Four Years Ago, Her Husband Cheated on Her Body - Chapter 39

Zhu Nanyu walked out of the bathroom, his body draped in the warm, lingering mist of a fresh shower.

Jia Qiao, who was always sensitive to the cold, had already lain down. He was curled up on one side of the large bed, wrapped so tightly in the cotton quilt that he looked like a silkworm cocooning itself.

“Jiao jiao.” A smile spread across Zhu Nanyu’s lips as he slowly approached the bedside. He hooked a leg over the edge of the mattress and leaned in close to the person whose face was half-hidden beneath the covers. His warm breath brushed against the tip of Jia Qiao’s ear. “Don’t pretend to be asleep.”

He knew better; before he had even stepped out of the bathroom, he had heard the restless sounds of Jia Qiao tossing and turning.

As the words fell, the figure hidden inside stirred.

Jia Qiao sluggishly pulled the quilt down a fraction, revealing those beautiful, clear eyes. He cast a glance at Zhu Nanyu, his gaze as soft as the spring sun, making one instinctively want to draw closer.

In truth, Jia Qiao hadn’t intended to fake sleep. He had simply lain down feeling drowsy, but no matter how many sheep he counted, sleep eluded him.

Logically, back when he was eighteen—at an age when he knew nothing of affection or desire—he had started sharing a bed with Zhu Nanyu and had never felt the slightest bit of shame.

Isn’t it just taking off your clothes and lying together?

Now that he was twenty-four, having matured in both body and experience, he should have been more composed.

Yet, when Jia Qiao closed his eyes and thought about Zhu Nanyu eventually lying down beside him, he felt a senseless sense of… confusion.

He tossed and turned, unsure if it was nervousness or irritation.

Hearing the water stop in the bathroom, he had hurriedly muffled his face with the quilt, though he couldn’t say what he was feeling guilty about.

It’s just Zhu Nanyu.

It’s not like we haven’t slept together before!!!

“Jiao jiao, if you…”

Zhu Nanyu reached out, intending to brush away Jia Qiao’s stray long hair.

Seeing him shrink back slightly, a flash of disappointment flickered in Zhu Nanyu’s eyes, and his voice dropped lower.

“I can spend the night in the study.”

Jia Qiao looked up at him, his brow furrowing slightly. “If you pull an all-nighter, who’s going to arrange tomorrow morning’s work? It’s too much trouble.”

Muttering under his breath, Jia Qiao rolled over with his quilt to make some space, his drooping eyelashes casting a small shadow.

“Hurry up and get in, it’s too cold here.”

“Okay.” The corners of Zhu Nanyu’s mouth curled up again. His suspended hand carefully tucked away the long hair scattered on the pillow before he lifted the quilt and gently slid in.

Actually lying next to Jia Qiao, he felt the other’s body tense for a fleeting moment before quickly relaxing.

The old house in late autumn was indeed cold and dry. Jia Qiao didn’t hesitate for long, following his instincts to move closer to Zhu Nanyu, snuggling into his warm embrace.

What was I so conflicted about just now?

He couldn’t be bothered to think about it anymore.

No one in the world knew except Zhu Nanyu that Jia Qiao was actually a very restless sleeper with all sorts of bad habits.

Ironically, he was a very light sleeper and demanded that the person next to him have no bad habits at all—not even making a sound while turning over.

Nestled in his arms, Jia Qiao shifted through several positions but remained unsatisfied.

He tilted his face up toward Zhu Nanyu, his sleepy eyes hiding a hint of indignation. He drawled out his accusation: “I want to sleep!”

Facing the glare, Zhu Nanyu looked entirely innocent, his voice even carrying a touch of grievance. “Jiao jiao, I didn’t do anything.”

Heaven was his witness; even with Jia Qiao smelling so fragrant, his soft waist arching and wiggling in his arms, testing the very limits of Zhu Nanyu’s humanity.

Considering their current situation and Jia Qiao’s physical state, Zhu Nanyu had endured it, merely extending his arm for him to use as a pillow with restraint, devoid of any untoward movements. He was practically reciting the “Mantra of Heart-Clearing” in his head.

But Jia Qiao was still dissatisfied, his frown deepening as he complained in a low, displeased whisper, “Your heartbeat… is bothering me.”

“Sorry.”

Zhu Nanyu lowered his head, pressing a soft kiss into Jia Qiao’s hair.

“That’s the one thing I can’t control.”

“Chairman Qie, good morning.”

In the early morning, employees who arrived a few minutes early greeted Jia Qiao with refreshed spirits.

“Good morning.” Jia Qiao responded with a polite smile and a nod.

Every employee who saw him felt a sense of healing, as if the pain of the workday wasn’t so hard to bear.

Having entered the fourth quarter, large companies not only had to complete their annual KPIs but also had a mountain of summary work. Every employee was spinning like a top.

In years past, because Jia Qiao only wanted to maintain the status quo, the annual targets for the Qianhe Group were relatively relaxed.

To put it bluntly, everyone was slacking off.

Ever since their biggest industry rival, Rui ke, suddenly collapsed, and Jia Qiao—representing Qianhe—signed a massive overseas contract, everyone realized that making a comeback was truly exhausting.

The year-end workload was two to three times more than in previous years. Even after urgently hiring a batch of new employees, it was a struggle.

Even Jia Qiao, who had previously worked remotely, had been appearing at the company frequently to improve efficiency, essentially becoming a high-level corporate drone working nine-to-five.

Jia Qiao: [Resigned to fate.jpg]

Aside from management, ordinary employees were now able to see this “Big Boss” frequently in the office.

Over lunch and tea breaks, discussions about him gradually increased.

Since Jia Qiao had rarely shown his face before, he had been a mere symbol—an impression—within the company.

Some people, seeing Jia Qiao’s long-term inaction, had even made snide remarks, using negative labels like “puppet” or “trophy” to describe him.

Now, whenever Jia Qiao was mentioned, almost everyone respectfully called him “Chairman Qie,” and they would be happy for half the day just because they had spoken to him in the morning.

People seemed to be forgetting that until two months ago, Jia Qiao was only the “Acting” Chairman of Qianhe.

Regarding this issue, Jia Qiao had actually had a brief exchange with Zhu Nanyu.

After all, Zhu Nanyu couldn’t stay “dead” forever; he would eventually have to reclaim his identity and return to Qianhe Group.

Since that was the case, Jia Qiao felt there was no need for him to build authority in the company. The Chairman’s seat would ultimately be returned to Zhu Nanyu anyway.

To his surprise, Zhu Nanyu said, “Even if I return to the company, I will continue in my current role. There won’t be any changes.”

“?” Jia Qiao asked in confusion, “I stay as Chairman? Why?”

No matter how hard Jia Qiao worked, in terms of business capability, he was still eighteen streets behind Zhu Nanyu.

Rather than laboriously assisting from behind the scenes, it would surely be more efficient for Zhu Nanyu to manage the company himself.

Zhu Nanyu was busy processing documents and didn’t even look up as he said as a matter of course, “In any case, the majority of Qianhe Group’s shares have already been transferred to your name. If you don’t want to work, you can just hand everything over to me and hold a nominal title.”

“Will I be responsible for making decisions from now on?” Jia Qiao thought about his own work ability and sought confirmation from Zhu Nanyu. “Even if I mess the company up, it’s fine?”

Hearing this, Zhu Nanyu’s hand on the keyboard paused for a few seconds. He looked up at Jia Qiao and said with certainty, “You won’t.”

Jia Qiao retorted, “I’m not even sure myself, how can you be so certain?”

“If you were going to mess it up, Qianhe wouldn’t exist anymore.”

After Zhu Nanyu’s unannounced disappearance, the entire Qianhe Group had fallen into a state of chaos.

Without Jia Qiao’s rationality, calm, and meticulous sense of order, such a massive company could not have operated smoothly for four years.

Those who dismissed Jia Qiao as a puppet or a trophy clearly failed to realize: a leader who steps in during a crisis without a hint of panic provides an invaluable sense of stability to a company.

“Besides, you now know that the company has so many employees waiting for you to pay their salaries to support their families. You won’t mess it up.”

“…True.”

Since Jia Qiao started going to the school and the office, he had seen more and more of the lives of “ordinary people,” and he gradually understood how important a stable, long-term career was for survival in human society.

Qianhe Group had so many employees, and behind each one was a family.

If his actions caused them to lose their livelihoods, it seemed like a greater sin than his “killing everyone he saw” days in the Infinite Game.

“See,” Zhu Nanyu looked at him with a smile, “this is what we call a sense of responsibility.”

And so, Chairman Jia Qiao—whose sense of responsibility was perhaps a bit too strong—was diligently working every day.

Even if the work entrusted to him seemed a bit… strange?

“A magazine interview? What’s that?”

“It’s like this,” the secretary explained while flipping through documents, “there are many very influential and authoritative magazines in the financial world. They often invite renowned entrepreneurs for interviews and dialogues. The content is mainly about the company’s business philosophy and future development. As Qianhe Group is in the internet sector, management believes we should value this kind of influence.”

Jia Qiao nodded, roughly understanding that this was a task he had to accept. “I see. What exactly do I need to do for the interview?”

With Jia Qiao’s current knowledge base, he might not even understand the questions.

Qianhe’s dignity would be dragged through the mud by him.

“You don’t need to worry about that. Before the interview starts, the company will coordinate with the magazine to determine the general content and then write a detailed speech for you. It’s just…” The assistant looked hesitant and lowered their voice. “The magazine specifically requested that you take photos for the cover and internal spreads.”

A financial magazine is still a magazine, and it needs both text and images.

Past photos in financial magazines usually featured Wall Street, the opening of the stock market, or CBD areas filled with skyscrapers.

Using an entrepreneur’s portrait as a cover happened, of course, but those photos were mostly serious, cold, and filled with an elite atmosphere. The background was usually an office or a grand, imposing corporate building.

But this time, the photography request from the magazine for Qianhe was—

To shoot a “fashion spread” for Jia Qiao.

They had specifically hired the most professional photographer, rented a fully equipped studio, employed a styling team that worked with top-tier superstars, and borrowed the latest and upcoming collections from international luxury brands—all just to take a few photos of Jia Qiao.

It wasn’t that the magazine was being “thirsty” for no reason; it was because Jia Qiao’s popularity was so high that the major fashion magazines were itching with envy.

Unfortunately, Jia Qiao was a respectable entrepreneur with no connection to the entertainment industry, so they had no excuse to invite him for a shoot.

Currently, it was Qianhe’s busiest time. Asking Jia Qiao to livestream, go on variety shows, or walk red carpets just to get a promotional photo was clearly unrealistic.

Seeing all that massive traffic about to slip away, the financial magazine decided to take a gamble—placing Jia Qiao’s photo in the center spot between Wall Street and the Oriental Pearl, determined to bask in the glow of his top-tier fame.

Now everything was ready, waiting only for Jia Qiao to nod.

The financial reporter who made the proposal was so nervous their palms were sweating, their legs shaking uncontrollably.

After what felt like a century, the secretary finally pushed open the door to the lounge.

“How is it?” The reporter hurried over. “Did Chairman Qie agree? If a fashion spread is too much, just let us take a few…”

The secretary replied, “He agreed.”

“…Even a few lifestyle photos would do.” The reporter was about to settle for less when they suddenly processed the answer. Their mouth dropped open in shock. “Chairman Qie agreed?”

“Yes, he agreed.” The secretary nodded.

“Are there no conditions? No restrictions on the shoot? Like certain parts not being allowed to be photographed?”

“None. Chairman Qie agreed directly. Actually, as long as it’s a reasonable request, our Chairman Qie is very easy to talk to.” The secretary smiled. “We’re looking forward to your shoot. Make sure to capture our Chairman Qie beautifully.”

“Of course!” The financial reporter puffed out their chest and said solemnly, “I swear on my life, I will absolutely do justice to Chairman Qie’s beauty.”

“It’s not that serious…” Seeing the reporter’s solemn face, the secretary didn’t have the heart to tell them:

After hearing the magazine’s additional request, Jia Qiao hadn’t even blinked before saying “okay.”

Compared to answering those profound and rigid questions, taking photos was much easier.

Jia Qiao couldn’t understand why the photography was considered an “additional condition.”

Couldn’t I just take the photos and let Zhu Nanyu answer the interview questions?

The day of the interview arrived in the blink of an eye.

Fortunately, the employees in charge at Qianhe were very capable; the script was comprehensive, and the interview portion went smoothly.

The rest of the day was dedicated to the magazine shoot.

The Editor-in-Chief invited Jia Qiao into the pre-arranged studio and was just about to introduce the international photographer they had specially hired.

However, upon seeing Jia Qiao, the photographer’s expression became complicated. He scratched his head and said, “Mr. Qie, we meet again. I’m really sorry about what happened last time.”

Jia Qiao stared at him for a moment before recognizing him as the photographer who had taken his wedding photos.

Last time, the photographer had been abroad. Jia Qiao had gone to his place to pick up the wedding photos and was kidnapped right after leaving.

“I shouldn’t have bought a studio in such a remote place just to save money,” the photographer reflected deeply.

“Oh, that’s in the past.” Jia Qiao looked at the camera in his hand. “Are you the one shooting me?”

“Yes.” The photographer puffed out his chest proudly. “When I heard the subject was Mr. Qie, I dropped everything and rushed back. Please rest assured, there is no one in this industry who can capture your beauty better than me!”

Jia Qiao gave him a faint glance. “I wasn’t worried to begin with.”

After all, beauty was an objective reality.

“…” The photographer was speechless.

By comparison, Jia Qiao looked more like he was “forced to work” than he was.

Truly, after working for a while, even a celestial being would pick up the “scent of the corporate grind.”

While the photographer was greeting them, the styling team was at a loss, looking at Jia Qiao’s face and not knowing where to start.

Usually, a styling team’s main job is to hide an artist’s flaws and make them look good on camera.

But on that face of Jia Qiao’s, where were the flaws that needed hiding?

They were terrified that one wrong move would actually create a flaw on him, so they hesitated to act.

Just as the styling team was in the middle of a heated discussion, a person wearing a baseball cap walked into the studio. The brim was pulled low, obscuring their face.

He strode over to the stylists and said in a low voice, “I am Mr. Jia Qiao’s private stylist. What general effect are you looking for? I will handle his hair and makeup.”

“A private stylist? You must be very famous! This is a huge help.”

“It’s like this: the magazine wants two sets of photos. One is more daily and homey to create a sense of closeness. The other is to strike hard with his beauty—the ethereal, ‘fallen from the stars’ kind. Can you handle that?”

“Of course.” He got a general sense of the situation and turned to walk toward Jia Qiao.

The styling team breathed a sigh of relief, following the “private stylist” to assist. They thought to themselves, This guy has a pretty good voice, it’s a waste he’s not a singer.

Jia Qiao sat in front of the vanity, facing the bottles and jars like a doll waiting to be handled.

He had had his makeup done once when he got married and knew how troublesome the whole process was.

But that time, it seemed to be…

As he was reminiscing, he looked up and saw a familiar figure walking up behind him.

“Why is it you again?”

Jia Qiao had just remembered that back when they took the wedding photos, it was Zhu Nanyu who had handled his hair and makeup.

Because he had been so excited—insisting on making his wife the most beautiful person in the universe—the process had been particularly tedious, nearly making Jia Qiao fall asleep several times.

“Did you think…”

Zhu Nanyu’s voice was very low, audible only to Jia Qiao:

“I would let anyone else have the chance to touch you? Jiao jiao.”

Jia Qiao: …

Is he actually some kind of male ghost?