Outside, he was the boss of Xingchen who stirred the winds and summoned the rain in the IT industry. At home, no one would probably expect that Xu Tingsheng who was not doing an internship was basically your classic house husband, buying groceries, washing clothes, cooking, mopping the floor……

  He even casually cultivated several potted plants, handling them for a bit before sitting on a rocking chair on the balcony and reading a book to bolster his knowledge on economics and management. With that, it was already an entire morning gone.

  This just felt wrong somehow!

  Once in a while, Ye Qing, Fang Yuqing and the others would visit. They would always say: It feels just like you’ve retired.

  Thinking of how long he had lived in his two lifetimes combined, Xu Tingsheng panicked a bit: Could it be that my mentality has really gotten old so fast? But it really seems like I’m always thinking about how to live out my days in peace! I haven’t got the slightest bit of hot-blooded ambition pulsing through my veins at all.

  His pace was indeed not harried in the slightest.

  He had already basically entrusted Hucheng fully away. He did not have any new plans for Xingchen for the time being. As for Zhicheng, besides acting a few rounds of ‘godly swindler’ with his absolute foresight as he participated in the decision-making for which piece of land to buy next, he basically did not have to participate in any actual work.

  In truth, even if he desired to participate, he would still be far less useful than the experienced Ye Qing and the increasingly reliable Fang Yuqing.

  The completion date for Ning Garden’s first phase of flats was basically set at the end of July, more or less the same time as Yanzhou’s first-tier senior high.

  Fu Cheng and Ms Fang had accepted his goodwill and opinion and bought the flat next to the Xiang family’s. They had also rented a flat in the same building as him downstairs. They were going to stay there for half a year before moving into their new flat.

  And now, Little Xiang Ning would finally no longer have to sneak into Uncle’s room in the middle of the night. She would also gradually lose her curiosity on why Fu Cheng was always saying at night: Ms(Teacher) Fang, Ms Fang……

  Regarding work, Fu Cheng was interning at Hucheng’s investment department. Fang Yunyao had deviated from her usual routine as rather than teaching at their training institute, she was working at Hucheng’s internet education department. Her mother came over to help look after Niannian.

  While they were no longer living together, most of the time, Fu Cheng and co would come over when Xu Tingsheng cooked.

  Little Niannian was getting increasingly adorable. Fu Cheng and Fang Yunyao were also increasingly lovey-dovey and natural together. Fu Cheng was getting more mature while Ms Fang seemed to be getting younger and more like a young girl who was being doted on……other than when she scolded Fu Cheng.

  A teacher was a teacher after all! Fu Cheng was already used to snapping to attention when Ms Fang yelled his name before listening obediently to her lecture.

  Once in a while, the two would talk about their future wedding, being lovey-dovey for a bit and bashful for a bit and oozing honey in front of Xu Tingsheng. Then, Xu Tingsheng would take a sidelong glance at his silly little cabbage and feel so sorrowful inside……

  On Saturday, Xu Tingsheng got up early. He brushed his teeth and washed his face. Then, he prepared breakfast and went to the room to wake Miss Xiang up.

  Xiang Ning was not lying haphazardly with her limbs sprawled out in all directions for once. She was lying straight and face up with the blanket covered all the way up to her chin.

  Her eyes were teary and she was biting her lips, looking ever so pitiful.

  What’s up with that?! Taken aback, Xu Tingsheng said, “Get up. Breakfast is ready.”


  Miss Xiang shook her head bashfully and said, “Come over, Xu Tingsheng. I have something to tell you.”


  Xu Tingsheng walked over and was requested to sit down.

  Then, Xiang Ning leaned over, beckoning him in as she whispered a little nervously into his ear, “I’m, I’m not wearing anything under this blanket.”


  Xu Tingsheng’s breathing immediately turned heavy.

  “Xu Tingsheng.”


  “Huh?”


  “Do you, do you want to look?”


  Xu Tingsheng forcibly swallowed the ‘yes’ back in and forced a smile, “It’ll be very tragic for me if I do.”


  Miss Xiang sniffed and extended a hand to stroke Xu Tingsheng’s face, saying sympathetically, “I know that you’re very pitiful. I already know a lot now. I’ve decided. I will let you bully me……no more waiting until graduation.”


  With happiness having come too suddenly, Xu Tingsheng blurted out, “Are you sure about this?”


  Xiang Ning bit her lips and nodded, “Yes.”


  “.……Calm down, calm down,” Xu Tingsheng muttered to himself and forced himself to refuse, “No. I promised your parents, and you, you’re still……”


  “I’m seventeen. I’m not little anymore,” Xiang Ning said confidently, “It’s fine now. I don’t want to see you so pitiful, Xu Tingsheng. Also, actually, actually, I also want to be bullied by you.”


  “I……”


  “Is it okay?” This was accompanied by some slight panting.

  While this little girl was clearly not versed in any seductive arts at all, the killing power of this was just so shockingly great. Xu Tingsheng’s blood vessels pulsed, reacting intensely to that.

  “Close the door, draw the curtains.”


  While she had drawn up the blanket till only her eyes could be seen and was speaking quietly beneath it, it was like adding oil to a fire.

  Xu Tingsheng could not stop himself from closing the door and drawing the curtains.

  While the room was much darker now, they could still distinctly see each other.

  Xu Tingsheng sat on the bed and engaged in a battle of wills with himself.

  A small hand reached out from beneath the blanket, poking his side.

  “Go on, Xu Tingsheng. I don’t know how. I’ll be obedient.”


  I’ll be obedient……by that, do whatever you want?!

  Boom.

  Xu Tingsheng was breathing heavily as he loomed over Xiang Ning. He raised the blanket a bit. They were very close, so close the tips of their noses were nearly touching as they breathed.

  One pair of eyes contained nervousness, shyness and a hint of amusement. The other was on fire.

  If there had not been a blanket between them , Xu Tingsheng would probably not be able to harbour any thought. Right now, all he could think of was what Xiang Ning had just said, that she was wearing nothing at all beneath that blanket……

  “Not wearing anything……” Having detailedly witnessed that so many times in his previous life before, those images were fresh in his mind.

  “But, but……”


  His heart wavered non-stop as there was just that final bit of futile resistance in his mind.

  Little Xiang Ning raised her head slightly and kissed Xu Tingsheng gently on the lips. Afterwards, she landed back on the pillow and closed her eyes.

  Her long eyebrows fluttered, her voice trembling slightly as she said, “Take, take off that blanket……I’ll show you.”


  While this sequence seemed a little wrong, it was reasonable too if he thought about it. Miss Xiang had covered her face with an arm in his previous life afterwards, asking: Look……is it nice?

  Xu Tingsheng raised his body and slowly pulled the blanket away

  Fair neck……

  Collarbone……

  Erm, this was……

  “Haha!” Using both her arms and legs to throw the rest of the blanket off her at once, the person beneath it exclaimed, “Happy April Fools, dirty ruffian!”


  There were clothes, the kind for girls that exposed their bare shoulders and went down from the area about the breasts. Long pyjama pants tightly covered up the rest.

  “Success! Haha……”


  Little Xiang Ning roared in laughter, rolling about the bed as she clutched her stomach.

  Xu Tingsheng really wanted to die. The mortification was secondary. This fire……how was he to extinguish it?

  “You can’t play like that……” Shaking his head in agony, Xu Tingsheng got up and left the room.

  He gave her the cold shoulder that entire morning. Only after Miss Xiang shamelessly apologised time and time again did he helplessly sigh, “The joke is just too much.”


  “I was wrong. I know I was wrong, because I nearly also……” Xiang Ning lowered her voice, “I’ll think about it. Next time, I won’t cheat you anymore……”
……

  On April Fools Day, Xu Tingsheng said that Xiang Ning’s joke was just too much.

  That evening, Huang Yaming called him and said, “Tingsheng, I’m getting engaged.”


  “Scram,” Xu Tingsheng retorted at once.

  “It’s true.”


  “Oh. Who with then?”


  “Tan Qingling.”


  “Scram.”


  “It’s true. I’ll find you tomorrow to talk about it.”


  “.……It’s true?”


  “Yes. You know I don’t play this kind of little kids stuff.”


  The joke was just too much.