Morning Longing for Warmth – Chapter 31

by Little Panda

Holding Hands

Her palms were cool, but Shiyi’s heart was burning hot.

The last time Shiyi visited Wei Hui’s company was in the evening. She had followed Pei Tian to the break room and ended up getting lost for the whole night. In her memory, the company had been dark and cramped, completely different from the spacious and bright place she saw now.

The floor was polished so clean that Shiyi could see her reflection when she looked down. The unfamiliar clothes she wore didn’t feel as awkward as they did at first. Wei Hui stood beside her as their group waited for the elevator. Pei Tian was still giving his work report, with Wei Hui occasionally nodding or softly agreeing. Shiyi glanced sideways at Wei Hui, who had been sickly just yesterday but now wore light makeup, with stern eyebrows and cool eyes showing no trace of illness. Only her hands, clasped behind her back, revealed faint traces of veins.

The elevator arrived quickly. Inside stood several people, led by a somewhat portly man with a broad build. He was quite fat, his belly protruding despite his suit, and wore a crew cut. Upon seeing Wei Hui, he smiled and said, “President Wei.”

Wei Hui responded, “Good morning, Deputy President Luo.”

Luo Zhouping looked her over twice before turning to examine the girl beside her – short, quite thin, appearing delicate and childlike with her head lowered. Seeing only a general outline of her features, he asked, “And who might this be?”

Wei Hui followed his gaze toward Shiyi and smiled, “A friend.”

“Shiyi, say hello to Deputy President Luo.” As soon as Wei Hui finished speaking, Shiyi raised her head to look at Luo Zhouping and said in a clear voice, “Hello, Deputy President Luo.”

Though her frame was slight, her features were unexpectedly refined and beautiful, with fair skin tinged with pink, bright expressive eyes, a delicate nose, and vibrantly painted lips. Her aura was pure and charming, though her makeup seemed a bit heavy, creating an unusual blend that made it difficult to determine whether she was an underage girl or a mature woman.

Before she had raised her head, Luo Zhouping had only given her a cursory glance, but now he studied her carefully, trying to get a read on her.

She really was beautiful – no wonder Wei Hui kept her close. Even he felt his heart stirring at the sight of her.

But she was Wei Hui’s woman, after all.

Luo Zhouping withdrew his gaze and smiled at Shiyi: “Hello.”

Shiyi grasped his extended hand, breaking contact immediately. She found his smile particularly sleazy [describing someone as overly slick or creepy], and his gaze made her uncomfortable. Disliking it, she edged closer to Wei Hui, who noticed her small movement but remained still, only the corner of her mouth lifting slightly.

The elevator soon arrived. Wei Hui’s office was on the top floor, while Luo Zhouping’s was one floor below, so he got off first. Taking large strides out of the elevator, he turned and said, “President Wei, see you at the board meeting.”

Wei Hui nodded: “See you then.”

Luo Zhouping’s eyes crinkled with his smile as the elevator doors slowly closed. In her peripheral vision, Shiyi saw Wei Hui exhale and her body relax slightly. Once in the office, Wei Hui began working busily while Shiyi was directed to sit on the sofa. The secretary came to serve her tea, stealing several glances at her. Shiyi looked up and smiled, and the secretary returned a polite smile.

Outside the office, the secretary could no longer contain her excitement and began gossiping with others.

“She even smiled at me – seems very good-natured.”

“I still can’t believe it – has President Wei really ended her single status?”

“I heard she took her to the Du family over the weekend – must be serious.”

“President Wei is such a perfect woman – when will it be my turn?”

The entire secretarial office gave her an eye roll, and the embarrassed secretary laughed, “I’m just kidding!”

“Chat, chat, chat! All you do is gossip! The board meeting is about to start – everyone shape up!” The head secretary’s words scattered the gathered crowd, and everyone returned to their work. From inside the office, Shiyi watched them, impressed by their busy activity – some typing intently at computers, others checking documents, and some having serious discussions. After a few seconds, a voice came from beside her: “What are you looking at?”

Shiyi turned to find Wei Hui had approached without her noticing. She smiled, “Watching people work.”

Her eyes sparkled as she added, “They’re so capable.”

Wei Hui’s hand holding her cup paused briefly as she followed Shiyi’s gaze. She thought about how if this child had been born into an ordinary family, she might have had a stable job like those outside, and wouldn’t have had to…

She caught herself, realizing she’d been prone to such wandering thoughts lately.

Soon there was a knock, and Pei Tian’s voice announced: “President Wei, President Shen is here.”

Shen Hao entered with his secretary, wearing his usual crisp suit, his handsome face bearing a smile. As he opened the door, he said, “President Wei, I’m truly sorry about last time, I couldn’t make it—”

He spotted Shiyi standing beside her and smoothly continued, “I couldn’t make it then, so I’ve come today to apologize.”

Wei Hui gestured for Pei Tian to leave and said to Shen Hao, “You’re too kind, President Shen.”

Shen Hao wasn’t being merely polite. His early apology wasn’t just for personal reasons – more importantly, the Du family had become involved. When he heard the news yesterday, he’d immediately lost his temper. The abandoned building project had always been his responsibility, yet his father had partnered with the Du family without informing him. His father had scolded him harshly for this. While the Du family’s commercial influence had waned, their government connections remained strong. Setting aside business-government conflicts, if the Du family took a stake in this project, the profits would surely double. Only a fool would refuse such an opportunity, which was why his father had agreed immediately.

This put Shen Hao in a difficult position. He had been stalling, hoping to hear Wei Hui plead her case, possibly leading to something more between them – if not romance, even a casual relationship would have been worth it. He hadn’t expected Wei Hui to willingly give up profits to bring in the Du family as shareholders. This woman was truly ruthless!

This was precisely why Shen Hao had come first to ‘apologize.’

After some small talk, Shen Hao turned his attention to Shiyi. At the gathering, he had merely glanced at her without giving it much thought. He hadn’t expected Wei Hui to later confirm her presence, which irritated him, though he maintained his social graces. He took the initiative: “Hello, we meet again.”

Shiyi recognized him and nodded: “Hello.”

Her posture was proper and her gaze steady, unlike her timid and weak demeanor when they first met at the Shen residence. Now she appeared more composed, carrying herself with neither arrogance nor humility. In truth, Shiyi was putting on a brave face. Though she didn’t know why Wei Hui had brought her here, she didn’t want to embarrass Wei Hui since she stood beside her. Unlike their first meeting when he had ignored her, Shen Hao now engaged her in conversation: “Mind if I sit down?”

Shiyi glanced at Wei Hui, saw her slight nod, and smiled: “Not at all.”

After they sat down, Shen Hao caught a whiff of perfume coming from Shiyi – the same scent as Wei Hui’s. This was peculiar. While Shen Hao didn’t know much about Wei Hui, he knew of her famous germaphobia. Yet now she allowed Shiyi to use her things. Clearly, their relationship wasn’t just casual as he had assumed.

Shen Hao’s face darkened and his gaze deepened. Soon there was another knock, and Pei Tian’s voice announced: “President Wei, President Du is here.”

Du Yuehan hadn’t come alone; behind him was his butt-following bug [meaning: someone who follows another person everywhere], who called out upon entering: “Shiyi!”

“Why are you here?”

Shiyi hadn’t expected Du Yueming to come. She glanced at Wei Hui and said: “Third Miss brought me here. Why are you here?”

Du Yueming glared at Du Yuehan in annoyance and grimaced: “My brother dragged me here.”

Du Yuehan shook his head helplessly at her sullen look and addressed Wei Hui: “President Wei, President Shen.”

Shen Hao had a natural aversion to dealing with the Du family, perhaps because most of them were government officials who carried an inherent sense of righteousness. This righteousness particularly irked Shen Hao, and he had frequent conflicts with Du Yuehan during their school days. Now meeting again, he gave a forced smile: “President Du.”

Du Yuehan’s gaze swept over him coldly.

Soon Pei Tian informed them that all board members had arrived. The three headed toward the conference room while Shiyi stood hesitating, unsure what to do, until she heard Wei Hui call: “Shiyi.” She looked up to see Wei Hui standing in the dappled sunlight, extending her hand: “Come with me.”

She reached out without hesitation, leaving Shiyi stunned. The others seemed not to notice, continuing toward the conference room. Du Yueming, beside Shiyi, gave her a little push, clicked her tongue, and quickly ran to join Du Yuehan.

Shiyi stood frozen, dazed for several seconds before gathering the courage to extend her hand. Wei Hui took it – her palm was cool, her fingertips cold, but Shiyi’s heart burned hot, as if filled with molten lava, making her face flush crimson!

Unfamiliar emotions surged through her body. Shiyi couldn’t describe them but felt immensely happy. She couldn’t help gripping tighter and tighter until Wei Hui felt slight pain and turned to look at her. Shiyi loosened her grip and bit her lip: “I’m sorry, did I hurt you?”

Wei Hui furrowed her brows at these words and shook her head: “It’s fine.”

They entered the conference room, where Wei Hui had Pei Tian seat Shiyi next to Du Yueming. Before the meeting started, Du Yueming, holding her phone, immediately said as Shiyi sat down: “Shiyi, are you some kind of enchantress reborn?”

Shiyi was bewildered: “What?”

Du Yueming looked her up and down: “This is the first time I’ve seen anyone bewitch that Buddha so completely – even holding hands at meetings, tsk tsk tsk…”

Hearing these words, Shiyi looked at Wei Hui, who sat gracefully in the chairman’s seat. The meeting hadn’t started yet, and Pei Tian stood at her side as she swept her stern gaze over everyone, giving instructions with a serious expression. After a moment, she looked up and addressed everyone: “Let’s begin the meeting.”

Though her voice wasn’t loud, it effortlessly commanded the entire room. The conference room fell silent immediately. Shiyi gazed at Wei Hui, her hand unconsciously clenching as if still feeling the cool touch from earlier. The familiar fragrance lingered in the air around her as she lowered her eyes, filled with tenderness.

During the meeting, Luo Zhouping repeatedly challenged Wei Hui. Her expression remained unchanged, her tone steady and unhurried, but Shiyi still noticed her slightly furrowed brows. Third Miss must be uncomfortable now, right? Yet she had to maintain her composure despite her discomfort. In that moment, Shiyi suddenly understood what Wei Hui meant by responsibility.

Her responsibility was to protect the company and keep it from falling into Luo Zhouping’s hands.

Then what about herself? Shiyi asked herself, what was her responsibility?

Was it truly as Wei Hui had said – that her responsibility was to stay healthy and bear her a child?

It seemed… she wasn’t so opposed to that idea anymore.

LP: Get married and have babies