When Meng Ruozhao saw the contract sent by the other party, she could hardly believe her eyes.
This... was it really that smooth?
Were drama crews these days so generous and trusting of unknown designers?
Although she found it a bit incredible in her heart, the overwhelming joy and excitement of about to start a new creation soon took over.
She immediately threw herself into the intense work.
Studying the script, analyzing the characters' personalities and plot points, selecting fabrics, and drawing more detailed design sketches...
She was so busy that her feet never touched the ground, often staying in the workshop for most of the day.
Pei Jiangmu watched her focused profile as she bent over the drawing table, her agile figure as she cut the fabric, and her confident and bright eyes as she communicated with the drama crew.
Although he felt sorry for her hard work, he was mostly relieved.
At least, at this moment, she seemed much happier and more fulfilled than when she was troubled by mysteries and accusations before.
And he was willing to silently protect this brief peace and happiness that came from her focus on her career.
Time seemed to be on fast - forward.
As the costume design for the Republic - of - China drama crew was in full swing, Meng Ruozhao became even busier.
Pei Jiangmu, on the other hand, seamlessly fit into her life and work rhythm.
Apart from the few hours he had to spend "attending classes" every day, he was almost like a little tail following Meng Ruozhao.
His injury had mostly healed, and he had no problem moving around. So he naturally took over many odd jobs.
Carrying heavy fabric boxes, organizing trivial tools.
Even when Aigao or Xu Lin was too busy, he could even receive customers who came for consultations in a decent manner.
Although his demeanor was cold, and an occasional look from him could startle timid customers, he was handsome and good at negotiating, and surprisingly, he always managed to close a deal.
Meng Ruozhao, meanwhile, devoted herself whole - heartedly to the design.
Often when she looked up, she would see Pei Jiangmu either quietly reading a book not far away, and it was always one of those boring books on the history and theory of clothing on her bookshelf.
Or rolling up his sleeves and ironing the freshly - cut fabric pieces for her.
He was so present, yet surprisingly not a bother.
She seemed to have gotten used to his constant presence.
When she needed something, before she even opened her mouth, he would already hand it to her tacitly.
This silent companionship and support gave her a strange sense of security amidst the busyness.
When they got home, he also took care of all the household chores.
Of course, there weren't many household chores to begin with.
Pei Jiangmu made breakfast for the two of them, and they had lunch and dinner at Sister Lan's.
Since the house was empty most of the time, there wasn't much garbage.
Pei Jiangmu mopped the floor once every two days.
One time, after Meng Ruozhao took a shower, she suddenly felt thirsty and was about to go to the kitchen to get some water.
As soon as she came out, she saw Pei Jiangmu wearing earphones, shirtless, and bending over to mop the floor.
Meng Ruozhao's breath caught in her throat, and her hand on the doorknob froze.
The man's cold - white skin seemed to be bathed in a honey - colored halo under the warm yellow light.
His broad shoulders had smooth and powerful lines.
His back was straight, and the muscles under his skin rippled and tightened clearly with his mopping movements.
It wasn't the exaggerated muscle mass deliberately sculpted in the gym.
Instead, every inch of his muscles was just right, firm and well - defined.
It exuded a masculine, almost aggressive beauty.
Sweat trickled down the deep groove of his spine and disappeared into the waistband of his loose sports pants.
The sports pants slipped down slightly with his movements, faintly revealing the hollows on both sides of his waist and the sharp lines of his V - cut muscles.
He seemed to be working very hard. The muscles in his arms bulged, making his shoulder blades move like a pair of dormant eagle wings.
Occasionally, due to the exertion, the veins on his arms bulged slightly, winding on his firm flesh, wild and sexy.
The air suddenly seemed to become hot and sticky.
Meng Ruozhao felt her cheeks burning uncontrollably.
Her heart started pounding without warning, thumping against her eardrums.
Her eyes seemed to be nailed to that dazzling, sweaty, and powerful back, unable to look away.
Why... why wasn't he wearing a shirt?
As if sensing the overly focused gaze behind him, Pei Jiangmu paused for a moment, then slowly turned around.
The frontal impact was even stronger.
His firm chest muscles, well - defined abs, and those deeply - carved V - cut muscles that could almost hold water rushed into Meng Ruozhao's sight without any obstruction.
Sweat dripped from his well - defined jawline, slid past his Adam's apple, and went all the way down the grooves of his chest, disappearing into the waistband of his pants, which was full of imagination.
His hair tips were also a bit damp, and a few strands of black hair casually fell on his forehead.
It softened a bit of his usual coldness and added a touch of unruly wildness.
When he saw Meng Ruozhao staring blankly at him, a flash of barely perceptible triumph crossed his face.
Then he put on a completely natural expression.
There was even a bit of casualness and innocence that came from just finishing some physical work.
"Did I disturb you?"
He spoke, and his voice was a bit hoarser than usual because of the labor.
It was like it had little hooks that scraped against people's eardrums.
"I didn't turn on the air - conditioner. It's a bit hot with clothes on. I thought you wouldn't come out again."
His explanation was reasonable. He even raised his hand and wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand.
This action made the muscle lines on his arms and chest tighten even more, full of dynamic tension.
Meng Ruozhao suddenly came back to her senses. She quickly averted her gaze as if she had been burned, and her cheeks were so red that it seemed blood would drip.
Her heart was still pounding wildly, almost jumping out of her chest.
She nervously looked away, trying to pretend to be calm, but when she walked towards the kitchen, she almost walked clumsily.
"No... it's okay. You... just keep mopping."
Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz, clearly showing her panic and confusion.
Pei Jiangmu looked at her small, red earlobes and the head that was almost buried in her chest.
The corner of his mouth twitched into an almost imperceptible arc.
He didn't say anything more and turned around.
He continued to mop the floor slowly and extremely carefully, even though the floor area wasn't really that big.
Every movement seemed to be silently showing off his attractive body.
When Meng Ruozhao returned to her room from the kitchen, she found that her palms were sweaty.
The image of the shirtless, sweating man mopping the floor was like an overly intense picture that was firmly imprinted in her mind and wouldn't go away.
She had blushing dreams all night, and the next day when she faced Pei Jiangmu, she didn't dare to look him in the eye at all.
She even completely forgot that she had taken him in just because his hand was injured and needed someone to take care of him.
Pei Jiangmu, of course, was happy to see this and would never remind her on his own initiative.
Being able to stay by her side so legitimately.
Taking care of her life and helping her deal with some small troubles.
For him, it was a long - lost luxury, and he was completely satisfied.
However, while he was riding high, there were naturally some people who were unhappy because they were being ignored.