Jiang Hezhou came back carrying a stack of takeout containers.
Afraid that Chu Luyu wouldn’t have enough to eat, he’d ordered double portions of each of her favorite dishes, in addition to some stir-fried vegetables for nutritional balance.
Ji Chen had watched the entire process of him ordering and packing the food, utterly speechless.
“Are you raising a wife or a pig?”
Jiang Hezhou didn’t seem to mind. “She has a big appetite.”
When he got home, Chu Luyu was asleep.
She hadn’t gone back to her bedroom—she’d probably gotten drowsy while watching TV in the living room and fallen asleep curled up on the sofa.
Jiang Hezhou’s movements instinctively became quieter.
He set the takeout containers on the coffee table and silently knelt on one knee beside the sofa.
The girl was sound asleep.
She was lying on her stomach, her cheek resting on her arm, flushed pink in her sleep. A few strands of hair from her temples had fallen loose, covering part of her face.
Whether it was because he was so close or because her eyes were closed, her eyelashes looked remarkably long right now—dark, thick, and full, like two small fans quietly fanned out, casting shadows beneath her lower lids.
Lower down were her pretty cherry-red lips.
They looked incredibly soft, with a healthy pink hue—the kind that might deepen in color after prolonged kissing…
Jiang Hezhou hadn’t expected that just a few moments of gazing at the girl’s sleeping face would trigger the same physical reaction he’d experienced before.
He frowned and stood up, silently staring down at his lower body for two seconds, then resignedly headed toward his room.
Behind him, Chu Luyu was still asleep, oblivious to the world. Waking her an hour or so later shouldn’t be a problem, right…
When Chu Luyu woke up, two hours had passed.
She’d slept really deeply. Outside, the sky was full of sunset colors—large swaths of blood-orange light streaming through the windows into the room.
“You’re awake?”
Jiang Hezhou’s voice came from nearby, somewhat low and with an inexplicable hoarseness.
Chu Luyu sat up, her hair still a mess—several strands and baby hairs sticking up around her forehead and cheeks, making her look adorably dazed.
“When did you get back?” Her voice was still a little babyish from just waking up. “Why didn’t you wake me?”
“You were sleeping too soundly, so I didn’t.”
Jiang Hezhou walked over while drying his hair. He’d already changed into loungewear and looked like he’d taken a shower too—his face behind the glasses was even paler and cooler than usual.
Chu Luyu’s brain was just booting up, running half a beat slower than normal. She stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly asked, “Why are you showering at this time?”
Jiang Hezhou’s hand paused mid-motion. When his eyes met her clear, guileless gaze, he averted them almost imperceptibly.
“It was a bit hot when I got back. Since you were still asleep, I went ahead and washed up.”
Chu Luyu gave a dazed “oh,” nodding in agreement. “It has been really hot lately—even though it looks like autumn, the temperature hasn’t dropped much.”
Jiang Hezhou didn’t want to continue this line of conversation. “Let’s eat first.”
He reheated all the takeout containers in the microwave, one by one. Chu Luyu sat at the dining table behind him, idly chatting with the system.
Chu Luyu: 【Didn’t I ask you to wake me in an hour? How did you fall asleep too?】
System Cuihua: 【I didn’t fall asleep—I was updating the backend data. It’s been lagging like crazy these past few days. So annoying.】
Chu Luyu: 【It looks like the male lead got back a while ago—I see he’s already showered.】
System Cuihua: 【So what if he showered? Anyway—ah!!! Holy crap!!!】
Chu Luyu was startled by its sudden scream, her heart jumping: 【What are you doing?!】
System Cuihua: 【Look at the progress bar! The task to have the male lead hand-wash the lingerie is half completed! Holy crap, what did he do while you were sleeping?! How did he suddenly wash all that lingerie for you?!】
Chu Luyu was equally shocked.
She couldn’t help widening her eyes and looking up at the air.
Sure enough, the progress bar on the data panel had a new notification, indicating that the new task had progressed.
The reason it wasn’t fully completed was likely because she hadn’t said the key line yet.
Over by the table, Jiang Hezhou heated up the last dish and brought it over, only to turn and find Chu Luyu staring blankly at him.
Her face was naturally on the sweeter side, but because her eyes were so pure and clear, whenever she looked seriously at someone, she gave off an almost childlike, obedient vibe.
He found himself drawn in by her again. His Adam’s apple bobbed unconsciously, and the look in his eyes deepened.
“What’s wrong?”
Chu Luyu didn’t know how to say it. Her eyes darted around, and her voice came out soft: “Um, the clothes on the balcony…”
So she’d already noticed?
Jiang Hezhou’s heart skipped a beat. His hand gripping the plate tightened involuntarily.
But he recovered quickly—within half a second, he lowered his gaze and pretended to be completely natural, casually setting the plate down on the table.
“That bag ended up in the bathroom. I accidentally got water on it while showering, so I just went ahead and washed them for you…” He paused, looked up, and met her eyes with his usual calm, composed gaze, giving nothing away. “If it bothers you, I can go buy you new ones.”
“No need!” Chu Luyu refused immediately. Her cheeks burned as she spoke. “I don’t mind at all. Anyway, it’s only right that you washed them…”
The moment the words left her mouth, she realized something was off. In her panic, she’d blurted out what she was really thinking!
Seeing Jiang Hezhou still staring straight at her, she forced herself to put on a bold front: “What? Did I say something wrong? I’m your fiancée, which basically means I’m your future wife. Isn’t it only natural for you to wash your future wife’s lingerie?”
It was clearly a nonsensical and unreasonable argument, but for some reason, when it came out of her mouth, Jiang Hezhou felt no aversion or annoyance at all.
Instead, he found her adorable again.
He thought about what he’d done in the bathroom just now—the steam rising around him, the soft sponge being squeezed in his palm. When he spoke again, his voice came out tighter than usual.
“I understand.”
Chu Luyu had no idea what deeper meaning those four words carried. She was too busy frantically communicating with the system in her head.
Chu Luyu: 【What do I do now? Should I just say the key line to him right now?】
System Cuihua: 【What else? The atmosphere’s already there—no point worrying about it being awkward now!】
She figured the system had a point. So she steeled herself, took a deep breath, and blurted out:
“Big brother, from now on, I’m covered inside and out with your scent—you have to take responsibility for me!”
With that, she quickly stuffed a few bites of food into her mouth, like a whirlwind scattering leaves, and before Jiang Hezhou could even react, she dashed back to her room.
Ten minutes later, Chu Luyu received a message on her phone from Jiang Hezhou.
【Something came up at the city bureau that I need to handle. I left the food on the table—just put the dishes in the sink when you’re done, and I’ll clean up when I get back.】
Within seconds of the message arriving, she heard the front door close.
Chu Luyu lay on her bed in despair, rolling back and forth, and started whining to the system again: 【What do I do now? I’ve embarrassed myself beyond belief. The male lead definitely left on purpose—he couldn’t stand the awkwardness either.】
System Cuihua: 【Just get up and eat your food already. Since you know he deliberately made himself scarce, hurry up and finish your meal. Otherwise, by the time he comes back, you’ll be starving again.】
Chu Luyu: 【Wuuuu…】
Over at the city bureau, Jiang Hezhou had indeed driven all the way there.
An officer who recognized him at this hour was surprised and asked why he was there. Jiang Hezhou replied calmly that he’d come to work out.
And he really did come to work out.
He changed into gym clothes and started with five kilometers on the treadmill.
That didn’t feel like enough, so he added another three.
Still not enough—he added another two, then three more…
In the end, he didn’t even know how long he’d been running. Only when his entire body was soaked in sweat, and his glasses were fogged up from the heat radiating off his face, did he finally stop, gasping heavily.
After a long while, he sat on the nearby steps, hesitated for a moment, and typed out a question online about his subtle, hidden thoughts.
【I find myself getting erections involuntarily when I see my fiancée or hear her say sweet things—even multiple times in a short span. Is this a normal reaction?】
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