163: The sound under the kotatsu

Ning Yutong stared blankly at the ceiling.

Her body still felt the afterglow, and her thighs were a little weak.

She thought to herself that she wasn't that kind of person.

At least, she wasn't easy. She couldn't imagine doing that kind of thing with anyone else; her mind had been entirely focused on Yu Heng just now.

Forget it.

Stop thinking about it.

Sleep.

Once she slept, everything would pass. Starting tomorrow, things would go back to how they were.

She would keep her distance from Yu Heng, continue being friends with Yue Ling, and pretend that what happened in the car never occurred.

——

Yu Heng arrived at the Villa here, rang the doorbell, and after waiting for a moment, the door opened.

Zhou Mengqi stood at the entrance, wearing loose pajamas on her upper body, her hair slightly messy.

“President?” She paused, “So early?”

“Didn't we say evening?” Yu Heng looked at her.

“Yes... yes, evening.” Zhou Mengqi stepped aside to let him in. “I thought you'd come later.”

She calculated the time in her head; she and Wang Luyu had arrived home less than ten minutes ago, and she hadn't even finished drinking her water.

She couldn't just tell her, “Hurry back to your room,” the moment they got back, could she?

Yu Heng entered the house. The lights were on in the living room, and Wang Luyu was sitting on the sofa.

Seeing Yu Heng, she stood up. “President.”

“Mhm.” Yu Heng nodded, took off his coat, and hung it on the rack. “I'm here to discuss the script with you two.”

Wang Luyu glanced at Zhou Mengqi, then back at Yu Heng. “Now?”

“The sooner we discuss it,” Yu Heng said, “the sooner we can start filming.”

Zhou Mengqi poured him a glass of water, and Yu Heng took it and drank a sip.

The air conditioning was on inside, but the living room was too large, and the heat dissipated quickly. Frankly, it was a bit cold.

They had missed the deadline to pay the heating bill when they rented this Villa, so property management wouldn't turn on the underfloor heating, forcing them to rely only on the air conditioning.

Yu Heng rubbed his hands. Zhou Mengqi noticed. “Are you feeling a bit cold?”

“A little.” Yu Heng said.

“The air conditioning isn't very effective,” Zhou Mengqi said. “The space is too big.”

She thought for a moment, then stood up and walked toward the stairs. “I'm going down to the storage room.”

Yu Heng watched her go downstairs, remaining silent.

Wang Luyu whispered, “President, which day this week are we filming?”

“The sooner the better,” Yu Heng said, sitting down on the sofa. “Your video went viral; we need to strike while the iron is hot.”

“Oh...” Wang Luyu responded, holding her cup and continuing to drink water.

After a while, Zhou Mengqi came up carrying something.

It was a kotatsu, the kind with an electric heater attached underneath the tabletop.

“You have this thing?” Yu Heng raised an eyebrow. He had only ever seen this item in anime and Japanese dramas.

“We found it when we were cleaning the storage room,” Zhou Mengqi said. “Neither of us has used it yet.”

She was struggling to carry it, so Yu Heng stood up and took it from her.

“Want to try it?” Zhou Mengqi looked at him.

“Sure,” Yu Heng said, placing the kotatsu in the open space between the living room and the dining room. “Right here works.”

Zhou Mengqi plugged it in, and the light under the kotatsu turned on, casting an orange-yellow glow.

“Luyu, sit here.” Zhou Mengqi patted the floor next to the kotatsu. “Just lay down a blanket.”

Wang Luyu grabbed a blanket from the sofa and spread it on the floor. The three of them sat down around it.

With the blanket draped over the table and their legs tucked underneath, it was indeed much warmer.

Zhou Mengqi sat across from Yu Heng, and Wang Luyu sat on the side.

As the heat inside the kotatsu slowly rose, Yu Heng spoke, “Any ideas for the script?”

Zhou Mengqi looked at him. “If it's about family affection... should we film a mother and daughter?”

“That works,” Yu Heng said. “But we need to find a conflict point; it can't be too smooth.”

“For example?” Wang Luyu asked.

“For instance, an overly controlling mother and a daughter who wants to escape,” Yu Heng said. “Or a rebellious daughter and a mother who doesn't know how to communicate.”

Zhou Mengqi nodded. “My mom and I argue all the time.”

“What do you argue about?” Yu Heng asked.

“Everything.” Zhou Mengqi laughed. “What clothes to wear, what time to come home, what friends to make.”

As she spoke, her leg moved slightly under the blanket.

She accidentally brushed against Yu Heng's leg.

She paused but didn't move away.

Yu Heng glanced at her. Her gaze drifted away, and she picked up her cup to drink water.

Wang Luyu was still thinking about the script. “How do we lead into the pawnshop plot, then? What should they pawn?”

“A powerful businesswoman mother worth hundreds of millions, pawning her wealth,” Zhou Mengqi suggested, “in exchange for swapping identities with her daughter for a week?”

“That...” Yu Heng narrowed his eyes. “Could be a fallback option.”

Wang Luyu felt it getting a bit warm inside the kotatsu and shifted slightly.

As she moved, she also brushed against Yu Heng's leg.

She quickly moved away, her face flushing slightly.

Zhou Mengqi saw this and twitched the corner of her mouth.

That girl is truly innocent.

“President,” Zhou Mengqi began, “what do you think is the biggest conflict between a mother and daughter?”

“Expectations,” Yu Heng said. “The mother's expectations for her daughter don't align with the daughter's expectations for herself.”

“Isn't there anything else?” Wang Luyu asked. “I feel like that topic is a bit too ordinary.”

“Ordinary topics resonate the most,” Zhou Mengqi said with a smile. “We can't exactly film a mother and daughter falling for the same man and fighting over him or sharing a husband!”

“Ah!” Wang Luyu blushed upon hearing that. “Mengqi!”

The joke didn't continue, and the three of them resumed their discussion.

Zhou Mengqi took a sip of water, her eyes fixed on Yu Heng's profile.

He was talking to Wang Luyu. She recalled that Yu Heng hadn't actively sought her out once in the past two weeks.

Her foot moved under the blanket, touching Yu Heng's calf.

He didn't react. She pursed her lips, moved her foot up slightly, and stepped on his leg.

This time, Yu Heng paused mid-sentence and glanced at her.

Zhou Mengqi tilted her head, a smile playing on her lips.

Yu Heng's throat moved. His expression remained unchanged as he continued talking to Wang Luyu: “So the conflict needs to be set up early on...”

Wang Luyu nodded, completely oblivious to the movement under the table.

Zhou Mengqi felt a little smug. *That's what you get for ignoring me.*

Yu Heng suddenly stopped talking and looked at her. “Zhou Mengqi.”

“Hm?” Zhou Mengqi blinked. “President, what is it?”

“What do you think of this setup?” Yu Heng asked.

“It's great,” Zhou Mengqi said. “I think it works!”

She hadn't actually been listening to what he was saying.

Yu Heng looked at her and suddenly smiled. “Then tell me your specific thoughts?”

Then he stepped back on her foot.

“What's wrong?” Wang Luyu looked at her. “Mengqi, your face is so red.”

“It's a bit hot,” Zhou Mengqi said. “The kotatsu is too warm.”

Zhou Mengqi instantly bit her lip to keep from making a sound.

The equipment wasn't equal!

Yu Heng was fully dressed, but she was only wearing these pajamas.

Although she had underwear on, it couldn't compare to him wearing pants, possibly even thermal layers underneath.

Before long, she conceded defeat.