Wen Zhi was almost squeezed to the very front of the crowd when her phone suddenly rang.
Thinking it might be Lian Qiao needing her for something, she took it out without much thought.
But the message was from Mo Tingyan.
[Not home yet? It's already eight.]
Wen Zhi stopped in her tracks and couldn't help but smile helplessly.
She really was being paranoid.
Mo Tingyan was clearly at home—how could she possibly run into him here?
She glanced once more in the direction she had been staring at earlier, then shook her head lightly, turned around, and squeezed her way out of the crowd.
Not far away, Huo Ze lowered his voice.
"Little sister-in-law left."
Mo Tingyan flicked Jiang Nanzhong a sideways glance, then rose to his feet as well.
Receiving the silent instruction, Jiang Nanzhong clicked his tongue and casually patted Huo Ze's shoulder.
"You keep busy. I've got some work to do."
A few minutes later—
Jiang Xian, still sitting alone in a corner, looked dazed and distracted when a shadow suddenly fell in front of him.
He looked up—and froze.
Startled, he immediately stood up and bowed respectfully.
"President Jiang."
Jiang Nanzhong raised an eyebrow, his smile carrying a dangerous edge.
"Sit. Let's have a little chat."
On the drive home, Mo Tingyan received a call from Jiang Nanzhong.
"That guy's name is Jiang Xian. Marketing Director at Mingguang Group. He was brought along today by a friend to meet your wife—turned out to be a total misunderstanding. Your wife said she already had a boyfriend. That kid looked completely crushed. Pretty sure he fell for her. Want me to help you… suppress his confidence a little?"
Mo Tingyan lifted a brow.
So she really was worry-free.
In a good mood, he replied casually,
"No need. Go do your job."
After hanging up, his foot pressed harder on the accelerator.
By the time Wen Zhi got home, Mo Tingyan had already beaten her there.
When Wen Zhi entered, he had just stepped out of the bathroom, towel draped low around his waist, water droplets sliding from his damp hair down his neck and along his collarbone.
Pure temptation.
She instinctively looked away—and suddenly found her earlier suspicion at the banquet downright amusing.
"I'm back," she said while changing her shoes.
Seeing her reaction, Mo Tingyan thought—
Good. She didn't see his face after all.
He strode over, wrapped an arm around her waist, and pinned her lightly against the shoe cabinet, his expression full of exaggerated grievance.
"I told you to be home before nine. You really came back twenty minutes early. Was the event that fun?"
Wen Zhi shook her head.
"It was just a rich people's banquet. Crowded and noisy. What's fun about that? Have you eaten?"
Mo Tingyan leaned closer, the tip of his nose brushing her ear, his voice low and lethal.
"No. I'm starving. Enough appetite to eat you three times over."
As he spoke, he bent down and scooped her into his arms, heading straight for the bedroom.
Wen Zhi suddenly found herself airborne and sighed helplessly.
"I just came back from the banquet. I'm dirty."
Mo Tingyan deliberately sniffed her neck.
"Why do I smell another man? Did someone flirt with you?"
Wen Zhi: "..."
"Stop exaggerating."
"I really smell a man," he murmured, lips grazing her neck.
"I'm jealous. You need to be punished."
She pushed against his shoulder.
"Don't mess around. I haven't showered."
"Then we'll shower first."
He carried her into the bathroom, set her on the sink, cradled her face, and kissed her deeply.
The faint fruity wine on her lips only made him lose control faster.
One by one, he removed every restraint—
until the bathroom echoed with nothing but breath and heat.
By the time the shower ended, he had already done everything he wanted to do.
Wen Zhi leaned weakly against the sink, breathing softly, silently wondering—
Where on earth did this man get so much stamina?
He really must have been starving.
After cleaning up, they came out in bathrobes.
Mo Tingyan went to the balcony for a cigarette, while Wen Zhi headed to the kitchen and used the leftover rice from last night to make a simple plate of egg fried rice.
A few minutes later, they sat facing each other at the dining table.
Mo Tingyan took a bite and couldn't help but think—
How was it that leftover rice tasted better than anything he'd eaten at the banquet?
This woman… truly had magic hands.
After eating a few bites, Wen Zhi looked at him.
"Oh, by the way—Qiao Qiao tried to help me get out from my dad's control today and introduced me to someone. It turned into a misunderstanding. I told her we're married. I was thinking… maybe invite her over for dinner in a couple of days."
Then, out of respect, she added,
"If you don't like bringing friends home, we can eat out instead. She knows it was a flash marriage and feels a bit uneasy—she wants to meet you."
Instead of that, Mo Tingyan focused on the first part.
"What about that blind date?" he asked coolly. "Better looking than me?"
Wen Zhi was speechless.
"What does his looks have to do with me? Stop joking—focus."
Mo Tingyan looked unconcerned.
"As long as you're not bringing a male creature home, arrange it however you want."
He leaned forward slightly, eyes dark and teasing.
"I'm also at your disposal. Hmm?"
Wen Zhi: "..."
"I'll tell you once I set a time."
"Alright."
After a pause, he added casually,
"So—what was that rich people's banquet like? Really that boring?"
"It was some networking event hosted through the Mingguang Group president's connections. Pretty dull. I mostly just listened to gossip."
Mo Tingyan pretended to be curious.
"Did the Mingguang Group president attend? What does he look like?"
Wen Zhi shook her head.
"There were so many people crowding the front. How could anyone in the back see?"
Mo Tingyan finally relaxed—but also felt oddly dissatisfied by her lack of interest.
"You're not curious at all?"
She raised an eyebrow.
"Why would I be curious about someone irrelevant?"
Mo Tingyan: "..."
My wife isn't curious about me at all—
so why am I inexplicably excited?
"You said you heard a lot of gossip. Tell me some."
Wen Zhi frowned.
A grown man listening to gossip? What kind of hobby was that?
Mo Tingyan, full and satisfied, leaned back lazily in his chair, eyes slightly upturned, smiling like a beautiful menace.
"Husband and wife chatting at home. Or—do you not like talking to me?"
Wen Zhi felt he was just good at causing trouble.
"That gossip had no substance."
"Indulge your husband's curiosity."
To be honest, Mo Tingyan was genuinely curious how the outside world talked about him.
After thinking for a moment, Wen Zhi answered truthfully.
"Nothing much. Just that the Mingguang Group president is very capable, but his personality…"
She hesitated, searching for the right word.
"Unpredictable. Cold. Violent."
Then she found one.
"Like a pervert. And apparently… he's gay."
The gay man in question