บท 79: My Father Would Be Horrified

Feng Xuan was up late last night. She had cuddled up to Qing Chen and expected for sleep to come for her. But it did not. Earlier that day, her friend had sent her a mystery novel manuscript that she could not put down. She carefully slipped from Qing Chen's embrace and flicked her light on and continued reading. It was about two in the morning when she finally turned the last page. Qing Chen was already deep in sleep on his side of the bed before she shut her eyes.

It was only when the sun hit her face that she was awakened from her deep slumber. She could hear her phone vibrating on the nightstand.

It was already eight in the morning.

Feng Xuan immediately scrambled out of the bed and put her hair up in a bun as she took the stairs two at a time. But when she reached the landing, the smell of coffee and food seemed to hug her nose.

"What on earth?" she whispered to herself as she slowly made her way to the kitchen.

She saw Qing Chen's back as he stirred something on the pan. He was already on his work clothes less the coat and her apron was tied to his waist. She quickly snapped a picture with her phone. Two cups of coffee, plates, and utensils were already on the table. The toaster suddenly popped up two slices of bread.

"Wow," she said aloud and Qing Chen looked at her over his shoulder.

"Hey, you're already up," he said with a bright smile, like the sun had winked at him this morning. "Breakfast is almost ready."

Feng Xuan took the plate where bread slices were already stacked and sat herself on the stool. "I am sorry I got up late today."

"Yeah, I actually woke up last night and saw you reading. You were so engrossed I decided not to bother you and go back to sleep instead."

He turned and transferred the scrambled eggs on a plate before flourishing it with chopped basil. He even put onions and tomatoes on it—an odd combination she had not tried yet.

"Wait, hold—let me take a picture," she said and Qing Chen smiled for the camera. "Perfect."

Qing Chen took off the apron and they both sat down. Feng Xuan immediately forked her share of eggs and took a bite. The mild sweetness of the onion and the rich flavor of tomatoes easily blended with the saltiness of the eggs.

"This is good," she said and took another forkful.

"Is it?" his eyebrows furrowed before having a taste. They stared at each other before he said, "It's dry, isn't it?"

Feng Xuan laughed. "A little," she admitted. "It's probably because you put the eggs too early and it got a little overcooked. But it's good anyway." She took a piece of bread and and put the egg before folding it in the middle.

When she sipped on her coffee, she frowned at Qing Chen. It tasted just like she made her coffee.

He grinned at her. "I pay more attention than you think."

She took another satisfied sip. "Of course, you did."

She tapped on her phone and opened an application. She started altering the lighting on Qing Chen's photos. "It would be alright if I post this online, right?"

Qing Chen laughed while hovering above her phone, watching what she was doing. "My father would be horrified."

Feng Xuan's eyes went wide. "Why would he be horrified?! You're just making breakfast because your wife woke up late."

"Oh, you know," Qing Chen said, his smile faltering a little. "Because my place is not in the kitchen."

Feng Xuan stared at him calculatingly then stated. "You're father is not a misogynist."

"He's far from that!" Qing Chen leaned backwards. "Even up to today he lets my grandmother in on making big decisions."

"Then is he misandristic?"

"What?" Qing Chen almost laughed again. "Why would you say that?"

Feng Xuan cleared her throat and deepened her voice. In her best impersonation of her father-in-law she said, "Oh, Chen failed? I cannot have him weak. My son should be strong. He should not let his wife solve his problems for him. Wuming, Lok, throw punches at Chen because he failed in decision making—that should toughen him! Man up, Qing Chen."

Qing Chen had to bite his lip to stop himself from laughing. But afterwards, his eyes went to his feet. Even Feng Xuan's smile slipped off her lips after that. She held Qing Chen's hand with a sigh. He reached and bopped her nose with a small melancholic smile. "I already told you, there are just a lot of expectations here and I am not meeting most of them that's why I get punished."

Qing Chen stood up and took their plates to the sink, Feng Xuan quickly following there and hugged him from behind. "But I like that you're soft," she said against his back. "You wouldn't hurt a fly. You're not literally fluffy but you're like that anyway."

Qing Chen twisted to face her pouting face. "But I can't stay like this forever."

"Why not?" she mumbled.

"Because," he chuckled and pressed a kiss on her forehead. "I won't get things done if I am acting like a ninny." Feng Xuan's lips only got longer so Qing Chen squished her face and pressed a kiss on it. "I have to get to work."

***

With everything that was going on in her life, Feng Xuan's school was the least of her priorities. It seemed less relevant in compare with the other problems and challenges she was facing. Still, she attended regularly.

"What's with the men outside the room?" Jiang Lijun asked her, his eyes wide.

She felt defensive. "Why are you looking at me like that? Does it immediately meant it was my doing that there are bodyguards?"

He shrugged. "You're the only worth kidnapping in this room."

Feng Xuan laughed. "Am not! My life is not more precious than another person's."

"Sure," he answered with a teasing mock tone.

She tapped on his shoulder. "Hey, do you think that way?"

"Let's see," he said and dropped down on the seat next to her. "If I were kidnapped, my ransom could be a maximum of 100 million—"

"That's not true—"

"Wait, wait—BUT, if you were the one who gets kidnapped, the price could go as high as…" he turned and looked at her face. He whispered, "How much is your husband's money?"

Feng Xuan scratched on her neck. "I honestly don't know. We don't really talk about financial matters at home. It's more his thing than mine."

Jiang Lijun lowly whistled. "I can't imagine being that rich."

"You ARE rich. I mean, you got to study overseas!"

"Yeah, but I was working while I was there," he chuckled and pushed his glasses farther up his strong nose. "And my family gets by just well enough."

"Oh please, you worked because you wanted the experience. That's better than nothing." She started to pull out a notebook from her bag when she saw the little portfolio she had to send back to her designer. She did not even think twice when she asked Jiang Lijun with a timid curve of her lips, "Do you want to help me manage my cake shop?"

Jiang Lijun straightened in his seat. "What?"

"Yeah," she said, nodding. "I'll be needing someone to help me with it. I want to man it myself on some days especially in the first crucial months. Besides I will bake most of the cakes, I need someone on the register."

His eyes grew rounded. "Y-you're going to man your own cake shop?"

Feng Xuan nodded. "Yeah," she said. "It was my idea. Of course I will run it myself. But not from afar! I want to be a really hands-on owner. It's my baby."

"So you're basically hiring me?" he asked.

"Yes, as a cashier for now and when things are finally sailing smoothly then we'll hire more staff. I need another person who knows business so they could help me plan next things for it."

"Your husband, though…"

"What about him?" she asked. She did not think Qing Chen would mind that she sought help from a friend. "He's too busy with the matters of the hotel. I don't want to add a cake shop on his plate."

Jiang Lijun leaned to her and whispered. "I am going to accept when the time comes, but for the record for now I am going to say," then loudly, "I will think about it."

Feng Xuan laughed and pushed his head away playfully. "Okay. I am excited."

"So am I, Princess," he answered with an honest smile.

Feng Xuan spent the rest of the afternoon listening to her professors lecture in front. She wanted to appear interested even though their words just seemed to pass through from one ear to the other. She was clearly not retaining anything as her mind was on another subject matter.

She felt the portfolio in her bag like hot pocket. She could feel her excitement burning through her skin and veins. Later, when she got home, she was going to bake cakes, for in the morning a photographer would come and take pictures for it for the menu.

Feng Xuan was just thinking about how gorgeous they would look and itched to go home.

Little did she know, a little surprise was waiting for her on her way back.