Romantic Collaboration

Part 8

17

The engagement banquet was a great success.

Ji Ming Chen's company released a congratulatory announcement, and because of this, our circle of friends intersected.
The only surprise was Bai Ze showing up at the banquet.

This young man really had some odd ideas—he barged straight into the dressing room and asked me if I was willing to elope with him.

Everyone in the room: ......

"I know you're being forced into this marriage by your family," Bai Ze said, filled with pain. "I'm sorry, I was too reckless before and didn't understand your difficulties. Sister, let's run away together."
Bai Ze grabbed my hand. "Let's leave everything behind, and we can build a small, simple, and happy life together."

Me: ......

Jiang Jia crossed her arms and laughed, saying, "Little brother, your current task is to graduate from college, and your second task is to secure a spot for postgraduate studies."

The people in the dressing room couldn't hold back their laughter.

I sighed helplessly and said, "Bai Ze, these past two years have made me truly happy, but we are over now."

"Yes, part of this is an arranged marriage, but another part is that I like Ji Ming Chen. Do you understand?" My gaze softened, but my words were cruel. "You should learn to be a bit more mature."

After Bai Ze left, Jiang Jia was laughing so hard she could hardly breathe. "Serves him right! Now he's behaving himself. I told you back then not to date someone who had just come of age."

I covered my face. "Don't say that, I must have been out of my mind back then."

Ji Ming Chen most likely knew about this whole thing, but the great thing about a mature man is that he always knows what to ask and what not to ask.
Or maybe, Ji Ming Chen simply didn't see Bai Ze as worth his attention.

After slipping the engagement ring onto my finger, he took my hand, brought it to his lips, and planted a gentle kiss.

Ji Ming Chen looked at me and smiled, "I will make you happy forever."

18

After we got engaged, I moved into Ji Ming Chen's apartment in the city center.

The first impression conveyed by Ji Ming Chen's 50th-floor apartment decor was that he was someone who valued the quality of life while also maintaining a strong sense of boundaries.

The second impression was that Ji Ming Chen was undoubtedly used to living alone.

But now, that was being disrupted by me.

Ji Ming Chen pulled my luggage into the walk-in closet. "The cleaning staff comes three times a week—Monday, Wednesday, and Friday—during our work hours, so we won't be disturbed."

"I've already asked them to clear out half the closet space. Take a look and see how you'd like to organize your clothes."

Ji Ming Chen sat on the armrest of the sofa and held my hand.

"After breaking up with Lin Yao, I've lived here alone for four years. Other than the cleaning staff, no one has been here except for me."
He looked into my eyes gently. "So don't feel uncomfortable."

I stepped forward, wrapped my arms around his neck, cupped his face, and kissed him.

The transition to living together was much smoother than I had anticipated.

Ji Ming Chen thoughtfully prepared a set of all the cosmetics and daily necessities I usually used.

We also didn't have any bad habits. We both liked to make plans and keep things organized. The only issue was our sleeping postures.

My sleeping posture was particularly wild.

On the first morning, I woke up with my leg draped over Ji Ming Chen's waist. He had dark circles under his eyes, clearly from not getting a good night's sleep due to me.

But the solution was simple—Ji Ming Chen just held my waist, and my wild sleeping posture became much more restrained.

Through this, I discovered an adorable habit of his.

He was a bit of a late riser.

Especially after working late the night before, he found it hard to get out of bed the next morning.

When I pinched his nose to wake him up, he would frown and burrow under the blanket, sleepily mumbling, "Just two more minutes."

I was so charmed by how cute he was that I couldn't help but tease him, "Baby, you're such a little lazy pig."

As soon as the words left my mouth, I realized something was wrong. Ji Ming Chen, standing tall at 187 cm, was a mature and steady man, not like the puppy-like boyfriends I'd dated before. This way of coaxing him didn't seem quite right.

But in the next second, I noticed his ears turning red, gradually becoming completely flushed.

In a muffled voice, he asked, "Is this how you used to coax your ex-boyfriends?"

I quickly responded, "From now on, I'll only coax you."

It was only afterward that I realized—he actually liked it.