The Lover’s Prattle

*** = Scene change

***** = Timeskip

— Feng Nianyi.

They visited one city after another. Because they hadn't brought a lot of clothes with them, about every three days Qingruo would take the time to wash their laundry. Each of the suites they stayed in came with a clotheshorse and balcony, so she could hang the clothes up to dry and on the second day, they would smell of sunshine. After wearing them once, Feng Qi gave up the idea of buying new clothes every time they entered a new city.

He would put on the television and tidy up things or make tea in the living room while she washed their clothes, and when she was done, he would help her hang them up.

On the days that their clothes failed to dry in time, Qingruo would sit down and blow-dry them in the evening. In the beginning, Feng Qi found the buzz of the blow dryer too loud and would always escape to the balcony. There, he would lean against the railing and smoke as he gazed into the room.

In the evenings, Qingruo usually wore her hair down and gathered over one shoulder. She would sit somewhere and blow-dry her hair. Occasionally, the hot wind would throw a few strands up, causing them to lash out like claws in the air before allowing them to fall obediently to her shoulders.

Later on, it changed to Feng Qi holding her, facing the other side while reading a book as she sat in his embrace, blow-drying the clothes. Sometimes she would gently elbow him, and without even having to raise his head, he would know to lift the hand that was on her hip and wait for her to give him the blow dryer or a garment to hold.

[So this is what "forever" feels like.]

Feng Qi had a public Weibo account verified with the title "President of the Feng Company"; however, the account was completely empty. Chu Yang was the one who had created it.

When its first post appeared at around 11:30pm from the other side of the ocean, the finance, entertainment, and vogue headlines all blew up the next day. They talked about how President Feng was like "softened steel" and that "a man of iron was also capable of showing tenderness" and gushed over his "public confession of love."

***

Qingruo had linked their arms together and was shuttling them through the crowd. They'd come across a local festival. The old street^[1] was lit by happy faces.

She picked out two festive masks and handed one to Feng Qi before pulling them back into the bustle. Their surroundings were impossibly loud, and while most of the revelers spoke in the local language, there were some foreign tongues mingled in as well. Among them, there was a kind of intimacy in the wisps of Chinese that drifted by.

It was a very strange yet magical and nostalgic feeling.

***

By the time Qingruo and Feng Qi got back, an extra suitcase had joined the ranks of their luggage. It was filled with matching sweetheart souvenirs.

Chu Yang arrived through the airport's VIP entrance. He helped them with one of their suitcases and led them out of the airport. They followed him leisurely, hand-in-hand, as though they were still on vacation.

When the trio reached the parking lot, Qingruo passed her luggage to Feng Qi, whose movements couldn't be more natural as he received it and took it to the trunk of the car. Meanwhile, Qingruo opened the door to the backseat and got in.

Chu Yang deposited the suitcase in his hand before turning to look at Feng Qi. His bright mood was as clear as day. Chu Yang asked him with a smile, "President Feng, I think you should immediately start working again tomorrow? There are a lot of meetings to be held."

Feng Qi nodded. "Don't worry. Tell Xiao Zhao to come pick me up tomorrow morning."

Chu Yang thought back to his own honeymoon—actually, it couldn't even be considered a honeymoon. It would be more accurate to say that he'd gone out to play for half a month, and he'd felt so tired afterward that he had to rest for another half a month before he could return to work.

Feng Qi and Qingruo, on the other hand, had left for only a few days; yet, they looked like they were in perfect condition. Feng Qi climbed into the backseat and wrapped an arm around Qingruo's waist. He asked her if she wanted to eat out.

"Let's eat at home. Assistant Chu, why don't you join us for dinner?" she asked, leaning forward slightly.

Chu Yang lifted his eyes to the rearview mirror. Feng Qi didn't even spare him a glance and was busy fixing Qingruo's hair. Chu Yang nodded.

"Sorry to trouble you, madam."

Qingruo laughed. "No problem."

Afterward, she leaned back against Feng Qi's chest. Their fingers were intertwined as though stuck together, and soon they sunk into a seemingly endless conversation about anything and everything.

Chu Yang glanced occasionally at the rearview mirror and couldn't stop the incessant twitching at the corners of his lips. Why did he feel like the two were even clingier than before?

The servants were waiting. They carried the luggage to the master bedroom while Feng Qi stooped down at the doorway and took Qingruo's slippers from the shoe rack before grabbing his own. Qingruo held onto his hand as she changed her shoes, then she put both pairs of their shoes on the shoe rack.

They moved so seamlessly that it was as though they were one person; the tacit understanding they shared couldn't get any better.

Chu Yang had brought along some business documents, and there were a few matters he had to report too. Feng Qi kissed Qingruo on the forehead and told her to be careful in the kitchen before leading Chu Yang into the study.

The two had always been very efficient when it came to work, so they finished up quickly. They engaged in a moment of idle chatter before Chu Yang remembered Feng Qi's recent Weibo post.

Smiling, he mentioned, "Recently, quite a few magazines have requested for an interview. That message you posted the other day was a pretty big deal."

Feng Qi was browsing through the Weibo homepage. He rolled the ball down and looked at the commotion his Weibo post had caused over the past two days. Laughing with superfluous carelessness, he bent his fingers and tapped them twice against the table. Then, his eyes fixed on a picture of an actress who had just gotten married.

"I want to hold a wedding for her."

Chu Yang glanced at the computer screen and immediately understood. Feng Qi's gaze was earnest; when it came to Qingruo, his gaze and tone would always soften. This time, the idea had thoroughly planted itself in his mind.

When he heard no response from Chu Yang, Feng Qi turned around, smiled, and felt around for the cigarettes on the table. He lit one and propped it between his lips. "Go arrange the staff. I've already found someone to make the wedding dress, and it'll be ready in three or four months."

Chu Yang nodded and made a note to set the wedding as one of his top priorities. "How many people should be invited?"

Feng Qi pursed his lips and pondered for a moment before responding with a sudden laugh. "None. Use the company's name for publicity and announce that anyone who wants to come can come. Make some extra preparations."

The corners of Chu Yang's lips twitched. A man in love was truly terrifying.

By the time they returned downstairs, Qingruo had almost finished cooking. Feng Qi entered the kitchen and washed his hands before helping her carry the dishes out. Seeing that, Chu Yang dared not help too.

During their vacation, there were times when Qingruo and Feng Qi were disinclined to dine on the foreign cuisines. In those cases, they would go out and buy ingredients so they could cook for themselves. However, Chu Yang had not eaten Qingruo's food in a long time, and it took three bowls of rice before he finally stopped. After indulging in dessert, he left content and satiated.

***

Feng Qi gave her the wedding of the century. When it came time for the groom to kiss the bride, the entire audience was excited. Feng Qi held her face in his hands. His lips fell on her powdered forehead, eyebrows, eyes, and traveled down her face, gentle and pious until they reached her lips. With the loud applause around them, he gave her a deep kiss.

Later, he agreed to an exclusive interview. When the wedding was brought up, he said only one sentence: "I've wronged her^[2]."

[2] In this part, he's essentially saying that he has wronged her by taking her as his wife because he believes that she deserves better/he doesn't deserve her.

Afterward, the reporter penned the interview. In a section about the wedding, the reporter described the wedding dress, wedding ring, and the venue that Feng Qi had prepared. It was truly worthy of its title as "the wedding of the century."

The article ended with: Mr. Feng said, "I've wronged her."

It was impossible to know exactly how many people found it incredible that someone like Feng Qi would one day be willing to hand the tenderness of the entire world to a single person.

*****

Qingruo gave birth to a baby girl. Jing Sheng and An Qi brought their three-year-old twins to the full moon ceremony and congratulated them. Because Feng Qi refused to let her move around, Qingruo was stuck sitting in the main seat with their baby in her arms, and there was even a group of people around to take extra care of her.

Feng Qi was being pulled around by people who wanted to congratulate and toast him, so he ended up in a spot away from the main table.

An Qi and Feng Qi toasted thrice. They were both very decisive and straightforward people, willing to let go of the unpleasant past they shared. An Qi smiled brilliantly and beautifully as she reached out to pat Feng Qi on the shoulder. "You have to be a good father, alright?"

He'd drunk a little too much. With bright eyes, he looked at her and nodded solemnly. She had gained some weight, but it only made her look more beautiful. She was holding her son's hand while her son held his sister's hand, and her husband held their daughter's hand.

Jing Sheng toasted Feng Qi twice. The gifts from Jing Sheng and An Qi had been taken away by the people in charge of that, but the twins each took out a small box from their pockets and looked up. "Uncle, gifts for our little sister," they said sweetly.

Feng Qi squatted down to receive the gifts and thanked them seriously before storing the small boxes in his pocket.

***

Feng Qi's precious daughter had inherited his arrogance and overbearing attitude and became an infamous female tyrant from a young age.

She was the most afraid of Qingruo, but with Feng Qi protecting her, all she had to do was behave obediently in front of Qingruo to hide her little crimes.

The nine-year-old Feng Nianyi beat up a young actress. Of course, she didn't do it personally—her two stalwart bodyguards did it for her. When Feng Qi was picking out bodyguards for her, the first and foremost requirement was that they had to be loyal. If she said to go east, then they couldn't go west. Therefore, it was without hesitation that the two big men beat the delicate maiden straight into the hospital.

The young actress had been involved with Feng Qi in a bit of idle gossip. After a picture of them coming out of a hotel together was released, she was sent to the hospital. The place was packed with reporters.

Knowing that she was in trouble, Feng Nianyi immediately charged into the Feng Company and nobody dared to stop her. At most there was Chu Yang, but the degree that he spoiled Feng Nianyi could almost rival Feng Qi, so he certainly wasn't going to stop her. After all, Chu Yang himself only had a son and no daughters.

Feng Nianyi burst into the conference room and paid no attention to the fact that she had just interrupted a meeting. She stood justly in the doorway and said with her clear and childish voice, "Daddy, I sent that little fox to the hospital. You have to save me, or else I'll get killed by mommy."

All of the conference members had muted their phones, so none of them knew about the news boiling outside.

Feng Qi was sitting in the main seat. He looked at his little red-faced princess and smiled dotingly before standing up and making his way to her. "Little baby, who's the little fox?"

Completely missed the point.

As soon as he picked her up, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pouted. "The one who tricked you into having a meal with her last time, remember? The one who looks uglier than a door god^[3]."

After rolling her eyes in disgust, Feng Nianyi finally remembered her real purpose. She stared piteously at Feng Qi. "Daddy, mommy will beat me, you have to save me."

Feng Qi kissed her forehead. "Don't be afraid, daddy's here. You won't get beat."

Mission accomplished. She wormed out of his arms and waved her hand. "Then bye now, daddy."

She turned and left without hesitation, leaving the conference members speechless. However, since it was not the first time this happened, they were able to calmly resume the meeting.

Although the bodyguards listened to Feng Nianyi, they knew to not go too far. Feng Qi wrapped up the meeting and asked his secretary for a report. The Feng Company's public relations team consisted of no idlers; they'd actually started to deal with the situation before Feng Nianyi arrived at the company.

Feng Qi was only worried about how he was going to help his daughter escape from a beating that night.

In their family, he wore the white face while Qingruo wore the black face^[4]; the "strict father and loving mother" roles were completely reversed. It was already too late to hide the news from Qingruo.

[4] The one who wears a white face appears harsh and severe only on the surface, while the one who wears a black face is harsh and severe for real.

Feng Qi pondered over it before heading home to pack up their luggage. Then he went to the television station and waited for Qingruo to finish. Before she could leave to deal with Feng Nianyi, Feng Qi coaxed her into a private plane and thus began their annual two-day vacation, ahead of schedule.