Morning in His Home
The woman in his arms did not answer.
With the steady patter of rain outside, her breathing grew deeper and more even, as though she had fallen asleep again.
Liu Qianxiu lowered his eyes to her.
Then he opened the guest bedroom door and placed her on the bed.
No one had ever stayed in the room before, but everything inside was complete and spotless.
Liu Qianxiu switched on the small bedside lamp and turned to leave.
The instant the door closed, shutting the dim light of the living room outside, Mu Wan opened her eyes.
She listened carefully to the footsteps beyond the door.
Only after she heard another door close did she shut her eyes again.
She hugged the thin quilt to herself.
Curled tighter.
And tighter.
Then suddenly kicked both legs out with all her strength.
Only afterward did she finally release the breath she had been holding.
Mu Wan sprawled across the bed, arms and legs spread wide, taking several deep breaths.
Liu Qianxiu had carried her like a princess.
He had agreed to let her stay in his home.
He had even told her she could do whatever she wanted.
And most importantly...
Tomorrow morning, when she opened her eyes, she would see him again.
Excitement bubbled quietly through her.
Mu Wan hugged the quilt and rolled across the bed twice.
Then she giggled to herself.
Rain whispered against the floor-to-ceiling windows.
It sounded almost like all the happiness she could not hide.
Mu Wan had no idea how late she stayed awake from excitement.
It must have been very late, because when Li Nan’s call woke her the next morning, she was distinctly irritated.
She opened her eyes and sat up.
It took three seconds to remember where she was.
Her bad mood disappeared instantly.
“Hello, Your Excellency.”
Mu Wan checked the time.
It was not even seven.
Li Nan was an agent and usually followed Mi Yu between productions, so his schedule was almost as irregular as an actor’s.
If Mi Yu filmed through the night, he often stayed up with her.
“The premiere of City of Prayer is at seven tonight. Go make an appearance,” Li Nan said.
Mu Wan specialized in supporting roles.
Events like this were rarely assigned to her.
Usually, Li Nan only sent her when Mi Yu had no time.
For a minor supporting actress, making an appearance meant standing onstage for a while.
The host’s questions would rarely reach her.
Once that was over, she could stay and watch the premiere.
Mu Wan actually liked attending these events.
She treated them as free trips to the movies.
But she could not go tonight.
She had filming scheduled.
Li Nan might focus most of his attention on Mi Yu, but he was not careless enough to forget Mu Wan’s schedule completely.
“I have a shoot at seven tonight,” Mu Wan reminded him. “Wind and Snow.”
“Ah.”
Li Nan paused.
“I was just about to tell you. That shoot was canceled.”
Mu Wan had never played an important role.
Her scenes could easily be cut down until almost nothing remained.
So a cancellation was not particularly strange.
But the moment Li Nan said it, Mu Wan remembered what Auntie Wu had asked yesterday.
Her eyes lowered.
She looked at the tiny daisies embroidered on the quilt.
“What about tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow is still on.”
Mu Wan rarely cared enough about her career to ask for this much detail.
Li Nan added,
“The screenwriter just cut some scenes. Nothing serious.”
“Got it.”
Mu Wan relaxed and smiled.
“Thank you, Your Excellency.”
After ending the call, she was completely awake.
She leaned against the headboard and looked toward the floor-to-ceiling windows.
The curtains had been drawn, leaving only a narrow gap where one strip of light entered.
She could not tell whether the weather outside was cloudy or clear.
Mu Wan climbed out of bed.
Barefoot, she crossed the room and pulled open the curtains.
Summer morning sunlight flooded inside.
Even her mood seemed to brighten with it.
Mu Wan stretched.
Then she slipped into the house slippers and went to wash up.
Liu Qianxiu had let her stay overnight.
That made her even more determined to wake early and avoid causing him trouble.
Once she finished, Mu Wan opened the bedroom door.
The living room was silent.
A faint fragrance of agarwood drifted through the air, quieting the mind.
Liu Qianxiu’s bedroom door was still closed.
She wondered whether he was awake.
Then several kitten meows came from the cat room.
Mu Wan turned.
Zhouyi sat upright at the entrance.
When it saw her coming, it lifted one paw and calmly licked it.
Mu Wan looked into the room.
Her lashes fluttered.
Liu Qianxiu was already awake.
He sat cross-legged on the carpet, a feeding bottle in one hand as he fed the three kittens.
There was only one bottle between them, so he fed them in turn.
Wherever the bottle moved, all three tiny heads followed in perfect unison.
The curtains in the cat room were open wide.
Sunlight poured inside.
The soft fur covering the kittens seemed almost translucent beneath it.
Liu Qianxiu wore a loose long shirt and trousers.
His long fingers held the nearly empty bottle.
Sunlight passed between them, tracing every joint in pale light.
He quickly noticed Mu Wan standing at the door.
Liu Qianxiu turned his head.
His features were calm as always.
But a little of the warmth and tenderness from watching the kittens still lingered in his eyes.
Mu Wan’s heartbeat steadily accelerated.
“Good morning.”
She looked down at the carpet.
Her ears were already warm.
Then she walked over and sat beside him.
“You’re up so early.”
“They were hungry.”
Liu Qianxiu looked back at the kittens.
Newborn kittens were difficult to raise.
Not only because they were fragile, but because they required constant care.
They had to be fed every few hours.
The fact that all three had grown this well was largely due to the effort Liu Qianxiu had put into them.
That thought reminded Mu Wan of Li Nan’s call.
She looked up.
“Liu Qianxiu, let me take you to a movie.”
He raised his eyes.
Mu Wan smiled.
She leaned back on both hands and looked toward the kittens.
“It’s a movie I’m in. Just a small supporting role.”
She continued,
“The premiere is tonight, and I have to attend. We can watch the movie afterward.”
Even while speaking, Mu Wan kept looking at Liu Qianxiu.
Hope was written all over her face.
Her eyes shone.
“What time?” he asked.
“Seven thirty.”
Mu Wan answered immediately.
That already felt like half a yes.
She knew very little about Liu Qianxiu.
But the reverse was also true.
Watching the film together could give them time alone.
And perhaps it would let him understand her a little better.
Not that there was very much to understand.
She was only a minor actress.
No father.
No mother.
Liu Qianxiu could probably guess most of the rest.
“I have surgery tonight,” Liu Qianxiu said evenly. “I might be late.”
“That’s fine.”
Mu Wan smiled again.
“Don’t rush. Just come when you can. I’ll wait for you.”
Since he had not refused, that meant he had agreed.
Mu Wan lowered her eyes toward the kittens again.
“Let me do it.”
She straightened and reached both hands toward him.
“They’ve grown this much, and I’ve never fed them breakfast.”
Only about a third of the milk remained.
It would not take long.
Liu Qianxiu handed her the bottle.
Mu Wan immediately tried to lure the kittens with it.
None of them followed.
Instead, all three lifted their heads and called toward Liu Qianxiu.
Mu Wan visited often enough that the kittens were affectionate with her.
But whenever both adults were there, they still preferred him.
In the end, Liu Qianxiu had to pick up all three kittens and place them in her lap.
Once Mu Wan brought the bottle to them, the tiny cries finally stopped.
She lightly poked Zhongfen’s little ear.
Soft fur brushed her fingertip.
It felt wonderful.
Mu Wan looked up at Liu Qianxiu as he stood.
“They’re so attached to you now.”
She smiled teasingly.
“When they’re older and I take them away, what if they can’t bear to leave you?”
Before he could answer, she pointed to herself.
“If they can’t leave you, can I stay with them too?”
Outside the window, white pigeons flew past.
Her voice lingered in the quiet cat room.
Mu Wan looked at him.
Liu Qianxiu stood within the light.
Sunlight passed through his light-brown shirt, faintly outlining the lean line of his waist.
He lowered his eyes toward her.
His lashes cast a narrow shadow beneath them.
When he spoke, his voice was low and clear, like water running through a mountain stream.
“What do you want for breakfast?”
Mu Wan’s smile froze for half a second.
She stared at his calm features.
Then answered,
“A sandwich and orange juice.”
“All right.”
Liu Qianxiu turned and left the cat room.
Mu Wan watched his back.
Then smiled again.
— To be continued in Part 2 —
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smooth as ever :D
ReplyDeleteOoh, so cheeky!
ReplyDelete