JR Chapter 23

Jiang Yuanmu had been taking care of the puppy for half a month.

During this time, Mo Lin hadn’t had the chance to walk the dog at all, so Jiang Yuanmu had to “self-sufficiently” take care of it. When he was too busy, he would ask the newly hired pet blogger at the company to help out.

This blogger was enthusiastic and very responsible, often sending videos to Jiang Yuanmu. These videos showed the little Border Collie playing in the park or with a frisbee—the same frisbee Mo Lin had bought, saying they would play with it on “Thursday,” but never did.

Who knows which Thursday she was referring to.

Jiang Yuanmu developed a habit of watching videos of the little Border Collie during his free time at the office. Watching the videos would make him smile, and when Ji Ming caught him, he would tease, “Missing your little pup?”

Jiang Yuanmu didn’t mind the term, but he took issue with the word “missing.”

“It’s just that the videos are very cute,” Jiang Yuanmu explained the smile on his lips, “I’m not missing it.”

Whenever he said that, Ji Ming would roll his eyes and not bother to argue.

Jiang Yuanmu firmly believed in his own feelings.

He seldom experienced emotions like “missing.” He was always busy or, rather, always fulfilled, without the leisure to miss or reminisce.

But one day, when he returned home and the little Border Collie enthusiastically greeted him, Jiang Yuanmu crouched down to pat its head as usual, and suddenly felt a bit… quiet.

He looked up at the house, the living room cold and empty, with no lights on. The hallway’s motion-sensor light shone on him from behind.

Mo Lin’s door was tightly closed, indicating it was another late night for her.

Mo Lin had never been this busy in their five years of marriage. Even when she traveled for work, it was only for two or three days. Most of the time, they spent two to three hours together in the living room every evening.

Jiang Yuanmu rubbed the little Border Collie’s head, saying nothing, yet clearly hearing his own sigh from within, “Missed another day.”

It was at that moment that Jiang Yuanmu had to admit he was starting to miss her.

Fortunately, not long after realizing this, Mo Lin sent him a message—”We haven’t seen each other for a while”

Jiang Yuanmu found it difficult to sort through all his thoughts, but his body made an instant decision.

Yes, it had been a long time, and they should meet.

So he came.

Unfortunately, Mo Lin had just had a bad experience.

The police came but, with no actual property damage, simply took a report and left.

Neither Mo Lin nor Cheng Lulu felt like working, so they hung a “temporarily out” sign on the store door and decided to grab lunch first.

Naturally, Jiang Yuanmu joined them.

Cheng Lulu couldn’t hold back her words, criticizing Zhang Yuhua repeatedly for being excessive and disrespectful to both Mo Lin and her work, and wondering how someone like that could exist.

Mo Lin focused on eating, making no comments on what had happened to her.

Jiang Yuanmu watched her, noticing that she seemed the same as usual—calm and indifferent.

Jiang Yuanmu noticed the same look in Mo Lin’s eyes that he had seen three years ago, on the day her grandmother passed away.

That day, both Mo Lin and Jiang Yuanmu were at home. Mo Lin was sitting on a small stool in front of the sofa, sketching on her tablet, when she received a call. It was brief, and she only responded with a few soft words:

“Mm, mm, okay…”

After hanging up, she sat in silence, not moving at all.

Something about her changed instantly, and even Jiang Yuanmu, who was working at the dining table, felt it.

He couldn’t help but close his laptop slightly and ask, “What’s wrong?”

Mo Lin turned to him, “The hospital called. Grandma passed away.”

She said it so calmly, but Jiang Yuanmu felt a tightness in his chest. Looking into her eyes was like looking at the ice on a March lake—one step and it would shatter.

“Let’s go to the hospital.” Jiang Yuanmu grabbed his coat and walked over to Mo Lin, pulling her up. Through the touch of his hand, he realized she was trembling, just like she had been in the store today.

How could she feel nothing?

How could she truly be numb?

She had a delicate and sensitive heart, which was why she could create such beautiful designs.

No matter how simple, no matter how “stripped down.”

“Are you done eating?” Jiang Yuanmu interrupted Cheng Lulu.

“Huh? Almost, but I didn’t have much of an appetite. Mo Lin, how about a little dessert to cheer you up?”

“No need.” Mo Lin turned to Jiang Yuanmu, “Shouldn’t you be heading back to the office?”

Didn’t expect her first words after lunch to be about sending him away.

Jiang Yuanmu raised an eyebrow, “Yes, it’s about time.” He stood up to leave, “Come home early today. The little Border Collie misses you.”

Upon hearing this, Cheng Lulu bit her dessert spoon, her gaze shifting between the two of them.

Mo Lin was momentarily stunned but obediently nodded, “Okay, I’ll come home early today.”

Jiang Yuanmu went to pay the bill.

Cheng Lulu nudged Mo Lin with her elbow, smirking and whispering, “The little Border Collie misses you… Tsk tsk, I think someone else misses you too.”

Mo Lin glanced at Jiang Yuanmu’s back and shook her head, “No way. I’ve already explained our relationship to you.”

“Then why did he come out of nowhere today?”

“He…”

He said, “We haven’t seen each other…”

Suddenly, her heart skipped a beat.

Mo Lin looked at Jiang Yuanmu’s back again, this time focusing on his hand—the hand that had supported her earlier.

She unconsciously rubbed her fingertips, still feeling a slight tingle.

“Seriously, taking a step back, can’t you have the child you want with Jiang Yuanmu? Isn’t he a good match? Even though you got married as a contract marriage, wasn’t it because he met all your criteria and you met all his? You two just happened to fit together, so you got married?”

Cheng Lulu continued eating her dessert while speaking words of wisdom:

“Instead of finding someone else, why not just choose him?”

Mo Lin lowered her head, her eyes flickering with thought, remaining silent.

Cheng Lulu observed her and decided to name her current expression—”a spark of intention.”

In the afternoon, they returned to their respective workstations.

After finishing their work, Mo Lin kept her promise and closed the store early, no longer accepting offline customers. She left, leaving Cheng Lulu to continue the live stream alone.

Mo Lin went home, carrying the thoughts she had pondered all afternoon.

Opening the door, she coincidentally encountered Jiang Yuanmu, who had just finished showering.

He seemed to have just stepped out of the bathroom, with steam still billowing out. The small room was filled with mist, which brushed against Mo Lin’s face. He had a long towel wrapped around his waist and was using a short towel to dry his hair.

Water droplets trickled down his waist and abdomen.

Jiang Yuanmu had always been a very goal-oriented person, so when he started working out, Mo Lin knew he would succeed. In just a month, he had clearly made some progress.

So this scene now… how to put it…

It was vivid and lively.

When Mo Lin realized these four words popped into her head, she couldn’t help but tilt her head, feeling puzzled with herself.

“You’re home early.” Jiang Yuanmu glanced at the clock on the wall, noticing it was only eight o’clock, earlier than he had expected. “The little Border Collie is out for a bath and will be back around nine.”

“Mm.” Mo Lin lowered her head, quietly closed the door, and the instant the door clicked shut, the steam in the room had nowhere to go, making the air even more humid.

Mo Lin silently changed her shoes, listening to the sound of Jiang Yuanmu returning to his room, and inexplicably felt a sense of relief.

But she wondered: why feel nervous? Although it was a contract marriage, they had lived together for five years, and this wasn’t an unfamiliar scene.

Sitting on the shoe-changing bench, Mo Lin pondered for a long time and then realized that feeling nervous was normal, especially since… she had formally included Jiang Yuanmu in her plan to have a child.

Tonight, she was here to consult with him about this plan.