Cheng Xi was quite shocked by Lu Chenzhou’s reaction. He was wearing an apron and had been preparing dinner, the spitting image of a perfect househusband. But as soon as Chen Jiaman meekly shouted out, “Daddy,” his demeanor transformed, and it felt like he was about to start butchering people with the kitchen knife in his hand.

She quickly patted Chen Jiaman and then hugged Lu Chenzhou. “Don’t get angry, don’t get angry. I can explain this.”

She didn’t want anything bad to happen between her and Lu Chenzhou just because she had taken Chen Jiaman in.

Cheng Xi forcibly dragged Lu Chenzhou into the bedroom and then told him about what had happened. “Lin Fan found me, and he asked me to keep Chen Jiaman by my side. And for my agreement, he agreed to donate quite a large sum of money to my organization.”

Yes, and it was no small amount either. In fact, it was the largest donation that Cheng Xi had received so far.

Lu Chenzhou smiled coldly. “Do you think that I wouldn’t give you money? Do you really need his?”

Whenever they started talking about business, Cheng Xi became much more serious, and she explained to him, “I know that you’re rich, but my organization’s goal can’t be accomplished by just one person or with just one organization’s wealth. If we want to set up this program to succeed for the long term, then we need to be more open and receptive about alternative sources of funding. Lu Chenzhou-” When he started frowning, Cheng Xi immediately changed tack and switched over to a gentle tone to coax him with. “Won’t you be less angry? I promise, Chen Jiaman won’t affect you one bit. I’ll bring her to Gansu and take complete responsibility for her. She also has the ability and will to become self-independent. Thus, once she’s better, I won’t have to worry about her anymore, and I’ll stop thinking about her…… alright? Alright?”

Cheng Xi didn’t play coy very often, and perhaps it was because Lu Chenzhou wasn’t used to this side of hers, but he eventually hugged her tightly, bit her on the face, and continued his line of questioning. “Then, why did she call you ‘mother?’”

“That…… She’s a bit obsessed with the children’s story that I told her when we first met, and she constantly calls herself a little bunny. Additionally, the only way I was able to bring her away was if I told her that I was the mama bunny……”

Of course, the process wasn’t that straightforward, but the end result was more or less the same. Luckily, even though Chen Jiaman’s condition had deteriorated, causing her to forget a lot of her previous memories, she still instinctively remembered Cheng Xi’s voice and the stories that she’d heard.

Honestly, when she first shouted “Mommy” at Cheng Xi, Cheng Xi had been shocked and innately refused the title.

Lu Chenzhou was somewhat at a loss for what to say. At that moment, he suddenly remembered what Baldy had once asked him. “Aren’t you ever going to get a kid?” At the time, he’d adamantly and haughtily answered, “No,” but now……

If they had to have a baby, he’d much rather have Cheng Xi have his. In that case, there’d at least be a nine-month period where the baby would be in her stomach, unable to affect him.

However, with Chen Jiaman already here in person, there wasn’t much that Lu Chenzhou could do about it. Also, after Lu Chenzhou experienced the pain of separation, he had become far more lenient and accommodating with respect to Cheng Xi’s actions.

His principles once again crumbled in the face of her wishes.

But he still knew how to negotiate, and he took advantage of this opportunity to have her reduce the time she’d spend in Gansu even more. Of course, he didn’t broach this topic directly, and instead asked her, “Then, when are you going to return?”

This “return” obviously referred to her being transferred back to Renyi.

“Five years…”

Lu Chenzhou coolly snorted.

Cheng Xi lowered her gaze, behaving like a meek little housewife. “I’m afraid that I won’t be transferred back if the time period’s any shorter.”

Lu Chenzhou merely snorted again.

Cheng Xi had only been transferred over to Gansu temporarily, and based on her skills, his wealth and connections, and Renyi’s evaluation of her, it wouldn’t be difficult at all for her to be transferred back.

It wasn’t as if she’d committed some sort of heinous crime. Even if someone did pursue the case further, Lu Chenzhou would definitely be able to protect her in that event.

After all, the only reason for her leaving was him.

Lu Chenzhou once again regretted his own decisions. Unfortunately, while it was easy to push someone away, pulling them back wasn’t as easy. Five years was the absolute minimum time Cheng Xi could spend in Gansu, and even Lu Chenzhou understood that it was implausible for her to finish all her work with her organization in a shorter time period.

But Lu Chenzhou was still very mad. Cheng Xi had no other choice but to stay by his side and patiently placate him by letting him do whatever he desired. Naturally, the two of them closed the bedroom door and started messing around in bed. However, compared to before, there was now a Chen Jiaman in the house. She was very obedient and didn’t move a muscle once the two of them left the room. She silently sat on the sofa, leaving only a faint flickering shadow.

It was as if she weren’t there at all.

But only as if.

When all three of them gathered for dinner, she sat by Cheng Xi’s side. She wouldn’t eat unless Cheng Xi put something on her plate, and she wouldn’t drink unless Cheng Xi poured her water into her glass. As silly as Chen Jiaman’s actions were, she was always striving for Cheng Xi’s favor, and whenever Cheng Xi tried to act intimately with Lu Chenzhou, Chen Jiaman would immediately do something to regain Cheng Xi’s attention.

Despite one of Lu Chenzhou’s strengths being his particularly strong self-control, even he was barely able to control himself when Chen Jiaman interfered for the umpteenth time. However, he was afraid of being too pushy with Cheng Xi—his anger had built up so much that he was afraid of hurting her.

Cheng Xi was in bed next to him, and his aggrieved look made her pity him. She was struck by inspiration and slowly slid underneath the covers. Initially, Lu Chenzhou didn’t realize what she was trying to do, and when he did, she had already wrapped her hand around the softest and also hardest part of his body.

This was the first time she had ever initiated something like this, and Lu Chenzhou almost went crazy. He almost wanted to kick the blanket away, grab her shoulder, and pull her away, but he simultaneously also didn’t want to do any of that at all. In the end, he shut his eyes, lay back, and let Cheng Xi bring him to the peak of ecstasy.

After everything was finished and done, he opened his eyes, shielding them from the light with one hand, and lay there on the bed without moving. After Cheng Xi finished cleaning herself up, she jumped back into bed and hugged him.

“Are you happy?”

Lu Chenzhou didn’t respond, but he was indeed very happy; there was an irrepressible, buoyant joy that carried him forever upward. It was like tiny pinpricks of rain were washing his heart clean and showering him with splashes of happiness.

The euphoric rain washed over his entire body, extinguishing all of his anger, fury, and the unease that had developed deep in his heart.

He hugged her, kissed her fiercely, and replied, “Yes, I’m happy.”

“In that case, don’t feel too uneasy, and don’t be scared that something will drag me away. You’re the most important person in my heart, always and forever.”

Cheng Xi rarely used the word “forever” when making promises, but if it was Lu Chenzhou, she had a feeling that “forever” might not be unachievable.

Lu Chenzhou had a sudden revelation. Even though she could have easily directly brought Chen Jiaman back to Gansu with her, there was a reason why she had returned home with Chen Jiaman. It was because she was doing her best to care for him all this time, trying to tell him in her own way that she was there, and that she would always be there.

……

Three days later, when Cheng Xi’s vacation came to an end, only her parents and Lu Chenzhou went to see her off. Perhaps it was because her parents were used to saying farewell to her, but they didn’t cry this time. Instead, they just nagged at her for quite some time.

Cheng Xi only got a chance to say goodbye to Lu Chenzhou when it was almost time for the plane to depart. She hugged him gently. “Please send my parents back home.” Cheng Yang was away on a business trip and couldn’t come, so Lu Chenzhou had to drive them back. 

Lu Chenzhou looked at her and nodded warmly.

Cheng Xi smiled. After making sure that her parents weren’t paying attention, and that Chen Jiaman was currently distracted by the planes on the airport tarmac below, she tiptoed up and secretly kissed him.

“Lu Chenzhou, while I’m not around, never forget that I love you. I also feel very fortunate that I met you.”

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