He looks even more tired than I am

Fei Huangjin found the apartment to be quite clean and tidy. The walls were white and the décor was modern, but it was too neat. It didn't give away anything about the woman living in it. There were no paintings or photos, and the couch in the living room didn't even look like it was used very often. It seemed like the kind of apartment that was fully furnished before anyone moved in.

It didn't feel homey.

He opened the refrigerator and found a couple of eggs, some broccoli, and a pitcher of lemonade. There was barely anything else. How did this woman survive for so long on her own? Does she even know how to cook?

He started inspecting the cabinets and shelves, and found a lot of pasta noodles and instant ramen. His lips thinned as he shook his head in exasperation. No wonder she was happy to know he'd cook for her. He picked up his phone and decided to call for food delivery.

Only five minutes had passed, but to Fei Huangjin, it felt like an hour. The overtime work he forced himself to do the past few days finally caught up to him, and he felt the exhaustion weighing on his shoulders as he sat down on the couch. He closed his eyes and sighed. Women take long in the shower, right? He'd better nap for a while then.

Ying Yue couldn't help panicking as she finished up showering. She didn't know where to start with Ying Shen. Should she discuss this with Big Boss before she said anything to Fei Huangjin?

She shook her head. No. He was already here, waiting for her to talk to him. The memory of his outburst in Juyan infiltrated her thoughts. If she stalled a bit longer, he'd probably burst out lava like an erupting volcano.

It felt too tiring to dress herself up just because Fei Huangjin was here, so she ended up putting on a random shirt and a pair of shorts she used when she was working out at home.

It was a good thing she didn't bother putting on makeup either, because when she emerged from her bedroom a while later, the man who was teasing her earlier had already fallen into slumber. Fei Huangjin was leaning his head on the back of the couch with his head turned up. His breathing was even and there was a rare sense of calmness on his face.

"He looks even more tired than I am." She whispered.

Slowly, she placed her face in front of him, examining him closely. The stubble around his jaw had grown thick, and she surmised that he must have forgotten to shave for about two to three days now. There were stress lines under his eyes -- too early for a man in his prime.

After some time, she held up a finger to his nose, poking it.

There was no movement from the man and she giggled lightly at what she had done. If he was awake, there would certainly be repercussions over what she'd done.

She stood up and decided to make noodles while he slept. She barely ate anything for breakfast, and now it was already well past noon time. However, before she could leave, an arm shot out to her waist to pull her back and she squealed as she landed on Fei Huangjin's lap. The man pulled her closer and nuzzled his face against her hair.

"Fei Huangjin!" His breath was tickling her neck and the friction between her scalp and his stubble sent a wave of tingles down her spine. Ying Yue struggled to pin her head on to her shoulders to hide the sensitive skin of her neck.

"Mmm. You smell good." He wondered what soap she used to smell citrusy the entire day. Even earlier, when she had clearly been through sweat and rain, he was still able to detect that faint scent of lemons. "What were you doing just now?"

"Nothing." She squeaked guiltily. The more she tried to pry him off her, the tighter was his grip around her waist. "I'm hungry, I need to cook."

"What will you be cooking?" He asked curiously.

A faint patch of red colored her cheeks as her eyes darted to the kitchen. "Uh, just instant ramen. I haven't eaten much and I don't have time to cook."

He felt like scolding her for eating something as vile as instant noodles, but he settled with nuzzling her hair again. "You don't have to. I ordered food."

"You did?"

He nodded. "Why don't you thank me with a kiss?"

Ying Yue adjusted herself to look him in the eye. Seriously, weren't they going to talk about her past? If she knew it was this easy to distract Fei Huangjin, she should've just showered at Juyan and kissed him so he'd let that topic go.