Up until five-thirty in the afternoon, when Xiao Mei was ready to get off work, Ye Qiu prepared to leave the office with her.

As they came out of the office and took the elevator down, many Xingyue Group employees saw them, but Ye Qiu didn’t try to avoid anything.

Now there are rumors within Xingyue Group about Ye Qiu having a scandal with President Shen and Director Xiao.

Of course, these are only whispered about in the office.

After taking the elevator down, Ye Qiu and Xiao Mei each drove their own cars out of the underground parking lot and headed to Xiao Mei’s apartment complex.

When they arrived at the apartment complex, Ye Qiu knew parking was free inside, so he parked near the security booth.

The security guard at the booth already recognized Ye Qiu and his car and dared not say anything.

After going upstairs with Xiao Mei, she changed out of her professional black suit into a more comfortable dress she usually wore.

"Ye Qiu, shall we eat at home or go out?"

"Whatever you want."

"Then let’s eat at home. I’ll buy groceries, and you wait for me here."

Xiao Mei went to the kitchen to grab a basket and headed out to shop for groceries. She still enjoyed cooking for Ye Qiu, perhaps due to her past illness or maybe her age.

After Xiao Mei left, Ye Qiu opened his computer to watch TV as his phone rang; it was a call from Shen Yueru.

"Hello, where are you?" Shen Yueru asked from the other side.

In fact, she had just heard that Ye Qiu and Xiao Mei had taken the elevator and left.

Thinking about it made her angry; just because she didn’t want Ye Qiu to touch her, he left.

"I’m at a friend’s place."

"You’re with Xiao Mei, right?"

Shen Yueru said from her end.

"Congratulations, you guessed right, but there’s no prize."

"You bastard."

Shen Yueru hung up the phone, which Ye Qiu couldn’t care less about.

After all, there were plenty of beauties around him. If Shen Yueru didn’t want him, there were others, no need to plead with her.

Ye Qiu put his phone back in his pocket and continued watching TV.

Half an hour later, Xiao Mei returned from the nearby market with meat and vegetables. She planned to make six dishes and two soups tonight.

"Ye Qiu, are you leaving tonight?"

"Of course not."

"That’s good. I’m planning to drink with you."

Xiao Mei busied herself in the kitchen.

It must be said, Xiao Mei truly is a virtuous wife and loving mother. Besides being beautiful and having a high salary, she is also excellent at cooking.

Of course, in the past, Xiao Mei was disillusioned by other men’s true nature because of the growing birthmark on her body, but it was Ye Qiu who cured her and treated her so well that both her body and mind stayed by Ye Qiu’s side.

Xiao Mei knew well that it was Ye Qiu who changed her.

Otherwise, she might have never changed beyond going to and from work, so even though many outstanding men now pursued her, Xiao Mei couldn’t be bothered to spare them a glance.

Until eight o’clock at night, Xiaomai hadn’t seen Ye Qiu return home, so he called and found out Ye Qiu was eating out and wouldn’t be back tonight. Xiaomai and Liu Lingxiu were fine with it, but Lin Xiang suspected Ye Qiu was fooling around with some woman.

To be fair, Lin Xiang’s intuition was indeed spot on.

Because he was indeed at Xiao Mei’s place.

Xiao Mei almost finished preparing dinner, bringing out the six dishes and leaving the two soups; one was already done, and the other was a nourishing old duck soup that took considerable time.

The old flame soup needs to be simmered for a long time; the longer it simmers, the more nutritious the soup becomes.

"Ye Qiu, it’s ready to eat."

When Ye Qiu went over to help bring out the food, Xiao Mei took off her apron, and the two sat down to start their dinner.

Xiao Mei also went in to fetch a bottle of white wine.

"Xiao Mei, don’t you usually not drink white wine?"

"It’s because you’re here now."

Xiao Mei occasionally drank red wine, but she typically avoided white wine.

Observing Xiao Mei’s expression, Ye Qiu seemed to sense what she was contemplating.

They ate, drank soup, and enjoyed wine until past ten o’clock, with Xiao Mei’s face turning rosy from the half glass of white wine.

Now she started to feel a bit tipsy.

"Ye Qiu, carry me in."

Ye Qiu picked Xiao Mei up and carried her into the master bedroom, laying her on the large bed.

The room lights were off; it was dark, but he could still see Xiao Mei’s flushed face, bewildered eyes, and the smell of alcohol in her breath.

Ye Qiu took the liberty of removing her dress. He remembered that the black birthmark on her back used to extend down to her buttocks, making it appear frightening and ugly.

This was the reason Xiao Mei never dared to wear dresses, regardless of winter or summer, always covering herself up completely, never exposing an inch of skin.

But now it was different; wearing a summer dress, she was nothing like before.

Xiao Mei had already closed her eyes but noticed Ye Qiu merely watching her. Her inebriated and slightly bewildered gaze started to clear up.

"What are you looking at?"

Actually, Xiao Mei often had nightmares about those hideous birthmarks reappearing on her body, making her too scared to interact with anyone.

Quickly, she realized it was always just a dream, merely her overthinking.

"Beautiful and lovely. Are you really willing to give yourself to me?"

"Of course."

It wasn’t until past one in the morning that they finally stopped.

Both had not yet taken a shower that evening, and given it was a hot summer day, when they finished, Xiao Mei wanted to take a shower. She felt a sharp pain, almost unable to get up, until Ye Qiu helped her recover and carried her to the bathroom to bathe together before returning to bed for a night’s embrace.

When the alarm went off early the next morning, Xiao Mei opened her eyes, knowing she still needed to go to work today. Yet, recalling last night’s events with Ye Qiu made her feel both shy and sweet, uncertain if it would affect her work performance today.

"Ye Qiu, I need to get up to make breakfast and then head to work."

"Can’t you take a day off?" Ye Qiu still wanted to laze around in bed with Xiao Mei.

"Not today. I have to meet with the headhunter."

"Then go ahead."

Initially, Xiao Mei thought getting up would be painful, perhaps uncomfortable between her legs. Yet, after finding her underwear, she realized she felt perfectly fine.

Xiao Mei couldn’t quite understand it, so she dressed, washed up, and made a heartfelt breakfast in the kitchen, then called Ye Qiu to eat together.

The meal included lean meat porridge, youtiao (fried dough sticks), plain congee, and poached eggs — all ingredients bought last night, just needed a bit of preparation.

"Will you return to the company with me later?"

"No, I’ll come find you when I have the time."