She frowned and put down the water cup, stepping forward to help him to bed.
However, she couldn't move the deeply sleeping man at all, and was even out of breath from the exertion.
"Jiang Zexi, Jiang Zexi, wake up," Xia Wanfu called out twice, but Jiang Zexi remained completely still.
She was so troubled she didn't know what to do. After some thought, she decided to let Jiang Zexi sleep on the sofa.
Then, Xia Wanfu laboriously lifted Jiang Zexi's legs onto the sofa and covered him with a thin blanket before feeling relieved.
Just as she let out a sigh of relief and turned to leave, she heard a thud from behind her.
She turned around to see that Jiang Zexi had already fallen off the sofa and was lying sprawled on the floor.
But even with such a heavy fall, he wasn't woken up.
Xia Wanfu had felt a bit concerned initially, but seeing him sleep so soundly, she found it both exasperating and amusing.
It seemed he wasn't hurt, otherwise, he would have woken up.
She looked at the person on the floor with a headache, unsure of what to do. She couldn't even help him up!
Just as she was at a loss, she heard Jiang Zexi mumble unconsciously, "Wife... my dear wife, don't be angry anymore, it's all my fault."
Xia Wanfu frowned at him, almost bursting into laughter.
If others heard this, they would think she was a shrew.
Looking at the man sleeping soundly on the floor, Xia Wanfu cleared her throat, a mischievous glint in her eyes.
"I am angry, hmph!"
She had only meant it as a joke, to see how Jiang Zexi would react. Unexpectedly, the man who was lying unconscious on the floor suddenly opened his eyes and sat up.
His eyes stared blankly ahead, his eyes red-rimmed, a hint of confusion mixed with his daze.
Seeing him like this, Xia Wanfu felt a pang of guilt. She quickly walked over and explained, "I'm not angry, I was just joking. Come on, let's go to bed!"
Jiang Zexi stared fixedly at her, his gaze intensely invasive.
Xia Wanfu felt uncomfortable under his gaze and merely tugged at his clothes, trying to get him to stand.
Jiang Zexi remained motionless, then suddenly reached out and grabbed Xia Wanfu's arm, pulling her into his embrace, his intentions glaringly obvious.
"What are you doing? Let go... mmmph..."
Before Xia Wanfu could say anything, her lips were sealed, and then a barrage of kisses rained down on her neck.
The warm touch spread throughout her body, making her feel weak and unable to resist, forced to accept Jiang Zexi's tenderness and affection.
...
Haitang Mountain.
Amidst the picturesque scenery, Gong Zhijing and others walked through, cheering and exclaiming with joy in the sea of flowers.
Even little Ling Leyou was exceptionally excited, her clear laughter echoing, adding a touch of cheer to the lively atmosphere. The flowers, however, suffered, as she would occasionally pluck one bare and crush it to powder.
Wen Xuanyuan, holding up her skirt, weaved through the sea of flowers.
Li Bowen followed closely behind her, carefully protecting her.
While admiring the scenery, Wen Xuanyuan said to Li Bowen, "Look how romantic Ling Yucheng is, gifting Zhizhi an entire sea of flowers. You should learn from him!"
Li Bowen let her talk, his eyes fixed on her as he cautiously warned, "Slow down, be careful where you step."
Wen Xuanyuan paid no mind, continuing to flit about the flower sea, occasionally letting out bursts of laughter.
Li Bowen followed behind her, constantly worrying and giving advice, very busy and anxious.
Not far away, Qiao Xinyue held up her phone, video calling and enthusiastically sharing the scenery with Wen Yan, clearly excited.
Only Gong Zhijing was more composed. Having been here before and with a child in tow, she couldn't be as wild as the others.
Ling Yucheng, holding his daughter, said dotingly, "Baby, do you like it here?"
Ling Leyou waved her little arms, her mouth watering with laughter, clearly enjoying herself.
"Daddy will take you to pick flowers!"
Ling Yucheng guided his daughter, lowering her so she could reach the flowers.
The father and daughter were extremely close, a heartwarming scene of parent-child interaction. Gong Zhijing took out her phone and secretly captured the moment.
The group played until evening, witnessing the sunset and twilight before reluctantly leaving.
Li Bowen took Wen Xuanyuan back to the Li family.
Ling Yucheng, however, had to first take Gong Zhijing and Ling Leyou back to the Gong family.
On the way back, Ling Leyou had already fallen asleep.
Playing outside was exhausting, and Gong Zhijing and Qiao Xinyue were both drowsy and sleepy.
By the time they returned to the Gong family, it was completely dark.
Gong Ye and Ling Junye, who had been drinking, were both awake and chatting in the living room.
Ling Yucheng, holding his daughter, walked up to greet them, but their eyes were only on Ling Leyou.
Even though Ling Leyou was asleep, they still leaned in to whisper affectionate words before they were satisfied.
This was the legendary doting of grandparents.
Afterward, Ling Yucheng handed the child over to the nanny.
Then, everyone went to the dining room for dinner.
No one drank that evening, as Ling Yucheng still needed to take his parents and Qiao Xinyue back to the Ling family after dinner.
Just as they were seated, Ling Junye's phone rang.
The ringtone was urgent and noisy, quite irritating.
He took out his phone and glanced at it. It was from home, and he figured something must have happened, otherwise, they wouldn't call at this hour.
He quickly answered.
On the other end, rapid voices could be heard.
"Sir, something bad has happened. The old madam is missing."
Because the phone was on speaker, the voice from the other end was clearly audible to everyone.
Ling Yucheng's face changed dramatically, and he stood up abruptly, his chair creaking loudly with the sudden movement.
"What's going on!"
Ling Junye's face was grim, but he maintained his composure, though his clenched fists revealed his unease.
The voice stammered, "When the old madam went out, it was during mealtime, and the guards were lax..."
Ling Junye's breathing became rapid with anger, his heavy gasps indicating his furious emotions.
How could he not understand that the person on the phone was making excuses? It was clearly due to dereliction of duty that the old madam could still go out at night.
But scolding them now was useless. The most important thing was to find her immediately; other matters could be dealt with later.
"Check the surveillance, call the police, mobilize everyone to search, I'm coming back now."
After giving his instructions, Ling Junye hung up the phone.
Ling Yucheng strode out with a cold expression, not even having time to greet Gong Ye and Gong Zhijing.
Ling Junye, though frantic, still looked at Gong Ye. Just as he was about to say something, Gong Ye said.
"Finding her is the priority. I'll contact some people to help too. Go quickly."
Ling Junye nodded and left with Zhu Yunfei.