Chapter 539: 538 came at the wrong time

Wen Ran gazed into Mo Xiuchen’s deep eyes, which were brimming with a subtle smile. The hope for her to consent to his earlier proposition was barely hidden within.

He wished for her to stay by his side, yet he dared not to make such a direct request, fearful that she would refuse him. Therefore, he acted extremely carefully.

Seeing him like this made Wen Ran’s heart ache. She lowered her eyes, revealing the hint of a struggle lurking within their depths. When she raised her eyes once more, she forced a light smile. “Okay, I will return to work with you.”

She did not know how much time she had remaining, nor how long she could stay by his side. All she knew was that she did not wish to leave him. She could not bear the thought of leaving him not even slightest.

As long as he did not press her, or engage in the sort of intimacy normal for a married couple, she would accompany him. Even if it were for just one extra day.

Upon hearing her words, an immediate wave of joy washed over Mo Xiuchen. His dark eyes shone bright, as he reached out and pulled her into his embrace. Consumed with emotion, he murmured hoarsely, “Ranran!”

Wen Ran’s body stiffened slightly, but she did not put up any resistance. She allowed him to hold her tightly. After quite some time, she calmed her emotions, gently extracted herself from his arms, and spoke softly, “You should get back to work.”

“Are you tired? If you are, you should go and rest for a while.”

A sense of loss washed over Mo Xiuchen as her presence left his embrace. However, he quickly returned to his cheerful demeanor.

“Not tired. I will go back to my seat.”

Wen Ran didn’t mention that she too had work to do, and specified that she would take her original seat, so as not to disturb him, allowing him to focus on his work.

“Alright, I need to deal with some accumulated paperwork.”

Mo Xiuchen’s handsome features lit up with a bright smile. With Wen Ran’s company, even the most tedious tasks seemed less bothersome.

After Wen Ran returned to her original desk, the cleaning lady entered the office to neutralise the perfume scent before leaving the room again. Mo Xiuchen, fearing that Wen Ran might get bored, had a pile of fruits, snacks, and drinks brought to her.

Wen Ran enjoyed the snacks and drinks while watching Mo Xiuchen work with absorbed fascination. About half an hour later, she stood up, took an apple she had cut, and walked over to him. “Xiuchen, have an apple. Take a break.”

Mo Xiuchen looked up from his paperwork, his eyes tender and filled with joy, “Alright!”

Instead of reaching for the apple she offered, he beckoned her to come closer.

Wen Ran walked around the desk. He reached out, captured her wrist, and pulled her down onto his lap. His voice was gentle and magnetic as he whispered, “Ranran, feed me.”

A tremor passed through Wen Ran’s heart, and her body, seated on his lap, went momentarily rigid. After a few moments it relaxed.

She held out the apple to his lips, and he consumed a small piece in an elegant manner. His face was lit up with a dazzling smile as he spoke, “Ranran, you eat too.”

Infected by his cheerful grimace, Wen Ran smiled shyly and replied, “I won’t eat, this apple was cut for you.”

Before she could finish her sentence, the office door was pushed open and Luo Haofeng’s voice came from the entrance, “Xiuchen, we are back, you…”

Luo Haofeng’s words were cut off abruptly.

He was taken aback at the sight of the two people behind the desk. His narrow almond-shaped eyes flickered with surprise, as sthe quickly comprehended that he had intruded upon Mo Xiuchen’s moment.

Behind Luo Haofeng, Qin Mu quickly noted the situation and broke into a knowing smile, “Ah Feng, it seems we have returned at an unfavorable time.”

Upon seeing Luo Haofeng and Qin Mu at the entrance, Wen Ran instinctively tried to get up from Mo Xiuchen’s lap. However, the moment she moved, his arm, which was wrapped around her waist, tightened. “How did the both of you return so quickly?”

Wen Ran furrowed her brows slightly, feeling a flush creep up her fair cheeks.

Luo Haofeng laughed loudly, noting that Mo Xiuchen showed no signs of embarrassment. He confidently strode across the room, with Qin Mu closing the door behind them.

We were worried that you might be overwhelmed handling this alone, so as soon as we finished up there, we rushed back.”

He picked up a pack of snacks from Wen Ran’s desk without asking, tore it open and quickly selected a piece of fruit from the fruit dish, lobbing it over to Qin Mu, who was standing several paces away. “Ah Mu, here’s for you!”

A flicker of annoyance passed across Qin Mu’s brow, but he elegantly raised his hand and caught the flying fruit.

“What happened to Wu Tianyi? Has he been escorted back here?”

Mo Xiuchen held Wen Ran’s hand, bringing the apple from her hand towards his mouth and taking another bite.

Wen Ran did not have his audacity to engage in such intimate behaviour with Luo Haofeng and Qin Mu in the room. She felt somewhat uneasy, murmuring, “Xiuchen, I should return to my seat.”

“Wen Ran is back to work again?”

Luo Haofeng asked a counter-question, clearly curious about Wen Ran’s return.

He was even more curious about whether she and Mo Xiuchen had truly reconciled and were together again.

While Qin Mu didn’t voice the question, he couldn’t help but manifest his concern and curiosity in his gaze as they stuck to Mo Xiuchen and Wen Ran. Seeing the two of them patching things up filled him with joy.

“She hasn’t returned to work. Rather, she is here for me. Her work is being taken care of by someone else.”

Mo Xiuchen chuckled, a beautiful curve playing at the corner of his lips. That contrasted greatly with the image of him portraying a gloomy character in previous times. He was now radiantly charming. As Luo Haofeng and Qin Mu caught each other’s gaze, they finally understood.

“Wen Ran, are you attending the celebration dinner tonight?” Luo Haofeng asked, with a beaming smile on his face.

“Uh-huh.”

Wen Ran smiled stiffly, unable to move from Mo Xiuchen’s lap.

“Xiuchen, Ah Feng and I should return to work,” Qin Mu spoke, his eyes drifting over Wen Ran’s flushed cheeks. He did not want to intrude on their private moment and, ignoring Luo Haofeng’s protest, pulled him out of the office.

“Ah Mu, I still have things to tell Xiuchen, why did you drag me away?” Upon being pulled out of the office, Luo Haofeng directed an annoyed gaze towards Qin Mu, full of complaint.

He was genuinely curious about the way Xiuchen had convinced Wen Ran to change her mind and return to him. In addition to her return, she was also back to being as close with him as before.

Luo Haofeng, even imagined, mischievously, what passionate scene they would’ve stumbled upon had they arrived just a bit later.

The moment Qin Mu closed the office door, he released Luo Haofeng, striding briskly towards the elevator, nonchalantly stating, “Should I have just stood there and not pulled you away? Were you waiting for Xiuchen to throw you out? You didn’t notice how much he hated it when we intruded upon his romantic moment?”

“So what if he didn’t like it? This is the office and working hours. The CEO is openly flirting in the office and refusing to listen to work reports. What if rumours about this spread out?”

Luo Haofeng spoke with sarcastic undercurrents, his hands in his pockets, pretending to be displeased yet ended up amusing Qin Mu. Having shared a final look with Luo Haofeng, Qin Mu entered the office alone, “In Xiuchen’s eyes, not to mention work, he himself has never been a priority either. I can assure you, if you keep insisting on sticking around in his office, you’re in for trouble.”

As far as brotherly goodwill was concerned, this was simply friendly advice, as needling Xiuchen would surely lead to unpleasant consequences.