"I'm sorry, I already have plans for tonight." Su Ying, fresh from a meeting, was still preoccupied with design drafts and hadn't quite registered the other person's identity. Her tone was polite.
If she had known who he truly was, she would have likely just cursed him out.
"How about tomorrow then?" Tang Ren pressed, unwilling to give up.
"Apologies, I have a program to record tomorrow." Su Ying had no idea who he was, so she was naturally unwilling 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 was taken aback by Su Ying's refusal, his expression turning unpleasant.
"I've been really busy lately. Work keeps me tied up. May I ask where Mr. Tang is employed? Have we met before?" Su Ying, maintaining her professional demeanor, asked patiently.
Tang Ren, however, refused to reveal anything, deliberately being mysterious. "Since that's the case, we'll discuss it next time we meet."
He knew how to play hard to get, too.
And he was damn good at it.
Many women were initially vague and reluctant to give a clear answer. With this tactic, he could make them surrender immediately. 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 truly were people as stubborn as steel.
"Mhm, we'll talk when I have time." Su Ying was genuinely busy. As the phone on her desk rang, 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. However, the more Su Ying acted this way, the more it piqued his interest.
"Finally, I've met someone challenging. Excellent!" Tang Ren subconsciously twirled the ring on his finger.
*
After settling the old man, Su He returned to her small home with Lu Yanbei.
When they arrived, Aunt Li had returned from her vacation.
She had also brought them special products from her hometown.
Seeing the fully stocked refrigerator, Su He's eyes widened. "So much, how long will it take to finish all this?"
"These are all dried, they can be stored for a very long time," Aunt Li explained as she placed the items on the shelves. "This old hen is free-range; it's perfect for making soup!"
"And these mushrooms, they make hotpot taste especially good."
Aunt Li had worked for the Lu family for many years and was no ordinary housekeeper. In fact, she had watched Lu Yanbei grow up and could be considered a half-elder.
She truly treated the young couple like her own children.
"It's more than enough, please don't empty your entire home!" Su He said gratefully.
"That's not an exaggeration! We have dozens at home. We country folk live off the mountain, and these things will grow back..." Aunt Li's chatter made Su He feel incredibly warm.
The two of them busied themselves in the kitchen for a while, and soon prepared a meal of 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 distended stomach and decided to take a stroll in the yard.
Lu Yanbei took a phone call and went to the study. After he finished dealing with his work matters, he suddenly realized that Su He seemed to have changed recently.
Especially in her living 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 quite light, yet Su He ate them all without complaint.
Her appetite also seemed to have increased. She used to eat only half a bowl of rice, but today she not only refilled her rice but also drank several bowls of mushroom soup. And that cold dish of preserved vegetables, the smell of vinegar could be detected from afar, yet she ate more than half of it.
He vaguely remembered that Su He used to not eat sour things much.
These changes in habits either meant her sense of taste had a problem, or… He walked to the bookshelf, found a few miscellaneous books Su He had haphazardly stuffed in, and flipped through one of them.
If he remembered correctly, pregnant women's tastes often became quite peculiar.
When Su He returned from her walk, she saw Lu Yanbei looking at her with an inscrutable expression.
"Is there something on my face?" She raised her hand to touch her face, feeling his gaze was strange.
Lu Yanbei curved his lips, stepped forward, and took her hand. "Have you been feeling tired lately?"
"Perhaps a little." Saying it made Su He yawn. "But I'm always like this. In winter, people tend to be exceptionally lazy."
Lu Yanbei didn't think so.
He guided her to the bathroom door, thoughtfully changed her into slippers, and adjusted the water temperature for her. "Be careful of your footing when you shower, don't fall."
Su He found it inexplicable but appreciated it nonetheless.
This man was always so considerate!
After her shower, Lu Yanbei had the hairdryer ready and pulled her to sit at the vanity.
"Why are you suddenly so attentive?" Su He asked after finishing her skincare routine.
Lu Yanbei's eyes flickered, and he quickly regained his composure. "Isn't it natural to be good to my wife?"
"Are you hiding something from me?" Su He's sixth sense told her this was no simple matter.
Lu Yanbei was adept at concealing his true emotions, showing no flaws. "Don't overthink it. Chinese New Year is approaching, have you thought about how you want to spend it?"
Su He was indeed led by his words. "Lunch at my adoptive parents' place, and in the evening, we return to the old house to stay up with Grandpa?"
"That's fine." Lu Yanbei had merely asked, and would agree to whatever decision Su He made.
"Ah, speaking of which, I haven't even prepared any New Year's goods yet." Su He tapped her head, looking distressed.
"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, the movements practiced, as if done countless times.
Su He propped her head on her hand, listening to the buzzing of the hairdryer, feeling drowsy. "Don't her family members have any objections?"
"Aunt Li has an apartment here. It hadn't been renovated before. This year, her children pooled their money to finish the renovation, so the whole family will come here to live for a while," Lu Yanbei explained.
"Ah, that's good." As Su He spoke, her eyes soon narrowed into slits.
Lu Yanbei ran a hand through her hair and turned off the hairdryer. Then, he scooped her up and gently placed her back on the bed.
Su He had intended to chat with him about something, but as soon as her head touched the pillow, she drifted off into a daze. She turned over, wrapped the quilt around herself, and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Lu Yanbei watched her fall asleep almost instantly and thought again of the passage in the book.
Perhaps, this time, she was truly pregnant?
Lu Yanbei sat at the edge of the bed, gently caressing Su He's cheek.
How could he, her pillow companion, not see Su He's anxiety? And he also knew about her secretly going for medical check-ups, he just hadn't pointed it out. After all, his heart was tied to her.
He noticed every change in her.