Meng Chu shuffled along slowly, following closely behind Cheng Jinyu until he stopped in front of the door to a secondary bedroom beside the master bedroom.
He whispered, “I’m sorry for making you sleep here tonight.”
At that moment, Meng Chu felt a slight relief deep in her heart.
She softly said, “I’m sleeping here, right?”
After speaking, she glanced at Cheng Jinyu, who was also standing by the door.
Cheng Jinyu raised an eyebrow slightly. “I’m sick today. If we sleep in the same room, it’s easy to infect you.”
Meng Chu: “…”
No.
From which word in her sentence did he suddenly hear that she was eager to share a bed with him?
“I didn’t say I was sleeping in the same room as you,” Meng Chu firmly denied this time.
Cheng Jinyu’s tone relaxed. “After all, last time at your place we already…”
“That time I was drunk,” Meng Chu quickly explained.
Just then, Cheng Jinyu suddenly bent down and leaned close to her, lowering his voice. “Meng Chu, do you know what I have at home?”
“Huh?” Meng Chu instinctively glanced toward the secondary bedroom.
Clearly, she didn’t understand the question.
He had so many things at home—how was she supposed to answer?
But Cheng Jinyu didn’t keep her in suspense too long. He said softly, “I have our Marriage Certificate at home. So, logically speaking, it’s only right that we sleep in the same room.”
Meng Chu was stunned.
She never expected that Cheng Jinyu would circle all the way around just to say that.
He really was something.
What even Meng Chu didn’t realize was that, from some point on, the relationship between them had reached a stage where they could freely talk about such topics without hesitation.
And it had only been a few months.
Cheng Jinyu was well aware of the importance of knowing when to stop.
He knew that Meng Chu was the type who would take a step back every time he took one forward.
So he kept pulling at her little by little.
That was how she slowly, slowly moved closer to him.
“Get some rest early,” Cheng Jinyu said softly.
Meng Chu gave a soft “Mm,” then walked into the room.
She turned and clasped the door handle, saying, “You get some rest early, too.”
Cheng Jinyu nodded.
Meng Chu seemed unconvinced and reminded him, “If you still feel unwell in the middle of the night, don’t be stubborn. Remember to wake me up. I’ll go to the hospital with you.”
“Actually, I already feel much better now,” Cheng Jinyu said sincerely.
Meng Chu: “Feeling better.”
He already had this method of ‘framing’ her down pat.
Just as he was about to turn and leave, Meng Chu couldn’t help but add, “Is the fever patch on your forehead not cold anymore? Remember to replace it with a new one later. It’s on your bedside table.”
“Got it,” Cheng Jinyu stopped in his tracks, reached out, and pinched her cheek once. “Little housekeeper.”
This time, he went back to his room.
Meng Chu closed the door behind her.
But after closing the door, she leaned against it, her heart pounding wildly.
She didn’t know if it was because of that affectionate “little housekeeper” or the way he gently pinched her cheek.
Meanwhile, Cheng Jinyu, back in his bedroom, stood by the bed and looked at the medicines placed on the bedside table.
He wondered if she had really brought all the medicine from home.
The entire bedside table was already crowded with bags.
Cheng Jinyu chuckled softly.
She must be very worried about him.
Only then did Cheng Jinyu reach for his phone.
It turned out that the message he had originally sent to Yao Zheng was mistakenly sent to Meng Chu.
Probably because Meng Chu was pinned to the top of his WeChat, and Yao Zheng was the last person to message him.
At the time, when he was at his worst, he intended to tap on Yao Zheng’s chat but accidentally tapped Meng Chu’s instead.
Now, Cheng Jinyu leisurely sent a new message to Yao Zheng.
Reminding him to cancel all his appointments for tomorrow.
Yao Zheng replied quickly, confirming he understood.
Cheng Jinyu put down his phone and was about to pull back the blanket and get into bed when there was a knock on the door.
“Cheng Jinyu, are you asleep?”
Meng Chu’s gentle voice came from outside.
She stood at the door, somewhat anxious, but since they had only been apart for a short while, she thought he probably hadn’t fallen asleep yet.
Just as she was about to decide whether or not to knock again, the door suddenly opened.
Cheng Jinyu stood before her and asked calmly, “What is it?”
Meng Chu said, “Can I borrow a set of pajamas?”
She was still wearing her going-out clothes. Although clean, it wasn’t very appropriate to lie in someone else’s bed in them.
“T-shirt and shorts are okay too,” Meng Chu quickly added, thinking he hesitated because of that.
Cheng Jinyu: “My clothes?”
Hearing his question, Meng Chu looked up at him. “What, do you have women’s clothes at home?”
“No,” Cheng Jinyu denied without hesitation.
Meng Chu smiled lightly inside—this counted as a counterattack.
“Wait a moment,” Cheng Jinyu said, then walked back to his room.
He went into the walk-in closet in the master bedroom and took out a set of silk pajamas.
Then he returned to the door.
“These are my pajamas. They’ve never been worn.”
Meng Chu reached out and took them.
“This time was an accident. Next time, I’ll prepare them in advance.”
Next time?
Meng Chu looked up at him and softly said, “Next time…”
If she didn’t say those words, he probably would have responded just like that.
His teasing was so casual, as if she absolutely had to be a certain way.
Finally, Meng Chu caught a chance and teased back.
Unexpectedly, as soon as she finished speaking, Cheng Jinyu suddenly bent close and fixed his gaze on her. “Mm, can’t wait, huh?”
Meng Chu was completely dumbfounded, frozen on the spot.
*
Back in her room, Meng Chu still felt a bit dazed.
She thought she could let Cheng Jinyu experience her usual feelings—how sometimes, even when she clearly didn’t mean something that way, he would misunderstand and stubbornly pin some big accusation on her.
In the end, he didn’t mind at all.
Instead, he happily took on the blame.
Could this be the difference between her and Cheng Jinyu?
Meng Chu quickly changed into the pajamas.
Unsurprisingly, they were large enough to fit two of her.
Luckily, the pants had drawstrings, so she tightened them a bit.
As for the pant legs, she looked down at her completely covered instep.
Forget it, it would do.
Then she pulled back the blanket and got into bed.
Whether it was because it was her first time staying over at his place, or simply the unfamiliar environment, Meng Chu found herself tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
She took out her phone and glanced at the time—almost half past midnight.
Cheng Jinyu was probably already asleep.
She quickly ordered herself to sleep, but once she closed her eyes, memories of moments with Cheng Jinyu kept popping up.
She forced herself to clear her mind and fall asleep.
As for the person in the next room, Cheng Jinyu, he definitely was not asleep.
He lay on his back, also trying to close his eyes.
But as soon as he did, images of the scene in the next room appeared in his mind.
Her wearing his pajamas, which were probably very big for her, sleeves and pant legs both long.
Wrapping her up entirely.
She was a good sleeper and usually didn’t move much.
Eventually, Cheng Jinyu closed his eyes.
For the first time, before falling asleep, he was already looking forward to the next morning.
*
In the early morning, although the bedroom curtains were drawn up, blocking out all the light,
the room remained as dark as night.
But Cheng Jinyu woke from the bed feeling much better than the heaviness and burning heat of the night before.
His forehead and cheeks no longer felt hot.
Almost recovered?
Cheng Jinyu let out a mysterious sigh while lying on the bed.
Then he got up, went to the master bathroom for a shower.
After washing up and changing into light, comfortable clothes, he prepared to leave the room.
Just as he picked up his phone from the bedside table, his eyes landed on the fever patches.
He hesitated a moment but still reached out and took a new one, sticking it to his forehead.
Not long after, Cheng Jinyu left his room.
At first, he thought Meng Chu probably wouldn’t be up at this hour.
But as he walked down the corridor, he heard voices coming from the living room.
Meng Chu said, “Master Liu, you don’t need to pick me up from home today. I have something to do and won’t be taking your car.”
“Tonight?… Hmm, we’ll see.”
Meanwhile, Meng Chu, after finishing the call, was heading toward the kitchen.
She turned and saw Cheng Jinyu standing at the other end of the hallway.
“You’re awake,” Meng Chu breathed a sigh of relief and cheerfully greeted him.
Then she asked, “What do you want to eat this morning?”
“I’ll cook,” Cheng Jinyu said.
Meng Chu glanced at him. “You’re still sick. I’ll do it.”
“I checked. Unless you don’t want eggs and bacon, today you should be feeling much better and can eat some meat,” Meng Chu suggested.
Cheng Jinyu nodded.
Meng Chu went to the fridge skillfully.
She had seen the bacon last night but thought it was too greasy, so she hadn’t cooked it for him.
But after a night’s rest, Cheng Jinyu should be better and probably hungrier.
She still decided to make porridge, fried eggs, and bacon.
Although quick, by the time they sat down to eat, it had already been half an hour.
“Dinner’s ready,” Meng Chu said, bringing over the fried eggs and bacon.
Then she served two bowls of porridge.
But after taking a sip, Cheng Jinyu looked up at her.
“Why isn’t this sweet anymore?”
“Huh? You can’t keep adding sugar. Try this fried egg. I think it’s the best I’ve ever made,” Meng Chu teased, thinking he might have gotten addicted to sweet porridge last night.
Cheng Jinyu obediently took a bite of the egg.
“It’s really delicious. Cooked just right.”
Meng Chu couldn’t help but brag, “See? I think I outdid myself today. It’s golden and beautiful.”
“Hmm, the most beautiful fried egg I’ve ever eaten,” Cheng Jinyu looked at her calmly.
Meng Chu was startled. “Although that’s probably a lie, I still feel pretty happy.”
He didn’t know how many three-star Michelin restaurants he’d been to. How could her cooking compare with those world-class chefs?
“Who said I’m lying? To me, it really is,” Cheng Jinyu gently lifted his eyelids and looked at her. “Sometimes, what you eat is about the feeling.”
To him, the fried egg she made was the best.
Even though it was just a simple fried egg, Meng Chu somehow felt the atmosphere suddenly become a bit awkward.
She used to be insensitive to these changes.