34: underestimate

Time passed much faster this week than before; perhaps this is what it means to be fulfilled?

On Friday afternoon, Yan Zhuohua finished his tasks early. He planned to head up to the 23rd floor to report to the CEO as an excuse to rest in the CEO's office for a while—in short, to slack off.

Before he could head upstairs, his phone suddenly rang. It was a call from Wen Hengtang.

"It's not even quitting time yet. Why is the Great King of Overtime, Wen, calling me?"

"I went out on field duty with my leader today, and since we finished early, I can get off work directly. What about you? Oh, sorry, I forgot you haven't finished yet. Am I disturbing you? Should I call back in an hour?" Wen Hengtang's voice carried a hint of bragging.

"What are you so smug about? In a bit, I'm going up to report my work to my CEO Yan, and then I'll wait for him so we can go home together to eat a meal cooked by Mom. I won't have time to take your calls then, so say what you need to say quickly!"

Wen Hengtang hadn't expected his bragging to fail; instead, he was checkmated, nearly cursing out of frustration.

"Since Deputy Director Yan is so busy, I suppose you don't have time to have a meal with a friend like me?" Wen Hengtang began to speak sarcastically.

Yan Zhuohua was amused by his rather unskilled sarcasm and only managed to compose himself after a while. "There's still time for that. When? Tonight won't work; I'm going home."

"How about tomorrow? Tomorrow at noon. That way, I won't disturb the romantic evening you have planned with your CEO Yan tomorrow night!"

Only then did Yan Zhuohua realize he had casually let the words "my CEO Yan" slip out. He cursed himself inwardly for becoming such a "doting wife" lately. Was it because he had stayed with Yan Qinghe for too long that he had unconsciously become like this? Eager to move past this topic, he quickly replied, "Fine, fine, fine. Tomorrow at noon then. Since you've just arrived and aren't familiar with this place, I'll decide on the location and send it to you in a bit."

After hanging up, Yan Zhuohua was still in a state of shame over thinking, "I've really become a doting wife." It wasn't until he snapped out of it that he felt a shiver of disgust. It must be an illusion! I'm so capable, skilled in both the pen and the sword—how could I be a "doting wife"?

Forcing himself out of that internal script, Yan Zhuohua flipped through the work on his desk that he had already finished. Finding that there was indeed nothing left to do, he slowly packed his things and stood up to head upstairs.

Why did I work so fast?

Yan Qinghe was working in his office, glancing at the time every now and then. During lunch, he had agreed with Yan Zhuohua that once Zhuohua finished his work early, he would come up to keep him company. Given Yan Zhuohua's efficiency, he should have been up by now. Why was there still no movement? Yan Qinghe felt a bit anxious.

Fortunately, Yan Zhuohua didn't make him wait long, arriving at the office before 5:30.

The office remained very quiet. Yan Qinghe had a bit more work than Yan Zhuohua, and he hadn't called him up to actually do anything; he just wanted his wife's company. One worked while the other ate snacks, drank beverages, and scrolled through the social media platform. They tacitly went about their own business without disturbing each other.

After a while, however, Yan Qinghe felt a gaze with a very strong presence.

He looked up, only to find Yan Zhuohua deeply engrossed in his phone. Yan Qinghe smiled knowingly and went back to work. Then, that gaze returned to him again.

This time, Yan Qinghe didn't look up. Although he was curious why Zhuohua was suddenly staring at him like this, now was clearly not the time to catch him in the act. Moreover, Yan Qinghe quite enjoyed this focused gaze. Being the center of attention for the person one likes is something anyone would be happy about. At least, Yan Qinghe was very happy.

Seeing that Yan Qinghe didn't look up again, Yan Zhuohua's gaze became even more bold. That slip of the tongue today still bothered him a bit. At first, it was shock, but now that he had calmed down, he realized something was wrong.

It seemed he had become quite "delicate" lately under Yan Qinghe's repeated teasing.

Every time, Yan Qinghe would annoy him with some strange words, watch him blush and feel ashamed, then lean in to coax him, and he would soften his heart and let him off. After this happened many times, it seemed Yan Zhuohua had formed new habits and perceptions. Not only was he somewhat immune to those teasing words, but he had also been slightly infected by this "shameless" behavior; some intimate phrases now came to him quite naturally.

This situation was indeed a bit problematic. Yan Zhuohua freely scrutinized the man buried in his work. It seemed he had underestimated Yan Qinghe's methods.

But what could he do? Other than sinking deeper into Yan Qinghe's schemes, there really wasn't much he could do. Yan Zhuohua sighed; for now, he could only hope that he would fall completely a little later, as he still had things to attend to.

Having understood these changes, Yan Zhuohua didn't withdraw his gaze; instead, he became more relaxed. It was an old saying that a man working seriously is at his most handsome. Yan Zhuohua didn't know if Yan Qinghe was the "most," but his good looks were undoubtedly beyond question. With superior looks, a refined temperament, a focused attitude, and the tie and tie clip he was wearing today—which were gifts from Yan Zhuohua—it was understandable that Yan Zhuohua felt himself falling.

Half an hour later, Yan Qinghe signed the last document and finally finished his work for the week. He walked over to Yan Zhuohua, took his hand, and led him out of the office.

This intimate behavior was becoming more and more natural; it was truly hard to resist! Yan Zhuohua obediently let Yan Qinghe lead him away, his heart full of complaints, yet he didn't struggle even once.

Once they returned to the main residence and finished the carefully prepared dinner and the "Nourishing Tonic Soup" from Mom, the two were finally ushered back to their bedroom to rest.

It was called rest, but in reality, it wasn't. Friday nights had always been Yan Qinghe's time for joyful indulgence. After sending Yan Zhuohua back to his bedroom to wash up, he rushed to his own bedroom and into the bathroom. This was the benefit of both people in the house having their own rooms; it saved time on washing up!

Yan Zhuohua, who had been pushed into the bathroom with clothes stuffed into his hands, felt a bit helpless. He had originally wanted to discuss with Yan Qinghe whether they could postpone their "joyful indulgence" by a day since he had an appointment tomorrow, but Yan Qinghe hadn't given him any time to speak at all.

Shaking his head helplessly, Yan Zhuohua decided to take a shower first.

Unfortunately, he didn't find an opportunity to speak for the rest of the night.

It wasn't until Yan Zhuohua's alarm went off the next morning that Yan Qinghe learned Yan Zhuohua had an appointment for lunch.

Yan Qinghe was furious! His wife was actually going to a lunch date with some random man while covered in marks?

————

The above is purely fictional.

Although he felt a bit bad for Yan Zhuohua going out while feeling uncomfortable all over, and was somewhat wary of this friend who had asked his wife out twice in a short time and followed her from City B to City A, Yan Qinghe still magnanimously let him go.

He just asked several times before Yan Zhuohua left if he needed accompaniment, and after being rejected, he still firmly insisted that the family driver provide transport.

It was clear that Yan Qinghe possessed quite a bit of possessiveness.