âSheâll never get married!â Xu Chaomu wrung her wrists.
âHow do you know itâs a daughter? Even if it is, donât worry, someone will want her. Like you, didnât I pick you up?â
âHmm, but her daddy is handsome, so this kid will definitely have good genes. Who knows, there may be a whole bunch of people chasing after her.â
Xu Chaomu didnât know whether the child would take after Shen Chi more or her, but it would be best if the child resembled Shen Chi more. This man had high IQ and good looks; if she took after him, he wouldnât have to worry about her lacking suitors. Just hope she doesnât inherit his temper.
However, to Shen Chi, her remark âher daddy is handsomeâ was quite grating to the ear.
âMumu, close your eyes and sleep. If you donât sleep now, itâll be daylight soon.â
He avoided the topic of the baby, hugging her and coaxing her to sleep like one would with a child.
Years ago, he couldnât even utter a word of concern, and years later, he learned to coax her to sleep. But, it was only for her.
âI canât sleep. Tell me another story, and make it pure this time.â
Shen Chi lowered his voice, commanding, âSleep!â
âButâ¦â
âSleep!ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
âOh.â This time, Xu Chaomu obediently closed her mouth.
She lay awkwardly in his embrace and gradually, she truly fell asleep. She slept until nine in the morning.
Shen Chi barely slept all night; sometimes he managed to drift off only to wake up minutes later with an intense headache, which chased away any drowsiness.
Later, he simply held her in his arms, no longer trying to sleep.
For five years, he hadnât properly held her; now, he only resented that the night was too short.
The days in summer begin early, and after just a few hours, the sky began to lighten. Gradually, the dawn rose from the east, and the sunlight pierced through the clouds to illuminate the earth, sprinkling light onto the balcony of Shen Chiâs room.
The moment he opened his eyes, it was already half-past five in the morning.
He carefully moved Xu Chaomuâs arm away and tucked her in before getting out of bed to dress.
He chose a white shirt from the wardrobe and, not to disturb her, he took all the clothes into the bathroom to put on.
His movements were so gentle that Xu Chaomu smacked her lips without any awareness.
It wasnât until Shen Chi went downstairs that she clung to the bedding and slept soundly. Her black hair spread out on the pillow, and Shen Chi watched, reluctant to leave.
âYoung Master Four, good morning. Is your headache any better? Why didnât you sleep a bit longer?â The butler was preparing breakfast.
âItâs fine, much better now.â
âBreakfast is ready. Would you like to eat now?â
âYes, that would be good.â
âBy the way, Young Master Four, early this morning, a black Cayenne was parked outside, lingering not far from the Shen Familyâs villa.â
âHow long has it been there?â
âAbout half an hour.â
âLet it stay there,â Shen Chi replied indifferently.
âIs it someone here to see you about business?â
âDonât know.â
A servant delivered breakfast, coffee and sandwiches. Shen Chi sat at the table, absent-mindedly stirring his coffee with a spoon.
In an instant, the aroma of the coffee spread with the steam, filling the air.
While the coffee was still hot, he stirred it with the spoon and made a call to Xiao Mo.
âHowâs the thing I asked you to check out last time going?â
âGood morning, Mr. Shen. Are you asking about Nie Chenglang? I checked, but guess, whose son is he?â
âNie Chenglangâ¦â Shen Chi chewed over the name, âThere arenât many prominent families in C City with the Nie surname.â
âIndeed not many, so you should be able to guess it,â said Xiao Mo.
After pondering for a few seconds, Shen Chi spoke solemnly, âCould it be Lu Feiliâs son?â
âYes, you guessed right, Mr. Shen. Lu Feiliâs son is Nie Chenglang. She has only one biological son, who has always been studying in Paris and worked there after graduation. It wasnât until recently that he returned to the country.â
Shen Chiâs coffee-stirring hand paused, âOh? What else?â
âWerenât you asking me to check on your wifeâs affairs from those five years?â
Xiao Mo had been with Shen Chi for a while and knew what he liked to hear, so he continued with âyour wifeââ¦
Sure enough, Shen Chiâs lips curled into a smileâ¦
âI looked into it, but itâs been five years, and a lot of things are untraceable. Howeverâ¦â Xiao Mo hesitated.
âWhat?â
âWhat Iâve found out is definitive.â
âGood, I know youâre capable. Report it!â
Xiao Moâs mouth twitched slightly, âDuring those five years, your wife⦠should I really say this?â
âIf you beat around the bush again, hand in your resignation tomorrow!â
âAlright, Iâll speak, just donât get angry, please. During those five years, your wife was always with Nie Chenglang, almost⦠inseparable.â
Xiao Mo shut his eyes and blurted it out in one breath, looking as if he was facing certain doom.
With a âclang,â Shen Chi slammed the spoon down into his coffee cup.
Xiao Mo heard the noise even through the phone!
âWhat else?â Shen Chi asked coldly.
âThereâs more⦠should I really tell you?â
âIf you hesitate one more time, try me!â
âThen Iâll continue. Please put any fragile objects at least a meter away from you. During those five years, your wife went to a university to study design, courtesy of Nie Chenglangâs arrangements. Initially, your wife lived on campus, but towards graduation last year, Nie Chenglang moved her into his own apartment. As for what they did there⦠I canât find that out.â
âWhat could they possibly do?!â Shen Chi fumed.
âWell⦠when a man and a woman are alone, what do you think?â Xiao Mo deliberately prodded.
âShut up!â
Xiao Mo flinched and became very silent.
Then the phone was quiet for a long while until Shen Chi, irritated, spoke up, âWhat else? Why arenât you talking?â
âYou told me⦠to shut up.â
âIf you keep this up, by afternoon go settle your salary with finance!â Shen Chi was on the verge of flipping the table.
âThen Iâll continue. As for your wife, she later interned at a company where Nie Chenglang happened to be the marketing director. So, your wife must be especially grateful to Nie Chenglang, or perhaps, harbor some other feelings. Later, Nie Chenglang proposed to your wife, and she acceptedâ¦â Shen Chiâs lips tightened noticeably, but Xiao Mo continued, âMr. Shen, thatâs the general situation, Iâll keep investigating for specifics.â
âRight, how did she get by those five years?â
Shen Chi remembered, she once bullshitted him about surviving by acting in âthose kinds of movies.â
âI guess for the most part⦠by Nie Chenglangâs support. However, according to her college teachers, your wife worked part-time at night and during holidays, and the salary from her internship after graduation was decent.â
Hearing Xiao Mo say she worked part-time at night and during holidays, Shen Chi really couldnât bring himself to be mad at her.
Back at the Shen Family, he had always wanted to serve her every meal, he really couldnât imagine her working part-time.