Chapter 55: Almost Kissed

Chen Yu woke up instantly.

His entire body froze.

Through two thin layers of fabric, he could clearly feel the warmth and smoothness of her leg, as well as its astonishing elasticity.

In the darkness, his Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably.

He remained rigid for a few seconds before trying, with utmost care and trying not to make the slightest sound, to move her leg away.

Yet her leg seemed rooted to his body; the moment he moved, she wrapped herself around him even tighter.

Chen Yu sighed helplessly.

Forget it, he certainly couldn't let her catch a cold.

He gently pulled a corner of the blanket, intending to cover her with it.

His upper body leaned forward slightly, drawing closer to her.

Just as his fingertips were about to touch the blanket, Jiang Zhiyun, who had been fast asleep, suddenly fluttered her eyelashes and slowly opened her eyes.

Their eyes met.

Bathed in the watery moonlight filtering through the gaps in the curtains.

He could clearly see the momentary daze in her eyes, as well as his own face reflected in her pupils, so close it was almost within reach.

The distance between them was too close.

Close enough for him to count her long, curled eyelashes, close enough to catch the sweet fragrance of her breath.

Her expression shifted from bewilderment to surprise, and finally into a trace of flustered panic.

And Chen Yu was equally stunned.

Maintaining his forward-leaning posture, he gazed at her face in the moonlight, stripped of all defenses and makeup.

Time seemed to freeze at that exact moment.

Both of their breaths grew somewhat ragged.

Their bodies seemed to possess a will of their own.

Uncontrollably, he slowly lowered his head.

As if drawn by some bewitching spell, she tilted her chin upward slightly.

Their lips grew closer, and closer still...

Just as that softness was about to touch—

"Mmm... Daddy..."

Niannian in the middle suddenly emitted a vague murmur, her tiny body tossing and turning in her sleep, her little arm striking directly against Chen Yu's chest.

This sudden movement instantly jolted the two infatuated souls awake.

Chen Yu and Jiang Zhiyun parted abruptly, as if struck by lightning.

Chen Yu immediately flattened himself onto the bed with a swift motion, turning his back to her.

Jiang Zhiyun quickly spun around as well, facing away from him.

She bit down hard on her lower lip, burying her face deep into the pillow, consumed by overwhelming embarrassment and mortification.

Oh god!

What just happened?!

Did they... did they almost kiss?!

Right beside their daughter?!

Both of them tacitly pretended to be fast asleep.

The next day, before dawn had broken, Jiang Zhiyun got up as if fleeing for her life.

She practically jogged into the bathroom, washing up and changing clothes without daring to make a single extra sound throughout the entire process.

When she was fully dressed and ready to leave, she glanced back at the large bed. Chen Yu and Niannian were still fast asleep; the man's broad back provided a solid shelter while the daughter's little face pressed tightly against his back, sleeping with utmost sweetness.

Jiang Zhiyun's gaze flickered, her cheeks burning uncontrollably once more. She quickly withdrew her look, grabbed her bag, and strode briskly away from the place that had thrown her heart into such disarray.

Arriving at the top-floor president's office of the Jiang Corporation.

She picked up the black coffee her secretary had just brewed, took a small sip, and instantly resumed the persona of a ruthless and decisive ice-queen president.

The internal telephone on her desk rang; it was the head of the legal department.

"President Jiang, news has come from the police station. Regarding the sentencing of those kidnappers from yesterday, the preliminary results are out."

On the other end of the line, the head detailed the sentencing results—how many years the mastermind received, how many years the accomplices got, sounding very much like "handling the matter according to the law."

Listening to the report, Jiang Zhiyun wore no expression on her face, letting out only a very faint, cold scoff from her nose.

"Not enough."

"Far from enough."

The law could only provide the most basic punishment.

The terror and harm they had inflicted upon her and her daughter required a different way of "repaying."

No one could touch the people belonging to Jiang Zhiyun.

She pressed another internal intercom button: "Have Lawyer Zhang come to my office."

After dealing with this matter, Jiang Zhiyun's thoughts returned to work.

She turned on her computer and clicked on the two audio files Chen Yu had given her earlier—*The Lone Brave* and *The Wind Rises*.

She had already played these two songs on loop countless times.

She immediately summoned the directors of the planning department and the investment department for a brief meeting.

"Taking these two songs as the core, immediately launch an S-class investment plan. Contact major television stations and film and television companies; I want these two songs to be used as the theme songs or promotional tracks for all TV series, movies, and variety shows invested in by our Jiang Corporation from now on."

"President Jiang, you mean... letting them use these two hit songs for free?"

The planning department director asked with disbelief.

"Not for free."

A shrewd curve formed at the corner of Jiang Zhiyun's lips. "We will use the licensing of these songs to exchange for priority investment rights and partial equity in their projects."

"I want everyone across the entire Dragon Country to hear the songs of our Jiang Corporation everywhere they go."

This was a grand plan and a win-win strategy.

Using the explosive popularity of the songs to drive the expansion of their entire investment empire.

After issuing her instructions, everyone retreated from the office, leaving her alone once again.

Staring at the two filenames on the computer screen, she hesitated, driven by an inexplicable impulse.

According to the contract they signed, all "assets" generated by Chen Yu during the marriage theoretically belonged to joint marital property, and as the helmsman of the Jiang Corporation, she had the right to dispose of them.

Yet...

Her mind flashed back to the gentleness with which he cooked for their daughter last night, his resolute defiance when facing kidnappers, and... that almost-kiss under the moonlight.

He was no longer just a "tool" living in her house.

He was a living, breathing human being—a man who had saved her daughter and left her heart in turmoil.

These songs were created by him.

Jiang Zhiyun found that she could no longer comfortably categorize his creations as mere "company assets" as she once might have.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she finally picked up her phone and pressed the call button.

The phone rang twice before being answered, and Chen Yu's lazy, slightly hoarse voice, carrying the remnants of sleep, came through: "Hello?"

"It's... me." Jiang Zhiyun's tone sounded somewhat unnatural.

"Oh, President Jiang. So early, something the matter?"

"Is Niannian awake yet?"

Subconsciously, she asked about her daughter's condition first.

"Not yet, she's sleeping like a little pig."

A hint of a smile crept into Chen Yu's voice. "Don't worry."

Hearing his laughter, Jiang Zhiyun's heartbeat inexplicably skipped a beat.

Clearing her throat, she steered the conversation back on track: "I called to discuss something with you. Those two songs you wrote..."

She paused, seemingly organizing her words: "The company plans to use these two songs for a major strategic layout, licensing them for use across many of our invested projects. So... I wanted to ask for your opinion."

"Would you... be willing to consider these two songs as... a gift to the Jiang Corporation?"