At the end of the year, the company was planning its annual banquet.
Family members were allowed to attend.
Chen Jinyao woke up early to try on her evening gown. The gown had been custom-made during a moment of weakness when she was persuaded by Chen Jinlin’s smooth talk. It was specially designed for pregnant women, tailored to her figure. The gown, in this year’s trending deep color, featured a unique style that exuded both elegance and sophistication.
She stood in the walk-in closet, admiring herself in the full-length mirror for a long time.
Yan Cheng eventually walked over, yawning and leaning lazily against the doorframe, his body seemingly boneless. His brows furrowed slightly as he silently watched her fuss over herself.
When she finally noticed his presence through the reflection in the mirror, she turned around with a hopeful look in her eyes. “Does it look good?” she asked.
“Mm.” His voice was low, heavy from just waking up. As his sleepy eyes gradually cleared, he answered her question. However, his brows remained tense. Watching her turn back to the mirror, he let out a deep sigh. “It looks good.”
After a moment of hesitation, he finally stepped forward. Leaning slightly, he raised his right arm and rested it lightly on her collarbone—although, because of her pregnancy, her collarbone was no longer visible. His fingers brushed against the cool silk texture of the gown, his gaze falling to her slightly protruding belly. “You’re planning to wear this to the banquet tonight?”
His tone carried a hint of shock, as if asking, Are you serious?—with an underlying trace of disapproval.
Chen Jinyao didn’t notice his skepticism. She nodded enthusiastically. “Of course! I spent tens of thousands on it.” Naturally, she wanted to wear it to make a stunning entrance. “But there’s one downside. I was supposed to wear an adhesive bra with it, but…”
She lowered her head and pointed to her noticeably fuller chest, sighing.
She didn’t need to spell it out—Yan Cheng should understand.
Yan Cheng’s expression turned a bit awkward: “…”
Even so, he didn’t avert his gaze. Instead, he moved his arm downwards, his large palm resting against her belly. After a moment, he whispered into her ear, “I see.”
“…” Chen Jinyao gave him a blank look, swatted his hand away, and stepped out of his hold. Turning to face him, she tilted her head up and studied him before bluntly commenting, “You’re being sleazy.”
“Oh, by the way, I’ve prepared your suit. Try it on.” Standing on tiptoe, she reached out to smooth down his messy, bedhead hair until he looked presentable. Only then did she smile contentedly. “Wait here, I’ll grab it for you.”
The suit matched her gown’s color, hinting that the two were coordinated.
While Chen Jinyao carefully tied his tie, Yan Cheng wrapped an arm around her waist and quietly curved his lips. The disapproval in his eyes faded slightly.
“A gown goes with a necklace, and a suit goes with cufflinks,” she said, her eyes curving into a smile. “I even had the necklace custom-made to match your cufflinks.”
“You said I should declare my territory, right? This is how it’s done—boldly and stylishly.”
Yan Cheng: “…”
At the Company Headquarters
Zhi Yuan Technology occupied two floors in one of the many skyscrapers in the heart of the capital’s business district. They had the top two floors: the 35th and 36th.
The 35th floor housed various departments, along with a break room and a pantry. The 36th floor was reserved for the company’s core staff, featuring a meeting room and the largest office—a sprawling space that belonged to Yan Cheng, the company’s major shareholder.
With its 270-degree view, the office overlooked the bustling cityscape, standing as one of the highest points in the city. It offered a view that was both breathtaking and humbling.
Whenever Chen Jinyao visited, she would head straight to the 36th floor. In the company’s early days, she had wandered around the 35th floor a few times when the staff was sparse. But now, she preferred to “occupy” Yan Cheng’s luxurious office. Aside from occasionally ordering coffee for everyone, she hardly showed herself to the employees.
“To be a good boss, you need to treat your employees well!” she declared.
Yan Cheng raised a brow and scoffed. “Just with a few cups of coffee?”
“…” Chen Jinyao shrugged, closed the book she had been reading, and set it aside. Squinting slightly, she licked her lips and replied, “You’re mistaken. The coffee is on my dime, so it’s more like a little treat from the boss’s wife.”
“Fine, you’re such a virtuous helper.”
In just two weeks, the most noticeable change in Yan Cheng’s office was the bookshelf. Half of it was now filled with parenting books.
Chen Jinyao, resting her chin on her hand, let her eyes wander before pointing to a spot by the east-facing floor-to-ceiling window. “Your office is so big. You could put a kids’ play area over there.”
“When the baby comes, we can set it up there to play,” she said. The soft winter sunlight filtering through the window cast a warm glow on her face, softening her features. Talking about the baby, her clear and bright eyes sparkled with a starlike gleam, and her expression was filled with an uncontrollable joy. She blinked and added, “I can set up one on my side too.”
“We’ll buy lots of toys. Once the baby learns to sit, crawl, and stand, they can play on their own.”
Yan Cheng chuckled softly, looking up. “Sure, whatever you like.”
Despite her excitement, Yan Cheng remained firm about the banquet. He rested a hand on her belly and spoke softly but firmly, reminding her of the cold weather and potential risks of attending such an event in her condition. Chen Jinyao eventually agreed, albeit reluctantly.
“Such a shame for such a beautiful gown,” she muttered.
“It’s not a shame,” Yan Cheng said, tugging at her cheek playfully. He averted his gaze, cleared his throat, and added awkwardly, “The gown is just an accessory. My wife looks stunning no matter what she wears.”
“……… ” When a man starts sweet-talking, it really can be dangerous.
There was a brief moment of silence.
Suddenly, Yan Cheng turned his eyes back to her. His gaze was deep and steady as he stared at her face for a while. Then, slowly, he bent down and kissed the corner of her lips. In the stunned look of Chen Jinyao, who had been caught off guard, he calmly straightened up, reached out, ruffled her hair, and softly coaxed her as if to tempt her: “Good girl.”
That “good girl” was probably a reward for her compromise.
Yan Cheng: “With you like this, my conscience is actually bothering me now.”
Chen Jinyao pursed her lips and thought to herself.
Over the past six months, there had been much speculation.
People said that Yan Liushao appeared careless on the surface, but those who seemed least serious were often the most passionate. His heart must be soft.
Though there had been rumors that Chen Jinyao brought good fortune to her husband, now that Yan Cheng was becoming increasingly successful, another kind of rumor quietly began to spread.
Gossip like this often became the topic of conversation for girls.
Yan Cheng treated Chen Jinyao well.
Outsiders would say, “Chen Jinyao is so lucky, she married Yan Cheng.”
This was in stark contrast to the discussions a year ago.
In truth, Yan Cheng knew that it wasn’t that Chen Jinyao was lucky. It was that he was lucky.
He treated her well because she deserved it.
Chen Jinyao was a great person.
But…
It still wasn’t enough.
Yan Cheng lowered his gaze, his neck lines sharp and well-defined.
The light in the walk-in closet was a soft orange-yellow, spilling gently onto the floor.
He licked his lips, watching Chen Jinyao absentmindedly touch her stomach and pout when she said she and the baby were hungry. His eyelashes fluttered slightly, his gaze greedy.
Still not enough.
Ten years ago.
A nationwide housing speculation frenzy had begun.
The heat of this frenzy had remained high and had now reached its peak.
As the capital, the housing prices in the Imperial City were so high that it was hard to even comment on them.
But, as the saying goes, what goes up must come down. To everyone’s surprise, as winter’s snow melted and spring quietly approached, the housing prices in the Imperial City started to drop, even if just a little, enough to make people rush in to buy before they went back up.
Land is as valuable as gold.
Zhiyuan Technology was making good profits.
Luo Xiao was about to finish another semester and graduate from university.
Because of his entrepreneurial success, he had become the object of envy among his classmates.
Naturally, his popularity soared, and Chen Jinlin often boasted, saying she had found a treasure.
Luo Xiao planned to settle down in the Imperial City, so he decided to take the opportunity to buy a house.
Once he graduated, he would have to move out of the university dorms.
He discussed this with Chen Jinlin.
Chen Jinlin was fantasizing about designing their new house.
Luo Xiao smiled, knowing she wouldn’t offer any practical advice on such matters, so after some idle chat, he thought of something and messaged Yan Cheng.
Sunday.
Yan Cheng drove Luo Xiao and Chen Jinlin to a property center.
The location was good, just half an hour’s drive from the company.
In the car.
Chen Jinlin, sitting in the backseat, was full of energy, and her excitement couldn’t be hidden.
“By the way, brother-in-law, is my sister’s due date coming soon?”
Yan Cheng, holding the steering wheel, nodded, “Yeah, mid next month.”
“In a couple of days, I plan to have her admitted to the hospital, but she doesn’t seem to want to go early. Jinlin, can you try and talk to her?”
Chen Jinlin saluted playfully, “Okay, brother-in-law.”
“I can’t believe I’m going to be an aunt so soon. I should help my sister out, get more practice so that it’ll be much easier when I have my own kids later,” she said with a smile, shamelessly sharing her conclusions.
Luo Xiao: “………”
Yan Cheng came along mainly to be a consultant.
He was there to help the young, inexperienced couple make the right decisions.
However, the young couple had their own ideas. As soon as the sales lady started introducing the property, they were hand-in-hand, listening intently and enthusiastically, completely forgetting that he was there.
Fortunately, Yan Cheng was just along for the ride.
The Imperial City International Garden project was all new.
The houses here were considered luxury residences, in a great location with beautiful scenery.
It was said that the feng shui was excellent, with clever design, nestled between mountains and water.
Yan Cheng casually wandered around for a bit.
Suddenly, his steps slowed, his pupils dilated, and his relaxed demeanor disappeared.
In the same development, there was a villa section.
A rough estimate would put the price of one at over 20 million.
Their home was becoming increasingly crowded.
With the stroller, crib, and the things brought by both his and her parents every time they visited, the living room was full and there was hardly any unused space.
His eyes flickered, and Yan Cheng stopped for a moment, his gaze fixed on the villa.
He was always quick when it came to decisions. After only thinking for a few minutes, he made up his mind. He was going to buy that villa.
The sales lady hadn’t even reached the point of being tired of explaining when Yan Cheng interrupted her, saying, “This one.”
She froze for a moment before smiling brightly.
As they went to sign the purchase contract, the sales lady was proud of having landed a big client, but hesitated for a moment before biting her lip and asking, “…This one is 32 million, are you sure you want to buy it, sir?”
Yan Cheng frowned slightly, then nodded. “Yes.”
He paused, his expression becoming thoughtful.
The sales lady kept her professional smile. “Is there a problem?”
“Can the property certificate be in my wife’s name?”
The smile on the sales lady’s face instantly cracked. “Of course, sir.”
“Great, let’s go sign the contract,” Yan Cheng said, his eyes narrowing. He regretted asking the question as soon as the words left his mouth. It was a silly question, one that didn’t even need to be asked.
He raised his eyes, his expression neutral.
But still, he couldn’t help but think that the saying “pregnancy makes you dumb for three years” must be contagious.
Outside the window, the sun shone brightly, filtering through the glass and catching the tiny dust particles floating in the air.
At the bottom of the contract, the bold and powerful characters “Yan Cheng” stood out.
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