So Well-Behaved

At seven in the morning, Guo Lantai came downstairs yawning. He and Yu Tu had had a blast the night before and returned rather late. If he did not have to go back to the Guo Family, he could have slept until the afternoon.

As soon as he reached the second floor, he ran into Cen Muxiao, who was returning from his morning run, at the staircase landing. After exchanging a glance, Guo Lantai took the initiative to make way for him.

"Good morning, sir!"

He greeted him politely, but inwardly, he was curious. He wondered how late Cen Muxiao and Song Anning had stayed out the night before for Cen Muxiao to still get up early for a run.

"Morning."

Cen Muxiao glanced at the cartoon-print pajamas he was wearing, responded indifferently, then passed him and headed straight for his room.

The moment he closed the door, he glanced back toward the stairwell. That childish figure had already vanished. Today, the man had merely greeted him without taking the opportunity to pester him. Was that not a little strange?

Remembering that Song Anning was already waiting downstairs to have breakfast with him, Cen Muxiao did not waste time dwelling on it. He hurried to wash up. Otherwise, who knew how Guo Lantai might make trouble for Song Anning?

When Guo Lantai reached the dining room downstairs and saw Song Anning already seated, he could not help sighing. This man really was eager when it came to meals.

"Mr. Song, you got up so early. Looks like you had a good time last night."

If Guo Lantai did not take the initiative to pick a fight with him, he believed Song Anning would certainly have had an exceptionally pleasant evening.

Unfortunately, now that the man who had fled in disarray had returned to that very venue, he was probably no longer in the mood for any sort of happy gathering.

After all, his clumsy little schemes had accidentally been exposed in front of Cen Muxiao. He must have been anxious all night, right?

He had maintained his perfect image for so long, yet a moment of impatience had left a stain on it. The regret in his heart probably kept him awake all night too, did it not?

After saying that, he looked up at the person across from him. Sure enough, there were obvious dark circles beneath his eyes, and his small face was especially pale.

Looking so pitiful like this—how heartbroken that big jerk must be!

"Thank you for your concern. Naturally, we had a wonderful time together."

Song Anning practically forced those words through clenched teeth, then lowered his gaze to the table before him, making it clear that he did not want to say another word to Guo Lantai.

The instant he lowered his eyes, Song Anning thought resentfully, This man is clearly taking advantage and acting smug. He was unwilling to let it go when he did not play the video in front of Cen Muxiao yesterday, so he is deliberately asking questions he already knows the answer to just to disgust me!

Hmph! What is the point of winning a verbal spat? Cen Muxiao still values me just the same!

Last night, he could not help bringing up the matter of the two hundred thousand with Cen Muxiao. Had Cen Muxiao not simply waved it off and comforted him by saying that such a small sum was nothing to worry about?

Not only had he not minded what Song Anning had done, he had even cleaned up that little mess for him!

What practical meaning was there in Guo Lantai getting one more apology out of him?

Hearing Song Anning's irritable reply, Guo Lantai curled his lips in a smile and said nothing more. What was the use of boasting aloud? Whoever was embarrassed knew it in his own heart.

Just then, Uncle Meng led the servants in to serve breakfast and respectfully greeted him. "Good morning, Mr. Guo. Young Master has gone upstairs to wash up and change. He should be down shortly, and we will begin the meal then."

His meaning was perfectly clear: until the head of the household sat down, breakfast could not begin. They had to wait obediently.

"Alright, I understand."

Guo Lantai replied with a smile, then sat quietly and watched them arrange the dishes. Yet he regretted getting up so early. Even if he had slept in for another ten minutes, that would have been better than sitting here staring at Song Anning.

Still, looking at the table that was about to be filled with food, Guo Lantai had to admit that, even without the nourishing porridge and side dishes in front of Song Anning, this breakfast was already lavish enough.

Guo Lantai nodded to himself. At the very least, he was highly satisfied with this breakfast. He was definitely going to eat his fill!

The servants filed in and quietly withdrew, while the head of the household finally appeared amid the alternating growls of Guo Lantai's stomach.

Before taking his seat, Cen Muxiao swept his gaze over Guo Lantai and Song Anning. Seeing that both looked composed and had not exchanged any words, he finally sat down in relief.

"Eat while it's hot."

His dining table, which had always seated only him, had suddenly gained two more people. Cen Muxiao could not think of any appropriate opening remarks, so after uttering a few words, he picked up his chopsticks and began eating.

Since last night, Song Anning had been somewhat afraid to look Cen Muxiao directly in the eye. He gave a quiet hum and began enjoying his stomach-warming porridge.

Guo Lantai, meanwhile, did not stand on ceremony. He ate and drank as he pleased, without the slightest sense of unfamiliarity. It was just that the domineering CEO's occasional glances were affecting his appetite a little.

Why was he staring at me like that? Was he worried I was eating too much of his food? So stingy!

Cen Muxiao's eyes were not idle, nor were his thoughts. The man who had been so picky about food and drink yesterday was exceptionally quiet during this meal. He did not say a word, merely ate obediently, with no expression of dissatisfaction whatsoever.

Especially since he did not make any excessive remarks toward Song Anning. It seemed he was restraining himself in Cen Muxiao's presence!

"Anning, you drank last night. Is your stomach feeling unwell?"

Cen Muxiao finally shifted his attention to Song Anning. They had wrapped things up early the night before, but they had still drunk quite a lot. Song Anning in particular had downed several extra glasses for the sake of appearances, so it was inevitable that his old ailment might flare up.

"I've been taking medicine these past two days, so I'm alright. Some warm porridge will do the trick."

Song Anning answered softly and inadvertently glanced at Guo Lantai before turning to Cen Muxiao. "Are you going to the company today?"

"What is it? Do you need something?"

"Yes. If you have time, could you accompany me to the bank? I want to open a new account. It'll be more convenient to use in the future."

Upon hearing that, Cen Muxiao could not help glancing at Guo Lantai again. Seeing him bent over his food and eating with relish, as though he had not heard their conversation at all, Cen Muxiao gave an inward snort and agreed. "No problem. Just tell me if there's anything you need help with. I don't have to go to the company for the next few days."

Even a company owner got marital leave. Unfortunately, whether he had it or not did not matter much, but it would be good to use it to spend more time with Song Anning.

After the little incident last night, Cen Muxiao felt that Song Anning's attitude toward him had changed considerably. It seemed he would not need to put in much more effort to break through that final barrier.

However, he had also sensed Song Anning's unease and anxiety because of it, and felt it necessary to soothe him through his actions.

While his marriage to Guo Lantai remained intact, he might not make any promises to Song Anning, but he had to make his regard for him clear in advance, at the very least.

The meal passed in unexpected harmony, and when they dispersed, there was little conversation among them.

It was not until Cen Muxiao drove Song Anning out through the gates of the compound that they saw Guo Lantai again, now dressed casually.

With a backpack slung over his shoulders, he got into a taxi and sped away ahead of them.

Then Song Anning asked in surprise, "So Mr. Guo is heading out too?"

"Mm."

Cen Muxiao responded without much emotion, but inwardly he muttered, He's going back to visit his family. He did not ask me to go with him again—was he really being this obedient?