Chapter 18 (1/2) : Unspoken Things

“Are you drunk?”

Meng Chu’s voice broke through the darkness.

She casually sent a voice message in reply.

This guy really…

He was the one who messaged first, yet now he was turning it around, claiming she had been waiting for him.

What she didn’t expect was for his voice call to follow immediately.

The ringing sounded especially loud in the quiet, pitch-black room.

Startled, Meng Chu answered right away.

But before she could speak, a soft chuckle came from the other end, followed by a slightly husky voice: “You could tell?”

Huh?

Meng Chu was momentarily confused.

But then she realized he was responding to her question about whether he was drunk.

“Yeah, a little,” Meng Chu lowered her voice.

Cheng Jinyu didn’t seem too far gone, because he immediately noticed her hushed tone and asked, “Is someone there with you?”

Meng Chu quickly replied, “It’s my best friend. She’s staying over tonight.”

“Oh,” Cheng Jinyu acknowledged.

Then, silence fell between them.

With her phone pressed to her ear, Meng Chu could hear his slightly heavy breathing on the other end.

Probably because of the alcohol.

Even though it was just a call, she could feel her ears growing warm.

Every slow, measured breath of his traveled clearly to her ear.

One after another.

Each exhale seemed to carry a faint heat.

“Um,” Meng Chu couldn’t take it anymore and spoke softly, “I wasn’t specifically waiting for your message.”

She felt she had to clarify.

But then another light chuckle reached her ear.

Cheng Jinyu’s warm voice followed: “So you just happened to reply so quickly by coincidence?”

Meng Chu choked on his words.

Even though he didn’t say it outright, she understood immediately.

-“Replying so fast means you were waiting for my message.”

“I’m young, so I’m used to staying up late.”

Meng Chu kept her tone casual as she responded.

“Mhm,” Cheng Jinyu hummed in acknowledgment before continuing leisurely, “Since you just happened to still be awake, you should get some rest now.”

Meng Chu couldn’t help but wonder-had she done something to give him the wrong idea?

Or was this guy so used to being indulged that he thought the world revolved around him?

“Just happened,” indeed.

After hanging up, Meng Chu stared at her phone, replaying his tone in her mind.

She flopped backward onto the bed.

Then she rolled over and buried her face in the pillow.

Because she wasn’t as innocent as she claimed.

Hadn’t she been unable to sleep tonight precisely because she had grown accustomed to receiving his messages every evening? 

Habits were terrifying!!!

The next morning, as soon as Meng Chu got up, she was discussing a new algorithm with her colleagues from the technical department.

The company’s prototype for an embodied robot had already been developed. 

Now, as long as the collaboration with Linjiang Group could be finalized, the robots would enter factory workshops for commercial implementation.

But the person in charge at Linjiang Group remained stubbornly unwilling to agree.

Meng Chu had personally visited Linjiang Group before and even called to invite them out.

But they hadn’t even accepted a meal invitation.

This was also why Gu Ting had previously lost his temper with her he clearly believed these matters were her responsibility to push forward.

No matter how difficult it was, she had to get it done.

“You’re way too hardworking,” Song Yumian said as she walked into the living room at noon, having just woken up.

She saw Meng Chu already working at home early in the morning.

Meng Chu tilted her chin slightly. 

“Did you wash up? There’s lunch on the table. After you eat, I’m heading to the office.”

Song Yumian was shocked. 

“Wait, isn’t today Saturday?”

“The world doesn’t stop, and neither does overtime work.”

Meng Chu replied without looking up.

Song Yumian clicked her tongue and sat down beside her. 

“You’re starting to smell like a capitalist.”

Meng Chu chuckled lightly and urged, “Go eat. I ordered it half an hour ago.”

Song Yumian immediately leaned against her shoulder. 

“Wuwuwu, Chu Chu, you’re the best. I really want to move back in.”

“Stop acting cute. Your hospital is so far away-how would you manage?” Meng Chu laughed.

Song Yumian: “If it weren’t for my little darlings, I would’ve come back long ago.”

Song Yumian was a veterinarian, and the “little darlings” she referred to were the animals she cared for daily.

Previously, the pet hospital she worked at had relocated, forcing her to move as well.

“Alright, I know you love your little darlings more,” Meng Chu teased.

Song Yumian: “That’s not true! If I had to choose someone to spend my life with, Chu Chu, I’d really pick you.”

Meng Chu: “Thanks for that.”

After chatting for a while, Song Yumian stood up.

But as she got up, she accidentally knocked Meng Chu’s bag off the couch.

Meng Chu’s everyday work bag was quite large.

When it hit the floor, a bunch of items spilled out.

“Oops, your bag fell. Sorry!” 

Song Yumian quickly apologized, bending down to pick things up.

Meng Chu set her laptop aside, about to say it was fine-

When she saw Song Yumian pick up a long black box from the floor and ask curiously, “What’s this?”

The moment Song Yumian saw the brand name on the box, she gasped in surprise.

“Chu Chu, did you strike it rich? When did you buy this?”

Only then did Meng Chu realize the box in her hand was the bracelet Cheng Jinyu had given her yesterday.

Before she could say anything, Song Yumian had already opened it.

“Wow,” she exclaimed.

Seeing it was already open, Meng Chu didn’t bother stopping her.

Song Yumian marveled, “This bracelet is so pretty.”

Meng Chu nodded. Say what you will about Cheng Jinyu, but his taste was impeccable.

Rich and with good aesthetics.

“How much was it?” Song Yumian asked curiously.

Meng Chu pressed her lips together-she actually had no idea.

Noticing her silence, Song Yumian suddenly realized something and grinned. 

“Was it a gift from someone?”

Meng Chu sighed and nodded. “Bingo.”

At this point, she wasn’t even surprised by Song Yumian’s uncanny guesses anymore.

“Jewelry from this brand is crazy expensive. Hold on-” 

Song Yumian pulled out her phone. 

“Let me check how much it actually costs.”

Seeing how excited she was, Meng Chu didn’t bother stopping her.

She sat back down, resting her laptop on her lap.

But just as she typed a few words, Song Yumian suddenly shrieked, “This thing costs over 70,000?!”

Huh?

Meng Chu looked up from her laptop, equally stunned.

She asked, “How much did you say?”

Song Yumian immediately scooted closer, shoving her phone in front of Meng Chu’s face. 

“Look, isn’t this the one on the official site? Over 70,000!”

Meng Chu looked down at the box in her other hand. 

The diamond butterfly bracelet lay quietly on the black velvet cloth, but as Song Yumian gently shook her palm, the light refracted from each diamond on the butterfly coalesced into a dazzling brilliance.

Indeed, beautiful things always came with outrageous price tags.

“Your future partner is quite wealthy,” Song Yumian affirmed, “and generous too.”

As she spoke, she nudged Meng Chu’s shoulder.

“Not bad. When are you bringing him around for me to meet?”

Hearing her describe Cheng Jinyu as a “future partner,” Meng Chu couldn’t help but laugh.

But she only replied vaguely, “Maybe someday.”

In the end, Meng Chu didn’t put the bracelet into the home safe she had bought.

She left it in her bag, thinking that if the opportunity arose, she would return it to Cheng Jinyu.

Even though they were married, she still couldn’t bring herself to accept such an extravagant gift.

After all, she hadn’t given him anything yet.

Just thinking about it made her feel a little melancholy.

Not to mention the diamond ring Cheng Jinyu had even prepared a candlelit dinner just so she could report back to her mother.

If they were to follow the principle of reciprocity, she ought to return the favor.

But someone like Cheng Jinyu seemed to lack nothing.

What could she possibly give him? 

The thought alone was enough to stump her.

Fortunately, Cheng Jinyu had been away on business these past few days and wasn’t in Shanghai.

Meng Chu thought somewhat evasively that she still had time to figure it out.

She continued her usual routine-working, overtime, and endless busyness.

Until one evening, just past seven, when she had just returned home from work.

She placed her bag on the sofa and had barely sat down when she heard her phone vibrating inside.

When she took it out, she saw a WeChat notification.

The moment she unlocked her phone and saw that familiar name, her lips curled up involuntarily.

Cheng Jinyu: Can I ask you something?

Meng Chu: Of course.

Meng Chu: Are you back in Shanghai?

This time, Cheng Jinyu called directly-clearly, typing wasn’t as fast as speaking.

As soon as Meng Chu answered, she heard his light chuckle. 

“Yeah, I just got back to Shanghai today.”

He hadn’t said anything else,

but Meng Chu felt like there was something more behind his words.

She responded casually, “Oh.”

Then she immediately added, “Didn’t you want to ask me something? What is it?”

“Have you ever fixed a printer before?”