Jiang Ruoqi sensed the awkwardness and added, "But Dr. Meng, rest assured, every word I use to coax you comes from my heart."
"Really?" Meng Shang didn't believe it.
"Really, really."
"Mm." Meng Shang noncommittally turned sideways, pulling her into a hug. "Why did you suddenly ask about this?"
Earlier, when Jiang Ruoqi told him about Su Yansheng and Ada's conflict, Meng Shang had been worried. Their four-way relationship was intertwined and complicated; he feared that Ada and Su Yansheng's problems might affect his relationship with Jiang Ruoqi.
Jiang Ruoqi rested her hand on his arm and shifted higher to pillow it on his bicep. "It's not about them. I just thought... we do it quite often. What if the contraception fails?"
Not that often, right? Meng Shang's mind wandered.
Did she think the frequency was high because she wasn't enjoying it, or because he wasn't skilled enough?
"You... don't like it?" Meng Shang's eyes drooped, a hint of dejection.
"I'm not saying your technique is bad." Jiang Ruoqi was usually thick-skinned, but discussing this afterward still made her shy, so she quickly changed the subject.
"Oh, by the way, I might need to go back to Gangcheng after New Year's. Around January every year, Sophia isn't in a good state due to personal reasons, and she needs company. This year Ada will probably be busy, so I want to go back once..."
"...Okay, I understand."
Meng Shang seemed to listen attentively, but his hand slid down from Jiang Ruoqi's waist, over her thigh, and he lifted her leg to wrap around his waist.
Her nightgown rode up again with the movement, and her inner thigh pressed against his waist, where his shirt was disheveled. Unlike the cool, smooth silk of her pajamas, his skin was hot and his abdominal muscles taut.
Meng Shang didn't speak, but his actions showed he wasn't satisfied with her answer.
Jiang Ruoqi immediately begged for mercy: "I like it, I like it! But Director Meng, it's the first day of the new year. Don't you think you should show some restraint? Look at the time. You have work tomorrow. Close your eyes and go to sleep, okay?"
Meng Shang's soft laugh landed by her ear. "Then I'll take it seriously."
Please take it seriously, Jiang Ruoqi thought.
Meng Shang's learning ability was astonishing. If this continued, she wouldn't be able to handle him soon.
A light kiss landed on Jiang Ruoqi's neck. She was sensitive and ticklish, and when she tried to shrink away, she realized that even with her on top of him, he could easily restrain her.
"I won't tease you anymore. Sleep."
Another soft kiss by her ear, a tiny "pop" sound.
"Sleep, sleep."
Jiang Ruoqi immediately pretended to close her eyes and summon sleep, afraid that if she hesitated, the crickets in her heart would chirp out.
Dog of a man. She had spoken too soon.
She should take back that remark about him being a block of wood!
On the first day of the new year, Dr. Meng indulged in pleasure and rarely slept in. He didn't go out for his morning run, but he still had plenty of time to call his mother and grandmother before heading to the hospital.
The elderly lady was in good spirits and chatted nonstop with Meng Shang about Jiang Ruoqi—how she had bought them many things, and even though she left in a hurry yesterday, she still ordered dinner from a restaurant.
She asked when Jiang Ruoqi got home last night and told Meng Shang to share more housework and not bully the poor girl.
Old people tend to ramble, plus she had Jiang Ruoqi on her mind, so she talked for a good ten minutes.
Meng Shang was patient, listening attentively while tidying up the house, scooping Yuanbao's litter, refilling his food and water, and making breakfast for two.
But Grandma was still sick, and her coughing interrupted her thoughts. Finally, she handed the phone back to Yun Dan and leaned back to rest.
Knowing Meng Shang was in a hurry to get to work, Yun Dan just said a few words, most of them asking about Jiang Ruoqi. The mother-son relationship wasn't close; they rarely had much to say unless the topic was his wife.
As for the person the elder was concerned about, she was currently sound asleep hugging Meng Shang's pillow.
This bad habit, Meng Shang thought, he would have to correct sooner or later.
He dressed neatly, tucked the covers in, and pressed a light kiss on Jiang Ruoqi's forehead before closing the bedroom door, shutting out the determined Meng Yuanbao.
Meng Yuanbao's protest to his father was futile, and he slunk back to his cat bed.
On the first day of the new year, most people were still on vacation, but even after work resumed the next day, few would have their minds on the job.
This transition period between years was the hardest. After New Year's, everyone started counting down to the Spring Festival. Using "we'll deal with it after the holidays" as the most effective self-consolation.
Jiang Ruoqi was the same. Staying home and lying flat was way too comfortable. She wished she could achieve financial freedom soon and just sleep and pet the cat all day.
Of course, that was just a daydream.
This year, the Spring Festival fell in mid-to-late February. In the month and a half leading up to it, her personal schedule required her to return to Gangcheng in early January—a sort of arrangement, due to some old matters concerning Sophia.
At work, the Glint counter was expanding to surrounding cities as per group requirements. Last month, the brand development department had just finalized leasing agreements with several shopping malls in nearby first-tier cities. Their department had to coordinate with marketing.
The Spring Festival was a must-fight period. Even the most obscure brand could sell a few items in the mall, so the Bald Boss naturally wouldn't let them off.
Everything had to be settled before the Spring Festival. The work pressure was no small matter.
On New Year's Day, Jiang Ruoqi checked her schedule with great resentment, then headed straight to the 4S dealership she had been eyeing to order a car.
After Su Yansheng's incident, Jiang Ruoqi felt that having only one car in the family was inconvenient. When she needed to use it, Meng Shang couldn't, and vice versa.
Plus, a few days ago, her former superior in Gangcheng had introduced her to a contact—the COO of a commercial real estate company's Gangcheng headquarters, who was on a business trip in the mainland next week. She was supposed to visit and get acquainted, which would help with future advertising and promotions.
She could muddle through at work, but meeting a client by subway or taxi? From a purely commercial standpoint, that would be a major problem.
The visit was scheduled for next Wednesday. Jiang Ruoqi thought the timing was good; midweek was a stable day for getting into the work mindset.
But she hadn't expected that when there was an issue with the person she was meeting, all other advantages would also lose their effect.
For example, all of Jiang Ruoqi's thoughts about getting herself to work properly vanished the moment she saw the "contact" COO.