrained from saying the second half of that sentence.
"You can stay here with peace of mind. We don't spend much time in the living room; we work and study in the study."
"I'm glad you don't find it troublesome, Mom understands, Mom understands..."
Stepping out of the second bedroom, Zhu Liushuang felt a pang of bitterness. Her mother had spent most of her life observing others' expressions, which had fostered a cautious and timid personality. She didn't blame her mother for overthinking; she only resented herself, as her daughter, for not providing her with more security.
————
The evening's plans were disrupted again, and Zhu Liushuang went into the study with her laptop and materials.
Inside, the lights were as bright as day, and the man was talking on the phone with his back to her.
It was all work-related communication, and she was afraid of disturbing him, so she tried to leave. But the man sitting in the swivel chair suddenly turned around, looked up and met her gaze, and then waved.
Zhu Liushuang understood and tiptoed in, pulling up a chair next to him to sit down.
She had barely put on her headphones when He Ming hung up the phone.
"You go about your business," she said, pointing to her laptop. "Anyway, I'm just idling around. I'll watch some classes and do a practice test."
"If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask me." The man's gaze fell on her bound exercise books.
“Okay.” Zhu Liushuang sat up straight, but her thoughts were still on He Ming’s face with his frameless glasses. He rarely wore glasses at home, and tonight’s scholarly and intellectual appearance was something she could never tire of looking at.
Suppressing her turbulent emotions, she forced herself to calm down. After all, she had important business in the study.
Once their thoughts returned to their normal place, the two people at the desk went about their own business, and the study was so quiet that only the clicking of the mouse could be heard.
About half an hour later, Zhu Liushuang finished watching the lesson and started doing the problems. The ballpoint pen scribbled on the paper, but when she got to the last comprehensive problem, her smooth train of thought was interrupted.
"Honey, can you help me with this question?" she said, looking at a full page of materials. "Of items 1-6, I am certain that there is a risk of material misstatement in items one and two, but I haven't figured out the rest yet."
"Where?" The man turned around at the sound of her voice, took her workbook, and asked.
"Here." Zhu Liu pointed with both fingers and moved closer to him.
The man lowered his eyes, silently reading the material on the manuscript. From her angle, she could just catch a glimpse of the corners of his eyes, which slanted inwards from behind his glasses.
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