"I'm sorry, I already have plans for tonight." Su Ying, still preoccupied with design drafts after a meeting, hadn't quite registered who was speaking and her tone was still polite.
If she had known the person's true identity, she probably would have started scolding them directly.
"What about tomorrow?" Tang Ren asked, unwilling to give up.
"Sorry, I have a program to record tomorrow." Su Ying didn't even know who he was, so she wasn't about to agree easily. Besides, she was a married woman, how could she accept an invitation from a stranger?
"When is Miss Su free? I'm available any time." Tang Ren's expression soured when Su Ying refused.
"I'm really busy lately, tied up with work. May I ask where Mr. Tang works? Have we met before?" Su Ying, maintaining her professionalism, asked patiently.
Tang Ren, however, chose to keep it a mystery. "Since that's the case, we'll talk about it next time we meet."
He knew how to play hard to get, too.
And he was extremely good at it.
Many women were initially evasive and reluctant to give a clear answer. With this tactic, they would immediately surrender. He couldn't believe that Su Ying wouldn't be curious about his identity.
Unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.
In this world, there were indeed people as unyielding as steel.
"Mm, we'll talk when I have time." Su Ying was genuinely busy. The phone on her desk rang, and she directly hung up on Tang Ren.
Tang Ren: ...
What just happened?
He hadn't finished speaking!
"This woman is truly ungrateful!" Tang Ren angrily slammed his phone onto the table. But the more Su Ying acted this way, the more intrigued he became.
"Finally, I've met a challenge. Excellent!" Tang Ren unconsciously twirled the ring on his finger.
*
After settling the old man, Su He followed Lu Yanbei back to their small home.
By the time they returned, Aunt Li had already come back from her vacation.
She had even brought them some local specialties from her hometown.
Seeing the fully stocked refrigerator, Su He's eyes widened. "There's so much, how long will it take to finish it all?"
"These are all dried, they can be kept for a very long time," Aunt Li explained as she put the items on the shelves. "This old hen is free-range, perfect for making soup!"
"And these mushrooms, they taste especially good in hot pot."
Aunt Li had worked for the Lu family for many years and was no ordinary servant. She had practically watched Lu Yanbei grow up and could be considered a half-elder.
She truly treated the young couple as her own children.
"That's more than enough, please don't empty your own home!" Su He said gratefully.
"Not at all! We have dozens back home. We country folk live off the land, these things will grow back..." Aunt Li's chatter made Su He feel a sense of warmth.
The two of them busied themselves in the kitchen for a while, and soon prepared four dishes and one soup.
Su He hadn't eaten these wild delicacies in a long time and couldn't control her appetite, ending up overeating. She rubbed her bulging stomach and decided to take a stroll in the courtyard.
Lu Yanbei received a call and went to the study. When he finished his work, he suddenly realized that Su He seemed to have changed somewhat recently.
Especially in her eating habits.
She used to be addicted to spicy food. No matter what, there would always be one or two spicy dishes on the table. But today, the dishes Aunt Li made were all relatively light, yet Su He ate them all without complaint.
Her appetite also seemed to have grown. She used to eat only half a bowl of rice, but today she not only had seconds but also drank several bowls of mushroom soup. And that dish of pickled mustard greens, with its strong vinegar aroma that could be smelled from afar, she ate more than half of it.
He vaguely remembered that Su He used to dislike sour things.
These changes in habit either meant her taste buds were acting up, or... He walked over to the bookshelf, found some miscellaneous books Su He had haphazardly stuffed in, and flipped through one of them.
If he remembered correctly, pregnant women's tastes could become very strange.
When Su He returned from her walk, she saw Lu Yanbei looking at her with an unreadable expression.
"Is there something on my face?" She touched her face, feeling his gaze was rather peculiar.
Lu Yanbei curved his lips, stepped forward, and took her hand. "Have you been feeling tired lately?"
"A little, I suppose." Hearing him say it made Su He yawn. "But I'm always like this. In winter, people tend to be extra lazy."
Lu Yanbei didn't think so.
He guided her to the bathroom door, thoughtfully changed her slippers, and adjusted the water temperature for her. "Be careful not to slip when you shower."
Su He found it inexplicable, but she appreciated it.
This man was always so thoughtful!
After her bath, Lu Yanbei had a hairdryer ready and pulled her to sit at the vanity.
"Why are you suddenly so attentive?" Su He asked after finishing her skincare.
Lu Yanbei's eyes flickered, and he quickly regained his composure. "Isn't it only right to be good to my wife?"
"Are you hiding something from me?" Su He's intuition told her this wasn't simple.
Lu Yanbei was skilled at concealing his true emotions and showed no sign of a slip-up. "Don't overthink it. Chinese New Year is coming soon, have you thought about how you want to spend it?"
Su He's thoughts were indeed led by his words. "Should we have lunch at my adoptive parents' place and spend the night with Grandpa at the old house to ring in the New Year?"
"That's fine." Lu Yanbei had only asked as a casual question; in reality, he would agree to whatever decision Su He made.
"Ah, speaking of which, I haven't prepared any New Year's goods yet," Su He patted her head, looking troubled.
"Leave these things to Aunt Li."
"Isn't Aunt Li going home for the New Year?" Su He asked curiously.
"She should be spending the New Year in B City this year." Lu Yanbei gently ran his fingers through her hair, his movements practiced, as if he had done it a thousand times.
Su He propped her head on her hand, listening to the buzzing sound of the hairdryer, feeling drowsy. "Don't her family members mind?"
"Aunt Li has a house here that hadn't been renovated before. This year, the children pooled their money to finish the renovation, so the whole family will be coming here to stay for a while," Lu Yanbei explained.
"Ah, that's good then." As Su He spoke, her eyes slowly narrowed.
Lu Yanbei stroked her hair and turned off the hairdryer. Then, he picked her up and gently placed her on the bed.
Su He had wanted to talk to him about something else, but the moment her head hit the pillow, she was already half-asleep. She turned over, pulled the blanket over herself, and soon sank into a deep sleep.
Lu Yanbei watched her fall asleep almost instantly and remembered the passage from the book again.
Perhaps, this time, she was truly pregnant?
Lu Yanbei sat on the edge of the bed, gently caressing Su He's cheek.
How could he, her husband, not see Su He's anxiety? He also knew about her secretly going for medical check-ups, he just didn't point it out. After all, his heart was tied to her.
He noticed every change in her.