Volume One, Chapter 152: Snuggling Up to My Wife

"A few days ago, at Elder Ming’s birthday celebration, I heard that Grandfather brought Chen Jing—no, it's Lou Jing now—along to offer his congratulations. Is that true?"

Elder Lou turned back, his expression grim.

Lou Ye remained entirely unfazed. Meeting the old man’s darkening gaze, he continued, "You are truly forgetful! When Aunt passed away and Big Brother was left paralyzed in bed, you stood before the entire Lou family and declared that Chen Jing, an illegitimate son, would never enter the gates of the Lou family or be recorded in the family genealogy, just to put everyone at ease."

"Heh..." Lou Ye let out a cold laugh. "How long has it even been since then?"

Elder Lou was the head of the Lou family. He had two sons; one had passed away, and the other was as good as dead. In Lou Ye’s generation, there were only two brothers: the eldest, Lou Yue, and the second, Lou Ye.

From the time Lou Ye could remember, his aunt and uncle were constantly bickering. When his uncle brought his illegitimate son, Chen Jing, home, his aunt turned the household upside down. Whether for the sake of her own family’s status or simply to protect the Lou family’s reputation, an illegitimate child could not be acknowledged. Consequently, the elder Lous held a firm stance: one refused to acknowledge Chen Jing, and the other sided with her daughter-in-law, scolding her son until things were settled.

When Lou Yue came of age, he proved to be a capable eldest son. Even though Elder Lou never explicitly stated it, everyone in the Imperial City’s elite circles knew that Lou Yue would be the future head of the Lou family. However, at the age of twenty-two, disaster struck. In a car accident, everyone except Lou Yue perished on the spot.

Before the eldest mistress took her last breath, she held on just long enough to say two things: first, to confirm Lou Yue was alive; and second, to demand that Elder Lou keep his word—that Chen Jing must never return to the Lou family, never enter the genealogy, and certainly never be registered under her name. She had not given birth to him, and she would not acknowledge him even in death.

Elder Lou agreed. The eldest mistress passed away.

Six months later, Lou Yue awoke from his coma. His mind was intact, but his legs were completely useless; he would never stand again. The eldest branch of the Lou family had effectively fallen.

For a long time, the Lou family dominated all the gossip among the elite. Some speculated about the cunning of Chen Jing’s birth mother, others guessed who would eventually inherit the Lou Corporation, and some even placed bets in underground clubs on whether Elder Lou could truly remain heartless enough to keep Chen Jing out. After all, everyone could see how thin the Lou family line had become.

Years passed—so many that in the circles of the Imperial City, whenever people mentioned the "Young Master of the Lou family," they thought only of Lou Ye. Then, at Elder Ming’s ninetieth birthday, Elder Lou appeared, with Chen Jing—now renamed Lou Jing—by his side. Lou Ye, meanwhile, was nowhere to be seen.

New rumors spread like wildfire, compounded by the recent stir Lou Ye had caused over Sang Wan. People began looking at Lou Jing with different eyes, as if he were the fisherman who had swooped in to profit after the snipe and the clam had exhausted each other in battle.

"Step one was to get rid of Big Brother," Lou Ye said. "Step two, I assume, is to get rid of me, isn't it?"

Lou Ye smiled, his expression one of indifferent ease. "Grandfather, it’s really not that complicated. Just tell me what position you want him to have at the Lou Corporation, and I’ll arrange it right now. You don’t need to agonize over how to bring it up to me anymore."

Elder Lou’s brow twitched. Lou Ye was usually impatient and notoriously reckless. Yet, since taking over the Lou Corporation years ago, he hadn't made a single mistake; in fact, the annual financial reports grew more impressive every year. The old foxes at the shareholders' meetings who had once opposed him, thinking he was just a wet-behind-the-ears graduate, now greeted him with nothing but respect, having long forgotten how they once pounded the table to block his appointment.

Accustomed to his usual mischievous nature, Elder Lou felt uneasy now that Lou Ye was being so agreeable. He couldn't help but feel that Lou Ye was brewing something major.

"General Manager of the overseas branch?"

"…Project Director of the Project Department?"

"Or perhaps… Vice President?"

Every time Lou Ye asked, Elder Lou’s heart skipped a beat. Then, Lou Ye brushed a speck of invisible dust from his sleeve and delivered the final verdict: "Let's not dance around it. How about this? Have him report to the company today; he can take my position as Executive Vice President!"

"???"

"Lou Ye!!!" Elder Lou was struck dumb with shock.

Lou Ye put on his coat, his expression unchanged. "Whether he’s a mule or a horse, we’ll know as soon as we take him out for a trot, won't we?" He looked at the old man. "Don't you agree, Grandfather?"

With that, the curtain fell with a snap. His footsteps faded into the distance.

"Chirp, chirp…" The little phoenix in the cage flapped its wings, as if only now daring to breathe.

*Bang!*

A bowl was slammed onto the table, sending golden millet grains scattering across the floor. Elder Lou was left trembling with rage.

***

Sang Wan had been busy all day and only saw Lou Ye when she got off work.

"Are you angry with me?"

The moment she got into the car, she sensed the frustration in his brow. She hugged his arm and apologized, "I didn't mean to ignore your messages. I was just… I was really too busy!"

She had been tied up with work in the morning, attended several meetings with senior architects in the afternoon, and then spent the rest of the time drawing. She had almost forgotten her phone existed. It wasn't until her neck and back started aching and she stretched that she realized something was wrong. She checked her phone and found a slew of WeChat messages—all from Lou Ye. She thought she had replied, but upon checking the chat box while in the elevator, it was completely empty. She had only replied… in her mind. It was easy to imagine the silence and anger hidden behind that final string of question marks he had sent.

"A-Ye, I'm sorry!" Sang Wan apologized sincerely.

"Silly," Lou Ye laughed. "I'm not angry."

Really? Sang Wan didn't believe him. She looked at him closely and saw that the gloom between his brows had vanished.

When they returned to the apartment, Sang Wan opened the door and was greeted by the aroma of food.

"???"

She changed her shoes and walked into the kitchen to find that the meal was nearly ready. A pot of radish and beef brisket soup was simmering on the stove. All that was left was to heat up the other dishes and serve the rice.

"Did you make this?" Sang Wan asked, turning to Lou Ye.

He shook his head. She squinted, unconvinced.

Lou Ye chuckled. "Mr. Snail made it. Isn't that a surprise?"

Heaven knows how much the fairy tale of the "Snail Girl" had impressed her as a child. At first, she had wished for a Snail Girl of her own to help with cooking and chores. Later, she felt it was unfair that women always had to be the ones doing the suffering and labor—it would be much better to have a Snail Boy. She never expected that one day, her dream would come true, and she would have her very own Mr. Snail.

"Thank you, Mr. Snail! You’ve worked hard!" Sang Wan beamed.

Life didn't seem much different with Lou Ye living there, but after falling out of bed for the second time, Sang Wan decided things couldn't go on like this. As the source of heat pressed against her from behind, she kicked him groggily. "Lou Ye, can you stop crowding me?"

"No… I want to cuddle with my wife!"

"…But you've pushed me off the bed!"

"That just means the bed is too small!"

"..."

Sleep in separate rooms? Lou Ye refused. Get a bigger bed? The current one was a high-end custom piece with a three-month lead time, and Lou Ye claimed he couldn't sleep in any other brand.

Sang Wan: "..."

The next morning, while they were brushing their teeth side-by-side in front of the sink, their eyes met. Lou Ye raised an eyebrow; Sang Wan nodded. They reached a silent, mutual decision.

That day after work, the Maybach pulled out of the Lou Corporation and headed straight toward the hillside villa.