Xie Qichen rarely called her “baby.” Right now, hearing this affectionate term sent a thrill through her heart, like a drumstick striking the core of her chest, stirring up emotions.
Tan Mo was momentarily stunned. Hearing the tiredness in his voice, she tightened her arms around him, speaking softly, “Mm, I’m here…”
Occasionally students passed by on bicycles, but Tan Mo didn’t care about their gazes. She held him like this, wanting to give him all her love and warmth.
After a while, he let go. Tan Mo looked up at him with shining eyes and smiled, “So, are you charged up now?”
He half-hugged her, looking down with a slight smile in his eyes, “Fifty percent.”
Hearing this, Tan Mo suppressed her shyness and stood on tiptoe to kiss him on the lips, her cheeks blushing, “How about now?”
He raised his eyebrows slightly, “Ninety-nine percent.”
Tan Mo: ?
What did that one percent mean?
She gave a light humph and haughtily muttered, “Almost full is fine.”
Xie Qichen smirked. Then Tan Mo winked at him playfully, “You said you’d be here right away, right? I timed myself to come down exactly when you arrived.”
“No problem. Actually, I wanted to avoid making you wait anxiously, so I always make you come down a bit later.”
Tan Mo’s eyebrows curved, “It’s okay to wait occasionally, after all, it’s you I’m waiting for.”
Xie Qichen smiled and ruffled her hair, “Let’s go, we’re going home.”
“Mm.”
They got into the car, and the Rolls-Royce started slowly heading toward Jiayu Tiancheng.
In the back seat, Tan Mo recalled his weary voice earlier and held his hand in concern, “You must have been really tired dealing with the group’s affairs today, right? Wasn’t it going smoothly?”
Tan Mo fully believed in Xie Qichen’s ability to manage the group, but as his wife, she didn’t want him to be so exhausted.
Hearing this, Xie Qichen pulled her into his arms, softening his voice, “It went pretty smoothly; I just had meetings all day.”
“Now that Dad is on vacation, are those people in the group stirring up trouble again?”
Xie Qichen smirked, “I’m used to it. For them, reform is too risky. Everyone just wants to make money steadily.”
Tan Mo rested her head against his neck, “Mm, they just haven’t seen the strength of President Xie. I believe once this reform is over, you’ll make everyone convinced, and no one will dare to question you anymore.”
He looked down into her eyes, gently rubbing the back of her head, with a teasing smile, “So confident in me?”
“Of course, President Xie is exceptionally amazing.”
She playfully arched her eyebrows and whispered in his ear, sending a warm breath, “Whether it’s at night or during the day.”
Xie Qichen hadn’t expected to hear such words from the once shy and innocent girl. He pulled her tighter into his arms, his eyes burning, his voice seductive, “Tell me, how amazing am I at night?”
Special memories surged in his mind, and Tan Mo’s face instantly flushed red, softly murmuring, “I won’t say…”
His hand wandered, gently stroking her slender waist, warning her in a low voice by her ear, “Haven’t had you for several days. Don’t tease me now, or you might not be able to eat dinner when we get home.”
Because of the group affairs lately, Xie Qichen hadn’t focused on such matters, but he could still be easily stirred by the little girl.
Moreover, the two of them were especially compatible, more so than typical couples. The man’s regular exercise and their mutual enjoyment kept their intimacy frequent.
Tan Mo’s cheeks turned even redder, fearing that once they got home, he would pull her in for a feast, so she dared not provoke him further.
After chatting a bit, Tan Mo became more serious and said, “Anyway, there’s no need to rush the reform. No matter what happens, I will always be with you, being your strongest support.”
“Mm, it’s okay. What hasn’t your husband experienced before?”
In the past few years abroad, he had gone through many hardships and major challenges. Now, he truly wanted to let go and do things his way.
Tan Mo smiled at him, then her chin was lifted by his hand, and his kiss fell upon her lips, sealing her breath.
Only after kissing the girl until her eyes were dazed and glistening did Xie Qichen stop, his thin lips curving into an arc, “Now it’s a hundred percent.”
That evening, the two returned home. Upon learning that Xie Qichen hadn’t eaten properly at lunch, Tan Mo was both heartbroken and angry at the dinner table. She sat beside him, determined to supervise him eating properly.
“Did you forget you have a stomach problem? It took so long to recover, and if you get sick again, what would your mother say about me overseas?”
She pushed various dishes toward him, urging him to eat more, looking like a little teacher supervising a student, so adorable that the man couldn’t help but smile. He gently coaxed, “I know, I’ll eat properly from now on. Don’t be angry anymore, okay?”
“From now on, I’ll call you every noon to supervise you.”
Normally, no one would dare to do this to Xie Qichen. Accustomed to being a leader, he was used to others obeying his every command.
Only Tan Mo dared to manage him, and only Tan Mo could make him willingly accept being managed.
Eventually, he finished eating first and sat beside her. Tan Mo took her last bite of rice, turned her head, and saw the man leaning back in his chair, sipping juice, a faint smile on his lips, seemingly quite pleased. “Why are you smiling?”
“Nothing.” He put down his glass, speaking casually, “I just feel, marriage is really good.”
This feeling was very much like home.
Since his parents’ divorce, he had rarely felt the warmth of home anymore.
Upon hearing this, Tan Mo couldn’t help but arch her eyebrows, “To be precise, it’s marrying me that’s so good.”
Xie Qichen smiled and agreed, reaching out to ruffle her hair.
Marriage was supposed to be dull, but with Tan Mo, everything was different.
After dinner, Xie Qichen had work to attend to, so he went to his study, while Tan Mo cut some fruit and prepared some snacks, heading to the second-floor living room.
A few days ago, she had filmed a show at Anhui Mountain, which had aired on the D station a couple of days ago. Tan Mo and her team were featured in the first episode, but she had been too busy lately to watch it until tonight.
Watching herself on a variety show for the first time felt very strange to Tan Mo.
It was so embarrassing and awkward; sometimes she even found herself acting silly.
However, she saw friendly discussions from viewers who didn’t know her when she appeared on the screen:
[Who is this big sister? So pretty!!]
[Waah, this big sister is so fair! Her smile is also so cute.]
[To the person above, this big sister’s account on D station is called “A Bowl of Xiao Moli.” She’s a super adorable food blogger~]
[A food blogger? I thought she was some unknown female celebrity! So pretty!]
Seeing the comments praising her, Tan Mo’s eyes sparkled, and her cheeks turned red as she cupped her face with both hands.
How embarrassing hehehe…
The show continued, and when the famous male star Yu Qiran appeared, the barrage comments clearly increased, with many viewers being his fans.
Although Yu Qiran deliberately showed diligence in front of the camera, many viewers still sensed something was off.
For example, in the segment where Tan Mo, Chen Hang, and Yu Qiran were assigned to prepare dinner, after Tan Mo and Chen Hang returned from picking vegetables in the field, their hands were covered in dirt and they looked exhausted. In contrast, Yu Qiran remained perfectly groomed from head to toe.
There were comments below:
[It feels like Yu Qiran didn’t do much work, while Mo Li and Chen Hang were the ones busy…]
[It seems like Mo Li and Chen Hang came here to work on the farm, while Yu Qiran is here on vacation, so relaxed hahaha.]
[Yu Qiran claimed he was a kid from the mountains, but why does it seem like he doesn’t even know how to peel potatoes…]
[Who says kids from the mountains can definitely peel potatoes? I’ve never been good at working since I was little, and my parents always spoiled me.]
[…haha, the fan is trying hard to defend, the funny part is you’re even more hardworking than the idol himself.]
Watching the arguments in the comments, Tan Mo sighed helplessly, not wanting to get involved. She cut a red-fleshed dragon fruit and lay on the coffee table, eating while continuing to watch.
After a while, Xie Qichen finished his work and came out of the study, walking into the living room. Tan Mo smiled and turned from her phone screen to him, “Are you done with work?”
“Mm.”
He responded and walked over, looking down at the girl as she chewed the red dragon fruit with a gulping sound. A few seconds later, his throat rumbled out a few words, “It seems like—”
“The crime scene.”
“…”
Tan Mo puffed her cheeks and glared at him, “Crime scene? Have you never seen someone eat dragon fruit before?”
He smiled faintly and sat on the sofa behind her, “What are you watching? You seem so happy.”
“It’s that show I filmed at Anhui Mountain. Our episode aired tonight,” Tan Mo turned to him with a haughty pout, “Do you want to take some time to watch your adorable wife?”
Xie Qichen smirked, “I’ve already seen it.”
“Eh? When did you watch it?!”
“Yesterday morning on my way to the group, I opened it and took a look.”
Tan Mo was surprised, “I thought you wouldn’t like this kind of show…”
“I don’t like it.”
He said indifferently, “I just wanted to see you specifically.”
Upon hearing this, Tan Mo couldn’t help but smile, not expecting him to care so much about everything related to her.
Xie Qichen’s gaze fell on her phone and saw she had the comments turned on, “Are there comments about you? Or about you and that Yu guy?”
“No, everyone didn’t say anything much.”
Mainly, the production team did a decent job editing. Except for working together during the group activities, she and Yu Qiran had no other interactions, so there wasn’t much to talk about.
Xie Qichen nodded, “You probably won’t see much of him on screen this year.”
“What do you mean?”
He spoke calmly, “He was supposed to compete for the male lead in a TV drama, but it fell through. His variety show schedule for the second half of the year was also canceled.”
Tan Mo was shocked, “Did you do that…”
Xie Qichen didn’t confirm or deny, only speaking indifferently, “I was pretty angry back then.”
“Because you were bullied and cried.”
He hadn’t dealt with Yu Qiran at that time, but that didn’t mean he had forgotten. He wouldn’t let those things just fade away. He would get back everything on behalf of Tan Mo, not missing a single bit.
After knowing this, Tan Mo felt sweet yet helpless. Indeed, he was a man with a strong sense of retaliation.
After chatting, Xie Qichen stood up and said he was going to the home gym to work out, asking her, “Want to come with me?”
Hearing this, Tan Mo couldn’t help but recall the last time Xie Qichen went to work out and how she went to the gym to look for him, only to be pinned down and have a shamefully sweet moment. She immediately declined, “No thanks, I’ll keep watching the show.”
She definitely didn’t want to provoke someone like that…
So Xie Qichen left. After finishing the show, Tan Mo browsed through her Weibo for an hour before finally putting down her phone, got up, and returned to the bedroom to take clean clothes for a shower.
Half an hour later, after she finished showering and was about to turn off the showerhead, the bathroom door opened, and Xie Qichen, who had finished working out, walked in.
The man’s muscles were firm, his lines smooth; who wouldn’t drool at such a sight.
Tan Mo was momentarily stunned. Seeing him walk toward her, her face instantly turned a few shades redder. Instinctively averting her eyes, she was about to sneak away when Xie Qichen grabbed her wrist.
She was pulled into his arms, and the man’s husky voice fell, “Stay with me and take a shower a bit longer.”
Tan Mo: I’m doomed QAQ.
She had thought that since he was busy during the day and had just worked out, he probably wouldn’t mess with her tonight.
Who would have thought she had underestimated the man’s passion for certain things… Wuwuwu…
In the steamy bathroom, an absurd scene unfolded.
Later, Xie Qichen carried her back to the bedroom, his dark eyes fixed on her, his breathy voice whispering in her ear, his low, seductive words wicked, “Jiaojiao, let me play with you tonight, okay?”
At this moment, how could Tan Mo possibly push him away?
Later, the bedside lamp in the room stayed on until very late, as if the man wanted to make up for the past few days.
When Xie Qichen went abroad, a heartbroken Tan Mo could never have imagined that years later, she would be pressed beneath the gaze of the man she once admired from afar, completely his.
It was truly, exhausting yet blissful qwq.
…
Time passed quickly, the weekend was over, and Monday arrived.
Last night, Tan Mo was again kept by the man until nearly midnight. After a night of passion, the springtime atmosphere in the room seemed ready to bloom flowers.
At seven in the morning, Xie Qichen woke up as usual.
After washing up, he tidied up the messy room from the night before.
Tan Mo continued sleeping. Eventually, in a daze, she felt a kiss on her face and heard the man telling her he had to leave.
Tan Mo hummed in response, too tired to open her eyes, feeling like she had been beaten up. She inwardly lamented how energetic some people were, always keeping her up until the early hours and never oversleeping the next morning.
Tan Mo continued sleeping.
At around eight o’clock, a phone call finally woke her up.
The ringtone had been going on for a while before she reluctantly stretched her hand out from under the covers, grabbed the phone from the nightstand, and pulled it toward her.
Opening her sleepy eyes, she saw it was a call from Ji Shu.
She answered, turned on speakerphone, and sleepily said, “Hello…”
As soon as she spoke, she realized her voice was a bit hoarse.
Damn it, all because of someone!
On the other end, Ji Shu, who hadn’t called her for several days, couldn’t help laughing upon hearing Tan Mo’s drowsy voice, “Still sleeping? You and President Xie were up pretty late last night, huh?”
Ji Shu’s words were just a casual joke, but she hit the nail on the head. Tan Mo’s cheeks flushed red, quickly scolding her, “You shut up…”
Tan Mo wanted to hide her face.
Not just quite strong, but extremely strong…
Three times last night, plus the entire weekend, one box was emptied. Wuuu, she was almost exhausted to death.
Back to the topic, she scolded Ji Shu, “What do you mean by ‘the older, the better’? Where is thirty old…”
Ji Shu laughed heartily, “Not old, not old at all. Anyway, you and Xie Qichen have been circling around for years. Now that you finally understand each other’s feelings, you should definitely enjoy your time together. But still, be careful not to get pregnant before graduation—it would be troublesome when taking graduation photos.”
Teased like this, Tan Mo was no longer sleepy at all. She sat up halfway, blushing with embarrassment, “Pregnant? Don’t be silly. Xie Qichen and I are very careful…”
“No problem, I’d be happy to become a godmother soon anyway.”
Ji Shu chuckled mischievously, making Tan Mo want to jump through the phone to hit her, “Go be a mother yourself…”
After some casual chat, Ji Shu said she had to go to the office and hung up. Tan Mo sat still for a while, then threw off the blanket, got out of bed, and went to the bathroom to freshen up.
Standing in front of the dressing mirror, she saw reddish marks on her shoulders. Her gaze moved downward, noticing certain spots covered in kiss marks, as if a man had proudly marked his conquest like a victorious general claiming territory, making her blush and her heart race.
She recalled how, at the end of last night, the man had pulled her into his arms, licked his glistening red lips, and whispered with a low chuckle in her ear:
“Mo Mo, at this rate, you won’t have enough sheets to change.”
It was all his fault, yet he dared to blame her…
Tan Mo blushed, mentally cursing the old man, quickly suppressing the memory as she hurried to finish washing up.
Ten minutes later, she walked out of the bathroom, changed clothes, and went downstairs for breakfast.
Since there was a meeting in the morning to prepare for the school anniversary celebration, she hurried through breakfast and had the driver take her to school.
When she arrived at school, running close to the meeting time, Tan Mo, fearing being late, directly asked the driver to drop her off at the foot of the administration building.
After the car stopped, she pushed the door open and stepped out. Several boys and girls from the planning team who had just arrived saw her and waved with smiles, calling out, “Senior Tan Mo!”
Tan Mo turned and greeted them. However, her gaze shifted slightly and she noticed Ye Yao walking at the very edge—
The boy was tall and slim, wearing a black hoodie and pants today, exuding youthful charm.
Their eyes met midair. Ye Yao hesitated for a moment, then a hint of awkward embarrassment flickered through his eyes before he quickly looked away.
Tan Mo didn’t pay much attention. As the group approached her, they noticed the black luxury car driving away and teased curiously, “Senior Tan Mo, was that your boyfriend giving you a ride?”
At this remark, Ye Yao, who stood farthest from Tan Mo, appeared even more indifferent, his expression tightening.
Tan Mo hesitated slightly before smiling and denying it, “No, I just came from home.”
“Let’s go, shall we head upstairs…”
Tan Mo walked in with them. Throughout, Ye Yao remained silent. When they reached the meeting room, everyone randomly found seats. Tan Mo noticed an empty seat next to Ye Yao but didn’t stop, continuing forward instead. Ye Yao said nothing either, and the two acted like complete strangers.
This scene was observed by several classmates. Everyone knew Ye Yao liked Tan Mo, and the atmosphere felt particularly awkward now.
Luckily, someone started chatting, and Tan Mo quietly sat down, opening WeChat to send a message to Xie Qichen:
[I’m awake now, came to school for the meeting, hmpf.]
A few minutes later, the man, who was in the middle of his meeting with a short break, saw the message, slightly lifted the corner of his mouth, and playfully asked her: [What does “hmpf” mean?]
Tan Mo blushed as she replied: [My throat is hoarse this morning, all because you went on for so long…]
Xie Qichen replied with a smile: [I’m sorry, is your throat still uncomfortable? Should I ask the housemaid to buy you some medicine?]
Tan Mo was speechless.
Buy medicine for what? Was she going to tell the housemaid she lost her voice because she was moaning too much…
She puffed up angrily: [No need. I’ll be fine after drinking more water this morning. Anyway, someone will have to act like a monk from Monday to Friday this week!]
Xie Qichen: [Fine. Just don’t provoke me tonight.]
Tan Mo huffed again.
Fine, she wouldn’t provoke him. Whoever couldn’t hold back would be a dog.
As she chatted, a female classmate beside Tan Mo leaned over and asked her, “Mo Mo, if I remember correctly, you’re a local from Licheng, right? Do you know any good hotels in the downtown area?”
Hearing this, Tan Mo said she wasn’t too familiar but recommended a few seemingly decent star-rated hotels, then asked, “Why? Are you going to stay there?”
The girl smiled: “My boyfriend is coming from another city to visit me, so I need to book a hotel for him.”
Tan Mo knew she had been single all along: “So you’re in a relationship now?”
“Yeah, we met online while playing games. He’s a sweet 20-year-old boy, hehehe. He looks so delicate, making me, an older senior from senior year, seem like I’m luring a minor.”
The girl showed Tan Mo a photo, and indeed, he looked very delicate, like a high school student.
Then the girl went to check hotels, and Tan Mo unlocked her phone to see Xie Qichen had noticed her delayed reply and messaged:
[Are you really angry? Why aren’t you speaking?]
Tan Mo smiled and typed: [No, a girl just came to ask me for hotel recommendations, saying her boyfriend from online is coming to see her.]
Xie Qichen: [Online relationships carry risks.]
That was indeed true. Tan Mo replied: [Yes, I reminded her. She showed me a picture of her boyfriend and bragged it’s a 20-year-old sweet boy, hahaha. He really looks so young.]
A few seconds later, Xie Qichen sent a message:
[I’m twenty too.]
Tan Mo was puzzled: [? What do you mean, twenty?]
Then the man simply tossed over a sentence: [You know exactly what I mean.]
Tan Mo paused for a few seconds before suddenly realizing, her face instantly turning bright red.
“…”
Pervert!!
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