"The appetizers are done… now it's time for the main course!"
Zhang Yichen placed Chen Xiaoxi on the bed and pounced on her like a hungry beast.
Before this, they'd had a few moments of friction, sure—but those were nothing more than scratching an itch through a shoe.
Nothing compared to what had just happened—
Well… not short at all…
But none of that mattered.
What mattered was that he had grown up now.
That irresistible, addictive feeling—he couldn't hold back anymore.
No wonder the ancient saying went: "A spring night is short, and the sun rises late. From then on, the emperor never attended morning court again."
It turned out the ancients truly understood heaven's will.
That was exactly how he felt now—once he had tasted it, he was already craving more, eager to give love another round of applause.
"No!" Chen Xiaoxi glared at him, though her soft, breathy voice had absolutely no deterrent effect. "It's late. We still have so many things to handle today."
"…Fine," Zhang Yichen said. Considering she was right, he could only nod with feigned grievance.
"But!" The next second, he added his own condition. "Tonight, you have to let me eat until I'm full."
"You…" Chen Xiaoxi punched him in embarrassment, only to realize her whole body felt weak and soft.
It felt less like hitting him…
More like she was acting coy.
"Okay!" She gritted her teeth and agreed to this humiliating condition.
"Ahh, that's my girl! Now that's more like it." Zhang Yichen grabbed her wrist, leaned down, and whispered in her ear, "A wise person adapts to the times. I'll go make breakfast."
He left the bed and headed for the door. Just before closing it, he couldn't resist glancing back.
Chen Xiaoxi lay on the bed, her long hair scattered over the pillow. The blush lingering on her porcelain cheeks made her look like a newly bloomed morning rose—soft, fragrant, and breathtakingly beautiful.
He closed the door, still smiling… until he heard noise coming from the kitchen.
He frowned and walked over quickly—only to find Li Yue standing at the counter, a spatula in hand, staring at him with a strange expression.
"Cough… morning," Zhang Yichen said, clearing his throat, trying to act calm.
"Morning?" Li Yue raised an eyebrow. "Don't you mean noon?"
He rubbed his nose awkwardly. "Uh… slept late last night. Got up a bit late."
"Oh? Really?" Li Yue narrowed her eyes, watching him with a teasing smile. "I heard everything. You two should really control yourselves."
Truth be told, she was embarrassed too.
This morning, she thought the couple had already gotten up. She went to knock on their door to help with the baby—just like she had been doing these past few days.
Zhang Yichen usually woke early to make porridge, so she never worried about disturbing anything.
But today, just as she raised her hand to knock, she heard a slapping sound from inside.
She thought she was hearing things.
After all, those two were in the honeymoon phase—their affection for each other was terrifyingly intense.
Yes—terrifyingly intense.
But then she faintly heard Chen Xiaoxi crying out miserably.
As an innocent woman who had never experienced such things… how could she possibly understand what was happening?
She naïvely thought the couple was having a fight—and that Zhang Yichen had actually hit her.
How could she tolerate that?! Xiaoxi was her best friend!
In anger, Li Yue raised her long leg, ready to kick the door open.
But just as her foot was about to land, a certain memory flashed through her mind—
A scene from a certain little movie she had once stumbled upon.
Didn't the woman scream like that too…?
Realizing this, her face reddened instantly, shame flooding her entire body.
Thank goodness she stopped in time.
If she had actually kicked the door open…
That would have been a full-blown Shura battlefield.
She didn't even dare imagine the consequences. She might never be able to show her face again.
"Cough…"
Even with his thick skin, Zhang Yichen felt awkward at her teasing.
"I'll make the porridge. You rest."
He took the spatula and busied himself with cooking, as if that would ease his embarrassment.
But awkward or not, he was a growing young man. There was no way in hell he was going to hold back tonight.
What if he stunted his growth?!
Absolutely impossible.
Besides—this was an essential step in human reproduction. Who knew—ten months later, he might get to see their second child born!
Thinking about it that way, this wasn't embarrassing at all.
This was worth celebrating.
With this realization, Zhang Yichen couldn't help but smile.
"What are you laughing at?" Li Yue's tone held a mix of shame and anger—she assumed he was laughing at her for eavesdropping.
She was still a proper young lady, after all. Some things she said earlier were just teasing. If he said them, they meant something else entirely—either he was flirting or mocking her.
And unfortunately… she assumed correctly.
Zhang Yichen didn't even think before blurting out, "Laughing at you for eavesdropping at the door early in the morning."
He wasn't stupid. How could he casually talk about childbirth with an outsider?
Especially someone eyeing his child like a starving wolf?
Li Yue: "…"
I—
I f*cking—
Ugh!!!
"I didn't eavesdrop on you two! I heard it while passing by the second floor," she refused to admit, even counterattacking. "If anything, blame yourselves for not knowing how to control it. You were so loud!"
Just passing by and heard everything clearly?
Of course, Zhang Yichen didn't say that aloud.
Discussing this with a single woman was asking for trouble.
"Did you check what's happening online?" he quickly changed the subject.
"The righteous side is stronger. The villains can't stir up trouble—but once the photos go out, things might flip."
Whether the other side agreed or not, she had already assigned them the villain role.
"There are also new trending updates—some good, some bad. Take a look."
She handed him her phone.
Zhang Yichen scanned the hot search list.
Several new entries appeared:
#Chen Xiaoxi Returns — New Song Rushes to the Top of New Song Chart#Top Scorer: Freeloader Boyfriend or Genius Composer?#Chen Xiaoxi's First Stream Hits Three Million Viewers#
"Still not hot enough. We need to pour another bucket of oil today—then the fire will really blow up."
Clearly, he wasn't satisfied.
He wanted to dominate the hot search, the new song charts, and the annual charts—
If possible, he even wanted to challenge the all-time rankings.
So far, he had only achieved one goal.
The road ahead was long.