Chapter 12: On a Business Trip for Half a Month, Please Help Me Feed the Dog

The alarm rang promptly at 7:30 the next morning. Xu Tanxi awoke in the soft, misty light, a leg stretched out from under the covers, her skin as smooth and pale as white jade.

She had gotten up earlier than usual today because there was an important meeting at the theater she needed to attend.

After tidying herself, she stepped out of the bedroom, about to go downstairs, when an inexplicable impulse made her pause and glance toward the adjacent room.

The door was closed; Shang Hejing was probably still asleep.

She went downstairs and headed toward the central kitchen island. For years, it had been her habit to drink a glass of water on an empty stomach first thing each morning. As she poured the water, she noticed a note beneath the cup with a line of writing.

“On a business trip for half a month. Please feed the King for me. Dog food is on the second shelf of the balcony cabinet.”

So Shang Hejing had already left. She had thought he was still in bed.

His handwriting matched his personality perfectly—somewhat arrogant, somewhat wild.

The strokes were bold and energetic, yet not chaotic; there was a certain grace and strength in the characters, the ink even faintly bleeding through the paper.

At the sound of movement, the King trotted over to Xu Tanxi, looking up at her.

Her slight fear of the dog had completely vanished the moment she received the pajamas last night. She reached out and stroked its head.

“You’re quite carefree as a master, leaving just a note and taking off. This is our first meeting, yet he trusts me.”

This man was truly strange. Tang Garden clearly had servants; feeding the King shouldn’t have fallen to her.

But the King had become an obedient companion here, much more charming than its owner. Considering the pajamas from last night, Xu Tanxi was actually happy to help feed it.

She went to the balcony cabinet, took out the dog food, and as she turned, she noticed a large black gift box placed on the floor across the balcony.

The box bore faint dark patterns that resembled fireworks. Curious, Xu Tanxi approached for a closer look and discovered that at the peak of each exploding firework was a very pale pink heart.

Such a feminine gift box, appearing in the marital home she shared with Shang Hejing?

Xu Tanxi pondered for a moment, then looked around the living room. Could a woman have been here? Another woman?

After much consideration, she concluded it was the only possibility. She sneered quietly but had no interest in snooping.

The term “business marriage” did not contain a single word related to love. When she had agreed to this union a year ago at the behest of her adoptive parents, she was taught a concept.

A business marriage was essentially a political alliance between two families under the guise of matrimony. Who married whom was irrelevant; what mattered were the exchanges of resources behind the families.

Wrapped in these cold, harsh realities, Xu Tanxi felt her lingering displeasure dissipate slightly.

Living in this circle, and as an adopted daughter, even if she did not marry Shang Hejing, she would ultimately become part of another arranged marriage.

As for Shang Hejing, his fate might be similar but with a crucial difference: as the one in power, even in a political marriage, he would have more choice, whereas Xu Tanxi had none.

What did having no choice mean? It was like working a job with no options.

So she might as well regard this marriage as a job, with her position being “wife of Shang Hejing.” Thinking this way, Xu Tanxi felt her perspective had reached the next level.

Thus, when she looked back at the black gift box, the last bit of resentment in her heart completely vanished.

After feeding the King, she left Tang Garden and took a taxi to the theater.

The National Song and Dance Theater’s main building was a ten-story standalone structure located on the East Road of the South Third Ring in Jing City. Due to the morning rush hour, there was some traffic as she neared her destination.

Today was the appointment ceremony for the theater’s Art Committee and a special creative meeting. Several cars were parked at the entrance, with security maintaining order.

Several relevant leaders had arrived. Representatives from the theater’s artists, related departments, and actors were all to attend.

As the theater’s lead actress, Xu Tanxi naturally served as the actor representative, alongside a colleague from the symphony orchestra who played the cello.

After changing her clothes and sitting down at the venue, she received a WeChat message from Meng Qianyi: “Did anything happen last night?”

Xu Tanxi replied: “Nothing happened, everything’s normal.”

“Then I’m relieved.”

“But there’s a little regret.”

“What regret?”

Qianyi: “Regret for you. You didn’t sleep with Shang Hejing last night—he’s a true catch~”

“...”

Xu Tanxi’s feelings were complicated upon seeing the phrase “true catch” because the shock she felt when she first saw Shang Hejing at the family banquet had yet to fade.

“No more sleeping together. Never again. Not even a little.”

“Alright, whether or not you sleep with him is a matter for later. First, let’s discuss whether you want to celebrate your birthday. I was going to ask you last night, but you were whisked away by your husband.”

Xu Tanxi was about to reply when her phone rang—a call from “True Catch.”

“...”

What fate, what curse?

She answered: “Hello.”

“Has the King been fed?”

“Yes.”

Shang Hejing said, “Thank you.”

Xu Tanxi felt inexplicably puzzled. “You called just to say thank you?”

“Of course not. Saying thank you is just a side note. I’m calling to wish you a happy birthday. The gift is on the balcony on the first floor—remember to open it.”

Xu Tanxi was stunned. “What birthday gift?”

“The black box on the balcony. You should have seen it when you took the dog food.”

That black gift box was his birthday present to her? Was he joking?

“Shang Hejing, what do you mean?”

“Literally what I said. Is there any word there that’s not Chinese?”

At the family banquet, she thought he was just saying things casually to appease the elders—but now he was serious.

It had to be a trick. There had to be a trick.

Recalling the patterns on the black box, a wild thought crossed Xu Tanxi’s mind.

“Mr. President, you wouldn’t have put a bomb inside, would you? One that explodes the moment you open it?”

She knew the idea was ridiculous, but if anyone could pull that off, it was Shang Hejing.

The man on the other end of the line replied with a teasing tone, “Chief Xu, I know your dancing skills are excellent, but I didn’t expect your imagination to be so vivid. If I really wanted to harm you, wouldn’t it have been easier to just have the King bite you the moment you walked in last night?”

Xu Tanxi considered this and thought he made a good point.

At that moment, people were gradually entering the main hall, and the deputy director was already on stage preparing his speech. The venue fell silent.

Covering the phone and lowering her voice, Xu Tanxi said, “Alright, I can’t talk now. I have a meeting. I’ll open the gift when I get home tonight.”

With that, she hung up.

Far away in Harbor City, Shang Hejing frowned as he listened to the call end. After putting down his phone, his gaze fell on the beautiful Victoria Harbor opposite him.

He thought sourly: Couldn’t even say thank you—this woman really has no manners.