The couple lay on the bed, one on Xiaoxiao's left and the other on her right.
Yang Chen tried his best to sleep on the edge of the bed to avoid any misunderstanding from Qin Xi.
The room was quiet, with only the faint sound of breathing.
Yet, Yang Chen couldn't fall asleep. A faint, delicate fragrance filled the room—the same scent that lingered on Qin Xi. For a vigorous young man like him, it was hard to remain unaffected.
On the other side, Qin Xi was also sleepless. Since she was a child, apart from that one passionate night with Yang Chen five years ago, this was the first time she had shared a bed with a man.
At five o'clock the next morning, Yang Chen woke up on time—a habit ingrained from years of military life.
Just as he was about to get up for his morning exercise, he suddenly felt a warm, soft figure clinging to him.
Dim light filtered through the window into the room. Yang Chen looked down and saw a stunning face, her long hair casually spread out behind her.
Qin Xi was lying on his arm, her fair, slender arms wrapped around his neck, and one of her long, delicate legs draped over his body.
As for Xiaoxiao, she had somehow rolled to the foot of the bed at some point.
Yang Chen, a 27-year-old virgin, was utterly tormented by the sight of such a beautiful woman draped over him, especially in the early morning when his energy was at its peak.
He tried his best to stay calm. After repeatedly confirming that he was still on the edge of the bed, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
Qin Xi was sound asleep, showing no signs of waking anytime soon. For the first time in five years, Yang Chen skipped his morning workout.
An unknown amount of time passed before Qin Xi finally woke up. As she opened her eyes, she saw a familiar face extremely close to hers, his warm breath brushing against her skin.
When she realized her arms and legs were wrapped around him, she was horrified and immediately shoved Yang Chen away.
"You jerk! What did you do to me?" Qin Xi's face burned with anger and shame, her eyes glistening with unshed tears.
Yang Chen, who had been pretending to sleep, could no longer keep up the act and opened his eyes.
"Xiao Xi, what are you talking about?" he feigned ignorance, rubbing his eyes as if he had just woken up.
Qin Xi's reaction had been purely instinctive. Seeing Yang Chen's confused expression, her anger gradually subsided. She glanced at her daughter sleeping at the foot of the bed and then at Yang Chen, who was still on the edge.
Running through the scene in her mind again, she suddenly realized the truth—it wasn't Yang Chen who had taken advantage of her, but she who had unconsciously snuggled into his arms. The realization made her flush with embarrassment.
"Xiao Xi, did you have a nightmare?" Yang Chen asked with feigned concern.
Qin Xi glared at him, gritting her teeth. "Yes! I dreamed that you, this jerk, tried to take advantage of me!"
With that, she stormed off to the bathroom.
Yang Chen secretly sighed in relief. Luckily, he had pretended to be asleep—otherwise, there would have been no way to explain it.
By the time the family of three went downstairs, Zhou Yucui was already watching TV. Qin Xi searched the kitchen but found that breakfast had already been eaten, with only an empty bowl left in the sink.
There used to be a housekeeper who cooked for the family, but she had quit because she couldn't stand Zhou Yucui's temper.
After that, Zhou Yucui had taken over the cooking. Seeing the empty dishes, Qin Xi immediately understood what had happened.
There were clear signs that breakfast had been made, but no leftovers—obviously, Zhou Yucui had only cooked for herself.
"Sis, Brother-in-law, good morning!" Qin Yi came downstairs as well, her cheerful greeting a stark contrast to her mood the night before.
"Mom, why isn't there any breakfast?" Qin Xi asked angrily.
"It's all gone!" Zhou Yucui replied with a cold smirk.
"Mom, what do you mean by this?" Qin Xi was furious.
"You still have the nerve to ask me? Weren't you all so tough last night? Now that your wings have hardened, you think you don't need me anymore, right? Well, why should I bother cooking for you?" Zhou Yucui retorted with her usual spiteful tone.
"We're the ones working! We even give you part of our salaries every month. You do nothing all day—is it too much to ask you to make us breakfast?" Qin Xi's eyes reddened with hurt and frustration.
"I raised you all these years. Is it wrong for me to take a little of your salary now?" Zhou Yucui shamelessly shot back.
Both Qin Xi and Qin Yi were on the verge of tears, hearts full of bitterness and resentment.
"You're wrong!" Qin Yi suddenly exploded. "Other than giving birth to us, what else have you ever done for us?"
"From the time I can remember, you've never been a proper mother. You've always been idle and lazy. When Grandma was still around, if it weren't for her pitying us and helping out from time to time, my sister and I would've starved to death!"
"And you? You only cared about yourself, never sparing a thought for whether we lived or died."
"We wanted to hire a housekeeper, but you insisted we didn't need one—you'd cook for us if we gave you the money instead. But now? The amount we give you every month could hire two housekeepers, yet we can't even get a single meal at home. Fine, from now on, we don't owe you a single cent!"
With that, Qin Yi stormed off in a rage.
Zhou Yucui, who had been furious just moments ago, panicked when she heard Qin Yi say she wouldn't give her any more money. She hurried after her. "Xiao Yi, don't be angry! Mom was just upset and didn't make breakfast. Starting tomorrow, I promise you'll have good meals every day!"
But Qin Yi didn't even look back.
"Let's eat out," Qin Xi said to Yang Chen, taking Xiaoxiao's hand and leaving.
"Xiao Xi, wait! There's still time—I'll make breakfast right now, it'll be ready soon. The food outside isn't clean. Don't go!" Seeing Qin Xi and Xiaoxiao leaving too, Zhou Yucui grew even more frantic.
Now that Qin Dayong was never home, busy with who-knows-what, if her daughters stopped giving her money, she'd truly have nothing left.
But she had already broken their hearts. How could she possibly win them back so easily?
Watching Qin Xi's family of three walk away, Zhou Yucui stood there dumbfounded. "What should I do? If they really stop giving me money, how will I live?"
In truth, she had a hefty stash of savings—enough to last her the rest of her life. But she never planned to touch that money, preferring to keep squeezing her daughters dry.
The family of three ate breakfast at a roadside diner, dropped Xiaoxiao off at kindergarten, and then Yang Chen drove Qin Xi to work.
As soon as Qin Xi entered her office, her secretary came to report, "President Qin, there's someone outside who says he knows you and made an appointment to discuss cooperation today."
Qin Xi didn't recall agreeing to any such meeting. Frowning, she asked, "Did he say who he is?"
"I asked, but he only said he's an old acquaintance of yours," the secretary replied cautiously, then added, "But he seems quite young, probably around thirty, and very handsome."