Chapter 42 042 "Are you nervous?"
Meng Ran subconsciously tried to pull her hand back, but Chen Sulin gently pinched it.
The two sat there quietly, and Chen Sulin never let go of her hand.
A gentle breeze brushed against her cheek, and for no apparent reason, Meng Ran thought that she and Chen Sulin were on a date.
A very innocent and pure kind of date.
After a moment, Chen Sulin asked, "What are you laughing at?"
Meng Ran was slightly taken aback, and touched her cheek with her right hand, which wasn't being held by him: "Did I smile?"
Chen Sulin: "Hmm."
Meng Ran: "...Okay."
She was probably in a good mood, so she unconsciously smiled.
"That's what I was thinking," Meng Ran said with a smile, "that the way you and I are acting is kind of like high school students on a date."
The reason I say "middle school students" is because if they were any older, they wouldn't be so innocent as to stop at just holding hands.
Although Meng Ran didn't date during her school years, she witnessed many relationships among those around her. For example, her three college roommates all dated at least one boyfriend during those four years.
Chen Sulin: "Did you date anyone when you were in middle school?"
Meng Ran was dumbfounded.
Is this the key point?
Meng Ran truthfully replied, "No, I never dated when I was in school."
After a few seconds of pause, she admitted, "But back then, I did sometimes envy the classmates around me who were dating."
The high school Meng Ran attended was considered to be in the lower-middle range among key high schools.
The school's atmosphere wasn't particularly strict. While it wasn't to the point where everyone was in early relationships, there were always two or three couples in each class who were secretly dating.
At her teens, a time when girls are just beginning to experience romantic feelings, and influenced by her classmates and various literary works, how could Meng Ran have never had any vague expectations of love?
She knew very well that she was not qualified to be in a relationship at that time, nor did she have the extra energy to like someone, so she only remained in a vague fantasy without a specific object of affection.
Chen Sulin: "What are you envious of?"
Meng Ran discovered that sometimes this man really liked to get to the bottom of things.
“Maybe it was…” Meng Ran recalled one of her high school roommates, “When I was very tired after evening self-study, I could hold hands with someone and take a few laps around the playground.”
Chen Sulin: "If you want to take a walk at night, Miaoying and I can accompany you."
Meng Ran: "..."
"These are completely different things," she couldn't help but bluntly criticize him.
Chen Sulin's tone was flat: "Why not?"
Meng Ran: "Because at different ages, even when doing the exact same thing, one's state of mind will be very different."
“The thoughts you have about high school, university, work, and even the time right after graduation versus the year after graduation are completely different.”
Meng Ran suddenly remembered that Jiang Yuqing had complained to her a few days ago, saying that when she was in school, she always fantasized that she was the female lead in a youth drama, and that she could get excited for half a day just by making eye contact with the boy she liked.
After working for a few years, you'll find that you can't even have a single impure thought about the opposite sex around you; in fact, you'll see them all as your competitors.
Chen Sulin: "So, how are your thoughts now different from when you first graduated?"
"Me?" Meng Ran was stunned for a moment, wanting to answer, but then felt something was wrong.
She stared intently at the man beside her; the light was dim, and she couldn't see what emotions were in his eyes.
Meng Ran: "Chen Sulin, are you...?"
Are you jealous?
Chen Sulin: "Is it something?"
Meng Ran: "...It's nothing."
When talking about the period right after she graduated, it's inevitable to think about how she met Zhao Yanzhou not long after graduation and started dating him.
She decided it was best not to bring up something that was already awkward and ruin the atmosphere.
"Oh, right," Meng Ran awkwardly changed the subject, "Didn't I run into a former colleague in the cafeteria today?"
Chen Sulin: "Jiang Shuran?"
Meng Ran was surprised: "Yes, you know her?"
She remembered not seeing Jiang Shuran wearing her employee badge in the cafeteria.
Judging from Jiang Shuran's demeanor when she met Chen Sulin, the two of them didn't seem to have had frequent interactions at work.
Chen Sulin: "She works in a new department that Hengyue is focusing on developing. When we recruited her last year, her direct supervisor showed me her resume and the resumes of several other competitors, which led me to make the final decision."
Meng Ran was still surprised: "When you looked at her resume, you knew she was my former colleague and even remembered her name?"
The company she joined after graduation was a large state-owned enterprise with at least tens of thousands of employees across all departments.
Chen Sulin: "When you left the company, you mentioned to me that there was a colleague who was a year older than you who took good care of you."
Meng Ran looked at him.
A somewhat absurd yet irresistible thought suddenly popped into her mind.
Meng Ran: "So last year you chose Jiang Shuran from among those competitors, because..."
Chen Sulin saw through her thoughts: "Do I look like someone who can't separate public and private matters?"
Meng Ran: "..."
But you still remember her as my former colleague who took care of me, don't you?
She thought about it silently in her heart, without saying it aloud.
Chen Sulin: "Why are you bringing her up again?"
Meng Ran: "Oh...it's because she told me some things that happened when I left the company back then."
“She said,” she hesitated, “that not long after I left, my boss was reported.”
Chen Sulin: "You want to ask if I did it?"
Meng Ran: "Mm."
Chen Sulin: "The person who reported me was not me, but a leader from another department who was at odds with him."
Meng Ran was now able to understand part of his unspoken meaning: "That means it is indeed related to you."
Chen Sulin: "Hmm."
Meng Ran: "You never told me these things, did you? I mean, before I lost my memory."
Chen Sulin: "You told me that after leaving the company, you didn't want to care about those people and things from the past anymore."
Meng Ran looked at him without saying a word.
Chen Sulin rubbed her hand: "What's wrong?"
Meng Ran: "But I also want to know what you've done for me."
She looked at him and softened her tone: "Can't you... talk to me a little more?"
She didn't know when it started, but she had unconsciously begun to act coquettishly in front of him, something she would never have dared to imagine before.
Chen Sulin's eyes darkened.
Meng Ran didn't get to hear his confession. Instead, her vision went dark, and then the man kissed her.
Her heart rate spiked to its limit in an instant. She tried to push him away helplessly, but he was still holding her left hand, and her body involuntarily leaned into his arms.
Fortunately, Chen Sulin only lightly kissed her lips, and soon released them amidst her rapid breathing.
Although their lips were no longer touching, their noses were still close together, their warm breaths mingling, and she could hear his heavy breathing.
Meng Ran's heart pounded in her chest, and it took her several seconds to regain her composure. She took a few inches back and said, "What are you doing? Chen Miaoying is still playing over there!"
To keep their daughter in sight, the two of them sat on the bench closest to the slide.
If Chen Miaoying had just glanced in that direction, she could have seen her parents kissing.
Chen Sulin: "I know, that's why I only kissed him once."
Meng Ran thought to herself, "He was originally planning to kiss me for a long time!"
Her original thoughts were disrupted by him. She glared at him in the darkness, not knowing if Chen Sulin saw it.
Meng Ran said in a low voice, "You're always like this."
Chen Sulin: "What?"
Meng Ran: "We were talking, and suddenly he kissed me!"
“Besides,” she said, “you didn’t answer my question either.”
Chen Sulin: "What's the problem? Give me a reminder."
Meng Ran bit her lip and punched his chest, feeling suffocated.
This person was so focused on kissing her that he forgot everything she had said.
Meng Ran: "Can't you tell me more about the things you've done for me? Is that so hard?"
Chen Sulin grasped her fist, his voice tinged with helplessness: "It's a little difficult."
Meng Ran: "Why?"
Chen Sulin: "I've done so many things that sometimes I forget them myself."
Meng Ran was speechless.
My heart felt like it had been hit hard, burning slightly, the heat spreading throughout my chest.
Meng Ran turned her head away and refused to look at him.
Her eyes inexplicably started to sting, and she was afraid that if she looked at him a few more times, she would shed tears again.
She cried in front of him again just one day later; it seems the impression that she's a crybaby is about to be firmly established.
She has always prided herself on being strong, and she doesn't know when she became so sentimental.
Chen Miaoying ran and jumped on the slide back and forth until she finally exhausted herself.
"Mom! Dad!" Chen Miaoying shouted as she ran towards her parents. "What are you doing!"
Meng Ran touched her daughter's hair: "Mom and Dad are chatting."
Chen Miaoying: "Mom, what did you and Dad talk about? I want to hear too!"
Some topics that are difficult for young children to understand.
Meng Ran pondered how to answer, blinked, and suddenly had a flash of inspiration: "We talked too much, I forgot."
Ready-made sentence structures are so convenient.
Chen Miaoying pouted angrily, "Mom, you've become bad!"
Meng Ran thought, "You probably learned it from your father."
Chen Miaoying was angry for only a second before looking at Meng Ran with pleading eyes again: "Mom, I'm tired of playing. Can you carry me back to the car?"
Presumably for safety reasons during the design phase, the area around the children's playground is surrounded by narrow roads, preventing cars from entering.
Chen Sulin parked his car in a nearby parking space, more than 100 meters away.
Before Meng Ran could answer, she heard Chen Sulin say, "No, you're over five years old now, Mom can't carry you anymore."
Chen Miaoying rolled her eyes: "Dad isn't Mom, how does Dad know Mom can't carry him?"
Chen Sulin remained unmoved: "Dad knows."
Meng Ran was amused by the conversation between the father and daughter. She never expected that Chen Sulin would banter with his daughter in this way.
Chen Miaoying waved her hands and persisted, "If Mom can't carry me, Dad will carry me!"
Chen Sulin: "Didn't your father tell you to do what you can? If you only care about playing, you have to persevere when you get tired."
Chan Miu-ying: "I know, Dad, but... just this once! Okay?"
Meng Ran couldn't bear it: "How about I do it—"
Chen Sulin: "Daddy will hug you today, but this is a one-time exception."
Chen Miaoying, having achieved her wish, cheered and stretched out both arms.
Chen Sulin easily scooped his daughter up and stood up.
Chen Miaoying nestled contentedly in her father's arms, then turned around and waved to her mother with a grin.
Meng Ran couldn't help but laugh.
She suspects that Chen Miaoying actually wanted her father to hold her from the beginning, but knew that Chen Sulin would not agree, so she said that her mother would hold her first.
With Chen Miaoying's quick-thinking little brain, it's entirely possible that she could come up with this roundabout way to achieve her goal.
She could see it all; Chen Sulin certainly wouldn't be fooled.
So, did he willingly fall for his daughter's tricks, or did he give in because of her soft heart?
Meng Ran gently shook her head and followed.
After playing at the children's playground, Chen Miaoying became quiet on the way home.
After more than ten minutes, when she arrived at the villa entrance, she was too sleepy to speak.
Chen Sulin carried Chen Miaoying upstairs and handed her over to Aunt Zhang to help her wash up.
Perhaps because her parents hadn't said goodnight to her yet, Chen Miaoying stayed awake until she finished washing up and still couldn't fall asleep completely.
Only after receiving two goodnight kisses did Chan Miu-ying close her eyes contentedly.
After leaving the children's room, Meng Ran habitually wanted to go back to the secondary bedroom, but after taking a few steps, she realized that she seemed to have moved all her things to the same room as Chen Sulin.
She hadn't planned to move so soon, but after seeing the housekeeper packing her things today, she acquiesced.
They are husband and wife, and now that they have done the most intimate things, it seems there is really no need to sleep in separate rooms anymore.
Even though she thought that, she still felt uncomfortable sharing a bed with Chen Sulin for the first time tonight.
She was so tired last night that she accidentally fell asleep, but today she has to lie awake in the same bed with Chen Sulin.
Thinking this, Meng Ran unconsciously became nervous.
She took a silent breath and followed Chen Sulin into the room.
Entering the master bedroom, Meng Ran saw Chen Sulin casually loosening his tie and finally couldn't help but say, "Um..."
Chen Sulin, his hand on his tie, turned around and asked, "Hmm?"
Meng Ran curled her fingers: "Do you want to take a shower? Or you can shower here, I'll go back to my old room..."
Chen Sulin looked at her calmly: "Auntie has already brought all your toiletries and skincare products to this bathroom."
Meng Ran thought to herself, "Actually, it's not that troublesome to take it back."
Chen Sulin's brow twitched slightly: "Are you nervous?"
Meng Ran: "Well, it's alright..."
She also felt that she was being pretentious. She had seen everything she needed to see last night, and now she was just taking a shower, and it wasn't like they were showering together.
But there was nothing I could do; my heartbeat just wouldn't stop.
Chen Sulin took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack in the walk-in closet: "You go ahead and wash up, I'm going to the study."
Meng Ran was surprised and looked up at him.
Chen Sulin: "I got off work earlier than usual today, and I still have a few emails to reply to."
Meng Ran: "Oh... okay."
Watching Chen Sulin's departing figure, Meng Ran slowly exhaled and looked around.
Not only toiletries and skincare products, but all her clothes were also moved into the walk-in closet.
The wardrobe, which seemed somewhat empty last time I visited, is now completely filled.
Looking at the clothes of the two people in the room, Meng Ran suddenly felt a greater sense of reality—
She really did live with Chen Sulin like a married couple.
Meng Ran stood in front of a row of nightgowns and pajamas, hesitated for a few seconds, and then chose a light gold nightgown.
She left her nightgown by the bathroom door and went in to take a shower.
...
Inside the study, separated by a wall.
Chen Sulin sat in front of the computer, remaining motionless for a long time.
There were indeed a few unread emails in my inbox, but none of them were important, and it was perfectly fine to reply to them the next day.
Chen Sulin closed his eyes.
He knew she would be nervous before tonight, because she had the same reaction when she first moved in with him seven years ago.
Just like today, he gave her the room to wash up first that day, while he went to the study to handle his work.
I remember that at that time, he gave her more than twice the time he would have spent washing up.
Forty minutes later, he opened the door to the master bedroom.
Meng Ran was sitting on the bed with her back to him, talking on the phone.
Perhaps she was too engrossed in her conversation to notice that he had opened the door.
"Alright, don't worry about me anymore. Didn't I say that I don't dislike Chen Sulin? On the contrary, I'm quite grateful to him."
"I bet less than one percent of people in this world can grow old together with the one they love. I think it's already great to be able to marry someone I don't dislike."
Chen Sulin snapped out of his thoughts.
In a daze, the words she spoke to her friend on the phone seven years ago overlapped with the voice of her former colleague today.
"So fate is really unpredictable. People who fall in love at first sight don't end up together, while those who weren't that fond of each other at first..."
After a while, Chen Sulin rubbed his temples and got up from his chair.
...
Because she was worried that Chen Sulin would come back halfway through her shower, Meng Ran deliberately didn't dawdle today. After finishing her shower, she came out of the bathroom and changed into her nightgown.
After applying skincare products, Chen Sulin still did not appear.
Meng Ran thought that perhaps saying he needed to reply to emails wasn't his excuse; he genuinely had a lot of work to do.
He slowly dried his hair before opening the bedroom door.
Meng Ran: "Are you done with your work?"
Chen Sulin: "Hmm."
Meng Ran stood up: "I've already used the bathroom, you can go wash up now."
As she spoke, she stepped out of the room.
Chen Sulin called out to her, "Where are you going?"
Meng Ran reacted for a moment: "Huh? I..."
Actually, she just wanted to go out for a while, but she hadn't thought of a reason yet.
Meng Ran made up an excuse: "I want to go to the study to see if there's any work left over from the day."
Chen Sulin frowned: "It's so late. Let's talk about work tomorrow. Don't overwork yourself."
Meng Ran really wanted to retort: What were you doing in the study just now?
Considering that he cared about her, she swallowed her words.
Meng Ran nodded: "Okay."
She sat on the bed and played on her phone for a while. Less than fifteen minutes later, Chen Sulin came out of the bathroom.
Meng Ran was somewhat absent-minded while playing on her phone, and she immediately noticed the noise coming from the bathroom.
Her movements were a little stiff, but she pretended not to hear and continued looking at the screen.
As the footsteps drew closer, a man's voice came from beside him: "What are you looking at?"
Meng Ran pretended to have just noticed him come out and turned around: "Look around as you like—"
The second "see" got stuck in my throat.
Chen Sulin raised an eyebrow, indicating his doubt.
Meng Ran stated bluntly, "You're not wearing pajamas."
Chen Sulin chuckled: "Your expression makes me think I'm not wearing anything at all."
Meng Ran swallowed hard.
The man was wearing a bathrobe with a belt around his waist, and from a serious perspective, it covered everything that needed to be covered.
But she had never seen him like this before, and the visual impact was quite strong.
Meng Ran thought that she had hesitated for a moment when she decided to wear a nightgown today, so Chen Sulin seemed much more at ease than she was.
"Shall we turn off the lights now?" Her voice was tense. "Sleep?"
It's almost 10 o'clock, a little early to go to bed, but it's not a bad idea.
Chen Sulin hummed in agreement: "Sleep."
He agreed quickly, and Meng Ran breathed a sigh of relief.
It wasn't that she resisted doing anything with him, but if it was just about sleeping, she wouldn't be so nervous.
It's like when you're in school and you're prepared to be chosen to recite a text, but if you're not chosen, you're still glad.
Meng Ran soon discovered that the two of them seemed to have different understandings of the word "sleep".
Not long after she finished speaking, Chen Sulin grabbed her shoulder and pulled her into his arms.
His touch seemed to possess some kind of magic; within seconds, Meng Ran's entire body went limp.
Sensing her compliance, his lips followed, covering hers and prying open her teeth.
The skirt quickly piled up layer by layer to her chest.
Having learned from last night's experience, Meng Ran had more courage. Unwilling to be the only one who fully exposed herself in front of him, she reached out to untie the belt of his bathrobe.
His hands trembled with panic as he tried to untie the ribbon, and he couldn't untie it in one go. In his haste, he accidentally reached into the fabric first.
She was startled by the heat and gasped as she pulled her hand back.
Although she didn't touch it with her hands last night, as an adult, she's not entirely ignorant about this kind of thing.
But they had only been intimate for less than a minute when she realized he could get to that point so quickly.
Seeing her frozen in place, Chen Sulin's voice was hoarse: "What's wrong?"
Meng Ran's mind was in complete chaos, and she stammered, "You...when..."
Chen Sulin asked in a deep voice, "What, when?"
The man continued talking without stopping his hands.
Meng Ran trembled so much she couldn't utter a complete sentence, her words breaking into fragments: "You...did you...do it while taking a shower..."
Chen Sulin: "You want to ask, when did I start thinking about this today?"
As he spoke, he rubbed his nose against her, causing her to involuntarily straighten her upper body.
Meng Ran tilted her head back and hummed in response, it was unclear whether she was answering him or groaning because she couldn't take it anymore.
Chen Sulin's kiss started from the bottom, then moved upwards again, finally capturing her lips.
During a pause for breath, he said, "In the morning, after I get up."
Meng Ran's senses were overwhelmed by pleasure, and her mind was foggy. She couldn't understand what he was saying for a moment.
Chen Sulin was like a very patient predator, not in a hurry to proceed to the most crucial step.
After a brief touch, his fingertips were quickly moistened, and he finally confirmed that she was fully prepared.
Having endured for so long, I almost lost my composure and decided to investigate further.
He slowed his pace as she gasped.
The minute hand makes many circles.
As Chen Sulin carried her to the bathroom, Meng Ran recalled his words "morning" and slowly realized what he meant.
So, in the morning, he seemed calm and concerned about her health, but was he actually thinking about all sorts of random things?
Meng Ran couldn't help but sob, tilted her head, and bit his shoulder.
...
After washing up, Meng Ran lay on the bed, hugging the blanket.
Chen Sulin went to bed later than her and put his arm around her waist from behind.
Meng Ran spoke weakly, "Chen Sulin."
The man's voice carried a languid quality, as if he had just finished eating: "What?"
Meng Ran: "Tomorrow, I want to rest tomorrow."
After waiting for a while, I didn't get a reply from him.
Meng Ran was already very sleepy, but she forced herself to stay awake and asked, "Did you hear me?"
Chen Sulin replied irrelevantly, "There's something I haven't had a chance to tell you yet."
Meng Ran: "What is it?"
Chen Sulin: "I have to go on a business trip next week. I just made the reservation this afternoon. I'll be gone for almost a week."
Meng Ran blinked slowly, and the first thought that popped into her mind was: That's great, then she can rest for a week at once.
She then realized that her mind was completely filled with lewd thoughts, and her first reaction was not to ask him where he was going.
Meng Ran: "You've been gone for so long, did you go abroad?"
Chen Sulin: "Yes, I need to go to North America to negotiate a business deal that I have to do in person."
Meng Ran: "When are you leaving?"
Chen Sulin: "We'll depart on Wednesday and return on Monday during the day."
Meng Ran hummed in agreement: "I understand..."
She was so sleepy that she could hardly think anymore.
Chen Sulin: "Wait for me to come back and pick me up from the airport?"
Meng Ran murmured with her eyes closed, "It's not Chen Miaoying, why do we have to make someone else pick her up..."
Chen Sulin chuckled: "I'll take that as a yes?"
Meng Ran mumbled an "uh-huh" and drifted off to sleep.
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