After two months at the old house, the rookie parents had been officially promoted; they could now handle Little Rice Cake’s daily needs without a hitch.
Even before the baby was born, whether it was the old house, the Fu residence, or here, any place Chi Chi might stay had been meticulously prepped by Xavier Foster with a brand new nursery.
Now, he was finally starting work again.
On his first day back, President Foster was clearly reluctant and not the least bit happy about it.
Chi Chi had also risen earlier than usual—today, the two would head out together: she to her studio, Zhiye to the office.
She put Little Rice Cake in Aunt Xu’s care, having her head straight to the studio for babysitting.
As Chi Chi applied her makeup before the mirror, Xavier Foster changed into his standard issue shirt and suit.
"Honey, my tie."
Apparently, it was said that a truly happy man gets his wife to tie his tie before work.
Chi Chi set down her eyebrow pencil and turned to select a tie for him, her slender neck tilting with focused attention as she searched the wardrobe.
With his gray suit, a brown-toned tie would be perfect—formal, but not too stuffy.
Standing on tiptoe, she slipped the tie around his neck from behind, her delicate hands working the knot as Xavier Foster obligingly bent down a little.
His wife was beautiful even with the lightest of makeup. He leaned in for a quick kiss on her nose, making her wrinkle it and mutter in mock annoyance, "Quit it."
Tie properly knotted, Chi Chi slung her petite pearl purse over her shoulder as Xavier Foster lifted their son into his stroller and carried him downstairs.
Old Third was already outside with the car. The couple got in, first dropping Chi Chi off at her studio.
Morning sunlight streamed through the windows, Little Rice Cake still fast asleep, not showing any signs of waking.
"Baby, wait for me to come have lunch with you."
Bent over to tuck in Little Rice Cake’s quilt, Chi Chi nodded distractedly, "Alright."
A large hand gently turned her little face so her lips puckered up. Xavier Foster claimed he needed another look—as if a whole morning was too long to go without seeing his wife.
Soon they arrived. Xavier Foster got out, unfastened the stroller’s wheels, and personally wheeled his son into the studio.
"Baby, I’m heading to work now."
Chi Chi followed behind and took over the stroller, replying, "Mm-hmm, off you go."
Aunt Xu was already inside, and she came over to collect the young master’s stroller without intruding on the couple.
"Aunt Xu…" Chi Chi started to follow but found her wrist caught.
Xavier Foster looked down at her, deep eyes feigning sadness. "You forgot something."
She paused and her gaze settled on his lips. They’d agreed on a goodbye kiss each morning... But hadn’t they already done that at home?!
They stood at the doorway, Old Third waiting in the car outside, Aunt Xu seated on the sofa inside.
Chi Chi felt self-conscious, her wide eyes flitting about. In a flash, she stood on her toes and gave him a lightning-quick peck on the lips.
Hearts racing, her soft lips brushed his but before she could retreat, an arm circled her waist, pulling her in for a true, lingering kiss.
The gentle East Lake breeze drifted past, and through the white arched doorway, the sight of them embracing and kissing looked as beautiful as a painting. Outside, the sound of traffic drifted by.
Chi Chi’s face was beet-red. She pushed him away, and at last Xavier Foster reluctantly let go.
"Miss me and wait for me at lunch."
"Yeah, yeah."
She poked his chest in embarrassment, shooing him away. Luckily, Strawberry and Bunny wouldn’t arrive to work until 10, so the shop was currently empty.
"Mm."
With long strides, he bounded down the steps and into the car. Only once it pulled away did Chi Chi go inside.
There wasn’t actually much to do—the studio’s grand opening was still a week away. She just wanted to check on last-minute details and, maybe, make sure that this back-to-work dad didn’t feel too out of place; she had a job too.
"Aunt Xu, I’m going to check the back room."
Little Rice Cake was still asleep and Aunt Xu watched over him. Chi Chi slipped into the glass conservatory in the back.
——
Xavier Foster watched her from the car window until he couldn’t see her anymore.
Old Third risked a glance at the rearview mirror—his boss looked utterly smitten, barely suppressing a smile.
Employees at Fu Group hadn’t seen their president in months, so when Xavier Foster stepped out of the car and strode into the grand lobby, the security guards and receptionists were stunned. The president? Alive, in the flesh?
Before anyone could properly greet him, Xavier Foster had already made for the private elevator up to his floor.
But no one was happier than Henry Hart, who could finally be liberated now the boss was back! He all but wanted to shout with relief.
Hardly had Xavier Foster walked into his office when Henry Hart burst in, arms full of files. "President, ahem, these are the documents for you to look over."
He dumped the thick stack on the desk and made a hasty exit, immediately moving on to schedule meetings for all the departments and shareholders.
Honestly, the president needed to see for himself how much work had piled up during his absence.
And so, Xavier Foster spent the entire morning buried under a mountain of documents and meetings.
When his phone’s alarm finally sounded, he was still deep in the conference room while the project manager was only halfway through their report.
Xavier Foster glanced at his phone, tossed his files aside, making the forty-something manager across from him practically twitch with anxiety—had his report gone wrong?
He scanned the conference room; everyone looked like they were holding their breath. Xavier Foster shot them a rare smile. "Let’s continue after lunch. Eat now."
With that, he headed out, leaving a crowd of shell-shocked shareholders behind.
"What? Lunch already?"
"Usually, we’re lucky if the president doesn’t make us work through lunch! What’s with today?"
"Don’t tell me he’s testing us for slacking!"
"Maybe. I don't even dare eat my food now!"
"Yeah, what if eating means I get fired for slacking?"
The room exploded into whispers.
Henry Hart stacked up his files and shook his head as he left. "Go ahead and eat—President’s off to have lunch with his wife and the young master."
The moment he said this, the old-timers perked up.
"Ha! So Old Zhang was right, the president really did attend those video meetings with the baby on his lap."
"Exactly! I even heard he eats desserts with his wife too."
"Haha!"
Everyone delighted in gossiping about their boss—it made lunch taste better, and they’d probably go for an extra helping.
Meanwhile, Xavier Foster hurried downstairs. Old Third had swung by the old house to collect lunch prepared by Aunt Whitney and was waiting outside.
By the time he arrived at the studio, Little Rice Cake was awake, safely in Chi Chi’s arms as she admired the upstairs artwork.
Xavier Foster went over and picked up his son. "Baby, he’s too little to understand art, you know."
"Why are you here so early? Aren’t you busy? Shouldn’t Assistant He be hounding you?" Chi Chi teased, glancing at the clock—it was only half past ten.
"Not busy at all. I’m hungry."
They cheerfully had lunch together in the glass house before Xavier Foster returned to the company.
——
Since opening the studio, Chi Chi had called Mia Moore, who’d immediately agreed to be a co-investor and partner.
Working with her best friend, sharing the same interests and goals, made Chi Chi genuinely happy. They were already planning to host exhibitions, auction their works, and organize some charity events.
Meanwhile, Julian Jarvis was set to return to the country soon.