A familiar scent mingled with the aroma of wine wafted into her nostrils.
Xia Wanfu pressed her face tightly against his chest, listening to the sound of his heartbeat, and smiled, closing her eyes.
But she soon felt something was wrong, as she received no response.
In the past, whenever she hugged him.
He would gently embrace her, burying his face in her neck, greedily breathing in her scent.
But why was he so unusual today?
She slowly released her arms around him and looked up.
Jiang Zexi's face was expressionless, his peach-blossom eyes devoid of their usual gentleness.
She immediately felt a pang of panic, her voice tinged with an imperceptible caution, "Brother Zexi, what's wrong?"
Jiang Zexi lowered his gaze, his dark, deep pupils like an abyss with no bottom.
Xia Wanfu's heated heart gradually cooled, her panic intensifying.
Jiang Zexi stared at her, his eyes devoid of any warmth, and said coldly, "You don't look good dressed like that."
Xia Wanfu frowned slightly, feeling a little uncomfortable.
She couldn't quite understand. It was just a change in her style of dress, why was he reacting so strongly and saying that about her?
She forced a smile and said, "I think it looks good. I've always dressed like this before."
Jiang Zexi's gaze grew more frighteningly deep, his face still without a hint of a smile, his voice chilling to the bone.
"I said, you don't look good dressed like that."
Why dress like this.
Wasn't it fine before.
Why.
A fire burned in Jiang Zexi's heart, a sense of anger at the disruption of something beautiful.
Everything he had meticulously created suddenly had a flaw, as if someone deliberately wanted to shatter his hard-won beautiful dream.
He drank, half-asleep every day, smelling the familiar scent, as if he had returned to the past.
She was still here, she hadn't left.
But deep in his heart, he was clear-headed; he knew this was an illusion.
Yet he just wanted to live in this haze, even for a moment, to truly feel her presence.
Xia Wanfu frowned, finally sensing something peculiar. His reaction seemed a bit too extreme.
Though she was puzzled, she didn't want to fall out with Jiang Zexi right now.
"If you don't like it, I won't wear it again."
"Yes, be good and obedient, and I will love you well," Jiang Zexi's tone softened.
He embraced her again, burying his face in her neck, his breathing deepening slightly.
Xia Wanfu let him hold her quietly, but her heart was not as joyful as before.
They say women's intuition is very accurate.
She had a vague sense of foreboding, but she forcefully suppressed it.
Because she loved Jiang Zexi, and she couldn't leave him.
She wrapped her arms around Jiang Zexi, returning his embrace, and smiled, "My new drama has aired, and it's getting a good response."
"Mm, keep up the good work."
Jiang Zexi's fingers twined through her hair, his hand slowly moving down. The soft texture pleased him.
Until he reached the ends of her hair, which slipped away. His hand then naturally moved to embrace her slender waist.
Then followed a tender exchange, a deep intimacy.
...
The early autumn air was cool in the mornings and evenings.
Xia Wantang, wearing a thin nightgown, stood in the bathroom, holding a pregnancy test stick.
It still showed a bright red line.
Although she had anticipated it, she couldn't help but feel disappointed. It seemed that getting pregnant wasn't easy!
But she was not discouraged at all, as it had only been less than half a month.
And according to the internet, not getting pregnant for a year was normal.
She sighed softly and casually tossed it into the trash can.
If it weren't for the sake of the elders not having any regrets, she wouldn't be in such a hurry.
But pregnancy also depended on timing, location, and harmony. When one's mood was good, it was easier to achieve one's desires.
She didn't put too much pressure on herself, relaxed her mind, and started to wash up.
She changed into a set of casual long-sleeved pants and then left the bathroom.
Ling Yuchen was already dressed and sitting on the sofa.
Unlike his usual, monotonous shirts and suits.
He was wearing a plain black, loose-fitting, round-necked sweater, exuding a hint of casual elegance, and gray-black casual pants.
His long legs were crossed slightly, and he held a teacup, his posture relaxed yet exceptionally graceful.
He couldn't smoke or drink coffee while trying to conceive, so he chose tea.
Xia Wantang averted her gaze and said as she walked, "Let's go, let's go to the front yard for breakfast."
Ling Yuchen placed his cup on the coffee table, quickened his steps to her side, and took her hand.
When they reached the dining room, everyone else was already eating.
The kitchen had prepared her favorite pan-fried dumplings, buns, and other dishes, along with chili sauce for dipping.
After breakfast, they sat on the sofa to rest.
Old Mrs. Ling said to Zhu Yunfei, "Many people will come to see your grandfather today. We need to prepare lunch. You keep an eye on the kitchen."
Zhu Yunfei nodded in agreement, "Don't worry, Mom."
She had refused visitors at the hospital. Now that she had recovered and was discharged, she certainly couldn't refuse them.
This was the first time Xia Wantang would face everyone as the Ling family's eldest granddaughter-in-law.
Zhu Yunfei glanced at her casual attire and kindly reminded her, "Darling, you should go change your clothes later! You can wear one or two of the pieces of jewelry I gave you appropriately."
"I understand, Mother." Xia Wantang replied obediently.
After a brief rest, she and Ling Yuchen returned to the East Courtyard.
She picked a knee-length, long-sleeved, off-white dress from the wardrobe. It fell below her knees. Thinking it might be cold, she found a pair of flesh-colored pantyhose and then went to the bathroom to change.
It was her first time wearing this type of pantyhose, which were connected to socks. After putting them on, she looked at herself in the mirror, feeling like she had transformed.
Only the simple ponytail didn't quite suit this outfit.
She let her hair down, divided it evenly into two sides, and combed it straight. Fortunately, she had washed her hair last night, and her hair was still soft.
Because she had straightened it before, it was smooth and compliant, not messy.
This way was much better than before.
Later, she would find a pair of short boots to wear, and the overall look would be much more elegant and dignified.
But what about the jewelry?
She had placed the entire box in the safe at Linglushan.
Just then, there was a knock on the bathroom door, and Ling Yuchen's voice came through.
"Tangtang, are you ready?"
"I'm ready, I'm ready."
Xia Wantang took one last look in the mirror. She could only leave it like this for now.
She walked out of the bathroom and found that besides Ling Yuchen, there were two other women in the room.
"Hello, Madam. I'm Xiaoya, the makeup artist."
"I'm Xiaozhou, the stylist."
Xia Wantang looked bewildered, and only heard Ling Yuchen say, "I found them. You don't need to worry about anything else."
Today, not only relatives and friends would be coming, but also many distinguished guests from the capital.
News about Mr. Ling's hospitalization had already spread like wildfire during that time.
Now that he had recovered, many people would naturally come to visit.