Morning Perks

Tang Mianmian had just closed her eyes, feeling drowsy and uninterested in anything, when the door creaked open again.

She squinted slightly and saw Long Yejue entering.

He was carrying a laptop, its screen brightness turned down low. The warm light of the room added a softness to his typically sharp features.

His every movement was gentle, careful not to disturb her as he sat down on the sofa and joined a video conference.

With earphones on, he kept his voice to a minimum.

"You can begin your reports—I'm listening."

His voice was firm and commanding.

Tang Mianmian's heart stirred. Through her half-closed eyes, she caught a glimpse of the screen. On it were rows of seated figures—his department heads.

That… looked like a full company meeting.

They were still at the office this late?

Had Long Yejue really postponed the meeting just to rush home, and only now resumed it once he was sure she was okay?

Judging by the miserable expressions on the managers' faces, that seemed to be exactly the case.

The warmth in her heart expanded. Her nose tingled with a trace of emotion.

This man—always so cold on the outside—somehow managed to convey deep tenderness through the smallest actions.

Listening to his composed, methodical analysis, she felt so content, so safe, that she drifted off to sleep like a baby being lulled by the most soothing lullaby.

And in her dreams, everything was warm and beautiful.

—

The next morning, Tang Mianmian woke first.

After such a busy night of meetings and taking care of her, the man beside her was sleeping deeply.

She remembered his warning: Never mess with a man in the morning.

But then she remembered she was on her period—so she boldly ignored that advice.

With playful mischief, she traced her finger lightly across his face.

From his defined brows that arched into his temples, down to his closed eyes—lashes long, thick, and almost absurdly curled, like the delicate wings of a fan.

She felt a surge of jealousy in her heart.

How could a man have lashes this pretty?

Come to think of it, aside from his tall, powerful physique, Long Yejue had some shockingly androgynous features.

Put him in a wig and some makeup, and he'd be an absolute knockout.

Tsk tsk... The envy, the jealousy, the bitter injustice!

Tang Mianmian leaned in and placed a soft kiss on his eyelid, then tapped his nose, and finally... hovered near those dangerously seductive lips.

Men with thin lips are said to be heartless.

She wasn't sure if that was true—but at least now, she didn't feel any of that heartlessness.

If anything, she remembered something far more vivid…

Those lips, during a kiss, were extremely pleasant to taste.

A gulp escaped her throat, and her cheeks flushed bright red.

What the heck was she even thinking?

How could her brain go there?

And yet, she just couldn't help herself.

Every time she was near this man, something inside her felt completely out of control.

Was this what they meant by "bewitched by beauty"?

Red-faced, she turned to escape to the bathroom to clear her head—but before she could move, a strong arm wrapped around her waist, yanking her back into his chest.

Her gasp had barely left her mouth when his lips captured hers in a firm, precise kiss.

It was perfect. Seamless.

She only struggled for a moment before giving in completely.

When his eyes opened, still heavy with sleep but glinting with heat, he looked at the flustered, pink-cheeked woman in his arms.

Her innocent mischief was the most dangerous kind of temptation.

Every little move she made tested the limits of his control.

He had restrained himself with all his might, and yet—she kept provoking him.

It wouldn't be right if he didn't collect at least a bit of "interest."

After the kiss, both were breathless.

Tang Mianmian could clearly feel the… change in him. Her face burned, and she couldn't even form words.

Long Yejue gave a lazy smile. "Morning, my delicious little wife."

"M-morning…"

She strongly suspected he'd been awake the whole time, letting her explore him freely.

"The next time you want to give me a morning surprise," he murmured with a dangerous smirk, "can you give me a little warning? I might not be able to hold back."

Tang Mianmian bit her lip.

Excuse me, sir, but wasn't it me who couldn't hold back just now?!

He leaned in for one last nip on her lips before reluctantly letting her go and heading to the bathroom.

Clearly going to cool down.

As his warmth left, the morning chill crept in, making her shrink back into the covers and wrap herself up tightly.

She couldn't help but sneak a glance toward the bathroom door.

She didn't know when it had started, but somehow… her eyes were always drawn to that man.

That change had crept in quietly.

And strangely, it made her a little happy.

—

When Long Yejue came out of the shower, he was shivering slightly. He dropped himself back into bed, still damp. "Cold showers in this season are brutal…"

Tang Mianmian stared at him in disbelief. "You took a cold shower? Why?"

Had he lost his mind?

He gave her a pitiful look, eyes full of dramatic grievance. "Because someone was being recklessly seductive."

Tang Mianmian immediately played dead.

He spelled it out so clearly—even she couldn't pretend not to understand.

Biting her lip, she threw off the covers. "Well… I'm warm. I can warm you up."

"That kind of 'warming up' will only have me needing another cold shower."

"…"

Can't a girl show some care without being misunderstood?!

Men. Their minds were always in the gutter.

—

By the time the two of them arrived at Huayuan for breakfast—back to their usual, intimate selves—everyone who had been worried finally relaxed.

Long Zhenfei looked at Tang Mianmian with concern. "If you're still not feeling well, don't worry about coming here. Uncle Xu can bring your breakfast over."

The warmth in his tone made Tang Mianmian's heart feel full again.

"Grandpa, I'm fine now," Tang Mianmian said softly, a gentle smile curving her lips.

"Just saying you're fine isn't enough—you gave us all quite the scare yesterday. Especially Jue—his face looked like he was ready to devour someone," Long Zhenfei teased half-jokingly.

Tang Mianmian blushed and cast a glance at the man beside her.

He was, as usual, expressionless in front of others. A far cry from the private version of him that only she knew.

Across the table, Long Ruoshui was unusually quiet and seemed a little guilty. Rather than challenging Tang Mianmian like she usually would, she kept busy piling fruit salad into Su Wanru's plate. "Wanru, this is your favorite, isn't it? Eat more."

Only then did Tang Mianmian notice Su Wanru sitting next to Long Ruoshui.

They had met briefly before, and the image of her speaking with Long Yejue flashed through Tang Mianmian's mind—making her suddenly lose all taste for the soy milk she was drinking.

A woman's sixth sense told her clearly: Su Wanru definitely had feelings for Long Yejue.

And judging by Long Ruoshui's enthusiasm, she was clearly rooting for her.

But the other members of the Long family didn't show much interest—seemed like Ruoshui was acting alone on this.

With a man like Long Yejue, it was inevitable he'd attract plenty of women.

Tang Mianmian sighed inwardly. It looked like she was going to face plenty of romantic rivals.

She ate her breakfast silently.

Then Long Ruoshui said, "Grandpa, I asked Wanru to come stay with me for a few days. Ever since the kidnapping, I've been terrified at night. Last night, having her with me finally let me get some proper sleep."

Long Zhenfei didn't object, only replied, "Just make sure you follow the house rules. And from now on, eat at the guest table."

Everyone knew what "the guest table" meant.

Su Wanru's hand trembled slightly as she held her spoon, her eyes dimming. She snuck a glance at Long Yejue, only to find he was carefully pouring milk and passing pastries to Tang Mianmian.

He didn't spare her even a glance.

Her heart sank. Quietly, she nodded. "I understand."

Long Ruoshui looked a bit uncomfortable but dared not say anything more.

If Grandpa decided not to let Su Wanru stay, then all her plans would go to waste.

—

After breakfast, just as the family remained gathered around the table, Long Yejue suddenly stood and swept his cold gaze across the group.

"Yesterday, Mianmian came to Huayuan to visit Grandpa, but had no car on her way back. What happened?"

Tang Mianmian, who had been relaxed until now, tensed immediately.

His cold expression looked like he was about to interrogate someone. She hadn't mentioned anything about it to him—so how did he find out?

Xu Quan stepped forward quickly, bowing apologetically. "Young Master, I'm sorry. I didn't consider things thoroughly. I did see Young Madam drive out yesterday morning, which is why I went back to work."

Tang Mianmian tugged gently on Long Yejue's sleeve. "It was my own matter—"

But he didn't even glance at her. His expression remained cold as he continued, "If she drove off, then why did she end up fainting halfway back?"

Old Master Long's face had darkened as well, clearly supporting Yejue's questioning.

Long Ruoshui was silent, guilt all over her face, but her heart was full of hatred toward Tang Mianmian.

This woman must have tattled!

Otherwise, why would her brother be making such a scene?

If he found out she had taken the car on purpose and left Tang Mianmian to walk in her condition, he'd definitely scold her.

And Grandpa, who clearly favored Tang Mianmian, wouldn't let it slide either.

She was already thinking of how to slip away quietly when Long Yejue's gaze finally landed on her.

"I checked the surveillance footage—someone took the car halfway through the route."

Long Ruoshui panicked. "Brother! How can you say that? I just borrowed the car from my sister-in-law for a bit!"

Surveillance?

Sure, there were cameras… but she didn't think he'd actually check them.

He must've been told by Tang Mianmian!

She shot her a venomous glare, lips pouting in a pitiful expression. "I was walking in the garden and got too tired. My injury was hurting too, so I asked her to borrow the car. How could you call it stealing? The car belongs to the Long family, and I'm a Long—saying I stole it is too much!"

Long Yecheng, nearby, spoke coldly, "The location you took the car was near Jinyuan—farthest from Nianyuan. If you were just walking, you could've easily walked home."

"You're just being biased!" Long Ruoshui, as proud as she was, couldn't hold back the tears. "Mom, look at him! How can he talk to me like this?"

Zhu Wenyi, of course, took her daughter's side. Her face hardened. "Enough! She's fine now—what's the point of digging this up in front of everyone? Over a car, you'd lecture your own sister like this?"

"Yes, please stop," Tang Mianmian chimed in, pulling on his hand, pleading.

His expression was dark enough to frighten anyone. She was afraid people would think she was the one who told on Ruoshui.

With so many people watching—so many pairs of eyes and ears—it wasn't good to leave behind any room for gossip.

Long Yejue looked at the woman beside him—her soft, pleading eyes. His heart softened, and the coldness in his eyes slowly faded.

He sighed lightly, then said with a hint of helplessness, "She's my wife. If I'm not biased toward her, who else should I be biased toward?"