Volume One, Chapter 109: When Will You Make Him Official?

"What's wrong?"

The Maybach pulled away from the white villa. Sang Wan glanced back at Mu Fangfei, who stood numbly in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, then turned to ask Lou Ye, "You two... had a fight?"

"A fight? Hah..."

Lou Ye laughed. "It's not even worth fighting with her."

Then he explained bluntly, "Her brother, Mu Chengfeng, grew up playing with us. Since he's not in the imperial capital, we all look after his little sister. Ask Jiang Huai—every one of his girlfriends had their dresses custom-made here. Not only did she never charge advertising or promotion fees, but over the course of a year, who didn't spend tens of millions with her..."

But Mu Fangfei clearly had her mind on everything but design. After all these years, she still hadn't made a name for her own brand; instead, she had started prying into his private life.

Was he really paying money just to make himself miserable?

Lou Ye's gaze turned cold.

Then Sang Wan gave him a look of odd surprise. "That new-style Chinese dress the beauty wore yesterday—was that made here too?"

What?

Why had the conversation jumped back to Du Qingyan again?

Hadn't he already explained himself?

Was it really that hard to understand?

Anger churned in Lou Ye's eyes.

Sang Wan laughed and tugged at his sleeve. "I really do like that dress. I wasn't trying to bring up a sore point!"

After that soft little coaxing tone she'd just used, she went and pulled on his sleeve again.

Lou Ye felt as if something had been lightly hooked across his heart.

He caught her hand and looked back at her. "Really?"

"Really!"

Sang Wan nodded. "I've always liked qipaos. I just never had the chance to wear one."

When she was in school, the setting wasn't right.

After marriage, her figure was no longer what it had been.

Every time she went shopping and saw girls in qipaos, she would linger on them a little longer than usual.

And that photograph had seemed to draw out the faint longing hidden deep in her heart.

Now she had a little money, and her figure was still not bad.

Most importantly, she wanted to wear one for Lou Ye to see.

Since realizing she had developed those tiny, secret feelings for him, this was the first time Sang Wan had ever wanted so urgently to do something.

Just for him.

"All right!"

Lou Ye agreed at once. "Leave it to me."

And Lou Ye was as good as his word.

The next evening, when she got home from work, the elevator stopped on the twentieth floor all the way up.

By the time Sang Wan stepped inside, an old gentleman was already seated in the living room, sipping tea.

He looked up.

Straightened his back.

Took a breath.

The old gentleman measured not only her shoulder width and circumferences, but even which foot she stepped forward with when she walked, and how wide her stride was.

He had filled a little notebook until the corners curled up. After finishing his densely packed notes, he squinted through his reading glasses and asked Sang Wan, "Do you plan to get pregnant within the next year?"

What?

Sang Wan froze.

The next moment, she realized that everyone in the living room, from the old gentleman to the assistant apprentices, and even Lou Ye, was staring at her.

"No... no."

Sang Wan shook her head decisively.

Her face burned at once.

The old gentleman lowered his head and continued taking notes.

When Sang Wan looked over again, she caught the trace of a smile in Lou Ye's eyes.

"What are you smiling at?"

After the others had dispersed, Sang Wan reached out to poke him.

He hooked a finger around hers, slipped an arm around her waist, and drew her into his embrace. "Sister, when are you going to give me a proper title?"

A... what kind of title?

Sang Wan's heartbeat skipped.

Lou Ye lifted his eyes to hers.

His dark gaze was deep and shadowed, like a whirlpool rising on a sea just before the storm.

One ring.

Then another.

Rippling outward, spreading a fullness of tenderness.

"Lou Ye, I..."

A flash of panic swept through Sang Wan's eyes.

Lou Ye knew then that the timing was not right.

He took her lips to stop the words she was about to say. When the kiss ended, he changed the subject. "What do you want for dinner tonight?"

"What do you want to eat?"

"You."

"..."

A few minutes later, Sang Wan guided him by the stove while Lou Ye held her hand, and together they began to pan-sear steaks.

"Lou Ye, I can do it myself."

"But I want to learn too. I want to have a day when I can cook for you instead of always letting you work while I just stand and watch."

"Then I'll teach you next time."

"There's always a first time. Why can't it start today?"

"..."

Sang Wan felt that Lou Ye was right. "Then let's start with the simplest thing today—pan-seared steak."

One learned with all seriousness.

The other taught with his mind elsewhere.

Sang Wan kept getting distracted.

The steak was turned; the fragrance of rendered fat spread through the kitchen.

Lou Ye lowered his head and kissed the side of her neck. "Sister, you smell so good..."

Cherry tomatoes sat in a little dish.

Lou Ye picked one up and fed it to her. "Sister, this is so sweet..."

For a moment, it was impossible to tell whether he was talking about the steak and the tomatoes, or something else entirely.

For the first time, Sang Wan realized that even something as dull as cooking could be this full of delight.

It was an experience she had never once had with Lu Jinnian.

Lu Jinnian disliked the smell of grease in the house, and he would never set foot in the kitchen.

Many times, when the family of three finally managed to sit down and have a meal together, just as she took her seat, Lu Jinnian would frown. "Wanwan, you smell strongly of cooking smoke."

When she suggested hiring a chef and a housekeeper, he refused, saying he didn't like strangers in the house.

Yet when she did everything herself, he could always find fault with one thing after another.

A meal cooked together like today had never happened once in the six years of their marriage.

The simple steak and salad that Sang Wan could usually finish in a little over ten minutes took half an hour today, with Lou Ye making mischief beside her.

Her stomach was hungry.

But her heart, for some reason, felt full to overflowing.

When Sang Wan turned around, she paused at the scent of him.

Lou Ye noticed immediately. "What's wrong?"

Sang Wan laughed and pointed at the expensive tailored shirt he was wearing. "It reeks of cooking smoke."

"Really?"

Lou Ye leaned over to sniff himself, frowning.

Then he came closer to hug Sang Wan and sniff her too, only to wrinkle his brow even more. "Then why do you still smell so nice?"

Unfair.

Clearly she was in his arms, closer to the steak in the pan.

So why did she still smell like roses while he had turned into smoked steak?

"That's not fair at all!"

Lou Ye tossed aside the knife and fork in his hand, hugged Sang Wan tightly, and pressed against her. "Let's even it out!"

Sang Wan's face flamed again.

The little bit of irritating memory in her mind vanished without a trace.

After dinner, Lou Ye volunteered to clear the table.

Watching him carefully put the dishes into the dishwasher, then instruct the robot with solemn seriousness to begin the whole-house cleaning, Sang Wan's eyes curved with amusement.

Lou Ye learned quickly. In just a few days, he could already pan-sear a respectable medium-well steak and make two simple salads and a soup.

Sang Wan joked that even if they didn't have a chef whose cooking suited her, he would never go hungry.

Lou Ye must have thought of something, because the next day he was back to being the young master lounging on the sofa and building his bond with 2S.

Sang Wan: ...

In the blink of an eye, it was Friday.

Sang Wan had already bought the amusement park package and was just about to send Lu Xiaomu a message to ask what time they should meet tomorrow when her phone dinged.

"Mom..."

On the other end, Lu Xiaomu sounded pitiful and wronged. "Can we make it next week instead?"

"Of course."

Sang Wan nodded, then asked gently, "What's wrong?"

It would have been fine if she hadn't asked. The moment she did, Lu Xiaomu's eyes turned red.

Tears fell drop by drop.

"Mu bro, hurry up, we're about to leave..."

Lin Zhaozhao's voice came from far away.

The call ended abruptly.