The Slacker Stepmother and the Non-Domineering CEO-Chapter 203

That night, Gu Junxing slept in Nian Suian's room. After she fell asleep, he casually handled some work matters while keeping an eye on her condition. It wasn't until the early hours of the morning, when he was sure she wasn't running a fever anymore, that he allowed himself to doze off for a bit.

So, when Nian Suian woke up the next day, she found Gu Junxing still lying beside her, asleep. Gu Junxing was usually an early riser, so it was rare for him to still be in bed by the time she woke up.

Nian Suian didn't move when she woke up. Instead, she lay on her side, her eyes tracing the features of the man in front of her.

His eyebrows were thick, his double eyelids pronounced, and his eyelashes long and dense. Even with his eyes closed, one could tell they were beautiful.

Suddenly, Nian Suian found herself face-to-face with those beautiful eyes as they opened.

"You're awake?" she asked.

Gu Junxing let out a soft "Mm," and his first action upon waking was to feel Nian Suian's forehead to check her temperature.

"Are you feeling better? Does your head still hurt?"

"I'm fine now. Aren't you going to the office today?" It was already past nine, and Nian Suian noticed that Gu Junxing showed no signs of getting up.

"No, I'm taking a lazy day to stay home with you," he replied, picking up his phone to send a message to his assistant, informing him that he wouldn't be coming into the office today.

"Does this count as 'the emperor no longer attends morning court'?" Nian Suian teased, feeling like she had the potential to be a "seductive concubine" since Gu Junxing had actually skipped work for once.

"I don't have the responsibilities of an emperor. Do you want to get up?"

Nian Suian shook her head. She loved the feeling of lounging in bed after waking up, so she wasn't ready to get up yet.

Gu Junxing raised an arm toward her. "Then let's lie here a little longer."

Nian Suian looked at his open embrace, smiled, and rolled into it without a word.

His arm immediately wrapped around her waist. She loved the feeling of being held tightly like this—it made her feel safe and secure.

The two of them lay there, holding each other close, chatting idly.

"How about I take you out for a stroll this afternoon?"

"Where to?"

"How about the park by the river? We can bring Tang Yuan along too—he hasn't been out for a walk yet."

"Sure! We'll need to bring a picnic mat and some snacks. Spring is here, after all!"

"There will be many more springs to come."

...

That afternoon, the two of them packed a picnic mat, food, and drinks, put a leash on Tang Yuan, and headed out together—a couple and their cat.

"Madam, the weather is lovely today, so it's good for you to go out for a walk. But don't take off your clothes or let the wind blow on you. You're not fully recovered yet!" Nanny Zhang reminded Nian Suian as she helped pack their things.

Nian Suian just smiled and agreed to everything she said.

On a weekday afternoon, the park wasn't very crowded. Tang Yuan, who was used to running around the front and back yards at home, wasn't afraid of the grass and started walking on his own as soon as they entered the park.

The couple chose a spot under a large tree. Gu Junxing spread out the picnic mat, and they sat down, leaning against the tree, with Tang Yuan lying between them.

"The scenery here is so beautiful..."

"Click—" The sound of a camera made both of them turn toward the source.

"Excuse me, sorry to disturb you. I'm a photography blogger, and I couldn't resist taking a photo of you two. The scene was just too beautiful. Do you mind?" A young man with a camera around his neck approached them.

"Not at all. Can I see the photo?" Nian Suian asked.

"Of course."

The man showed them the photo he had just taken.

In the picture, Nian Suian was tilting her head back, as if savoring the sunlight filtering through the branches above. Gu Junxing was looking at her with an unmistakable tenderness in his eyes.

Between them, Tang Yuan, the black-and-white cat, stared wide-eyed at the camera—the only one in the frame who was looking directly at the lens.

"Could you send me this photo later?"

"Of course. Let me add you on WeChat, and I'll send it to you."

"Add mine," Gu Junxing said, pulling out his phone and opening his QR code.

"Sure," the man replied, adding Gu Junxing on WeChat. Then he added, "By the way, I'm a photography blogger, and I usually post my work on Weibo. Would it be okay if I posted this photo there? If you have Weibo accounts, I can tag you."

"Suian, what do you think?" Gu Junxing left the decision to Nian Suian.

After thinking for a moment, Nian Suian agreed. "You can post the photo, but no need to tag us."

Though they weren't exactly public figures, they had been on the trending list before, and someone might recognize them. If her Weibo account got exposed, she wouldn't be able to freely indulge in online gossip anymore.

The couple didn't know the blogger and had no idea that he was a popular figure with millions of followers.

The photo, along with others taken in the park, was posted on Weibo. As soon as it went up, it garnered a lot of comments.

Since it had been months since the couple last appeared on Weibo, no one recognized them at first. Fans simply praised the photo, saying it was beautifully taken and that the family looked lovely.

But as the post gained more traction, someone finally recognized them and began explaining to others who Nian Suian and Gu Junxing were.

〈I'm dying from how sweet they are!!!! They're so in love and so perfect for each other!!!!〉

〈Isn't this just like a real-life version of a wealthy CEO romance novel?! I'm hooked—is there a fan page for this couple? Take me there!〉

〈The cat is so adorable!!! I want to steal it!!!〉

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〈Am I the only one noticing that they're not at work today?!?!〉

Of ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‍course, there were also skeptics who questioned whether the photo was staged, wondering how it was possible for a blogger with millions of followers to just happen to capture such a perfect moment.

The blogger personally responded to these doubts, explaining that he had genuinely stumbled upon the couple in the park and found the scene too heartwarming not to photograph. He had no prior knowledge of their identities.

It had to be said, the couple still had some influence. The photo went viral once again, and the number of fans shipping this "wealthy older husband and younger wife" pairing grew even larger.

However... while netizens were happily fangirling over the couple, one little boy's heart quietly shattered.

"Great! They went out without me again!" After school, Gu Zhijing came across the photo of the happy family of three.

His friends, seeing his annoyed expression, crowded around to look at his phone.

"Wow! This family of three looks so loving! Let me see who's missing?" Qu Zizhou teased.

"One, two, three—there are three people. No one's missing," Chu Mingyan said, patting Gu Zhijing on the back. "Don't be sad. I've been learning how to edit photos lately. I can Photoshop you into the picture."

"Don't bother. Even if you squeeze in, you'll still be an outsider! Hahahahaha!"

Gu Zhijing gritted his teeth. "Qu Zizhou, don't even think about copying my English dictation next time!"

"Wait, wait, I'm sorry! I take it back!"

Gu Zhijing pulled out his phone and started furiously messaging the two in their group chat, accusing them of neglecting him and demanding compensation for his emotional distress.

However, at that moment, the couple was busy having dinner and had run into someone, so they didn't have time to respond to Gu Zhijing.