Chapter 47 047 "When did you start liking me?...
After dinner, Chen Miaoying was taken to her English class by her teacher.
Meng Ran went to the pet room to play with Anna.
She had always loved cats, and since she started designing the cat tree, she has been spending even more time with Anna.
After all, besides looking good and making the owner feel comfortable, it's even more important that the cat likes the pet furniture.
Meng Ran would come over to observe Anna's use of the cat tree whenever she had free time, to see which part Anna liked to stay in the most and whether the movement between each level was reasonable.
These factors helped her improve the design later, adjusting the height between each layer, the area of the wooden planks, and so on.
After playing with Anna for a while with a cat toy, the door was pushed open.
Meng Ran turned around, surprised: "You finished your work so quickly?"
Chen Sulin: "Hmm."
When you return from a business trip, you should theoretically have a lot of things to do.
However, he cut back on his rest time during his business trip and finished all the work that could be completed ahead of schedule, which allowed him to have a whole day free today.
She doesn't need to know these things.
Chen Sulin took the cat toy from Meng Ran's hand.
Anna was very close to Chen Sulin, and Meng Ran was surprised when she first discovered this.
Later she realized that cats are creatures that can probably ignore appearances and sense a person's true nature.
Chen Sulin is a man of few words, but he is actually a very patient person.
The man had long, slender limbs and wielded the cat toy with far more ease than Meng Ran.
Watching Chen Sulin play with Anna, Meng Ran suddenly recalled a memory she had buried deep in her heart.
She called his name: "Chen Sulin..."
Chen Sulin waved the cat toy in his hand: "What's wrong?"
Meng Ran: "I heard from Jiang Yuqing that you used to be allergic to cat hair."
The man paused slightly, and Anna seized the opportunity to pounce, grabbing the little dragonfly at the other end of the cat toy with both paws.
Chen Sulin: "Hmm."
The man's arm moved again, and the dragonfly flew back into the air.
Meng Ran: "So you're not having an allergic reaction anymore?"
Chen Sulin: "I went to the hospital, and I'm fine now."
Meng Ran's brows twitched.
“As far as I know,” she said, “cat allergies aren’t so easy to cure. Did you take medication, or…”
Chen Sulin calmly said, "I've been receiving injections for a period of time."
Meng Ran pressed further, "How long is 'a period of time'?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Sulin stopped what he was doing and put the cat toy aside.
Anna seized the opportunity to bite the little dragonfly and carried it to the little house at the bottom of the cat tree.
Chen Sulin: "Why did you suddenly think of asking this?"
Meng Ran pursed her lips and looked at him: "I just really want to know, is that not allowed?"
A hint of helplessness flashed in Chen Sulin's eyes: "Your expression right now makes it seem like you're angry with me."
Meng Ran stared at him intently: "Tell me the truth, and I won't be angry."
A noise came from under the cat tree; the handle of the cat toy was stuck in the doorway of the little house, and Anna was persistently pulling it in.
Chen Sulin: "It started around the time you were pregnant and continued until Chen Miaoying was about three years old."
Meng Ran: "That's almost four years. How often have you gone to get your shots during this time?"
Chen Sulin smiled and said, "You're asking so clearly because you have friends who also want to get treatment?"
Meng Ran: "...Don't interrupt."
Chen Sulin: "At first it was once every one to two weeks, but later it was once every one to two months."
Meng Ran: "Are you feeling very uncomfortable?"
Chen Sulin chuckled: "I'm not a child anymore. It's just a shot, it won't hurt."
Meng Ran: "You know that's not what I asked..."
Although she wasn't a professional, she knew the principle of desensitization, which is to continuously stimulate the body with allergens until the body develops tolerance.
This process will definitely involve many allergic reactions and discomfort.
Chen Sulin: "It's alright, you'll get used to it."
The noise at her feet finally stopped; Anna had finally given up and carried the cat toy into the little house.
Anna walked over and rubbed against Chen Sulin's trouser leg.
The man bent down, picked up the cat, and placed it on the observation deck at the top of the cat tree.
The cat castle is almost two meters tall, and Chen Sulin is the only one in the whole house who can do this so easily.
Withdrawing his hand, Chen Sulin said, "Why didn't you continue asking?"
Meng Ran glanced at him: "Anyway, if you keep asking, you'll just say it's nothing..."
Chen Sulin: "You just said you wouldn't get angry."
Meng Ran: "..."
“I’m not angry,” she said.
Chen Sulin: "Yeah, I'm not angry."
He repeated it slowly and deliberately, then hugged her from behind.
Meng Ran remained silent in his arms for a few seconds.
Love really does make people childish. Back in college, when Meng Ran heard her roommate stubbornly telling her boyfriend on the phone that she was "not angry," she just couldn't understand it.
Only now do I realize that everyone has emotions, so how can one stay calm all the time?
She never used to throw tantrums because she knew that expressing her emotions was useless, so she got used to processing them herself.
Now, she is hiding less and less from Chen Sulin.
Meng Ran leaned against him: "So you went for desensitization treatment just because I wanted to have a cat?"
Chen Sulin didn't answer, but nuzzled the top of her head with his chin.
Actually, she knew the answer even without his reply.
He started getting injections before Chan Miu-ying was born; if it wasn't for her, there was no other reason.
Meng Ran turned around in his arms and looked up at him: "But later, didn't I disappear? How come you're still..."
We continued the treatment until the very end.
She couldn't imagine how Chen Sulin would feel continuing her desensitization therapy if everyone around her thought she was already dead.
Chen Sulin gazed at her, his voice calm: "All I know is that you're back now."
Meng Ran's nose tingled with emotion.
She knew that, given Chen Sulin's personality, she would probably never hear him describe in person how he had spent the five years she was missing.
Afraid that her eyes would actually well up with tears, Meng Ran lowered her eyes and refused to look at him.
"So you've been taking good care of those succulents in the study, is it because you wanted to see them when I came back?" she said.
At first, she thought he was just too lazy to throw it away or didn't care and just handed it over to the family staff to take care of.
But now that she knows so much, how could she possibly believe it was just a coincidence?
Chen Sulin hummed in agreement.
It wasn't just for her.
And for his own sake.
For five years, through countless days and nights, the existence of those few succulent plants served as a kind of proof and imprint.
It's as if as long as they remain there, the time she spent with us, along with the longing for her return, will never disappear.
Meng Ran kept her eyes down, unaware of the undercurrent in the man's eyes.
Until a kiss was placed on her forehead, her eyelashes trembled.
For a long time, neither of the two people in the room spoke, feeling all the unspoken emotions in the kiss.
...
At 8 p.m., Chen Miaoying finished her class and came to the pet room to find her mother.
"Mom!" Chen Miaoying announced, "I'll come and play with Anna with you!"
Meng Ran smiled and said, "Okay."
Chen Miaoying plays with cats differently than adults; she completely acts like a cat herself, running around the room with Anna.
Fortunately, living in a detached villa eliminates any worries about disturbing the neighbors; otherwise, Meng Ran could imagine how frustrating it would be for the people downstairs to hear such a constant "thumping" sound.
After running for a while and getting tired, Chen Miaoying hugged the cat and sat down on the carpet.
Meng Ran stroked her daughter's hair, then suddenly asked curiously, "Baby, do you remember how you and Daddy decided to raise Anna?"
Chan Miu-ying: "I remember."
The little girl said earnestly, "Because I saw a picture of a mother holding a kitten, I want to be like my mother and play with kittens."
Meng Ran asked in surprise: "A photo of Mom holding a cat?"
Chen Miaoying nodded: "Yes."
Meng Ran tried hard to search her memory.
She wasn't keen on taking photos, and had never had the chance to own a cat before getting married; the only photos she had were from that one time.
While in college, she and Jiang Yuqing rescued a stray baby with an inflamed eye in a neighborhood near the school.
At that time, Meng Ran and Jiang Yuqing didn't have much money, but fortunately, the pet hospital was kind and gave them a discount. The treatment fee was less than three hundred yuan.
Later, when they couldn't care for the cat themselves, they took pictures of it and posted them on the school's forum, asking if anyone was willing to adopt it.
The post was made by Jiang Yuqing. In addition to the photo of the kitten, she also attached a photo of Meng Ran holding the kitten.
Jiang Yuqing claimed that it was because the photo was so well taken, and that seeing the cat lying so obediently in someone's arms would increase its chances of being adopted.
Snapping out of her thoughts, Meng Ran asked, "Honey, do you remember what that photo looked like?"
Chen Miaoying tried to recall for a while, then gestured: "Mom was standing under a big tree, holding an orange kitten."
Meng Ran thought, that must be the photo she took in college.
The photo was only on Jiang Yuqing's phone; she didn't even have a digital copy.
Meng Ran: "Where did you see the photo?"
Without hesitation, Chen Miaoying said, "My dad showed it to me!"
Meng Ran seemed to be deep in thought.
Chan Miu-ying: "What's wrong, Mom? If you want to see the photos, I'll go with you to find Dad!"
Meng Ran: "No need, let's continue playing with Anna."
Chen Miaoying: "Oh... okay then."
After feeding Anna some freeze-dried food and catnip tablets, Meng Ran accompanied her daughter upstairs to her room to wash up.
After saying goodnight to Chen Miaoying, Meng Ran and Chen Sulin returned to their bedroom.
“Miaoying said,” Meng Ran began, “you showed her a photo of me from when I was in college?”
Chen Sulin was unbuttoning his shirt when he heard this, and his fingers paused: "Which one?"
Meng Ran: "The one where I'm holding the cat."
Chen Sulin unbuttoned the second button: "What happened to that photo?"
Meng Ran: "I don't have that photo. Where did you get it from?"
His relationship with Jiang Yuqing was almost like that of strangers, so it couldn't have been Jiang Yuqing who gave it to him.
Chen Sulin: "Didn't your friend post the photos on the forum?"
Meng Ran: "That's our school's forum."
Only current students and alumni can log in.
Chen Sulin: "It's not difficult to get an account on a school forum."
Meng Ran: "So you went to the trouble of logging into our school's forum just to find my photos? When did that happen?"
Chen Sulin: "I can't remember exactly, but it was probably shortly after we got married."
Meng Ran was deeply skeptical of Chen Sulin's claim that he "couldn't remember."
How could someone with such a good memory easily forget something like this?
Seeing that she wasn't going to ask any more questions, Chen Sulin went to unbutton the third button.
Meng Ran pondered for a few seconds: "Chen Sulin, I've realized... there's a question I've never asked you before."
Chen Sulin, with his back to her, asked, "What's the problem?"
Meng Ran: "After we got married... when did you start liking me?"
After asking the question, her heart started racing.
To be honest, Chen Sulin had never formally confessed his feelings to her.
The air remained quiet for a long time.
Meng Ran almost thought he hadn't heard the question clearly.
When Chen Sulin slowly turned around, she noticed that most of the buttons on his shirt were undone, revealing the outline of his firm muscles.
Even though I've seen everything before, seeing this scene still makes my heart race.
Meng Ran forced herself not to avoid his gaze and waited for his answer.
Chen Sulin: "I don't know either."
Meng Ran frowned.
Chen Sulin looked at her helplessly: "I'm not lying to you, I really don't know."
His feelings for her developed before he even realized it.
By the time they realized it, it was already out of control.
Meng Ran didn't get the answer she wanted, and pouted, "You're just taking advantage of the fact that I don't remember anything."
Chen Sulin raised an eyebrow and took her hand: "I can't answer your question, but I can tell you about other details after we get married."
Meng Ran: "For example what?"
Chen Sulin said unhurriedly, "For example, a few months after we get married, you won't call me by my name anymore."
Meng Ran hadn't understood what he meant yet, and reflexively asked, "What's it called?"
Chen Sulin: What do you think?
Meng Ran reacted a beat late, her earlobes burning.
It's nothing really, just a name.
Previously, when Jiang Yuqing mentioned Chen Sulin in front of her, she often referred to him as "your husband," and Meng Ran had long been used to it.
But now, it seems difficult for her to say it out loud in person.
Meng Ran opened her mouth, then hesitated, "Maybe... we should just forget about it."
She said, "I'm not used to it yet."
Chen Sulin didn't force her anymore and went to the bathroom to shower.
Both of them had showered during the day, more than once.
After Chen Sulin came out, Meng Ran also went to the bathroom for a quick shower.
Today, all the muscles in her body were overused, and she got tired faster than usual. She had only been lying down for a short while when she felt sleepy.
Chen Sulin was not by her side.
After coming out of the bathroom, he said he needed to go to the study to make a phone call, which seemed to be urgent work.
Meng Ran originally wanted to wait for Chen Sulin to come back so they could sleep together, but she couldn't resist the urge to sleep.
I drifted off to sleep, and after what seemed like an eternity, I opened my eyes to see the man's figure.
She asked in a hoarse voice, "What time is it?"
Chen Sulin: "It's 10:30, and you've only slept for an hour."
Meng Ran: "Oh..."
She was half-asleep, not fully conscious.
Chen Sulin: "Sorry, I had some work to do earlier, so I'll sleep with you now."
Meng Ran hummed in agreement.
The mattress dipped slightly as Chen Sulin lay down behind her and asked, "Want to sleep with your head on me?"
Meng Ran's voice was soft: "Yes."
Chen Sulin smiled gently and let her rest her head on his arm.
Soon, Meng Ran drifted off to sleep again.
The next morning, Meng Ran woke up earlier than Chen Sulin for the first time.
Having plenty of energy is probably a standard feature of successful people. Meng Ran rarely saw Chen Sulin showing signs of fatigue, even though he always slept less than her.
She slept through the night, still in his arms, her arm still resting on his head.
It's unclear whether she was a very still sleeper and didn't move much all night, or whether she moved and was then carried back by Chen Sulin.
Meng Ran carefully got out of bed and glanced back.
He must have been really tired from his business trip these past few days, or maybe he used up too much energy yesterday.
Several times when she got out of his arms, she thought she was going to wake him, but she never did.
After closing the bathroom door and washing up, I heard noises downstairs when I came out of the bedroom.
As Meng Ran went downstairs, she saw Aunt Zhang carrying Chen Miaoying's schoolbag.
When Chen Miaoying saw her mother, her eyes lit up: "Mom, you got up so early today! Even earlier than Dad!"
Meng Ran went over and hugged Chen Miaoying.
"Mom, I'm going to school now!" Chen Miaoying said goodbye to her mother with great enthusiasm. "See you after school!"
Meng Ran waved to her daughter.
Sometimes she felt she was being a bit lazy as a mother. For example, because Chen Miaoying went to kindergarten too early every day, she hadn't taken Chen Miaoying to kindergarten more than a handful of times in the past month.
Fortunately, Chen Miaoying was already used to this and had never asked her mother to take her to school.
After watching Chen Miaoying leave with her little schoolbag, Meng Ran went back upstairs and found that Chen Sulin was already awake.
Meng Ran: "Aren't you going to sleep a little longer?"
Chen Sulin: "There's a remote meeting this morning."
No wonder he's already changed into a shirt.
Meng Ran: "Then I won't take up any more of your time."
"No rush," Chen Sulin said, reaching out to pull her into his arms.
Their lips met; he had just brushed his teeth, and his mouth tasted refreshingly minty.
After kissing for more than a minute, Chen Sulin let go of her: "I'm going to the study."
Meng Ran: "Mm."
Chen Sulin added, "It's the weekly standing meeting, but it's been postponed to Tuesday because of my business trip. It won't be long."
Unexpectedly, Chen Sulin explained it to her so clearly. Meng Ran paused for a moment, then nodded, "I understand."
After the meeting and a simple breakfast, Chen Sulin prepared to leave for the company.
Meng Ran also had work to do this morning, so she got in the car with Chen Sulin.
After getting in the car, Chen Sulin lowered the partition and took out his tablet to check his work messages.
Meng Ran rarely saw him working, so she sat quietly beside him.
Once the Hengyue Building came into view in the distance, Chen Sulin put away his tablet and looked at her.
Meng Ran blinked.
In their kisses, Chen Sulin was always the one who took the initiative.
Occasionally, Meng Ran would also try to switch sides.
Taking a silent breath, Meng Ran leaned in, closed her eyes, and gave him a farewell kiss.
Their breaths mingled together.
After the car turned another intersection and entered the company parking lot, Chen Sulin got out of the car and got into work mode.
Therefore, their kisses were restrained.
Meng Ran tried her best to control her body and not lean too close to him.
Sensing that it was almost time, Meng Ran pushed against his chest.
"You..." she said, slightly out of breath, "You should go to work."
Chen Sulin's voice was slightly hoarse: "Mm."
As if he hadn't had enough, after agreeing, his gaze remained fixed on her lips.
Meng Ran couldn't help but bite her lip lightly, recalling what he had said last night, and for some reason, her mind went blank.
"Well...see you tonight, honey."
As soon as he finished speaking, the man's eyes darkened, and he kissed her again.
...
When Meng Ran finally managed to get rid of Chen Sulin, this formidable figure, she was filled with regret.
If she had known this would happen, she would have made up her mind to shout it out last night.
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Author's Note: The main story is expected to be completed within 5 chapters.
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