The next morning, neither Mo Lin nor Jiang Yuanmu went to work.
Mo Lin sent a message to Cheng Lulu, asking her to look after the store for a day. If it didn’t work out, she could just close the shop.
Cheng Lulu readily agreed, telling Mo Lin not to worry. Lulu had been busy with work for a while and had become quite familiar with it. She didn’t mind Mo Lin’s “absence,” but she repeatedly inquired about what happened before the absence.
“Did it work?”
“Did it succeed?”
“Was my idea useful?”
Seeing the three consecutive messages, Mo Lin silently locked her phone. She turned her head to the other side of the bed—Jiang Yuanmu was also messaging someone.
He seemed busier than Mo Lin, possibly dealing with more people.
After handling his work, Jiang Yuanmu also locked his phone and turned to meet Mo Lin’s gaze.
The fragrant blanket, the soft mattress, and the quiet room.
Compared to yesterday, their gazes intertwined with more emotions.
Jiang Yuanmu noticed Mo Lin’s hair falling in front of her face, partially obstructing her vision. Instinctively, he reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear. He did so, but his fingertips lingered on Mo Lin’s cheek.
The warmth of his touch conveyed his feelings.
Mo Lin lowered her eyelids slightly, her gaze focusing on Jiang Yuanmu’s lips.
His lips looked warm and soft, just like last night…
As their body temperatures drew closer, they both became increasingly dazed. Suddenly, the doorbell rang outside.
Mo Lin’s phone also started ringing, and the little Border Collie in the living room joined the noisy “chorus,” unwilling to be left out.
The chaotic and noisy sounds startled them both. Mo Lin immediately realized what was happening, decisively turned off the phone, and tried to get out of bed. “The food delivery I ordered has arrived…”
She was too anxious and flustered, and when she turned to get out of bed, she almost fell. Jiang Yuanmu, quick-eyed and quick-handed, wrapped his arms around her waist with the blanket, a gesture both intimate and reassuring…
Just like last night…
“Careful, don’t rush.” Jiang Yuanmu’s voice was close to her ear, still carrying the huskiness of early morning, just like when he whispered “Mo Lin” in her ear last night…
Mo Lin tightly closed her eyes, her face turning bright red.
Why did she keep thinking about last night!
“I’ll go.”
Jiang Yuanmu placed Mo Lin on the edge of the bed, then put on his pajamas and left the bedroom.
Mo Lin sat on the edge of the bed, covering her face and calming herself.
She listened to Jiang Yuanmu outside, taking the delivery and unpacking it, trying to separate her emotions and think: Last night was really…
No…
Last night was the first step in achieving her goal.
Next was the second step…
Mo Lin took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down because next, she needed to discuss other matters with Jiang Yuanmu.
Jiang Yuanmu had just opened the seafood porridge Mo Lin ordered and set out various side dishes, preparing to call her out. Mo Lin, in sync, came out of the room herself, wearing pajamas no different from usual, but her slightly messy hair and flushed cheeks hinted at something different.
Jiang Yuanmu turned his gaze away.
He couldn’t help but smile slightly and thoughtfully placed the chopsticks and spoon where Mo Lin could easily reach them:
“Careful, the porridge is hot…”
“Let’s talk about the contract.”
They spoke at the same time but on completely different subjects.
Jiang Yuanmu’s hand stiffened slightly. For some reason, his mind flashed to those short videos Ji Ming liked to watch, where someone was rapping in a rustic style: It’s not the porridge that’s hot; it’s the coldness of the heart!
They sat down at the dining table, facing each other, separated by the warm seafood porridge and several dishes.
“Yesterday… I think we both understand what happened.” After a long contemplation and silence, Mo Lin finally spoke, “I feel that I owe you an apology.”
Jiang Yuanmu felt that during this period of “talking about divorce,” he had experienced many emotions he had never felt before, but none as intense as today…
He had a mixture of feelings.
Listen to what Mo Lin was saying after one night.
Unbelievable, after spring came such a cold winter.
But Jiang Yuanmu thought, he should have expected it.
Because… this was Mo Lin, the one who was incredibly similar to him, with a soul in harmony and thoughts in sync.
Jiang Yuanmu looked at Mo Lin, his lips still curved but with a hint of helplessness.
She might never understand that the one who “breached the contract” first was him.
Mo Lin couldn’t decipher the myriad emotions in Jiang Yuanmu’s eyes; she only felt that Jiang Yuanmu was different from before, yet still hard to understand.
However… during this time, there were many things about Jiang Yuanmu that she couldn’t comprehend, but it didn’t affect her judgment of his character.
So, Mo Lin took a deep breath, steadied herself, and continued with what she wanted to say:
“I mentioned to you before that I want a child.”
“Yes.”
“You once said that you wanted to spend the rest of your life with me, and that no one else would do. I think I feel the same way.”
Unexpected words lit up Jiang Yuanmu’s eyes. He looked at Mo Lin and listened to her earnestly say:
“I believe you are the most suitable person in the world to have a child with me. My soul, my genes… perhaps even my destiny, may be leading me to choose you.”
Jiang Yuanmu’s lips trembled slightly, and his gaze on Mo Lin deepened.
“So I did something out of character. Last night… I pretended to be drunk. I think you should have noticed.”
Jiang Yuanmu lowered his eyes, hiding the curve of his lips: “Yes.”
“So… since it has already happened, I think we need to add a contract to address any potential situations.”
A contract?
The sudden shift caught Jiang Yuanmu off guard for a moment. He slightly frowned, squinting his eyes as he looked at Mo Lin.
Mo Lin continued seriously:
“About you, about the child, about the future. We need a clear and specific contract to outline our rights and responsibilities. First of all, as you mentioned before, our marriage agreement needs to be renewed. Naturally, the terms will be different from what you previously proposed. I don’t need your property, and you don’t need to pay me anything when the renewal agreement expires. Hmm…”
Mo Lin said, rubbing her chin in thought.
“My current idea is that we renew the contract for five years initially. After five years, we can reevaluate and negotiate amicably based on the situation. If life is still agreeable, we can automatically renew the contract on the day of signing, which should be our wedding anniversary. If either of us has found a better choice, we can choose to terminate the contract and renew it annually. Of course, I haven’t fully thought out the details yet. If you have any better suggestions…”
Yes, that was Mo Lin.
The wife whose soul was supposedly in perfect harmony with his.
“What you propose makes a lot of sense… and is very necessary.” Jiang Yuanmu rubbed his forehead and said in a deep voice, “I don’t have any better suggestions for now. You can draft the agreement.” Jiang Yuanmu said, standing up from the table and walking towards his room, “I suddenly remembered… there’s still some work at the company that I need to attend to today.”
Mo Lin was stunned, looking at his back. “Alright.” She added, “I think I will need about three days. Do you want to have any specific rights or…”
“No.”
Jiang Yuanmu sighed these words and went back to his room to change clothes, gently closing the door behind him, locking his emotions inside.
Mo Lin looked at his door, feeling an inexplicable sensation in her heart.
Jiang Yuanmu seemed… a bit disappointed?
Mo Lin lowered her gaze and saw the bowl of porridge in front of her, already served and placed conveniently within her reach, along with the spoon and chopsticks.
Mo Lin raised her hand, picked up the spoon, and took a sip of the porridge, only to find that, as Jiang Yuanmu had said, it was too hot.
“Tsk tsk tsk. President Jiang can experience the feeling of a cold heart too, huh. I didn’t expect that. I thought no one’s heart could be colder than yours in this lifetime.”
Ji Ming lounged casually on the sofa in Jiang Yuanmu’s office, watching Jiang Yuanmu at his desk, and even shook his leg as if enjoying a show.
Jiang Yuanmu sighed, “I understand her thoughts, I completely understand.”
He understood Mo Lin’s actions.
They had been so in sync, how could he not understand?
The more he understood, the more helpless he felt. It was his own fault for wanting more.
They had agreed at the beginning that there would be no emotional demands in their marriage, but now he had them. Mo Lin, however, was still adhering to the terms they had agreed upon.
“Look at you, none of the projects have ever made you this worried.” Ji Ming, after having his fill of amusement, sat up and resumed his role as advisor. “You know there’s a team-building event at the company soon, right?”
“Yes, to the island. I know. You’ve already set the numbers, so just go.”
“You don’t go to the team-building events every year, don’t I know that? I’m reminding you because I think you can use this as an excuse to take your wife along.”
Jiang Yuanmu raised an eyebrow and looked at Ji Ming.
“A change of scenery, a bit of romance, beaches, starry skies, a new sense of excitement, genuine emotions always tug at the heartstrings. People, after all, have hearts made of flesh. If you’ve realized your feelings, how could your wife not? She’s not a block of stone.”
Jiang Yuanmu lowered his eyes. It only took him a second to realize Ji Ming was right.
“Take He Ye with you.” Ji Ming, busy typing on his phone, casually said, “I heard from Cheng Lulu that once the online scandal dies down, she wants to go have some fun. I’m worried she’ll come along and give your wife bad ideas. Have He Ye distract her at critical moments.”
Jiang Yuanmu chuckled, flipping through the documents on his desk, “I wasn’t wrong to choose you as a friend in college.”
Ji Ming, still replying to messages, chuckled as well, “You definitely weren’t wrong. With such a capable partner, you should count your blessings, President Jiang.”
