After spending three days in Mo City, the group returned to Zhi’an. The leave Xie Hejing had approved for Nan Xu happened to end at the same time, and back at the company, she resumed her role as his assistant.
The pile of accumulated work kept Nan Xu so busy that she hadn’t even checked Xie Hejing’s messages.
Staring at the one he sent half an hour ago, Xie Hejing finally had no choice but to dial the phone on her desk.
The moment she heard the ringing, Nan Xu’s eyes lifted from the documents. She glanced toward Xie Hejing’s office, but the blinds blocked her view.
“Hello? What is it?”
Twisting his car keys between his fingers, Xie Hejing said, “My parents want us home for dinner today.”
Nan Xu checked the time, there was only half an hour left before she got off work.
She nodded. “Got it.”
She answered simply and was about to hang up.
Xie Hejing frowned. “Why is Assistant Nan being so cold to me?”
Nan Xu instinctively looked up at the blinds again. If not for the slats blocking her view, she would have seen his long fingers playing with the receiver, lips curved in that familiar teasing smile.
“Assistant Nan sure changes faces quickly. You weren’t like this last night.”
“Xie Hejing!” Nan Xu gritted her teeth. Even over the phone, she could imagine that smug, victorious grin on his face. “If you bring that up again, you can go home by yourself tonight.”
“Wife…” His voice coming through the receiver was slightly hoarse.
“After dinner tonight, can we head home early?”
“It feels like we still didn’t try one position yesterday.”
Nan Xu hurriedly covered the phone, her cheeks heating uncontrollably.
Noticing a coworker passing by, she raised her voice—quick, crisp, and deliberately professional: “President Xie, I’ll finish organizing the reports as soon as possible. I can have them to you before the end of the day.”
Only after her colleague walked off without suspicion did Nan Xu let out a quiet breath of relief.
Since being with Xie Hejing, she had told only a handful of people she completely trusted. And those people also understood she didn’t want to make things public. To most employees, their relationship was strictly superior and subordinate.
Xie Hejing’s voice was even more cheerful now. “Alright, I’ll wait for you to get off work, wife.”
With a sharp little click, Nan Xu hung up. She really couldn’t stand him distracting her during work hours.
Fifteen minutes before getting off work, she gathered a stack of files in her arms and knocked on the door of his office.
“Come in.”
She entered with her back straight, expression crisp and composed. A few strands of hair were lifted by the breeze from the hallway, making her already delicate features even clearer and softer.
Xie Hejing’s gaze didn’t budge, fixed on her pale, slender fingers as they moved across the documents while she reported the project’s progress in a tone completely devoid of warmth.
His Adam’s apple bobbed involuntarily.
Only after she finished the last sentence did Nan Xu finally exhale. Organizing the work that had piled up over the past few days had been both time-consuming and exhausting.
Feeling his burning gaze, she frowned slightly. “Xie Hejing, were you even listening?”
He nodded. “Mm. There’s a pretty important data point missing in your report.”
“Really? Where?” Nan Xu bent closer in a slight panic to check the data, exposing a small stretch of skin at the back of her neck.
Xie Hejing’s Adam’s apple moved. As if bewitched, he reached out and caught her wrist.
Nan Xu looked up. She tried to pull away but couldn’t, and reminded him in a low voice, “What are you doing? We’re still at the office.”
“Not doing anything,” Xie Hejing said calmly as he turned his phone screen toward her. “Just reminding you, work hours are over. Finish it tomorrow.”
Before she could respond, he grabbed his car keys and headed out.
“Let’s go home.”
Nan Xu had no choice but to hurry after him. His strides were naturally long, and he didn’t slow down at all. Nan Xu practically had to jog to keep up.
It wasn’t until she finally reached him inside the elevator that she managed to catch her breath. “Why are you walking so fast?”
Xie Hejing didn’t answer. He only glanced at her, eyes deep and dark.
When the elevator arrived at the basement level, he stepped out just as quickly. His pace didn’t ease even a bit, leaving Nan Xu still confused as she followed behind him.
She didn’t understand why he was suddenly in such a rush.
Did his parents give him a strict time to be home?
But the moment she got into the car, she understood everything.
She had barely settled into the passenger seat and closed the door when the lock clicked into place…
And in that same instant, Xie Hejing leaned over, pulled her into his arms, and captured her lips in a kiss.
He’d wanted to do this back in the office, but Nan Xu was easily embarrassed.
Whether someone actually saw them or not, she simply wasn’t used to being that intimate at work.
If they really got caught, she would definitely be mad at him—and that kind of anger wasn’t easy to coax away. So Xie Hejing could only hold it in until they got to the car before finally kissing her.
But even kissing wasn’t enough.
His hand cupped the back of her head, firm and unyielding, guiding her closer. He lowered his mouth to her ear, gently grazing and nibbling at her earlobe.
That part was still manageable.
The problem was, his bites gradually grew harder. After a moment, he even seemed dissatisfied with just that, wanting to move lower.
Nan Xu had no choice but to quickly stop him.
“Enough.”
This time, Xie Hejing really did freeze at her word.
Nan Xu touched her burning ear and shot him a glare. Only then did she notice his crooked tie and the two undone buttons at his collar, revealing a wide expanse of skin.
“We’re going home to see your parents,” she scolded. “Can you at least look decent?”
She didn’t even dare imagine it—if he walked in looking like that, his parents would probably think she had done unspeakable things to him.
Xie Hejing chuckled as he slowly buttoned up his shirt again, his tone teasing, “Mm. I’ll only let you see.”
Nan Xu: “…”
“I don’t want to see anything!”
The car drove toward the villa. As always, Zhang Huiwan and Xie Hengzhi were waiting for them at the door.
From a distance, Nan Xu saw the two figures standing at the doorway.
Xie Hengzhi had his hand around Zhang Huiwan’s waist, talking and smiling with a raised brow.
The sweetness between them was so obvious that you didn’t need to hear what they were saying, just looking at them was enough to feel the warmth.
The dynamic between Nan Xiaocheng and Wen Qiu wasn’t as openly affectionate, but the care they had for each other was something Nan Xu had felt since childhood.
No matter the holiday, Nan Xiaocheng always remembered to prepare a gift for Wen Qiu—and usually one for Nan Xu as well.
Most of the time hers was simply “included,” but on Children’s Day and her birthday, she always received twice as much love.
As for Nan Xu and Xie Hejing, their way of being together was different—another style, another rhythm—but the same love all the same.
Nan Xu’s lips curved faintly. She suddenly turned her head and asked, “Do you think we’ll be like that someday? Waiting at the door for our kids to come home?”
“As long as you want it, we can,” Xie Hejing replied, one hand spinning the steering wheel with ease.
Nan Xu lowered her eyes and murmured, “Kids… that’s not something I can decide by myself.”
Only then did Xie Hejing fully grasp what she meant.
He cleared his throat, turning to her with disbelief in his eyes.
“You mean you want to… have a—”
Somehow, the moment the words came out of his mouth, they sounded embarrassingly suggestive.
Nan Xu quickly turned her head away and cut him off, “Um, we’re home. Get out of the car.”
But she couldn’t open the door.
Xie Hejing still had the car locked.
Nan Xu tried once more, but the handle didn’t budge—she could only sit back down obediently.
“They’re waiting for us outside!”
“And?” Xie Hejing replied calmly.
“So open the door! If they ask why we stayed in the car for so long, how are we supposed to explain it?” Nan Xu pressed her lips together.
Xie Hejing raised a brow. “We’ll say we were discussing something important, about the next generation.”
Nan Xu’s eyes widened. “No, don’t say that. Not now.”
“So… it can be discussed?” Xie Hejing immediately caught the flaw in her argument.
“…” Nan Xu finally admitted, “We can.”
Since things had reached this point, she stopped dodging her embarrassment. She lowered her head slightly out of habit, her lashes trembling with the rhythm of her voice—clear yet steady.
“Xie Hejing,” she said softly, “I think… we can have a child. I’ve thought about this seriously.”
Even though he had already guessed what she might say, hearing it directly from her lips still made his heart pound uncontrollably.
For a brief moment, he felt as if he could see decades of their future flash before his eyes.
“When I was young, I always thought the love in my family was just… something that naturally existed,” Nan Xu murmured, fingers absentmindedly curling around the hem of her clothes.
“But after being with you, I realized love is something that needs to be passed on.”
She thought back over the countless moments between them. “I think our parents probably passed their love to us in the same way.”
Xie Hejing swallowed and asked her, “Why did you suddenly say that?”
“That day when I went to your place, I saw Auntie making soup for you… and Uncle slipping stomach medicine into your bag when you weren’t looking…”
Nan Xu’s voice grew muffled. “And my parents, too. Every time we video call, they ask how you’re doing, if you’ve been tired lately. Every time I go home, they stuff my bags with things to bring back.”
“We’re surrounded by so much love, and it just suddenly made me…” She lifted her head, her eyes bright and pure. “It made me want to pass that love on to a new little life.”
Xie Hejing’s Adam’s apple bobbed as he stared at Nan Xu’s face glowing softly; he couldn’t look away.
He felt that the luckiest thing he had done in all these years was marrying Nan Xu, this girl who was the most extraordinary presence in his life.
Listening to her describe the affection between their families, the smile at the corner of her eyes flowing with her voice, she looked even softer, even more beautiful.
Warmth filled his chest, being around Nan Xu always drew him in.
“Why aren’t you saying anything?” Nan Xu turned her head toward him.
He was the one who said they should talk about it, yet now he was completely silent.
“You’re right about everything.” Xie Hejing got out of the car, bent down by the passenger side to open her door, and said in a low voice, “Let’s eat first. Tonight, we can discuss the process of creating that little life.”
“Aiya, Xie Hejing…”
Just then, Zhang Huiwan and Xie Hengzhi happened to walk over.
Nan Xu had no choice but to swallow everything she was about to say, pretend she hadn’t heard what Xie Hejing whispered earlier, and greet them instead.
“Hello, Uncle, Auntie.”
Even though the two of them were already legally married, Nan Xu still couldn’t quite switch to the new forms of address yet.
Zhang Huiwan and Xie Hengzhi didn’t mind at all, there was no rush. She could take her time.
They walked up to the couple together. Xie Hengzhi spoke warmly and gently, “You must be tired after a full day at work. Hurry in and eat. Your aunt and I made lots of your favorite dishes today.”
Nan Xu smiled. “Really? Thank you, Uncle, Auntie.”
Zhang Huiwan, however, had noticed that although the car had already stopped, the two of them had stayed inside for quite a while.
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously at Xie Hejing. “Were you arguing with Jiaojiao just now?”
Otherwise, why had she heard Nan Xu call out “Xie Hejing” in such an angry tone when the door opened?
Xie Hejing couldn’t help but laugh helplessly. Nan Xu didn’t want him revealing what they had really been discussing, so he could only brush it off casually: “Argue? How would I dare argue with her?”
“And besides, with how bad I am with words, how could I ever win an argument against Nan Xu?”
Hearing that, Nan Xu nearly jumped in to refute him. But after thinking it over, she forced herself to hold back—otherwise they might really start arguing.
She shot him a look over her shoulder.
Xie Hejing smiled lazily back at her, and there was absolutely nothing “bad with words” about him.
In reality, she was the one who couldn’t win—seven or eight times out of ten, she lost every argument to Xie Hejing.
Hearing what her son said, Zhang Huiwan finally dropped the issue.
She knew her son well.
No matter what happened, Xie Hejing always knew his limits.
Dinner was filled with warmth and chatter, until Zhang Huiwan said, “It’s already so late, and you’re both tired. Why don’t you stay the night? The rooms are always kept clean.”
Xie Hejing’s expression darkened instantly, he wanted to refuse.
But Nan Xu spoke up before he could.
“Sure,” she said, then glanced back at Xie Hejing. “We’ve been drinking anyway, and we’re too lazy to call a driver. We might as well stay the night.”
Earlier at dinner, maybe because he was a little too excited, Xie Hejing had opened two bottles of wine. All four of them had drunk quite a bit. And with what Nan Xu had said earlier, it was now certain—they were staying.
Later, when it was just the two of them alone in the living room, Xie Hejing leaned toward her and asked quietly, “So… we’re not going home to ‘discuss’ it tonight?”
Nan Xu kept her composure. “A few days later is the same. It doesn’t have to be tonight.”
“Ha. A few days?” Xie Hejing immediately interpreted that as her expecting him to endure for several days.
He rejected the idea outright. “Impossible.”
Nan Xu jolted, afraid he might try something here of all places, and quickly warned, “Don’t even think about it. We’re in your parents’ house. They’re all here.”
“So we go home?” Xie Hejing still refused to give up.
Staying here at least gave her a chance to keep Xie Hejing calm.
If they went home, it would be like a sheep walking straight into a wolf’s den.
Nan Xu shook her head. “We’re not going back. We’re sleeping here tonight.”
“With me?” Xie Hejing asked again.
There was no way Nan Xu would agree, especially with his family also in the house.
“We sleep separately.”
Ever since she got together with Xie Hejing, she hadn’t slept alone in a long while. Honestly, she kind of missed having a whole bed to herself.
Xie Hejing leaned his head back against the sofa. “You won’t miss me? Didn’t you say before you couldn’t sleep without me?”
With that reminder, Nan Xu did recall it—but no matter what, she was determined not to sleep with him tonight.
After thinking for a bit, she forced out two words: “I’ll manage.”
Xie Hejing burst into laughter, nearly doubling over, then smoothed the tension between her brows. “Alright, fine. I’ll let you off today.”
“You sleep on your own. But…” He paused for two seconds. “My door won’t be locked. If you can’t sleep, you can come in.”
“I won’t.”
That night, lying in bed, it was no surprise that Nan Xu couldn’t sleep. Because she wanted to prove she could sleep just fine without him, the insomnia irritated her even more.
Maybe they really shared some silent connection, because just then, Xie Hejing sent her a photo.
Half a bed. Nothing else.
A simple image showcasing exactly how “empty and lonely” he was at the moment.
If she replied, wouldn’t that just prove she wasn’t asleep either?
Nan Xu immediately put her phone down and decided to ignore him.
But the more she tried to sleep, the clearer her mind became.
She finally couldn’t help it and unlocked her phone again. Her screen was filled with messages from Xie Hejing.
He had been sending one every half hour—sometimes a picture, sometimes text.
[I can’t sleep.]
Photo: the ceiling.
[I miss you. Wife, are you asleep?]
Photo: the door to his room.
[I’m waiting for you.]
. . . . .
Xie Hejing had basically carried on a one-sided conversation with more than a dozen messages.
The more Nan Xu scrolled, the more awake she became.
Completely unable to sleep now, she sat up and finally replied:
[Stop sending messages.]
Half-lidded eyes, a quiet smile—Xie Hejing knew he’d gotten exactly what he wanted.
He knew Nan Xu couldn’t sleep.
After all, he’d spent so much time and effort cultivating that habit in her.
How could it disappear overnight?
Half-reclining on his bed, he sent another photo—this time of himself leaning against the headboard.
Then a simple line.
[Can’t sleep?]
[Why don’t you come sleep with me?]