Chapter 777   - Point of No Return (1)

Zhang Jiren and Li Meili were left alone in their villa. But, since they were clear that they were both off-limits, the two decided to use the time to relax after weeks of being exhausted looking after Leyan.

"Ah! Finally! I can take a decent bath tonight! I wouldn't have to worry about Leyan and can soak in the tub taking my sweet time," Li Meili announced, stretching her arms above her head as she tried to plan what else to do that night.

Zhang Jiren smiled and buried his right hand in the side pocket of his pants, watching his wife think of the things she wanted to do now that she was given a break for the night.

"What about you? What do you plan to do tonight?" he heard her ask.

He blinked and pondered about it for a moment before shaking his head.

"I will just finish some work before going to bed early," he told her.

"Work?" Li Meili frowned at him. "Don't you have other things to do except work? Gosh. You are worse than Moyu. At least Moyu allows herself to relax once in a while."

Zhang Jiren smiled at that. Couldn't Li Meili tell that he and his twin sister had a lot in common? He wondered how long would it take for her to realize that he was related to the empress— or would it even cross her mind?

"I'm just trying to secure the future, Meili. You know when I was younger, I was lucky if I could get a slice of bread for dinner. I don't want you or Leyan to suffer the same thing. I know you and your family can provide well for the two of you, but as your husband, I want to give you the best I could."

Li Meili shut her mouth, not knowing what to say in return. She knew that Zhang Jiren's past wasn't good, considering his illegitimate status in the Zhang family.? But she had never thought that he suffered to that extent that he needed to fight with other children to get something to eat.

"I understand," she said after a long silence between them. "I just thought that you also deserve a break from acting being Leyan's Daddy and could relax for the time being."

"Thank you, Meili, but I'm fine. Go and rest. I will be in my study to finish some work. You don't have to wait for me," Zhang Jiren assured her. He also wanted to correct her that he wasn't playing and posing as Leyan's daddy because he truly treated the girl as his daughter, but decided to hold back from saying it.

Li Meili turned and took the steps up the stairs, keeping her eyes on Zhang Jiren who remained standing in the living area, staring back at her with a smile on his face. This man… She couldn't understand him sometimes. Why was he willing to go to such an extent to take care of her and Leyan?

When she asked him to pretend as her husband, she initially thought that he would remain indifferent as he was. She never expected that he would be hands-on in taking care of her baby no matter how busy he was at work.

Just as Li Meili said, she took a long time bathing. She soaked in the tub for a long while, but still, she couldn't help but worry about her daughter. Although she trusted that her parents would take care of Leyan, this was actually the first time her daughter had been apart from her and Zhang Jiren.

When she returned to the master bedroom, Zhang Jiren was nowhere in sight, indicating that he was still in his study doing some work. After Li Meili dried her hair with the towel, she checked her email and saw that she received the confirmation about the awarding ceremony of the competition she participated in months ago.

She only had a week to prepare, and she hadn't thought of a decent model to use to present her entry. Li Meili remembered Zhang Jiren promising to accompany her for the event, but the rest of the preparations would be on her end.

Li Meili then remembered that Tang Moyu was acquainted with Luo Qingqing whose career suddenly flourished once Xing Yiyue's fame plummeted. Luo Qingqing was also Xiao Xing's brand ambassador.

Would it be too much to ask Tang Moyu's help this time to convince Luo Qingqing to work with her under short notice? She wondered.

She made a call and heard Little Star's voice instead of her best friend's.

"Auntie Mei, you miss Leyan, right? Don't worry. She'll be home early tomorrow," the little girl said, reassuringly.

Li Meili smiled at that. Little Star really knew what to say to make her feel better.

"Thanks, Baby. Is your mommy busy right now? Can I talk to her?" she asked.

"Ah, she should be back, Auntie Mei. She just helped Yu Gege change into his pajamas."

Just like the girl said, Tang Moyu appeared shortly and took her phone from her daughter.

"Meili? What is it? Don't tell me you're regretting letting Leyan go with you parents now?" Li Meili could hear the teasing in her best friend's tone. She pursed her lips but couldn't stop the smile that bloomed on her face.

Was it really that obvious that she was missing her daughter? Heck, not an hour had passed, and yet, she couldn't stop herself from glancing at the nursery room from time to time.

"It's not that, Moyu. I'm sure Dad and Mom would take care of her well. I just called to ask a favor."

"A favor?" Now, that really piqued Tang Moyu's attention. "What is it?"

If she could do something for Li Meili, then there's no way she wouldn't do it.

"Do you think you can give me Luo Qingqing or her manager's contact number?" Li Meili tested the waters. "You see the finals and awarding ceremony will be held in a week's time, and I needed someone to model my entry."

"Luo Qingqing?" Tang Moyu hummed and rubbed her chin. Lan Xiyan had easily accepted her offer due to the fact that her family looked after Lan Yunru whenever she was out of town for work.

"I'll give her a call first and see what she'll say about it."