-026- Putting the honey trap on her.
The next morning, Jingbei was shrouded in thick fog, and the temperature seemed to have dropped again. Xuan Yang didn't deliberately wake up early; she got up at her usual work alarm time. When she finished washing up and dressing and walked out of the second bedroom, Zhou Dang had already prepared a simple breakfast. Xuan Yang was a bit surprised, never expecting Zhou Dang to be the 'virtuous husband' type in private. She was curious: did he wake up this early during his school days?
“After breakfast, I’ll drive you,” Zhou Dang said as he leisurely arranged the tableware, giving Xuan Yang a warm look. “Orange juice or milk? Pick one.”
Xuan Yang walked to the dining table and looked at the simple yet nutritious Western-style breakfast, feeling even more that she was getting the better end of the deal by marrying Zhou Dang. “Juice is fine, thank you.” Xuan Yang sat down and took the freshly squeezed orange juice Zhou Dang handed her. Her gaze fell on the man’s face, and she asked sincerely, “Do you really not regret marrying me, CEO Zhou?”
Zhou Dang looked at her, questioning with a hum, puzzled. Xuan Yang curled her lips. “After all, I’m a wife who can’t even prepare breakfast for her husband.” Zhou Dang also smirked, pushing the cut thick omelet toward her. “Regret what? Being able to serve my beautiful wife is my honor as a husband.” He said it seriously, and such sweet words actually sounded sincere rather than cheesy. Xuan Yang’s eyes flickered, and she uneasily avoided Zhou Dang’s gaze. She focused on the breakfast and began to eat. Zhou Dang smiled and didn’t say more. After finishing his tasks, he sat down next to Xuan Yang and enjoyed the peaceful breakfast with her.
After breakfast, Xuan Yang intended to do something practical and clean up. Zhou Dang didn’t stop her, but he didn’t leave either. He helped from the side, and together they cleaned up the table and took everything to the kitchen. Later, they went out together to go to work. This mode of interaction gave Xuan Yang the illusion that they were already an old married couple.
Zhou Dang drove her to the Junda building. Just before Xuan Yang unbuckled her seatbelt and got out, he stopped her. Xuan Yang paused in pushing open the car door and turned to look at him. “What’s wrong?” Zhou Dang glanced at the wedding ring on her ring finger and finally voiced what he had been brewing all morning. “I want to ask if you’ve changed your mind.” Xuan Yang: “?” Zhou Dang: “Would you consider moving to Shangtian Mansion?” He paused and added, “We’ve been getting along very well these past few days, haven’t we?” Xuan Yang understood, and it belatedly dawned on her why Zhou Dang had carefully prepared breakfast for her. It was still about living together. Although they had previously mentioned Zhou Dang moving into her rental apartment, her place was really a bit small. It was fine for Zhou Dang to stay occasionally, but for a long-term stay, working would definitely be inconvenient. So Xuan Yang had told him that the topic of cohabitation should be postponed. But these past few days had indeed been pleasant and harmonious, which made Xuan Yang waver. “Give me two days to think it over,” Xuan Yang relented. Zhou Dang, as if granted amnesty, unbuckled his seatbelt, leaned over, hooked his arm around her neck, and gently pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Xuan Yang was stunned. Her heart rate unconsciously sped up, never expecting Zhou Dang to put a honey trap on her. This man... He knew how to use his own advantages. “Go on, don’t work too hard.” Zhou Dang took a deep breath, suppressed the agitation in his heart, and reluctantly let go of her. Xuan Yang swallowed, not daring to meet his eyes, and pushed the door open to get out, practically fleeing. The car door closed, and the graceful figure outside the window trotted into the building. Only then did Zhou Dang, his eyes dark, roll his Adam’s apple and drive away.
By the time Xuan Yang reached her desk, her heart was still racing. From last night to today, Zhou Dang had kissed her twice. Although she had initiated the first one, and although both kisses had only landed on her hair without direct skin contact, she was well aware that she was deeply affected. She increasingly felt that Zhou Dang’s eagerness to live together was because he wanted to take things further with her. Perhaps Xie Xinglan was right; Zhou Dang was a normal man in his prime, and it was impossible for him to have no thoughts about her after marriage. Xie Xinglan also said that if Zhou Dang could still hold back and do nothing with Xuan Yang, then he must have a problem in that area. But facts proved that Zhou Dang definitely didn’t have a problem in that area. And based on Xuan Yang’s feelings from that night when she sat on him, he should be quite capable. ... Xuan Yang patted her cheeks to wake herself up.
In the afternoon, Liang Kai informed Xuan Yang that she needed to go on a two-day business trip to a neighboring city and told her to go home and pack. The trip was so sudden that Xuan Yang only remembered to send Zhou Dang a message after she had boarded the high-speed train. [I have a business trip for two days.] [Call me if anything comes up.]
Zhou Dang had just finished a high-level meeting when he saw these two messages. He had his assistant Shen Li cancel the evening dinner engagement and also had him book a restaurant. He had originally planned to have dinner with Xuan Yang that evening. He hadn’t expected Xuan Yang to be on a business trip. Zhou Dang frowned, feeling somewhat heavy-hearted.
Shen Li was walking beside him, reporting the progress of a new project. When it came to a medical technology issue, Shen Li noticed that Zhou Dang was distracted, so he swallowed the rest of the work content. He leaned in and raised his voice: “CEO Zhou!” Zhou Dang snapped back to attention and shot him a displeased glance. Shen Li smiled and stepped back a bit, returning to a normal distance and volume: “It’s almost time for lunch. What would you like to eat? I’ll order it.” Zhou Dang glanced at his watch; it was indeed already noon. And Xuan Yang’s message had been sent at ten in the morning; by now she should have already arrived in the neighboring city. “You handle it,” Zhou Dang replied absentmindedly, one hand in his pocket, striding toward the CEO’s office.
Shen Li frowned and followed. Recently, he felt he couldn’t quite read his boss’s mind. The boss was always distracted; if it were before, he would definitely have been able to guess what he was thinking at once. It was always about project issues or subordinates not doing well—anyway, it was definitely work-related. But since the boss got married quietly, his focus seemed to have shifted from work elsewhere. Shen Li also knew that the boss’s change must be related to the boss’s wife. But he had followed Zhou Dang for years and had never encountered such a situation, so he really didn’t know how to handle it. As he followed Zhou Dang into the office, Shen Li couldn’t help thinking that he should probably add the boss’s wife’s contact information. Starting from the boss’s wife might be the way to find a breakthrough.
While Shen Li’s thoughts were racing, Zhou Dang had already settled at his desk, casually picked up the accumulated agreements nearby, and informed Shen Li: “Cancel the restaurant reservation for tonight.” Shen Li focused, looking at his boss: “Okay.” Although he didn’t know the reason, he vaguely felt that his boss’s earlier distraction was related to this. Could it be that he had a fight with the boss’s wife? Shen Li tentatively asked, “Then the dinner you cancelled—will you attend it?” Zhou Dang didn’t even look up: “No.” Shen Li understood and didn’t ask further, turning around to go order lunch.
The vast CEO’s office was suddenly left with only Zhou Dang. He flipped through the project contracts for a while, but finally couldn’t help sending Xuan Yang a message: [Take care, waiting for you to come back.] Xuan Yang replied after half an hour: [Okay.]
Two days passed very quickly for Xuan Yang. After all, she was on a business trip; once fully immersed in work, she didn’t feel the passage of time at all. But for Zhou Dang, it was unexpectedly torturous. Before this, he never knew he had separation anxiety. Xuan Yang also didn’t expect to receive Zhou Dang’s greetings for every meal and intermittent care during the two-day business trip. Although Zhou Dang wasn’t in her city, he seemed to understand the weather changes there better than she did. When Xuan Yang told Xie Xinglan about this, she was teased a bit. Xie Xinglan: “I was worried that you and Zhou Dang wouldn’t get along after marriage, but I didn’t expect him to be so savvy. He really knows how to be a husband. Not to mention anything else, with his meticulousness and thoughtfulness, if it were me, I would have fallen for him long ago. Yangyang, when do you plan to become husband and wife in the true sense?”
At that time, Xuan Yang had already returned to Jingbei. It was evening; she, Liang Kai, and another colleague were in the company’s car sent to pick them up from the station. Liang Kai, considering the hardship of the business trip, gave them a day off to go home and rest well, then go all out for the upcoming court hearings. The black business van dropped Xuan Yang off near her rental apartment. She was about to send Zhou Dang a message to update him on her whereabouts. Unexpectedly, she first received a call from her adoptive father, Xuan Yinnian. Xuan Yang stood by the street, holding the handle of her suitcase, and answered the call. Her adoptive father’s voice was low and deep, as always carrying the authority of an elder: “Yangyang, come home for dinner tonight. Your mother and I want to talk to you.”
In fact, during the two-day business trip to the neighboring city, Xuan Yang had also received calls from the Xuan family. There were calls from the butler, from Xuan Yinnian’s assistant, and from Xuan Yao. Their words all urged her to return to the Xuan family. But since Xuan Yang wasn’t in Jingbei, she declined them all. Now that her adoptive father himself was calling her to come back, Xuan Yang knew she had no reason to refuse any longer. So she agreed. After hanging up, she stood on the busy street and let out a soft sigh. The sky was somewhat gloomy, with thick clouds pressing down, giving a suffocating and oppressive feeling. It was heavy and irritating.
Xuan Yang first returned to her rental apartment to drop off her luggage, then without delay, took a taxi to the Xuan Family Villa. Before leaving, she sent Zhou Dang a message. It was only when the taxi arrived at the Xuan Family Villa that Zhou Dang replied. Zhou Dang: [Something came up, I have to go to Shanghai for a while. I’ll be back tomorrow noon.] Zhou Dang: [Let’s have dinner together then?] Xuan Yang agreed. Zhou Dang then got to the point: [What does the Xuan family want you back for?] Xuan Yang: [Not sure, they said they want to talk.] Zhou Dang: [How about I go with you when I get back?] Xuan Yang: [No need, I’m already at the door.] Xuan Yang: [It’s fine, they can’t eat me after all.] She forced a lighthearted tone and sent a cute smiley emoji. Zhou Dang was still serious: [Contact me immediately if anything happens.] After a while, he sent another message: [When you leave, have the driver pick you up.] Zhou Dang gave Xuan Yang the contact information of the arranged driver and also told her to stay at Shangtian Mansion. Finally, as if afraid that Xuan Yang might worry, he explained: [My trip won’t end early, so you don’t have to worry about me suddenly coming back.] Xuan Yang: “…” She wasn’t that on guard against him.