But it wasn't as severe as he made it out to be.
The call lasted from 6:02 to 6:40.
They agreed to continue tomorrow.
After hanging up, Song Xintan saw a message from his secretary.
Secretary Zhang had sent a gift list, with six items prepared to celebrate Xu Qinghe's marriage certificate.
Secretary Zhang: [Mr. Song, please take a look. Do you need any adjustments or additions?]
Song Xintan glanced over it. The crystal swan cake was listed first.
He replied: [This is fine.]
Secretary Zhang: [Then I'll have everything sent over tomorrow.]
Song Xintan didn't pay attention to the word “everything.” Besides, Xu Qinghe had already publicly thanked him for the cake on Moments.
He had no suspicion that the cake delivered early wasn't ordered by Secretary Zhang: [Good work.]
--
In the study of the rented apartment, Shi Wenli looked at the call duration. He hadn't even talked to Xu Qinghe that long.
He tried to set aside the impression Song Xintan had made on him and just think of him as someone sent to evaluate whether Shi Wenli was a suitable lifelong partner for Xu Qinghe.
While he was on the phone, Xu Qinghe had taken a shower.
Shi Wenli walked into the bedroom to find her already in bed, leaning against the headboard and flipping through a medical journal.
“How long did you sleep this afternoon?” He walked over and placed his phone on the nightstand to charge.
Xu Qinghe closed the journal: “Three or four hours.”
Shi Wenli told her to sleep early tonight and try to catch up on rest.
Xu Qinghe put the journal back. After a few seconds of embarrassment, she still brought it up with him: “... Maybe we could try to finish our marital duties earlier from now on? That way, if I get an emergency call in the middle of the night, it won't affect us too much.”
Shi Wenli looked at her: “I was just about to say the same thing.”
If they could finish before ten, even if she got a call at one in the morning, she could still get a few hours of sleep. Otherwise, if they stayed up until the middle of the night like last night, and she had to go to the emergency room at two in the morning, she wouldn't be able to make it without coffee.
Xu Qinghe realized that they had a natural harmony in many things.
Shi Wenli went to the bathroom. She threw off the covers and got out of bed, opening the wardrobe to find one of his shirts. She didn't want to wear her shawl tonight.
The shawl was still too warm.
She planned to find a T-shirt of his to wear.
It wasn't that she couldn't wear her own pajamas.
But for some reason, she wanted to wear his.
There were only a few clothes left in the wardrobe. No T-shirts—they must have all been moved to the new house.
But hanging on the clothes rack was the white shirt he had worn the day they got their marriage certificate.
A shirt wasn't as comfortable as a cotton T-shirt, but as long as it was his, it was fine.
Xu Qinghe took down the shirt he had worn only once and changed out of her nightgown.
She only buttoned a few middle buttons, leaving the collar and hem loose.
They were married now; a little bit of spice was in order.
She didn't wear a bra, and there was a slight friction between her skin and the shirt fabric.
When Shi Wenli came out of the bathroom, he first put their clothes in the washing machine on the balcony and set the program to start.
Last night, she had asked him if they could leave the washing machine running in the future, since it was too quiet otherwise.
Back in the bedroom, she was sitting on the duvet, applying lotion to her calves, wearing his shirt.
During their lovemaking yesterday, she had been embarrassed by her own loudness and had avoided looking at him. Today, she was trying hard to overcome that psychological barrier, taking the initiative to wear his clothes.
She had placed the bouquet of roses on the nightstand.
The entire bedroom was filled with the faint scent of roses.
When they first started dating, she said she didn't need flowers, so he hadn't bought any.
He should have bought a bouquet.
She would have been delighted.
Xu Qinghe looked up at the sound of his approach, pretending to be nonchalant: “Borrowing your shirt for the night.”
Shi Wenli said, “You can borrow it for several nights. I hardly ever wear it. You can wear it from now on.”
Xu Qinghe put the lid back on the lotion and set it casually by the pillow.
She raised her hand and flicked off the light switch on the wall.
In the darkness, she could feel more at ease.
When Shi Wenli's lips descended upon hers, she wrapped her arms around his neck and told him why she had worn his shirt: “Now that we're in a relationship, I suddenly wanted to wear your clothes.”