It was a long kiss. Cheng Jinlan was standing on the floor at first, and then lifted onto the table by him. He leaned over her, their lips and tongues entwined. She gradually lost her strength, and leaned softly against him, allowing him to take as he pleased.
Cheng Jinlan regained some clarity, and stopped his wandering hands with a soft exhale, "Don't."
Shao Chengze's hands stilled, his lips pressed against hers, vaguely kissing her - one kiss seamlessly beginning the next.
Cheng Jinlan felt her heart stirred by something, both itchy and sour. Her consciousness grew hazy too. She wanted him to stop but also to continue, to be rougher yet also gentler.
"Does it hurt?" Shao Chengze stopped and looked at her.
Cheng Jinlan bit her lip silently, her bright eyes grew misty like the fog over a mountain stream. With a slight exertion from him, the mist stirred, raising captivating ripples.
Shao Chengze's fingertips pressed against her lips, rescuing the soft redness from between glistening white teeth. His voice grew increasingly hoarse, carrying fiery temptation, "Miao Miao, tell me what you want me to do."
Cheng Jinlan ruthlessly bit down on his fingers, "I want you to go away."
Shao Chengze chuckled hoarsely, "Of all Cheng's body, her mouth...is the hardest place to kiss soft." He gently sucked on the corner of her lips, "Since you won't tell me what to do, I'll just do as I please."
Her thick lashes fluttered rapidly, and Cheng Jinlan pushed his shoulders, wanting to escape from the table. Shao Chengze's long legs came close to the table's edge, blocking her path.
Cheng Jinlan glared at him. Shao Chengze kissed her angry eyes, one arm curled around her waist to lift her onto himself, and walked out of the study into the bedroom.
Cheng Jinlan struggled, her voice unintentionally soft and coquettish, “You can’t, you have a fever.”
“I’ve taken medicine and had porridge.”
Cheng Jinlan continued shaking her head, refusing to let him touch her bed, “You were on a plane all day without showering.”
Shao Chengze headed straight for the bathroom, pushing open the door and placing her on the sink counter, one hand undoing the buttons of his shirt.
“Together.”
The shirt came off, and under the lights, Cheng Jinlan’s gaze froze briefly. She lifted a foot to block his approach, avoiding his gaze, “No, we don't have...”
Shao Chengze grasped her fair hand, his dark gaze changing.
“So I’ll help you. Does it hurt?”
Steam filled the bathroom, fogging up the mirrors with condensation that obscured their lingering reflection. Muffled panting was interspersed with bewitching whispers.
“Did you miss me?”
Hot air caressed her ear. Cheng Jinlan shook her head, a blush creeping up her cheeks. The snowy skin revealed an alluring pink hue, dewdrops threatened to fall from dark lashes.
Shao Chengze suddenly halted his actions, only using his lips to catch the beads of sweat on her forehead.
“I missed you very much. You didn’t even come to the airport to pick me up.”
Cheng Jinlan opened her eyes to look at him. They were misty like a shimmering spring lake under the dappled shade, revealing glimpses of a verdant green.
Her arms, damp with perspiration, circled his neck and exerted a slight force. She vaguely called his name, “Shao Chengze.”
He lowered his head to ask again, “Did you miss me?”
Cheng Jinlan shook her head again. Tears welled up at the corners of her eyes, still refusing to utter the word “miss”.
Shao Chengze changed his question, “Will you come to the airport to pick me up in the future?”
Cheng Jinlan rested her head against his chest. Emptiness and itchiness consumed her mind and body. She took a sharp breath, biting back the soft plea that threatened to spill from her throat.
Shao Chengze chuckled lightly. Her stubbornness and refusal to give in was truly arousing, making him want to...pamper her, and also torment her severely.
He took a step back, extending an olive branch to himself, “I’m not asking for much, just once will do. Okay?” His lips brushed against the corners of her eyes, tasting the sweet yet sour tears.
“Who told you to come back early.” Every taut nerve in Cheng Jinlan’s body was drawn to an almost unbearable point. Still, she forced out a mocking tone.
Shao Chengze was stunned, seemingly unable to believe what he just heard. “You’re coming to the airport to pick me up tomorrow?”
“Not me, Cheng LiQi.” The sweat had ruined her fringe. Cheng Jinlan grew increasingly uncomfortable, kicking his arm with her foot. “Get out.”
The frustration in her voice could no longer be concealed. Liar, he said he’d help her but left her hanging in this unresolved state instead, wanting her to beg him.
The unexpected reply left Shao Chengze distracted for a moment. He felt somewhat regretful for pulling an all-nighter to settle all his work, then rushing back eagerly. Otherwise, he would've gotten a pleasant surprise at the airport tomorrow.
But now, with the sweet softness in his arms, and the coquettish anger by his ear, it was something that nothing could replace. There were gains and losses. As long as he obtained what was at hand, the things lost could always be reclaimed later.
Cheng Jinlan finally succumbed beneath the surging tides. Her scattered moans grew louder and more frequent.
From the bathroom to the bed, the clock struck midnight as they returned to the bedroom. Cheng Jinlan covered herself with a thin blanket, looking at the man by the bed. “You should go.” Her languid voice was hoarse, evidencing what had just happened in the bathroom.
Shao Chengze looked at the woman who was about to go back on her word after getting her way. He got on the bed and gathered her into his embrace, “Where would I go?”
Cheng Jinlan currently had not an ounce of strength left in her body. She just wanted to fall asleep immediately. With great effort, she opened her eyes wide, “Go back to your own home. You can't stay the night here.”
Not just for today, but never again in the future. She couldn't let Cheng LiQi see him, otherwise with her astute personality, her daughter would surely ask many difficult questions.
Of course Shao Chengze understood her concerns. He gently patted her shoulder, coaxing her to sleep, “I’ll be gone before LiQi wakes up, she won't find out.”
Cheng Jinlan could no longer keep her heavy eyelids open. “You'd better,” she thought of something and forced her eyes open again, “You have to leave before dawn. My dad goes jogging in the mornings, he can't run into you.”
Shao Chengze smiled helplessly, his low voice full of indulgence, “Alright, shall we just dig a secret passage while we're at it, to better facilitate such...elegant affairs.”
Cheng Jinlan covered his face with a nearby pillow, shutting him up.
Soon, her breathing grew steady and drawn out as she fell asleep. Shao Chengze leaned down to kiss her hair.
Soft fingers brushed across his forehead. Half-asleep, she groggily asked, “Does it still hurt?” Referring to his stomach.
Shao Chengze's heart melted into mush, but the mischievous part of him couldn't resist. He slowly guided her hand down, nibbling her ear, “It hurts a lot, want to help me?”
Looks like he wasn't hurting anymore. Cheng Jinlan wanted to kick him again, but her foot rose and fell back onto the bed weakly, not making contact. She just mumbled a soft refusal, “No, I want to sleep.”
Shao Chengze pressed his forehead against hers, their fingers interlaced, “Alright, I won't tease you. Go to sleep.”
Summer nights were short. It was barely 5am but the sky had already brightened. Cheng Jinlan lifted her eyelids to see the empty bedside, finally relaxing. She went back to sleep, and when she awoke again, the sun was already slanted halfway across the sky.
Cheng LiQi was lying on one side of the bed, drawing something with a pen. Seeing her mother awake, she shifted over, “Mom, you’re up.”
Cheng Jinlan pulled her into an embrace, “Sorry, mommy woke up late. Are you hungry?”
Cheng LiQi shook her head, “I’m not hungry yet. It’s not late, weekends are for sleeping in. If you’re still tired you can sleep some more.” Cheng Jinlan kissed her chubby cheeks. “Mommy’s slept enough, what are you drawing?”
Cheng LiQi excitedly held up her sketchpad to show her mom, “I’m making a pick-up sign so when daddy comes out he can see us right away!”
Cheng Jinlan: ......
The little princess still didn't know her father had already returned last night, wholly focused on going to the airport.
Cheng LiQi hugged her mom's arm, "Mom, I already decided which dress I'm wearing. I'm going to wear the pink rose dress. You have one the same color too. Let's wear matching mother-daughter outfits, okay?"
Cheng Jinlan stroked her daughter's bedhead hair, seeing how expectant she was, she didn't know how to break it to her. Maybe she should let him explain to their daughter. It was his fault for coming back early after all. The little princess had prepared so much, she would surely be disappointed.
Cheng Jinlan's phone on the bedside table vibrated, and she breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the caller ID display. The timing of this call really couldn't be better.
Shao Chengze looked at the screen as the call connected. This was the first time in a long while that his call had been picked up so quickly. He wondered if she was still half-asleep.
"Did I wake you?" he asked gently.
Leaning against the headboard, Cheng Jinlan said, "No, go ahead and explain to LiQi about picking you up from the airport."
She was about to hand the phone to Cheng LiQi.
"Wait a moment," Shao Chengze stopped her.
"What is it?"
Shao Chengze replied, "I'm in Beilin now. I came to inspect a factory here, and I'll be heading back this afternoon. I sent you the flight details on WeChat."
Cheng Jinlan fell silent.
Shao Chengze cleared his throat to cover his unease. "MiaoMiao, come pick me up."
Cheng Jinlan couldn't help scoffing, "You really are..."
Childish.
"It's a scheduled trip, I'm just a week early," Shao Chengze rubbed his brow with his fingertips. He admitted he was being childish, but he also came up with a legitimate-sounding reason. "I couldn't disappoint LiQi, could I?"
Cheng LiQi vaguely heard her dad's voice from the phone. She went over to her mom and loudly asked, "Dad, have you gotten on the plane?"
Cheng Jinlan turned on the speakerphone and handed the phone to Cheng LiQi to let father and daughter speak directly.
She got out of bed, quickly washed up, and had intended to cook something to eat. But the dining table was already set with breakfast—boiled eggs, sandwiches, and there was congee simmering in the sandpot on the stove. It was simple yet still meticulously prepared. He had gotten up early to cook and then rush to catch his flight. It must have been quite tiring.
After finishing her call with Dad, Cheng LiQi ran out and saw the food on the table. "Wow!" she exclaimed, "Mom, you're so amazing to have breakfast ready so quickly!"
Cheng Jinlan let her daughter assume she was the one who made breakfast. In LiQi's eyes, after all, her mom could do anything.
"Mom, I didn't tell Dad we were coming to pick him up. We're going to surprise him!" Cheng LiQi excitedly shared her surprise plan with her mom after swallowing half a boiled egg.
If it wasn't the weekend today, Cheng Jinlan really would have been too lazy to play along with his little act.
The airport was crowded with people, some rushing anxiously, some parting reluctantly with loved ones, some reuniting joyfully with family.
When Cheng LiQi saw people emerging from the gates, her eyes lit up. Clutching the flowers in her hand, she ran over shouting "Dad!"
Shao Chengze strode over quickly and took the flowers from her hand. Bending down, he scooped up his little girl. "How did LiQi get here?"
Cheng LiQi giggled. "We came to pick you up, Dad! Were you surprised to see me and Mom?"
The corners of Shao Chengze's mouth turned up. "Very surprised. Dad would never have expected LiQi and Mom to come to the airport."
Cheng LiQi was even more delighted now. Her surprise had been a success!
Cheng Jinlan wore sunglasses and folded up the pick-up sign she had brought, stuffing it into her bag. She stood far away with her arms crossed over her chest.
Mother and daughter wore matching pink dresses. Their exquisite features and loosely tied braids gave them a casual yet natural beauty—the daughter sweet and cute, the mother aloof and elegant. They had already attracted many gazes. And then the tall, handsome man with an air of elegance walked over to them. Passersby sighed to themselves that this family of three looked as if they had stepped out of a painting, far too good-looking.
Carrying Cheng LiQi, Shao Chengze walked over and reached out to the expressionless woman, a smile in his dark eyes as he looked at her.
In just one night, so many things seemed to have changed.
Cheng Jinlan's eyes behind her sunglasses blinked. She was more awkward than unnatural. "What do you want?"
Cheng LiQi covered her mouth, giggling. "Mom, Dad wants to hold your hand."
Cheng Jinlan turned and started walking forward. "Let's go, it'll be dark soon."
Shao Chengze strode up and grasped her hand, holding it tightly in his palm.
Cheng LiQi whispered in her dad's ear, "Dad, Mom is shy."
Shao Chengze whispered back to his daughter, "Don't say it out loud, or Mom will be even more shy." Cheng LiQi nodded that this would be a secret between her and Dad.
Cheng Jinlan pretended not to hear the father-daughter conversation. The sunglasses may have hidden her eyes, but they couldn't conceal how her earlobes had flushed red, which looked especially charming against her pink dress.
From a distance, Lv Siwei followed behind her son, confirming that she had not seen wrongly or misheard. The little girl her son was carrying had clearly just called him "Dad".
The Dragon Boat Festival was coming up soon. Lv Siwei had originally planned to come bring her son some zongzi and see if he was eating and resting properly, instead of just obsessing over that rubbish company of his.
But as soon as she got off the plane, she saw this scene unfold.
She felt both thrilled and angry—her heart was racing so fast it felt like it would burst out of her chest, and her hands were shaking uncontrollably.
She was thrilled that she actually had such a well-behaved little granddaughter.
But she was angry that her granddaughter was already so big, yet she hadn't even gotten a clear look at what the girl looked like. She shouldn't have let him return to the Shao family back then. Nevermind anything else, he had clearly picked up all the rotten habits of those young masters—his daughter was already so big, yet he still had no commitment to the girl's mother. He had told her before that there was someone he liked, and she had been so happy to hear it. Who would have thought he planned to fool around and then abandon the girl in the end? Or was he trying to play the field and keep both women? She figured he was trying to anger his late father enough for his ghost to rise from the grave in the middle of the night to settle accounts with him.
Lv Siwei didn't dare call out to her son, mainly because she was afraid of suddenly appearing and startling the young woman and that sweet, well-behaved little girl. She left the airport, hailed a cab, and hurried to the supermarket. She bought three feather dusters and two laundry paddles before returning to the Songlin Apartments. Her son had many properties, so he definitely wouldn't keep the woman at this apartment complex, knowing his mother might stop by occasionally.
She planned to wait until dinner was just about finished, then call her son over. Today she had to, on behalf of his late father and all their ancestors, properly discipline this unfilial descendant.
Sitting on the sofa and catching her breath, Lv Siwei thought again of the scene she had glimpsed at the airport. Although it had only been a brief, distant look, that young woman was truly beautiful, with an even better temperament. And the little girl was also cute, looking so well-behaved. On second thought, it seemed her son deserved even more of a beating. She regretted not buying more feather dusters—even ten would not be enough to properly hit him.
The car drove steadily along the highway. From the backseat, Cheng LiQi happily unwrapped the gifts her dad had brought back one by one. Cheng Jinlan asked the person in the back, "Where are you headed?"
Shao Chengze's gaze met hers in the rearview mirror. Cheng Jinlan looked away first. The smile lurking in Shao Chengze's eyes had not disappeared since he got off the plane.
He replied, "Cheng Garden."
Cheng LiQi hadn't heard her parents' conversation. She saw the bracelet in the box, eyes wide open. "Dad, it's so pretty! This one is for Mom, and this one for me, right?"
"That's right," Shao Chengze took out a bracelet from the box. "Should I put it on for you, LiQi?"
Cheng LiQi nodded eagerly.
After putting on the bracelet, she kept turning her wrist this way and that, peeking at it and admiring it. Her little feet occasionally gave a couple kicks. Dad really knew how to pick gifts—it was just too beautiful!
"Dad, put one on for Mom too," Cheng LiQi urged her father.
Cheng Jinlan replied to her daughter, "Mom is driving right now, so I can't wear it yet."
Shao Chengze picked up the other bracelet and said to both daughter and mother, "I'll put it on for Mom at the next red light."
And so the bracelet did end up on Cheng Jinlan's wrist after all. Shao Chengze had figured out the trick to gift-giving.
Cheng LiQi was overjoyed. She loved matching clothes and accessories with her mother.
"Dad, are you coming home with me and Mom?" Cheng LiQi saw the car pulling into Cheng Garden. She assumed her mom was going to drop Dad off at his own home, since she had never been to Dad's house before.
Shao Chengze glanced at the driver before pointing to the house outside. "Dad lives here now," he told his daughter.
Cheng LiQi was puzzled for a moment. So the new neighbor who had just moved in next door was Dad?!
She looked at her dad, then at the neighboring house, and thought about her dad's current "secret identity" situation. After a long pause, she finally spoke up, "Dad, did you move here because it makes it convenient to sneak over at night when you miss me and Mom?!"
