Lixue blinked at Mo Ran, her mind still halfway on the call she’d just had. She glanced at the perfectly prepared breakfast on the table—scrambled eggs, toast, and a bowl of congee with pickled vegetables. Simple but comforting.
"I guess I am surprised," she admitted, pulling out a chair to sit across from him. "I didn’t expect... this."
Mo Ran chuckled, setting down his coffee. "You make me sound like some helpless aristocrat. I lived alone for a long time before we got married, you know. A man learns to fend for himself."
She tilted her head, giving him a teasing look. "I thought you’d have an army of chefs for that."
"Sometimes, you don’t want an army of people in your space," he said casually, leaning back in his chair. His eyes, however, studied her intently. "You look like you’re buzzing with something. What happened?"
Lixue hesitated, the excitement from earlier bubbling under the surface. She bit her lip, unsure if she should share the news with him. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him—she just didn’t know how he’d react to her career aspirations.
"It’s nothing," she said quickly, trying to steer the conversation away. "Just some work stuff."
Mo Ran raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced. "Work stuff? You’ve been pacing around like a kid who just found out they’re getting a puppy. Spill."
Lixue glanced at her hands, her fingers fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve. Finally, she sighed. "Alright. I got a call from my... manager. They want me to perform as the opening act for a fashion show."
Mo Ran’s expression didn’t change immediately, but his eyes darkened slightly with curiosity. "Manager?"
She realized her slip and quickly clarified, "I mean, he’s kind of like a mentor. He’s been helping me with some... creative projects."
Mo Ran hummed, leaning forward and resting his arms on the table. "And this fashion show? What are you supposed to do?"
"Sing a song to open the event," she said, her excitement returning despite her nervousness. "It’s such a big opportunity, but it’s also terrifying."
His gaze softened as he studied her. "Terrifying? Why? You’re talented, aren’t you?"
Lixue blinked at him, surprised by the matter-of-fact way he said it. "I—well, I don’t know. I haven’t really performed in front of a large audience before. This is all so new to me."
Mo Ran smirked faintly. "Everyone gets nervous before something big. It just means you care about it."
Her cheeks flushed at the unexpected encouragement. "You think so?"
"Of course." He stood, walking over to pour her a cup of tea. Setting it in front of her, he added, "But if you’re this excited, it’s clearly something you want. So, go for it."
Lixue stared at him, a small smile tugging at her lips. It was rare for them to have a conversation like this—easy, supportive, almost normal.
"Thank you," she said softly, taking the tea.
"Don’t thank me yet," Mo Ran replied, his smirk returning. "You’ll owe me a private performance once you’ve decided on your song."
Lixue rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide her grin. "We’ll see about that."
As she sipped her tea, she couldn’t help but feel a little lighter.
The rest of the morning passed in a quiet buzz of activity. Lixue sat at the dining table, staring at her phone and jotting down potential song ideas on a notepad. Every few minutes, she’d hum a melody or tap her pen against the table, her mind racing with possibilities.
Mo Ran stayed in the kitchen, cleaning up after breakfast, occasionally glancing in her direction. She was different today—more animated, her usual guarded demeanor replaced with a spark of excitement.
"You’re overthinking it," he said suddenly, breaking the silence.
Lixue looked up, startled. "What?"
"The song," he said, drying his hands on a towel. "You’re making it more complicated than it needs to be."
She frowned. "It’s not that simple. This performance could set the tone for my career. It has to be perfect."
Mo Ran walked over and leaned against the table, crossing his arms. "You said the theme is elegance and transformation, right? Then pick something that feels natural to you—something that reflects who you are."
Lixue stared at him, his words sinking in. It wasn’t bad advice, she realized.
"Maybe you should be my manager," she joked lightly, trying to mask the fact that his input actually meant a lot to her.
Mo Ran smirked. "I already manage an empire. How much do you think my salary as your manager would be?."
"..."
She shook her head, returning her focus to her notepad. "Surely master Mo’s services should be free for his wife? Still, thanks for the advice."
He didn’t respond right away, just watched her for a moment before standing straight. "I do give free bedroom services, if that what madam Mo is interested.." he said, his tone softer as a smirk appeared on his lips.
Lixue blushed as she turned and focused on her phone, he was getting more shameless by the minute.
Just then she received a message from Red.
{Sister YL, would you be interested in joining the girls and I for shopping? It’s totally okay if you’re busy, we know about your new gig! Congratulations!}
Lixue smiled, she liked Red, she was energetic and had this warm aura around her.
{Sure what time, I’ll be there}
Red quickly read the message as soon as sent it.
{It’s already 11am, can you meet us at Chang’an mall? We’re heading there now..}
Lixue looked at the time, it was 11:01, she meant she had to get her butt out of the chair.
She closed the notepad, going out will enlighten her maybe..
"Tired?" Mo Ran asked as he adjusted his tie, he had to head to country C briefly, he needed to see their situation in the flesh.
"No I’m heading to the mall with some friends.."
"..."
"You have friends?"
"...!!!"
"What do you take me for?!"
"I always thought you were a loner..pfft! Haha alright, the clothes I ordered should be here, you can’t go in my clothes, it’s for my eyes only.."
"..."
Lixue blushed, now remembering she was wearing Mo Ran’s shirt.