Recently, Su Pu had been sleeping in the guest room that Li Jichuan used to occupy.
That morning, he ran into Uncle Wang, feeling a little embarrassed.
Uncle Wang didn’t seem surprised at all, patting his head.
“Sleep well, child?”
Su Pu nodded.
“That’s good. Hungry? Go have breakfast.”
At the table, everyone was gathered. Li Jichuan cracked an egg, using his long fingers to carefully peel it clean.
Once Su Pu sat beside him, the spotless egg landed neatly on his plate.
Li Jichuan wiped his fingers, glanced at Changchang smirking at them, and mischievously grabbed the egg from Su Pu’s plate.
Su Pu had only just settled, and two seconds later, he realized it—panicking.
Normally, Changchang and Mantian often teased Su Pu. He would just smile, knowing they meant no harm and didn’t know how to coordinate, so he let it go.
But today, Su Pu suddenly stood up, snatched back his egg while Changchang was shocked, and even swung a punch, smashing the half-eaten sandwich left on Changchang’s plate.
The whole family froze, all eyes on Su Pu.
He, however, was calm and deliberate, carefully placing the egg that had been peeled from his husband onto his plate.
There was only one thought in his mind: this was given by Li Jichuan—no one else could take it!
Changchang anxiously glanced at the flattened sandwich on his plate, while Mantian tugged at his sleeve, pulling him back into his chair.
“Uh… Madam, sorry about that…”
Changchang felt a little embarrassed. Su Pu and Li Jichuan were always tolerant, and his teasing had been getting bolder and bolder.
Su Pu didn’t respond immediately. After a few quiet seconds, next to the flattened sandwich appeared a neatly peeled egg.
Meeting Li Jichuan’s gaze, he gave a shy smile and a wink, as if silently negotiating:
“If you like eggs, I’ll peel one for you—but don’t take mine…”
…
At the café, Su Pu’s daily routine was gradually settling into a rhythm. The staff were no longer on edge as they had been when he first returned.
One day, after finishing a specialty pour-over and placing it on the pickup counter, a colleague glanced at the order.
“Hey, Su Pu, aren’t you going to deliver this yourself today?”
Focused on wiping the counter, Su Pu looked up when he heard his name.
[Deliver coffee myself?] he typed on his phone.
Muscle memory came to his aid. Recently, he had resumed communicating via typing, using the latest smartphone model.
“Yeah,” the server said, pointing to the address on the ticket. “Specialty pour-over for the CEO’s office—you usually deliver these yourself.”
Su Pu processed this slowly.
So… I used to deliver coffee to my husband myself?
Having gone in and out with Li Jichuan so many times, the building security already recognized him. Seeing him arrive, they opened the private elevator directly.
Arriving at the top floor near the CEO’s office, he overheard Li Jichuan scolding staff inside.
“Why are repeated instructions still being ignored? This contract is crucial. You’re going to present it tomorrow with such glaring errors—should the loss be counted against you or me?”
The door was ajar. Su Pu saw four or five employees standing opposite Li Jichuan, heads bowed.
“Sorry, Mr. Li, this basic mistake is my oversight,” one said.
Another timidly added, “But the contract hadn’t gone through final review yet. You requested to see it; we only brought it to you temporarily.”
“Oh?” Li Jichuan raised an eyebrow, questioning, “So my timing was wrong?”
The staff shook their heads apologetically.
“The numerical errors appear in one of the most critical clauses of this contract. I’m just questioning you—how can a five-person team make such elementary mistakes at the outset?”
A staff member, seemingly the team lead, explained, “Mr. Li, sorry. Yesterday, the senior CEO suddenly called our team to expedite a project. The workload increased abruptly, so we didn’t catch the data error initially…”
Li Jichuan loosened his tie and softly said, “Hmm.”
Understanding, the staff member offered, “Shall I also bring the documents assigned by the senior CEO for your review, so you can track the overall progress?”
Li Jichuan nodded, finally dismissing them.
The five employees filed out, looking like wilted vegetables.
The previously outspoken woman muttered to herself, “Two bosses arguing is fine, but taking it out on us workers… it’s just a job, why so tense…”
Her team lead overheard, shook her head helplessly, and quietly reminded, “Say less, fix the contract, double-check it, and place it on Mr. Li’s desk before the end of the day.”
Passing by, the woman finally registered who Su Pu was and froze in sudden panic.
Su Pu, holding a coffee, quickly slipped into the office.
…
Even after sending the takeaway, Li Jichuan felt uneasy.
Eyes closed, he tried to calm himself, unaware his little mute had arrived.
It wasn’t until Su Pu placed the takeaway coffee on his desk with a soft thud that Li Jichuan’s eyes snapped open.
“You… came here?”
The faint imprints of his glasses were still on the bridge of his nose, making him look almost comically like an exasperated celestial being dragged to the mortal world, turned into a stressed-out little boss.
Su Pu looked at the faint bluish shadows under his eyes and the stubble at his lips, thinking at that moment, Li Jichuan looked vivid, alive—real.
By some strange impulse, Su Pu reached out both hands, grasping one of Li Jichuan’s, and began massaging from the palm.
The motions were far too familiar—Su Pu realized immediately that he must have done this countless times before for Li Jichuan.
Li Jichuan leaned back against the headrest of his wheelchair, eyes half-closed, watching him the whole time.
“Xiao Pu…”
When Su Pu reached his wrist, Li Jichuan’s voice had completely softened.
Suddenly, he tugged Su Pu’s hand, pulling him onto his lap.
Su Pu was startled and instinctively glanced toward the door. After all, the walls and door of Li Jichuan’s office were completely transparent…
Snap—
Li Jichuan pressed a button on the remote, and the entire glass wall instantly turned opaque white.
Lowering the remote, he held up the hand Su Pu had just massaged, giving it a little shake.
“Xiao Pu, you don’t have to remember such habits.”
“My fatigue doesn’t come from you. On the contrary, just seeing you relaxes me more than ten massages ever could.”
Li Jichuan’s embrace was airtight, wrapping Su Pu snugly inside.
He lowered his head, gently inhaling the faint fragrance from his lover’s hair.
“So, if you really want to help ease my fatigue… come see me more often.”
…
The afternoon meeting ended, and Li Jichuan walked back to his office with Anderson and John from the conference room.
Passing through the office area, several secretaries were practically giddy with excitement. Su Pu stood among them, back turned.
A sweet scent hung in the air as he typed something, then held it up for them to see.
Echo leaned over and read aloud:
“Although President Li may seem stern, he’s actually a very gentle person. He bought cakes and coffee for everyone, hoping that while we work hard, we don’t forget to balance effort and rest.”
Echo had been following Li Jichuan since he joined the company and knew exactly what kind of person her boss was.
According to Li Jichuan’s logic, the company had effectively bought employees’ working hours—ensuring reasonable work times, no overtime, no alternating days off. That alone was already considered a “benefit.”
Such considerate gestures, given his emotional intelligence, would be completely forgotten in the next life… and even if remembered, it would seem unnecessary.
Lost in thought and having missed Su Pu’s shoulder, Echo looked up and saw Li Jichuan behind him.
So she asked with a bright smile, “Just for us? Do the other departments get any?”
Su Pu nodded firmly.
[Everyone gets some.]
“Oh,” Echo continued with a cheerful grin, “how wonderful—finally in my lifetime, I get afternoon tea from President Li. Later, we’ll have the whole company write emails to thank him.”
“Echo.”
Li Jichuan’s voice was stern, cutting off her playful chatter. He maneuvered his wheelchair to stop beside the little mute.
He glanced at the people gathered around Su Pu. “Take your snacks and get back to work quickly. No overtime pay for dawdling.”
The group’s enthusiasm dampened immediately. Clearing his throat, Li Jichuan pinched Su Pu’s small hand.
“You’re coming with me…”