Chapter 337 Readers
Gu Xiao returned home before dinner.
From the moment he entered the room, Nan Zhiyi followed behind him, watching him take off his coat, hang it up, and go into the bathroom to wash up.
"Minister Qin and Xiaoxuan are coming to our house for dinner tomorrow night."
Gu Xiao wiped his face with a towel, glanced at her in the mirror, and said, "Okay, I understand. I'll try to come back on time."
Then she walked to the wardrobe, ready to change her clothes.
He kept his head down, his fingers deftly buttoning his shirt, from his Adam's apple down to his neck.
Nan Zhiyi hugged his waist from behind, pressing her cheek against his warm back.
Through the cotton fabric, she could clearly feel the vibrant heat emanating from his body, and the smooth lines of his muscles beneath his shirt.
The warm touch made her feel exceptionally at ease.
Gu Xiao stopped buttoning his shirt, covered her hands which were clasped together on his waist with his large hand, patted them gently, turned around, and pulled her into his arms.
He lowered his head, his gaze fixed intently on her face.
What happened to my wife?
He immediately saw through the unease beneath her calm demeanor.
Nan Zhiyi buried her face in his chest. "No, it's just that I feel like we're getting more and more in sync. I haven't even explained it in detail yet, and you already know to get ready to leave work on time."
Gu Xiao knew she wasn't telling the whole truth, but he never pressured her. He simply tightened his arms, one hand gripping the back of her neck, his fingertips gently caressing it a few times. Then he lowered his head, captured her lips, and kissed her deeply and passionately for a long while.
Until Nan Zhiyi, her breath unsteady, punched his chest twice.
"Be serious!"
Gu Xiao chuckled, "Am I being improper?"
Nan Zhiyi ignored him and pulled him to the desk.
Gu Xiao sat down first, and she sat on his lap, picked up a few pages of manuscript paper spread out on the desk and handed them to him.
"Here, it's newly written, just started. Take a look."
He kissed her cheek. "Yes, I'm honored to be my wife's first reader."
Gu Xiao put one arm around her waist to steady her, and picked up the manuscript paper with the other, looking at it with great concentration.
Nan Zhiyi rested quietly on his shoulder, breathing in the scent of soap clumps emanating from him.
When he finally finished reading and was about to speak, Nan Zhiyi quickly reached out and pinched his upper and lower lips with her fingertips to stop him from making a sound.
"Let's get this straight: no unprincipled praise. To be honest, as a reader, do you feel the urge to continue reading? Do you feel anything is amiss, or that something isn't clearly written?"
Gu Xiao's mouth was pinched by her, and a tender smile flowed from his eyes, enveloping her completely.
Only after she let go did he straighten his expression and point his finger at the paragraphs on the manuscript paper.
"The psychological description of the protagonist trekking alone in the wasteland is very detailed, but the pacing is a bit slow. If we interspersed some perception of changes in the surrounding environment or a small crisis, it might keep the reader on the edge of their seat."
He turned another page: "The way this supporting character was introduced was interesting, but his motivation was too weak. If he had introduced a small clue that was somewhat related to the main plot when he first appeared, the suspense later on would have been much more intriguing."
...
Nan Zhiyi leaned against him, her fingertips tracing circles on his chest as she listened intently to his analysis.
After he finished speaking, she kissed him on the chin. "My Minister Gu is really great, he hit the nail on the head. Once this book passes Editor Lin's approval and we get the royalties, I'll give you half!"
Gu Xiao returned the kiss, playing along with her joke.
"Hmm, my wife is really generous. I'll be waiting for that."
During dinner, Nan Zhiyi looked at her son and suddenly remembered what happened in the afternoon. She said to Gu Xiao, "Our Xiaoman is very popular in kindergarten. The girls are all vying with each other for who can be his 'best'."
She rubbed her foot against Gu Xiao's calf under the table. "Do you think his charming personality, which makes him popular with girls, comes from you?"
Gu Xiao pretended to ponder for a moment before teasingly saying, "I think it's up to you. When you were a kid in Jian'an Compound, the boys who called you 'Zhiyi Sister' could line up from the factory gate all the way to the headquarters."
Nan Zhiyi was caught off guard and instinctively wanted to refute him, but after searching her memory, she found no trace of Gu Xiao's 'womanizing' during his youth.
He has been more mature than his peers since childhood, and there are really no messy romantic rumors about him.
She was momentarily speechless, unable to find a point to attack, so she simply picked up a piece of pork rib, stuffed it into his bowl, and smiled sheepishly, "Eat, eat!"
Gu Xiao's smile deepened, and instead of pressing his advantage, he served her some food.
In the early morning, after finishing the last mouthful of porridge, Nan Zhiyi bent down and hugged her son who was still eating. "Xiaoman, Mommy's going to school now. Be good at kindergarten too."
Xiaoman nodded her little head: "Goodbye, Mommy!"
Nan Zhiyi slung the prepared cloth bag over her shoulder, glanced back at her son, and then pushed open the door to go out.
At lunchtime, Nan Zhiyi first handed the wrapped bunches of grapes to Shan Xiaoyan and Yang Mei.
"The grapes in my yard are growing exceptionally well this year. I've brought some for you to try. Please don't be picky."
Shan Xiaoyan took it, immediately opened it, picked up a grape and put it in her mouth, "Wow! So sweet! Thank you, Zhiyi!"
Yang Mei carefully accepted the gift and thanked her gently, "Thank you, Zhiyi, you always think of us."
"It's homegrown, so it's not worth much."
Nan Zhiyi waved her hand and followed the crowd toward the cafeteria.
After a quick lunch, she picked up her cloth bag and headed towards the Department of Radio Engineering, where she found Zhang Yueran in the laboratory.
"Yueyue, what are you doing in the lab again? Have you had lunch yet?"
"I've already eaten. My senior sister brought me some food. Sister, what brings you here?"
Nan Zhiyi stuffed the package into Zhang Yueran's hands. Inside, besides grapes, there was a jar of malted milk powder and several packets of peach shortbread.
"I brought you some food. The grapes in the yard are ripe, so you can have some. And these too, have a little something to eat if you get hungry while staying up late tonight."
She carefully examined Zhang Yueran's face. "Yueyue, why do I feel like you've lost weight again? Your cheeks are all thinner."
Zhang Yueran subconsciously touched her face, her eyes flickering slightly, before she smiled and said, "No, I haven't been eating on time lately."
Nan Zhiyi assumed that the girl was just engrossed in the lab and neglecting her meals, never imagining that she had something else on her mind. So she advised her, "Experiments are never-ending. Your health is the most important thing."
Zhang Yueran just wanted to fill all her time with busyness, not allowing those chaotic thoughts any chance to creep in.
She forced a smile and said, "I know, sis."
Seeing her expression, Nan Zhiyi assumed she hadn't listened and couldn't help but remind her again, "No matter what, you have to eat properly. How can you do experiments on an empty stomach? What if your health collapses?"
Hearing her agree to come home, Nan Zhiyi finally smiled. "That's more like it. It's a promise, you'll come back this weekend, and I'll treat you to something nice!"
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