Chapter 31: “My Husband Is Very Fierce”

Song Xi’s eyes flicked over, and sure enough, the tie was neatly fastened around Jing Zhuo’s neck.

He must have borrowed it temporarily.

She wasn’t that petty.

It was only a tie, after all.

Jing Zhuo pinched the bridge of his nose. “Did your best friend complain to you?”

Song Xi smiled. “He Ning didn’t mean anything by it. She was just worried that her big brother might affect our marriage. But don’t take it to heart. Anything I give you belongs to you, and you have the right to do whatever you want with it.”

Jing Zhuo lowered his head, slowly undid the tie, folded it neatly, and slipped it into his inner pocket.

“Don’t worry. I won’t let anyone else touch a gift from you.”

It was an offhand remark, yet he delivered it like a lifelong promise.

Song Xi’s heart tingled faintly, as though a current had run through her.

Even the cake in her mouth seemed sweeter.

She unwrapped the other little cake and pushed it toward Jing Zhuo. “Would you like some?”

Jing Zhuo shook his head. “I’m losing weight and cutting down on sugar. Both of them were bought for you.”

“With a figure like yours, why are you still trying to lose weight and control your sugar intake?” Song Xi asked in astonishment.

“Cutting down on sugar keeps you from aging prematurely.”

It was hard to imagine him saying something so seriously.

“But you look so young. You have great bone structure and smooth skin. You don’t look old at all.” Song Xi praised him sincerely.

When he wore a suit, his presence leaned toward stern and aloof.

But after showering at night, with his damp, short hair falling over his brows and eyes, he looked no different from a young college student.

“Are you satisfied, then?” Jing Zhuo suddenly asked.

Looking at his unforgettable, handsome face, Song Xi nodded more solemnly this time. “Very satisfied.”

Jing Zhuo lowered his head with a smile and pushed the other cake toward her as well. “As long as you don’t mind that I’m old.”

What was he even saying?

He was such a young and devastatingly handsome man—far more handsome than Zhang Hexing. How could she possibly have the nerve to find fault with him?

After finishing the cake, Song Xi continued organizing the things she needed for her business trip.

Her flight was very early the next morning, so she needed to wash up and go to bed early.

They did not kiss that night.

After dinner, Jing Zhuo went out for his usual night run. By the time he returned, the light in the master bedroom was already off.

She slept through the night without dreaming.

At five the next morning, Song Xi dragged herself out of bed when the alarm rang and went to wash up. When she stepped out of the bedroom, she saw that Jing Zhuo was already in the living room.

The sky had yet to fully brighten. He was wearing a white sweatshirt and jeans, his hair hanging lazily over his forehead. He looked full of youthful energy.

When he saw her come out, Jing Zhuo rose and pushed her two large suitcases to the entrance.

“I’ll drive you to the airport.”

So he had gotten up early just to take her there.

“There’s no need to trouble yourself. I could just take a taxi. The company will reimburse the fare.”

The Jiushu residential complex was nearly an hour and a half from the airport. The round trip would take three hours, and Song Xi felt bad inconveniencing him.

Jing Zhuo had already changed into his shoes by the door. He also handed her a steaming breakfast.

“Take it. Eat it in the car.”

Five minutes later, Song Xi sat securely in the Bentley, chewing fragrant corn and drinking warm milk as they headed toward the airport beneath the pale blue morning light.

She had always traveled alone for work, rushing around in a panic.

Even in the car, she never dared relax too much, much less eat anything, afraid of leaving a smell behind in the taxi. Every stage of her life seemed to have been spent making do—brief, tense, and hurried.

But at that moment, she suddenly felt that wherever Jing Zhuo was, even his car felt like a safe home.

Jing Zhuo timed everything perfectly. By the time they reached the airport, her colleagues were already waiting outside.

The sky was gray and hazy. Jing Zhuo unfastened his seat belt, opened the door, and got out. He walked around to the trunk, lifted out both of her suitcases, and accompanied her all the way to her coworkers.

Before leaving, he said, “Send me a message before you board. Let me know you’re safe after you land.”

“Okay.”

After exchanging a few brief words, Jing Zhuo drove away.

Her colleagues were collectively stunned.

“Xi-jie, who was that handsome guy just now? Is he your boyfriend? Did you start dating a college student?”

Song Xi coughed lightly. “My husband.”

“You’re married?” Ye Zi exclaimed in shock and amazement. “I never would have guessed. You’re so young, and you’ve already stepped into the grave of marriage. I thought you were a confirmed bachelor like the rest of us.”

The company was full of young people, celebrities, and internet personalities. Everyone worshiped freedom, happiness, and doing whatever they pleased, believing that marriage was a form of restraint.

Apart from the wealthy boss, who was over forty, Song Xi seemed to be the only married person among them.

Song Xi turned the wedding ring on her ring finger and said to herself, “I don’t think marriage is a grave. It can be a home that gives someone shelter.”

At least, that was what she felt now.

“Come to think of it, that Bentley looked awfully familiar.” Ye Zi had already changed the subject. “I think the overbearing CEO who came to our company before drove one too. It looked a lot like your husband’s.”

Song Xi smiled. “Maybe the capital is overflowing with overbearing CEOs. You can run into one every few steps.”

The group chatted and laughed as they made their way to the security checkpoint.

Before boarding, Song Xi took out her phone and sent Jing Zhuo a message on WeChat.

After landing, she sent another message to let him know she was safe.

He replied with only two brief words: “Got it.”

The messages were short, but he responded to every single one.

He was the kind of person who made others feel safe with ease.

Song Xi put away her phone and immersed herself in work.

This time, she was photographing a minor celebrity who had recently shot to fame after playing an overbearing CEO in a modern romance drama.

There had been plenty of scandals surrounding him lately. His reputation was less than stellar: flirtatious, lecherous, attracted to both men and women, and prone to throwing his weight around.

As the photographer, Song Xi snapped away.

Now and then, she had to lie on the beach to search for all kinds of unconventional angles, working with the actor’s studio to capture the commanding aura of an overbearing CEO.

“Miss Photographer, are we almost done? Isn’t it hot? I’ll buy you a cup of coffee later.”

The moment Lu Zhihan saw Song Xi’s face, he could not take his eyes off her.

There were plenty of beautiful women in the entertainment industry, and he had dated more than enough of them. But someone naturally beautiful, with exceptional bone structure and a focused, professional kind of allure—she was the first.

Lu Zhihan was completely captivated.

Song Xi checked the photos while replying to him in a matter-of-fact tone. “There’s one last set today. Once it’s done, we’re finished.”

Lu Zhihan lifted the corner of his eye. “Then will you have coffee with me?”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t drink coffee at night.”

“Then how about I take you to dinner?” Lu Zhihan refused to give up. “I’ve heard photographers need to understand a person’s soul in order to capture the perfect shot. If you don’t get to know me better, how can you photograph me properly?”

“Why don’t you come to my room tonight? We can get to know each other properly.”

Lu Zhihan raised his hand without thinking and draped his arm familiarly over Song Xi’s shoulder. At first glance, they looked like close friends, leaving no obvious evidence of anything improper.

Song Xi turned her head and glanced calmly at the slender arm resting on her shoulder.

“My husband is very fierce,” she said. “I advise you to remove your hand and behave yourself. Otherwise, if he sees it, he’ll cut it off.”