The early morning air always carries a perfect coolness, and Yu Jiuyuan was awakened by the chirping of birds outside the window.
When she opened her eyes, the curtains weren't fully drawn, and a ray of golden sunlight fell on Rong Shenghan's profile, turning his long eyelashes a light brown.
He was still asleep, breathing evenly, his arms loosely wrapped around her waist, his palms pressed against her skin, warm to the touch.
Yu Jiuyuan stared at him for a few seconds before belatedly realizing that she didn't need to get up early today.
Since she separated some of the student council and Yu family affairs, she finally had some breathing room.
Yesterday evening, she made a last-minute decision to take a short break, canceling all her plans for the day and even putting her phone on Do Not Disturb mode.
This decision clearly caught everyone else in the villa off guard.
During dinner last night, Xie Zhecheng hesitated three times before speaking, repeatedly looking at the Yu family documents in his hand, as if he didn't believe she would really give up her work.
Yuan Xu held his lab notebook, his eyes behind his glasses screaming, "Are you sure you don't want to look at this abnormal data?"
Lin Yanran, in that awkward tone, mocked her for "finally giving herself a day off," but as she stood up, he subconsciously reached out and touched the chair behind her.
Rong Shenghan said nothing, but when she announced the decision, a faint smile flashed in his eyes, and then he silently put a piece of her favorite sweet and sour pork ribs into her bowl.
"woke up?"
Rong Shenghan's voice was hoarse from just waking up. He shifted and pulled her closer to him, resting his chin on the top of her head. "Won't you sleep a little longer?"
Yu Jiuyuan snuggled closer to him, smelling his cool scent, and buried her face in his chest, nuzzling him: "I'm not going to sleep anymore, it's been a long time since I woke up this early naturally."
At this time in the past, she would either be on her way to school or reading Yu's morning financial report. Staying in bed like this, listening to the breathing of the person next to her, felt like a luxury that made her heart soften.
The two lingered in bed for a long time until the sunlight filled half the bed, then Rong Shenghan lifted the covers and got up: "I'll go make breakfast."
Yu Jiuyuan looked at his bare feet on the carpet and suddenly felt a sense of peace.
He always looked more down-to-earth in his home clothes than in his school uniform, with loose sleeves that slipped down to his forearms, revealing well-defined muscles.
When she got up to wash up, there was already some noise in the living room.
Xie Zhecheng sat at the dining table reading the newspaper, Yuan Xu was holding a laptop, but the screen wasn't filled with dense gene sequences, but rather a pet adoption website, while Lin Yanran stood by the window making a phone call, her tone not very friendly, but saying, "I'm not going to the company today."
Hearing footsteps, the three of them looked over at the same time.
Xie Zhecheng put down his newspaper, glanced at her, and only after confirming that the light blue under her eyes had faded somewhat did he speak: "What would you like for breakfast? The kitchen has prepared the ingredients."
“Rong Shenghan is making it.” Yu Jiuyuan pulled out a chair and sat down, noticing a glass of warm milk on the table, which Xie Zhecheng must have prepared.
Yuan Xu pushed up her glasses and suddenly turned her laptop towards her: "What do you think of this Border Collie? It's trained and very obedient."
Yu Jiuyuan was stunned for a moment before realizing that he was sharing something with her.
He used to only talk to her about experimental data and never about these trivial matters.
She leaned closer to take a look, and saw the Border Collie on the screen sticking out its tongue and its eyes sparkling: "Pretty cute."
Yuan Xu's ears turned slightly red. She turned the computer back and whispered, "Mm."
Lin Yanran hung up the phone, walked over, and pulled out a chair, his movements a little quieter than usual: "The weather is nice today, want to go for a walk?" His tone was still a little arrogant, but it contained an imperceptible probing.
Before Yu Jiuyuan could answer, Rong Shenghan came out of the kitchen with breakfast.
Golden-brown toast, soft-boiled eggs, and a bowl of warm pumpkin porridge are all her favorite foods.
"Eat first." He placed the plate in front of her and sat down naturally beside her, as if he hadn't heard Lin Yanran's words.
Lin Yanran's expression darkened, but she didn't say anything more. She simply picked up the toast and took a big bite.
The atmosphere at breakfast was somewhat subtle, but not unpleasant.
Xie Zhecheng would occasionally mention some financial news, Yuan Xu would drink her porridge with her head down and occasionally look up at her, while Lin Yanran would eat while scrolling through her phone, but would always subtly push the plate of food that Yuan Xu liked towards her when she picked up some food.
Yu Jiuyuan ate quietly, a thought suddenly popping into her mind: perhaps this wasn't so bad.
She was never one to indulge in sentimentality; her initial strategy of winning them over was merely to complete the system's tasks and solidify her position.
But now, watching them clumsily learn to take care of her feelings and to temper their sharpness on her rare days of relaxation, a faint warmth has stirred in her cold heart, which only knows how to calculate pros and cons.
Of course, this warmth comes with a condition.
Just like now, no matter how harmonious they appear, Rong Shenghan always sits beside her, his arm draped over the back of her chair—a position that belongs to him and is not to be questioned.
After breakfast, Xie Zhecheng took the initiative to clear the dishes, while Yuan Xu went back to her room, saying she needed to organize the previous experimental data.
Lin Yanran received a phone call, saying that there was something she needed to take care of at the club. Before leaving, she glared at Rong Shenghan, as if she was unhappy that he had interrupted her suggestion.
Soon, only she and Rong Shenghan remained in the living room.
"Where do you want to go?" Rong Shenghan leaned back on the sofa, reached out and pulled her into his arms, letting her sit on his lap. "Lin Yanran is right, the weather is indeed nice today."
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com