Took a Bite of Breakfast

Chen Zhi scooped Pei Ningxue up into his arms. Suddenly airborne, she instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck, but her mouth still refused to yield.

"Mr. Chen, in such a rush already?"

Chen Zhi strode toward the bedroom, kicked the door open, and tossed her onto the large, soft bed.

Pei Ningxue half-reclined where she landed, her black silk nightgown in disarray, her pale skin dazzling in the dim light. Biting her lower lip, her eyes shining with moisture and a hint of provocation, she asked, "What's wrong? Are you scared?"

Chen Zhi planted his hands on either side of her, looking down at the CFO who was usually so ruthless and decisive at the negotiating table.

"Me, scared?" Chen Zhi sneered. Things had already gotten to this point; how could he refuse the meat delivered right to his door? "Ms. Pei, today I'll let you know that in the face of absolute power, all your little schemes are nothing but paper tigers."

Pei Ningxue tilted her head back and poked Chen Zhi's chest with a slender finger. "You're all talk. Do you even dare?"

"Just watch me."

Chen Zhi didn't waste any more breath and pressed directly down on her.

"Ah!" Pei Ningxue let out a short gasp.

The bedroom door was slammed shut.

The motion-sensor light in the entryway, triggered by the commotion, lit up and then slowly faded out a few seconds later.

The entire duplex apartment fell into silence, save for the faint, blush-inducing murmurs and rustling coming from the bedroom.

The usually aloof, proud, and highly controlling Pei Ningxue had completely stripped away her disguise. As it turned out, being all bark and no bite was a trait carved into her very bones.

"Chen Zhi... my legs are sore."

"Now you know how to beg for mercy? Weren't you pretty arrogant when you were hooking me with your foot in the living room?"

"You... you have to treat me well from now on."

"That depends on Ms. Pei's future performance. Are you still going to dare sign those unfair contracts?"

"I won't dare... Chen Zhi, my legs are really sore, put them down."

The night deepened. Outside the window, Beijing remained brightly lit, while inside the top-floor duplex of the Wanliu Academy, a battle over domestic dominance had only just concluded.

...

The next morning.

The early spring sunlight streamed through the gap in the unclosed curtains, falling right onto Pei Ningxue's face.

She lay on her side under the covers, her brows slightly furrowed, a trace of lingering exhaustion on her pale face. They had tossed and turned for most of the night—from her initial nervous discomfort, to her reckless provocation halfway through when she caught her breath, and finally to being completely and utterly defeated by Chen Zhi.

Chen Zhi used practical action to show her exactly what a young man's stamina and fury looked like.

It wasn't until the latter half of the night that Pei Ningxue fell into a deep sleep.

Chen Zhi, however, woke up quite early. With the soul of someone who had lived two lives and the body of a nineteen-year-old in its prime, a little rest was all he needed to fully recover.

Leaning against the headboard, he looked at Pei Ningxue's exquisite sleeping face, calculating what kind of loving breakfast he should whip up in the kitchen to properly reward this CFO who worked her heart out for Deep Space Tech.

Just as he was thinking this, Chen Zhi shifted his body slightly.

This slight movement immediately startled the light-sleeping Pei Ningxue. Her long eyelashes fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.

"Did I wake you?" Chen Zhi leaned in, his voice tinged with morning laziness. "I was planning to get up quietly and make you breakfast."

Pei Ningxue stared at Chen Zhi in confusion for a few seconds, as if reloading her memories of the previous night.

When she fully woke up, her very first words were two blunt syllables: "Scumbag."

Chen Zhi was amused. He reached out and pinched her cheek. "And you still like this scumbag?"

Pei Ningxue swatted his hand away and shrank half her face into the blanket, exposing only her cold, clear eyes. "I just like you, so what? But you don't only like me. You're two-timing, so you're a scumbag."

"Alright, alright, yes, I'm a scumbag," Chen Zhi humored her. "Shall the scumbag go fry you an egg now?"

Pei Ningxue didn't speak. She stayed quiet for a moment, seemingly wanting to roll over and get up.

But as soon as she moved, she gasped, her brows knitting tightly together, and her movements instantly froze.

Watching her, Chen Zhi couldn't help but laugh out loud. "I told you not to provoke me last night. Now you know how fierce I am, right? You're terrible at this, yet you love to play with fire."

Those words immediately stepped on Pei Ningxue's tail.

She whipped her head around and glared at Chen Zhi, the competitiveness in her bones instantly ignited.

"I suck?" Pei Ningxue sneered, switching into mockery mode. "In those movies I've seen, the male leads always go for over an hour minimum. You only lasted ten-something minutes. Are you just inadequate?"

The smile on Chen Zhi's face instantly froze.

No man could stand to hear those words.

"Movies?" Chen Zhi laughed out of sheer anger, grinding his teeth as he leaned in close to her. "Ms. Pei, do you have some sort of misunderstanding about the film industry? That's all editing! Do you understand editing? They cut hours of footage down into a single hour!"

"Oh," Pei Ningxue replied expressionlessly, her eyes full of disbelief. "Anyway, what I saw was other people lasting over an hour, and you only lasting a dozen minutes. Weak performance, but you sure talk tough."

Chen Zhi took a deep breath.

Could he tolerate this? If he let this slide, how would he ever hold his head high at Deep Space Tech? How would he ever keep this CFO in line?

"Fine, it seems last night's lesson wasn't profound enough." Chen Zhi threw off the covers and lunged right at her. "You've forgotten your place again, haven't you? Today, I have to show you what an uncut, extended director's edition really is!"

"Hey! Chen Zhi, what are you doing... It's early in the morning, are you crazy!"

"Shut up and properly experience the difference between ten minutes and an hour!"

"Mmph..."

...

Over an hour later.

Peace was restored to the bedroom once more.

Pei Ningxue was huddled under the covers, unwilling to expose even a single strand of hair. She didn't even have the energy to curse at Chen Zhi anymore; she just felt as if her entire body had fallen apart.

Chen Zhi leaned against the headboard, feeling refreshed and in an excellent mood.

"So, Ms. Pei, are you satisfied with this uncut edition?" Chen Zhi teased her on purpose.

A muffled, cold snort came from under the blankets; she couldn't even be bothered to argue back.

Chen Zhi knew when to stop while he was ahead. He lifted the blanket and prepared to get out of bed. "Alright, I won't torment you anymore. Rest a bit longer; I'll go make you breakfast."

Right before getting out of bed, Chen Zhi leaned down, wanting to plant a kiss on her lips as the perfect conclusion to their morning exercise.

However, the moment Pei Ningxue saw his face approaching, she acted as if she had seen a ghost. With a look of absolute disgust, she reached out both hands, pressed them firmly against Chen Zhi's chin, and pushed him away hard.

"Go away, don't kiss me." Pei Ningxue's voice was dripping with deep aversion.

Chen Zhi paused for a moment. "What's wrong? We're practically an old married couple now. We've laid ourselves bare to each other twice already, and I can't even get a kiss?"

Pei Ningxue's eyes widened, her cheeks blushing so red they looked ready to bleed. "Don't... don't you know exactly what you just did? And you still dare try to kiss me?"

Chen Zhi blinked, reminiscing about the recent battle.

Just a moment ago, he had been watching those pale, slender, and perfectly plump feet dangling right next to his face.

Isn't this perfectly normal?

"What's the big deal?" Chen Zhi retorted shamelessly. "I don't mind, so why are you acting so disgusted?"

"You pervert!" Pei Ningxue grabbed a nearby pillow and hurled it at him. "Get out of here and go make breakfast!"

Chen Zhi caught the pillow easily and let out a hearty laugh. "Fine, no kissing. Just wait here, I'll whip up something delicious to help you get your strength back."

With that, Chen Zhi threw on a T-shirt and sweatpants, strolling leisurely out of the bedroom.

Chen Zhi expertly cracked an egg with one hand, sending a loud sizzle through the frying pan.