Author: Misty

Even though it was electronic, it was inconvenient for the pet to be kept in the bedroom.

Xie Shuo supported himself up without speaking. His expression was cold, and it was clear that he wasn’t happy.

But that was obvious: no man would be happy if he was interrupted at such a time.

Ye An looked at him and thought to herself: don’t blame me; you bought this robot penguin yourself.

After waiting for a while, but before Xie Shuo had made any more moves, Ye An curled her legs up, feeling somewhat chilly. She pulled her shoulder straps back up and rearranged her dress.

Xie Shuo also moved to the side when he heard her movements. The hem of his shirt was pulled out of the waistband of his pants, and his collar was popped open, revealing some of his collarbones–a faint red mark was visible on his neck.

The two sat on opposite ends of the sofa, silent, sobered, and embarrassed. 

Xie Shuo sat with his legs apart and a hand on each knee. The tension on his face didn’t go away.

Ye An held her legs and glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. Noticing his reaction, she asked, “Are you… okay?”

Xie Shuo frowned and remained silent, his jaw tight.

After a while, he stood up and walked to the closet to get some clothes and then shower.

Ye An hurriedly followed behind him and helped him get arranged.

Not long after, the sound of running water came from the bathroom. Ye An returned to the sofa and sat down again, the situation from just then flashing through her mind. Her ears were hot, and she covered her face out of embarrassment. 

Was he drunk tonight too?

Honestly speaking, Ye An understood Xie Shuo’s indifference to her. Although they were married, he couldn’t see her. To him, she was a stranger without a face. 

If she put herself in his shoes, she too would be unable to accept getting married to a random man as her husband if she were to ever go blind.

Moreover, he had been handsome and successful since childhood, so it was inevitable that he would be somewhat arrogant. Now, this version of him was the result of spending every day together for half a year.

He was slowly accepting their relationship, right?

    ———-

Because of this interaction, the two were awkward as they went to bed after showering. Ye An, especially, felt uncomfortable no matter how she moved her arms and legs. 

She wrapped herself in the comforter while tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

She suddenly heard Xie Shuo’s voice from the other side, “You can’t sleep?”

Ye An looked at him and hesitated for a while. She leaned closer to his side and said softly, “I was thinking that before your eyes heal, how about we try to work things out… as husband and wife?”

Although she had been looking forward to his eyes healing sooner rather than later, no one could say whether that day would come. They couldn’t continue with this current dynamic forever.

After a while, Grandpa Xie and Xie Baiyan would definitely know that something was wrong with how awkward they were.

Since nothing could change, why not try to move on?

After Ye An finished speaking, she waited a while for a response.

Their surroundings were silent.

She also didn’t know why she brought up such a proposal. Perhaps it was because of the alcohol, or maybe it was because the atmosphere tonight was right.

Just as she was about to accept the silence as his response, the voice from beside her suddenly sounded:

“Okay.”

Ye An froze in shock. She hugged his arm happily, and the corners of her lips curved up.

In this position, Xie Shuo could feel the softness of her chest pressed against him and smell her faint fragrance by his pillow. His eyelashes fluttered, and the feeling that had subsided before seemed to rise again.

However, before he could move, there was a sudden sharp pain in his eyes that also spread towards the back of his head. It felt as if hands were his nerves and caused his ears to ring.

He squeezed his eyes shut and turned sideways in pain, gripping the sheets tightly with his fists.

Ye An was happily hugging him, but when she noticed something was wrong, she hurriedly sat up. “Are you okay?”

Nothing was visible in the dark.

The room suddenly lit up when Ye An managed to turn on the light. When she turned around, she saw how his brows were furrowed, his lips were pale, and the veins on his neck were bulging.

“Did you forget to take your medicine?” Ye An hurriedly helped him sit up. “Or is it because you drank tonight?”

Xie Shuo didn’t respond, enduring the pain with a muffled voice.

Ye An no longer asked him questions and got out of bed to pour him a glass of water. She brought him some medicine and fed it to him.

She embraced him and pressed her fingers against his temples, massaging him as usual.

“Don’t drink from now on, not a single drop…”

After a while, Xie Shuo gradually calmed down, and his expression softened.

He seemed to have had more frequent headaches recently. Ye An was worried and asked, “Should we go see Professor Cen again soon?”

Xie Shuo leaned on her shoulder and replied with a small, “En.” He was able to smell the faint scent of her body wash on her.

There seemed to be a faint light coming in from his closed eyes. He tried to open his eyelids, but was too exhausted, so he could only keep them closed. His long eyelashes covered the shadows and light.

Seeing that he had closed his eyes, Ye An carefully helped him lie down and covered him with the comforter.

She sat and watched him for a while to make sure everything was fine before turning the light off and laying down next to him.

She leaned on his shoulder interlocked his fingers with hers.

Xie Shuo kept his eyes closed and began to feel drowsy. He fell asleep not long after.

The night was quiet, and the moonlight shone calmly in the cold mist outside the window.

    ——

That night, Xie Shuo slept very deeply. When he woke up, the sun had already risen and flooded in through their French windows.

His eyelashes fluttered, and he slowly opened his eyes as usual.

However, as opposed to the endless darkness, a piercing light suddenly entered his eyes. 

His eyes weren’t used to such sudden stimulation, and after a burst of stimulus, he closed his eyes and opened them again. He repeated this process several times before finally feeling better. 

When he saw the light in front of him, he was stunned. 

Everything was so sudden, so he couldn’t tell if he was dreaming or not.

Fate always seemed to be like this. Everything was unexpected and abrupt.

It was similar to his car accident, which had happened without warning. After going unconscious, he woke up to a world of darkness.

No matter how much he struggled, how angry he was, or how deep his resentment was, it didn’t help.

The arrogance he had from the first half of his life was gone.

He had fallen to his lowest point and had never seen the light of day again.

However, just when he became accustomed to such darkness, he now woke up to how the world looked like before.

As if the long period of darkness had been nothing but a nightmare.

On a random day, he had just woken up from a nightmare.

At first, he could only see a white blur and a faint halo of color. However, as the light gradually faded away, the scene became clear.

He saw the light-colored comforter, the dark sofa, the bright floor-to-ceiling windows…

After some length of time, familiar footsteps sounded, and her figure appeared.

A young woman.

She wore a plain white nightdress. She was slender, and her black her was draped around her shoulders. Under the skirt, her calves were fair and slender.

She pushed the windows opened, shuffled into her slippers, and walked onto the balcony. The sun was shining brightly, and she turned around.

From this angle, he could see her delicate side profile. Her proportions were just right; her eyebrows were slender and curved. The bridge of her nose was straight as jade, and her red lips were charming and dainty.

The warm sun shone on her face, making her skin look like snow, translucent and delicate. A faint brilliance floated around her, and a halo was slightly visible.

She closed her eyes and took a breath of fresh air. In the sunlight, she seemed to have a transcendent beauty.

After you regain your sight, who is the first person you want to see?

Xie Shuo had thought about this question many times. He had imagined the scene in which he would regain his sight, and he had also imagined the scene in which he would see her for the first time. However, he never imagined that it would be during such a mundane moment.

Mundane yet unexpected.

As the ice and snow of a cold winter season melted silently, you might open a window. If you don’t pay attention, you will miss the flowers beginning to bloom outside the window and the flowing sounds from the streams of springwater. 

Xie Shuo leaned against the headboard and looked at her quietly.

Seeming to notice the movement in the room, she suddenly turned around to face him. A bright smile blossomed across her lips, and her features were glowing.

“Morning.”

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Ye An brought him his blazer and helped him put it on. However, just as she managed to put on his sleeves, she stumbled and accidentally fell into his arms.

Xie Shuo raised his arms to wrap them around her waist. He smelled the strong scent of alcohol on her body and frowned slightly: “You’re drunk?”

Ye An held firmly onto his shoulders and shook her head. “No.”

Hearing that she could still enunciate, Xie Shuo let go.

Ye An finished helping him get dressed and tidied his collar before guiding him out of the room.

When they passed by the lounge area, Xin Li and Xie Yuran had already disappeared from the balcony, as if the previous scene was just an illusion.

On the early winter night, the air was cool and crisp. The moon hung angled in the sky.

    —–

The heater was turned on when they got in the car. Ye An originally wanted to chat with Xie Shuo, but as the warmth of the heat surrounded her, she seemed to feel even tipsier. She leaned on his shoulder and immediately fell asleep.

Xie Shuo felt a little sleepy as he listened to the light breathing on the side of his neck, and a faint image with lights and shadows appeared in front of him again.

With the moonlight and cool weather, the car passed through the mist and the gardens.

When they arrived home, Ye An had still not woken up. Xie Shuo raised his hand to pat her arm.

Ye An opened her eyes. She looked out the car window and asked, confused, “Are we home?”

The driver opened the door and helped Xie Shuo get out.

Ye An got out of the car and held his arm out of habit. She was only wearing a dress on this cold winter night. When disembarked, goosebumps appeared on her arm.

She shivered from the cold. Her arms and collarbone were exposed, and she moved closer to Xie Shuo, her whole body almost clinging to him.

The man’s warmth radiated through the fabric, making her feel warmer and safer.

She had gotten too close, so Xie Shuo held onto her shoulders. He paused before helping her stand and taking off his coat. He put it on her awkwardly.

His scent remained in the cold; it was clean and smelled like pine and cypress in winter. Ye An felt the new warmth on her shoulders and was stunned. She looked up at him.

The night was hazy, but the man’s features were sharp. His eyelashes were thick and long, and when surrounded by the fog, the scene overlapped with a memory from the past.

“Can you walk?” Xie Shuo asked in a low voice when he saw that she wasn’t moving. His deep voice sounded from above her.

“Yes.” Ye An returned to her senses and held his arm. She guided him back to the house while watching him under the warm lighting in front of them.

Her footsteps were unstable, and Xie Shuo had the feeling that she would trip at any moment. After entering the bedroom, he simply pulled his arm back and wrapped his arms around her shoulders instead.

He knew the layout of the bedroom like the palm of his hand. Even without guidance, he was able to navigate the room smoothly. When they reached the sofa, he set her down gently. 

Ye An woke up, confused, and leaned closer into his embrace. Her body was almost entirely in his arms.

On such an occasion like today, it was inevitable that Xie Shuo drank alcohol. Although he didn’t drink as much as her, there was a faint scent of alcohol on his breath.

Ye An lay against his chest and felt it rise and fall from his breathing. She raised her head to look up at him.

The sharp curve of his jaw came into her view, and Adam’s apple appeared particularly attractive. She couldn’t help but stretch out a finger to touch it.

For some reason, Xie Shuo didn’t stop her actions. He leaned back into the sofa with his eyes closed and let her act as she wanted. 

As Ye An observed his reaction while moving her fingers up, her eyes glittered with drunkenness.

When her fingertips reached the lower part of his jaw, Xie Shuo finally grabbed her hand and removed it. He held it in his hands and kneaded it with familiarity.

Ye An looked at him, and the image of Xin Li reaching up on her tiptoes to kiss Xie Yuran in a dark corner flashed through her mind. Her heart began to race. 

Her heart seemed to lead her body to move on its own.

When alcohol was involved, it caused others to act even more unrestrained. 

Consequently, she raised her head in a haze to kiss Adam’s apple a few seconds later.

When he felt the soft warmth, Xie Shuo wasn’t surprised.

Every time that she gets drunk, she always liked to kiss him, as if she didn’t know how dangerous her provocation was. 

Seeing that he didn’t respond, Ye An went even further. She sat up on her knees and held his face as she kissed him directly on the lips.

The light was warm and calm, and the shadows flickered outside the floor-length windows. Xie Shuo took note of her familiar fragrance as tendrils of hair brushed against his neck and lips softly touched his.

In most cases, innocent intent was more attractive than sights and visuals. Candidness was much more powerful in seduction because of its carefree essence.

He slowly raised his hand and placed it on her lower back.

Ye An’s long eyelashes fluttered. She bowed her head and kissed him for a while before letting go of him when she was satisfied.

Just as she was about to move, her waist was suddenly pulled back. 

Ye An was stunned and looked up. A hand had made its way along her shoulder and held her chin. His fingertips touched her lips. 

Before Ye An could react, his lips covered hers.

Unlike her gentle butterfly kisses, the man dominated her lips and took her breath away.

The large hand around her waist stopped her from retreating. 

Ye An’s eyes widened. His eyebrows were reflected in her dark pupils, and even fine eyelashes were clearly visible. 

His taste soon filled her lips, and after a while, she reciprocated. She raised her arms to wrap them around his neck.

In the dark night, their hazy shadows cast figures on their window while blending with the moonlight scene, giving an illusory feeling.

Her mind became more and more chaotic. Ye An grabbed his shirt, and her eyes fluttered. When she regained her senses, she was already lying on the sofa.

The cold around her made her curl slightly and bend her legs slightly.

However, Xie Shuo didn’t have the intention to stop. He leaned over her with deep eyes. His throat moved, and there were obvious traces of affection in his usually cold expression.

Ye An pursed her lips nervously.

Honestly speaking, she wasn’t against these actions and was somewhat even anticipating it–the only condition being that he wasn’t forceful like last time.

After all, they had been married for more than half a year. It would be a shame to not be able to sleep with a man with such a good figure and looks.

Moreover, if his eyes never get better and she fulfilled her promise to be his wife for life, then it would be terrible if she never had sex for the rest of her life.

She had always lived freely, so she wouldn’t torture herself by being a stay-at-home housewife.

Following that line of thought, she waved her hand in front of him. The lights and shadows flickered in front of the man’s eyes.

Xie Shuo noticed her movements and lowered his head.

He couldn’t see, but his sense of touch and smell were sensitive. With the darkness, his other senses were exponentially magnified.

The red dress was soft to the touch. Outside the French windows, the night wind blew, causing the trees and their shadows to sway gently. An occasional leaf fluttered down from the branches. 

The softly lit room was peaceful and quiet.

Suddenly, a voice sounded from the corner, breaking the silence.

“Master, good night~”

The voice was very cute, but it sounded out of place at the moment.

The two people paused on the sofa with frozen expressions.

“Master, good night~”

The phrase was repeated.

Ye An: “…”

Xie Shuo: “…”

The amorous atmosphere that existed for the two of them suddenly vanished, cooling the room down as if a basin of cold water was poured over their heads.

Ye An was stupified, but when she turned to see the penguin in the corner, she recalled how she adjusted the settings a few days ago for the penguin to say “good night” at a certain time at night and forgot to turn it off.

Why on earth did she do that?

The original seductive atmosphere had morphed into embarrassment. Ye An was so mortified that her scalp turned numb, and she had sobered up quite a bit. After a while, she said with difficulty, “I’ll… move it to the study tomorrow.”

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Ye An: “…”

First, it was Zhang Muqing–now there was an ex-marriage candidate. Had she entered a battleground tonight?

“Change out of your dress first; we can talk after.”

The girl was smiling and didn’t seem to be petty, so Ye An calmed down and smiled back at her before entering the changing room.

She chose another floor-length dress, but the new one was red. Ye An’s loose curls fell on her shoulders, and her fair collarbone was on display.

Xin Li waited outside. She looked Ye An up and down and said, smiling, “I didn’t expect his vision to improve even after losing his eyesight.”

It was obvious that she was referring to Xie Shuo. After hearing her say this, Ye An couldn’t tell whether she was a friend or foe.

Xin Li smiled again, guessing what Ye An was thinking. “Don’t worry, I’m not interested in married men. Back then, my dad wanted me to give him and the relationship a chance, but after meeting him once, I couldn’t take it anymore. He was so boring.”

Ye An couldn’t help but appreciate Xie Shuo’s cold demeanor in this instance.

Xin Li noticed her reaction and asked, “Is he still boring even after marriage?”

Seeing that she wasn’t hostile, Ye An smiled again. “He’s all right.”

The two walked down the stairs, and as they reached the bottom, Xin Li gave her a purposeful look. “The one who has ill intentions toward your husband is over there!”

Ye An followed her line of sight and saw Zhang Muqing in her blue dress. Ye An didn’t know when Zhang Muqing had finished reminiscing about old memories with Xie Yuran and sat down next to Xie Shuo, talking to him.

Ye An felt her heart stop, and jealousy washed over her.

She took a deep breath and walked over to sit down next to Xie Shuo. Her lips curled, and she called out affectionately, “Hubby.”

She held his arm and stared at him: If you frown or move; you’re done!

Fortunately, Xie Shuo was used to her acting like this on occasion, so he neither frowned nor showed any disgust. His expression was even quite gentle.

Ye An leaned against him, satisfied. She looked up at Zhang Muqing sitting on the side and smiled innocently. “Hubby, what are you guys talking about?”

Seeing Ye An and Xie Shuo’s innocent gestures, Zhang Muqing was surprised. She seemed to be in a daze, and her fingers curled on her leg.

Xie Shuo said lightly, “Nothing.”

Zhang Muqing smiled and explained. “I saw him sitting here alone. I thought that it would have been unsuitable for him, so I came over and asked.”

Ye An held Xie Shuo’s hand and smiled slightly, “I accidentally bumped into someone and stained my dress, so I went upstairs for a moment to change my clothes.” She looked up and asked softly, “Hubby, are you hungry? Do you want me to bring you something to eat?”

“No.” Xie Shuo took advantage of the situation to take her hand and begin kneading it again.

Ye An: “…”

She would endure it for now.

To be honest, she didn’t think there was an ambiguous relationship between Xie Shuo and Zhang Muqing. Xie Baiyan and Grandfather Xie definitely knew about her habit of fraternizing with both of the brothers and would never accept a relationship unless one of them would die for her. Obviously, Xie Shuo wouldn’t fall in love at first sight and meet this criterion.

She just wasn’t accustomed to the scene of them being together, and she couldn’t accept Zhang Muqing’s desire to keep talking to Xie Shuo. She had left in the past, so why was she coming back acting lovelorn? Did she want to act as long lost lovers or establish her image as his first love?

Did Zhang Muqing really think that she would let that happen?

Seeing their intimacy, Zhang Muqing also felt somewhat awkward. She sat on the side with her lips pressed together in a smile. “Since you’re back, I’ll go say hi to Uncle Xie.”

Xie Shuo didn’t say anything, so Zhang Muwing smiled and nodded Ye An farewell before getting up to leave. 

As soon as she left, Ye An stopped smiling and stared at Xie Shuo.

Even after a while, Xie Shuo still didn’t notice and continued to play with her hand.

    “……”

Somehow, she forgot that he couldn’t see. Ye An was disappointed and retracted her gaze, not wasting her effort anymore.

Thinking about the young woman she had just met, she looked up to ask, “Do you know Xin Li?”

Xie Shuo lowered his gaze upon hearing the name. “The Xin family’s daughter; why are you asking about her?”

“I just knocked into her and spilled her wine on my dress, so I had to change.” Ye An paused. “She told me that she was one of your marriage candidates.”

This time, Xie Shuo didn’t deny it. He was silent for a few seconds before saying, “I only considered it; it was a long time ago.”

The Xin family was close to Grandfather Xie. At the time, he was unable to go against Grandfather Xie’s persuasion, so he met with Xin Li.

Ye An leaned against his shoulder. She looked up at him and sighed deliberately. “A childhood sweetheart, an ex-marriage partner. I didn’t realize this before, but you have quite a few suitors.”

Xie Shuo heard the jealousy in her tone and chose to keep silent, feeling as if he was heading down a slippery slope.

Seeing him not responding, Ye An felt worse and worse, as if she was stuck in one place.

Ye An leaned into his ear and whispered viciously, “Although we have three conditions on our contract, I hate cheaters the most. If you dare cheat on me with other women before we divorce, I’ll end you!”

At this point, she was confidently arrogant and had completely forgotten how her appearance in front of him in the past as a shivering little bunny. 

Xie Shuo remained silent but suddenly let go of her hand. His hands went to his forehead, and his eyebrows furrowed. He appeared uncomfortable.

Seeing him, Ye An didn’t care to threaten him anymore and hurriedly asked, “What’s the matter? Does your head hurt again? Do your eyes hurt?”

Xie Shuo pursed his lips tightly and didn’t answer.

Ye An reached out to support him. “How about I help you back to the room so you can rest?”

Xie Shuo pushed himself up from the sofa and went upstairs with her help.

Ye An helped him into the room and sat down beside him on the bed. “Sleep for a while. I’ll come back, and we can go home later.”

Xie Shuo took off his jacket and loosened his bow tie. Because of the movement, a fraction of his collarbone was exposed.

Ye An glanced at him as she helped him lie down. She put his coat and tie away for him and ensured that he was tucked in before leaving. She made sure to close the door softly.

The banquet hall was still very lively, contrasting the quiet upstairs.

Ye An returned downstairs. Her red dress paired well with her black hair. The skirt moved like undulating waves as she walked, occasionally revealing her ankles.

At some point, someone stopped her.

Xin Li leaned against the long table while holding a glass of red wine in her hand. She tilted her head slightly, and her eyes sparkled as she said, “Let’s have a drink together?”

The Xin family was also influential in the city. As the jewel of the Xin family, it was no wonder that her words and actions were casual.

She was a guest, and Ye An was obligated to entertain her requests as a host. The latter took a glass of wine from a waiter’s tray and walked back over. 

Xin Li clinked glasses with hers and took a sip. “This is for ruining your dress just now. I’ll have someone send a new one to your house later.”

“There’s no need.” Ye An smiled slightly and took a sip of wine.

Xin Li pinched the neck of her glass with red nails. Her gaze fell on Zhang Muqing, who wore a blue dress not far away.

“What do you think is so good about that woman for so many men to be head over heels for her?” Xin Li seemed to be quite hostile towards Zhang Muqing; her eyes were narrow, and her tone was sarcastic.

Men probably liked her as she was.

Ye An didn’t know the conflict between the two, so she could only smile. However, Xin Li suddenly turned to remind her, “Watch your husband, don’t let her take advantage of him.”

Ye An, “…”

“Did something happen between the two of you?” Ye An couldn’t hold in her curiosity and asked.

Xin Li took another sip of her wine and smiled. “No, I just can’t stand her pompous attitude!”

Ye An thought to herself: this has to be the fiercist conflict on this battleground.

It was obvious that Xin Li had drunk a lot, as her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were glazed.

Ye An turned around with the wine glass in her hand and was about to find a place to rest, but someone else stopped her.

When Xie Shuo was there before, no one dared to come to approach them. Now that she was alone, everyone gathered around to greet her.

Ye An could only smile and talk to them one by one.

After socializing some, she was also quite tipsy.

At around nine o’clock, Ye An glanced at the time and felt it was about time. She found Xie Baiyan and told him about her and Xie Shuo’s plan to return home.

Xie Baiyan nodded, concerned about Xie Shuo’s condition, and had the driver send them back first.

Ye An went upstairs, planning to go to the room and wake Xie Shuo up, but she suddenly heard a strange noise from the balcony.

She paused and walked over there. When she turned her head, her eyes suddenly widened.

The light was dim, and the two almost indistinguishable figures clung to each other. One of them was wearing a black knee-length dress, showing off their fair legs. It sememed to be Xin Li. 

She was pressing a man against a corner and reaching up on tiptoe to kiss him. The man was tall and slender, and his figure looked somewhat familiar.

Just as Ye An was trying to figure out who it was, the man suddenly removed Xin Li’s arm and scolded her in a hushed voice. Listening to the voice, Ye An found out that it was clearly Xie Yuran!

Xie Yuran and Xin Li?

Ye An was shocked and almost thought she was hallucinating from the alcohol.

There was no wonder why Xin Li hated Zhang Muqing so much. Their animosity was because of Xie Yuran.

Seeing that the two of them were leaving the balcony to head her way, Ye An hurriedly turned around and pretended not to see anything. She hurried to the room where Xie Shuo was sleeping.

When she opened the door and entered, Xie Shuo had already woken up and sat on the bed. His cold features were calm and showed a trace of exhaustion.

“I’ve already said goodbye to Dad, so we can go home now.”

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“Have you been doing alright?”

After a moment of silence, the woman in the blue dress spoke.

Ye An turned to look at Xie Shuo. His expression did not change and remained calm.

He responded to her as he did with outsiders, saying in a low voice, “All right.”

The woman in the blue dress forced a smile. “I just came back from overseas last week. I wanted to come visit you but was afraid that it would be inconvenient for you.”

As she spoke she turned to Ye An before suddenly saying, “Is this… your wife?”

Xie Shuo responded with a light, “En.”

The woman smiled at Ye An. “Hello, I’m Zhang Muqing.”

Muqing.

Why did this name… sound so familiar?

Ye An smiled back politely. “Hello, I’m Ye An.”

Zhang Mu Qing observed her unwaveringly for a moment before reverting her gaze back to Xie Shuo. “I was abroad when you got married, and no one told me. When I finally heard about it, it was too late, so I can only make it up to you with the gift…”

Hearing this, Ye An finally remembered the wedding gift they had received not long after she and Xie Shuo got married. They had received a pair of high-end brooches, and the card was signed with the name “Muqing.”

It seems that the relationship between these two was deep.

Ye An looked at Xie Shuo and then at Zhang Muqing, who seemed to have come prepared.She suddenly felt a bit sorry for Zhang Muqing.

Had she come back to China with the intent of resuming their relationship?

Fortunately, Xie Shuo was aware of his boundaries as a married man. Zhang Muqing spoke for so long, yet his expression did not change. His replies were polite yet concise.

Zhang Muqing’s expression flashed with discomfort, and her smile became forced when she noticed his estranged attitude.

While they were stuck in awkward conversation, Xie Yuran suddenly walked over with a glass of wine, relieving them of the stiffness.

“Ge, Sao zi.” Xie Yuran paused and turned to Zhang Muqing, “Muqing jie.”

Seeing him, Zhang Muqing’s smile brightened again. “Yuran.”

Xie Shuo suddenly touched Ye An’s hand that was on his arm and whispered, “Let’s go.”

Ye An returned to her senses and guided Xie Shuo away, leaving Xie Yuran and Zhang Yuran to reminisce about the past.

After sitting down on the sofa in the corner, Ye An glanced back and whispered, “So she’s Muqing.” She poked Xie Shuo and leaned closer to him, asking, “Be honest, is that your ex-girlfriend?”

Xie Shuo seemed to not want to answer, but he still said impatiently, “No.”

Ye An tilted her head. “Then… a previous situationship?”

Xie Shuo: “…”

Xie Shuo leaned against the sofa and closed his eyes, ignoring her meaningless questions.

Ye An turned to look back again. Zhang Muqing and Xie Yuran were still talking, and they occasionally seemed to glance in their direction.

Ye An remembered something and poked Xie Shuo again. “Her last name is Zhang. Is she the daughter of your Vice Deputy Zhang?”

Xie Shuo opened his eyes reluctantly and replied lightly, “Adopted from their family’s relative.”

Ye An immediately turned back around. “You know her situation so well. Did you two grow up together as childhood sweethearts?”

Xie Shuo: “…She was a teenager when she was adopted.”

So not a childhood sweetheart.

But in Ye An’s book, Zhang Muqing’s situation counted. She thought about it and felt that it was a little strange. Since Zhang Muqing was Zhang Junfeng’s adopted daughter and was childhood friends with Xie Shuo–shouldn’t she be the best candidate for marriage in terms of family lineage and connections? How did they choose the Ye family out of everyone else?

Did the Zhang family look down on Xie Shuo for becoming blind and didn’t think he could hold any position of power in the company?

But in this case, Zhang Muqing would have had to agree with her family’s thought process, so why was she gazing at Xie Shuo like a long-lost lover? Was she regretting it?

Ye An couldn’t help but imagine them in a passionate and turbulent relationship. She leaned on Xie Shuo’s shoulder and asked quietly, “Isn’t the Xie family and Zhang family close? Why didn’t you marry Zhang Muqing?”

Xie Shuo looked up and sneered, saying sarcastically, “Would the Zhang family allow the marriage puppet they raised to be wasted on a blind man?”

So that was the reason… Ye An looked up at the cold face of the man under the lamp lighting. She reverted her gaze and asked, “So if the Zhang family gave their approval, you would have married her?”

She thought that he would have assented, but he unexpectedly answered with a curt, “No.”

When did this man become so good at answering questions?

???

“Why?” Ye An asked.

Xie Shuo didn’t say anything, obviously not wanting to answer.

Ye An stretched her index finger out to touch his jaw. “Why? Be honest; I won’t be mad.”

Afraid that she would keep pestering him, Xie Shuo finally said, “Yuran likes her.”

Huh?

Ye An turned around in shock and observed the two talking figures in the distance. What kind of competing brothers’ love triangle was this?

Ye An was bewildered. She turned back around to look at Xie Shuo and wanted to ask if he liked Zhang Muqing too. However, she held back her words.

He definitely wouldn’t answer that question.

Ye An lowered her gaze and felt an unexplainably bitter feeling in her mouth. Her long eyelashes reflected the light, and his long and slender hands entered her line of sight. 

She pursed her lips and stretched her hand out to lightly scratch the back of his hand. 

Xie Shuo thought she was bored and took advantage of the situation to hold her soft hand. He wrapped it in his palms and began to play with it out of habit.

    “……”

Ye An’s chest felt blocked: That’s all you ever do! My hand isn’t dough, yet you keep kneading it!

She looked up and caught a glimpse of his indifferent expression, which showed no ounce of care towards anything. She pulled her hand back in annoyance and got up and suddenly got up, saying, “I’m going to the bathroom.”

After speaking, she walked away in her high heels. 

Xie Shuo’s hands were left empty. When he heard her speak, there seemed to be some displeasure in his unreadable expression.

After leaving, Ye An’s footsteps slowed down as she realized that losing her temper would be inappropriate at this banquet. The light shrouded her figure and outlined her slender figure. She had narrow shoulders and a slender waist, and her dress swayed like flowers in the trees when she walked. 

Guests of the banquet were whispering not far away:

“Hey, is that the Xie family’s daughter-in-law?”

“Which family is she from? Why haven’t I seen her before?”

“I heard she’s surnamed, Ye. Is this the first time that she has come? She’s quite pretty…”

Zhang Muqing stood on the side, listening to their conversation. She couldn’t help but look over in that direction.

Ye An stood under the lights in a white dress and had delicate features.

Ye An kept her gaze fixed and walked out of the banquet hall into the bathroom.

After she exited the restroom stall, Ye An had calmed down a bit.

Forget it. Their marriage was a business relationship, to begin with. What was the point in getting annoyed by him? It wasn’t worth it.

Ye An washed her hands and looked into the mirror to make sure her makeup was still intact. After taking a deep breath, she turned to leave.

However, just as she reached the corner in the hall, she turned and accidentally bumped into someone who was holding a glass of wine.

The wine spilled with their collision, and a large red stain blossomed on the originally pure white dress.

Ye An: “…”

What kind of luck is this?

“I’m sorry…” The young woman who bumped into Ye An looked up. Her voice suddenly stopped when she faced Ye An, and a trace of scrutiny appeared in her eyes. 

Ye An turned to look at her as well. It was already November, but the girl was still wearing a short dress, which revealed her slender legs. Her fair shoulders were half exposed.

The beautiful woman’s gaze was complicated. The outer corners of her eyes angled up, making her almost resemble a sly fox.

“Sorry, I didn’t see you just now.” She looked at Ye An and smiled. “Your dress got dirty; I can help you change your clothes.”

Ye An felt as if the girl knew her, but she didn’t recognize the girl at all. A waiter heard them speaking and asked, “Ma’am, are you alright?”

Ye An lifted the hem of her dress and shook her head. “I’m fine.”

Since this was the Xie family’s event, she already had extra clothes prepared. Seeing that the woman didn’t seem to have ill intentions, Ye An allowed her to go upstairs with her to change clothes.

The girl in the black dress followed her up, and as Ye An opened the door to the room, she suddenly asked, “Are you Xie Shuo’s wife?”

Ye An turned back to look at her. “And you are…?”

“Me?” The young woman blinked and smiled slyly. “Your husband’s ex-marriage partner, Xin Li.”

Previous|Index|Next

Ever since they have returned from the institute, Ye An discovered that Xie Shuo had changed and was no longer as lifeless as before. Even though he didn’t speak much, he wasn’t as easy to provoke and was willing to go outside.

Zhong Fu came to deliver documents to him so regularly that it reached the point where  Ye An was always busy reading to Xie Shuo.

Most of October passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Xie Yuran, whom they had not seen in a long time, suddenly visited the estate. Ye An had just finished reading a document out to Xie Shuo, and sensing that they had something to discuss, she left the room with the excuse of getting water.

In terms of work matters, Xie Shuo trusted her with many documents without any hint of doubt. Xie Yuran, on the other hand, was different. He seemed to still be somewhat biased against her, so Ye An tried to avoid him every time he came over.

“Ge.” Xie Yuran sat down when Ye An left. “Why did you ask me to come over?”

Xie Shuo listened to his movements and said lightly, “I heard Zhong Fu say that the Zhang family is having a dinner party two days from now?”

Xie Shuo hadn’t appeared in public in over a year, so Xie Yuran was a little surprised upon hearing him ask about this. “There is one at seven o’clock the day after tomorrow in his villa.”

Xie Shuo tapped the armrest aimlessly and contemplated for a moment before saying, “Pay more attention to his actions and see who he is close with.”

Xie Yuran heard him speak and was stunned. “Ge, are you suspecting Uncle Zhang?”

Xie Shuo did not respond.

“When I…” He paused before saying Ye An’s name. “When I and da sao were on our honeymoon, I met up with Yan Fei. He said that the reason why their company suddenly pulled away from the development case was because of Zhang Junfeng.”

Xie Yuran couldn’t believe it. “Are you sure?”

The Zhang family and Xie family had been friends for many years, and Zhang Junfeng was an executive in their company.

“Pretty much, I had Zhong Fu investigate it.” Xie Shuo raised his hand to massage his temples. “But don’t let him know for now. He’s been with the company for many years; it won’t be easy to remove him.”

Xie Yuran looked into Xie Shuo’s dull eyes, and his expression suddenly changed as he recalled something.

Xie Shuo couldn’t see the change in his expression and naturally couldn’t tell what Xie Yuran was thinking.

Xie Yuran looked a little strange, but after a while, he continued to speak.

The two changed the topic afterward to discuss other current projects at the company.

Not long after, Xie Yuran left.

When Xie Yuran went downstairs and passed through the living room, he saw Ye An, who was in the kitchen learning how to make desserts with Aunt Zhou with enthusiasm. She wore casual clothes at home, and her long hair was pulled back. There was a gentle glow on her body.

Honestly speaking, Xie Yuran had never had a good of this random sister-in-law that had suddenly appeared one day. However, he had to admit that his brother had changed a lot after they got married.

Xie Yuran looked at her but not for long before withdrawing his gaze and walking away.

Ye An didn’t notice his departure and was focused on baking desserts with Aunt Zhou’s guidance.

They were trying to make osmanthus cakes, and after they were done, Ye An took a bite. After deciding that the flavor was good, she immediately put them on a plate and happily went upstairs.

Translucent yellow osmanthus cakes were placed one by one on a snow-white porcelain place.

The door to the study was left open, and Ye An entered to see that Xie Yuran had left. Xie Shuo was sitting alone with a hand supporting his forehead and looking contemplative.

He put his hand down, hearing her footsteps approach.

Ye An sat down beside him and smiled, saying, “I made these osmanthus cakes myself; do you want to try some?”

Xie Shuo turned to face her with a suspicious expression.

Ye An’s smile stiffened. Young Master Xie’s temper had improved recently, but he was still very picky.

Ye An didn’t care about whether he wanted to try it or not. She used a fork to bring a small piece of cake to his mouth. 

“Come, try a piece.”

Xie Shuo opened his mouth reluctantly, afraid that she would start harassing him again.

The sweet fragrance of the osmanthus cake filled the air. Ye An watched him chew and asked expectantly, “How is it?”

Xie Shuo answered truthfully, “Not bad.”

Ye An was satisfied with his answer and forked another piece to feed him. “Then eat some more.”

Xie Shuo ate a couple more bites per her request, but Ye An ate the rest to avoid him getting tired of it.

After Xie Shuo had taken a few bites, she caught a glimpse of a few crumbs on the corner of his lips. She stretched her fingers to help him wipe them off.

 As she wiped them off, her wrist was suddenly grabbed.

Xie Shuo gripped her wrist and looked up to face her with a deep gaze.

Ye An sat sideways on the sofa and was leaning towards him. The atmosphere suddenly thickened, seemingly returning to the scene in the movie room the other day.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously pulled her hand away. However, he reached further to grab her fingers.

The man’s face was stern, and his fingers were slender. His actions held a hint of provocation.

Just as Ye An was pondering what he was about to do, he held her hand and brought it to rest on his leg while kneading it.

Ye An: “…”

Are you addicted to my hand or what?

Ye An was speechless for a few seconds before pulling her hands away harshly. “I haven’t washed my hands yet.”

Xie Shuo’s hands were now empty, and he was left feeling unsatisfied.

Ye An got up and wiped her hands with a paper towel before sitting back down beside him. She looked out the window at the sky and said, “We haven’t gone outside for a while, have we? Let’s go on a walk somewhere tomorrow, okay?”

Xie Shuo took hold of her hand again and brought it to his lap before replying, “The Zhang family is hosting a dinner party the day after tomorrow. If you want to go, have Yuran take you. ”

Ye An eyes lit up as she listened, and she asked, “Are you going?”

Xie Shuo said lightly, “It would be inconvenient for me to go.”

Ye An felt discouraged. “If you don’t go, what’s the point of me going?”

Hearing her words, Xie Shuo turned to face her and suddenly asked, “Didn’t you say that it was boring spending time with me?”

    “……”

Ye An choked for a moment and said stubbornly, “When did I say that?”

She just occasionally found him boring.

Xie Shuo pursed his lips and didn’t reply.

 Ye An knew that it was unrealistic for him to attend a dinner party with many people present, so she didn’t bother to ask him to come again.

She laid against his shoulders and looked up at his smooth jaw. She was unable to hold back her urge to reach upwards and scratch.

“But, you are a little annoying sometimes…”

Before she could finish speaking, her hand was caught again.

This time, Xie Shuo no longer played with her fingers. He grabbed her slender hand and was silent for a moment before suddenly saying, “When you want to do something, you can go. You don’t have to stay at home all the time.”

If he never recovered his eyesight, she would get bored of his company sooner or later.

Although he didn’t know how she had the patience to stay with him until now.

Ye An was suprised upon understanding his meaning.

She looked into his eyes and moved her lips, but she didn’t know what to say. 

After a while, she put her arms together and looped them tightly around his neck. She deliberately raised her chin and said, “Why, you’re not happy to have someone to stay with you?”

The body in his arms was soft, and the familiar fragrance lingered in his nose. Xie Shuo didn’t say a word. He put a hand on her back and rubbed it up and down. After a moment, he asked, “If you don’t want to go to the dinner party, where do you want to go?”

“You’re saying yes?”

Ye An was delighted: this Eldest Young Master has become better and better at saying the right things!

“I’m not sure yet; give me some time.”

She looked at him, her eyes darting over his eyebrows, eyes, and nose bridge before finally stopping at his lips.

Her heart beat softly, and all of a sudden, she was unable to resist the urge and left a soft kiss on the corner of his lips.

After doing so, she quickly let go of his hand and pretended as if nothing happened. She hurriedly fled away.

Xie Shuo leaned against the sofa and listened to the sound of her footsteps getting farther away. The corners of his lips twitched, and lights and shadows flashed in front of him.

    —

 Although the two never went  to Zhang Junfeng’s dinner party, they soon had another event to attend: Xie Baiyan’s birthday banquet.

In the past two years, there had been changes in the Xie family, so the mood was consistently down-spirited. Xie Baiyan decided to hold a small banquet to dispel the negativity and uplift the mood.

The banquet was hosted in a villa far from the city.

Ye An and Xie Shuo went there early that day and booked a room to stay in.

At six in the evening, the guests arrived one after the other. A large crystal chandelier hung from the room and reflected scattered bits of light across the room.

In the hall, the celebratory airs and lively conversations inhabited the space.

The white evening dress that Ye An had hidden in her closet had finally come in handy. 

As she looked into the mirror at herself, she suddenly felt as if she had returned to her wedding night.

Xie Shuo sat on the side, also dressed in formal clothes. Tonight, he wore a white dress shirt and a black suit. Ye An had personally tied his tie, and he looked noble and handsome.

The outside sounded festive and lively, but Xie Shuo didn’t seem interested at all. He sat there quietly with a cold expression.

Ye An stayed with him in the room for a while and felt that it was inappropriate for one of them to greet others if the other wasn’t there. She walked up to him and asked nicely, “How about we go outside and take a look?”

Xie Shuo frowned slightly and remained silent.

Ye An was helpless upon seeing his appearance. She hesitated for a moment before saying, “Then I’ll go outside to take a look and then come back here later.”

After speaking, she picked up her phone from the table and fixed her hair and skirt before bracing herself to go outside.

But after only taking one step, Xie Shuo suddenly stood up.

Ye An was pleasantly surprised. “You’re coming outside with me?”

Xie Shuo didn’t reply and only held his arm out for her.

At this time, it would be unseemly if he let her go outside alone and wasn’t accompanying her.

Seeing him extend his arm, Ye An rushed over happily to take it and guided the way.

As they passed through the hallways, a dazzling light enshrouded the two.

The man stood tall and straight, and the woman had a willowy, long dress with delicate features. Their attractive figures drew everybody’s attention.

Xie Baiyan turned his head to look over in their direction. He excused himself from the other guests and walked over. “Have you both rested?”

Ye An smiled gently. “Father, happy birthday.”

Xie Baiyan also returned the warm smile and softly reminded them of a few things before taking them to greet the guests.

Ye An, who had always carefully supported Xie Shuo, noticed that he seemed slightly uncomfortable. She quietly held his hand.

Most of the guests who came today were close relatives and friends, so they were relatively calm when meeting Xie Shuo. Even if some had a strange expression initially, they quickly hid it.

People kept approaching them to say hello, but since Ye An knew very few of them, she could only keep smiling throughout every interaction.

Fortunately, the banquet wasn’t very large, and Xie Baiyan was the main focus tonight. After a while, the two managed to escape.

Ye An supported Xie Shuo as they walked to a secluded area. After taking only a few steps, a soft voice suddenly sounded from behind them:

“A’Shuo.”

As a professional voice actor, Ye An immediately detected the complex emotions in “A’Shuo.” The simple greeting contained joy, disappointment, surprise…there were many undertones.

Ye An helped Xie Shuo turn around.

There was a young woman in a periwinkle dress standing a few feet away. She had a slender figure, elegant features, and a refined temperament. Even standing there, she seemed to be a beautiful artwork that drew everyone’s eye.

She shot a quick glance at Ye An before gazing at Xie Shuo with a trace of sadness in her expression.

Ye An’s heart skipped a beat, and she suddenly felt a sense of apprehension.

~

Author’s Note: Here comes a female supporting lead, but no emotional games~

~

We’ll see next chapter~

Previous|Index|Next

The appointment was scheduled for right after the Mid-Autumn Festival.

On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, Ye An accompanied Xie Shuo to Grandfather Xie’s place for a family dinner. Xie Yuran was also present.

Ye An had rarely seen Xie Yuran in the past few months. She heard that he was transferred to a foreign branch for some time after the last development project.

Ye An looked at him for the first time in a while and noted that he looked more dispirited and haggard than before. He only managed to barely smile when talking to Grandfather Xie.

Xie Yuran happened to sit diagonally across from Xie Shuo during the meal, and Ye An noticed him occasionally glancing at Xie Shuo.

After eating, Ye An sat with Grandfather Xie for a while, but before he could ask when they were going to have children, Ye An dragged Xie Shuo outside to take a walk.

In the ancient-style courtyard, the paths intertwined, carefully designed to avoid the flowers and vegetables growing in the area. As they walked, they suddenly met Xie Yuran by the rose bushes.

He seemed to have drank quite a bit of alcohol. He wore a white shirt and black trousers, and his handsome face was tinged with pink. His eyes were somewhat glazed over with drunkenness.

“Ge,” he greeted Xie Shuo first before turning to Ye An and saying, “Da Sao.”

Ye An smiled politely. Because they were close, she could smell the scent of alcohol on his body.

Xie Yuran put one of his hands in his pocket and asked, “I heard Grandpa say that you’re going to see Professor Cen tomorrow.”

Xie Shuo replied with an “En. “I’m probably going to stay there for a while. Whenever I’m not here, you can ask Zhong Fu about things.”

Xie Yuran smiled with vague reluctance. “All right, Ge, take care of your body. If anything happens, just have Da Sao call home at any time.”

After these words of courtesy, Xie Yuran couldn’t think of anything else to say, so he returned from the path he came from. Before entering the house, he glanced back at them.

Ye An made eye contact with him. She supported Xie Shuo, whispering, “Your brother seems a little strange today.”

Since Xie Shuo couldn’t see, he wasn’t aware of Xie Yuran’s appearance. He looked up and asked, “How so?”

Ye An looked back and answered, “I’m not sure; something just feels off.”

Xie Shuo frowned, seeming to think of something.

The two didn’t stay for too long that evening and returned home early.

The moon was full on that autumn night, but since the weather was cloudy and drizzling, the moon was obscured. Ye An almost caught a cold from the weather.

After showering, Ye An laid down nervously. While listening to the rain outside, she questioned, “Do you think that you’ll ever be able to see again?”

Xie Shuo turned to face her to avoid hitting her. After a moment, he said, “Rest early.” 

Ye An: “…”

    —–

Two days later, Ye An accompanied Xie Shuo to the research institute again. Xie Baiyan had work and didn’t go with them this time, but the father-son pair talked for a long time in the study the night before leaving. 

At around nine in the morning, the sun shone brightly, and the car exited the city limits and drove to the institute. 

The last time they came, the flora was lush in the early summer. In the blink of an eye, the seasons changed to one with withering leaves. The autumn dew on the greenery had not yet evaporated into the cool air.

When Cen Qingyan saw them again, he first asked about Xie Shuo’s condition over the past few months before starting a comprehensive check-up.

Ye An waited outside the patient room. It may have been from her previous experiences there, but she was much calmer this time, and her limbs were no longer as weak.

However, she was still a little worried. She stood in a deserted corridor for a while before sitting down in a rest area.

Xie Shuo lay quietly in the patient room with a beam of light shining into his eyes. 

After a long time, Cen Qingyan turned the examination light off and helped Xie Shuo up. He raised his hand and waved it in front of Xie Shuo’s eyes and asked, “Have you been any phantom images recently?”

Xie Shuo replied, “Two or three times.”

There was a hint of joy on Cen Qingyan’s face. “The second phase of treatment seems to be working. Stay for half a month, so I can monitor your condition. We can start the third treatment phase tomorrow; you can try a drug that was recently developed.”

Xie Shuo suddenly asked, “Will I be cured after this?”

Cen Qingyan hesitated for a moment before saying, “I’m not one hundred percent certain for the time being, but today’s situation is much better than before. Right now, the possibility of you recovering is approximately forty to fifty percent.”

Xie Shuo looked down and was silent for a moment. “Please don’t tell anyone about this, including my wife.”

Cen Qingyan realized that Xie Shuo was afraid of giving them hope and only to end up disappointing them. He empathized with Xie Shuo and agreed, “All right.”

    ——

Occasional footsteps sounded clear from the hallway. Ye An waited for a long time before Xie Shuo finally came out.

Her eyes lit up, and she quickly got up to meet him. She held his arm and asked Cen Qingyan, “Professor Cen, how is it?”

Cen Qingyan smiled and said, “The situation is much better was before, and we can start the third phase of treatment.”

Ye An was overjoyed and grabbed Xie Shuo’s hands excitedly. She was at a loss for words due to her excitement.

Xie Shuo felt the strength of her grip, and his eyes twitched.

Not long later, Ye An walked Xie Shuo to a special ward to rest.

When everything was settled, it was already three o’clock in the afternoon. The sun shone through the windows and cast shadows that moved silently. 

Xie Shuo sat like a statue against the headboard of the bed, exhibiting a delicate beauty. 

Ye An remembered Cen Qingyan’s advice to keep Xie Shuo’s spirits up. After thinking for a while, she picked up her phone and searched for any interesting tidbits of information to entertain him.

As soon as she opened her Weibo feed, a novel popped up.

Ye An was intrigued. After reading a few lines, she burst out laughing.

Xie Shuo heard the sudden burst of laughter and was confused by her enthusiasm.

“Do you want me to read a novel to you?” Ye An moved closer to him and spoke with a smile.

Xie Shuo’s cold behavior had improved a lot recently, and he asked, “What kind of novel?”

Ye An cleared her throat and expressively read the story.

“President, it’s been three years since you made Madam go to Africa.

“Has she admitted her wrongs?

“Not yet, but she’s wealthier than you now.”

As soon as she finished reading the sentence, she couldn’t hold back her laughter. She fell into his lap, and her non-stop laughter echoed throughout the room.

Xie Shuo: “…”

Ye An stopped laughing and looked up. Her finger reached out and poked his shoulder. “Mr. Xie, would you ever send me off to Africa? I also want to be richer than you.”

Xie Shuo: “…”

Ye An contained her laughter and continued to look at her phone. “There’s more about removing her organs and draining her blood… are all of you CEO’s so cruel?” Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind. She asked worriedly, “You wouldn’t dig my eyes out and use them for yourself, would you?”

    “……”

Xie Shuo looked at her indifferently, his expression seemingly saying– are you dumb?

Ye An waited for a short while, but before he could reply, she couldn’t stop her smile. She leaned closer to him and looked at him closely, seeming somewhat discouraged. “Can you not smile? I’ve not seen you smile once, even after being married for so long, and you always have a long face.”

If she were to ever see him smile one day, then it really would be a miracle.

Xie Shuo smelled the light fragrance on her body, the one he was most familiar with in the past six months.

Suddenly, a flash of light and blurry shadows appeared in front of him, and this time was more apparent than the last few times.

However, the light and shadows slowly disappeared, and the darkness submerged every image.

Because of their close proximity, Ye An felt as if he were looking directly at her. Her ears were warm, and she recalled the kiss that almost happened the other day. Her gaze unconsciously fell on his lips, and her heart skipped a beat.

The atmosphere changed, so she hurriedly backed away and turned her head. She suddenly heard him ask, “Do you want to go on a walk?”

Ye An: “?”

Ye An’s eyes widened and almost thought that she heard wrong.

The last time that they came for treatment, she had spent so much effort on coaxing him to go on walks outside. She didn’t expect him to suddenly mention walks on his own initiative.

Has he really changed?

“All right!” Ye An was in favor of his idea and hurriedly helped him out of bed.

As the lights and shadows flickered on the curtains behind her, she glanced at his sharp profile and suddenly realized that his temper seemed to have vastly improved. He didn’t seem as moody recently.

The afternoon sun shone diagonally outside the building. The parasol trees stood tall in the sky, and the leaves fell gently on the ground.

Ye An guided Xie Shuo across the lawn, and they walked unhurriedly under the shade, admiring the faint scent of the flowers.

After a while, the two were tired from walking and rested on a bench by the road. Ye An looked around before suddenly saying, “Wait here, I’m going to go find a book.”

Their surroundings were perfect for reading, as it was far away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Ye An hurried back to the building and asked Cen Qingyan to borrow a book. He chose a random one, and it happened to be a collection of Tagore’s poems.

The autumn sun was high in the clouds, and the rays shone through the branches and leaves, the mottled shadows falling on the two figures sitting side by side.

Ye An put the book in her lap and turned the pages one by one before beginning to read:

I heard the echo, from the valleys and the heart

Open to the lonely soul of sickle harvesting

Repeat outrightly, but also repeat the well-being of

Eventually swaying in the desert oasis

I believe I am

Born as the bright summer flowers

Do not wither undefeated fiery demon rule

Heart rate and breathing to bear the load of the cumbersome

    ……

I hear love, I believe in love

Love is a pool of struggling blue-green algae

As desolate micro-burst of wind

Bleeding through my veins

Years stationed in the belief

I believe that all can hear

Her voice rang gently in his ear, like the warm wind in spring melting away the iciness from the harsh winters.

Xie Shuo listened quietly, the side of his face shrouded in the speckled light, and his usually furrowed eyebrows gradually easing.

At some moment, he suddenly felt that if the rest of his life was destined to be spent in boundless darkness, it would be nice to have such a person to be there with him. 

After a while, the voice in his ears quieted down little by little before finally disappearing into the gentle breeze.

Her shoulders lowered, her head tilted, and her warmth penetrated through his clothes. Xie Shuo turned his head slightly, and his jaw brushed into her soft hair, her familiar scent entering his nose.

His surroundings suddenly went silent. In the endless darkness, he heard the sound of rustling leaves falling to the ground, the breeze passing through the branches, and her shallow breaths against his shoulders. It felt as if he had woken up from a long coma in darkness.

Her fair hands slipped from the pages and onto his.

He felt the coldness of her fingertips and was stunned for a moment. He wrapped his hands around hers.

The dead leaves floated around them like butterflies, and the pages of the poems in her lap turned in the wind before stopping on a certain page.

    —–

Because of Xie Shuo’s cooperation, the course of treatment went much more smoothly than the last time. Ye An even felt like she was on vacation with him. After the daily check-ups, they wandered around the institute, living a leisurely life.

The only downside was that half a month later, no miracle happened, and Xie Shuo did not suddenly regain his eyesight as she had secretly hoped.

Even after asking Cen Qingyan multiple times, his answer was, “his condition is much better than before, but it’s uncertain whether his eyesight can be restored.” Ye An began to seriously suspect that he was just comforting himself.

The day they left the institute was clear and bright.

Outside the car window, the scenery gradually became prosperous street views. Ye An looked at the silent Xie Shuo beside her. Worried that he was feeling dejected, she reached her hand out to cover his hand.

Xie Shuo was no longer as resistant to her actions as before and even held her hand, kneading it gently in his palm.

Ye An: “…?”

Ye An originally just wanted to comfort him and didn’t expect this kind of reaction, so she was somewhat confused.

Ever since that night, he seemed to enjoy playing with her hands. He would occasionally hold and knead her hand, and she didn’t know why.

Ye An looked at her fingers, which were warm from his pinching, and wanted to retract her hand. However, after thinking about the distress he had been under, she thought he was in a bad mood and endured it.

Previous|Index|Next

There happened to be an open exhibit at an art museum in the city center, so Ye An had the housekeeper buy tickets and persuaded the reluctant Xia Jin to go.

The lighting was clear and bright, and the visitors spoke in hushed whispers and walked with light footsteps. 

As Xia Jin looked at the vibrant colors on the paintings against the snow-white walls, her expression gradually softened, and there was a youthful vigor in her gaze.

She stood in front of one of the paintings for a while. Ye An took a mental note and asked quietly, “Do you like this one?”

Xia Jin gave a small nod. “The color scheme is nice.”

Ye An turned around and asked for the staff’s help, but the staff member smiled only politely and said that the painting was going to be auctioned off. Therefore, it wasn’t for sale for the time being.

Ye An wanted to ask for more details, but Xia Jin stopped her. “Forget it, I wasn’t serious.”

Ye An could only let it go.

After visiting the gallery, Xia Jin’s mood was evidently better than before. She knew that her actions would not change anything, so she didn’t try to convince Ye An to get a divorce like yesterday.

Xia Jin had remained strong for most of her life and never bowed her head or showed any signs of weakness. In the past, she had decisively divorced Ye Yuan Nian as a result of their quarrels. Xia Jin never thought that she would be so easily persuaded when it came time for her daughter’s marriage.

She glanced at Ye An, recalled the argument they had yesterday and sighed. Had she really made the wrong choice then?

“Why isn’t he here with you today?”

Ye An was stunned upon hearing Xia Jin’s sudden question, but she then realized that she was asking about Xie Shuo. Ye An smiled, saying, “He originally wanted to come but had work affairs to deal with. Also, his eyes make it more inconvenient for him to come since someone would have to take care of him, so I told him not to come. He is coming to dine with us tonight, though, and the restaurant has already been booked.”

After seeing the smile on her face, Xia Jin couldn’t help but ask, “You really like him?”

Ye An’s head hurt. “Mom, can you not be so biased against him? He was already in a rough period in his life, and his eyes were injured in a car accident. It wasn’t even his fault.” She paused before adding, “Also, he’s saved me before.”

Xia Jin was taken aback. “When did that happen?”

Ye An replied, “Don’t ask; you can just treat this marriage as me repaying the favor. He really is a good person…”

As she spoke, the employee suddenly stepped forward from behind them and asked, “Madam, where should this painting be delivered?”

Ye An turned to see a staff member behind them with a painting, the one that Xia Jin had taken a liking to earlier.

Ye An was puzzled. “Didn’t you say the painting wasn’t for sale earlier?”

The employee smiled and said, “I contacted the person in charge of the exhibition, and we settled it.”

Ye An understood the situation and turned to Xia Jin, saying, “Let’s just send it to your home, so it’ll be more convenient for you.”

Xia Jin didn’t expect such a turn in events, and she had mixed feelings.

The two walked out of the museum and stepped into the car to head to the restaurant that Xie Shuo had booked.

    —

In the study of the Xie residence.

“Vice Deputy Zhang did have private correspondence with two other companies during negotiations of the Ju development cooperation, but there has been no concrete evidence.”

Zhong Fu stood in the room and reported his findings.

Xie Shuo leaned against the sofa. His gaze was cold, and his long and slender fingers twitched. “Continue to investigate him and his finances. Do it in secret; don’t let him know yet.”

Zhong Fu nodded.

“Also, show me all of the projects that he handles in the future. If I’m not there, give it to the chairman.”

After speaking, Xie Shuo suddenly asked, “What time is it?”

Zhong Fu glanced at his watch and said, “Five twenty.”

Xie Shuo stood and said, “That’ll be all for now. Call my wife and ask if they’ve left the art exhibition.”

Zhong Fu quickly dialed a phone call to ask before turning around to say, “Madam said that they are already are on the way to the restaurant.”

Xie Shuo had just taken a step after standing up when flashes of light appeared circling before his eyes. His head began to hurt, and his body swayed, almost causing him to fall.

Zhong Fu hurried over to support him. “President Xie?”

Xie Shuo stood firm with Zhong Fu’s support, and he pressed his hand against his head.

Ever since coming back from the honeymoon, the flashing had not returned. He thought that the two incidences of flashes at Qianyue Mountain were just accidents and was not expecting it to happen today.

“Would you like me to call the doctor for you?” Zhong Fu asked worriedly.

A few moments later, Xie Shuo felt better, but his vision went completely dark again. He let go of Zhong Fu’s arm and said lightly, “No, let’s go.”

Zhong Fu could only support him on their way out.

    —-

The days in fall and winter were short. By the time they arrived at the restaurant, it was twilight, and the street lights were on.

Before finding a restaurant, Xie Shuo asked about Xia Jin’s tastes and preferences. In the end, he chose a Chinese restaurant with light dishes.

The restaurant was elegant and had traditional aesthetics. The chef was at the national level.

Two minutes after Ye An and Xia Jin entered, they saw Xie Shuo come in. Ye An stood up to go support him. She smiled, saying, “Darling.”

It was rare for Xie Shuo to have any expression other than a cold one. He asked gently, “Have you been waiting?”

Ye An held his arm and replied sweetly, “No, we just got here.”

Xie Shuo’s assistant followed them and stepped forward to passed a delicately packaged gift box to Xia Jin. He spoke courteously in their approximate direction, “You came very soon, so please forgive me for my hasty preparations. I’m sorry if anything has inconvenienced you.”

He gifted a painting in the afternoon and gave another gift in the evening. Even if Xia Jin didn’t like him, she could not say anything.

Ye An slid her hand down to grasp his palm. She intertwined their fingers and asked coquettishly, “What about me? There’s no present for me?”

Xie Shuo smiled cooperatively, “I’ll take you out another day, and you can pick out whatever you want. ”

The lighting inside the room was soft and warm, and it cast a faint glow around his eyebrows, adding a hint of fondness. Even his indifferent tone held a trace of emotion that she had never heard before.

Ye An almost believed his actions to be true and shook her head to rid herself of the fantasy. 

Fortunately, she was able to come back to her senses. She helped Xie Shuo sit down and said sweetly, “That’s what I like to hear.”

Xia Jin watched the two of them displaying affection, and her words were stuck in her throat, making her unable to do anything.

Although they were putting on a show, Ye An didn’t dare go overboard in case it was too exaggerated. She let go of Xie Shuo and smiled at Xia Jin. “Mom, what do you want to eat? Order anything you want.”

Xia Jin’s expression softened, and she responded with a light, “En.”

Hearing her affirming response, Ye An breathed a sigh of relief and finally felt like her task had been somewhat accomplished.

The soft lighting accompanied their peaceful meal.

After dinner, the three of them walked out of the room together. Ye An asked, “Mom, where do you want to go visit tomorrow?”

Xia Jin said, “There’s no need; I’m planning on going back tomorrow.”

Ye An was stunned. “Why so soon?”

Xia Jin looked at her. Ye An’s fair skin was dewy, her eyes were clear, and she didn’t seem to have suffered much since getting married.  

“I hurried over here and didn’t tell anyone that I was coming. The house is messy, so I have to go back and clean.” Xia Jin glanced at Xie Shuo again and said, compromising, “I’ll come to visit when I’m free.”

Ye An could only respond, “Then I’ll send you off tomorrow.”

    —

After sending Xia Jin back to the hotel, Ye An and Xie Shuo returned to the Xie residence.

Because of the autumn chill and the post-rain mist, Ye An shivered after getting off the car and subconsciously hugged Xie Shuo’s arm tightly. She only felt a bit warmer after entering the house.

Xie Shuo touched the exposed part of her arm and asked, “Why didn’t you wear more clothes if it was cold?”

Ye An leaned into him and said, “How else would I wear this dress?”

The two of them hadn’t seemed to exit their acting stupor and walked up the stairs intimately.

After they entered the bedroom, Ye An let go, looked at Xie Shuo, and said with a smile, “You did so well tonight!”

He wore formal clothes tonight with a white dress shirt and a black suit jacket. He was handsome, calm, and gentle when speaking tonight. He really seemed like the perfect husband.

Xie Shuo ignored her teasing and took off his jacket before sitting down on the sofa. He unbuttoned the top button of his neckline with his slender fingers. His movements were languid and relaxed.

He recalled something and suddenly said, “Help me call Professor Cen tomorrow and schedule an appointment with him. Tell him I’m doing a check-up.”

Ye An was confused since this was his first time asking for a doctor’s appointment. Was he finally warming up to the idea of continuing to pursue treatment?

“What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”

Xie Shuo raised his hand to prop up his forehead. He responded with a low “En.”

Ye An sat down beside him and remembered that he had left the house early in the morning. “Did you remember to take your medicine?”

Xie Shuo put his hand down and said, “Yes.”

“Do you want me to rub your temples?”

Xie Shuo didn’t refuse her and laid down.

His head lay in her lap, and he closed his eyes upon smelling her familiar scent. He gradually fell asleep.

Ye An massaged his temples for a long time and finally stopped when her fingers were sore.

She looked down at him, her long lashes fluttering.

The man laid there quietly, and his expression was much gentler and calmer than usual. His nose bridge formed the peak of his features and cast a faint shadow on his face. 

Ye An was moved by his appearance and couldn’t help but stretch her fingertips out to gently stroke the bridge of his nose.

As soon as her fingertips touched his nose, her hand was caught.

Xie Shuo opened his eyes seemed to be somewhat tired. He didn’t ask what she was doing and sat up, still holding her hand.

“What time is your mother leaving tomorrow?”

Ye An straightened her wrinkled dress and said, “If you’re not feeling well, then you don’t have to come with me tomorrow.”

“I’m fine.”

Xie Shuo held her hand and noticed how slender and soft it was. He began to knead it unconsciously.

Ye An was confused: just say what you want to say; why are you kneading my hand?

However, her fingers were sore and felt better as they were being massaged, so she continued to let him do it and remained silent.

    —

The next day, Xie Shuo continued to be a model son-in-law and accompanied Ye An to visit Xia Jin.

Xia Jin had obviously accepted reality. She seemed calm and was not as agitated as when she first arrived. Before she left, she nagged Ye An to let her know if ever needed to return home for any reason.

When Xia Jin finally left, there was a large weight lifted off of Ye An’s shoulders. It probably would have been better if she were to be honest earlier so she wouldn’t have to hide her marriage.

When they got home, Ye An called Cen Qingyan and made an appointment for Xie Shuo to see him again.

The constant wind and rain for the past two days had finally stopped. The sky appeared as a blue wash, and bright rays filtered through the windows and shone brightly inside.

~

Author’s Note: Xiao Xie rubbed Xiao Ye’s hands~

Previous|Index|Next

Ye An replied, “It’s really not. I’ve been willing since the beginning. If I didn’t want to marry him, no one could force me.”

Xia Jin was very clear on her daughter’s personality; if she didn’t want to do something,  no method of persuasion could move her.

Hearing this, Xia Jin became even more confused. “Then please tell me why you want to marry him? I would understand if it was another person, but he’s blind. What are you trying to do? ”

Ye An couldn’t help but interrupt, “Mom, his eyes are just injured; don’t say that about him!”

Her retort immediately made Xia Jin’s temper rise again. “I say one thing, and you’re all riled up! Tell me what you’re looking for right now! Are you with him for his money?”

Ye An was silent, and her slender fingers were curled as if she was holding back her emotions.

Seeing that she wasn’t speaking, Xia Jin thought that she had guessed right. She immediately said, “If I knew that you would grow up to be like this, I wouldn’t have sent you back–”

“I like him.”

Xia Jin was interrupted before she could finish speaking.

Ye An raised her gaze and looked fixedly at her, “I like him; is that reason enough?”

Xia Jin looked into Ye An’s eyes and didn’t feel like she was lying. Xia Jin, stunned, could not understand, “What do you like about him? As a man who needs your help when he walks, what do you like about him?”

Ye An clasped her hands together on the sofa and said word by word, “I like him. It doesn’t matter whether he can see or not; I like him no matter what.”

Xia Jin’s mind exploded, and she was so angry that her breathing became labored. “I don’t care what you are after. Either you divorce him, or don’t ever visit me in the future. I’ll act as if you were never my daughter!”

Ye An suddenly replied, “Are you angry because I suddenly got married or because I married someone that doesn’t match your requirements and made you lose face?”

Xia Jin turned pale. “You…”

“Ever since I was little, have you ever asked for what I want?” Ye An looked at her, her eyes slowly turning red. “You only use me to get at Ye Yuan Nian and compare me to Ye Man. You have wanted me to be the best in everything I did to prove that you were successful and made the right choice years ago! You don’t care about my happiness; you never have…”

“In the beginning, I only asked for money to save your life, but you told me to go back to the Ye residence and to never talk to you again…”

When Xia Jin heard this, her eyes turned red. However, she refused to compromise. “Did I ask for you to save me?”

Ye An raised her voice, “Then what did you want me to do? I was only a teen at the time; what else could I do? Watch you die?”

Halfway through the sentence, her voice choked. Her eyes were wet with tears, which she held back.

She wiped the corners of her eyes and suppressed her emotions, saying, “I’m twenty-three now; I’m not a child. Whether you accept it or not, I will not divorce him.”

Xia Jin nervously approached her and held her hand. “An An, can you listen to Mom’s advice? Why do you have to be so stubborn and choose him?”

“Mom!” Ye An interrupted her, “Xie Shuo treats me well. In my mind, there is no one better than him.”

Outside of the room, Xie Shuo stopped in his tracks, happening to hear this phrase.

He originally only wanted to come downstairs and check in on the situation but didn’t expect them to also go upstairs. Because of their heated discussion, their raised voices could be heard through the door.

The winds outside grew faster and faster, and rain began to fall and trickle down the windows.

Ye An glanced out the window and said, “It’s getting late; let’s go downstairs for dinner first. Do you want to stay for the night, or should I book a room in a nearby hotel for you?”

Xia Jin looked at her expression and knew that her daughter had made up her mind. She got up and said, “No need, I booked a hotel room, and my luggage is there.” After a while, she continued, “As for dinner, no thanks.”

After she was done speaking, she walked away.

“Mom!” Ye An didn’t expect her to refuse the offer and hurriedly chased after her with a headache.

Just as they both exited the room, they suddenly stopped.

Xie Shuo stood outside the room, somewhat embarrassed. They had come out so suddenly that he had no time to hide.

Ye An didn’t know if he had overheard their conversation, and she froze in shock. Then, she stepped forward to grasp his arm and called sweetly, “Husband.” With her other hand, she tugged at his shirt, hinting for him to cooperate. “I forgot to introduce you; this is my mom.”

Since Xie Shuo couldn’t see, he couldn’t pinpoint where Xia Jin was. Nevertheless, he obeyed Ye An’s wishes and greeted Xia Jin politely, “Hello.”

Because she hadn’t accepted him yet, he didn’t address her by any title.

“It’s raining outside; would you like to stay for dinner?”

Ye An glanced at him and breathed a sigh of relief. Although this man was moody in private, he still gave her face in front of outsiders and never embarrassed her.

……

Xia Jin looked at Xie Shuo with a scrutinizing gaze. In her fit of rage, she hadn’t noticed the man’s handsome features and noble temperament… aside from the fact that he was blind.

This time, Xia Jin calmed down. In front of outsiders, it was best not to be rude, so she complied reluctantly.

The three went downstairs.

Tonight, dinner was abnormally silent.

As usual, Ye An grabbed a pair of chopsticks and served Xie Shuo’s food first. Her movements were skilled, and she even knew his favorite dishes.

Xia Jin watched them to the side and recalled how Ye An had said, “I like him.” She sighed with mixed feelings.

When all the dishes were out, Ye An picked up her bowl and smiled at Xia Jin. “Mom, the ribs are pretty good; have some more.”

Xia Jin was unable to smile and had no appetite. She lowered her head.

By the time they finished dinner, the rain had stopped, leaving behind the cold mist.

“Should we move her to a closer hotel?”  Xie Shuo asked Ye An in a low voice after hearing the name of the hotel where Xia Jin had booked a room at.

Before Ye An could answer, Xia Jin refused, “It’s already so late; there’s no need.”

Since she had spoken out, the two didn’t pursue the matter and could only ask the chauffeur to send her there.

Ye An wanted to go with Xia Jin, but she was subsequently rejected. She only said, “Then I’ll go see you tomorrow.”

Xia Jin didn’t agree or oppose as she got in the car.

The night breeze was slightly damp after the rain and chilling to the bone. Ye An guided Xie Shuo back up the stairs and into the bedroom.

After sending Xia Jin off, she needed to explain the situation to Xie Shuo.

After all, she hadn’t mentioned Xia Jin at all before getting married. She came to cause a fuss all of a sudden, so he must definitely be confused.

Ye An thought about it and said, “My mom… isn’t in good health. She was very ill and spent a long time recovering in our hometown. When we got married, I was afraid that she wouldn’t be able to bear the news, so I didn’t tell her.”

After she was done speaking, Ye An felt that something was strange. Should she tell him that her mother didn’t approve of him and their marriage?

Fortunately, Xie Shuo showed no expressions of unhappiness. His expression remained light as if he was thinking about something.

Ye An reached out to help him sit down on the sofa. She said gently, “My mom has a temper, but she is only worried about me. Can you cooperate with me for the next few days?”

Xie Shuo turned to face her.

Ye An explained, “Just be affectionate and show your love for me; that way, she’ll be more at ease.”

Xie Shuo remained silent.

Ye An: She was only asking for two days of acting; was this too much to ask?

However, she was still at fault for this situation. Ye An accepted her fate and moved toward him to hug his arm. She said softly, “It’ll be easy; it’s just putting on a show.” She poked his chest. “If you don’t cooperate, then I’ll have to go home with my mom, and you won’t have a wife.”

As she spoke, she suddenly heard Xie Shuo ask, “Why did you agree to marry me in the first place?”

Ye An froze.

Xie Shuo turned and waited for her answer.

Before, he had always thought that she had agreed to the “marriage” because of Ye Yuan Nian. However, after today’s experience, he was clearly wrong. After their marriage, she seemed to have completely cut off her relationship with the Ye family, and he had never heard her ask to go back and visit. She never used his influence to ask for any benefits for the Ye family either, and she acted indifferently towards Ye Yuan Nian.

She also didn’t seem to do it for money. He gave her a card, but she rarely splurged or flaunted her wealth. The only time she had asked him for help was to have dubbing rights of an anime to help promote her studio.

When he thought about it carefully, the majority of her efforts were spent on him for nearly half a year. 

A crazy thought flashed through Xie Shuo’s mind:

Was it because she liked him?

But why?

In all fairness, he did not treat her very well.

Ye An remained stunned for a while before she returned to her senses. A trace of panic flashed through her eyes. 

Why was he suddenly asking about this?

“What is there to ask about? Of course, it’s because you’re rich and handsome!” she said unabashedly.

All of Xie Shuo’s theories were shut down by her straightforward claim.

Ye An looked at his cold and handsome face, saying confidently, “Otherwise, who do you think would be willing to put up with this Eldest Young Master’s temper?”

Xie Shuo: “…”

Xie Shuo was silent for a moment, and then he changed the topic, “What does your mother like?”

Ye An was overjoyed when she heard his question. “Does this mean that you are willing to cooperate with me?”

Xie Shuo didn’t speak.

At this point, Ye An knew that his silence meant acquiescence. She happily leaned into his arms and told him about Xia Jin’s hobbies. “She has been really into painting for the past two years, and she even found a teacher to take lessons.”

Xie Shuo thought about it for a while before saying, “Tomorrow, have the housekeeper check if there are currently any art exhibitions open. After that, take her out. I can’t go with you, but I will join you guys for dinner.”

Ye An grew happier upon hearing him speak and replied, “En.”

She raised her head and faced him at eye level. Her eyes flashed with emotion as she suddenly reached out to hug him.

Xie Shuo looked down.

Ye An had her arms wrapped around his waist as she buried her face in his shoulder. She said in a muffled voice, “Don’t move; lend me your shoulder for a little bit.”

Although Xie Shuo was confused, he didn’t push her away.

Time passed by quietly, and a while later, Xie Shuo felt a warm and damp sensation on his shoulder.

Xie Shuo was stunned. “Why are you crying?”

Ye An’s face remained buried. She wanted to deny it, but her tears were evidence of the truth.

Thus, she said, “It’s nothing. Autumn is here, so I’m just emotional from the seasons changing.”

    “……”

Because she spoke so straightforwardly, Xie Shuo returned to his senses after a while. His jaw brushed over her soft hair, which carried a light fragrance.

He had a vague guess on why she felt aggrieved. Her parents divorced when she was young, so she went with her mom. However, she was sent back to the Ye residence, which must have upset her.

His heart softened a bit. Xie Shuo raised his hand and patted her back to comfort her.

Ye An laughed at his actions. She looked up at him and said, “Who would have guessed that you knew how to comfort others?”

Xie Shuo, who rarely showed any emotion, said gently, “Rest early.”

Ye An’s mood lifted, and she wiped her tears. After helping him up, she went to get him a set of clothes.

The wind and rain fell in the desolate night, but the inside of the house was as warm as springtime.

Author’s note: Xiao Xie has been moved!_(:з」∠)_    

Previous|Index|Next

“Ding Dong–”

 The two of them paused when the evil doorbell sounded.

Their lips pressed together with their breaths intermingling, but the carefully crafted atmosphere disappeared. 

Ye An opened her eyes and leaned back, but the redness on her face didn’t fade.

She let go of the hem of his shirt and whispered, “It’s probably Aunt Zhou; let me go check.”

Xie Shuo loosened his hold.

Ye An got off of him and tidied up her clothes before walking to the door and opening it.

Aunt Zhou was outside the door as expected. She saw the blush on Ye An’s face and paused, saying, “Madam, your father is here.”

Ye An froze.

Ye Yuan Nian?

Why was he here? Did he lose all his money and come to beg for help? Or did he come for dinner?

“Let him wait in the living room; we’ll be there in a moment.”

Even though she didn’t want to see him, she had to give him that courtesy. After Ye An spoke with Aunt Zhou, she turned around to talk to Xie Shuo.

“My dad is here. Do you want to go down and meet him?”

Xie Shuo looked up.

Ye An said, “If you don’t want to go downstairs, I can just tell him that you aren’t feeling well and are resting.”

In the end, Ye Yuan Nian was still his father-in-law, so there was no reason not to meet him. Besides, they had been married for so long and hadn’t even visited her family. Xie Shuo gathered that she misunderstood and remembered when he avoided seeing her when she first came to talk to him about their marriage. He got up and said, “I’ll go.”

Ye An reached out to support him, and they walked out slowly.

The two walked downstairs and into the quiet living room. The only sounds came from Aunt Zhou placed the cups of tea on the coffee table. 

The moment she saw another familiar figure next to Ye Yuan Nian, Ye An froze in shock.

Why was her mom here?

Who told her mother the news? Why hasn’t anyone told her about it?

Ye An’s mind raced, and it felt as if she was imagining things.

Hearing the footsteps, Xia Jin turned her head. Her gaze fell on Ye An’s figure before landing on the young man she was holding.

His face was cold, and his gaze was dull. He needed other people’s guidance to walk, so he was indeed blind.

Xia Jin’s chest burned with anger, and her face was ashen. She turned away.

Xie Shuo couldn’t see, so he naturally didn’t know what was happening. He only wondered why Ye An had suddenly stopped, and her grip on his arm suddenly grew stronger. She seemed nervous.

“What’s going on?” he whispered.

Ye An released his arm and looked at him, not knowing what to say. Her heart pounded.

Although she knew that this day would come sooner or later, she was caught off guard by how suddenly it came.

The wind blew heavily outside, hinting at the heavy rain falling soon.

“An An, you guys are finally here,” Ye Yuan Nian spoke embarrassedly to absolve the rigid tension.

Whether she was proactive or reactive, this situation was inevitable.

Seeing Xia Jin’s upset expression, Ye An calmed down and tugged gently at Xie Shuo’s sleeve, whispering, “My mother is here too.” Afraid of him misunderstanding, she added, “Biological mom.”

Xie Shuo was stunned for a moment and then realized that she was talking about Ye Yuan Nian’s ex-wife.

When the two families were talking about marriage, the Ye family, including Ye An herself, had hardly mentioned this person. They didn’t even send a wedding invitation to her, so Xie Shuo only knew of her existence and nothing else. Even he and Xie Baiyan thought that she had already remarried and didn’t interact with the rest of the Ye family.

Ye An guided Xie Shuo to the sofa and said nervously, “Mom, why are you here?”

Xia Jin’s expression became uglier and uglier. If there weren’t others around, she might have even started yelling.

She sneered. “So you still remember that you have a mother?”

Ye An began to feel guilty again, and her fingers curled, almost tearing her clothes.

Although Xie Shuo couldn’t see her, he could sense her anxiety and felt that something was wrong. She seemed… to have deliberately hidden her marriage from Xia Jin.

Ye Yuan Nian was willing to marry his daughter off for wealth and fortune, but she might have not.

“When did you arrive? Have you eaten yet?” Ye An smiled stiffly, trying to divert their attention and ease the tension.

Unfortunately, Xia Jin was already angry and didn’t let her go. She said coldly, “You married someone without telling me, and you’re asking what I want to eat tonight? You might as well wish for my death!”

As soon as she spoke those words, the atmosphere became even tenser. Ye An stopped her, saying, “Mom!”

Xia Jin: “Don’t call me that!”

Her voice was sharp, and her chest heaved violently with anger.

Ye An was very familiar with her temper and knew that this matter couldn’t be easily solved. Xie Shuo was present, and it wasn’t certain that he wouldn’t hear more harsh words.

Ye An turned and whispered to Xie Shuo, “Can you go upstairs for now? I’ll explain later.”

Xie Shuo paused for a moment before politely excusing himself and going upstairs. At this point, his presence would only make the situation worse.

After Xie Shuo left, the living room went silent for a while.

“When was it?” Xia Jin calmed down a bit and asked.

Ye An replied, “Early April.”

   It was already September, so it had been almost half a year… Xia Jin said coldly, “You both were pretty hasty.”

She pointed at Ye Yuan Nian. “Did he force you to do it?”

Before Ye An could reply, Xia Jin had already turned around and started yelling at him. “Are you stupid? Is marriage such a superficial matter to the point where you don’t even try to check what kind of person he was before marrying her off?”

Ye An observed the gray-haired Ye Yuan Nian from the side and suddenly felt a moment of pity. To be honest, she was the one actually using Ye Yuan Nian and not the other way around, but only she knew that.

“When are you planning on getting a divorce?” Xia Jin stopped yelling because doing so was pointless, so she calmed down a bit and asked.

Without letting Ye An reply, Ye Yuan Nian’s expression changed. “The two families are connected. This isn’t a game; how can you simply say that and expect for that to happen?”

Xia Jin interrupted him directly, “Be quiet!”

Ye Yuan Nian: “…”

Ye An’s head suddenly began to hurt, and she said tiredly, “Stop fighting; this is the Xie residence.”

Although Xie Shuo had gone upstairs, there were still servants around. The situation had escalated quite a bit, and it was difficult to say if Xie Baiyan would hear about it.

She turned to Ye Yuan Nian. “You go back first; I’ll talk to her.”

Ye Yuan Nian looked at the mother-daughter pair and knew that she still thought of him as an outsider. If he stayed, he would only be yelled at more, so he didn’t persist. He said, “You guys take your time, then. If anything happens, give Daddy a call.”

After Ye Yuan Nian left, Ye An looked at Xia Jin. “There are people around; let’s talk in the room.”

Although Xia Jin was angry, she knew that it would reflect poorly on their part if outsiders were to see, so she followed Ye An upstairs.

Normally, Xie Shuo would be in the study if not in the bedroom, so Ye An brought Xia Jin to a guest room and sat down on a small sofa to the side.

The room was silent, and Xia Jin calmed down a bit on the way up. Even though her tone was cold, her next words were much more level, “ An An, tell me the truth. Did Ye Yuan Nian force you to do anything?”

Ye An shook her head. “No.”

Xia Jin was still suspicious. “Then why won’t you get a divorce? It’s because of the money from last time, isn’t it?”

Previous|Index|Next

“Hey, Mom.”

“An An.” Xia Jin suppressed her emotions before continuing, “Did something happen to you while you were out this time?”

Ye An became flustered. Did she find out about her marriage?

That wasn’t likely. She didn’t know how to use Weibo, and there was even less of a chance of her contacting Ye Yuan Nian.

“No, I’m good. What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, Mom was just worried and wanted to come to see you.”

Ye An’s heart skipped a beat, and she immediately said, “You don’t need to do that Mom; I’m doing great. Don’t worry.” After a pause, she continued, “If I have time off for Mid-Autumn Festival, I’ll come back and visit you.”

Xia Jin didn’t speak much. After a moment of silence, she ended the call with an, “All right.”

Ye An stood in the garden and looked at the dark screen of her phone, feeling a bit uneasy.

These two have developed a rift in their relationship as mother and daughter in the past few years because of Ye Yuan Nian. There was a time period in which Xia Jin didn’t even want to talk to her, but now she took the initiative to check in on her… could it be that she figured it out?

Ye An hesitated momentarily before putting her phone away and going back.

Xie Shuo had already gotten up from the chair, so Ye An reached out to support him. She asked, “Are we going to Grandpa’s house for the Mid-Autumn Festival?”

Xie Shuo gave a light “En” as a reply.

Ye An said, “We’re not staying the night, right? I need to go somewhere for two days.”

Xie Shuo hadn’t seen her travel by herself since getting married. He felt that it was a bit strange and asked, “For what?”

Ye An deliberated and said, “I want to go visit an elder.”

If they were an elder from the Ye family, she would have said it outright or have made him accompany her. Xie Shuo understood and didn’t ask any more questions before replying, “We won’t stay overnight.”

Ye An was relieved.

It was time to return home and visit, or else her mom would begin to suspect.

Sigh, she had it hard.

On the other end, Xia Jin held her phone in hand and stood at the door for a long time before going inside.

Instead of going to the kitchen to cook, she went to her bedroom to pack.

    —-

The next day was cloudy and windy.

Xia Jin exited the train station and found a hotel room to settle down. Afterward, she went downstairs and hailed a car from the side of the road.

It was already five in the evening by the time she arrived at the Ye residence.

The sky was dark, and the chilly autumn winds blew around the house.

She hadn’t set foot in this residence in too long, and the place appeared both familiar and unfamiliar.

She rang the doorbell, and a servant came to open the door soon after. The latter didn’t recognize her and asked, “You are…?”

Xia Jin wrapped her dark red shawl around herself and coldly said, “I’m looking for Ye Yuan Nian.”

Noticing her bad attitude, the servant didn’t let her in and instead said, “Ma’am, can you–”

Xia Jin had no patience left and didn’t want to bother with formalities, so she pushed the door open herself and rushed inside aggressively with her heels.

The servant let out a sigh: Could it be some mistress that Mr. Ye had kept on the outside coming to their house? But that doesn’t seem very likely considering their ages!

Xia Jin burst into the living room and didn’t find Ye Yuan Nian. Instead, she came across Jiang Luo, who had just come downstairs.

The two froze at the same time.

Before coming, Xia Jin had purposely changed clothes and put on makeup at the hotel. Her style was completely different from Jiang Luo’s gentle appearance. Jiang Luo’s beauty resembled a painting with delicate eyebrows and was reminiscent of her past youthfulness. Xia Jin was striking, bold, and once shone brilliantly, but her whole persona became wan and sallow after experiencing the past few years.

There was thick tension between the two of them.

“Madam…” The servant rushed in and explained to Jiang Luo, “She insisted on coming in.”

Jiang Luo stepped down and told her, “Go pour some tea.”

Xia Jin interrupted her with a cold face. “I don’t need any tea. Where’s Ye Yuan Nian?”

Jiang Luo noticed the anger in her expression and was able to guess why she came. She said, “He’s not here…”

As she spoke, footsteps sounded at the doorway.

Ye Yuan Nian stopped, and his expression changed as he saw the extra figure in his living room.

“What… are you doing here?”

Xia Jin turned around to look at him, her lips curling. “Aren’t you very clear on why I came?”

Ye Yuan Nian froze for a while, and his aged face turned pale with various expressions.

Xia Jin’s tone became even more mocking upon seeing his expression. “You don’t dare say it?”

Ye Yuan Nian said guiltily, “You found out about An An’s marriage? Why don’t you sit down first, and I’ll explain it to you.”

Xia Jin found it difficult to hear him say the word “marriage,” and she almost got up to slap him.

“I don’t have the energy to listen to you explain, Ye Yuan Nian. I’m asking you this did you force An An to marry a blind man?”

Ye Yuan Nian knew that she was angry, so he could only try to calm her down as much as possible. “Calm down first. An An agreed to this herself, and with the Xie family’s status, she won’t ever have to endure any hardships after marriage.”

“Bullsh*t!” Xia Jin couldn’t restrain her anger and scolded him. “If the Xie family is so great, why didn’t you marry her daughter to him?”

She directed her gaze at Jiang Luo, and Jiang Luo’s expression changed. “You…”

One was an ex-wife; the other was the current wife. This scene resembled the myths from the Asura.

Fearing that the two would quarrel, Ye Yuan Nian hurriedly urged Jiang Luo, “You go upstairs first. I’ll talk to her.”

Jiang Luo was also angry, so she coldly glared at Xia Jin before ascending the stairs.

Ye Yuan Nian turned back around to face Xia Jin. “If you have something to say, say it nicely…”

Before he could continue to defend himself, Xia Jin sneered at him. “Say it nicely? We’ve reached this point, and you still want me to say it nicely? When you forced Ye An into marriage, you should have considered what would happen today!” She glared coldly at him and said sharply, “You used your biological daughter to pave the way for your own prosperity. Ye Yuan Nian, was your conscience eaten by a dog?”

Hearing these biting words, Ye Yuan Nian’s face paled. He became angry because of this touchy subject. “Xia Jin!”

“What, am I wrong?”

Ye Yuan Nian’s face was white, and he was speechless for a long time. He was unsure if he was angry or ashamed, so he had nothing to say.

With her anger expressed, Xia Jin calmed down. She said with reddened eyes, “I had her come here for you to look after her, not to let you abuse her like this.”

Seeing her in this way, Ye Yuan Nian’s tone softened, and his expression showed a trace of fatigue. “I really didn’t force her in this matter. I’ve asked her multiple times about it.”

Since the topic was brought up, Ye Yuan Nian also found the situation strange. In the past two years, Ye An had only visited the Ye residence a handful of times. However, when she suddenly returned home for a meal one day, she randomly asked about the Eldest Young Master of the Xie family and even mentioned the topic of the Xie family was looking for a daughter-in-law.

 She was silent for a while as they talked about it and suddenly replied jokingly, “Does the Xie family have any special requirements? If I go see them, would they approve of me?”

He only began to consider this matter and ask about her thoughts after she spoke about it. If she was unwilling at the time, there was nothing he could do, even if he wanted to get closer to the Xie family.

Xia Jin didn’t believe in his explanation, but she didn’t argue with him anymore. She asked coldly, “Where is the Xie residence? Take me there. ”

Ye Yuan Nian hurriedly advised, “They’ve already been married. What’s the point of going over there now? If something bad happens, An An will be the one to suffer in the end. I think the Xie family treats her–”

Xia Jin interrupted him without a trace of politeness, “You don’t need to worry about that.”

Ye Yuan Nian replied, “It’s already late. Can we go tomorrow?”

Xia Jin looked up and said with a determined expression, “If you don’t want to take me there, then give me the address. I’ll go there myself.”

    “……”

In the end, Ye Yuan Nian compromised. “Give me a minute; I’ll go change.”

    —-

Xie residence.

Ye An finished massaging Xie Shuo’s temples and helped him up. She glanced outside and said, “It looks like it’s about to rain outside, so let’s not take a walk today. How about we watch a movie at home?”

Xie Shuo turned his head, and his expression clearly said, “I can’t see, so there’s no point.”

Ye An clung to his arm, acting like a spoiled child. “You may not be able to see, but you can listen. Just stay with me; I haven’t watched a movie in a while.”

Xie Shuo was trapped by her and couldn’t refuse, so he acquiesced in the end.

Ye An dragged him to their home movie theater, took out their DVD binder, and began to pick movies out. In the end, she chose a highly rated suspenseful horror movie. 

Xie Shuo was beside her anyway, so there was no need to be afraid.

Ye An inserted the DVD and sat on the sofa with Xie Shuo. She took a blanket and covered their legs.

Soon, the movie began to play on the screen. It was dark at first but began to brighten up soon afterward.

The quality of the graphics and sound effects was top-notch, and the atmosphere was perfect.

The room was pitch-dark, and the only light came from in front of them, which made their surroundings even more suspenseful.

Ye An stared at the screen with a tense expression, not even daring to take a breath. She was originally holding a pillow in her arms, but when a jump scare appeared with eerie sound effects, she was so frightened that the pillow dropped and rolled to the ground.

She didn’t bend over to pick it up and chose to hold onto Xie Shuo instead.

The man’s fingers were slender and smooth, and she felt quite secure holding it. 

Xie Shuo felt the strength in her grip and turned to “look” at her with a blank expression. Although he didn’t look happy, he didn’t break free of her hold.

Not long after, there was another creepy sound.

This time, Ye An was so frightened that she hid directly in Xie Shuo’s arms and clutched his clothes.

Xie Shuo couldn’t understand why she chose a horror movie if she was going to be this scared.

“I’m scared. Did you hear that voice?” Ye An whispered as she shrank into his arms, staring intently at the screen.

The body in his arms was soft, and the breaths on his chest were warm. Xie Shuo leaned against the sofa and suddenly felt a bit warm with the light fragrance enveloping him.

Hearing no response, Ye An looked up at his handsome yet indifferent face. His lips were close, and she was able to hear each of his breaths clearly.

It was easy for amorous feelings to develop in such a dark environment and intimate position.

Ye An felt her heart skip a beat and her face gradually become warm. She raised her head to look into his eyes and momentarily forgot about the movie playing.

Not long later, an arm wrapped firmly around her back and felt its way upwards.

In the dark room, she noticed his Adam’s apple moving and his breathing getting heavier.

Ye An became inexplicably nervous and unconsciously bit her lip.

However, a low voice interrupted her thoughts, feeling like a bucket of cold water was poured over her head.

“If you’re that scared, then don’t watch it.”

Ye An: ???

At this point in time, shouldn’t the plot naturally gravitate towards something more exciting?

After Xie Shuo finished speaking, he moved his hand toward her shoulders. 

He didn’t pull her directly off of him, which was probably his last concession.

Ye An was disappointed , and there was a bit of dissatisfaction in her expression.

She let go of him and returned to her spot but couldn’t help but whisper, “Not at all. I really wonder how a person like you has a wife.”

Although she spoke quietly, Xie Shuo had sharp hearing and was able to hear it.

He looked up and said coldly, “You should really ask yourself this question.”

He was implying that as his wife, why should he have to wonder why she wanted to be his spouse?

Ye An: “…”

If you’re so good at arguing, why don’t you go fight the rest of the world?

Ye An was about to get angry, and she yanked the blanket. “I lost my mind, okay!”

I must have been insane to marry you!

Xie Shuo froze the moment his body was exposed to the cold air.

Ye An wrapped the blankets around her, and the more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She picked up the pillow from the ground and threw it at him.

When Xie Shuo was hit by the pillow, his expression sank, and he suddenly asked, “What aren’t you happy with?”

    “……”

Ye An immediately blushed, embarrassed and angry. She resembled a cat whose tail had been stepped on. “Who’s unhappy? You want me to be unhappy?”

Hearing her agitated tone, Xie Shuo’s mood lightened, and his lips slowly curved.

Seeing the curve in his lips, Ye An groaned, even more embarrassed. It felt as if she had just run through a crowd naked and even made her feet numb.

The horror movie continued to play on the big screen and emitted weird sound effects from time to time.

She had no place to vent her emotions, so she kicked his leg. “Why don’t you continue your abstinence for the rest of your life then; don’t ever touch a woman!”

Ye An was no longer in the mood to watch the movie, so she got up angrily and turned off the projector.

Xie Shuo didn’t move and continued to sit in the dark.

After turning the projector off, Ye An hesitated for a bit before walking over, picking up the dropped pillow, and nudging his leg with her knee. “We’re not watching anymore; let’s go.”

Xie Shuo leaned forward and reached for her waist by following her side. He suddenly hugged her.

Before Ye An could react, she was already in his lap. 

She froze and was inexplicably nervous. “What are you doing?”

Xie Shuo hugged her and suddenly recalled the words she had said during sunset the other day.

 “If your eyes don’t heal, we will stay married for a lifetime.”

He paused for a moment before moving his hand up her shoulders and grasping her chin. His fingertips rested on her lips.

Then, he kissed her lightly.

Unlike last time, there was no hostility or anger in his gaze, only tranquility.

Ye An inhaled the clean scent on his body and unconsciously pulled the hem of his shirt closer, her eyes slowly closing.

 However, just as their lips softly touched, a knock on the door suddenly sounded––

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