The setting sun painted the sky, bathing the deep mountains in a golden glow.
Ling Yuchen, uninspired by the captivating scenery, leaned back in the rear seat, his eyes closed in rest.
Han Xiao drove, deliberately slowing his pace to avoid disturbing him.
Today had been a marathon of meetings, followed by mountains of documents to process. To avoid working overtime.
He watched his CEO tirelessly attend to his tasks without pause.
The high-intensity work had etched a weariness onto his brow.
The car navigated the winding mountain road, eventually stopping before a villa at the summit.
The moment the car halted, Ling Yuchen's eyes snapped open, his deep, narrow pupils bloodshot.
Before exiting, Ling Yuchen spoke to Han Xiao, "There's an empty villa halfway up the mountain. It's yours. Pick me up tomorrow at seven-thirty."
Ever since their marriage, Han Xiao had to return home every night, no matter how late, which cost him considerable time. Previously, he had lived on Linglu Mountain.
Before Han Xiao could fully process this, Ling Yuchen had already stepped out of the car.
This Linglu Mountain villa was priceless, unattainable even with vast wealth. Han Xiao, finally realizing the implications, was overwhelmed with gratitude.
This meant he could bring his whole family to live there, not only saving time but also allowing him more moments with them!
...
Back home, all fatigue vanished.
His daughter lay asleep in her crib, a tiny bundle, snoring softly.
Gong Zhi Jing, however, sat on the sofa, engrossed in her laptop, absorbed in whatever she was doing.
Upon seeing him, she merely glanced up, offered a perfunctory "You're back," and then returned to her task.
Ling Yuchen removed his jacket, his gaze fixed on Gong Zhi Jing.
His mind had been consumed by them—mother and daughter—all day, yet upon returning home, his wife’s demeanor was so indifferent.
"What are you doing?" he asked, walking over.
Gong Zhi Jing didn't look at him, replying, "Nothing..."
Ling Yuchen furrowed his brow, unbuttoned the top of his collar with one hand, and moved closer, his voice a low murmur, "Did you miss me?"
Gong Zhi Jing, lost in her own world, seemed not to have heard him.
"Wife?"
Ling Yuchen called out again tentatively, but Gong Zhi Jing remained unresponsive.
This stung him. He had rushed back precisely to spend time with his wife and child, only for one to be asleep and the other to ignore him.
Ling Yuchen sighed and went upstairs to take a bath.
Gong Zhi Jing's fingers flew across the keyboard with remarkable speed and apparent skill, but a glance at the word count revealed less than three thousand characters.
The real-time statistics showed a mere two thousand nine hundred words, with an input speed of one thousand five hundred words per hour, three hours of typing, and one hour of idle time.
Such speed was truly unparalleled.
It turned out typing wasn't as easy as it looked.
As she typed, she stopped, stuck again, feeling a sense of wordlessness.
She had achieved nothing and was now suffering from a sore back.
She exhaled, stretched her neck, and glanced around, muttering in confusion, "Huh? Where did he go? Didn't he come back?"
Gong Zhi Jing didn't dwell on it, first checking on her daughter, who was still fast asleep.
The aroma of food wafted from the kitchen, and just smelling it made her hungry.
Despite having eaten bread and milk that afternoon, her appetite during lactation was even greater than during pregnancy.
"Oma, what did you make? It smells so good!"
Oma, busy in the kitchen, replied without looking back, "There are cooked dumplings on the table, Madam. You can eat them if you're hungry."
Gong Zhi Jing's eyes lit up, and she smiled, "Thank you, Oma."
Oma always understood her. She was indeed hungry.
A large bowl of freshly cooked plain dumplings sat on the table, accompanied by a prepared chili dipping sauce, perfectly suited to her taste, as she did not eat sweets.
Ling Yuchen descended the stairs after his shower, his gaze sweeping the room before settling on the dining area.
Gong Zhi Jing was stuffing her mouth with something, looking remarkably content.
He made no effort to conceal the sound of his footsteps.
Gong Zhi Jing sensed his presence and turned to look at him.
His hair was still damp, water trickling down his neck. He wore a gray, round-necked loungewear set, subtly revealing the toned muscles beneath.
Gong Zhi Jing swallowed the dumpling in her mouth and boldly appraised him.
Looking through clothes was a different experience than looking without them,
but both were intoxicating.
Ling Yuchen smiled, then casually sat in front of her and asked, "Looking good?"
Gong Zhi Jing raised her eyebrows, her gaze becoming even bolder, like a brazen woman.
"Yes, better than without clothes."
These forthright words nearly made Ling Yuchen choke on his own saliva. He grabbed the cup on the table and drank the water in one gulp.
Gong Zhi Jing smirked victorily, leisurely finishing the dumplings in her bowl.
Ling Yuchen watched her eat, observing her lips, rosy from the chili, part and close with each bite of the dumpling.
After she finished, Gong Zhi Jing said, "My father might be coming to stay for a few days, and I also want to visit my mother."
Ling Yuchen, holding his cup, replied, "Alright, we'll go together then."
"Mhm." Gong Zhi Jing took her bowl to the kitchen.
Soon after, dinner was served, with Oma having prepared a lavish spread.
As Gong Zhi Jing picked up her bowl, Ling Leyou, in her stroller, began to cry. She had to put down her bowl and prepare to tend to her.
Seeing this, Ling Yuchen said, "Eat first. Let the nanny comfort her."
"It's time for her milk," Gong Zhi Jing said, rising from the table. "I just ate dumplings and I'm not very hungry. You eat first."
The crying Ling Leyou stopped the moment she was picked up, though her tear-filled eyes were still heart-wrenching.
Gong Zhi Jing gently soothed her, sitting on the sofa and quietly feeding her.
While feeding, she scrolled through videos to pass the time.
Just then, she felt the sofa beside her dip. Turning, she saw Ling Yuchen.
She asked in surprise, "Are you finished?"
"No, waiting for you."
Ling Yuchen then took out his phone and began to browse something.
"Hurry and eat. I'm not hungry."
Ling Yuchen merely glanced at her before continuing to scroll through his phone.
Seeing this, Gong Zhi Jing didn't insist, quietly continuing to watch her videos.
Time flowed by.
Having eaten and drunk her fill, Ling Leyou stretched and then let out a loud burp.
That wasn't enough; she followed it with a series of pungent farts, one after another.
Gong Zhi Jing felt a bit speechless. This always happened after she ate, and it was always during meal times.
"Give her to me."
Ling Yuchen took his daughter, his gaze exceptionally gentle, showing no hint of disdain for the recent diaper change.
He placed her on the changing table and began the process, meticulously and attentively.
Gong Zhi Jing stood by, watching, and chuckled, "As a mother, I can't do anything but feed her."
The baby slept with the nanny at night. Diaper changes were handled by the nanny and Ling Yuchen. Her only role was feeding.