The Accidental Sleepover

Wen Yang: 【?】 Wen Yang: 【Mr. Jiang, I didn’t send it to the wrong person. I’m just establishing evidence that we are indeed “chatting well.”】 Wen Yang: 【When the grandfathers ask, I can show them screenshots. Otherwise, how would they believe us?】

Wen Yang exited the chat. She felt Jiang Jifeng had a natural talent for misunderstanding people; the more she thought about it, the more speechless she became. She opened the chat again and sent: 【Just reply with “Okay.” Delete all the other words.】

Her tone was a bit sharp. Realizing this a second too late, Wen Yang hesitated over whether to send an emoji to soften the blow, only to see Jiang Jifeng reply obediently: 【Okay.】

Wen Yang opened the chat history and selected the messages. She filtered them so that only her long message about “lunch being delicious” and “missing the date due to the new project” remained alongside his simple: 【Okay.】

She didn’t reply further. Leaving the chat window open, she locked her phone. Although the proposal had passed, as an assistant to the COO, Wen Yang couldn’t afford to slack off. She stood up and walked over to discuss the Jiangmen Xinan project with the director and the editing team.

Fang Hui had announced that morning that Team A would soon need to head to Xinan to familiarize themselves with the site and sign contracts. While Wen Yang was standing by Ke Li’s desk helping her review the script for the project, her phone suddenly buzzed. Without thinking, she tapped the notification, and Jiang Jifeng’s message popped up.

Ke Li happened to lean over to look. Wen Yang instantly flipped her phone face-down.

There was no other reason than the fact that her “edited” chat history looked suspicious: it started with “I am Jiang Jifeng,” followed by the system notification for adding a friend, and then her sudden invitation to dinner.

The chat only had three sentences. She was terrified Ke Li would see the name “Jiang Jifeng.”

She didn’t even see what he had actually sent. That feeling of “thief-like guilt” made her break into a cold sweat despite the Beijing winter. In this city, in this company, she did not want to be linked to Jiang Jifeng. Fortunately, Ke Li didn’t seem to notice and didn’t ask questions. After finishing the script review, Wen Yang returned to her seat.

She opened her phone to find two messages: J: 【Miss Wen, you are very clever.】 J: 【Thank you for solving a difficult problem for me.】

Wen Yang stared at the lines of text. Her lashes fluttered as her fingertips hovered over the screen, but she didn’t reply.

Actually, he kept saying she was helping him, but he was helping her too. In this regard, Wen Yang admired him; he always had a knack for handling people.

When he asked her to come up today, he could have acted like he did in the meeting room yesterday—arrogantly demanding she lie to Elder Jiang. She wouldn’t have been happy, even if it benefited her. Instead, he had been polite and asked for a “favor.”

She found herself willing to participate in this war of deceptions precisely because of that courtesy.

After work, Wen Yang finished dinner and made the scheduled video call to her grandfather.

As soon as the call connected, the nearly eighty-year-old Elder Wen smiled kindly. “Yangyang, are you done with work? Will calling Grandpa affect your duties?”

Wen Yang smiled, making sure her whole face was in the frame. “Grandpa, I’m finished. It won’t affect anything. Is your blood pressure better? Are you taking your medicine on time?”

“I’m taking it every day,” he replied. “Yangyang, I called to remind you: remember to go to the Jiang family for Lunar New Year. You’re married to Jifeng now; you can’t keep running back to Grandpa’s side first. Just come see me on the second day of the New Year.”

Wen Yang: “I know, Grandpa. It’s only the beginning of December; the New Year isn’t until the end of January. Don’t worry, I have my own plans.”

The grandfather and granddaughter chatted for nearly an hour. Elder Wen seemed unaware that Jiang Jifeng was in Beijing; he didn’t mention it once. It was a simple, caring call.

Wen Yang breathed a sigh of relief. She threw her phone onto the bed and flopped down beside it, staring at the ceiling. Her mind buzzed with stray thoughts: her grandfather’s health, her own future, her absurd marriage, her father, her mother… but everything felt like a blank slate.

Time ticked by until her phone vibrated. Who would message her after hours? She rolled over with effort. It was Jiang Jifeng again.

J: 【Are you home?】

Wen Yang was puzzled. What did her being home have to do with him? She sent back: 【What’s wrong?】

The next second, a WeChat voice call rang out. It was him. Hesitating for a moment, she pressed ‘Accept.’

Jiang Jifeng’s voice, naturally cool, sounded even deeper over the phone. As soon as the call connected, she asked, “What is it?”

“Did you forget?” his voice was casual. “We said this morning that we needed to ‘chat’ on WeChat so we’d have screenshots as proof for the Elder.”

“You told me this afternoon you were working late. As your nominal husband, it is necessary to ask if you made it home.”

She had deleted the previous messages and completely forgotten about the “act.”

Jiang Jifeng added: “Otherwise, what did Miss Wen think the purpose of my late-night call was?”

Wen Yang went silent for a moment, then bypassed the topic. “My mistake, sorry. If I forget or misunderstand next time, just message me. You can select and delete individual messages in the chat history.”

“I know,” Jiang Jifeng said. “But I’m not a person who likes texting. The Elder knows me well. To make him believe we are getting along, I decided to call. He doesn’t know what we talk about on the phone, so I apologize for disturbing you again.”

A call log was indeed better proof. Wen Yang checked the time; it was 11:00 PM. Her internal clock usually dictated she sleep by 11:30. She figured half an hour would be enough “proof” for him. The indoor heating made her eyes ache slightly; she yawned and rolled over, still holding the phone.

At MAHA Beijing, in the top-floor penthouse, Jiang Jifeng sat before his computer wearing gold-rimmed glasses. He finished his last video conference and glanced at the time: 11:30 PM. He realized his WeChat was still on the call with Wen Yang.

Frowning slightly, he checked the phone. The call duration was 56:27.

Why hasn’t she hung up? Is she waiting for me to do it?

He removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Miss Wen?” he whispered experimentally.

There was no response.

Just as his finger reached for the red end-call button, he heard a faint, shallow sound of breathing. The Beijing air was warm but dry; she coughed softly twice. Then came the rustle of bedsheets—she must have rolled over. The breathing sound faded.

He realized then that in the long silence of the night, she had fallen asleep while waiting for him.

Jiang Jifeng hung up and forwarded a screenshot of the call log to Elder Jiang. Then, he grabbed his robe and headed for the shower.

The legal department finished the contracts. Fang Hui brought them to Jiang Jifeng and returned ten minutes later with his approval.

“Everyone, get ready. We head to Jiangmen Xinan next week for three days to sign contracts and inspect the site.”

As Team A cheered and discussed a celebratory dinner, Wen Yang received another message.

J: 【Grandpa suddenly called on video and wants to see you. Please come up for a moment. Please.】

Wen Yang’s heart skipped. The moment of truth has arrived. She made an excuse about picking up a delivery and went to the top floor.

It was her second time there, but the luxury of the massive office still stunned her. Before she could take it in, Jiang Jifeng spoke from behind the desk in a tone far gentler than usual: “Wen Yang, come here.”

She knew it was an act for his grandfather, but it still felt strange. Yesterday he was calling her “Miss Wen”—a name that clearly defined the boundaries of their marriage.

Wen Yang put on a standard gentle smile and matched his tone. “What is it, Jifeng?”

Jiang Jifeng had a stronger stomach for “acting.” He gestured for her to come over and smiled. “I’m on a video call with Grandpa and Grandma. Come say hello.”

Wen Yang approached and was gently guided into the executive chair. Jiang Jifeng’s hand rested naturally on her shoulder while he propped his other hand on the desk. He sat casually on the armrest of the chair. From the perspective of the video call, they looked intimately close.

“Wen girl,” Elder Jiang laughed. “You look thinner than when you last visited. Are you not eating well? Or is work too stressful? I didn’t even know you were in Beijing until Jifeng told me.”

His concern was genuine. Wen Yang felt a pang of guilt. On their wedding day back in the old residence, the grandparents had been so kind—Grandma had even given her jadeite bracelets and a jade pendant.

“Grandpa, Grandma, I’m not thinner. I’ve actually gained three pounds,” Wen Yang lied gently. “I came to Beijing to try my luck with work. I wanted to wait until things were stable before telling you.”

Grandma squeezed into the frame. “We were worried, but seeing you and Jifeng together in the same company puts my heart at ease.”

Elder Jiang added from off-camera, “Since you’re both in Beijing, have you discussed when you’ll move in together? Wen girl, where are you living? Are you alone? Grandpa isn’t at ease.” He looked at his grandson. “Jifeng, you are her husband. Protect her. And Yangyang, if you need anything, just ask him. He has a bad temper, but his heart is warm.”

Every question hit the mark. When he asked about them living together, Wen Yang didn’t know how to answer. She reached down and nudged Jiang Jifeng’s leg out of sight of the camera.

They shared a rare moment of synchronicity. He cut in: “That’s enough for now, I have a meeting. We’ll discuss those things ourselves. Don’t worry. Bye.”

They maintained the fake intimacy until the call was cut. Once the room fell silent, they both exhaled. Then, they both looked down at Wen Yang’s hand.

In her haste to nudge him during the call, she hadn’t moved her hand back. It was currently resting on his thigh—dangerously close to a “prohibited” area. Meanwhile, his hand was still on her shoulder, his long fingers dangling just inches from her chest.

After three seconds of silence, Wen Yang bolted upright. The realization of where her hand had been made her ears turn crimson. She coughed. “If that’s all, I’m going down.”

“Mhm,” he replied tonelessly.

As she reached the door, she remembered her “delivery” excuse. She grabbed an expensive-looking fountain pen from his desk. “I’ll return this later.”

“You like it? Keep it.”

“It’s not that. I told my colleagues I was going to pick up a package. I can’t go back empty-handed. I’ll say I bought this online.” She paused, looking at him seriously. “But I need you to promise me one thing. Don’t call me up here alone again if you can help it. I don’t want this relationship discovered.”

Jiang Jifeng looked at her, his voice warm but probing. “I understand your concern, Miss Wen. But I have something to ask you too.”

“I heard a rumor that you’ve been telling people I’ve been constantly picking on you because you missed my welcoming ceremony?”