Chapter 253
The Pei family courtyard.
Pei Zhengnian parked the jeep steadily and strode into the courtyard.
He walked straight into the living room, only to see Pei's Mother and Father Pei holding the babbling Little Anchen, sitting on the sofa watching TV.
"Dad, Mom."
"You're back!"
Seeing her son, Pei's Mother broke into a smile. She put down her needlework and stood up.
"Have you eaten? There are still leftovers in the kitchen. How about Mom goes and makes you a bowl of noodles? It will be quick."
Ever since going to Wangjia Village, Pei's Mother had fallen in love with the feeling of cooking for her family with her own hands. Even now that they had moved back to the capital and Auntie Tian had returned, she still cooked often.
"Don't trouble yourself, Mom. I already ate outside."
Pei Zhengnian said, naturally taking his chubby son from Father Pei's hands.
The little guy seemed to catch a familiar scent. He opened his big, dark eyes to look at his father, and then very cooperatively revealed a huge smile, drool dripping down the corner of his mouth.
Pei Zhengnian's cold and hard heart was instantly melted a bit by his son's innocent smile. He held him and teased him for a while, and listening to his son's giggles, the fatigue of the day seemed to dissipate significantly.
After playing for a bit, Pei Zhengnian handed the child back to Father Pei. "Mom, Dad, you should rest early too. I'm going back to my room."
Pei Zhengnian and Shen Nanchu's room was a suite with an inner and outer room, and it came with its own bathroom.
He pushed open the bedroom door. It was pitch black inside without a single trace of light, so quiet it seemed empty.
Did his wife go out?
Pei Zhengnian muttered to himself as he casually pressed the light switch by the door.
With a click, the soft light instantly dispelled the darkness and illuminated the figure sitting on the sofa.
Pei Zhengnian's pupils contracted slightly. Looking closely, he realized that Shen Nanchu was actually sitting right there on the sofa, motionless, as if she had blended into the shadows.
"Wife, you're in the room? Why didn't you turn on the light?" he asked, somewhat surprised.
Shen Nanchu seemed to be stung by the sudden bright light as well. She narrowed her eyes slightly and casually made up an excuse.
"A dark environment helps me think."
She hadn't expected Pei Zhengnian to return so quickly. It was only past eight o'clock, much earlier than she had anticipated.
Her heart, originally feeling inexplicably anxious because of Qin Rong's words, surprisingly became soothed and calm upon seeing him return so early.
"Alright, then you continue thinking. I'll go take a shower first."
Pei Zhengnian didn't overthink it. He walked to the wardrobe, took out a change of clothes, and went into the bathroom.
Soon, the sound of splashing water came from inside.
"Great Host, it seems this male lead still has some male virtues; he came back so early."
The system's voice rang out in Shen Nanchu's mind, full of teasing.
"Male virtues?" Three black lines appeared on Shen Nanchu's forehead. "Instead of properly digesting and absorbing the energy from Jiang Shuyi's system, did you secretly go binge-watch some brainless TV dramas again?"
"Cough, cough, Great Host, this is called striking a balance between work and rest. Sharpening the axe won't delay the woodcutting," the system argued plausibly.
"Besides, I've already digested most of the core energy and database of Jiang Shuyi's system."
Shen Nanchu raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Digested it that fast? Then shouldn't we have a massive discount to celebrate?"
"Uh... well..."
The system's electronic voice laughed a bit awkwardly.
"Well... soon, we'll talk about it after the next upgrade~~"
Shen Nanchu silently rolled her eyes.
"Hehe~~~" the system tried to change the subject. "Great Host, I have the complete live recording of the male lead at Qin Rong's house just now! High-definition, uncensored, audio and video synchronized, do you..."
Before it could spit out the words want to see it, the system was interrupted by Shen Nanchu.
"Send it to me."
System: ...
Fine.
Its host still didn't play by the rules, not needing any build-up or suspense at all.
"Okay, Great Host!" The system immediately complied.
The next second, a clear, immersive video and audio were projected directly into Shen Nanchu's mind.
She saw how Pei Zhengnian dealt with Qin Gang, and how he cleverly found an opportunity to approach the secret compartment in the study...
Shen Nanchu didn't expect that Pei Zhengnian agreeing to eat at the Qin family's house was actually for the criminal evidence hidden in Qin Gang's home.
This made that subtle bit of displeasure she originally felt, which she herself was unwilling to admit, vanish into thin air.
Then, upon seeing Qin Rong slander her and Pei Zhengnian deliberately making Qin Rong trip and make a fool of herself, Shen Nanchu's eyes curved into crescents.
Not bad, really not bad.
This man was still very reliable at critical moments.
After finishing his shower, as soon as Pei Zhengnian came out of the bathroom, he saw his wife still sitting on the sofa.
However, she no longer had that contemplative look from before, but instead wore a pleasant smile on the corners of her mouth.
Her eyes were sparkling, as if she had picked up a gold bar or discovered some interesting treasure.
What made her so happy?
Pei Zhengnian raised an eyebrow. Bringing with him a damp heat, he naturally sat down on the sofa next to Shen Nanchu.
"Done washing?"
Shen Nanchu was in a wonderful mood. Her gaze fell on his still-dripping hair.
"Why didn't you dry your hair a bit more? Careful not to catch a cold."
She rarely took the initiative to stand up, go to the bathroom to fetch a dry towel, and drape it over Pei Zhengnian's head.
Conveniently, Shen Nanchu helped Pei Zhengnian dry his hair.
Shen Nanchu's movements couldn't be considered particularly gentle, but her rare closeness warmed Pei Zhengnian's heart.
He obediently lowered his head slightly, feeling the soft touch of the towel and the slight itchiness brought by her fingers occasionally brushing against his scalp.
The faint, sweet fragrance from her body lingered at the tip of his nose. It smelled incredibly good, making his mind start to wander.
"Wife..."
Pei Zhengnian's voice unconsciously deepened a few degrees, taking on a hint of hoarseness.
His strong arms slowly and tentatively wrapped around Shen Nanchu's slender yet supple waist.
Shen Nanchu's hair-drying movements paused slightly, but she didn't push him away.
Pei Zhengnian felt a surge of joy in his heart. He exerted a little force with his arms, pulling her closer into his embrace. Resting his chin lightly in the crook of her shoulder, his warm breath brushed past her ear, and his voice grew increasingly ambiguous.
"It's getting late. We've been tired all day, should we... rest early?"
Shen Nanchu raised her eyes and glanced at the wall clock; the hands had just passed nine o'clock.
She couldn't help but grumble inwardly: If this man is going to find an excuse, couldn't he find a more decent one? It's only nine o'clock, how is that late?
Before Shen Nanchu could voice her complaint or refuse, Pei Zhengnian had already noticed her momentary distraction and her lack of firm resistance.
He let out a low chuckle and, not giving her time to react, directly scooped her up into his arms!
Shen Nanchu instinctively wrapped her arms around his neck.
Carrying her, Pei Zhengnian strode into the inner bedroom, gently nudging the door shut with his heel.
Outside the window, the moonlight was hazy, while inside the room, the spring mood grew thicker, as an atmosphere of romance quietly spread...