63: Backyard fire

"Knock, knock, knock!"

The door was gently opened. The woman inside, dressed in loungewear, instinctively broke into a smile upon seeing the visitor. She bent down to take out his slippers and placed them on the floor.

"You can just enter the passcode directly. Why do you knock every time you come?"

Jiang Chuan spoke as he changed into the slippers, "What if you're hiding a lover in here? I have to give you time to react."

"Hmph! It's more likely that you're the one hiding someone! Have you eaten yet?"

Tan Jing wrinkled her nose slightly. She placed his leather shoes in the cabinet and hooked her arm through his. She froze for a split second before asking as if nothing were wrong.

"I don't want to eat food; right now, I only want to eat you."

Jiang Chuan scooped her up by the waist, kicked open the bedroom door, threw her onto the large bed, and whispered into her ear.

"Wait... wait a minute! Let me take a shower first, okay?"

"Sure, let's shower together then. I can't reach my back anyway."

Tan Jing's emotions were complicated. She didn't answer, but pushed him away, grabbed a change of clothes from the wardrobe, and headed straight for the bathroom.

Jiang Chuan also picked up the pajamas she had prepared for him and followed her into the bathroom.

Before long, the pitter-patter of the shower stopped, replaced by a different sound of water.

Thirty minutes later.

Tan Jing was no longer in the mood for stray thoughts. Looking at herself in the mirror, she was breathless, her face flushed, and her eyes hazy.

She stood up and hugged the person behind her. Her legs were weak, and she couldn't even steady herself against the sink.

Jiang Chuan looked at the two of them in the mirror. To steady their bodies, he had to reach forward and grip the handles for one final effort.

The two of them showered again before walking out of the bathroom in their pajamas. Tan Jing brushed her teeth vigorously in the bathroom, perhaps because some water droplets had gotten into her mouth just now.

After a simple wash-up, Jiang Chuan carried the vain Little Jing back to the bed. Leaning against the headboard, he talked about what happened at the banquet tonight and the future landscape of the livestreaming industry.

Rather than telling Little Jing, it was more like he was organizing his thoughts. It must be said that 'sage mode' is indeed suitable for thinking things through.

Even though he didn't seem to do much today, he was actually very tired. Chen Xu wasn't easy to win over; the battle of wits had consumed many of his brain cells.

Coupled with the battle just now, he did feel somewhat exhausted.

Tan Jing didn't speak, only listening quietly. She didn't understand these things; she only cared about the results.

Her world was very simple: as long as the man in her arms didn't suffer a loss, it was a good thing; if he did, it was a bad thing.

Jiang Chuan lay on the bed, holding the soft Little Jing, and before long, he fell into a deep sleep.

Only then did Tan Jing carefully get out of bed and walk into the bathroom. Smelling the familiar scent, her face turned slightly red.

She gently picked up the clothes he had changed out of. After hesitating for a long time, she still put the clothes back into the laundry basket.

She had a very sensitive nose since she was a child. Although the scent was very faint, she had smelled a woman's perfume.

She didn't dare to stay any longer, afraid she wouldn't be able to resist verifying this terrifying truth. She didn't dare to think about what she would do if it turned out to be true.

She could only keep comforting herself in her heart, thinking that there were so many people at the banquet today, and this was just an accident.

Looking at Jiang Chuan's sleeping figure, she tucked in the corner of the blanket, found a shawl in the wardrobe, and carefully walked out of the room. She wanted to go out for a walk to clear her head.

She took the elevator to the first floor and saw someone outside the elevator doors holding a crate of beer. Judging by the figure, it should be a girl, but the person had her head down, so she couldn't see her face.

She didn't pay it much mind, stepping aside to make way and heading toward the door. Suddenly, she stopped and looked back at the closed elevator doors.

She stared at the floor numbers displayed next to the elevator. It finally stopped at the seventeenth floor. She clenched her fists but ultimately didn't chase after her.

She didn't know if finding out about this would lead to a huge fight. Would they break up because of it? She didn't dare to gamble.

Sitting on a bench in the pavilion, she hugged herself tightly as the night breeze blew through her smooth hair.

Looking at the starless night, she sat there for a full two hours before returning home.

She gently opened the door and, seeing that he hadn't woken up, crawled into bed and snuggled into his arms.

It was as if nothing had happened, except that her beautiful eyes were so bright in the night.

Morning, 8:04 AM.

Jiang Chuan opened his eyes and habitually felt the space beside him. Finding no one there, he sat up in confusion.

Seeing that Tan Jing was indeed not in bed, he stretched and went to the bathroom to wash up.

After a quick tidy-up, he pushed open the door and saw a figure busy in the kitchen. He walked over softly, hugged her from behind, and whispered:

"Why did you get up so early? What delicious thing are you making?"

Hearing this, Tan Jing turned her head and gave him a light peck on the lips, saying with a smile:

"I went to sleep too early yesterday. When I woke up, I got up to make some breakfast. I can't cook with you like this, go wait for me at the dining table first."

"Okay. After eating, I'm going to the office. Do you want to come along?"

"I'll be livestreaming at home, so I won't go. You go on out!"

Tan Jing pushed him out of the kitchen. Knowing he liked Chinese food, she had made a lot of Chinese-style breakfast items today.

A moment later, everything was ready. She brought the breakfast to the table: dumplings, rice porridge, side dishes, fried eggs, and more.

Jiang Chuan's appetite was whetted by the sumptuous breakfast. He swallowed a dumpling in one go and said indistinctly, "Why did you make so much? Can we finish all this?"

"It's fine. If we can't finish it, I can just have it for lunch~"

Tan Jing sat in the chair opposite him, eating her breakfast in small bites, speaking nonchalantly.

Looking at her exquisite makeup, Jiang Chuan felt something was off, as if she were planning to go out.

He suddenly remembered that something seemed off last night as well. He made a mental note of it and continued eating heartily without specifically asking.

After they finished breakfast, Jiang Chuan put on the formal suit Tan Jing had prepared. Following an adult-style farewell, he walked out of the room and took the elevator to the underground parking lot.

He sat in the car without starting it, thinking about what exactly had happened. Since Little Jing didn't say, he wouldn't press her; if it were something good, she would have said it long ago.

Everything was normal when he arrived last night, so something must have happened during the time after he arrived.

Tapping the armrest box, he carefully replayed the events. Suddenly, he remembered that Little Jing had been dazed for a moment.

It clearly wasn't because she saw something, and there wouldn't be anything to see at home. Hearing something was also impossible.

That leaves... smelling!

That internet celebrity face from last night!

Perfume!

Jiang Chuan figured it out. He smiled and shook his head, sent a message to Old Second, pushed open the car door, and stepped out.

[Jiang Chuan: The house is on fire. Ask your sister to help you.]

[Shen Jincheng: For real? Do we need to come over and help?]

[Jiang Chuan: No need. This fire can only be resolved by me.]

[Shen Jincheng: ???]

Jiang Chuan stepped back into the elevator. Watching the floor numbers slowly rise, he muttered to himself, "You don't know jack. It's a fire in the backyard, get it?"