Rest

"Hey, hubby, are you back yet?"

"I am. I'm on my way."

"OK, then I'll wait for you at home. Dinner's ready."

After chatting briefly, they hung up. The black Audi A6 turned on its bright headlights in the night and moved steadily along the road.

Li Yang made up his mind. After taking Chen Qian's call, he stopped thinking about anything else and focused on driving to the villa. He had been busy since early that morning, and now he wanted to empty his mind and get some proper rest.

"..."

The car stopped in the villa's parking spot. After getting out, Li Yang pressed the car lock and looked toward the villa's entrance. He immediately saw Chen Qian waiting outside, dressed in a close-fitting silk nightgown made of high-end fabric, her two long, pale legs exposed, her beautiful long hair draped over her shoulders as she waved her phone at him.

"Why were you out for so long today?"

When Li Yang reached the door, Chen Qian helped him change his shoes and asked with gentle concern.

"I went to discuss some business. I've been busy all day. I'll go take a shower first."

Li Yang put on his slippers, leaned over, and breathed in the fragrance of Chen Qian's hair. A relaxed, contented smile appeared on his face.

"Ah, you went to discuss business? You must be exhausted. Hurry and go wash up. I've already run a bath for you."

Hearing Li Yang, Chen Qian opened her mouth in surprise, then hurried ahead of him to open the bathroom door. When Li Yang looked inside, he saw that the bathtub was indeed filled with water. He tested the temperature—it was just right—then immediately stripped off his clothes where he stood, climbed in, and lay comfortably in the tub with his eyes closed.

Seeing him rest like that, Chen Qian knew he must be very tired, so she did not disturb him. Instead, she picked up the clothes he had taken off, removed the things from his pockets and placed them on the shelf, then put all the clothes into the washing machine before turning around to fetch him a change of clothes.

"..."

Li Yang lay quietly in the bathtub. Beneath the comfortable warmth of the water, he fell asleep before he knew it.

When he suddenly woke up, he discovered that he had been lying in the tub for twenty minutes. It had not been long, but his mind was exceptionally clear, as though it had rebooted, and a wave of relief had surged through his entire body.

"Phew~"

Li Yang looked around at his surroundings and let his mind clear for a while. Then he released a long breath before picking up his bathing supplies and washing himself.

After bathing in the tub, he got out and turned on the shower to wash his hair. He picked up a bath towel and wiped away the beads of water on his body, then changed into the soft pajamas folded beside him. After that, he dried his hair in front of the mirror and immediately felt refreshed from head to toe.

He felt as though a heavy burden had been lifted.

Looking at his reflection in the mirror above the sink, Li Yang shook his head. He thought that spending the day in the apocalypse might not seem like much, but the mental exhaustion it caused was something no one who had not experienced it personally could feel.

When the study door opened, Chen Qian's gentle voice came from outside. "You're awake? I just heated the water a little more for you. You weren't cold, were you?"

Li Yang rubbed his stomach and shook his head. "The water was just right. I was too tired today and accidentally fell asleep. What about dinner?"

"I just reheated it in the kitchen. I'll bring it to you."

Chen Qian walked ahead of Li Yang and carried the warm dishes out of the kitchen. Li Yang followed behind and sat down in a chair. Once the food was served, he did not stand on ceremony and immediately picked up his rice, eating in large mouthfuls.

"Here, have some soup. Auntie stewed the lamb and lamb bones for a long time and added medicinal supplements."

Chen Qian sat beside Li Yang and used a spoon to ladle something into his soup bowl. Li Yang took a look. There was not a single piece of meat in the bowl. Aside from lamb soup, there was only one long, slender object. He picked it up and ate it in two or three bites, not caring about the gamy smell, then began stuffing himself with large mouthfuls of food.

Chen Qian smiled brightly as she ate a few bites beside him, then stopped. After putting away her own bowl and chopsticks, she sat beside Li Yang, picking up food for him and ladling him soup.

After Li Yang was full and went to drink some water, she got up again and carried the bowls, chopsticks, and dishes into the kitchen.

"Phew~"

After eating his fill and drinking a large glass of water, Li Yang felt completely comfortable. He pulled out a tissue and wiped his mouth, then took two steps toward the kitchen. Just then, Chen Qian came out. He blocked her with one hand while reaching behind her with the other, then pressed his lips against hers and began kissing her.

"Mmph~"

Chen Qian froze in surprise for a moment. As he kissed her, her head tilted back involuntarily, and a soft hum escaped her throat.

She hurriedly wiped the droplets of water from both hands, but then Li Yang lifted her up and tossed her onto the sofa.

"Mmm~"

Chen Qian let out a hum on the sofa and twisted her body slightly. Then Li Yang pressed down over her, and her clothes and hair quickly became disheveled.

Several minutes later.

"Phew~"

Li Yang breathed heavily as he stripped off the clothes that were in the way.

"..."

Two and a half hours later, Chen Qian lay exhausted on the bed, unwilling to move. Li Yang, however, got up, smiling as he gathered the tissues, picked up their clothes, and helped them both get dressed. Contentedly, he poured himself a glass of water and sat down on the sofa.

When he sat down, Chen Qian also rose from the sofa and immediately sprawled into his arms.

"Baby, I'm going back to my hometown tomorrow. Do you want to come with me?"

Li Yang naturally slid one hand along Chen Qian's leg while holding his teacup in the other, his eyes flickering as he asked.

"Ah, you want to take me home with you?"

Chen Qian was stunned by Li Yang's question. She turned over in surprise and looked at him.

"Who knows what those two oddballs, Liu Lili and Liu Wu, have been saying about us in the circles back home? To prevent any trouble, come back with me. If they haven't spread anything, we'll strike first. If they have, then we'll push them back down and let everyone know exactly what they're like."

Li Yang slowly rubbed Chen Qian's thigh, a smile on his face.

When his mother had called, he had sensed that something was wrong. If there had been no matter, she absolutely would not have suddenly called to ask about this.

So now that the situation there had begun to come to light, he had to go back and take a look.

What he wanted from returning home in glory was not merely to let people know he had succeeded. He wanted to return without a single flaw.

For that reason, no matter what Liu Lili and Liu Wu did, he had to drag all their affairs into the open and completely extricate himself, presenting an image that was bright and spotless.

Besides, it would serve another purpose... preventing blind dates.

If he brought a girl like Chen Qian home and acknowledged their relationship as boyfriend and girlfriend, his family certainly would not keep arranging blind dates for him.

When he had been penniless, so be it. Blind dates were a last-resort method of finding a partner. But now... did he need to go on blind dates?

Yes, it could not be ruled out that there were good girls among them. Not all of them were oddballs like Liu Lili.

But... with his relatives, what kind of good girls could they possibly know?

Rather than believe that, he might as well believe that he and Chen Qian were truly in love~~

And bringing Chen Qian home once would resolve all these matters directly, sparing him from the day when his mother might suddenly call to say she had arranged for him to meet some girl somewhere and tell him to hurry over...

As for what bringing her home implied... Even if he took her home, if he wanted to change partners later and find someone else, what would be wrong with that?

He would not make a decision he should not make over something like this.

"Okay, I'll go back with you!"

Chen Qian's eyes flickered. She suddenly threw herself coquettishly into his arms and spoke, both arms tightly wrapped around Li Yang's neck.