The next day, Xu Huaisong took Ruan Yu to meet Cen Rong and renegotiated the supplementary contract with Huanshi. According to her wishes, she was designated to participate in casting references and would follow the entire production process—from script completion to filming and post-production.
Regarding this film, Wei Jin had originally intended to capitalize on the novel's built-in promotional material. To prevent the hype from fading over time, he pushed for shooting to begin by year-end. Consequently, all arrangements, including director and actor schedules, were aligned with this tight timeline.
Now that Cen Rong had taken over this "mess," although his primary motive was compensation, he couldn't ignore profitability or casually pay hefty breach penalties. Thus, he demanded the production team make up for lost time and stick to the original shooting schedule.
This threw the creative team into chaos.
Ruan Yu, once a "leisurely soul," was forced to transform into a workaholic, with no time left to attend Xu Huaisong's remaining bar exam.
She began spending entire days in Huanshi's conference rooms—meetings by day, writing by night, collapsing into deep sleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
Xu Huaisong found himself reduced to a decorative boyfriend. After finishing his evening studies, he'd try to chat with her, but if he paused for even two seconds, all he'd hear was her steady, heavy breathing.
Come morning, unable to bring himself to complain, he'd wordlessly escort her to Huanshi before heading to his law firm.
The firm hadn't seen Ruan Yu in ages, initially suspecting relationship troubles.
But they soon noticed Xu Huaisong snatching up his phone at every vibration during lunch, as if fearing a missed opportunity—only to scowl and set it down upon seeing a 10086 data usage alert.
Moreover, his departure time bore no relation to workload or study progress. Daily, he'd grab his suit jacket and bolt upon receiving some phone call, swift as autumn wind sweeping fallen leaves.
Liu Mao later artfully "debunked" rumors by sighing in the open office: "Want to know what it's like when your girlfriend's busier than you? Just look at our Attorney Xu."
As autumn deepened and temperatures dropped, Ruan Yu finally completed her script's first draft in early November.
The draft approval meeting ended at noon that day, coinciding with a cold front sweeping Hangzhou. The morning dawned gloomy, and by midday, gale-force winds brought torrential rain.
The weather was frightful. After descending the building, Ruan Yu turned back, intending to wait out the storm, when producer Zheng Shan offered her a ride.
Zheng Shan's destination was opposite Ruan Yu's apartment but en route to Zhikun. With Xu Huaisong at the firm, Ruan Yu accepted, getting dropped off across from Zhikun's entrance.
The downpour continued unabated. Struggling against the wind, she barely managed to open her umbrella.
Zheng Shan reminded her to be careful before driving off.
Ruan Yu had just agreed and closed the door when a powerful gust wrenched the umbrella from her grasp, sending it tumbling straight to Zhikun's doorstep.
There she stood—mid-crosswalk, umbrella gone...
Instantly drenched, she held her bag overhead and hurried across.
Meanwhile, in his third-floor office, Xu Huaisong had just finished a video conference with the U.S. Chen Hui entered with lunch, reaching the window just in time to witness Ruan Yu's soggy dash.He pointed out the window in surprise, "Hey, isn't that Sister Ruan?"
"You think every woman on the street is your Sister Ruan?" Xu Huaisong clearly hadn't expected Ruan Yu to come and remained unfazed as he lowered his head to unpack his lunchbox.
Chen Hui thought he must have been mistaken—until the office landline rang. Xu Huaisong pressed the speakerphone button, and a female voice from the front desk said, "Attorney Xu, Miss Ruan is here. You might need to come down for a moment."
Xu Huaisong glanced at Chen Hui, whose expression screamed "I told you so," then set down his chopsticks and hurried out. When he reached the lobby, he saw a drenched figure.
The receptionist had given Ruan Yu tissues, and she was wiping the water droplets from her face.
No wonder they said he needed to come down.
Xu Huaisong froze for a second before quickly unbuttoning his suit jacket, taking it off, and draping it over her shoulders. "Didn't I tell you to bring an umbrella this morning?"
"Achoo!" She sneezed and said innocently, "You'll have to ask Hangzhou's demonic winds why they stole my umbrella..."
Xu Huaisong was momentarily speechless. He took her bag, wrapped an arm around her, and led her upstairs to his office's rest area.
All the senior partners' private offices in the law firm were equipped with such a simple but fully functional room, complete with a bed and a bathroom.
After closing the inner door, he turned on the heater and fetched a towel from the bathroom. As he dried her hair, he frowned and said, "Why did you come out in this weather by yourself? Do I not exist as your boyfriend anymore?"
"Director Zheng gave me a ride. I didn't expect to get soaked just crossing the street..." She stood still, letting him dry her hair while rubbing her itchy nose—then sneezed again.
Xu Huaisong couldn't bring himself to scold her anymore. He drew the curtains and said, "Take off your wet clothes."
"Then what will I wear?"
His answer came in the form of action: he took off his shirt and handed it to her.
"Then what will you wear?"
"Liu Mao is working overtime here—he probably has spare clothes."
Xu Huaisong borrowed a set of clothes with a quick phone call but hadn't even had time to put them on when he heard Ruan Yu sneeze again.
She had just taken off her coat and was shivering as she unbuttoned her blouse.
He set the clothes aside and, bare-chested, strode over. In a few swift motions, he stripped off her blouse and pencil skirt, then roughly toweled her down from head to toe. "Get under the covers, and I'll dry you properly."
Ruan Yu was promptly bundled into the bed, where she wriggled out of her damp undergarments.
Xu Huaisong put on Liu Mao's shirt, grabbed a hairdryer from the bathroom, and quickly dried her hair. Once she was reasonably dry, he handed her his clothes and turned to head into the bathroom.
After putting on his shirt, Ruan Yu realized her underwear was missing—and the sound of running water from the bathroom suggested Xu Huaisong was washing them.
She let out a soft "Ah!" and scrambled out of bed, rushing in. "Hey, leave them—I'll do it myself!"
He had only been giving them a quick wash for hygiene's sake and was about to say "They're already done" when he turned his head and caught sight of her bare legs. His expression froze.
She was wearing nothing but his white shirt, the hem reaching mid-thigh—with nothing underneath.
Earlier, his only concern had been keeping her from catching a cold, with no room for inappropriate thoughts. But now, under the warm yellow light, it was as if he could see everything.Noticing the sudden deepening of his gaze, Ruan Yu let out an "Oh" and turned her head to say, "Then you help me wash, I'll just go..." Halfway through her turn, her arm was caught by him.
She slowly turned back to look at him: "Wh-what?"
Xu Huaisong pulled her into his embrace, answering her once more with practical action: he wanted her.
Ruan Yu gasped softly, "This is the office!"
"The break room is soundproof," Xu Huaisong said while moving, asking, "Safe period?"
"Mmm..."
"I'll pull out."
"Th-then let's go to the bed..."
"It's cold out there, there's a heater here."
"But isn't the air conditioning on out... Ah!"
Ruan Yu couldn't win against Xu Huaisong. Leaning against the sink, she was tormented for over half an hour, begging for mercy several times, until finally, the knock on the outer office door startled her, making him finish.
Ignoring the person outside, Xu Huaisong chuckled against her back, whispering, "I locked the door, what are you afraid of?"
That sudden move of hers—had he reacted any slower, it would have gone inside.
Drenched in sweat and flushed all over, Ruan Yu no longer felt like sneezing. With reddened eyes, she glared back at him, "Do your employees know their boss is this kind of person?"
Xu Huaisong pulled her under the showerhead to clean up, smiling as he said, "Even if they knew, I'd still be their boss."
After the shower, Ruan Yu was carried back to the bed in the break room. After eating a few bites of takeout, she napped for two hours before recovering.
In the afternoon, Xu Huaisong left work early with her.
The lawyers, finally free from their boss's presence and able to leave the firm on time, smiled as they watched the two descend the stairs.
Chen Hui voiced the collective sentiment from behind, "Sis Ruan, come often, you must come often!"
Ruan Yu turned back, waving at him with a smile, then gritted her teeth as she looked at the man beside her, "The epitome of evil capitalism—that's you."
Xu Huaisong laughed, "Would you rather we be proletariats together?"
Stumped, she shook her head solemnly, "No, let's be the ones exploiting others."
On their way back, Xu Huaisong asked about the progress of her script. Hearing she had finished her work, he told her to rest well at home for a few days while he flew to the US for a week.
Ruan Yu knew he had court hearings in early November and late December. Moreover, he had been preparing for his father's return to China for the past two months. If things went smoothly this time, he could bring the old man back after one court session.
Since it was just a few days, she didn't fuss about going along. Instead, she rested at home, recuperating from the toll the script had taken on her. A week later, fully recharged, she went to the airport with Chen Hui and a prearranged professional caregiver to welcome them back.
At noon in the airport lobby, Xu Huaisong wheeled out his father, Xu Yin, in a wheelchair.
Spotting them from afar, Ruan Yu approached with Chen Hui and the caregiver, feeling slightly nervous.
Like Jiang Yi, Xu Yin was a man weathered by hardship, appearing much older than his actual age. His head was tilted to the side as he slept, seemingly in poor spirits.
Over the past few days, Ruan Yu had heard from Xu Huaisong about his father's condition. Xu Yin didn't have any life-threatening complications, but he was immobile, couldn't recognize family, and was unaware of basic needs like warmth and hunger. His emotions were highly unstable, and he struggled with unfamiliar people.
Not daring to greet him rashly, Ruan Yu quietly discussed Xu Yin's condition with Xu Huaisong after approaching.He said, "The trip went smoothly, but we still need to take him to the hospital first for a few days of observation. We'll bring him home once he's stable."
She nodded and helped him push Xu's father out of the airport. From the airport to the hospital in Hangzhou, Xu Yin remained drowsy and asleep the entire way.
Ruan Yu found it strange. Only after settling Xu's father in did she learn it was due to the effects of sedatives and tranquilizers.
"The journey was too chaotic; there was no other way," Xu Huaisong explained, glancing at the sleeping figure on the hospital bed. After confirming the situation with the doctor and ensuring his father wouldn’t wake anytime soon, he left a few instructions with the caregiver and took Ruan Yu out for lunch nearby.
As they walked downstairs, Ruan Yu asked, "Does Auntie and Huaishi know Uncle is back?"
He nodded.
"Will they come today?"
Xu Huaisong smiled faintly. "Actually, everyone in our family is a bit odd. My mom and I are reserved, while my dad and sister are stubborn. It's been too many years—they might need some time to adjust."
Ruan Yu held his hand. "It's okay. The caregiver's room is all arranged. I’ll stay with you at the hospital these days."
Xu Huaisong gave a quiet "Mm," then suddenly his phone rang.
It was an unfamiliar U.S. number.
Still holding Ruan Yu’s hand, he answered the call with his other hand.
Ruan Yu listened as he spoke a few sentences in English, then frowned. After a long silence, he said, "Please send the letter. Thank you."
She understood that last line clearly.
After he hung up, she asked, "What letter? Is there urgent work?"
Xu Huaisong shook his head. After a pause, he said, "The U.S. Postal Service told me my dad deposited three letters with them five years ago, instructing them to send them to me after his death. But now that he’s left the U.S., they weren’t sure if the letters still needed to be delivered."
Author's note: Hope you enjoyed today's office and bathroom "play."
OpenNovel