"Director Zhao, is there anything for me to do?" Song Yu inquired.

"Well…" Director Zhao thought for a while and then said hesitantly, "You know, if you take up a project now, you'll need to go to the construction site. In your current state, it's a bit of an inconvenient and not to mention, unsafe too. And your delivery date is so soon. Our project is always longer than two or three months. You can jump in after your maternity leave, so we don't need to worry so much about a handover. How about this? Manager Xu is preparing a tender for a big project, so you can help him out with the documentation, some light duties. I know that you prefer to do some design work, and you've gotten some recognition for the Qilin Hotel project. There's a line of people asking for you. While I really want you to get involved in the projects, I worry about your health. If something were to happen, I wouldn't be able to answer to your family."

Director Zhao proceeded with utmost caution. He did not want to offend Song Yu. After all, Song Yu was the company's prized cash cow, and he did not want to be accused of mistreating her.

"I understand." Song Yu did not mind. She was only too bored to stay at home, so she decided to go into work instead.

In her state, she would refuse a design project even if she were offered one. She did not mind to help Manage Xu with menial tasks as that was her intention anyway. She wanted to keep herself occupied but not stressed.

"So, that's good for you?" Director Zhao asked in a diplomatic tone.

"Yes." Song Yu nodded. "You don't have to feel uneasy. I'm quite fine with this arrangement."

Director Zhao was relieved. "Okay. Then go ahead. If you need to leave early, just tell Xiao Ruan."

Director Zhao then went back into his office.

Yang Yunshu eavesdropped on their conversation that whole time. She pursed her lips and muttered to herself, "Getting paid an architect's salary but doing work that even a high schooler could do. Such a simple job. Life is really unfair."

Ruan Danchen studied Yang Yunshu's behavior with suspicion. She rolled her chair over to Song Yu and spoke in a low voice, "Yang Yunshu is standing there and muttering to herself. It looks like there's a gray cloud over her head."

Song Yu looked over in that direction and said, "I feel it too, but as long as she doesn't pick trouble with me, I'll be fine with her."

"She wouldn't dare now unless she doesn't mind being jobless," Ruan Danchen said with a laugh before she went back to her work.

…

…

Chang Lai was already at the door to the design department.

When Yang Yunshu walked out with her colleagues, she spotted Chang Lai. He wore a dapper suit that caught her eye. With a flirty smile, she walked over to him and asked, "Sir, are you looking for someone?"

Chang Lai gave Yang Yunshu a brief look. He had been picking Song Yu up daily from Chengshi, and he could recognize all of their staff. He was aware of Yan Yunshu's character.

Chang Lai smiled coldly and said, "I am Young Master Cheng's driver, and I am here to pick up the missus."

When she heard that he was only a driver, Yang Yunshu lost her interest in him almost immediately. She lost her sunny disposition and then replied flippantly, "I see."

Then she walked away to join her other colleagues.

When Song Yu and Ruan Danchen exited the department, they saw Yang Yunshu as she walked away from Chang Lai. Song Yu shot a look at Chang Lai but kept her silence.

The three of them arrived at the elevator just as the door opened. Song Yu was not in a rush, so she entered last. Yang Yunshu eyed Chang Lai's careful escort of the pregnant Song Yu into the elevator. She pitied the young man who decided to be someone's driver instead of pursuing an actual career.

Once they were in the car, Song Yu asked, "Did Yang Yunshu approach you just now?"

Chang Lai smiled and said genially, "I think she saw my attire and thought that I was a rich man. When I said that I was Young Master Cheng's driver, she left me alone."

Song Yu let out a laugh. "What a dumb girl."

Chang Lai just smiled.

The car stopped in front of Dynasty, and Song Yu ordered a take-out meal. After the food was packaged into Dynasty's premium food carrier, she brought it to Qilin.

Cheng Dongge was not at his table. There was another temporary secretary at his place who immediately stood up when he saw Song Yu. "Ma'am, Mr. Chang."

When she saw that Cheng Dongge was not at his desk, Song Yu asked, "Are they all inside?"

"Yes. The director has been having meetings with the managers for the whole morning," the secretary said. He had watched the managers entered the office one by one nervously and then exited dejectedly. He pitied them as the stress seemed to have overwhelmed them.

Qi Chenglin handled Qi Chengzhi's work during that period, but the combined workloads were too much for him to complete alone. After all, Qi Chenglin was only a temporary stand-in. There were still some urgent matters that Qi Chengzhi had to deal with himself.

Before Qi Chengzhi returned to work, he had already reviewed the issues that required his attention. He sorted them by their urgency and would face them head-on that day.

Song Yu nodded and brought her lunch to the pantry as she wanted to heat the food. When she was done, Qi Chengyue walked in with her own take-out box.

"Brother is still occupied?" Qi Chengyue asked when she saw as Song Yu she walked out of the pantry.

"No. I actually just arrived." Song Yu saw the lunchbox in Qi Chengyue's hand. "You have not eaten as well?"

"I already ate. This is for Cheng Dongge. Whenever Brother hosts a meeting, they will usually neglect to have lunch, so I brought food for him." Qi Chengyue glanced at the tightly-shut office door and sighed. "His body just healed. He shouldn't have busied himself with work."

Song Yu chuckled. "You're just worried that Cheng Dongge doesn't get to eat lunch."

Qi Chengyue laughed in embarrassment, but she did not deny the fact either.

"Wait here for a moment," Song Yu said.

Song Yu strode up to the office door and knocked. She did not bother to wait for a reply before she opened the door and went inside. Qi Chengyue watched from behind and sighed again. Only Song Yu had the privilege to do such a thing.

The manager was talking about something when Song Yu entered the office. Qi Chengzhi had a serious expression on his face, and the interruption elicited an unhappy look. His black eyes glared at the door.

When he saw that it was Song Yu, his expression softened. His rigid posture relaxed, and the edge of his mouth curled upward.

"You're still not done?" Song Yu walked in and placed her lunchbox on the side table. The smell of lunch wafted toward them. The managers who sat across from Qi Chengzhi felt their stomachs rumbled.

Qi Chengzhi shot a look at the time and realized that Song Yu was a bit early. "You have not eaten?"

"I ordered take-out because I wanted to eat with you," Song Yu said with an affectionate tone. However, there was also a disapproving glint in her eyes. It was already one in the afternoon. It seemed as if Qi Chengzhi did not intend to stop for lunch, and he might have just skipped it had she not shown up.

Qi Chengzhi smiled at her and turned to his managers. His expression was undoubtedly better than before Song Yu arrived. "Go, have your lunch. We'll reconvene after that."

The relief was palpable, and the managers hastily left the office.

…

…

Cheng Dongge finally had the time to eat. He walked out of the office and saw Qi Chengyue with a lunchbox.

Qi Chengyue sighed. "It was a good thing that Song Yu came over. Otherwise, you would have to skip lunch again."

A smile graced Cheng Dongge's lips. "Have you eaten?"

"Yes." Qi Chengyue pulled Cheng Dongge into one of the meeting rooms. "The food is still hot. Eat it quickly before it becomes cold."

Cheng Dongge opened the lunchbox and surveyed the food. Qi Chengyue was indeed familiar with his likes and dislikes. Despite that, the meal did not only consist of the things that he liked.

For example, he came from Li City and had a preference for spicy food. When it came to vegetables, he only liked leafy greens.

In the lunchbox, there were fish and meat dishes that were spicy. There were also carrots which he disliked and fried choy sum, which was his favorite. There was also broccoli, which he did not mind. It was a balanced diet that was tailored just for him.

In her previous relationship, Qi Chengyue was similarly attentive. However, Jian Yi did not appreciate her efforts. The first time she brought a lunchbox for Cheng Dongge, he ate everything without a complaint even though it contained dishes that he disliked.

Cheng Dongge ate a few mouthfuls and looked at Qi Chengyue. She had her hands folded on the table, and her head rested on her arm as she watched him eat.

He smiled at her and reached forward with his slender hand. He tucked her hair behind her ear and rubbed at her temple. Then, he pinched her ear softly. Qi Chengyue could feel her ear warmed up.

"After we're married, do you want to buy a new house or renovate my old house?" Cheng Dongge asked.

He had wanted to renovate his house. He had lived there for three years with Huang Ziyue. Some of the decors were actually Huang Ziyue's ideas. Even though the emotional scars healed after Qi Chengyue entered his life, there were still elements that unsettled him.

Qi Chengyue had never said anything about the house, but he did not want her to feel uncomfortable. If she were to live there, he would want her to be at ease.

However, Cheng Dongge was just too preoccupied to ask her.

The question required some thought, and Qi Chengyue furrowed her eyebrows.

"You don't have to worry about money. I've earned enough to buy a house," Cheng Dongge said with a smile.

"I know." Qi Chengyue never doubted his financial capabilities. She raised her head and asked inquisitively, "But that's a house for both of us. Why don't we split the cost for it? That way, we will own it together. Every brick, tile, plaster, wallpaper, will have traces of you and me."

Cheng Dongge raised an eyebrow. He understood the meaning of those words. "Does the current house make you uncomfortable?"

Qi Chengyue lowered her head in embarrassment. She scratched the back of her neck and bit her bottom lip. "Of course, I'm uncomfortable. Your ex stayed there for so long. Whenever I go over to your house, I can sense her presence in every corner."

She looked surreptitiously at Cheng Dongge. There was a slight smile and no signs of anger on his face. He asked, "Why didn't you tell me that you didn't like the house?"

"Everyone has a past. I'm divorced, but you don't mind. If I were to fuss over such a small issue, people would say that I'm petty," she whispered, and her face was red.

Cheng Dongge's hand left her face. Instead, he took her hands in his.

"I'm sorry. I've been meaning to give the house a makeover, but I have not had the time. I should have done it sooner," Cheng Dongge said in an apologetic tone.

The fact that Cheng Dongge considered her feelings surprised Qi Chengyue. She knew that he was busy, and renovation works would often take up a lot of time and effort. He would have to move out of the house but still monitor the progress. Hence, she suggested for them to purchase a new house instead.

"Let's buy a house. Once we're married and settled in the new house, the old house will be empty. We can do the renovation then. If you're busy with work, I can go over and help to supervise the process. The house can be ready for when Mom and Dad come to visit B City," Qi Chengyue said.

"Mom and Dad? I see that you've been thinking of the full picture. Can't wait to be a good daughter-in-law?" Cheng Dongge teased her.

Qi Chengyue blushed and put his hands onto the table. "Eat your lunch. Break is almost over."

"I'll head over to the sales department later and ask for some property recommendations along with the floorplans. We can browse through some of them," Cheng Dongge said before he dug into his lunch.

…

…

Song Yu ate lunch with Qi Chengzhi in his office. "With so much work, are you staying back later?"

"I've already planned out the work that I can bring home. There's no need to stay back." Qi Chengzhi saw Song Yu put down her chopsticks and asked, "Full already?"

"Yeah, I don't really have an appetite." Song Yu drank a few gulps of water.

Qi Chengzhi patted the spot beside him. "Come sit beside me."

Song Yu bit her lips and went to his side. Once she sat beside him, she leaned into him. Qi Chengzhi was still eating when she rested her head on his shoulder.

Qi Chengzhi gobbled down the rest of his meal. Once he was done, he pulled Song Yu into his lap.

Song Yu pulled a tissue out of nowhere and pressed it against Qi Chengzhi's oil-stained lips with her own lips. When she pulled away, there was a seductive smile on her face. Her round eyes shone with a glint of playfulness.

Qi Chengzhi's clean lips sought hers. "Is there anything you fancy for dinner tonight? We can buy it on the way home."

"I can't think of anything now. Maybe later." Song Yu pressed her forehead into his neck. With her eyes closed, she asked, "What time is it now?"

Qi Chengzhi looked at the clock. "One-twenty."

Song Yu snuggled into his embrace as if she did not want to leave. "Lunch break is almost over. I have to go."

Qi Chengzhi placed his warm hands on her belly. "Are you tired? You can take a nap here. You don't have to go in for the rest of the day."

Song Yu suddenly wanted to laugh. Yang Yunshu probably hated her for having such a fickle work schedule.

"I'm not tired," she said as she laid in Qi Chengzhi's arms. "Taking leave on the first day of work? That's a bit too much. My colleagues already hate me. Besides, if I stayed here, you would need to push back your schedules for the afternoon."

She took a breath and raised her head. She kissed him on the lips and said, "Bye."

"He didn't move this noon?" Qi Chengzhi asked expectantly.

Song Yu smiled and touched her belly. "I think he's a lazy boy."

Song Yu stood up from Qi Chengzhi's lap and was personally escorted to the car. "Call me once you've reached your workplace."

Qi Chengzhi looked on until Chang Lai's car drove off. He headed back to his office. He summoned the group of people to continue the meeting. After half an hour, Qi Chengzhi's phone rang. He immediately picked up when he saw Song Yu's caller ID.

Based on Qi Chengzhi's expression, the managers knew that it was his wife who had called him. They sighed internally as they thought, 'If only the director would treat us with a fraction of the kindness he shows his wife.'

Qi Chengzhi glanced at the managers and got up from his chair. He walked to the window and said softly, "Reached your office?"

"Yes. I called you right after I entered the building." Song Yu walked to her desk.

Once he was sure of Song Yu's safety, Qi Chengzhi relaxed. He got off the phone and continued with his work.

…

…

In the evening, Qi Chengzhi arrived at Chengshi just ten minutes before the end of the workday. Everyone had switched off their computers and got ready to leave.

Qi Chengzhi stood squarely at the door of the design department. With one hand in his pocket, his other hand scrolled through his phone.

Every single person who walked out of the department was stunned to see Qi Chengzhi there. Yang Yunshu was startled when she saw Qi Chengzhi, and she quickly backtracked. She was not sure if Qi Chengzhi knew about her return. If she appeared so suddenly in front of him, Qi Chengzhi might make Director Zhao fire her on the spot. She only stayed in Chengshi because she knew no company would hire her.

Yang Yunshu anxiously kept her head down and hid among a few coworkers who were leaving too. Qi Chengzhi was still looking at his phone when she walked past him. She breathed a sigh of relief. She feared that she would run into Qi Chengzhi again in the elevator, so she took the stairs down.

Song Yu came out with some of her other colleagues as Ruan Danchen stayed back for work. She saw Qi Chengzhi as he stood by the department door dressed in his tailored suit. He looked like a model. He had a serene look on his face, which gave him an air of sophistication. He seemed unaware of the surprised looks that he got as he stood among the crowd.

After a while, the coworkers shifted their gaze from Qi Chengzhi to Song Yu. She blushed and lowered her head. She quickly walked over to Qi Chengzhi and linked their hands.

Qi Chengzhi turned around to look at her. His gaze softened, and a hint of a smile toyed at the edge of his lips. He pocketed his phone. He squeezed her hand as they walked to the elevators.

"When did you get here?" Song Yu asked. The attention that they received made her uneasy.

"Just now," Qi Chengzhi spoke with a calming voice. They stopped in front of the elevators.

The employees of Chengshi nervously greeted Qi Chengzhi. In the office building, people from other companies were not familiar with Qi Chengzhi, but due to Song Yu, her coworkers could recognize him well.

Qi Chengzhi's presence made everyone uneasy, but the man himself was unaware of it.

"Tired?" Qi Chengzhi asked softly as he ignored the people around them.

Song Yu was mildly embarrassed by the looks thrown their way. She inched closer to Qi Chengzhi and whispered, "Director Zhao didn't really give me a lot of work. I just rearranged some documents. I'm not tired, and I didn't even get to touch the computer."