45. Whitewashing
The next morning, Jiang Nan walked out of the room with dark circles under his eyes.
As soon as she left the house, she saw Chen Yunsheng standing in the kitchen with his back to her. He was wearing a simple white T-shirt and gray sports pants, and his hair was slightly damp, as if he had just finished exercising.
Her heart sank, but she still walked over reluctantly.
"Good morning." Chen Yunsheng heard footsteps and turned around to greet her.
"Good morning...Mr. Chen." Jiang Nan took a step back and decided to return to a safe place.
Hearing her change of address, Chen Yunsheng paused slightly while pouring the coffee, but then returned to normal. He calmly took out a second cup and filled it with coffee. Then, he put down the glass pot, turned around, and handed one of the cups to Jiang Nan: "Didn't sleep well?"
"Not bad," Jiang Nan took the warm cup, "maybe I was a little tired yesterday."
"Yeah," Chen Yunsheng responded, lowering his head to take a sip of coffee. "I have to go to the company this morning. You... can stay home by yourself?"
"Sure, sure. Of course," Jiang Nan nodded, using the cup to hide his expression. "I just need to sort out the new ideas for Summer Pulse."
"Okay," Chen Yunsheng looked at her profile, "call me if you have anything."
After saying that, he left the kitchen with the cup.
Jiang Nan lowered her head to sip her coffee, but she kept her ears open to his movements. She heard his footsteps receding, then the soft slam of the study door closing. Once she was sure he was gone, she breathed a sigh of relief, her shoulders slumping almost immediately. She leaned against the counter, sipping her coffee.
The coffee was bitter, without sugar or milk, just like him, but after drinking it, my stomach felt a little warmer.
But you can’t drink it all the time.
Jiang Nan washed the cup, ate a few bites of bread, and went into the room.
The morning passed quickly.
Jiang Nan was immersed in his work, typing away at his computer, trying to put into practice the concepts he'd discussed a few days prior. He went out to get some water and found the study door open, empty.
Chen Yunsheng should have left.
So Jiang Nan moved his workplace to a more spacious dining table.
It was almost noon when her cell phone rang.
Yes, smell it.
"Baby! What are you doing? Want to eat? There's a new Sichuan restaurant near my house, and it's delicious~"
Jiang Nan looked at the pile of documents on the screen that hadn't been sorted out yet and sighed, "Next time. I want to sort out the plan quickly, and..." She paused, "I'm a little tired and don't feel like moving."
"What's wrong?" Wenwen immediately noticed something was wrong with her. "Did you get mad at the old house yesterday? Or did Boss Chen do something?"
"Not really," Jiang Nan said vaguely, "It's just...something happened."
"What's the matter?" Wenwen's gossip radar was immediately activated.
Jiang Nan opened his mouth, but swallowed the words back.
She couldn't possibly say that her husband didn't seem to want the agreement to end, right?
She scratched her hair and said distressedly, "It's hard to explain over the phone. Let's talk about it when we meet."
"Okay," Wenwen didn't force her. "Then when you're done, eat something quickly. Don't starve. I'll order takeout for you. The plan... Sigh, I've been looking for candidates all morning and haven't found many suitable ones. You should take a break too. You've been working non-stop for so long, you're exhausted."
"Okay, you should also take some rest."
"Yeah, bye."
After hanging up the phone, Jiang Nan lost interest in work. She sat there in a daze for a while, only getting up and going to the kitchen when she felt too hungry.
She opened the refrigerator and looked at the neatly packed ingredients, feeling a bit overwhelmed as to where to start. In the end, she only took out eggs and noodles.
The simplest and most suitable for her stomach.
When the water boiled, she threw the noodles in. Jiang Nan then watched the noodles slowly stretch and soften in the boiling water with a calm and serious expression.
She still couldn't help but think about Chen Yunsheng and try to figure out what he meant.
At this moment, her phone suddenly vibrated. She picked up the phone and saw that it was a bank deposit notification.
On the tenth of every month, her monthly salary of 100,000 yuan would arrive on time.
Jiang Nan stared at the message, the unrealistic fantasy that had just surfaced in her mind suddenly receding. She chuckled to herself, put down her phone, and went to get some noodles. After finishing her noodles and cleaning up the kitchen, she sat back down at her computer, trying to focus on her work.
At around three or four in the afternoon, the sound of a door opening was heard from the entrance.
Jiang Nan's hands paused for a moment as he typed on the keyboard, then he immediately continued typing as if nothing had happened, staring intently at the screen.
After a while, there was a steady sound of footsteps, and then they stopped. He seemed to be not far behind her. Then, Chen Yunsheng's calm voice rang out: "Are you still busy?"
"Yeah, I want to get it out as soon as possible." Jiang Nan finally turned around and looked up at him. He was holding a paper bag, and it was impossible to tell what was inside. He looked dusty, as if he still had a hint of sunlight and dust on him.
"Don't rush. Although Song Wei gave the deadline as the end of this month, she's thinking it's probably August, or even September," he said as he placed the paper bag on the center island. "I saw it while passing by and bought some. Want to try it?"
"What is it?" Jiang Nan asked hesitantly.
"Dessert," Chen Yunsheng said casually, "seems to be some new flavor."
Jiang Nan walked over, opened the paper bag and took a look. Inside was a box of colorful and exquisitely shaped macarons.
"Thank you," she whispered, and the emotions in her heart that had been suppressed by the bank's text message surfaced again.
Chen Yunsheng didn't say much, and turned to go to the study: "I'm going to the study."
Jiang Nan responded, then watched the study door close again. Then, Jiang Nan, holding the box of macarons, leaned against the counter, standing there in a daze.
What does he mean by this? He gives you a beating and then a sweet treat.
She wanted to ask, but she felt she was being too sentimental. Furthermore, if she asked and he didn't show any interest, the situation would become awkward, and he might even decide to end the agreement prematurely. At that point, the resources available to her mother for follow-up examinations would likely be significantly reduced.
Jiang Nan was conflicted, but in the evening, she simply cooked two dishes with an attitude of trying to cover up the problem.
She had adjusted her mindset, but the atmosphere during the meal was still somewhat tense. Jiang Nan buried her head in her meal, trying to minimize her presence, while Chen Yunsheng ate quickly, but his eating manners remained elegant. He seemed very busy, and even responded to two work messages in the middle of the meal.
"Tomorrow." Chen Yunsheng suddenly spoke.
Jiang Nan looked up: "Hmm?"
"I'm going to Shanghai on a business trip tomorrow, for about two days," he looked at her, his tone normal, "Can you stay home alone?"
"Sure, there's nothing wrong with that." Jiang Nan said immediately, even with a hint of relief in his tone.
Chen Yunsheng looked intently into her eyes, hoping to detect some other emotion, but Jiang Nan just looked like she could do it, and even a little impatient. He looked away and nodded, "Okay, I understand."
After dinner, Chen Yunsheng took a phone call and returned to his study. Jiang Nan finished cleaning the kitchen and continued working on his laptop, revising his plans. But his efficiency was low, and his concentration was constantly strained.
Nearing midnight, Chen Yunsheng walked out of his study. Seeing Jiang Nan still working, he couldn't help but ask, "Are you still not sleeping?"
"Right away, I'll go to bed after I finish this." Jiang Nan didn't even raise his head.
Chen Yunsheng was silent for a moment, then returned to his room to wash up. When he came out, Jiang Nan was still in her original position, her brows slightly furrowed, staring intently at the screen. Chen Yunsheng wiped his hair and walked over to sit next to her.
Jiang Nan felt his presence and turned away a little uncomfortably.
"Trouble?" he asked, his voice light and relaxed after a bath.
"Not really," Jiang Nan stared at the computer, "I just feel... it's not impactful enough."
Chen Yunsheng leaned forward, looking at her screen. As he moved, the faint scent of cedar mixed with the scent of shower gel and the steam enveloped her. Jiang Nan's body stiffened slightly, and her breathing became lighter.
"Here," he pointed, "this entry point could be a little bolder. Also, a PPT shouldn't just be a pile of words, but it shouldn't be too fancy either. Yours... has too many flourishes. You could use a few less embellishments."
Jiang Nan nodded blankly, slowly revising according to his instructions. When Jiang Nan was completely immersed in her work, Chen Yunsheng stopped talking, but he didn't leave either. He sat quietly beside her, looking at her profile intently.
He had very little experience in relationships, so he wasn't sure what he felt towards Jiang Nan. Fortunately, he and she were still tied together for at least two years, so he could observe her more closely and figure out his own thoughts.
After a while, Jiang Nan finally finished revising the last page of her PowerPoint presentation. She breathed a sigh of satisfaction and, as she prepared to stand, realized he was still sitting beside her, quietly watching her. At that moment, the living room was lit only by a single floor lamp, its dim, soft light softening his hard, cold features. And his eyes, always calm and gentle, seemed to hold something more complex, a mixture of deliberation and scrutiny.
Jiang Nan hurriedly turned his eyes away, pretending that he saw nothing.
"Finished with the changes?" he asked.
"Well, this is the final draft," Jiang Nan quickly closed the computer. "It's late, and you have a business trip tomorrow. Go to bed early."
"Okay," Chen Yunsheng stood up, "You should go to bed early too."
"good evening."
"good evening."
Jiang Nan watched his back as he walked towards the bedroom. She didn't walk back to her room slowly until the door closed, holding her computer.
She still didn't sleep well that night, but there seemed to be a hint of other vague expectations in her confused mind - she thought that if he still cared about her a little bit after he came back from his business trip, she would go to him and ask him clearly.
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