Chapter 23
The morning sunlight streamed in through the bedroom's floor-to-ceiling windows, causing the sheer curtains to sway gently.
As Minamino Shuichi changed into his suit to go to a company meeting, he inadvertently caught sight of the pink cell phone on his bedside table.
The screen was unlocked and was quietly lit.
—That familiar name is at the top.
[Keigo Atobe].
He raised an eyebrow slightly.
"...It's him again."
My finger hesitated for a moment, but finally swiped to open the screen.
He was not one to pry into other people's privacy, but when he saw that his wife had been admired by countless people, an indescribable possessiveness quietly rose in his heart.
The messages in the chat box were arranged neatly.
Sakura's tone was as gentle and polite as ever, but with a slight sense of distance.
There was no unnecessary ambiguity, no vague words.
On the contrary, it was Atobe's side—
The text is full of exaggerated emotions, humorous banter, and occasional unintentional seriousness.
He looked at the sentence:
"...That's good. However, next time we meet, I want to see for myself whether your smile is genuine."
Shuichi Minamino's gaze softened, but he also sighed inwardly.
He looked up at the person on the bed—
Sakura was fast asleep, curled up in her soft blankets, her long golden hair scattered on the pillow, her eyelashes fluttering gently, and her chest rising and falling slowly with her breath.
She looks so quiet and harmless, yet she was once the focus of all the lights on stages around the world.
Shuichi chuckled softly and shook his head gently.
"I never imagined my wife... would be so popular abroad."
Scenes of imagination secretly surfaced in his mind:
Under the spotlight of the concert hall, Sakura gracefully played the violin, surrounded by audience members in sharp suits.
Backstage, those young, talented players may have secretly watched her, wanting to get closer but not daring to.
He sighed softly, a strange feeling rising in his heart.
If it weren't for that unexpected night, he would probably just be one of the countless strangers she would pass by in her life.
He still remembers the lights at the banquet that day.
It was a night when we should never have met.
She was drugged, and he happened to notice her unusual behavior—her sea-blue eyes, under the dim light, held a mixture of tears and panic.
At that moment, his rationality, his human identity, and his self-control as "Minamino Shuichi" all crumbled.
He saved her, but that same night, he lost himself.
Looking back now, he feels a strange sense of relief.
If it weren't for that sudden night, he might have ended up like those other people—
You can only ever stand below her stage, gazing up at her brilliance.
“It seems…” he chuckled softly, “that I really was forced into her life by fate.”
He gently put down his phone, walked to the bedside, and half-squatted down.
He brushed the strands of hair from the side of her face with his slender fingers and whispered in her ear, "Thank you for letting me meet you that night."
Sakura groggily opened her eyes, mumbling half-asleep, "...Shuichi? What are you doing~"
"It's nothing." He leaned down and placed a kiss on her forehead.
"I just suddenly realized—I'm very lucky."
"Hmm?" She wasn't fully awake yet, and just smiled dazedly, "Of course~ you'll marry me."
He chuckled at her half-asleep words and replied softly, "Yes. Marrying you is my proudest victory."
She turned over and went back to sleep, while Xiuyi stood up, picked up her briefcase, and prepared to leave.
Before leaving, he glanced back at the phone, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Just in case, he casually muted the "Atobe Keigo" chat window.
"Defense, not jealousy," he reasoned to himself.
Then, he closed the door and left with light steps.
A few hours later, Sakura woke up, stretched, and picked up her phone to check her messages.
She frowned and tilted her head: "Huh? Why isn't there a notification sound?"
Take a look at the settings.
—Keigo Atobe (silent).
"..."
Sakura squinted and her lips twitched.
"Minamino Shuichi—!!"
The maids downstairs, hearing their mistress's angry roar, exchanged bewildered glances.
"It seems... the president has done something 'couple-only' again."
The afternoon sun shone warmly on the marble floor of the living room.
Sakura leaned back on the sofa, picking at the fruit with a fork.
Her blue eyes flickered slightly, and a mischievous smile curled at the corner of her lips.
—Ever since discovering the chat muting incident, her desire for revenge has been quietly ignited.
She picked up her phone and opened the chat window that Xiuyi had adjusted the settings for.
With a gentle swipe of your finger, type a line of text:
[Minamino Sakura]: Thank you for your concern. Please have tea next time.
She stared at the line of text and clicked "send" with satisfaction.
Almost a second later, the other party's reply popped up.
[Atobe Keigo]: I knew I hadn't misjudged you! Tea? I can book the whole floor of the cafe. You decide the time.
Sakura smiled gently and casually closed her phone.
"Hmph, let's see if you, Mr. Minamino, are still so smug now~"
She hummed a little tune as she ate fruit, in an extremely good mood.
However--
In the evening, Minamino Hideichi left work early and went home. As soon as he opened the door, he saw that she was in a great mood.
"Hmm? You're smiling so sweetly today, are you plotting something?"
Sakura looked up, paused for a moment, and quickly and guiltily shoved her phone into the cushion: "N-no, I didn't~"
"Oh?" He raised an eyebrow, took off his coat, and slowly approached.
"Then let me see what's hidden in your 'nothing'."
"Really not—"
He reached out and gently pulled the phone from behind her—it was now in his hand.
A few seconds of silence.
A few lines of text came into view.
The phrase "Thank you for your concern, please have tea next time" lay quietly in the center of the screen.
His lips twitched slightly, revealing a smile, but it was a smile that was "dangerously calm."
"……OK."
"Good, good what?" she blinked.
"It seems we need to have a good heart-to-heart talk tonight."
With each word he spoke, he moved closer, and she instinctively backed away until she was cornered on the sofa.
"Shuichi, Shuichi, don't do anything rash—I was just replying politely!"
"Politeness?" He raised an eyebrow with a smile. "Then shouldn't you also politely reply with the word 'husband'?"
"I... I just accepted a friend's invitation!" She covered her stomach with both hands and muttered softly, "It's not like it's a date... Of course, she wouldn't mind remarrying with the baby~ Humph."
This sentence made Minamino Shuichi burst out laughing.
That smile carried a hint of doting affection, yet also a touch of helplessness, a feeling of "being so angry that you soften your heart instead."
"Remarry? You're thinking way ahead."
He reached out and cupped her chin, his green eyes narrowing slightly. "Who do you think would dare to marry my wife?"
"Atobe Keigo?" She feigned ignorance with an air of seriousness.
"If he dares, I'll buy his stadium tomorrow."
"...You're so childish!"
"Yeah, I'm only childish with you."
Sakura blushed at his self-righteous words, pursed her lips, and looked away.
"Hate……"
"Then will you dare to make me jealous again?"
Her eyelashes fluttered slightly, and a secret smile played on her lips: "That depends on how you perform~"
"Looks like we really have to 'talk' until you admit defeat tonight."
"Why are you yelling at me! I'm pregnant!"
He chuckled and whispered a kiss on her forehead: "Then I'll coax you."
As night deepened, the indoor lighting became soft.
Nan Ye Xiu sat on the sofa with one arm around her, feeding her cut fruit while gently massaging her shoulders.
"Don't make me angry like that again," he said softly.
"Then don't touch my phone again," she retorted.
"make a deal."
"real?"
"Really." He paused for two seconds, then added with a smile, "But my phone is backed up on my computer."
"...Namino Shuichi, you've gone too far!!"
She angrily grabbed a cushion and hit him, while Xiu Yi caught it with a laugh.
Their laughter and banter mingled in the night, so sweet that even the wind outside the window seemed gentle.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
