Chapter 14014 A temperature as hot as scorching sun.
In the dark bedroom, only a small, dim yellow nightlight was on.
Chen Sulin's gaze traced her features inch by inch.
Despite being a man with an extremely cold demeanor, Meng Ran felt a scorching heat emanating from his gaze, causing a thin layer of warmth to rise on her cheeks.
Meng Ran's heart pounded like a drum; she wanted to avoid it, yet she couldn't—
In reality, she had nowhere to avoid it; Chen Miaoying was holding her arm tightly, and she could barely turn over.
Meng Ran met his gaze almost stubbornly, trying to find the answer in the man's deep eyes.
What is he thinking, and what does he want to say to her?
Chen Sulin was the first to end this long staring contest.
He lowered his eyes slightly, his gaze falling on the tip of her nose, then slowly lingering on her lips.
Meng Ran pursed her lips involuntarily.
For a few moments, she had the illusion that he would kiss her at any moment.
However, Chen Sulin ultimately withdrew his gaze and said "Goodnight" in a very low voice.
Meng Ran opened her lips, but her throat felt inexplicably dry, and she couldn't make a sound.
A few seconds later, Chen Sulin seemed to smile, but then again, he didn't.
He left the bedroom without waiting for her reply, his footsteps light, and closed the door behind him.
Looking at the empty room, Meng Ran suddenly felt extremely annoyed.
She should say goodnight too.
Now, it seems she's being too petty.
...
This was the first time Meng Ran had slept in the same bed with someone as an adult, and that person was a mischievous child. She thought she would have a hard time falling asleep, and even if she did, she wouldn't sleep soundly.
But to her surprise, she slept very well that night and didn't wake up even once.
The next morning, Meng Ran was woken up by being touched.
Warm little hands touched her face, while at the same time, a child's voice, clearly trying to be low but still deafening because of the close proximity, came from beside her.
"Mom, Mom—" Chen Miaoying drawled, her voice strained, "Are you—awake—?"
Meng Ran helplessly grabbed the little girl's chubby hand: "She's awake, she's awake."
Even if she wasn't awake, you woke her up, she thought to herself.
Chan Miu-ying is full of energy and has an extremely healthy lifestyle, waking up as early as usual on Saturdays and Sundays.
Fortunately, Meng Ran slept well last night and had good sleep quality, so waking up a little earlier wasn't a problem.
Otherwise, even her own biological daughter probably wouldn't be able to control her morning grumpiness.
"Mom, I've brushed my teeth and washed my face!" Chen Miaoying said. "So I can brush my teeth with you today!"
Meng Ran rubbed her sleepy eyes and hummed, "Okay, that's great."
Chen Miaoying: "Mom, did you sleep well last night?"
Meng Ran got up and put on her slippers: "Thank you for your concern, baby. Mommy slept very well."
Chen Miaoying said in a serious tone, "You're welcome, baby slept very well too!"
Meng Ran was amused by the little girl who called herself "baby".
Chan Miu-ying added, "I love sleeping with my mom! But my dad says I'm all grown up now and can't keep sleeping with my mom every day."
"So—" Chen Miaoying looked at Meng Ran with her big, watery eyes, "from now on, Mom will sleep with me one day a week, okay?"
Meng Ran raised her eyebrows, strongly suspecting that Chen Miaoying's request was premeditated.
But thinking about it, sleeping with her daughter isn't as uncomfortable as she imagined.
After thinking for a few seconds, Meng Ran nodded: "Okay, Mom promises you."
Chen Miaoying cheered, "Yay! I knew Mom would say yes! Mom is the best!"
The little girl is usually full of energy every day, but perhaps because her wish was fulfilled, she seemed especially happy and excited today.
From the moment Meng Ran got up, Chen Miaoying stayed by her side without leaving for even a moment, refusing to leave even when Meng Ran went to the toilet.
Meng Ran felt a little regretful; had she spoiled her daughter too much?
But then I thought about it again. Chen Miaoying has never had her mother by her side since birth. How can her indulgence be called spoiling?
So they let Chen Miaoying go.
On her way downstairs to the restaurant to find her father after washing up, Chen Miaoying expressed a new wish.
"Mom, can you braid my hair again today?"
Meng Ran had just learned some skills from Aunt Zhang a few days ago and was worried about not having a chance to use them, so she agreed without hesitation: "Okay."
Today, Chen Miaoying, having mastered the art of pushing her luck, asked, "Then, Mom, could you help me with my favorite hairstyle?"
Meng Ran paused in her steps: "Is it... the way only your father usually combs your hair?"
Chen Miaoying: "Yes, Mom is so smart, that's it!"
Meng Ran hesitated for a few seconds, then gritted her teeth and said, "Okay!"
She wouldn't dare say she could rival Chen Sulin in other aspects, but at least when it comes to dealing with hair, she definitely has more than ten years of experience than him.
She has been styling her own hair ever since her mother passed away when she was a child.
Therefore, she believed that if Chen Sulin could do it, there was no reason why she couldn't learn it.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, Chen Miaoying announced loudly, "Dad, Mom said she's coming to comb my hair today!"
Chen Sulin looked up at Meng Ran, relaxed and composed: "Okay."
Whether it was psychological or not, Meng Ran sensed a hint of mockery in the man's eyes.
Meng Ran felt that she had become a bit bolder after spending a few days with him. Seeing this, she looked back and said: What are you looking at? Didn't she do a good job combing her hair last time?
It's unclear whether Chen Sulin understood her silent rebuttal.
Chen Sulin came down to eat breakfast earlier than the mother and daughter.
While Meng Ran and Chen Miaoying were eating bread, Chen Sulin was already casually drinking coffee and browsing the news on his tablet.
Chen Miaoying is a natural chatterbox. With her mouth full of bread, she mumbled incoherently, "Mom, isn't chocolate sauce on bread delicious? I love it the most, but Dad won't let me eat it every day."
While speaking, she also winked at her mother.
Meng Ran couldn't help but chuckle. She could tell that although Chen Miaoying was young, she was definitely a child with her own little schemes and knew how to use adults to achieve her goals.
For example, yesterday she wanted to eat ice cream, but knowing that her dad wouldn't let her eat a whole one, she deliberately asked her mom.
This time, Meng Ran still chose to stand with Chen Sulin: "Dad is right, we need a balanced diet and can't eat the same thing every day."
Not getting the answer she wanted, Chen Miaoying pouted and said "Oh".
This low mood didn't last long. Soon she asked curiously, "Mom, you haven't told me yet what your favorite breakfast is?"
Meng Ran: "The breakfasts that Auntie makes are all delicious, I like them all."
That's the truth. Perhaps because of her childhood habits, she's not picky about food; as long as she can fill her stomach, that's good enough.
Moreover, the cooks at the villa are indeed very skilled; both the Chinese and Western breakfasts taste great.
Chen Miaoying persisted: "Besides what Auntie makes, what other breakfasts does Mom like to eat?"
It's clear that if I don't give her a satisfactory answer, the little girl will keep pestering me with questions for a long time.
Meng Ran pondered, "Hmm... When my mother was in college, she really liked to eat a savory pancake from a stall near the school."
She remembered that the savory pancake shop had a small portion for three yuan and a large portion for five yuan. For Meng Ran's appetite, a small portion was enough for breakfast.
In terms of nutritional value and sophistication, it certainly can't compare to the breakfasts made by the auntie in the villa, but for her during her student days, it was definitely delicious.
Chen Miaoying blinked: "What's a savory pancake? Is it delicious?"
Meng Ran smiled and said, "Next time I have the chance, I'll buy some for you to try."
After breakfast, Chen Miaoying couldn't wait to remind her mother of what she had promised her earlier.
The aunt was very thoughtful and brought over the princess's special dressing cart in advance.
Meng Ran glanced at the man who was still browsing the tablet and coughed lightly.
Even now, she still hasn't found a suitable title, so she simply avoids it as much as possible.
Chen Sulin raised his eyes.
Meng Ran: "Miaoying said that she wants to have her favorite hairstyle today."
She believed that with Chen Sulin's intelligence, he would understand her unspoken meaning without her having to say much.
Chen Sulin calmly met her gaze without saying a word.
Meng Ran: "..."
Well, as expected of a big boss, he's got a big attitude.
Meng Ran: "So, Miao Ying's dad, could you teach me? I don't know how."
Chen Miaoying rested her chin on her hand, blinked, and looked around between her parents: How strange, why is Mom suddenly calling Dad that?
However, she heard that other parents also have special nicknames for each other. For example, Zhu Haoran told her that his father sometimes secretly calls his mother "Your Majesty".
Meng Ran's tone carried a hint of sarcasm, but to her surprise, Chen Sulin seemed not to mind at all, and even seemed to accept it well.
"Okay." The man replied gently and stood up.
Meng Ran looked at the man walking towards her with some confusion: Did something good happen to him today, so he was in a particularly good mood?
Chen Sulin fiddled with the tablet in his hand for a few moments, found an animated film, and placed it in front of Chen Miaoying.
Then the man walked to Meng Ran's side, bent down and took out a few hair ties from the stroller: "Give me your hand."
He does know how to boss people around.
Despite her inner grumbling, Meng Ran obediently extended her hand, letting Chen Sulin place the hair tie in her hand.
The hair tie was small, and when he put it down, his fingertips inevitably touched her palm.
Meng Ran felt a little itchy, but she resisted the urge to move.
A deep male voice sounded in her ear: "I'll say one step, and you do the next?"
Meng Ran swallowed hard: "Okay."
As Chen Sulin had said, he began to teach Meng Ran how to braid Chen Miaoying's hair.
The man stood behind her, not too close, not too far, just enough for her to feel his presence.
Meng Ran couldn't help but get distracted: Couldn't he have stood a little further away?
She couldn't very well chase him away in front of her daughter.
Meng Ran lowered her head, focusing her attention on her daughter's soft hair.
As for the male bass voice that occasionally rang in her ears, she simply treated it as a hair styling tutorial with AI voiceover.
By brainwashing herself in this way, Meng Ran was able to barely clear her mind and properly comb Chen Miaoying's hair.
As expected of a wealthy heiress, Chan Miu-ying's favorite hairstyle is one that is both exquisite and elegant, yet so intricate that it can be overwhelming.
Even though Meng Ran had previously studied with Aunt Zhang, her skills were still not quite up to par.
Even with Chen Sulin's step-by-step guidance, he could barely complete each step.
She didn't dare to move too hard, lest she hurt the little girl's hair.
Meng Ran was very glad that Chen Sulin had the foresight to use the tablet to keep Chen Miaoying calm in advance.
At this moment, the little girl was completely captivated by the cartoons on the tablet, watching with great interest, and did not urge her mother even though she was moving slowly.
Sure enough, this man had much more experience taking care of children than I did.
Under the dual test of skill and mental fortitude, Meng Ran finally completed the last step and breathed a long sigh of relief.
“I’m done, baby,” she said to Chen Miaoying. “Turn around so Mommy can see?”
Chen Miaoying put down the tablet, jumped off the chair, and looked up at Meng Ran.
Meng Ran fell silent.
She assured everyone that she had done her best and tried her best at every step, but the final result could only be described as—
Barely satisfactory.
It's not that it looks bad, but it's still a bit short of the exquisite princess hairstyle she envisioned.
Seeing her mother's expression, Chen Miaoying generously comforted her, "It's okay, Mom. This is your first time doing this hairstyle. My teacher taught me that everyone is clumsy the first time they do something. Mom, just keep trying!"
His tone was like that of a little adult.
Meng Ran felt much more comforted: "Yes, baby is right, there's plenty of time, Mom will keep trying!"
Chen Miaoying tilted her head: "What do you mean by 'there's plenty of time in the future'?"
Meng Ran: "It means... there's still a very, very long time to go. In the future, Mom and baby will live together for a very, very long time, so it's called 'the future is long'."
Chen Miaoying blinked and solemnly corrected, "There are three people: me, Mom, and Dad!"
Meng Ran: "..."
While he was still in a daze, Chen Sulin patted Chen Miaoying's head and said in a deep voice, "Yes, Miaoying is right."
Chen Miaoying was satisfied now. She ran to the full-length mirror with her short legs to admire the new braids her mother had braided for her.
Meng Ran stared blankly at the man beside her.
Chen Sulin's voice was calm: "I've said it before, I've never thought about divorce, and that will never be the case."
...
Sunday is Chen Miaoying's "crazy fun day," with no extracurricular classes or tutors coming to her home.
In the morning, Meng Ran played with Chen Miaoying's toys for a while. Nowadays, children's toys are becoming more and more complicated. A single set of princess castle building blocks has thousands of parts.
In addition, Chen Miaoying brought her cat over, and Anna kept causing trouble. The mother and daughter spent the whole morning putting together a castle gate.
In the afternoon, Chen Miaoying made an appointment with several other children in the villa area to visit other people's homes. After lunch, she was sent to her good friend's house.
Meng Ran couldn't help but sigh: her own five-year-old daughter's schedule was fuller than her own.
In the past, she was busy making a living, and earning money was the main task of her life. She didn't have time to think about anything else.
Now that I have some free time, I feel directionless.
Meng Ran returned to her room, opened the job posting website, looked at it for ten minutes, and then closed it.
With her meager work experience and the five or six-year gap in her job search, it would be virtually impossible for her to find a good job if she followed the usual steps in submitting resumes.
Even if she manages to find someone, their monthly salary might not even be as much as the monthly interest on her bank account.
Moreover, Meng Ran always felt that she had experienced such a bizarre change and then become a wealthy wife.
If she doesn't make use of her current status and resources, and instead starts working from scratch like a recent graduate, it would be a disservice to the arrangements of fate.
After thinking for a while, Meng Ran sent a message to Jiang Yuqing: "Yuqing, I'm thinking about opening a shop, or doing some business or something."
Jiang Yuqing quickly called back: "Hey, Ranran, what's wrong with you? Why did you suddenly decide to start a business instead of enjoying your leisurely life as a wealthy woman?"
Meng Ran: "It's nothing, I've just been too idle lately and wanted to find something to do."
There was another reason she didn't mention: although she had money in her account, she had no income, which made her feel uneasy.
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.
Jiang Yuqing: "I hate you rich people!"
For people who work overtime every day, Meng Ran's words are indeed a bit like Versailles.
Fortunately, their friendship was strong enough that Jiang Yuqing only complained casually.
"On the other hand, it's good that you've found something to do," Jiang Yuqing said. "Being cooped up at home all day can really make you sick."
Jiang Yuqing changed the subject: "But being too busy like me isn't good either. It's best to have a work-life balance, spending half the time enjoying life and the other half building a career."
"Now that you mention it, I've actually been thinking about changing jobs lately. After all, I've finished paying off the mortgage and saved up a little money. I don't plan to have any more children, so there's no need to work so hard anymore. If you really become a boss, I'll just work for you. You're definitely much better than that skinflint guy in our company."
After thinking it over for a while, Jiang Yuqing asked, "By the way, you haven't told me yet what kind of business you wanted to start? What are your thoughts now?"
Meng Ran: "So far, I have absolutely no ideas."
Jiang Yuqing: "..."
Even through the phone, Meng Ran could picture Jiang Yuqing rolling her eyes: "Meng Ran, are you kidding me!"
Meng Ran coughed and said, "I just had this idea in mind, so I wanted to discuss it with you. Besides you, I don't have anyone else to talk to."
Jiang Yuqing was persuaded.
From the very beginning of their friendship, Meng Ran had always described Jiang Yuqing as having a chivalrous spirit; whenever she saw someone in need of help, she couldn't help but step in to "get involved."
The two first met during a university course when Jiang Yuqing helped Meng Ran out of a problem.
"How about this," Jiang Yuqing said after a moment's thought, "while my vacation is still going on, let's meet up again on Monday. Didn't you say you had no ideas? Then go look around, maybe you'll find something."
Meng Ran: "Won't this disturb your rest?"
Jiang Yuqing: "It's okay. You know I can't stay idle. Besides, going out with you is a kind of rest."
Meng Ran readily accepted the advice and humbly asked, "You have more experience in this area than I do. Where do you think would be a suitable place?"
Jiang Yuqing: "Do you remember the shopping mall we went to last time? That area is a newly emerging business district that has become popular in recent years. The rent is much cheaper than in the core area of the North City, and the foot traffic is not bad either, so many new industries like to flock there to open stores."
"How about we go explore that area again and do some on-site research?"
Meng Ran: "Sure."
The plan for Monday was set.
The next day, Chen Miaoying got up early to go to kindergarten, just like any other workday.
This time, Uncle Dong and Aunt Zhang took Chen Miaoying to kindergarten.
Chen Sulin had an international conference, and he got up early to hold the meeting in the study of the villa.
When Meng Ran went downstairs, she glanced at the study and saw that Chen Sulin was still in a meeting.
Upon arriving at the restaurant, I was surprised to find that today's breakfast was savory pancakes.
When I asked the aunt, she said it was something the master had specifically instructed her to do.
Meng Ran silently ate the savory pancake on her plate, feeling quite surprised.
When she was chatting with Chan Miu-ying, Chan Su-lin was looking at a tablet, and she thought he wouldn't notice what she was saying at all.
Unexpectedly, he not only heard it, but also acted with astonishing speed.
Meng Ran thought that if Chen Sulin's occasional "emotional instability" was ignored, he did seem to be a pretty good husband.
He is generous to his family and devoted to his daughter.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the restaurant.
Meng Ran looked over and pointed to the plate: "Thank you."
Chen Sulin nodded, his gaze falling on her: "Are you going out in a bit?"
Meng Ran: "Yes, I made an appointment with a friend."
She usually wears loungewear at home, but today she had made an appointment to go out with Jiang Yuqing, so she changed her clothes before going downstairs.
Thinking that today would be a market research trip and she might have to communicate with people, Meng Ran specially chose a rather elegant suit.
She only has a preliminary idea about starting a business, and naturally doesn't plan to tell Chen Sulin about it.
Chen Sulin: "Uncle Dong isn't here right now, I'll take you."
Meng Ran quickly declined, "No need, no need, let's wait for Uncle Dong to come back. Besides, that place is quite far, and it's not on your way."
Chen Sulin: "I haven't even said where I'm going, how do you know it's not on my way?"
Meng Ran was speechless for a moment.
At this time on Monday, shouldn't he be at the company?
Meng Ran tentatively asked, "Then...where are you going?"
Chen Sulin answered irrelevantly: "Where did you meet your friend?"
Since things had come to this point, Meng Ran had no choice but to say, "Do you remember the shopping mall I went to on Friday?"
Whether it was her imagination or not, Meng Ran felt that the man's expression darkened after she gave him the location.
Chen Sulin: "I remember."
Meng Ran: "Well, my friend and I are meeting near that mall, which is quite far from here. I'll wait—"
"No need." Chen Sulin interrupted her, his tone calm but leaving no room for negotiation. "I'll take you."
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Author's Note: 188 small red envelopes will be given away in the comments section of this chapter and the next chapter! A giveaway has also been opened; all subscribers will automatically be entered! [Kiss]
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