Category: You’re So Arrogant

What was he doing here?

Why did he look so suspicious?

As she was pondering this question, Xie Yuran hailed a taxi and opened the door to get in.

Because she had read too many drama scripts, a terrible thought flashed through her mind. He wasn’t the one who planned Xie Shuo’s accident, right?

After Xie Shuo’s accident, he was the one who would take charge of the Xie family. In other words, he was the biggest beneficiary and had every motivation to do it.

Ye An was shocked by her own revelation. After a few seconds, she quickly walked onto the side of the road and stopped a car.

The door slammed shut.

“Sir, please follow the car in front.”

The driver looked at her through the rearview mirror weirdly, seeming suspicious of her intentions.

In a moment of desperation, Ye An randomly blurted, “The one in front is my best friend’s boyfriend. I think he’s cheating on her, so I want to go check.”

Hearing her explanation, the driver finally started to drive.

Ten minutes later, Xie Yuran got out of the car in front of a coffee shop and hurriedly entered through the glass door.

Ye An exited the car, and by the time she walked into the cafe, Xie Yuran had disappeared, as if she had imagined everything.

She looked around but couldn’t find anyone, so she turned around to leave.

    —

On the way back, Ye An carefully sorted out the two major events that happened in the Xie family in the past year.

One was Xie Shuo’s car accident, and the other was his mother dying at sea.

According to Ye An’s knowledge, the mother-in-law that she had never met died in January. This was just after Xie Baiyan had officially stepped down and made Xie Shuo as the chairman of the board. He retired, and not long after, Xie Shuo and his mother were involved in the accidents. 

There was one matter that Ye An couldn’t figure out. Xie Baiyan and his wife didn’t have any rumors of a disharmonious relationship or any illegitimate children. Assuming that their husband-wife relationship was all right, there should be no reason for the wife to go on a vacation alone. Why didn’t Xie Baiyan, her husband, accompany her on the trip?

Were there more secrets within the rich and powerful? Or was their harmonious relationship just an illusion?

But no matter what, Xie Baiyan wouldn’t be so brainless to partner with an outsider to cheat his own son, right?

Ye An pondered the question for a while and still couldn’t think it through. She tossed a candied chestnut in her mouth to suppress her shock and began to recall Xie Shuo’s car accident.

Xie Shuo’s car accident happened in May last year. He had just gotten off the plane and was hit by a drunk driver on the way back to the Xie manor. Unfortunately, the driver was more seriously injured and died shortly after being admitted to the hospital, which made it troublesome to pursue the one accountable.

Due to Xie Shuo’s personality, only those close to him knew the whole situation. If there were any secrets veiled in the accident, then Xie Yuran did seem suspicious.

    ——

After returning home, Ye An walked to the bedroom with her chestnuts and came across Xie Shu exiting the bathroom.

She greeted him casually and asked in a brisk tone, “I bought some caramelized chestnuts; they’re pretty good. Do you want to try some?”

Xie Shuo felt like she resembled a child at times. She was curious about everything and was easily satisfied by snacks.

He didn’t reply and kept walking forward.

Ye An didn’t pay it any heed. She put the bag on a cabinet and walked to the bedside.

A pastel apricot dress laid on the bed. She tried it on before leaving but didn’t put it away because she had been  in a hurry.

She picked the dress up, intending to change in the closet. However, after glancing at the cold, unfeeling man in the room, she started to change directly by the bed. 

He couldn’t see anyway, so there was nothing to hide.

Ye An took her shirt and pants off and quickly changed her clothes. Xie Shuo listened to the rustling noises and “looked” at her. He suddenly frowned and asked, “What are you doing?”

Ye An was surprised at his concern. She put her clothes away and answered frankly, “Changing clothes!”

Xie Shuo: “…”

After putting her clothes away, she went to the bathroom to wash her hands. She picked her chestnuts up and sat down beside him.

“You really don’t want to try it?” She deliberately shook the paper bag in front of his nose, “It’s really good.”

Xie Shuo’s expression was still cold after smelling the sweet fragrance.

Ye An took a chestnut out of the bag, peeled the shell, and put it near his mouth. “Try it; I bought it while I was out.”

Xie Shuo was indifferent for a second more before finally opening his mouth.

“How is it; isn’t it good? It’s just a bit cold now, but it was really good fresh out of the oven.”

Ye An smiled and peeled another one for herself.

Outside the windows, the sun shone diagonally in. The sky blazed orange, staining the mountains and vegetation with a layer of splendor.

Ye An remembered the incident with Xie Yuran from earlier and struggled to ask, “Can I ask… how is your relationship with your cousin?”

Xie Shuo turned to face her with a deep gaze. He asked, “Why are you suddenly bringing this up?”

“Nothing really, I was just curious.”

Ye An wanted to tell him about what happened with Xie Yuran today but was afraid that he would feel that she was attempting to sow discord. After all, Xie Yuran was a little brother that grew up with him, and she was the outsider.

“I heard that he lived with your family since he was very young. You two are close, right?” Ye An was deliberate with her word choice.

However, in the next second, Xie Shuo asked her directly, “What are you thinking?”

Ye An panicked and played dumb. “What? Nothing…”

Xie Shuo’s expression seemed to say, “I’m blind, not stupid.” He said, “I’ve already investigated the car accident, and it had nothing to do with him. If you’re suspicious of him, at least find some evidence first.”

“…” Ye An didn’t think that he would be able to guess her suspicions that easily and almost choked. However, if he wasn’t so intelligent, he also wouldn’t be where he was now.

With the Xie family being so big, Xie Baiyan wouldn’t have handed the position to a foolish son.

“Why are you worried?” Xie Shuo asked.

Ye An muttered, “I was just worried for you… In any case, we’re still husband and wife.”

Xie Shuo was silent for a moment before he turned to leave. He said lightly, “You don’t need to worry about these things.”

Who’s worried; nobody cares!

Ye An was annoyed by his attitude and stuffed a chestnut into his mouth to relieve her anger.

Xie Shuo frowned, caught off guard.

Ye An raised her chin. “These are the last two. If you don’t try it now, there will be no more.”

    “……”

Xie Shuo couldn’t do anything since it was already in his mouth, so he could only chew it sullenly.

Ye An watched until he was done chewing. She stuffed the last one in his mouth when he was caught off guard once again.

Soon after, she fled to the sofa, ignoring how ugly his expression was. “There’s no more! The last one was for you!”

Xie Shuo “stared” at her with a dark expression. He could only endure it, unable to get angry.

In the end, he still ate the last chestnut. 

He wasn’t happy, but Ye An was. She made a triumphant face at him, reveling in his annoyance. After being married for so long, Ye An understood his character. Even though he was pretty temperamental, he was from a well-cultivated family and had morals. He wouldn’t do anything to her, no matter how mad he was. 

Ye An leaned into the sofa and took her phone out, crossing her legs on the seat.

She originally wanted to look up any information regarding Xie Yuran, but before she could find anything, she soon became distracted by the gossip in the entertainment industry.

With her focused, the room became particularly silent.

Because of his cold, Xie Shuo wasn’t able to sleep well for the past few days. His head was a bit woozy, so he rested his eyes for a bit. 

When he woke up, there was silence all around him. He “looked” to the side but didn’t find anything. He listened carefully, but there were no sounds.

He was unsure if Ye An was still there and was unwilling to call out to her. After wrestling with his pride, he reached out to feel the area around him.

Ye An was entirely focused on eating melons and killing time, not at all noticing Xie Shuo’s movements. 

She laid carelessly on the sofa, and her dress pulled up to the base of legs, revealing her fair thighs.

As a result, Xie Shuo came across her thigh, accidentally fondling her leg.

He struck something smooth and soft.

Xie Shuo froze.

Ye An also froze.

She looked up, and without reacting, she asked, “Why are you touching my leg?”

Xie Shuo: “…”

The atmosphere stagnated.

Xie Shuo retracted his hand and turned to leave, pretending as if nothing had happened.

Ye An: ???

It was you that groped my leg, right? Why are you leaving so confidently?

Author’s note: Xiao Ye: Last time it was my chest, this time it was my leg. Where are you going to touch next time? [smile.jpg]

Xiao Xie: cold_face.jpg

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Xie Shuo’s cold lasted for approximately a week. 

Because of this, Xie Baiyan rushed back from his business trip in advance.

Ye An was afraid that Xie Baiyan would blame her for not taking good care of Xie Shuo. She retrained her usual willful personality and behaved gently–even her voice was a few decibels lower.

Fortunately, Xie Baiyan was reasonable and was not angry with her. He asked kindly about Xie Shuo’s condition.

Ye An took the opportunity to ask for Xie Shuo’s medical record, and she studied it carefully.

Xie Shuo finally got better a week later.

A weight was lifted off of Ye An’s shoulders. And just as she wanted to make up for all the sleep she lost in the past few days, Xiang Quan suddenly called to ask her if she would record a theme song for an anime.

Xiang Quan knew that Ye An could sing. In the past, she would also sing for the theme songs for radio dramas when she wasn’t dubbing.

However, she had few aspirations. She was in her early twenties but acted like a middle-aged woman. She had many skills but didn’t care much about them.

She worked hard and was never careless in her projects, but she always lacked ambition.

“We already had a singer scheduled, but the plans changed, and now the project deadline is coming up soon. I just told them that you could try it. The lyrics have been written, and music has already been produced, so you can go ahead and sing it.”

Ye An thought for a bit before asking, “Can I practice the song at home?”

Xiang Quan didn’t understand how she became a “homebody” after getting married, but he said, “Yes, you can come in to record in the studio after you finish rehearsing.”

It doesn’t take much time to record a song, Ye An agreed, hesitant, “Then I’ll try it.”

Xiang Quan replied, “Great, just come to the studio this afternoon and give it a go.”

At one in the afternoon, Ye An bid farewell to Xie Shuo and left in a hurry.

After staying inside for so long, Ye An’s first breath of air outside refreshed and lightened her entire body.

She looked out the car window at the bustling streets and couldn’t help but start to wonder when she would finally be able to bring Xie Shuo out again.

    —–

When she arrived at the recording studio, Xiang Quan and the rest of the staff were already there and waiting for her.

Lu Chuan from Brilliant Dreams wrote the song and was notorious in the industry for being picky and having a bad temper.

As soon as Ye An entered the control room, she saw a lean middle-aged man sitting on a stool in the back of the room. He held a document in his hands and frowned, appearing irritated.

“You’re here?”

Xiang Quan stopped what he was doing and guided Ye An in the man’s direction. “This is Lu Chuan laoshi.”

老师-laoshi, a broad term of address used for teachers, experts in a field, or someone that is respected or in higher positions of power

Lu Chuan looked up to see a delicate face.

Ye An smiled politely. “Hello, Lu laoshi.”

“You’re Ye An?”

Lu Chuan looked at her from head to toe, and his gaze said, “Another talentless vase coming to ruin my work.”

“Since you’re here, hurry up and try it out!”

He didn’t have the patience to be polite with Ye An and waved his hand, signaling her to start auditioning.

Ye An didn’t want to pander to him either, so she walked to the recording booth without another word and put on the earphones.

Soon after, Lu Chuan began to play the song demo.

The song was called “Mountain Ghost,” named after Qu Yuan’s poem “Mountain Ghost.” It had its own twist on the lyrics and melody, with an enchanting and elegant style.

The beginning was low-pitched, and the melody itself was high-pitched. There was a long high note in the middle, so the recording couldn’t be interrupted.

The song was indeed difficult to sing; no wonder Lu Chuan was hesitant about her abilities.

Ye An listened to the song twice over and started to sing, focused.

Lu Hong remained indifferent when the song started, but he began to look up by the second verse.

A gentle female voice sounded with an ethereal simplicity, while still preserving underlying feelings in the music.

Lu Chuan’s expression became more focused.

When learning a song for the first time, one couldn’t expect a perfect performance. In the latter half of the song, Ye An messed up a bit.

After finishing the audition, Lu Chuan looked curiously at her, asking, “Have you ever studied vocal music?”

Ye An was surprised, replying, “I studied on and off for a year.”

In those past years, Xia Jin had her learn more than just singing to spite Ye Yuan Nian.

Lu Chuan: “Why’d you stop?”

Ye An smiled faintly. “I wasn’t originally studying music because it was just my hobby. Later on, there were some matters in my family, so I didn’t continue it.”

Lu Chuan looked at her for a moment before he said, “What a pity.”

Ye An didn’t reply and waited for his decision.

Lu Chuan stood up, saying, “I’ll give the demo to you. Go back and keep practicing…” After a pause, he continued, “Is three days enough?”

Ye An thought about it before answering, “It should be.”

Lu Chuan said, “Then let’s officially record it three days later.”

Xiang Quan didn’t expect things to go so smoothly. After exiting the recording studio, he said quietly, “With Lu Chuan’s temper, I was scared for you when you went in. I thought something was going to happen.”

Ye An laughed. “Did you think that I wasn’t going to sing well enough and get yelled at by him?”

Xiang Quan replied, “Don’t laugh; there really have been people that have been yelled at before.”

Ye An laughed even more. “Then did you think that I wasn’t talented?”

Xiang Quan finally smiled before suddenly saying, “You really want to cancel your contract?”

Ye An nodded.

The elevator door opened, and the two walked in.

Ye An had officially proposed the termination of her contract to Xiang Quan a few days ago. Aside from her audition, her priority for this afternoon was to discuss this matter.

The elevator only held the two of them. Xiang Quan suddenly turned towards her and asked, “Is it because of your marriage?”

Ye An went silent for a moment, before smiling. “I guess so.”

Recalling the ostentatious display of her ring and the car that night, Xiang Quan understood. Marrying into a wealthy family meant that she didn’t have to care about the basic necessities. There was no need to leave so early and return so late every day. 

The only problem was her contract lasted for three years. Right now, it had only been one year before she was now trying to leave.

After exiting the elevator on the first floor, Ye An took the initiative to say, “What’s with the long face? It’s not like the studio will go bankrupt without me.”

Xiang Quan’s eyebrows knitted even more. “I’m still losing a cash cow!”

Ye An glanced at him. “But isn’t it worth it? You’ve squeezed my value out of me for a year. Is it not enough?”

Xiang Quan couldn’t help but laugh this time around.

Ye An said, “Besides, I’m only canceling this contract. I’m still up for the investment we discussed before. If I have time and there’s a good role, I’ll pick up a project every now and then.”

Xiang Quan was no longer as sorrowful, so he nodded and replied. “All right, we can sign the contract termination in the next few days, and then we’ll go finalize the plans for the partnership with Brilliant Dreams.”

The two had already walked away from the business buildings when Xiang Quan’s phone buzzed twice. 

He fished the phone out of his pocket and frowned. “I have some matters to attend to, so I’ll be leaving first. Let’s talk about the details another day.”

“En, bye~”

Xiang Quan walked hurriedly away, and Ye An took her phone out to check the time. It was four o’clock, still quite early.

There was a captivating fragrance in the air that attracted her to a candied chestnut shop nearby. She couldn’t help but walk over to buy a bag of fresh chestnuts.

After buying the snack, she turned around, planning to hail a car.

The family’s driver was busy today, and because she was too lazy to drive herself, she chose to take a taxi.

Suddenly, a familiar figure came into view. Ye An froze, still holding her paper bag.

…Xie Yuran?

She wasn’t certain, so she blinked and looked again.

The man was tall and slender. He wore a black sweater, hat, and a mask. When Ye An saw him, he had just removed his mask and waved to hail a cab.

Under the hat, he had a handsome appearance and resembled a naive youth.

It really was Xie Yuran.

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Xie Shuo was forced to stand by the door… and listen.

Various clanging noises came from nearby, and disordered chopping noises began to sound. He suddenly had the feeling that he shouldn’t have allowed her to cook.

What would a daughter from a rich family know about cooking? If she were to accidentally cut herself, that would just be bringing trouble upon himself.

His throat was still slightly uncomfortable, so he covered his mouth and coughed.

Ye An had a green pepper in her hand and was about to cut it, but turned around when she heard the cough. “Are you really okay? Do you want some cold medicine?”

Xie Shuo seemed to be very against taking medicine. He frowned, saying, “No, thanks.”

“Find somewhere else to stand; the smoke might cause you to choke later… how about you go outside and take a walk?” Ye An didn’t forget to take advantage of the moment to convince him to go outside.

Xie Shuo turned around and left, leaving her with a view of his silent, retreating figure.

Ye An looked out the window at the glaring sun. It really wasn’t great walking weather, so she just let him go.

The clanging sounds from the kitchen continued until twelve, when lunch was successfully made.

Ye An brought her dishes to the table. She thought that Xie Shuo had returned upstairs and prepared to call him down–but instead found him waiting in the living room.

“Time to eat!” Ye An called him.

Xie Shuo got up and walked slowly to the table. Ye An put a small bowl of mushroom soup in front of him. “Here, taste this. It might be a little hot.”

She sat on his left-hand side, so it was more convenient to hand him the dishes.

Xie Shuo held the spoon and tried a bit of soup.

Ye An watched him nervously. “How is it?”

Xie Shuo swallowed it without speaking, as if unsure whether or not he should rate it.

Ye An: Was it that hard to describe?

Ye An, hurt by his expression, angrily said, “What’s with that terrible expression? Is it that bad?”

Xie Shuo didn’t think that she would suddenly get angry. He paused and finally rated it with two words, “It’s okay.”

Who would have known that this would make Ye An angrier? “You think I wouldn’t notice your phony tone?”

Xie Shuo: “…”

Ye An stomach hurt from anger.

She worked for a whole morning for this meal. It was fine if he wasn’t grateful, but he even dared to look down on it!

What kind of person was he!

She looked at the dishes on the table and suddenly didn’t have the appetite to try any.

“I’ve already said that we should go out to eat. You didn’t want to and insisted on eating at home.”

Xie Shuo frowned. He was afraid of the possibility of her destroying the bowl of soup, so he changed his tone. “The flavor is too strong, but it’s not that bad. Didn’t you also make some other dishes? What are they?”

Ye An looked up at him and noticed his goodwill. She pursed her lips and reluctantly humbled herself. “There are only three others: sauteed shrimp with parsley, stir-fried chili pork, and lotus root with vinegar.”

She picked up the chopsticks and put a piece of the shrimp and parsley dish in his bowl.

Xie Shuo picked up the shrimp and tasted it. He had now learned his lesson and maintained a neutral expression, saying, “It’s all right.”

Ye An was finally at ease, and she gave him a few pieces from the other dishes.

“Try some of the chili pork.”

Xie Shuo lowered his head and ate quietly.

Ye An watched him eat a few bites before starting to eat herself.

To be honest, it was not her first time cooking, and her cooking wasn’t bad enough to the point of being unpalatable. Eldest Young Master Xie was just accustomed to living like a prince, so his taste was inevitably pickier.

Xie Shuo’s blindness made eating more inconvenient, so he ate slowly. Ye An ate first, so she put her chopsticks down and looked at him. She said nervously, “Don’t eat too much if you’re not used to it. I’ll have someone else make some porridge or cut some fruits for you later.”

Xie Shuo raised his head, surprised that she was being so reasonable. He said calmly, “There’s nothing really to be unaccustomed to; this is fine.”

To be honest, her cooking skills had far exceeded his expectations. He originally thought that if she were to even try boiling water, the kitchen would burn down.

Ye An listened happily, and she took advantage of the opportunity to ask, “Since I’ve worked so hard to cook for you, do you want to go outside with me to relax this afternoon?”

Xie Shuo paused, his expression not cold and dismissive for the first time. He responded, “Later.”

Ye An thought that she heard wrong, but she quickly suggested, “Let’s wait until sunset then, so it’s not as hot outside.”

She glanced at his hand that held the chopsticks and suddenly recalled something. Her eyes flashed. “Oh right, didn’t I say that I would help cut your nails? Let’s do that after eating.”

“…” Xie Shuo’s face instantly darkened.

Ye An didn’t notice his changing expression. She waited for him to finish eating before taking the bowl and chopsticks away and bringing him to cut his nails.

The afternoon sun was bright, and the surroundings were silent. Her head was lowered, and her eyes were focused, her lashes fanning out when she blinked. 

Xie Shuo’s expression resembled a statue, cold and expressionless.

His slender fingers were almost translucent under the sunlight, and the blue veins were visible under his skin.

Ye An frowned, murmuring, “Why do I feel like you’ve gotten thinner?”

Xie Shuo didn’t say anything.

Time passed peacefully. The two sat together, giving the illusion of warmth and comfort.

After cutting his nails, Ye An dragged Xie Shuo to the bathroom to have him teach her how to use a razor.

However, she only studied for a bit before giving up because she was afraid of experimenting by herself and didn’t dare to test her skills on Xie Shuo.

If she were to make one wrong move, everything would be over.

Around four o’clock, the sun slanted westward, and the two went on a walk in the garden.

The wind blew gently, and the sun rays gradually softened. Ye An’s body and heart had been warmed by the sun, and as she looked at the man beside her, she thought, it’s time to start the next step in her plans!

However, before she could, reality gave her a rude awakening.

Xie Shuo caught a cold. 

There was no fever, but there was a persistent cough. His most serious symptom was a migraine.

When he was in the car accident, heavy trauma to his brain affected his optic nerve, so he was left blind and with migraines.

Now that he had a cold, the migraines had returned.

Ye An remembered that Xie Baiyan mentioned that Xie Shuo suffered from migraines on occasion, but she didn’t take it too seriously. Only when she saw him suffer with her own eyes did she know how serious it was.

For the first two days, he was unable to sleep. Ye An woke up in the middle of the night to see his face pale and veins bulging. There was sweat on his forehead, and even the pillow was soaked through.

However, he endured it without a sound.

Ye An applied a warm towel compress on his forehead but was of no use.

“Do you want to take some painkillers?”

Ye An helped him sit up and let him lean on her shoulder. She put the painkiller near his lips.

When Xie Shuo was in the hospital being treated for his injuries, he was often fed various pills, so he despised them now. He pressed his lips together, refusing to open his mouth.

Ye An looked at his pale lips, which made her heart hurt for him. Her tone became even softer. 

“Just try having one pill, okay?”

There was a faint fragrance and warmth that came from her body. Xie Shuo pursed his lips for a little while more before opening his mouth under her gentle persuasion.

Ye An fed the medicine to Xie Shuo before putting the cup of warm water to the side and turning back around. She hugged him while stroking his head, coaxing him like a child.

“It’s going to be okay. The pain will go away soon… it won’t hurt anymore…”

Her gentle voice traveled to his ears. She tilted her head up with eyes reddened for some time.

Xie Shuo had originally started to feel a little better after taking the medicine, but after hearing her words, he instantly felt a throbbing pain in his pain. The veins on his forehead began to protrude again.

He squeezed her delicate wrist, enduring the pain as he pushed her away.

Because of the pain, he wasn’t aware of his own strength, and Ye An’s wrist had red marks around it.

Ye An cradled her wrist and observed his taut expression with a baffled look. She was speechless-you take my good intentions as donkey liver even now?

She slandered him in her mind but was too lazy to mention it to him. Seeing the sweat on his forehead, she asked softly, “Do you feel any better? Would you like to take a bath before going to sleep?”

……

Xie Shuo didn’t answer, but he got out of bed and felt his way around to the bathroom while coughing. His back was slouched, and he looked a bit…pitiful.

Forget it, it wasn’t easy for him either.

Ye An’s motherly instinct went into overdrive. She took out a new pair of pajamas for him before running the bathwater and adding essential oils to calm his nerves.

She turned around to tell him not to bathe for too long, but his body entered her line of sight.

The neckline of his disheveled black pajamas was open, revealing his pale neck and collarbone. His natural scent was strong as if he had just had some indescribable exercise.

Further up, the hair on his forehead was damp, and his face held a sickly beauty.

……

How tempting…

Inappropriate images flashed through Ye An’s mind. Her ears became warm, and she suddenly blushed.

Ye An, what are you thinking about?

How can you lust after someone’s body right now? You’re a monster!

“Okay, don’t soak for too long; call me if you need anything.”

Ye An cursed herself and withdrew her stare. She hurried out of the bathroom while blushing furiously.

Xie Shuo began to take off his clothes when he heard the door close. The loose pajamas were pulled down to reveal his buff shoulders and the contours of his muscles.

The water vapor curled up and diffused in the air.

After returning to the bedroom, Ye An fanned herself in an attempt to cool down her heated cheeks.

When did she start to fall so easily to temptation?

They all say that women in their thirties start to become wolves and women in their forties start to become cougars, but she was only twenty-three! This was going against the laws of science!

Ye An used her hands to cover her face, her mood complicated.

……

She had become a pervert…

After taking a while to calm down, Ye An walked to the bed and changed the sheets. Afterward, she opened the window for better ventilation.

The Xie manor was located in an area that was well known for the wealthy residents. The scenery was beautiful, and the moon was clear. A soft breeze blew across her cheeks, and there was a feel of elegance in the atmosphere.

The continuous undulations of the distant mountains were visible under the moonlight.

Ye An looked up and into the distance, suddenly feeling melancholic. With this disability, she was afraid of him reentering his depressed state, and she didn’t know when the next step in her plan was possible. 

She put forth so much effort to see him make some progress, but it may have been all in vain.

After taking a bath, Xie Shuo’s headache had improved a lot, and he fell asleep not long after getting back into bed.

Ye An was still ill at ease and didn’t sleep well. She woke up several more times throughout the night, looking instinctively at Xie Shuo each time.

Because of her anxiety, she slipped into a familiar dream as the sun began to rise.

In the long dim corridor, she fled with all her will, with the sound of the night’s rain was crisp and clear.

Author’s note: Xiao Ye: I admire your body. After I sleep with you, let’s divorce.

Xiao Xie: …

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The night passed in a daze.

Ye An woke up to the bright light from the morning sun. She looked at the ceiling, her head still dizzy.

The space next to her was empty and cold; the bathroom was silent as well.

After laying there in a trance, she sat up and rubbed her temples.

Last night’s memories washed over her. She was only half-drunk, so her memories were still clear.

 She remembered laughing at Xie Shuo’s sitting pose on the sofa, playing the guitar and singing to him, and in the end… she was somehow possessed and kissed him–even if it was just his Adam’s apple.

Ye An hit herself on the head.

    ……

…Alcohol is trouble!

How did Xie Shuo react again?

Ye An recalled that he seemed to pause, let go of her, and went off to take a shower?

At that point, Ye An couldn’t help but hold her head–he wasn’t even fazed by that. This man… was helpless…

She grabbed the remote control on the bedside table to open the curtains before lifting the comforter to get out of bed.

The sunlight poured in behind her and scattered on the ground.

    —-

After washing up, Ye An went downstairs to eat breakfast and happened to see Xie Shuo.

He had just finished eating and prepared to go upstairs.

The dining room was brightly lit. He wore casual clothes in the house, and he had a calm expression, appearing gentler than usual.

Thanks to his inability to see, they could face each other without much awkwardness, even after what happened last night.

Ye An was even able to greet him, “Morning.”

Since he wasn’t able to see what she had done when drunk, he could only imagine the scenario, which helped ease her embarrassment. 

Xie Shuo didn’t respond to her and only paused for a bit before silently going upstairs.

Ye An glanced at his lean back, then looked away like usual.

Aunt Zhou warmed a portion of the food for her and put it in front of her.

The fragrance of the red bean porridge entered her nose.

Ye An thanked her, sat down, and picked up the spoon.

Aunt Zhou suddenly asked her, “Is Madam still going out today?”

Ye An looked up. “Are there any other matters to take care of?”

Aunt Zhou answered, “My granddaughter is sick, and I want to take her to the hospital.”

Ye An hurriedly replied, “Go ahead, I won’t be going out in these next few days, so you don’t need to be here.”

Aunt Zhou thanked her. She waited for her to finish breakfast before cleaning up and leaving.

With one less person, the large villa became even quieter. Ye An returned upstairs and pulled out her phone to check the internet. 

Her ostentatious act last night was truly not spent in vain. The original forum post that mentioned her being in an unspeakable relationship was deleted. It had been replaced by a post that claimed that she had married into a rich and powerful family.

[Plot twist!!! So it turns out the Ye An was already married!!! And into a rich family!!]

Because the original poster was afraid of being suspected, the post did not include any photos from last night. They only described her dazzling display of affection last night. The poster also emphasized that she was only a part of the melon-eating masses, and this piece of gossip was from a reliable source in the industry.

The comments soon swarmed in:

1st comment: [WTF! This plot twist!]

2nd comment: [Haha, who was the one who said my goddess had an unspoken relationship? Come out; I’ll beat you up!]

3rd comment: [Is this real? Is it really that easy to marry into the rich and powerful?]

4th comment: [Is Ye An’s visuals enough to marry rich?]

5th comment: [Some people are really ignorant and think that rich people only care about looks. Even if they did, she could only be an outsider to the family. Who knows how old that man is? Besides, if she married so powerful, why is she still behind the scenes at that studio voice acting?]

7th comment: [Is someone musty trying to look down on dubbing? Can she not continue to dub if she married rich? Someone’s jealousy is oozing out of their comment! The Qing dynasty has collapsed for so many years; how come you haven’t caught up with the times yet?]

8th comment: [What a stench! There’s sh*t in your heart, and everywhere you see.]

9th comment: [Godfather, there are no pictures for us?]

    ……

The comment section was rowdy for the whole day. Although there was a small portion of people that didn’t believe the post, Ye An had achieved her desired effect, so she left the app satisfied.

Soon after, she picked a luxury bag from her closet and sent it to Shi Shuangshuang to thank her for her cooperation last night.

After receiving it, Shi Shuangshuang jumped three feet high and excitedly sent a rainbow fart emoji.

Ye An was particularly amused.

Not long later, Yuan He also called and told her that they had found the person who had made the allegations.

Sure enough, it was Song Ying, who had almost been cut out from the production in the past.

Song Ying claimed that she was deceived by Lu Hong when she thought that Ye An had used improper means to steal the role. She only did these things because she was angry at the time and hoped that Ye An would give her a chance to meet and apologize.

“How does Miss Ye want to handle this?” Yuan He left the decision to Ye An.

Ye An considered it before saying, “Have her clarify this matter and apologize using the account she originally sent the post to. Then put this matter behind us.”

It wasn’t good for her to make the matter larger than necessary. After all, she was now involved with the Xie family. Moreover, the culprit in this matter was Lu Hong, so it was unnecessary to place all the blame on a girl.

Yuan He was surprised since he didn’t expect her to let this matter go so easily. He replied, “Alright.”

Since she couldn’t afford to offend any people, Song Qing acted rather quickly. Within half an hour, she had posted an apology post on the forum with a “news” tag.

Ye An clicked on it and took a glance. She seemed to be sincere in her apology and didn’t hint at anything else.

The comments that followed ridiculed and condemned her, but the apology didn’t become as popular as the “marrying into the rich and powerful” post. Ye An skimmed the rest of the post before exiting the page.

The Lu Hong crisis had come to an end.

After handling everything, Ye An put away her phone, feeling refreshed. She went to the study in a good mood and took care of her daily matters

caring for Eldest Young Master Xie.

She entered to find Xie Shuo peacefully sitting there and not doing anything as if he were waiting for her arrival.

Ye An sat down next to him. She suddenly had an idea and asked, “Aunt Zhou asked for an off day and isn’t here today. Do you want to go out for lunch today?”

Xie Shuo tilted his head.

Ye An’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “We’ve been married for so long, but we still haven’t gone out together.”

Two seconds later, Xie Shuo turned his head away and said indifferently, “Just call someone and have them bring over whatever you want to eat.”

The sparkle in her gaze disappeared, and her mood wasn’t as good anymore.

Ye An was annoyed by his response. “Going out to eat and having someone deliver food to the house is not the same thing, okay? Eating out is about the experience and sentiment!”

Xie Shuo didn’t flinch. “What kind of experience do you want?”

Ye An: “…”

This kind of man doesn’t care about relationships; what was the point of his existence?

Ye An’s chest heaved fiercely, and she was unable to speak.

“How have you lived for the past twenty plus years? Has any woman ever taken care of you?”

Xie Shuo didn’t reply. It was evident from his expression that he didn’t see any point in answering it.

Ye An was about to lose her temper again.

She took a while to calm down. Changing her strategy, she began to threaten him, “I’ll give you two choices. We can go out to eat, or I’ll get in the kitchen and cook for you!”

Because of his personality and dislike of her, she expected that he would never want to eat anything that she made.

However, he unexpectedly said, “No one’s stopping you from doing that.”

Ye An was dumbfounded. Why can’t you act according to the script?

“To be honest, I’m really bad at cooking. It’s not an exaggeration to say that I burn everything I cook. You really want to try it?”

Ye An spared no effort to talk bad about herself for the first time.

Unfortunately, her efforts were to no avail. Xie Shuo was silent, and his expression was calm.

“Are you sure… you don’t want to think about it some more? I’m not lying when I say it’s really bad. Those who try it once never come back a second time.”

Xie Shuo remained unmoved.

Ye An was at her wit’s end. “Why is it so difficult for us to go out for a meal? You would rather endure my terrible cooking than to go out…”

She murmured the phrase while searching for recipes on her phone.

The room returned to silence, so Xie Shuo thought that she was angry again. After waiting for a while and hearing nothing else, he frowned. 

It just so happened that his throat was also itchy, so he covered his mouth and coughed lightly.

Ye An looked up. “What’s wrong; do you have a cold?”

It didn’t sound like she was angry, so Xie Shuo stopped coughing and commented, “I’m fine.”

A moment later, a warm hand covered his forehead.

Ye An moved her hand across his forehead and concluded, “No fever, that’s good.”

However, she was still uneasy. She put down her phone and stood up, saying, “I’ll get you a cup of hot water.”

Staying at home for too long can bring about illness. If Grandfather Xie and Xie Baiyan were to know, her tender and doting wife image would collapse.

Xie Shuo listened to her footsteps as she walked away.

Soon after, Ye An returned with a glass of water and moved his hand so that he was holding it.

“It’s a little hot, so let it cool down for a bit before drinking it.”

Xie Shuo fumbled to hold it and asked, “What time is it?”

Ye An sat down and picked up her phone to check the time. “Ten thirty.”

She suddenly became anxious. “It’s already this late? If I’m cooking, then I need to hurry up and prepare!”

She hurriedly opened the recipe that she had just found and asked while still browsing, “What do you want to eat?”

Xie Shuo: “What do you know how to make?”

“I know…”

Ye An choked as she looked up and saw his skeptical expression. Feeling humiliated, she retorted, “I can make anything!”

Xie Shuo turned away, obviously not believing her.

    “……”

If you don’t believe me, then why don’t you go out and eat with me! 

Ye An glared at him, sighed, and lowered her head to study the recipe.

She had to make a meal today that would prove him wrong!

She tapped the screen to zoom in on the picture.

“How about Kung Pao chicken?”

Before Xie Shuo could speak, she ruled it out herself. “No, it’s too much work, and your throat isn’t well. This one isn’t suitable.”

She continued to scroll down.

“Sichan poached fish?”

“That’s not good either; it has to be cut. I hate the smell of fish…”

“Jujube chicken soup?”

“Well… this one seems okay…”

Xie Shuo listened as she rattled off various dish names before rejecting each one of them. His expression gradually cooled, and he didn’t hold any expectations for the upcoming meal.

“Why don’t we go downstairs and see what ingredients we have?” Ye An suddenly asked.

Xie Shuo didn’t respond.

Ye An turned off her phone before reaching out and dragging him out.

Xie Shuo frowned as he was reluctantly pulled downstairs to the kitchen.

Ye An opened the refrigerator while searching for recipes that were relatively easy to make using the ingredients they had. Then, she began to cook.

Previous|Index|Next

Ye An didn’t calm down until she was out of the house and in the car. Her heart pounded relentlessly.

The redness in her cheeks didn’t fade for a while, and she leaned against the seat to calm herself. She twisted the wedding ring on her finger and inwardly complained

How could this man switch acts so fast?

She looked up and out the window. Her gaze became unfocused, and no one would be able to tell what she was thinking. 

The distant sun set on a westward incline. The golden rays filtered through the flowers and trees to produce a luminous glow like in a picturesque landscape.

When she arrived at the restaurant, night had already fallen.

Stars speckled the sky in the early night.

Ye An pushed the door open to exit the car then looked up at the restaurant name sign flashing in front of her. Bright colors met her gaze.

She lifted her hair behind her shoulders to tidy her appearance. She raised her chin and straightened her back before walking forward with confidence.

The hem of her skirt blew with the wind like fire in the night, dazzling the eyes.

Inside the private room, most of the studio’s employees had already arrived and sat at one table, talking and laughing. Some had even started pouring the alcohol.

 Ye An entered with the sounds of her heels tapping against the floor, drawing many gazes to the doorway. 

Her delicate, womanly figure was accentuated by the dress swaying gently with her movements. Her beautiful face attracted the attention of all.

Ye An approached them with a slight smile before greeting Xiang Quan and sitting down in an empty seat beside Shi Shuangshuang.

Everyone went silent.

Xiang Quan saw her dazzling appearance, and a look of confusion flashed across his face. He couldn’t guess what she wanted to do.

Shi Shuangshuang noticed her unusual temperament, so she approached Ye An and whispered excitedly, “Are you going to announce some news today?”

Ye An looked up and smiled, not saying a word.

Most of the people present had quietly observed the allegations explode across the Internet, so when they saw her, subtle looks were exchanged.

Ye An glanced around at people’s reactions before pausing at two girls that sat diagonally across from her

the two who were gossiping about her in the bathroom the other day.

The two girls avoided her eyes, appearing slightly uncomfortable.

Ye An retracted her gaze and straightened out the hem of her dress. 

“An An, your dress is so pretty!” a baby-faced little sister praised her, admiring her dress.

The man next to her chuckled and said, “Those who are beautiful can wear anything and make it beautiful. How else could she be the face of our studio?”

The girl turned and glared at him. “I didn’t say that she wasn’t pretty! Why are you talking?”

The man immediately raised his right hand and fervently asked for forgiveness, “I was wrong; I’m sorry! I’ll shut my mouth!”

The room instantly erupted in laughter.

Ye An also smiled. She fixed her hair and showed a shy expression, saying, “You think so? My husband had this custom made for me by a designer.”

The laughter suddenly went silent; those that were drinking water choked.

Xiang Quan was also taken aback and looked her way.

Out of a table of people, Shi Shuangshuang was the only one that knew everything.

“Husband? You’re married?” The last questions were from an astonished baby-faced little sister.

“Yep.” Ye An pursed her red lips and casually put her left hand in a bright area on the table. Her other hand lightly twisted the ring back and forth on the ring finger.

Her ten fingers looked slender and delicate under the bright light. The ring wrapped around her finger had an exquisite beauty, and the inlaid diamonds dazzled, reflecting the light.

Everyone was blinded by her flamboyant flaunting.

“Why do I remember An An jie being single during New Year’s; did I remember wrong?” someone else asked blankly.

Xiang Quan recovered from his astonishment and also asked, “When did this happen, and why haven’t we heard you mention it?”

Ye An gave a slight smile. “Didn’t I take a long break from work a while ago? It was during that time.”

Everyone took a long time to digest such heavy news. The man that had previously chosen to remain silent sighed sadly, “It seems like I no longer have a chance!”

Someone immediately quipped, “You say that as if you had a chance in the first place!”

Everyone started laughing again.

The atmosphere livened up again, and the little sister from before looked at the ring on Ye An’s finger with envy. “Your wedding ring is so pretty!”

Ye An looked down, pursed her lips, and smiled. “My husband picked it out. The designer only takes orders from certain customers. If you want, I can introduce him to you.”

The girl immediately shook her head. “I was just asking; it definitely must be expensive…”

Ye An answered lightly, “It’s not that expensive; it’s only a few million.”

Everyone: “…”

Just a few million, ha-ha.

Since the topic was brought up, someone asked curiously, “An An, how did you and your husband meet?”

Ye An answered lightly, “The story’s not very interesting. It was just… love at first sight.”

“Love at first sight? Wow, how romantic! Is he handsome?”

Ye An smiled playfully as she secretly poked Shi Shuangshuang under the table and winked at her.

Shi Shuangshuang froze but quickly recovered. With an excited expression, she said, “I can answer this since I’ve seen her husband! He’s tall and handsome, like the models in magazines. With his jade-like beauty and natural confidence, he is part of the wealthy and is good at spoiling others! He treats An An really well! The cooperation with Brilliant Dreams is all due to her husband’s help…”

She said these phrases delightedly.

Ye An smiled and thought: the tall and handsome part is true, but even if he did know how to spoil others, I don’t know if I’ll ever live to see that day.

Hearing this, Xiang Quan finally understood why she made such a scene tonight.

She was going to dispel the rumors from the origin.

But… her husband was able to have Yuan He personally come see them. Who was it?

The rest of the night was basically in Ye An’s hands. After learning that she had married into a wealthy family, those who had previously gossiped about her matters politely and passionately toasted her.

Ye An didn’t mind and cooperated with them seamlessly. However, she had explicitly and implicitly sent a message: she was married to a rich and handsome husband. All of the unspoken relationship rumors were nonsense!

The crisp sound of glasses clinking mixed with merry laughter, and the sounds of enjoyment traveled far.

After eating and drinking their fill, everyone eagerly requested to go to a karaoke bar.

Ye An was a little dizzy from the alcohol, so she stood up and pretended to check her phone before saying, “My husband just texted me asking me to go home early. I won’t go tonight, but you all have fun.”

Someone said, “An An jie, you’re spreading dog food in public!”

Dog food- slang for PDA. 

Ye An smiled then turned to ask Xiang Quan, “Then I’ll be going now.”

Xiang Quan also drank quite a bit, so his face was flushed. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and said, “Then let’s go outside together.”

Everyone laughed and joked around on their way out of the restaurant. Before they even descended the steps, they were met with the sight of a Maybach parked nearby.

It attracted everyone’s attention.

The light inside the car was dim, making it impossible to tell whether or not someone was inside.

“My husband is here to pick me up, bye bye~”

Ye An smiled. She waved, turned, and walked forward.

Under the enchanting lights, the dazzling red figure walked away step by step. Her heels clicked against the pavement, making it appear as if she were walking the red carpet.

This brilliant last scene left a successful impression in everyone’s eyes.

Ye An’s confidence was high, and she didn’t look back once. She didn’t relax until she entered the car and closed the door.

She supported her dizzy head and laid limp on the seat, sighing in relief.

It was truly difficult to show off in front of everyone.

There was no one by her side.

Xie Shuo didn’t come.

A trace of disappointment flashed through Ye An’s eyes. She looked up and out the car window to observe the bustling night scene and flickering lights.

After a while, she leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes.

As the car drove on the highway, the lights sped by like the flashing picture frames in a movie.

    —–

Ye An slept a little on the way home. Ye An, disoriented, was woken up by the driver when they arrived.

She got out of the car and staggered home. After entering, she came across Aunt Zhou, who was going to rest.

“Madam, have you been drinking?” Aunt Zhou saw her flushed face and unstable gait, so she hurriedly stepped forward to support her.

    “

“I’m fine!” Ye An stood up straight with much difficulty. “I just slept for too long in the car, and I’m a little dizzy.”

“I’ll go make some soup to help sober you up.”

Aunt Zhou wasn’t at ease, so she turned to go to the kitchen. However, she was stopped by Ye An. “No, it’s fine, I’ll just make a cup of tea later–” She glanced upstairs. “Nothing happened after I went out, right?”

Seeing that she spoke clearly, Aunt Zhou didn’t insist anymore and answered, “No, everything was fine.”

Ye An nodded, planning to go upstairs.

Aunt Zhou paused, suddenly recalling something. “Oh right. The Eldest Young Master stood at the doorway for a while after eating dinner and asked what time it was as if he wanted to go out.”

Ye An was somewhat shocked. He hesitated?

She thought about it some more. Since he considered it, why didn’t he go through with the actions? For a grown man, he was very indecisive.

Ye An smiled faintly as she happily ascended the stairs.

The path from the living room to the bedroom was brightly lit.

Xie Shuo sat on his favorite sofa as usual without any expression on his face.

Ye An looked at him and chuckled. “Did you know that you look like a statue of a longing wife sitting like this?”

She staggered forward and put her hands on his shoulders.

The smell of wine mixed with her perfume wafted over. He frowned and paused. “You drank too much?”

Ye An draped an arm over his shoulders as she sat down. She gestured “a little bit” and tilted her head. “I’m good, just a little more than normal.”

The light shined on her faze and highlighted her rosy cheeks.

Xie Shuo’s frown became even more pronounced.

Ye An leaned on him gently and looked at him with sparkling, wide eyes, appearing distracted.

She suddenly stretched a hand out to smoothen his brows. “Are you still upset?”

As her fingertips got nearer, Xie Shuo subconsciously avoided them and raised his hand to catch them.

His palm captured a hard object in the process. He paused for a second before realizing that it was her wedding ring.

She wore her wedding ring?

Ye An didn’t try to struggle when she was caught by him. She only smiled, her eyes curving. “Don’t be upset; do you want me to sing to you?”

Xie Shuo was now sure she had drunk too much. He cast her hand away carelessly and ignored her.

“I’m really good at singing, no lie…”

Ye An staggered up using his shoulders and walked wobbly to another room.

After a while, she came back with a guitar in her arms. Since there weren’t any stools or cushions on the ground, she took off her shoes and sat beside Xie Shuo directly on the carpet.

The bottom of her dress laid on the floor around her. She held the guitar and plucked at the strings, her head angling slightly as she played.

In the dead of night, the gentle lighting gave her a glowing radiance and made her features vague, as if there were several filters applied.

Xie Shuo naturally couldn’t see the scene in front of him–but he heard the sounds of a guitar and a light melodious tune that he was unfamiliar with.

After the instrumental prelude, a woman’s soft hum started, sounding distant.

When the humming stopped, she finally began to sing, her voice clear and light.

Her singing flooded him like the sun shining over greenery in the spring and the moonlight emitting a soft glow onto one’s fingertips. It’d be able to awaken all hibernating animals from their deep slumbers.

The lyrics were light yet masterfully artistic, revealing a sense of refreshing youth.

Xie Shuo sat quietly. Even though he could clearly see nothing but darkness, he could imagine the spring greenery and warm clear skies. Most importantly, the girl who hummed softly while bathed in the sun rays.

There were ripples of emotion in his heart. Since they had gotten married, he had always regarded her as not essential to his life and didn’t care to know anything about her.

But at this moment, he suddenly wanted to know what she looked like.

Ye An’s lashes lowered as she sang and played with a focused expression as if she was immersed in past memories.

She sang two consecutive songs before stopping. Holding her guitar and getting up, she asked with excitement, “How was it; it wasn’t bad, right?”

Xie Shuo remained silent, declining to comment.

Ye An didn’t get annoyed by his silence. She carefully set the guitar down and turned to sit by Xie Shuo.

She seemed tipsy but not drunk. Her face was flushed, and she cuddled next to him, almost lying in his arms.

“When I was in college, some people would say that I would become a singer that was popular all over the world. Others said I would become an A-list celebrity in the entertainment industry…But in the end, I went behind the scenes to dub. I didn’t do either of those…”

“The moon waxes and wanes, and people have both blessings and misfortunes. There are also situations that can’t be described…” She held his shoulders and looked at him. He was reflected back in her clear eyes, but there was a trace of yearning hidden deep within her gaze. “So, you don’t always have to frown. What if there will be a day in which your eyesight gets better?”

“Even if there wasn’t… won’t I still be here?”

She whispered softly, and her warm breath fanned across his face. Xie Shuo’s lashes fluttered slightly, but he did not pull away in disgust as he usually did.

“Cheer up a bit…” she murmured while nuzzling her head against his shoulder like a cat.

Xie Shuo looked slightly startled.

Soft hair brushed against his shoulder and neck, and warmth appeared in his neck.

He smelled the fragrance in her hair, and a small hand touched the back of his soon after.

Ye An held his hand up and observed it under the light. His fingers were slender and clean, holding a jade-like beauty.

Ye An looked at it and suddenly said, “Your nails are a bit long. Do you want me to help you cut them?”

Xie Shuo: “…”

The intimate atmosphere dissipated immediately.

Xie Shuo couldn’t really understand why she was so keen on taking care of trivial things for him. It was styling his hair and shaving his jaw in the past, and now it was cutting his nails.

Ye An put his hand down and got up to find the nail clippers. She suddenly thought of something and sat down again.

“No, no, I can’t do that. My mom said that if you cut your nails at night, you’ll become forgetful. I’ll cut them for you tomorrow morning instead.”

Xie Shuo:…

What is going on in her mind?

“Oh right, I said that I would help you shave!” Ye An had paused for a second before getting excited again. She leaned on his shoulder to look at his chin. “Has your stubble grown out yet?”

Before Xie Shuo had time to react, she rubbed his chin.

“It doesn’t prickle my hands, so it hasn’t grown out yet.” Her tone was a little disappointed. “Why doesn’t it grow faster!”

Xie Shuo’s once indifferent expression darkened slightly.

Ye An looked up at him and said, not minding his face, “When I was young, I had a doll that I really liked. I combed her hair, dressed her, and drew on her eyebrows every day. But she’s a girl, so she didn’t need to shave. She didn’t have nails either…”

Xie Shuo’s expression became even darker.

“Ye An.”

He finally spoke.

This was the first time Ye An heard him call her name, so she was a little confused. “Huh?”

“Go shower.”

The two words were cold and sounded like she was testing his patience.

Ye An shook her head. “You go first.”

Xie Shuo frowned. “I’ll go to the guest bathroom.”

Ye An shook her head again and said stubbornly, “No, I need to stay outside when you take a shower. If no one is there to help you if you accidentally fall or hit something, it’ll be very dangerous.”

Xie Shuo was slightly shocked upon hearing this statement.

So that was why she stayed outside the shower every night.

“I’ll… go get some pajamas for you.”

Ye An spoke as she stood up while supporting herself on his shoulders. Just as she was about to take a step, she suddenly wobbled and fell back again.

She happened to fall right on Xie Shuo’s body.

Xie Shuo took the brunt of the fall, but his nose rubbed the back of her neck and detected a delicate fragrance.

He couldn’t see and only felt her restlessly moving on his legs.

    “

”

“Don’t move!” He suddenly raised his arm to hold her and frowned.

Her waist was held by a large hand. The breathing behind her ears was warm and seemed to be quicker than usual.

Ye An stopped moving and sat in his lap with a confused expression.

Xie Shuo moved his hand and fumbled to find her shoulders. There was no fabric there, so he felt the warmth of her bare skin.

He didn’t want to bother with a drunk person, so he didn’t push her away this time. Instead, he guided her to sit down in his place. 

Ye An grasped his shirt. Her fair fingers curled tightly around the folds of the cloth.

She looked up and happened to see his smooth chin and raised Adam’s apple. The smooth contours of his neck and chest entered the collar of his shirt.

From this angle, he appeared very alluring.

The alcohol made her feel hazy, and the lights and shadows blurred in front of her.

The man seemed to be in her dream. She squinted her eyes in confusion and suddenly couldn’t restrain herself before she kissed his Adam’s apple directly.

    ……

Author’s note: Xiao Ye: I want to do the naughty after drinking.

Author: No, you don’t.

Xiao Xie didn’t go to the banquet this time. He still hasn’t overcome his internal turmoil, but he did hesitate~

Previous|Index|Next

“Hubby…”

Xie Shuo was drinking coffee. As he took a sip, he heard an affectionate call and felt a boneless body attached to his not long after.

The coffee almost spilled, making him frown. He turned his head to face her.

On his cold and indifferent face, there was a phrase plastered on it

Who are you trying to seduce so early in the morning?

Facing his unwavering expression, Ye An’s charming smile stiffened and almost collapsed.

This man was too difficult to face.

This psychopath was simply too cold.

Ye An took a deep breath and steadied herself while trying to think of what to do next. She switched her strategy to approach him with a more gradual route.

She would definitely beat him!

“Is the coffee good?” She brought up his cup of coffee in a soft voice. Modeling as the perfect wife, she said, “I made this coffee myself without Aunt Zhou’s help.”

Xie Shuo’s brows knitted, and his expression said, “So you’re the one who made this terrible coffee.” He paused for a second before handing it back.

“Too much sugar.”

Ye An: “…”

Ye An instantly had the urge to smash the cup on his head.

Too frustrating!

Why did she choose to marry this kind of man?

Wasn’t it good to be single? Wasn’t it good to be sitting pretty by herself? Why did she have to make it hard on herself?

It took a while for Ye An to calm down and suppress her impulses before she was able to take the coffee cup.

Forget it, she wouldn’t lower herself to his level.

“Is that so? I won’t put as much sugar next time.” She adjusted her state of mind and smiled reluctantly while putting the coffee down on the table next to her.

She turned to see that Xie Shuo had stood up and hurried to hold his arm. “Where are you going? I’ll come with you.”

Xie Shuo paused and turned with an indescribable look.

After a while, he uttered one word, “Bathroom.”

Ye An: “…Oh.”

Ye An awkwardly released his arm and watched him leave.

In her field of vision, the man had a tall figure with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and long legs. Excluding his personality, the rest of him was fine.

Her soul was somewhat soothed.

Her husband couldn’t be considered too terrible.

Xie Shuo came out of the bathroom after a while, and Ye An eagerly greeted him again.

Xie Shuo, his expression dull, didn’t push her away and let her cling to him. He waited for the next round of harassment.

After waiting for a few seconds, Ye An looked up and said softly, “Hubby, I have something to tell you…”

Xie Shuo’s tone didn’t fluctuate. “What’s the matter?”

Ye An said, “Our studio is going to have a team building event this evening. We’re all going to go out and have dinner together…”

She deliberately paused and ran her fingers up his arm and across his sleeves in a flirty and cute manner.

Xie Shuo waited for a long time without hearing her continue. Thinking that she was going out and was only notifying him, he acknowledged her plans with a light “En.”

Ye An looked at him and cautiously asked him, “Can you… come with me?”

Xie Shuo’s eyelashes fluttered, and his expression changed. His gaze darkened, and he didn’t answer.

Ye An felt that something was off, so she stepped back. “You don’t want to go? Then… can you come pick me up after I finish eating?”

She wrapped her arms and leaned on his chest while trying to sound pitiful.

“To be honest, I wanted to tell everyone that I’m married, but they didn’t believe me. Then I bragged about you in a moment of impulse and told everyone that you would come to pick me up. If you don’t come, then I’ll lose face. It’ll be too embarrassing.”

Xie Shuo still didn’t speak, and his whole body was emanating in a chilly air.

Ye An grew a bit apprehensive. She tugged at his sleeves and bargained with him, “Just stay outside to pick me up then, you don’t have to get out of the car.”

Xie Shuo suddenly turned his head, and he said in a cynical tone

“Aren’t you afraid of others knowing that you married a blind man?”

With deep eyes and a gloomy expression on his face, his whole body became hostile, just like when she saw him for the first time.

Ye An was taken aback.

He pulled away from her without waiting for her reply and left the room.

Ye An remained stunned for a while before slowly recovering.

He was blind. I don’t even mind; why are you the one reacting?

The surroundings were silent as the wind brushed past. The light-colored curtains undulated like waves behind her.

She looked in the direction that he left. Her fair fingers clenched tightly, and a trace of sorrow flashed through her deep gaze.

    ———

Brilliant Dreams worked quickly. By the afternoon, all the gossip posts on Weibo were deleted. The marketing account that had sent the original post also sent another post apologizing for and clarifying that all previous allegations were false.

Ye An immediately issued a formal statement saying that if a particular person dared to spread false allegations and slander her reputation, they would be investigated per the law.

The tone of the post was unyielding. Although there were still melon eaters disputing the controversy, the general public no longer discussed it. Most of the originally skeptical fans found their fighting spirit and immediately began to attack the haters. They also took the opportunity to complain about the vicious marketing accounts.

Some fans even took the opportunity to praise Ye An: “Goddess, you are truly deserving of the title ‘Flawless voice control and visual queen ’”… The waves of praises overwhelmed and overtook the previous sneers and mocking comments.

Brilliant Dreams Animation’s official blog also took advantage of the recent enthusiasm to publicly promote their anime characters.

Ye An had not bothered to check Weibo for half a month, and there were quite a few new fans.

However, Ye An never publicly disclosed her marriage with Xie Shuo. The Xie family was currently busy during this period and had always kept Xie Shuo’s news confidential. She wouldn’t try to court disaster for them either.

After posting the statement on Weibo, Ye An chose a comment from a familiar fan to reply to.

Soon after, Yuan He called her to let her know that Lu Hong had resigned and would no longer be responsible for any of her project matters.

Ye An thanked him, and Yuan He once again asked if she wanted to investigate who posted the first gossip forum post.

“Are you able to find them?”

Yuan He answered, “It’ll be a little difficult but not impossible.”

Ye An thought for a moment then answered, “Then please do so, thanks for your trouble.”

In reality, she didn’t really want to waste time on these kinds of matters. If she wasn’t careful enough and Xie Baiyan and the others heard of the news, she would lose more than she would gain. This was why she didn’t mention it to Yuan He the other day.

At the same time, in an office in the Brilliant Dreams Culture company building.

Lu Hong, being forced to “resign,” smashed a cup in anger with an ashen expression and red eyes.

When he received the news, he had a good estimate of who it was that caused it. Aside from Ye An, there wasn’t really anyone that would make him resign.

He didn’t expect this woman to have such great capabilities. She could, as she pleased, have him removed from the position that he worked from the bottom up.

Unfortunately, he could only endure it for now. Yuan He’s warning from half an hour ago still echoed through his ears:

“You have only lost your position. I have maintained your decency the best I could. There are just some people that you better not offend. If you don’t want to go down this road, then you better be cautious of your words and actions in the future. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

    ——–

After her call with Yuan He, Ye An put her phone down and looked at the silent Xie Shuo.

After settling on bad terms in the afternoon, he hadn’t said a word to her and maintained his sullen expression.

Ye An massaged her temples in an effort to ease her headache and walked over to his side.

“Are you still upset? I can’t kidnap you even if you don’t want to go; what are you sulking for? ”

Xie Shuo kept his long face and remained quiet.

Ye An felt like her patience in this lifetime had been exhausted by the man in front of her. After waiting for a while and receiving no reply, she didn’t bother with him anymore, going to the closet.

 New in-season clothes were hung in the closet. The styles ranged from everyday casual clothes to more formal dresses.

Since marrying into the family, the Xie family did not mistreat her in the slightest. Even if she never opened the drawers of clothes and jewelry, the housekeeper would still take care of them for her.

Ye An’s gaze scanned the area, and her mood lightened instantly.

There was nothing that a closet full of beautiful clothes couldn’t solve!

A glint appeared in her gaze as she excitedly began to take clothes off of the hangers and try them on.

……

Long skirts, short skirts, formal blouses, and slim trousers were all taken off one after another and into a growing pile.

Xie Shuo sat alone in the room and frowned upon hearing the rustling noises from the closet.

In the end, Ye An had a red dress and white dress, but she hesitated on which one to choose.

The red was eye-catching, and the white was ethereal. Each dress had its own merits.

She held the two items and compared them in front of a mirror. She was unable to make a decision even after struggling for a long time.

She brought the two dresses outside and asked Xie Shuo expectantly, “Do you think the red dress or white dress looks better?”

Xie Shuo ignored her, and his expression became even uglier, as if he was forced to do something unspeakable.

Ye An met his muted gaze and realized her wrongs. She changed the phrasing of her question, “Do you like red or white?”

Xie Shuo still ignored her.

Ye An’s excitement faded. She was just going to leave with the dresses, but she suddenly had an idea

In the next second, she threw both dresses directly into Xie Shuo’s arms.

The soft cloth attacked him, carrying a faint fragrance. Xie Shuo frowned and grabbed the ball of fabric that settled on his leg.

The one he grabbed happened to be the red dress. Before he could toss it away, Ye An quickly snatched the dress from his hand and collected the other one along the way.

“So you like the red one. Let’s go with red then.”

She smiled and walked away content, leaving Xie Shuo sitting in the same place with an expression as dark as ink. 

After returning to the closet, Ye An put on the red dress. The fresh and vibrant color dazzled the eyes, like the rouge of a crab apple piercing through the rain.

The ankle–length dress cinched her waist and emphasized her curves. The thin straps wrapped over her delicate shoulder bones and appeared particularly eye-catching.

After changing, Ye An put her utmost effort into doing her makeup and finished her look with some ruby jewelry.

The whole room seemed to brighten up.

Her beautiful curves were reflected in the clean mirror surface. Ye An held the bottom portion of the skirt and angled her body in a pose. Her long hair was gathered in the front and concealed her collarbones, so they were only faintly discernible. Her shoulder blades were left exposed.

When she walked a step closer, her earrings swayed gently with the movement and reflected light. A face as exquisite as porcelain came into view in the mirror. Her bright eyes and vermillion lips were highlighted in this refined makeup look.

She blinked with long eyelashes and smiled satisfactorily.

    ……

After a few seconds, her self admiration ended.

Ye An held back her grandiose expression and returned to the bedroom to retrieve the wedding ring that had been stored in the drawer of the bedside table after their wedding night. 

She picked up the ring and inspected it before sliding it onto her left ring finger.

After putting on the ring, she raised her hand and looked at it.

Afterward, she grabbed her purse and walked gracefully out of the room.

Xie Shuo had already left the bedroom before she changed and went to the study.

Ye An pushed open the door of the study. A breeze of chilly air nipped at her cheeks, and the shadows flickered in from the window.

The man sat on the sofa with a cold expression and appeared in an extremely bad mood.

Ye An’s dress revealed her long legs. She stopped in front of him and looked down at him.

Light shone in from the floor-length windows and highlighted an unmoving silhouette. He wore a white shirt with an open collar and black trousers today. His temperament was cold yet noble, exuding the feel of a nobleman in the fairy tales.

This man was perfect from every angle and could be taken anywhere; why couldn’t he see that?

Ye An sighed quietly. She originally didn’t want to bother with him, but if she were to leave by herself, he would most likely continue in his insecure emotional upheaval.

An unpredictable Eldest Young Master was the hardest to serve!

Remembering Grandfather Xie and Xie Baiyan’s advice, Ye An kept her patience. “What are you upset about? It’s not like I learned about your eye injuries today; these matters were explained very clearly to me before we got married. Have I looked down at you once in the past two weeks? I don’t care about any of that. Where did you get these ideas from?”

Her voice lowered in the last phrase, as if she were complaining about him normally. A wave of emotion swept across Xie Shuo’s cold face.

Ye An asked again, “I’m giving you another chance. Do you want to come to pick me up?”

Xie Shuo still didn’t speak. His eyelashes lowered, and his expression was unreadable. She couldn’t guess his thoughts.

Ye An recalled how she got him to go outside the first time and decided to repeat that method.

She took a step forward and sat in his lap, leaning into him with her fair and slender arms looped around his neck.

Her once hesitant moves had become fluid and experienced. She had been coaxing him to agree to do this and that many times in the past few days. She was no longer shy like she once was and now even enjoyed teasing him.

The colder he looked, the more she wanted to tease him.

Ye An’s arms circled closer, and she neared him. Her red lips curled as her soft voice spoke, “Are you really not coming?”

Xie Shuo instinctively frowned.

Ye An stared at his lips and moved even closer. Her slender fingers stroked his neck gently and deliberately.

“Say something…”

She thought that he would push her away as mercilessly as usual, but who would have known that he wouldn’t follow the usual script and suddenly embraced her?

Ye An froze.

A layer of fabric separated his large palm from her waist. The temperature rose and seemed to almost burn her skin.

The air stagnated for a moment.

Ye An slowly exhaled, but she was stiff from head to toe.

She inwardly panicked, contrasting her calm outward appearance.

……

She usually relied on the fact that Xie Shuo was entirely disinterested in her to make a move on him–but now… the situation had completely spiraled out of her expectations.

What is he doing? Is there something wrong with his brain?

A cold face’s approach was reflected in her panicked eyes.

Xie Shuo fastened his arm around her waist and moved towards her fragrance as if he were to kiss her.

His lips were slightly pursed and were only a short distance from hers.

She saw his long lashes and the unpredictable depth in his eyes.

His breath fanned across her skin as his large palm slowly moved up the silky fabric. A strange feeling spread across Ye An’s body.

Her heart pounded.

Ye An suddenly came to her senses and jumped up, pushing him away.

With reddened ears and a flustered expression, she said forcefully, “It’s fine if you don’t come! I’ll go by myself!”

After she finished speaking, she turned and fled out of the house.

Xie Shuo’s arms were empty, and the remaining perfume dissipated in the darkness.

His expression didn’t change, but his slender fingers curled and settled on his leg.

The room was silent, and the shadows danced across the windows.

After some amount of time, he suddenly bit his lower lip.

    ……

Author’s Note: Xiao Ye: ??? Where is this plot going? I probably executed the plan wrong.TVT

Xiao Xie doesn’t usually react to her, but that doesn’t mean he won’t get carried away one day…

Previous|Index|Next

The perfect amount of warmth pressed into his palm and dispelled the night’s slight chill. Xie Shuo didn’t reject the cup again, afraid that she would really try to feed him.

Seeing him slowly drinking the milk, Ye An silently thought: Even at his age, he acts like a child that needs to be coaxed.

After he finished drinking, Ye An took the empty cup and put it in the living room.

Fragile objects were not placed in the bedroom. It was because that would be dangerous for Xie Shuo if he were to get up and wander around in the middle of the night.

After returning, Ye An sat beside him and talked about the cooperation that she and Xiang Quan had with Yuan He earlier.

Xie Shuo’s response was as dull as ever. Ye An looked up and questioned him, “Don’t you have any feedback for me?”

“What feedback do you want?” Without moving his gaze, he continued in a flat tone, “Your path to success has already been paved for you. If you still can’t continue down this road, then there’s no point in continuing with your IQ. You might as well just return home and live out your days.”

Ye An: “…”

Why was this man so irritating when he spoke?

Ye An had chest pains from her anger. She clenched her fists and punched the air in front of him several times.

Seeing that he didn’t respond, she was confident in doing whatever she wanted. She pretended to pinch his nose and squeeze his cheeks. All her movements were a good distance away from him and didn’t touch him physically.

The soft lighting inside the room cast nimble shadows that flickered against the lights.

Ye An found enjoyment in her antics and was in high spirits.

Under the light, the man’s expression appeared calm. His deep gaze was framed by long eyelashes that hung longly. She was unable to hold her curiosity in and stretched out a finger to gently touch them.

His indifferent voice suddenly sounded

“What are you doing?”

Ye An’s fingertips trembled and hurriedly shrank back. She sat as upright and as still as possible. “Nothing.”

Xie Shuo frowned, not believing her. Chaos was normal with her around; this sudden peace was unlike her usual character.

Moreover, he was able to smell her body’s fragrance, as subtle as gossamer. There was a faint scent of a rose after the rain that lingered very closely on his nose.

Ye An’s expression held a thread of her guilty conscience. She glanced at his chin, thinking of something. “How’s your wound?”

The wound had already scabbed over and left a tiny scar. Ye An held his chin and wanted to look closer.

Cool fingertips clasped his chin, and Xie Shuo instinctively raised his hand to grab them.

And just happened to grab her wrist.

The slimmest part.

His sudden action hurt Ye An, so she had no choice but to let go, “I’m just looking; why are you so nervous? Could it be that you’re afraid of me taking advantage of you?”

Xie Shuo removed her hand and didn’t comment.

Ye An couldn’t see his expression, but after sensing his annoyance rising, she threw herself on him.

“Hubby, it’s still early. How about… we do something?” While snuggling him, she blew into his ear, her voice soft and suggestive.

Xie Shuo had become accustomed to her trying to seduce him every other day, so his countenance didn’t change in the slightest. “What do you want to do?”

Ye An placed her hand near his neckline and slowly fiddled with the first button of his shirt. She exhaled the words, “What do you think?”

This time, there was a bit of shyness concealed in her tone.

The next second, her arm was removed. Xie Shuo pushed her away as usual and stood up with a cold expression.

Ye An : “…”

How boring!

Ye An silently slandered him and fell into the spot that he had just left. She slid out of her slippers and raised a foot to lightly kick his calf.

She originally thought that Xie Shuo wouldn’t mind it, but he paused and turned his head.

His tall figure cast long shadows; his deep gaze held a heavy, oppressive sense.

Ye An’s relaxed posture stiffened, and her toes curled.

She stared at his face while holding in her breath and slowly withdrawing her feet. She took the pillow next to her and hugged it, trying to pretend as if nothing happened.

He couldn’t see anyway, so as long as she doesn’t admit anything, she would be fine.

Xie Shuo “stared” at her for a moment before speaking, “Help me get my pajamas.”

After he finished speaking, he turned to walk towards the bathroom.

    “……”

It was too easy for him to order her around!

Ye An thumped the pillow and sat up angrily. She put on her slippers and went to the closet to collect his clothes.

    —–

The next day, Ye An got up somewhat earlier.

After breakfast, she turned on her phone and swiped through Weibo out of habit. To her surprise, the Weibo post that she had forwarded last night had been flooded by comments.

[You have talent and visuals, I really can’t understand why you would choose this route[bye bye]]

[I’ve eaten melons all the way home, emmm don’t quite know how to feel…]

[Calm down everyone. That forum post didn’t even have solid proof; it was obviously meant to blacken her name.]

[If it’s not true, why wasn’t it clarified after the first night? She definitely has a guilty conscience!]

[Jiejie, please come out and clarify! I’ll believe anything you say!]

Not only were the comments hateful, but the private messages were too. There were all kinds of hate comments, and all of them had accumulated over time.

Ye An was a little rattled, but before she could make sense of the situation, 

“An An, have you checked Weibo?”

“I just looked. People are hating on me, but I haven’t figured out what’s going on.”

Shi Shuangshuang said, “Isn’t it still about the rumors between you and Lu Hong? A marketing account accepted some person’s money and reposted the forum post to Weibo. It also happens to be right in time for the anime’s promotions, and because you’re the lead voice actress, it blew up.”

Aside from Weibo, there were even small gossip blogs that posted about her. A voice actress that usually stayed behind the scenes managed to occupy all of the entertainment news headlines; this sort of situation really was funny.

“What’s your plan for now? Since it didn’t make it out of the dubbing circle before, you could just wait it out, but now the news is just getting bigger and bigger. If you get on the trending search…”

Ye An frowned. She really needed to find a solution and not delay any longer.

Even though Xie Shuo didn’t care about this sort of news and couldn’t see it, there was still Xie Baiyan and Xie Yuran. If it reached their ears, then it would really become a scandal.

“Would you like to ask Brilliant Dreams to find a publicist and help you clarify and delete some posts? Or have your rich and handsome husband solve it for you? Your husband can do it, right?” Shi Shuangshuang suddenly smacked her head on the other side of the phone. “I’m dumb! This matter can’t be solved by your husband; if that happens, you’ll be done for! Pretend that I didn’t bring that option up!”

Ye An said, “It’s alright, I can figure it out by myself. I’ll make a call first and talk to you later.”

Shi Shuangshuang: “En, go ahead. Call me if you need help; I’ll help you type your article for free.”

After talking to Shi Shuangshuang, Ye An called Xiang Quan.

Xiang Quan evidently knew what was going on on Weibo.  Before she was able to ask, he asked, “Did you see the news on Weibo? Brilliant Dreams contacted me early this morning and said that you don’t need to worry about it; they’ll find a solution.”

Well, they were quite efficient. 

But there were some things that were most appropriate to handle in person.

Ye An pondered for a moment before suddenly asking, “Is our studio going to have a company dinner soon?”

Xiang Quan didn’t understand why she suddenly mentioned the dinner party, “That’s the plan. What’s up?”

The bright sunlight shone diagonally onto the balcony. Ye An leaned against the rails and turned to fix her gaze on the man with an unsurpassed temperament inside the house. “Can you move it up to this evening?”

Xiang Quan became even more confused. “Why?”

Ye An said casually, “It’s nothing; I just have a surprise for everyone.”

Xiang Quan:…I’m afraid that might as well be a horror for everyone.

“The dinner should be the same whether it is held earlier or later, right? So it shouldn’t matter if you change the date. Didn’t you say that you wanted to give me some merit before? Just take this as my request.”

Xiang Quan hesitated for a bit before finally agreeing, “Alright, I’ll go schedule it.”

Ye An hung up the phone satisfactorily.

She put away her phone and looked at the figure inside the house. The corners of her lips lifted, and she walked over with a sway in her hips.

Previous|Index|Next

After she arrived at the restaurant, Xiang Quan and Yuan He had also just arrived. Yuan He had brought along a female secretary.

The private room was elegant in design. The floor-to-ceiling screens were adorned with landscape paintings, and a coffee table and futon were placed on the other side of the screen.

Yuan He was in his forties, but he was rather pleasing to the eye. There was no dirty guise in his speech.

After greeting them, he went straight to the matter of cooperation with full dedication.

Xiang Quan originally thought that Yuan He would be like Lu Hong and have suspicious intentions towards Ye An. So he couldn’t help but be confused upon seeing such a serious discussion.

 Was what Ye An said really true? The reason that Brilliant Dreams agreed to cooperate and even gave her the lead role was because of her own abilities?

“Aside from the anime, we also have a film and television department. Headquarters has also invested in film and television projects, so there is quite a bit of demand for voice acting. If we cooperate long-term, then we will provide your studio with a plethora of resources.”

Yuan He’s conditions were generous enough that even Xiang Quan felt that it was too good to be true and wondered if they were being poached.

He looked at Yuan He but found that the other party only looked at Ye An. The man was cautious in his words–as if he was trying to please her.

After business was pretty much settled, the tea was taken away, and they began to eat.

At the dinner table, Yuan He didn’t urge them to drink that much. He only clinked glasses with Xiang Quan once in goodwill and wished them a pleasant cooperation.

When the meal was about to end, Xiang Quan went to the bathroom.

Seeing him leave, Ye An took the initiative to pour half a glass of wine and held it towards Yuan He. “Many thanks to Mr. Yuan for taking care of recent matters.”

“Miss Ye is too polite; this is what I should’ve done,” Yuan He hurriedly replied.

He put the cup down and joked, “Mr. Xie specifically had someone come over to say hello. Even if I had the courage to do so, there would be no way that I would dare neglect Miss Ye.”

Ye An also smiled.

She deliberated for a bit before speaking, “I have a request that may trouble Mr. Yuan. If there is any cooperation in the future, I hope that you will avoid using your current representative, Lu Hong.”

Hearing this, Yuan He was a little puzzled, but he quickly realized that it might have been Lu Hong that had offended her in the past. He agreed, “Alright.”

Ye An smiled. “ I’ve troubled you, President Yuan.”

The wine in the glass swirled, fanning its glossy pattern. It contrasted her countenance, making her gaze look vivid and lively.

Zhong Fu never told Yuan He about her identity. Yuan He looked at her and debated on whether to ask her directly, but he was afraid of crossing the line and offending her.

Seeing him staring at her, Ye An couldn’t help but ask, “Does President Yuan have something to say?”

Yuan He hesitated for a moment but didn’t ask in the end. He changed the topic to talk about something else.

After dinner, Yuan He left first with his assistant. Ye An and Xiang Quan stayed behind for a bit.

“I drank alcohol, so I can’t drive. I’ll have a car send you back.” After going outside, Xiang Quan prepared to hail a car like usual.

Ye An said, “No need, my family’s driver came to pick me up.”

Your family’s driver?

Xiang Quan followed her gaze and saw a Maybach parked not far away. Its features were elegant and high-contrast. From front to back, the three words “I am expensive” were practically inlaid in gold and displayed on the car. He was almost blinded by his own poverty.

Xiang Quan: ???

“You…” Xiang Quan was slow to accept it, and the rumors that were circulating in the industry had even flashed in his mind.

Ye An met his skeptical gaze and explained lightly, “Didn’t I tell you that I got rich overnight and that I’m now not short of money?”

Xiang Quan: “…”

I thought you were just lying to slack off at work!

Ye An was amused by his reaction, but she said more seriously, “By the way, when you left earlier, President Yuan talked to me about the future development and plans for the studio…”

When it came to business, Xiang Quan also became more serious. “What’d he say?”

Ye An said, “President Ye said that our studio isn’t operating on a large enough scale, and that our internal structure isn’t well organized. We could also expand into related business industries.”

Xiang Quan listened attentively without exposing his thoughts. 

“I feel like President Yuan has a point. In the past few years, the domestic voice acting industry has developed to the point where it is no longer behind the scenes. However, the market is still chaotic and unorganized. If we can seize this opportunity and use it to our advantage. Maybe the studio will have some future prospects.”

Ye An spoke for a long time without hearing any response from him. She stopped and asked, “What do you think?”

Xiang Quan put his hand in his pocket, looked at her, and smiled. “That should be me asking you. What do you think?”

The two have known each other for a long time. Sometimes they were even more like friends than coworkers, and they often joked around in private.

Ye An didn’t refute and smiled. “I think that I could help fund your cooperation with Brilliant Dreams. You can just pay a percentage of the dividends every year, and the studio will continue to be under your name. I won’t interfere with anything. What do you think?”

Xiang Quan understood her intentions. He thought for a moment before nodding. “Alright, I’ll go back and think about it.”

Ye An added, “Also, I want to terminate my contract.”

Xiang Quan glanced at her. “That last sentence was the important part, wasn’t it?”

Xiang Quan had expected this from when she said she got rich overnight, so he wasn’t surprised.

Ye An couldn’t help but smile.

A bright smile appeared before him. Her lips were bright red, and her eyes were radiant, like a spring full moon.

Xiang Quan looked at her and remembered something. He suddenly asked, “If I remember correctly, you… seem to have acted in the past. Why did you later quit and willingly go behind the scenes and dub instead?”

Ye An was startled.

The smile on her face instantly faded, and her eyes narrowed. “Where did you hear about this?”

Seeing her reaction, Xiang Quan was a bit confused. “I saw some news in the past. Did I remember it wrong?”

Ye An didn’t admit or deny it. Her eyes held some complex emotion, and she was silent for a few seconds before sneering, “How is the entertainment industry easy to break into? Do you really take me as a superstar?”

Hearing the hidden meaning in her words, he wondered about the story behind it. Xiang Quan wanted to continue asking about it, but she interrupted by saying, “It’s all over now. Why are you asking so much? If you keep up with this, then I’ll start asking about your exes.”

Surely enough, his ex-girlfriends were Xiang Quan’s weak spot. After she mentioned it, Xiang Quan’s face darkened at a speed invisible to the naked eye. 

“Okay, it’s getting late. Hurry home now.”

After so long, he was still unable to get over it.

Ye An couldn’t help but smile as she waved and turned towards the car’s parking spot.

The night scene was flourishing, and as the car merged into the main lane, the lights flashed past the car windows.

Ye An took out her phone. Xiang Quan suddenly sent her another text to remind her to pay attention to the promotions on Weibo.

Ye An opened Weibo and found that her most recent post was from last month. All her comments and private messages asked when she was releasing a new project.

It was time to have another project. If she stayed in hiding, then all her fans would leave. 

She opened the blog for Brilliant Dreams Animation and reposted the latest promotional post for “Pharmacist.”

Soon, the comments flooded in:

[My goddess finally released a new project!!]

[AHHHHHHH this role, this voice! I’m so excited!!!]

[awsl! I’m about to explode!!!]*

*aswl- chinese slang for “啊我死了” (ah I’m dead) to describe one’s excitement.

[When can jie jie send a selfie! Begging for a collection of nine for my heart’s desire!]

[I can’t tell whether I’m a fan of the voice or the face…]

    ……

Ye An chose two random comments to reply to before leaving the crowd of comments.

    —-

She arrived back home at nine, not too late.

Aunt Zhou hadn’t gone to rest yet. Seeing Ye An come back, Aunt Zhou expressed her worry, “Eldest Young Master hasn’t had much of an appetite at night and doesn’t eat much.”

Ye An frowned. She went to the kitchen to warm a cup of milk before going upstairs.

She opened the bedroom door to face the darkness inside. Xie Shuo couldn’t see, so there was no point in him turning on the light.

Ye An flipped the switch, and the sudden light penetrated her eyesight. She squinted to see Xie Shuo standing in front of one of the French windows. His slender and statue-like figure stood alone.

    ……

…This time didn’t count as him sitting, so there had been some progress.

“What’s wrong?” Ye An walked towards him with the glass of milk in hand and spoke in a gentle voice, “Weren’t you just fine earlier today? How come you’re upset now?”

Xie Shuo ignored her and continued to stand silently.

“Aunt Zhou said that you didn’t eat much tonight; do you have an upset stomach? I heated a glass of milk for you. Hurry and drink it while it’s still warm so you won’t be uncomfortable when you’re trying to sleep tonight.”

Seeing that he didn’t react, Ye An moved his hand to wrap around the cup.

Xie Shuo coldly withdrew his hand before turning around and fumbling to sit down on the sofa.

…Never mind, he sat down again.

Ye An helplessly sat down. “Do I have to feed you for you to drink it? ”

She took his hand again and forcefully pushed the cup into his hand.

“If you don’t drink it, then I’ll really feed it to you!”

Previous|Index|Next

Xie Shuo pushed the door open and seemed to be unsure if Ye An was awake. He stood at the doorway for a while before slowly walking in.

Ye An notified him loudly, “I’m already awake; I’m on the balcony.”

Xie Shuo stopped and “looked” in the direction her voice came from. He frowned slightly. “You’re still not coming down for breakfast?”

???Did he purposely come to ask her to eat breakfast?

Ye An was somewhat flattered. She hurriedly grabbed her phone and walked back inside. “Let’s go then.”

As she walked, she replied to Shi Shuangshuang’s text: [I’ll think about it and let you know later.]

“Have you eaten yet?” Only after exiting the room did Ye An ask this question.

Xie Shuo gave a nonchalant “En.”

The day he would wait to have breakfast with me would be the day of a miracle, Ye An thought to herself.

It was already half-past ten and almost time for lunch. Ye An only drank half a bowl of porridge and didn’t eat anymore.

After eating breakfast, she searched her name on the internet again and wondered what to do.

It was difficult for others to find out about her contact with Lu Hong, so it must have spread from someone in the studio or Lu Hong himself.

It was hard to determine who spread the rumors. Now that the Internet was well developed and could transmit information quickly, all the keyboard warriors loved to hide behind their screens and gossip.

All the melon eaters didn’t care about whether the rumors were true or not; they only wanted to see the drama. If she were to really send a post out at this point, it probably wouldn’t be very effective. She would have to reveal details about her private life and could very well be ridiculed.

Fortunately, the news had only been on this small internet forum and hadn’t been spread to Weibo yet. Otherwise, the results would be even worse.

Ye An massaged her temples, feeling anxious. Suddenly, her phone rang.

It was Xiang Quan calling.

“I made an appointment with President Yuan. Is today at 5:30 alright for you?”

Ye An: “So soon?”

Xiang Quan replied, “If you think it’s too soon, then I’ll go tell them.”

Ye An thought about it before saying, “It’s fine; I’ll go tonight.”

“Okay.”

As Xiang Quan was about to hang up, Ye An suddenly asked, “Oh right, didn’t you say that Lu Hong originally wanted to give the anime to someone else? Do you know who they are?”

Xiang Quan recalled the name and replied, “It seems to be Song Ying.”

Song Ying, a new voice actress in the industry. She had a sweet voice, and Ye An had also heard her name.

Had she been conned by Lu Hong? Could it be possible that she harbored resentment against Ye An and sent that post because of it? 

“Why are you suddenly asking about this?”

“Nothing.”

Before things were clear, any suspicions were valid. Ye An suppressed the doubt in her heart as she hung up the phone and went back upstairs.

Xie Shuo was alone in the studio. He wore a black shirt that fit his proportions nicely. He looked thinner than usual and seemed to have a colder temperament today.

Ye An knocked on the door, entered, and sat down next to him.

“My throat hurts today, so I’m not going to read to you.”

Xie Shuo had no expression, as if he didn’t care at all.

Ye An hesitated but didn’t tell him about the person spreading rumors about her online. 

With his temper, he would probably only be annoyed if she told him. She had to find a way to resolve things by herself.

“Sitting here like this is also boring. How about we go outside and take a walk?”

She extended her pinky and hooked it with his.

Xie Shuo raised his gaze with a mild expression, seemingly already used to her petty actions. 

Ye An glanced out the window and planned on acting cute, but she suddenly saw a small wound on his chin with dried blood around the perimeter.

“What happened to your chin?”

Xie Shuo didn’t respond.

Ye An leaned forward to touch it. “The skin’s broken; how’d that happen?”

As her fingertips touched the wound, he felt a twinge of pain. Her warm breath neared him, and Xie Shuo frowned before turning his face away.

Ye An continued to approach the wound to inspect it until she almost fell into his arms. “Did you shave this morning?”

“I’ll get a band-aid for you,” she said, getting up from the sofa.

Xie Shuo instinctively refused, “No need.”

Ye An’s expression immediately turned grave. “No, you need it! What if the wound gets infected and scars? You’re my husband. I don’t care about much, but your face must look nice!”

Xie Shuo: “…”

After Ye An finished speaking, she hurriedly shuffled into her slippers and out of the room.

Not long later, she came bustling back with cotton swabs, iodine, and band-aids and kneeled beside Xie Shuo.

Xie Shuo raised his hands to block her movements, but she brushed him away mercilessly. “Don’t move!”

Slender fingers clasped his chin. Xie Shuo frowned, unable to break free. In the end, he gave up, allowing her to do what she wanted.

Ye An smeared the iodine on his chin while earnestly nagging him, “Why don’t you ask for help if it’s inconveniencing you? Don’t do this in the future; fortunately, the wound isn’t deep…” After a pause, she said excitedly, “Hey, how about I help you shave in the future?”

She seemed to place great interest in the mundane things like combing his hair and shaving. She got excited every time she talked about it.

“You know how?” Xie Shuo uttered indifferently.

Ye An choked. “…I can learn even if I don’t! Learning this shouldn’t be too difficult, right?”

Xie Shuo didn’t comment.

After using iodine to disinfect the area, Ye An pasted a band-aid on the wound.

The band-aid looked comical on such a stern face.

Ye An couldn’t restrain her smile as she left the room with the iodine and returned it to the medicine cabinet. 

As soon as she left, Xie Shuo woodenly tore off the band-aid.

Ye An returned to see his bare chin and was immediately angry. “Why did you take it off?”

Xie Shuo ignored her with an aloof expression that seemed to say: How can band-aids be worthy of my beautiful face?

Ye An angrily said, “I’ll get another one for you. If you tear that one off, then I’ll put another one on! Let’s see who wins this one!”

Afraid that she would pester him endlessly with the band-aid threats, Xie Shuo suddenly stood up. “You don’t want to go out?”

Ye An: “?”

Xie Shuo walked towards the door. Ye An was taken aback for a moment before realizing that he had agreed to go on a walk.

He actually compromised over a band-aid?

Her laborious coquettish seduction worked no better than a band-aid?

Ye An had mixed feelings. She glanced at the wound on his chin before walking out of the room.

Whatever, it’s been sterilized anyway. Not putting on a band-aid should be fine.

    —

In the afternoon, Ye An had struggled internally for a long time before she finally sent a message to Shi Shuangshuang. She asked her to send a message to the forum to help clarify that she was married.

Shi Shuangshuang had been waiting eagerly for her reply, so she immediately logged in to argue with the haters and give everyone a good beating.

Sure enough, it didn’t help much. Those who questioned continued to question, and those who gossiped continued to gossip. However, there was finally a voice who defended her. 

Ye An clutched her phone and rubbed her temples to soothe her headache. She really needed to find a solution, it was really difficult. She might as well have the PR team in Brilliant Dreams deal with it.

A little past four, Ye An changed clothes and put on makeup, preparing to see Yuan He.

“Yuan He knows you, right? Do you really not want to go with me?” She asked while putting lipstick on and facing the mirror.

Xie Shuo’s eyes closed, and his fingers were crossed. He appeared uninterested.

“Well then, have a good meal at home, and I’ll try to return home early,” Ye An said in a motherly tone before picking up her bag and leaving gracefully.

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After showering, Ye An used her arm to gently ease herself into bed. As she was about to turn off the light, a voice sounded from beside her.  

“What time is it?”

Ye An looked over; Xie Shuo had woken up at some point.

“One.”

Ye An noted the annoyance in his tone and asked, “Did I disturb you?”

She already was very careful with her actions, but the Eldest Young Master Xie’s sleeping quality was terrible. There was one night where he woke up several times, and any sound would disturb him.

“Sorry, I’ll be quieter next time.” Ye An yawned as her eyelids drooped.

Xie Shuo seldomly got angry, so he only continued to question her, “Are you going to return this late every day?”

Ye An resisted the drowsiness and answered, “After entering the recording studio, it’ll pretty much be the same. Sometimes it’ll end earlier. The schedule was just tight this time.” After a pause, she continued, “Actually, the time I get off work isn’t bad. It’s just that the recording studio is really far from home, and there was some traffic.”

Xie Shuo asked, “Where’s the recording studio?”

Ye An didn’t know why he asked this question but told him the approximate location.

Xie Shuo was silent for a moment before saying, “There’s an apartment nearby under my name. Call Zhong Fu tomorrow and have him take you to see it. In the future, go live there if it gets late.”

Ye An was so surprised by this domineering statement that she was startled fully awake. The most important part was that he couldn’t have stated this in a flatter tone, and his manner of speaking could have been about the weather. His ostentatious action was first-rate.

Ye An’s heart jumped, and she hesitated before giving up the idea. “No, that’s fine. Grandpa and Father wanted me to stay at home and accompany you. If they were to know that I didn’t return home at night, they would disapprove. ”

She suddenly had an idea and took advantage of his offer to make a request, “If you go outside to take a walk by yourself every day for two hours, then I’ll agree.”

Xie Shuo’s expression hardened.

She was the best at taking a mile after being given an inch. Give her one color of some dye, and she could open a clothing mill. Give her a feather, and she’d fly directly in the sky. 

“Whatever.”

Xie Shuo coldly spat and closed his eyes once again. 

Ye An, “…”

How could someone act so self-righteous?

    —

In the end, Ye An didn’t choose to live at the apartment near the recording studio and instead continued to leave early and return late every day.

In the first few days, Lu Hong still came from time to time to find faults. After seeing Ye An’s cold behavior, he curbed his behavior since he was afraid of the consequences.

Overall, everything went well.

In the afternoon of the ninth day, Xiang Quan announced the early completion of the project. Everyone let out a sigh of relief and cheered.

On the last day, Shi Shuangshuang also gave a guest appearance.

On the way out of the recording studio after work, she pulled Ye An aside and asked, “An An, have you heard the rumors?”

Ye An: “What rumors?”

She had been busy to the point where she didn’t even have time for meals these past few days. How would she have the time to keep up with gossip?

Shi Shuangshuang looked at her and was about to say something, but Xiang Quan’s voice suddenly sounded.

“An An, stay behind for a minute. I have some matters to discuss with you.”

Shi Shuangshuang turned to see Xiang Quan. She smiled at him and turned back to wave at Ye An. “Then I’ll be going now. I’ll see you next time when we record.”

There were few people in the recording studio. Xiang Quang walked over to Ye An’s side before speaking, “Do you know Yuan He, the CEO of Brilliant Dreams?”

How come it was this question again?

Ye An had an indescribable feeling. “No, why?”

Hearing this answer, Xiang Quan’s suspicious gaze intensified. “Yuan He wanted me to ask you out to a meal when you’re free to discuss the matter of long-term collaboration .”

Ye An had guessed as much. Yuan He had found out the relationship between her and Xie Shuo through Zhong Fu, so only now did he want to have a meal with her to discuss collaborating.

……

The market was currently very competitive. If they could really collaborate with Brilliant Dreams long term, then it would be a good opportunity for their studio.

“You don’t want to go?” Seeing her hesitation, Xiang Quan thought that it was the same situation as with Lu Hong.

Ye An smiled. “No, just schedule a time for me.”

A hint of surprise flashed through Xiang Quan’s eyes, but it was her choice. He nodded and replied, “Okay.”

“If there’s nothing else to discuss, then I’ll be leaving.”

Ye An picked up her bag and prepared to leave. Suddenly, she paused. “Oh right, I want to take a long vacation leave. Don’t give me any more projects for the time being.”

“…” After hearing this, Xiang Quan lost his calm composure. “How long is this vacation leave going to last? After so long, what matters do you still have to take care of? Remember how diligent and hardworking you were before? Look at you now… do you not want to work anymore?”

Seeing him angered, Ye An wanted to laugh. “If I take on less work, can’t you just pay me less? After all, I am not the only one at the studio. Others need work opportunities  as well; otherwise, they would all hate me.”

“They…”

They all aren’t as capable as you… Halfway through the sentence, Xiang Quan swallowed his words and didn’t finish speaking.

He suddenly thought of something and looked at her suspiciously. “Ye An, be honest. Have you come across any troubles?”

“Are you sick?” he guessed. 

Ye An, “…No.”

Xiang Quan was still suspicious. “We’ve known each other for so long. If you have come across any troubles, there’s no harm in telling me.”

Ye An knew that he had conjured a melodramatic cliche in which she was “sick but was desperate to conceal it”. She was speechless.

In the end, she said, “There’s really nothing wrong with me. I just suddenly happened upon a lot of money, so I want to treat myself and allow life to take its course.”

Xiang Quan: ???

The words “Are you kidding me?” floated above Xiang Quan’s head.

Ye An finished speaking and gave a light reminder, “Be careful, overthinking doesn’t do much good for your hairline.”

Xiang Quan: “…”

    —

After several days of overtime, Ye An returned home exhausted. She slumped down on the sofa, too tired to even move a finger. 

Xie Shuo was in the house and seemed to be in a worse mood than before.

Ye An didn’t expect him to take on the responsibilities of a dutiful husband. She said hoarsely, “I finally finished with work and won’t have to go to the recording studio tomorrow. If the weather’s nice tomorrow, I’ll go on a walk with you.”

Xie Shuo remained silent and didn’t speak.

Ye An couldn’t resist opening her eyes. “Hey, I’m still your wife. I’m exhausted. Can’t you show some sympathy?”

Xie Shuo had no expression on his face. “Speaking less and resting your throat will be more useful than anything I say.”

   “……”

Ye An’s heart immediately felt blocked, and she almost puked blood.

What a cold-hearted cruel man!

She angrily flipped over, closed her eyes, and slept directly on the sofa.

Her breathing gradually evened out in the darkness. Xie Shuo listened quietly for a while before turning to leave the room.

As soon as he left, Aunt Zhou’s voice sounded, “Eldest Young Master.”

Xie Shuo stopped. “What is it?”

Aunt Zhou said, “Madam is back; I’ll ask her what she would like to eat tonight.”

Xie Shuo: “She’s asleep.”

After taking half a step, he turned around and said faintly, “Bring her some soup to rest her throat.”

    —

It was unclear whether or not she was busy with other matters, but Shi Shuangshuang didn’t message  Ye An that night.

Ye An was physically and mentally exhausted, so she didn’t take the initiative to contact Shi Shuangshuang. After showering, she went to bed early.

She slept until ten in the morning the next day.

As she woke up and completed her morning routine, she received a text from Shi Shuangshuang.

Shi Shuangshuang: [An An, are you up?]

Shi Shuangshuang: [Last night, I was busy reading novels and forgot to contact you.]

Ye An took out the hairpin of her hair and walked to the balcony while holding her phone. She pressed the audio button with her slender fingertips.

Ye An: “I just woke up; what were you trying to say yesterday?”

Shi Shuangshuang quickly replied with an audio message, “It’s about you. You probably don’t know this, but many people in the dubbing circles have been gossiping about you for the past few days.”

Ye An had a suspicious premonition. “What kind of gossip?”

Shi Shuangshuang: “It’s about you and Lu Hong… they say that you entered an unspeakable relationship with him and are being kept as a mistress.”

Ye An: “…”

“People have even said that they have seen you enter Lu Hong’s car at night… Wait, I’ll send the link to you.”

Ye An clicked on the link to see a popular post on a gossip forum. 

The content was similar to what Shi Shuangshuang had just summarized. It said that she had obtained various opportunities through being an old man’s mistress.

A picture of her at the Voice Actors’ Excellence event was attached below. She wore a red and black hanfu, but the image was grainy.

These kinds of topics were always able to arouse heated debate, regardless of their origins or consequences.

1st commenter: [Eating melon in the front row!*]

吃瓜- eating melon is an internet catchphrase for when people have nothing better to do other than line up to express their opinions on a particular topic in some corner of the internet.

2nd comment: [Is this real? At the Excellence event, I even admired and respected her as a goddess. I’m unable to eat this melon.]

3rd comment: [@2nd comment, it’s completely true! I have a friend that said he personally saw your goddess get in an old man’s car in the middle of the night…]

4th comment: [@3 commenter, you probably have no friends.]

5th comment: [She’s really pretty. There’s nothing wrong with making a living while relying on your appearances, right?]

6th comment: [What’s wrong with the three comments above this? What if the other party has a wife?]

7th comment: [Aside from her visuals, I really like this sister’s voice. She’s my favorite character in animes. Wuwuwu, why would she do this?]

    ……

Although the dubbing circle could not be compared to the entertainment circle, it was still an active community. There was no shortage of drama. Ye An had attended the Voice Actors’ Excellence event in the past and gained a decent fanbase with her appearance and voice. She had quite a bit of fame in the circle, so when these rumors spread, all the snakes took advantage of the opportunity.

Shi Shuangshuang continued to text her: [An An, the comments are getting more and more outlandish. Do you want to clarify anything?]

Clarify? How? Snap back and tell everyone that she was already married?

Ye An exited the forum post and returned to the chatbox to type her response. Suddenly, there was a noise sounding from behind her. 

She turned to see that Xie Shuo had pushed the door open. He stood at the doorway like a statue, with a dark gaze.

Author’s note: Xiao Xie has a sharp tongue and arrogant personality but would not hurt his wifey in the slightest. He has already started to chase his wife, no assistance needed.(*￣︶￣)

Thanks for everyone’s support, I’ll continue to work hard!

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