86. Get One's Wires Crossed

The next morning, Dong Hua attended a meeting with Su Moye while Feng Jiu was busy preparing her presentation for the second round of the competition.


After the meeting ended at lunch-time, Dong Hua brought Feng Jiu out for lunch at a nearby Chinese Restaurant. It was the same restaurant where Feng Jiu saw the attacker stalking Dong Hua a few months ago. She silently thought to herself, "This brings back a lot of good and bad memories. If that incident didn't happen, Qingti wouldn't end up in a coma." Months have passed since then, but Feng Jiu still found it hard to forgive herself for what happened to Ye Qingti.


Dong Hua noticed Feng Jiu deep in her thoughts, and he asked her concernedly, "What's wrong, Xiao Bai? You don't like it here? We can go to another restaurant if you want to."


Feng Jiu frowned and shook her head gently. "No, it's not about that. I was just thinking about some stuff."


"Tell me what's wrong." Dong Hua replied worriedly. Feng Jiu pondered for a while, "Should I tell Dong Hua the truth? I guess I could tell him a little."


Then she looked out the window and replied softly, "Well... A few months ago, I was buying dinner here, and I noticed someone following you after you left the office building. I found it a little weird, and that guy was acting really shady, so I decided to follow the both of you. I'm glad that I did because he would have hurt you badly if I didn't do so. I guess you already knew what happened after that."


Dong Hua smiled and gently patted Feng Jiu's head, "Oh, so you were thinking of me. I thought that you were thinking of someone else."


"Well, I was." Feng Jiu replied without thinking. "What? Who?" Dong Hua widened his eyes and stared at Feng Jiu.


Feng Jiu immediately realized she accidentally said what was on her mind, and she quickly brushed it off. "Oh, it's just an old friend. Can we not talk about this?" Then she promptly waved for the waitress to come over to take down their orders.


Dong Hua nodded his head, but deep inside, he was feeling paranoid and jealous again. "Who is Xiao Bai thinking of? Why did she not want to talk about this?" Then he sipped on his Iced water and stared out of the window while deep in his thoughts.


After Feng Jiu ordered food, she tried to change the topic to break the silence. "So, should we buy a wedding gift for Si Ming and Yu Xi too? I was thinking of getting some baby stuff for them as well."


Dong Hua snapped out of his thoughts and replied casually, "I'm not good at buying gifts. You can decide on what to get for them, and we can get them together one of these days."


Feng Jiu then suggested a few items, and Dong Hua just nodded his head in approval. At this time, Dong Hua was still feeling bothered about what Feng Jiu said, and he couldn't focus on the topic. "Who is her old friend? Could it be that guy that I saw in the pictures back at her apartment? Xiao Bai is usually open towards me, but this time she refuses to talk about it."


To Feng Jiu, it was a painful past, and she refused to open up about Qingti. She thinks that escaping from the topic was the best way to go, but she didn't realize that this would add on to more misunderstandings in the future.


Both of them then quickly finished up with their lunch and went back to work.


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Meanwhile, Su Moye and the gossip duo were having lunch together in Lian Song's office.


"Welcome to our Tea Gang, Su Moye. I heard from Lian Song that you executed Plan H-angover, and it went really well." Si Ming shook Su Moye's hand firmly.


"It's my honour to be able to join the both of you to matchmake Feng Jiu and Dong Hua. Also, I heard about the good news between you and Yu Xi. Have you thought of a way to speak to Yu Xi's parents regarding this issue?" Su Moye replied and they settled down to have lunch.


"Not yet. I guess we just have to be honest with them and invite them to our wedding ceremony. By the way, we would like to invite you to our wedding as well. It would be at the end of January, and we will be hosting it at the same 'safe place' that was owned by your friend. We have already talked to them, and everything would be ready by then. I'll send you a formal invite with details later on." Si Ming smiled brightly.


"I'm happy for both of you. I'll be sure to attend your wedding. Let me know if you need help as well." Su Moye smiled politely.


Then Si Ming and Su Moye continued talking about serious and mature topics regarding the wedding and their future. Lian Song stared at them talk, and he suddenly felt left out. "Why do I feel like the third wheel now?" He thought to himself sadly, and he silently sipped on his tea.


Su Moye immediately noticed Lian Song being quiet since he was usually the rowdy one, and he said to Lian Song, "Would you like some tips on how to chase Cheng Yu?"


Lian Song instantly widened his eyes and nodded his head enthusiastically. "Yes! I need help!" Su Moye then sipped on his tea and replied calmly, "You need to show her what she's missing."


Lian Song furrowed his brows and thought to himself, "Now Si Ming and Su Moye even talk alike." Then he replied, "What do you mean by that?"


"Simple, allow me to give you an example. On Si Ming's wedding day, you should definitely help him out and show how good you are at handling things. If Si Ming's wedding goes well on that day, Cheng Yu would also be impressed by how mature and capable you are. Most girls won't be able to resist a mature and hardworking man." Su Moye smiled.


"What if things go wrong on that day?" Lian Song frowned.


"Even better. Then you'll be able to rectify the situation and show her how good you are at handling such situations. Her impression of you would definitely change, and she would also think that you're a reliable man. Also, Cheng Yu would definitely soften up on that day since it's a happy occasion, and she would bask in the married couple's bliss. In this way, it would be easier for you to 'attack' her heart and slip in successfully." Su Moye replied confidently.


The gossip duo nodded their heads and gave Su Moye a thumbs-up. "Damn, you're really good at this." Si Ming said.


Lian Song then turned towards Si Ming and replied, "I told you so! Nu ren xin hai di zhen (女人心海底针) but for Su Moye, it's Yi ru fan zhang (易如反掌)."

Nu ren xin hai di zhen (
女人心海底针) - 
A woman's thoughts are impossible to grasp on, just like a needle at the bottom of the sea. 

Yi ru fan zhang (
易如反掌) -
Meaning: very easy. It literally means "as easy as turning over one's hand."


Su Moye chuckled and replied casually, "I'm flattered, but I only know all this because I'm a 'womanizer.' By the way, we still need to discuss Plan I-ntimacy."


"Oh, right. I totally forgot about our main objective today, Plan I-ntimacy." Lian Song said.


Su Moye sipped on his tea again and started to elaborate on Plan I, "West Sea Group would be hosting a Ball Party for the two companies, and it was confirmed to be held at one of our 5-stars hotels. I have booked hotel rooms for all of us for that night. Si Ming would get the honeymoon suite, and the rest of us will be getting a deluxe room with a king-sized bed."


"But knowing Feng Jiu, she probably wouldn't agree with sharing a room with Dong Hua." Si Ming replied.


Su Moye smirked and replied, "I have already thought about that. So on the day itself before the ball starts, the housekeeper would inform Feng Jiu that her room was having issues with the AC system, and she would need to move to a new room. By the end of the night, she would then realize that her room was switched to the same one as Dong Hua's. Then we could just blame it on a mix-up during the room switch and inform her that the hotel is already fully booked. Knowing Feng Jiu, she wouldn't want to trouble others, so she would gladly share the room with Dong Hua."


"Hmm... a devious scheme, but I like it." Lian Song nodded his head in approval. Si Ming did a slow clap and nodded his head too. "Smart. Who would have thought of that? Definitely not me, or Lian Song." Si Ming said.


"Well, that's all we could do to help pull them closer. Whatever happens behind closed doors, stays in there. Hopefully, it would help them make things official." Su Moye smiled.


Si Ming smirked and replied, "I'm sure they would have some progression after spending a night in a small room together." Then he thought to himself, "Just like what me and Yu Xi did."


Lian Song was shocked at how Si Ming said the same thing as Su Moye, and he asked curiously, "How do you know what would happen next?"


"I'm a real man now, Lian Song." Si Ming smirked and lightly nodded his head. Lian Song immediately frowned and replied sadly, "This is not the Si Ming that I know."


"I'm sorry, Lian Song. Once you cooked the rice, your rice won't ever go back to being raw." Si Ming replied confidently, and he fails to realize that he was insensitive towards his best brother.


"My rice would never ever be cooked!" Lian Song then stood up and walked towards the windows, trying to hide his frustration. He also thought to himself, "This is not my Si Ming. I want the old Si Ming back!"


Su Moye immediately noticed that Lian Song was feeling upset, and he walked over to him. "Are you feeling okay, Lian Song?" He asked concernedly.


Lian Song smiled and replied back softly, "You don't only know women's hearts, you also know a man's heart. Si Ming is acting so differently after he came back from his honeymoon. It's like I no longer know him anymore."


"Give him some time to get used to it. Most guys would put their ladies above their friends, but it doesn't mean that he doesn't care about you anymore. If roles were reversed and you were with Cheng Yu, who would you pick?"


"Cheng Yu. I guess you're right. Our bromance could never beat romance." Lian Song instantly felt better.


"If your bromance could beat romance, it means something is wrong." Su Moye chuckled. Lian Song grimaced and replied, "Wait... Did you just think that I was... in love with Si Ming?! No way!"


Su Moye laughed out loud and replied confidently, "Don't worry. Everyone knows how much you love Cheng Yu."


Then The Tea Trio (TTT) finished up their lunch, and Su Moye headed back to his own company.


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Over the next few days, everyone was tied up with work. Feng Jiu completed her presentation, but she still lacks the confidence to present her proposal in front of so many people.


"I have stage fright, Dong Hua. I'm afraid to stand in front of so many people and to have to do a presentation." Feng Jiu frowned.


Dong Hua smiled and replied lovingly, "It's okay to be afraid, Xiao Bai. First, you have to stop scaring yourself with thoughts about what might go wrong. Instead, focus your attention on thoughts and images that are calming and reassuring."


"Do you ever have stage fright?" Feng Jiu asked curiously.


"Of course. I used to have stage fright as well, but over time I learned how to overcome it. What I did was that I practiced my speech over and over again, until I could memorize it. Then I shift the focus from myself and my fear to the true purpose of the presentation. After that, I visualized my success and reminded myself of my goals." Dong Hua smiled.


"It sounds hard." Feng Jiu frowned again.


"I know it is hard, Xiao Bai. Let me help you out here. Do you feel nervous when you're presenting your proposal to me?" Dong Hua smiled.


"No, I don't feel nervous at all." Feng Jiu smiled.


"Good. Next, you just have to try to imagine that you're only presenting it to me. We can practice it over and over again until you feel confident about it. Then we could get Chong Lin to sit in the office while you're presenting to me, to see if you could focus all your attention on me. After that, we could also get Si Ming and Lian Song to join in."


"Hmm... I think it could work. Let me try it now!" Then Feng Jiu started practicing her presentation in front of Dong Hua.


"On the day itself, I'll be seated at the bottom of the stage, with Su Moye and another judge. You could stare at me while presenting your proposal and try to avoid looking at the crowd." Dong Hua said.


After practicing for a few times, Feng Jiu had a sudden surge of confidence. "I think I'm getting the hang of it now. Whenever I feel nervous and think of the crowd, I will try to divert those thoughts to you." She smiled warmly.


"You're doing good, Xiao Bai. Keep going like this, and you'll definitely do well on that day." Dong Hua nodded his head, and it instantly boosted her confidence even more.


Dong Hua then went back to doing his work while Feng Jiu continued memorizing her speech for the presentation.


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After work, Feng Jiu and Dong Hua decided to head to the nearby mall to buy some baby and maternity stuff for Yu Xi.


They arrived at the nearby shopping mall and started going around the shops, looking for the perfect gift.


Dong Hua then followed Feng Jiu around while they looked around the baby section. "Hmm... What should we get for them?" Feng Jiu asked.


"I'm not sure, Xiao Bai. I have never been a parent, so I'm not sure what they would need. Should we ask the saleslady?" Dong Hua shrugged his shoulders.


The moment he said that, an older saleslady walked over and greeted them politely. "I notice you guys seemed lost, so I was wondering if I could offer some assistance."


Feng Jiu smiled brightly and replied, "Yes! We definitely need some help here. So, what should we get for new parents? We are looking to get some baby and maternity stuff."


The saleslady smiled and asked politely, "Oh, how many weeks pregnant are you? It might be too early to get baby stuff since it would be easier to know what to buy after knowing the baby's gender."


Feng Jiu immediately blushed and looked shyly at Dong Hua. Dong Hua leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Just play along, Xiao Bai. We don't want to embarrass her for misunderstanding our situation. Also, we would be able to get some advice from her and pass them on to Yu Xi after this."


Feng Jiu nodded her head and replied to the saleslady, "I'm only few weeks pregnant. But we are first-time parents, so do you have any advice for us?"


"Oh, first-time parents. No worries, I'll be able to help you both out. Come with me to the maternity section, and I'll show you what to get." The saleslady then led the way.


Feng Jiu and Dong Hua then followed after the saleslady closely, and they were clearly acting like two lost puppies.


The saleslady explained and shared a lot of advice, while Feng Jiu wrote it down on her phone. "For the first trimester, you won't need maternity clothes. But it would be good to buy some Moisturizer and start applying them before you get stretch marks in the second trimester." They also picked up items along the way and added them to their shopping cart.


Next, they arrived at the maternity bras section. The saleslady turned to Feng Jiu and asked casually, "What is your bra size?" Feng Jiu immediately blushed and whispered, "32B."


The saleslady then loudly exclaimed, "Oh, 32B. It would probably grow up a full cup size, so you might need to get a new bra. Do they feel swollen?" The saleslady pointed towards her chest. At this point, Feng Jiu's face was flushed, and she avoided looking at Dong Hua.


The saleslady then held up a maternity bra and flashed it in front of both of them. "You could wear it even after giving birth. So you can unhook the front part whenever you want to." Then she did a demonstration of how to do it.


Feng Jiu nodded shyly, and her heart was pounding heavily. She thought to herself, "Oh my gosh, this is so embarrassing! Especially in front of Dong Hua... Help."


On the other hand, Dong Hua felt like his nose was about to blow up like a volcano, and he tried to walk away from them.


The saleslady then called him back and said sternly, "As a husband, you should be more supportive of your wife and help her out with such stuff. It's not easy going through a pregnancy."


Feng Jiu then shyly replied to the saleslady, "It's female stuff, so I don't think he wants to hear about it."


The saleslady got semi-annoyed since she hated guys who refused to help their pregnant wives, and she had dealt with a lot of them throughout her working life. "No, pregnancy is between two people, so it definitely concerns him too."


Dong Hua stood there without knowing how to respond to the saleslady. Then she took another pair of matching bra and panty up. "Many young couples complained that the usual maternity bra looks old-fashioned. We also did our research and realized that many lost their spice in their marriage after the wife got pregnant. So, our company came up with a new launch of maternity bras and panties, which resembles sexy lingerie."


Dong Hua quickly looked away before he lost control of himself and his nose. The saleslady then got even more annoyed and said sternly to Dong Hua, "Why are you not paying attention to your wife?"


Feng Jiu quickly tried to salvage the situation and replied softly, "No, no. Don't get him wrong; he's just feeling a little shy."


"Shy?! When he has sexy-time with you, he doesn't feel shy. So why is he feeling shy now that you're pregnant?" The saleslady said sarcastically.


Both of them instantly felt embarrassed and thought to themselves, "Sexy-time?!" Right at this moment, Dong Hua's nose exploded like a volcano, and blood started flowing down his nose. He immediately held his head up and ran out of the store.


Feng Jiu stared at the saleslady, and she replied casually, "Heatiness. He gets a nose bleed whenever he's feeling heaty." The saleslady then shook her head and told Feng Jiu sternly, "Don't let your husband disrespect you like that. If he's not going to accompany you through every step of your pregnancy, he's not worth it. I worked here for over ten years, and I often saw husbands mistreating their wives."


Feng Jiu smiled warmly and replied, "He's actually a really sweet and respectful guy. He's just a little socially awkward at times, and he was just feeling shy. People often misunderstood him because he's not good at expressing himself. But deep down, I know how well he treats me, and he's really kind-hearted."


The saleslady immediately bowed and apologized sincerely, "I'm sorry, Miss. I misunderstood, and I was being rude to your husband. I'll personally apologize to him when he comes back."


"Don't worry; he won't take it to heart. Let's continue with the other stuff, and I want to get some baby stuff as well." Feng Jiu smiled politely.


Then Feng Jiu continued shopping while waiting for Dong Hua. At the same time, she was worried about him and his bleeding nose. "I think I need to buy some Herbal Tea (Liang Cha 凉茶) for Dong Hua to help cool down his heatiness."


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On the other hand, Dong Hua ran towards the nearest washroom area, which was located right outside the store. Then he immediately went into the accessible toilet and stopped his nose bleed.


"I need to have a better way to deal with this. I can't always end up with a nosebleed. What would happen if someday we reached the point of ... 'no return'?" Dong Hua thought to himself, and his nose couldn't stop bleeding.


After he managed to stop the nosebleed, he sighed and looked at himself in the mirror. "What happened to self-control? Just the thought of sexy-time would cause a nosebleed. Even chanting business proposals couldn't help me just now. Maybe I shouldn't force myself to stop thinking dirty thoughts about Xiao Bai. Maybe if I embrace it, I'll eventually reach the point of being immune to it. Good decision. I will try that."


Dong Hua then gave himself a small prep-talk and headed back out towards the baby store.


When he walked into the store, he noticed Feng Jiu was already queuing up to pay for the items. He immediately walked over to her and helped her with the shopping cart. "Let me carry it, Xiao Bai. You put a lot of stuff in there, so it must be heavy."


At this moment, the older saleslady walked towards them and sincerely apologized to Dong Hua. "I'm sorry, Sir. It was a misunderstanding back there, and I hope you wouldn't take it to heart. Your wife told me what an amazing husband you are."


"Oh? She did?" Dong Hua smiled and stared at Feng Jiu.


The saleslady smiled and replied politely, "Yes, she said a lot of nice things about you. You guys are really loving." Then she excused herself and went back to work.


Feng Jiu blushed and kept quiet while looking away. Dong Hua popped his head over her shoulder and teasingly said, "You said a lot of nice things about me, huh? Am I really that good in your heart?"


Feng Jiu turned her head back and pouted. "No, I didn't say anything nice. I said that you're a mean and cold person who bullies everyone."  Then she giggled.


Dong Hua patted her head gently and replied lovingly, "I'm glad that you said nice things about me, Xiao Bai."


Feng Jiu then turned around and asked worriedly, "By the way, are you feeling okay? You had a nosebleed again. I'm sure it's because you're feeling heaty. I'll get you some herbal tea later on."


Dong Hua smiled and replied calmly, "I'm fine. It must be due to the hot weather."


"But, it's still winter." Feng Jiu replied confusedly.


"Oh. It's our turn to pay now." Dong Hua quickly brushed it off and paid for the items. Feng Jiu offered to pay him half, but Dong Hua firmly rejected it. "Si Ming is my staff, so it's the only thing I could do for him." He said.


"Fine. I guess I can help them out with the wedding preparations then. Yǒu qián chū qián yǒulì chūlì (有钱出钱有力出力)." Feng Jiu chuckled.


Yǒu qián chū qián yǒulì chūlì (有钱出钱有力出力) -
Meaning: Those with money contributes money and those with strength provide strength/labour.


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After they left the store, Feng Jiu insisted on buying a bottle of herbal tea for Dong Hua. He went along with it since he would rather not explain to her why he had a nose bleed.


Dong Hua finished the whole bottle, and they headed towards the open-air car park outside the mall. Then they realized that it was freezing rain outside.


"Let's just wait here for a bit. It looks like the freezing rain will stop soon." Dong Hua said, and they both stood inside the mall to keep themselves warm.


A few people also stood around them while waiting for the freezing rain to stop. What they didn't notice was that a group of Tai Chen Group's employees was standing right behind them. A few of them took out their phones and secretly snapped photos of them together.


They even noticed Dong Hua holding on to bags of baby and maternity items. Then they gossiped among themselves while observing Feng Jiu and Dong Hua.


Everyone uploaded the photos onto the secret forum, and it was once again on fire. Everyone assumed that Feng Jiu was pregnant with Dong Hua's child, and they would announce their relationship soon.


After the freezing rain stopped, Dong Hua said to Feng Jiu lovingly, "We can head home now. Be careful of the slippery floor. You better hold on to me in case you fall. It would be bad if you fell at such a crucial period."


Feng Jiu thought to herself, "Dong Hua is so thoughtful. He knows that I can't afford to be injured since the competition's round two is coming up." Then she happily held onto Dong Hua's arm, and they slowly walked towards his car.


The employees standing closely behind them overheard their conversation, and they gossiped among themselves again. "Did you hear what they said? She's definitely pregnant! Our president even mentioned that it would be bad if she fell at such a crucial period. It definitely means that she's early in her pregnancy, and it's dangerous if she fell."


Then they snapped more pictures of Feng Jiu holding onto Dong Hua's arm.


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The secret forum was on fire the whole night, discussing about Mrs Tai Chen and Ice Monk's newfound pregnancy news. Everyone was also 'placing their bets' on the baby's gender.


SecretGambler555: Everyone, place your bets on their our Little President (Mrs Tai Chen & Ice Monk's child). I'll bet that it would be a baby boy.


PaparazziPizza29: I'll bet it's a baby girl!


GuardsSeizeThem123: When my wife was pregnant, my mother-in-law told us that if she didn't have morning sickness, it would be a boy.


MiniSu14: I heard about some gender superstitions too, but it's too early to tell since she doesn't have a baby bump yet. It is said that those pregnant with a son don't show as much as those carrying a girl.


AntiJH184: It would be good if Mrs Tai Chen gives birth to a boy so Tai Chen Group will have a successor in the future.


NewFanOfFJ666: Our little President would definitely be a big cutie, judging by how good-looking both parents are.


NosyAunty128: I can't wait for them to announce the news finally! No wonder they are low profile about their relationship too. In Chinese superstitions, it's not advisable to let others know about it until you're four months pregnant.


MiniSu14: Hopefully, that 'Green Tea Bitch 绿茶婊' (Ji Heng) would see this! 


Green Tea Bitch (绿茶婊) - Lǜchá biǎo 
Meaning: Girls who pretend to be pure and innocent but are manipulative and calculating.


Everyone else also started to share their thoughts about the 'Little President.'


By the end of the night, almost everyone working in Tai Chen Group was 'celebrating' the 'good news.'


What will happen tomorrow at work? 
Will the Green Tea Bitch find out about this?

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