Then he walked off without another word, Lin quickly following behind him toward the study.
True to his word, exactly three minutes later, fast footsteps sounded on the stairs.
Zihan came down, sleeves already rolled up, Lin trailing behind him with a stack of files. "I'll come for the files tomorrow morning, president" Lin said, trying to keep up.
"No need," Zihan replied calmly as he walked. "I'll be at the office tomorrow."
Before Lin could respond, Zihan changed direction and headed straight into the kitchen. He grabbed an apron and tied it around his waist with practiced ease.
Lin froze. "…Boss," he said slowly, clearly questioning reality at this point, "what are you doing?"
Zihan didn't even look at him. "Are you blind?" he replied flatly, already turning on the gas stove.
He cracked an egg cleanly against the bowl.
Then another.
And another.
His movements were calm, efficient, almost too natural.
Lin blinked.
Once.
Twice.
This was the same man who would rather starve than cook for himself.
"…You're cooking?" he asked, still trying to process it.
Zihan finally glanced at him, his expression indifferent. "I'm making breakfast for my wife and I." A brief pause. "We haven't eaten."
Lin went completely silent. "…But, boss," he said cautiously, "madam is here now. Shouldn't she be the one handling things like this?"
The moment the words left his mouth, he felt it.
Regret.
Immediate regret.
Zihan slowly turned his head. "Did I marry a wife," he said calmly, "or hire a maid?" A pause. "And you wonder why men like you struggle," he added coolly. "There's nothing in that skull of yours."
Lin stiffened. "You struggled too before". He mumbled.
Zihan picked up the knife he had been using to slice onions earlier, his movements unhurried. "Lin." He stepped closer.
Lin's heartbeat spiked.
Zihan's lips curved ever so slightly, a faint, dangerous amusement flickering in his eyes. "Why are you still standing there?" he asked. "Do you want to assist me?"
He casually held the knife out toward him and that was enough.
His adrenaline spiked, Lin bolted, out of the kitchen.
Zihan let out a quiet breath and turned back to the stove as if nothing had happened.
The eggs sizzled softly.
Toast popped up.
Soft footsteps approached and he didn't need to turn to know it was Guo Min.
She stopped at the kitchen entrance, leaning slightly against the frame. "This is new," she said, her gaze roaming freely.
Zihan, sleeves rolled up, the apron tied neatly, standing by the stove like it was the most natural place for him to be.
There was something… unexpectedly attractive about it. "Trying to impress me that much, hubby?" she added, walking in.
She hopped up onto the kitchen counter, sitting comfortably as she watched him.
Zihan plated the eggs and toast neatly before finally answering.
"Is it working?"
"Mm. Mm. Mm. Mm."
He didn't even need to look at her to know she was being deliberately sarcastic.
A quiet sigh escaped him.
He picked up the plates and turned to leave for the dining room, but just as he passed her... he stopped.
A shift.
Then suddenly, he leaned in, before she could react... He caught her lower lip between his, a brief, teasing pull and in a few moments it was gone almost as quickly as it came.
Nothing heated but it was enough to make her pause. He pulled back, eyes lingering on her expression, a faint smile forming.
"Come let's eat before it gets cold," he said calmly, as if he hadn't just done anything at all, then walked out.
The couples were finally having a rebloom while ...
Wu Entertainment
Xiang had lost count of how many times he'd sighed since Ruoxi stormed into his office.
Chaos followed her like a shadow.
She hadn't sat down once, not once. Just pacing back and forth, heels clicking against the floor, her voice filling every corner of the room.
"Why the hell is the internet saying such nonsense about us?" she snapped. "Do we even look like we have chemistry?!"
"…Yeah," Xiang replied flatly, eyes still on the documents in front of him. "We don't."
That only made her stop mid step. She turned sharply. "You know what, Xiang? This is your fault. Completely your fault. If you had just spoken to me properly that night, none of this would've happened."
That made him pause, slowly, he lifted his head. "My fault?" he repeated.
"Yes. Your fault," she shot back immediately.
A moment passed. Then Xiang closed the file in front of him with a quiet thud and leaned back in his chair, finally giving her his full attention.
"…So," he said calmly, "what exactly do you want me to do?"
Ruoxi didn't hesitate. "Take it down."
A scoff left him.
"You're more than capable of doing that yourself," he replied. Then his gaze narrowed slightly. "…Or is this just an excuse to see me?"
The effect of his words was immediate. Her eyes flared. "You are so full of yourself."
"Yeah," he said lazily. "Who else am I supposed to be full of?"
"God, you're unbelievable," she snapped. "And that's exactly why you're full of shit." A pause, then... "I came here thinking we could at least agree on something since we're both involved in this mess. I don't want your parents showing up at my house with a wedding proposal. Do you have any idea how pressuring that would be?".
Xiang's gaze turned annoyed, "My parents," he said slowly, "aren't that desperate to the point of making me marry someone like you."
The words landed and Ruoxi's expression shifted instantly. "What the hell?" she stepped forward. "How dare you...". she paused. Then very slowly a furious smirk spread across her lips.
Xiang frowned slightly. That look… It didn't sit right. Seconds passed. And then... Chaos happened.
Ruoxi moved, fast... Before Xiang could even react, the nearest stack of files went flying, papers scattering across the floor like a storm. A decorative vase followed, shattering against the ground with a sharp crash. A chair scraped violently as she kicked it aside, the table shifting out of place.
In less than a minute, his perfectly arranged office was unrecognizable. Ruoxi grabbed her bag in one swift motion, her chest rising with anger.
She shot him one last glare. "You deserved that." And then she stormed out. The door slammed shut behind her.
For a moment Xiang remained seated, completely still, his gaze slowly sweeping across the disaster she had left behind.
"…Unbelievable," he muttered under his breath, before he burst into laughter.
Low at first.
Then louder.
"She's insane…". There was no real anger in his voice, if anything it was something dangerously close to amusement.
Later that evening (6:00 PM, Wang Estate).
The moment Ruoxi's car entered the garage, her instincts screamed at her to turn around and leave. Additional cars were already parked neatly inside the estate.
Luxury sedans and familiar license plates. Her soul nearly left her body. "…No way."
But despite the warning bells ringing violently in her head, she forced herself out of the car and walked inside anyway.
The moment she stepped into the living room, "Welcome home, my child!"
Yun Ai's voice sounded unusually bright, too bright that Ruoxi immediately sensed danger, and then she saw them.
The heads of the Wu family. Wu Zhiyu and Qin Fen sat comfortably in the Wang family living room as though this was already a family meeting.
"Oh no", Without hesitation, Ruoxi quietly pulled out her phone beneath her bag, fingers moving rapidly, sending the Wu's heir a message.
Ruoxi: Come get your parents right now.
"My child," Qin Fen called warmly.
Ruoxi immediately shoved her phone away and forced a smile onto her face. "Yes, Auntie," she replied sweetly. "Good evening, Auntie. Uncle." She slipped off her heels and walked over to sit down carefully.
"Uncle?" Wu Zhiyu repeated, looking offended.
Then the older man smiled broadly. "Call me Dad instead," he said proudly. "We'll be family soon anyway."
Ruoxi choked violently on her juice. "Cough!"