Chapter 62 He Turns Out to Be... Zhang Henian

Song Xi’s heart clenched tightly.

“Song Xi,” he called out in a deep, subdued voice, “a month from now, when my parents return from abroad, I’ll arrange for you to meet them, okay?”

“By then, whether you decide to stay or leave, I will respect your choice.”

“I’m sorry,” he said softly, “I lied to you. It was I who arranged for them to leave.”

“I was afraid that if you met them too soon, you would abandon me too soon.”

Song Xi furrowed her brow slightly.

Every single sentence carried an enormous amount of information.

How awful could his parents possibly be?

Would she dump Jing Zhuo the moment she laid eyes on them?

What kind of stereotypical evil wealthy in-laws trope was this...

“You... mmph.”

Before she could finish her sentence, the man lowered his head and covered her lips with a kiss.

The clean, crisp scent of cedar, mingled with the faint, refreshing trace of toothpaste from his recent grooming, pried open her lips and teeth with a tenderness that brooked no refusal.

“Mmph, my cold isn’t fully gone yet.”

“I’m not afraid of catching it.”

“You’re kissing too fiercely, I can’t breathe...”

“I’ll breathe for you.”

In the end, Song Xi’s head was swimming, and somewhere amidst the endless kisses, she curled up in his arms and drifted off to sleep.

Outside, the rain poured relentlessly, while close to her ear was a familiar, comforting presence.

She slept deeply, not even dreaming.

She hadn’t yet grown accustomed to sleeping in unfamiliar beds, but she had already grown hopelessly addicted to his body.

Over the next few days, Jing Zhuo stayed at the hotel to work, under the pretext of taking care of her.

By day, Song Xi went out for her photo shoots, and by night, they explored the local scenic spots together. There were many charming ethnic-style trinkets to be found here.

Once again, she bought a pile of souvenirs and carefully sorted them out.

She shoved an owl-shaped lighter into his hand, saying, “This one is yours.”

“The rest belong to Hening.”

To prevent him from arguing and snatching them away, she had specifically bought items like earrings and necklaces that Jing Zhuo couldn't possibly wear.

This time, Jing Zhuo didn’t say anything.

He simply pulled out his phone in silence and scanned the QR code to pay for her.

Early the next morning, Song Xi packed her luggage, originally planning to head to the next location to continue her work on the travel shoot.

Instead, she suddenly received news: that influencer couple had fallen apart last night because the husband had cheated, sneaking off to meet his mistress only to be caught red-handed by the wife, leading to a massive physical brawl between the two parties.

The wife had immediately filed for divorce, and the honeymoon photo shoot was suspended indefinitely.

Just like that, the entire project came to an abrupt and dramatic halt.

When Song Xi hung up the phone, she was still in a daze.

Jing Zhuo, standing nearby, had been in a gloomy mood all morning. Upon learning that she was about to head off to her next stop, his rare clinginess from the previous night had flared up again; he had pinned her beneath him and kissed her for a long, long time.

During which he had to take a cold shower.

Upon returning, he kissed her for a long time again.

He went to brush his teeth in the morning.

And came back just to kiss her awake.

At that moment, Song Xi turned to look at the man who had been sulking all morning and blurted out, “What time are you heading back to Beijing?”

“Eleven in the morning.”

“I’m going back with you.”

“?”

Jing Zhuo looked as though he couldn't believe his ears.

Helplessly, Song Xi shared the juicy gossip she had learned first thing in the morning: the honeymoon had fallen through, and there was no need for any more shooting.

Jing Zhuo raised an eyebrow, simultaneously surprised and immensely pleased.

Good riddance... I mean, it’s best that you don’t have to shoot anymore.

He picked up his phone and tapped directly into the ticketing website: “I’ll book your flight.”

“No, I’ll book it myself, my company reimburses it.”

“I’ll reimburse you.” Jing Zhuo didn’t even lift his eyes, his fingertips swiftly inputting her ID number, “The company’s money is mine anyway.”

“...”

Must be nice being a major shareholder.

Accompanied by her company’s biggest shareholder, Song Xi once again enjoyed the comfort of first class.

The other members of the team wanted to stay and play for another day, so they arrived in Beijing separately from her.

After returning to Jiushu Gardens, Song Xi packed the gifts into their respective bags one by one, then drove over to the Zhang residence.

Today was Saturday, and Zhang Hening happened to be at home.

“Wow, you actually brought me a gift! Last time you came back from Sanya, you didn't prepare a single thing for me, and I honestly thought I was no longer your favorite dog!”

Song Xi felt a pang of guilt.

She actually *had* prepared something, but it had all been hijacked by her husband.

She didn't dare tell Zhang Hening the truth, so she could only say, “I brought them this time, and they’re all yours.”

“Yay! I love you so much!”

While unboxing her gifts, Zhang Hening chatted with her: “So, did you fly back with your husband this time?”

“Mhm.”

“Then where is your husband?”

“At home,” Song Xi replied, “so I can’t stay for dinner. I have to head back before mealtime, I literally just came here specifically to drop off your gift.”

After several days of being together, she had gradually realized that Jing Zhuo was quite clingy most of the time.

He would even pitifully ask her to carve out some of the time she spent with her best friend and give it to him instead.

On a whim, Song Xi had agreed to have dinner with him tonight.

“That’s wonderful,” Zhang Hening said. “Can I come over as your guest tonight, then? I want to meet your husband!”

She rubbed her hands together eagerly, declaring: “I must see what kind of precious man is kept so hidden and guarded that you won't even let anyone meet him. I’m going to go check him out!”

Song Xi felt today was a perfect opportunity.

The meeting that had kept getting postponed could finally happen if she seized this chance.

Besides, she was growing increasingly curious about Jing Zhuo’s true identity and wanted to enlist Hening’s help to dig into his background.

“Alright, I’ll go upstairs to pick up Guigu, and then we’ll set off.”

“Got it!”

Song Xi went upstairs, intending to take Guigu back with her for a while.

Having been apart for so many days, she missed her neurotic little cat.

As it turned out, Guigu thought her mother wanted to play a game of parkour with her, scampering and leaping ahead. Song Xi chased after her for a long time, only to watch helplessly as the cat darted into her guest bedroom and crossed the balcony into the adjacent room.

“!!!”

That was Zhang Hening’s older brother’s room!

What a crazy cat.

Song Xi’s eyes twitched with annoyance!

Fortunately, Hening’s brother wasn't home, and the balconies on both sides were connected. Walking on tiptoes, Song Xi stepped across the potted greenery in the middle to go fetch the cat.

That cat... actually jumped onto the bed and started rolling around, sniffing the pillows before stretching out and lying flat on its back.

It looked as intoxicated as if it had rolled in catnip.

Scared out of her wits, Song Xi rushed over, scooped the cat up into her arms, and bolted toward the exit.

As she hurried out, she brushed against a bookshelf, causing something to tumble down.

Tossing the cat outside, Song Xi turned back to pick up the book from the floor, only to realize it was a photo album.

As the album fell open, Song Xi’s eyes immediately caught the images inside...

They were all selfies of Zhang Hening and herself, and there was even a solo photo of her alone.

Wasn't this a man’s bedroom?

Why would there be a solo photo of her...

Squatting on the floor, Song Xi felt her brain cells short-circuit.

Could it be that Hening’s older brother collected pictures of Hening, and just happened to include her in the background?

That logic was terribly far-fetched. She should just go downstairs and ask Hening.

Flipping through a few more pages, Song Xi closed the album and prepared to place it back on the bookshelf.

At that moment, a single photograph slipped out from between the pages, fluttering down to land lightly by her feet.

She lowered her head to pick it up, only to discover it was a family portrait.

A family of five, all neatly posed together...

Song Xi’s gaze fixed on the image, and she instantly froze.

The man in the upper right corner of the photograph possessed refined yet deep features, with a sharp, three-dimensional, and well-defined facial structure. That cold, aloof, yet familiar face...

Had been lying right beside her in bed just last night.

He was...

He turned out to be...

Zhang. He. Nian.