Chi Chi’s gaze darted between the two of them. She glanced at Charles Chase’s subtle change in expression, then at Yao Yao’s wide, startled eyes.
Charles Chase let out a cold snort, curling his lips as he gritted his teeth. “Know her? Of course I do. We’re very familiar.”
Yes—familiar enough to have kissed.
He’d saved her from a creep, only to discover she was the real little troublemaker. He’d kindly offered to take her back to the hotel, but she’d refused to sit properly the whole ride. By the time she got out of the car, his white shirt was covered with lipstick marks.
He couldn’t help but question what sort of people Chi Chi called friends. He made a mental note: no way she could be allowed to get mixed up with a bad bunch.
Sighing like an overprotective dad, Charles Chase headed upstairs to put away some files.
Chi Chi narrowed her eyes, smelling gossip in the air, and looked at Mia Moore. “Spill—how do you know my brother?”
Mia Moore’s face went red, and she stammered her way through the explanation. For some reason, ever since that night, she couldn’t help but keep thinking about how Charles Chase looked.
And the way he’d acted just now—hands on his hips, chin lifted—‘He was the one who took advantage, and he still puts on such a disgusted face!’
Chi Chi clutched her stomach, unable to hold back her laughter. “Sure, my brother took advantage—but you sure it was just a kiss?”
Mia Moore nodded vigorously. “That’s all I remember. I mean, I couldn’t have just kept kissing him the whole ride, right?”
Just as they were talking, Charles Chase came back downstairs. It was mealtime.
He quietly ate, occasionally exchanging a word or two with Chi Chi.
After dinner, Mia Moore started preparing to leave. Chi Chi was about to walk her out when Charles Chase took a long stride ahead of them.
“Go upstairs and rest. I’ll take her home.”
Mia Moore clutched her little purse, throwing Charles Chase a suspicious glance. "Chi Chi, I’ll come visit you again in a couple days!”
As she watched them leave, Chi Chi wore a thoughtful look. Oh, she definitely had to share this juicy tidbit with Fu Zhiyao.
Walking one after the other through the garden, the two of them got closer and closer to the gate.
Mia Moore walked in front, and Charles Chase followed at a leisurely pace. She started to feel uneasy—what was he up to, silently tailing her like this?
With a decisive stop, she spun around to glare at him. That night in the dim bar, she hadn’t seen his face clearly. Now she could tell—Charles Chase was seriously handsome.
Those gold-rimmed glasses gave him a gentle look, but after his attitude earlier, she knew he wasn’t as mild as he seemed.
“Alright, you don’t have to walk me out. I’ll go on my own.”
Awkwardly tossing out her words, she turned and hurried off, feeling weirdly flustered inside.
She’d barely taken a step before a strong hand grabbed her wrist. Charles Chase remembered hearing Chi Chi mention Mia Moore before—especially that night with all the drinking. He hadn’t liked it, but since she’d been drunk, he had no intention of making a fuss.
“It’s nothing—just wanted to thank you for helping out Chi Chi.”
Mia Moore’s eyes flashed as she tried to shake free. “I don’t need your thanks—Chi Chi’s my friend, of course I’d help her and look out for her.”
Originally, Charles Chase only wanted to thank her, but seeing her bristle like a kitten, he suddenly felt a bit mischievous.
He tightened his grip, pulling her closer, lowering his head to look at her.
They were up close—he could smell a sweet, clean fragrance from her; no hint of alcohol, just something even more inviting.
Charles Chase smirked, his eyes half-hidden behind his glasses. “Right then, thank-you’s done. But there’s another thing—my shirt’s still covered in your lipstick. Shouldn’t you compensate me, Yao Yao?”
“…” ‘Yao Yao? Since when do you get to call me that?! And what shirt—I have no clue what he’s talking about.’
Mia Moore’s ears turned red. She answered a bit guiltily, “W-what shirt? I don’t know anything about that.”
“No worries. Next time you come by, I’ll show it to you. It’s in my… room.”
Those last three words lingered on his tongue, half-coaxing, half-teasing.
Mia Moore nearly stomped her foot, wrenching her hand free and storming off in a flustered rush.
Watching her flee, Charles Chase adjusted his glasses and smiled. ‘And here I thought she really was a little rascal. Turns out she’s got no resistance at all to teasing.’
Click, clack, click—Mia Moore hurried out the gate in her high heels. Only when she was safely inside her car did she realize—‘It’s just a shirt! At worst, I can just buy him a new one. Why was I running away?!’
...
The little episode passed quickly; nobody took it too seriously.
If anything, Chi Chi was happy that her brother and Yao Yao were already acquainted.
After a shower, she curled up in bed, whipped out her phone, and shared her little piece of gossip with Fu Zhiyao.
She typed a flurry of messages, but instead of replying, Fu Zhiyao called her for a video chat.
Chi Chi froze, then sat up straight in bed. She’d never done a video call with him before.
Hurriedly, she grabbed a small mirror from the table to check her appearance.
Satisfied everything looked fine, she pressed accept.
Fu Zhiyao’s face appeared on the screen. Chi Chi glanced at his background and realized he was sitting on the small bed by the window where she’d slept just a few days ago, sunlight streaming warmly behind him.
“Chi Chi,” he smiled, his normally cold, sharp face now softening a bit, “Have you eaten?”
Cecilia Ye blushed and nodded. “I just showered, getting ready for bed.”
Fu Zhiyao fixed his eyes on her onscreen. Her eyes still held a touch of dampness from her shower, and her thin pink pajama top revealed a hint of her delicate collarbones peeking from the neckline.
All at once, he wished he could be there with her—hold her in his arms and take in her sweet scent.
Thinking it, he let the words slip, too. “I miss you. I want to hold you.”
He said it so naturally that it made Chi Chi blush even harder. She stammered, “B-but, I just left this morning.”
Fu Zhiyao laughed openly, making no attempt to hide it. “Exactly. I’ve missed you from the moment you left.”
Turns out, the more sweet words you say, the more you want to keep saying them—he just wanted to tell his girl how much he liked her, how much he thought of her.
He glanced at Chi Chi’s room behind her and raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t you say you liked purple? Why is your whole room pink?”
“Oh,” Chi Chi glanced back, just now realizing the bedspread and even a peek of frilly curtains behind her were all baby pink. “Shh—it’s my brother’s idea of ‘straight-man aesthetics.’ Pink everywhere. He thinks all girls love pink.”
She wrinkled her little nose and made a cute hushing gesture, finger to her lips.
Fu Zhiyao inwardly cringed at Charles Chase’s taste, then said, “Is our baby being good?”
“So good! Still moving just a moment ago,” Chi Chi reached under the covers to touch her small belly, her face melting into a gentle smile at the mention of the baby.
Fu Zhiyao pressed, “I want to see.”
“...” Chi Chi hesitated. ‘How is he going to see?’ Seeing his hopeful expression, she relented, “Alright, but just for a second.”
On camera, Chi Chi pulled back her pink blanket, sitting cross-legged. Her little bump was round as a watermelon in her lap. Her pink pajamas with the ruffled sleeves only added to her cuteness.
Fu Zhiyao’s eyes narrowed, guessing the pajamas were probably Charles Chase’s doing, which made him a bit jealous.
Before he could think much more, Chi Chi’s small hand lifted her thin pajama top. Her cheeks were rosy; she whispered, “Look quickly.”
Fu Zhiyao’s heart skipped a beat. He’d only meant to peek through her clothes, but this was way more than he expected.
Chi Chi’s pregnant belly was round and white, small navel protruding adorably.
He unconsciously swallowed. “Alright... that’s enough. Pull your shirt down.”
It was almost torture.
She quickly covered up and looked up at him, her face bright red.
“Our baby is very well-behaved.”
Fu Zhiyao couldn’t hide the fond smile tugging at his lips. He said gently, “My baby is well-behaved, too.”
Realizing he meant her, Chi Chi blushed and fidgeted, unsure where to place her hands.
“I... Fu Zhiyao, I’m going to sleep now.”
Can’t handle this—gotta hide.
Fu Zhiyao looked at her flushed face and had mercy, knowing if he teased her more, his baby girl would hide from embarrassment.
“Alright, get some sleep.”
“Mm.”
When the call ended, Chi Chi hugged her phone, pulled the blanket over her head, and thought—so this is what it’s like to be in love.
Her heart was pounding fast, and she couldn’t help blushing. When he spoke to her like that, she didn’t know where to look or what to do.
Fu Zhiyao looked at the now-dark screen and called for Old Third to come in. He couldn’t stay at this crappy hospital any longer.