The noise downstairs seemed to have gradually subsided.
Tang Xiaohua lowered her head for a glance and saw that on the large bed, Zhuo Ting, bare, had a messy blanket casually draped over his and Song Xiangqiao’s lower bodies.
He was leaning there, catching his breath.
Zhuo Ting was a very disciplined man, also well aware of the principle that health is the capital of the revolution; at fifty, he appeared to have a rather impressive physical condition.
His chest muscles weren’t particularly prominent, but they were superior compared to many younger men.
Song Xiangqiao was leaning in his embrace, one arm around him, the other caressing his chest.
Her skin was truly creamy and flawless, like white jade without blemish.
After resting a bit, Zhuo Ting stood up and went to the bathroom to clean himself.
Song Xiangqiao still lay on the bed; she opened the drawer of the bedside table, took out a box of pills, and swallowed one with some cool water from beside her.
Then, bare-skinned, she headed to another bathroom.
Taking the opportunity, Tang Xiaohua climbed down from the roof, jumped onto the balcony of the master bedroom, and slipped into the master bedroom through the half-opened window.
Water could be heard from both bathrooms.
Tang Xiaohua naturally intended to head toward Song Xiangqiao’s side, but just then, the sound of water from Zhuo Ting’s side stopped, followed by the sound of a door opening.
Tang Xiaohua didn’t rush, but sidestepped and hid behind the storage rack, inside the thick curtains of the floor-to-ceiling window.
Zhuo Ting had a towel tied around his waist, drying his upper body and hair that was mixed with silver strands.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, he glanced at the box of pills on the bedside table, then shifted his gaze back.
After her shower, Song Xiangqiao came out wearing clean house clothes.
Her hair was half-dried, and she was applying essential oil to her hair.
Seeing Zhuo Ting sitting on the bed’s edge, she walked over and started to rub the remaining oil into Zhuo Ting’s hair. "Husband, does it smell good?"
She said with a coquettish smile.
"No matter how much you rub, the gray hair won’t turn black."
Zhuo Ting wrapped his arms around her waist and lightly rested his head on her stomach. "Xiao Qiao, we’re already married. How long do you plan on taking this medicine?"
His intimate gesture was underlined by a cold question.
The hand Song Xiangqiao had slipped through his hair stiffened slightly; she looked at the box of birth control on the bedside table.
"Husband, do you want a child now?"
"I’m already fifty years old; in a few years, it might be difficult to say whether I’d still be capable."
Zhuo Ting had children; his previous two wives had each given him a daughter.
But Zhuo Ting had his heart set on having a son.
All of this, Song Xiangqiao knew.
Zhuo Ting had parted ways with his two ex-wives on bad terms, and his daughters weren’t close to him; he only visited them when he needed to craft his public image.
In the public eye, it isn’t fearful for the President to divorce, but what is scary is not taking responsibility afterward.
"What you’re saying... I think with your capabilities, you could still have children at seventy."
Song Xiangqiao flattered him.
However, Zhuo Ting wasn’t charmed by such flattery. He looked up into her eyes. "Do you plan to wait until I’m seventy to bear me a child?"
His inquiry was devoid of jest, not only lacking in humor but also carrying a hint of warning.
Song Xiangqiao quickly replied as she sidled onto Zhuo Ting’s lap. "I just felt... we’ve just gotten married, can’t we enjoy our couple’s world for this year?"
"Xiao Qiao, you even grew up smart."
Zhuo Ting’s chin rested on her shoulder as he spoke softly, his tone filled with significant meaning.
Song Xiangqiao grasped his somewhat restless hand. "Then... Your Excellency, would you be willing to listen to me and have children next year?"
"No," Zhuo Ting said firmly.
Song Xiangqiao’s enchanting and pleasing face instantly stiffened at the corners of her eyes and brows.
"If you’re not willing, I’ll find someone else to bear my child."
Zhuo Ting caressed her chin, his deep-set eyes showing a doting smile, but the words he uttered were incredibly cruel.
"However... I believe you won’t be unwilling."
Their gazes locked; under Song Xiangqiao’s direct stare, Zhuo Ting tossed the box of birth control pills from the nightstand into the nearby trashcan.
Song Xiangqiao couldn’t utter a word.
Zhuo Ting glanced at the time, then pushed Song Xiangqiao off his lap, gesturing for her to sit on the bed.
He then stood up and walked toward the dressing room, speaking to Song Xiangqiao,
"You said you wanted the ultimate power and status, which I’ve given you. As for me, I only want you to bear me a child, a boy to be specific. Xiao Qiao, do you know what the biggest advantage is between an older husband and a younger wife?"
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Song Xiangqiao’s face went from pale to flushed, her hand clutching the bedsheet so tightly that it wrinkled into a ball.
"At my age, a man knows exactly what a woman wants. How to cherish her, love her, and how to make her feel pleasure in bed..."
"Of course, there are drawbacks as well."
His voice carried from the dressing room, neither loud nor soft, clearly heard throughout the spacious master bedroom.
"That is, being too straightforward with everything, time grows ever more scarce, unwilling to waste much of it on the same woman. Being as clever as you, you must understand this principle."
At that moment, Tang Xiaohua, hidden behind the thick curtains, looked at the slender figure sitting on the bed and couldn’t help feeling that Song Xiangqiao was truly... pitiable.
"It’s about time. Hurry up and get dressed."
Tang Xiaohua quickly glanced at her watch—it was almost ten o’clock. What else could this couple possibly have planned at this hour?
Song Xiangqiao also stood up to dress.
Tang Xiaohua furrowed her brows unconsciously, her confusion growing just as a knock sounded on the bedroom door.
Zhuo Ting emerged from the dressing room in a casual home outfit, not something formal.
Song Xiangqiao, on the other hand, put on a bra and did not change out of her loungewear, only adding a touch of light makeup to her face.
Zhuo Ting said and then seated himself on a sofa to the side.
Song Xiangqiao also took a seat next to him. The adjacent hall was quite far from Tang Xiaohua’s hiding place, and the voices of Zhuo Ting and Song Xiangqiao suddenly grew fainter.
The door swung open to reveal a young man dressed in black, who respectfully greeted the Vice President and Song Xiangqiao,
"Your Excellency, Madam, the person has been brought here, shall we bring him in now?"
The person has been brought here?
Tang Xiaohua heard this statement, her heart skipping a beat with the thought—could it be...?
That speculation shot through her mind in less than a second before two individuals escorted in a boy about one meter three in height.
Through the sheer curtains, Tang Xiaohua could see clearly—It was Tang Xiaocao!
Tang Xiaohua clenched her fists.
She had actually brought Xiaocao to Anlin!
Not only that, Vice President Zhuo Ting... was in on it too...