Just words weren’t enough to fully expose Bai Shuijin’s wicked deeds, so the butler pulled out his phone as evidence and respectfully handed over the videos he had recorded.
“Sir, I recorded everything.”
He pressed play, and the butler’s large face suddenly appeared on the screen.
Wang Huanxiu: “…”
Servant: “…”
The butler coughed awkwardly. Soon the camera shifted and Bai Shuijin appeared in the video. It was filmed in the late morning. The floor-to-ceiling window near the sofa was wide open, and the greenery and bright sunlight outside highlighted the pleasant atmosphere indoors.
The phone screen looked like a kaleidoscope peephole, revealing the scene inside.
Sunlight cast streaks across the polished floor, while the wind blew in through the open window, gently brushing Bai Shuijin’s hair.
Bai Shuijin was wearing a beige short-sleeve shirt and loose plaid lounge pants, with a pair of white socks on his feet. He was curled up on the sofa, smiling brightly as he watched the TV in front of him.
Even with the window open, the room was still warm, and Bai Shuijin and December’s deep winter were living in two different seasons.
The butler thought bitterly that the footage actually made him look very handsome. He should film from a bad angle next time.
In the video, Bai Shuijin looked happy and content, like a small furry animal basking in the warm spring sun. Then came his first line in the video.
“Laogong!”
Wang Huanxiu raised an eyebrow.
Bai Shuijin squirmed on the sofa like he was about to transform. The more he watched the TV, the more excited he became. He shifted from lying down to sitting up, his eyes opening wider, staring unblinkingly at the male actor on screen.
Then, he stuffed the pillow in his arms under his sweatshirt, and his clothes puffed up instantly.
“I’m pregnant!”
Only, the pregnancy didn’t take ten months and the baby was quickly born.
Not only did he give birth quickly, he also got pregnant quickly. The second male lead appeared for less than ten seconds before Bai Shuijin was instantly pregnant again.
By noon, after seeing the male lead, second male lead, and third male lead, he had “given birth” to four kids in total.
By lunchtime, Bai Shuijin was worn out from giving birth and ran off to eat.
The video ended. The butler took back his phone and still made sure to tattle.
“Sir, he gave birth to three more in the afternoon.”
“…”
‘What the hell was all this nonsense?’
Wang Huanxiu raised his hand and loosened his tie, feeling a headache coming on. “There’s no need to tell me about this kind of thing in the future.”
Bai Shuijin’s shameless act of claiming people as his “laogong” left and right was like slapping a green hat right on his head. The butler wanted to say more, but seeing Wang Huanxiu’s cold, decisive back, he finally shut his mouth.
Wang Huanxiu was clearly out of patience now. Say anything more and it would only annoy him.
There was an elevator in the house, but it was rarely used except for moving large furniture or musical instruments. Wang Huanxiu walked upstairs and happened to run into Bai Shuijin coming down from the second floor.
Bai Shuijin’s beige short-sleeved shirt had a cheerful dog face printed on it, just like his personality.
A large shadow suddenly appeared. Looking at the sharply dressed Wang Huanxiu, with broad shoulders and long legs, the height difference between them instantly stood out. Bai Shuijin’s eyes lit up, and like a cat spotting Jerry the mouse, he stepped down two stairs to get closer. “Laogong-ge, you’re back. I missed you all day.”
Wang Huanxiu looked at the person in front of him.
After giving birth to other people’s children all day, now he misses him at night?
Meeting Wang Huanxiu’s cold, unreadable gaze, Bai Shuijin was reminded of a forest at midnight…empty, eerie, and as complex as a maze.
But maybe it was just because they weren’t familiar with each other. He also acted cold and aloof on his first day at university.
He understood it completely.
To further build their friendly relationship, Bai Shuijin offered an invitation. “Laogong-ge, come watch TV with me.”
In the past, he was either working or rushing to finish assignments in school. He rarely had time to relax and hadn’t watched most TV shows. After binging them all day today, he found it surprisingly fun.
He was now planning to go downstairs and grab a bowl of ice cream to continue watching.
Watching some entertainment shows could help him relax and shake off the fatigue of a long day. Plus, by knowing what the other person liked to watch, they’d have something to talk about. A few chats back and forth would naturally bring them closer.
Hand in hand, heart to heart…building a strong bond between the two of them!
Wang Huanxiu didn’t agree. “No time. I have documents to read.”
Disappointment instantly appeared on Bai Shuijin’s face.
Wang Huanxiu watched his mood change without blinking, then looked away.
‘So busy. Even after a full day’s work, he still had files to read at home. It turns out that a CEOs life is so tiring.’
Those novels that described CEOs living carefree, throwing money around every day were clearly lies.
“Alright then, we’ll watch tomorrow.” Bai Shuijin didn’t wait for a reply. He was heading downstairs for ice cream. “It’s a date. Tomorrow we’ll watch TV together.”
Normally, you had to schedule an appointment to talk to big bosses. He might as well schedule one too; tomorrow night, they’d watch TV together.
His figure disappeared at the stairwell, and Wang Huanxiu ignored it and headed straight to the third floor.
The next morning, Wang Huanshou stood at the entrance as usual, getting ready to leave for work. His life was mechanical; wake up at the same time every day, get dressed, go downstairs for breakfast, then change shoes at the entrance and get ready to head out.
Every step he took was precisely aligned with the previous day, and ever since he began living alone, it had always been this way.
Three hundred and sixty-five days were all the same.
When he was still a teenager, it had been another set of mechanical, joyless routines.
In order to inherit the family business and control the company, he had to learn far more than others his age from the moment he was born, so much that he had absolutely no free time to be himself.
As soon as one class ended, the next subject would start without pause.
His sense of time was deeply ingrained. There was a clock in his mental space, and he knew exactly how every minute passed.
Only, the person handing him his lunch today wasn’t Aunt Li from the kitchen, it had been switched to…
Bai Shuijin’s eyes sparkled as he held the lunch box in front of Wang Huanxiu. “Laogong-ge, this is for you.”
Wang Huanxiu looked at the lunch box. “Is it poisoned?”
Bai Shuijin shut his eyes in frustration. “Laogong-ge, your heart is really filthy.”
“…”
He had gotten up early just to go to the kitchen and make this for Wang Huanxiu. It was his first time cooking. In his previous life, the jobs he found all came with meals included to save food money. After all, he was so exhausted from working like a dog every day that the only part of him that could move was his mouth, and he had no strength to cook for himself. When he returned to school, he just ate at the cafeteria, which was way more affordable than restaurants outside.
Though it was his first time cooking, he felt pretty good about it. He’d even used ketchup to write something inside the lunch box for Wang Huanxiu.
He shoved the lunch box into Wang Huanxi’s hand and said, “Take it and eat it. I made it myself. It’s clean and hygienic.”
“…”
Wang Huanxiu always brought lunch to the office, so how could he miss such a golden opportunity to strengthen their bond?
More emotional investment meant fewer cuts in the end, and one less bite for the sharks in the sea.
At noon, in the top-floor office of the skyscraper, documents were spread all over the floor. The white pages were densely packed with business jargon and symbols.
Jiang You stretched lazily and stood up from the pile of documents, and the papers on his legs slid off.
He glanced at the time. It was 11:55, which was time for lunch.
He turned his head and looked at Wang Huanxiu, who was still buried in files at the desk.
“Let’s wrap it up for this morning.” He picked up his suit jacket from the leather sofa, ready to go out for a meal. Brain work drained energy the fastest.
“Are you coming with me to the cafeteria today?”
Ever since some scumbag snuck in and watered the money tree to death, Wang Huanxiu had been bringing lunch from home.
But unexpectedly, he didn’t bring one yesterday, and the two of them had lunch at the cafeteria.
“Not today. You go ahead.”
Wang Huanxiu stood up and took a thermal lunch bag down from the display shelf by the office door.
It was a soft pink and decorated with stickers, which made Jiang You frown.
“Did your family switch out your lunch box? Why pick such a girly color?”
Anyone would think it was for a little girl.
Wang Huanxiu ignored him. His long, slender fingers opened the thermal bag, but when he saw the lunch box inside, his hand movements paused.
He looked up at Jiang You, who was still standing in the office and staring directly at the thermal bag.
Wang Huanxiu spoke to send him away. “Still not leaving?”
Jiang You noticed the subtle expression on his face and got curious about what was in the lunch bag, so he stepped closer.
Inside was a pink heart-shaped lunch box, with a sticky note stuck on top.
“Eat it all up~”
Jiang You laughed so hard that tears came out of his eyes. He picked up the sticky note and said, “Don’t tell me Bai Shuijin made this for you.”
Wang Huanxi’s expression didn’t change at all.
This morning before leaving, Bai Shuijin had said it was a love-bento. Now that he saw the real thing… it really matched the description.
Jiang You held up the sticky note.
Don’t say it, being married really made a difference. The other person was actually quite sweet, though it was just a bunch of little tricks. Jiang You finished laughing and became serious. “This is a tactic. Win your stomach to win your heart, trying to confuse you. Don’t fall for it.”
Wang Huanxiu gave him a meaningful look. “How do you know?”
Jiang You looked embarrassed. “…Ahem, I’ve read a few steamy romance stories.”
He once flipped through his little niece’s books when he was bored…some of them were actually pretty good.
Bai Shuijin really gave it his all for Pei Zhiheng. First marrying Wang Huanxiu, then even making lunch for him.
“Don’t you want to open it and see?” Jiang You was curious. “I bet that little waste Bai Shuijin put in a lot of effort. You’ll definitely fall in love with the first bite.”
After all, to be persuasive, he’d definitely bring out his best skills.
The heart-shaped lunch box was opened, and a hard-to-describe burnt smell floated out. The two people at the desk were stunned for a few seconds when they smelled the scent.
Why did it smell… burnt?
The lid came off, revealing an indescribable lump inside. And it had a few words written in ketchup on top.
“mi si you.”
A brief silence filled the office.
What the hell?
Jiang You: “Did he just grab some dog food and put it in?”
“…”
Looking at the so-called love bento, whether it was color, aroma, or taste, all were forfeited.
Wang Huanxiu frowned at the charred brown mystery object.
Jiang You recalled the plot of the novel he’d read before.
“Fall in love with the first bite…” Jiang You couldn’t hold back his expression. “Wang Huanxiu, you’re a real pervert.”
“…”