“He never tried to find you in private?” Xiang Quan suddenly asked.

Ye An was silent for a moment before saying, “He did.”

He had sent an ambiguous text asking her out for a meal late at night. She was busy with the marriage, so she refused him directly. 

“But I ignored him.”

“……”

Xiang Quan had pretty much predicted this much. He pinched his eyebrows, saying, “Forget it. Shuangshuang’s new script is pretty much done. When I go back, I’ll ask her to give it to you, and you can go prepare.”

Ye An reminded him, “I requested a leave of absence.”

Ye Yuan Nian had wanted her to resign ever since the wedding had been set, but she never agreed. Due to his continuous nagging, she requested a leave of absence.

Xiang Quan’s heart choked up, almost failing. “Eldest Miss, you haven’t accepted a project for a month. Can’t you have a little heart? Do you still want your salary? Do you still want to get popular?”

Ye An silently thought to herself: I already have a monthly allowance of 500,000rmb; I don’t need a salary. 

However, she didn’t say it out loud in fear of Xiang Quan passing away from anger.

One must live with kindness.

Xiang Quan was extremely exhausted, but who let Ye An be the studio’s trademark artist? When the contract was first signed, the two had an agreement. He could not be too harsh and coaxed her, saying, “This script was initially intended for Yi Miao, but she’s been sick recently. Her voice is hoarse, and she can’t act. You should substitute for her when the time comes. The script is  a really easy radio drama that was adapted from a short story. It shouldn’t be too much work for you.

Through the phone, Ye An could sense his anxiety. Withholding her smile, she said, “Okay.”

After hanging up, Ye An turned to see Xie Shuo, the tsundere who had just refused to drink the tea, taking a sip from the teacup on the  table.

“I…”

I drank from that cup. 

Ye An’s mouth opened, but seeing that he had already swallowed, the reminder stuck in her throat.

    —-

For the three days after the wedding, Ye An stayed  at home to accompany Xie Shuo.

Ye An personally wasn’t affected. In the past, when she wasn’t at the studio recording, she stayed at home. Conversely, it was the blind Xie Shuo who had very few entertaining qualities, which made it more boring. 

She heard from Xie Baiyan that after returning home, Xie Shuo had pretty much stopped going outside and stayed in his room every day. Ye An couldn’t help but worry. If it continued like this, then he would develop some kind of sickness sooner or later. 

Even if they were nominal husband and wife, they were still in a relationship. Ye An thought for a bit before deciding to persuade him to take a walk in the garden.

Unsurprisingly, she was mercilessly rejected by Xie Shuo as soon as she opened her mouth.

“Staying in your room all day, doesn’t it get stuffy?”

Xie Shuo’s eyelids drooped as he ignored her. 

Ye An continued on, “It’s just to the garden. We don’t have to go anywhere else.”

Xie Shuo still had no reaction.

Ye An looked at him and thought for a bit. Suddenly getting an idea, she hugged his arm and softly called into his ear, “Hubby…”

As soon as the word “Hubby” was uttered, even Ye An herself got goosebumps.

She needed a break! ASAP!

But she couldn’t give up now.

“How about you come with me?”

Xie Shuo’s sculpture-like composure finally cracked. He extracted his arm with disdain. Frowning, he replied, “Go by yourself.”

Ye An quickly responded, “That can’t happen; I’ve already told Grandpa and them that I would accompany you. If they knew that I abandoned you to go out by myself, they would surely blame me.”

Xie Shuo turned to face her with dark eyes. He suddenly asked, “You signed a contract?”

Ye An, “…”

Was he serious?

Ye An couldn’t breathe and was angered to the point of almost exploding.

If he wouldn’t  go, that was his business; she wouldn’t ask him anymore!

As soon as she stood up, the phone on the coffee table vibrated. Shi Shuangshuang had suddenly called her. 

After connecting the call,  maniacal screeching emitted through the speaker, almost causing her eardrums to burst

“An An! I’ve finally finished the manuscript! Finally!”

Ye An lifted the phone farther from her ear. “Congratulations.”

“Are you free right now? Let’s go have a meal! I’ve eaten takeout for the past week already!”

“Go by yourself; I have to stay home–”

Ye An was about to say “and keep my husband company,” but she paused.

Shi Shuangshuang: “Stay at home to do what?”

Ye An turned and glared at the figure sitting on the sofa. She turned back to say, “Nothing. ”

“Let me find it and send the address to you.”

After a few minutes, Shi Shuangshunag sent the location over.

Ye An put her phone away and looked at Xie Shuo. Recalling the ridiculing phrase he said earlier, her anger came forth again. She grabbed a pillow from the sofa and threw it at him, “Stay here by yourself then!”

This was the first time in Xie Shuo’s life that he had ever been hit by a pillow. His reaction was a bit slow, and he knitted his brows.

After Ye And finished speaking, she returned to the bedroom to change into a skirt and carried a new custom-made purse. She descended the stairs with a cold and noble manner.

If he didn’t want to go, that’s fine! At least there would be no dead weight!

Xie Baiyan hadn’t been home in the past few days. Ye An ran into Aunt Zhou in the garden. She hesitated for a bit before greeting her, “Aunt Zhou, I have something to do and won’t be back for dinner. If there’s anything that happens at home, you can call me.”

Aunt Zhou replied, “Alright.”

    —

This spring evening, the rose-tinted clouds on the horizon resembled brocade, and the splendid colors spilled across the sky. Even the winds added a languid beauty. Ye An looked down the road, but she unwittingly began to feel frustrated.

With such nice weather, it’d be much better to come outside to feel the winds and smell the flowers than to stay in the bedroom.

If the eyes couldn’t see, one could still listen and feel.

Was he going to stay inside for the rest of his life?

    —-

When Ye An reached the restaurant that they had agreed upon, Shi Shuangshuang had already obtained a reservation. She sat in a booth near the entrance and had ordered two dishes.

“I was about to go crazy from hunger, so I went ahead and ordered two dishes. You can order whatever else you want to eat.”

Ye An saw her haggard ghost-like appearance and couldn’t help but laugh. “How many meals have you skipped?”

“Today, I ate two pieces of bread…” Shi Shuangshuang lifted her head in an aggrieved manner. “I’ll never be a typing slave in the next life! It isn’t a life worth living!”

Ye An chuckled cheerfully.

“Oh right, you’re really married?” The dishes arrived, and Shi Shuang ate as she asked.

Ye An sipped her soup and agreed, “En.”

Shi Shuangshuang clicked her tongue and shook her head. “You’ve been keeping silent on such a big matter, getting married but not even letting anyone know.”

It was inconvenient for her to explain, so Ye An just smiled. She replied in an appeasing tone, “Don’t be mad anymore. I’ll treat you to this meal; take it as me apologizing for the marriage situation.”

“That’s better.” Shi Shuangshuang’s heart eased up a bit. She immediately began to gossip again, “How’s the newlywed life?”

The memory of hitting Xie Shuo with a pillow flashed through Ye An’s mind. Her smiling expression froze before she began to act shy. She fiddled with her hair and answered bashfully, “It has been pretty good, but… my husband’s a bit clingy and wants me to spend every second with him. As a matter of fact, when I said I was coming to meet you for a meal, he refused. I had to coax him for a long time before he agreed.”

Shi Shuangshuang had just picked up a piece of crispy short rib, but it instantly lost any flavor. She only tasted dog food.

Why did she invite her out?

“Stop! The conversation stops here; just act as if I never asked.”

Ye An smiled.

After eating for a good bit, Shi Shuangshuang took out a script from her bag and gave it to her. “Boss said to change the leading character in this script to you. This is the character’s profile and half of the story. Take a look first; I’ll send an electronic copy to you later.”

Ye An reached out to accept it.

Shi Shuangshuang began to withdraw it with a weird expression. “This script is actually adapted from a web novel. Its content may be a little bit… ”

Seeing her so hesitant to speak, Ye An curiosity rose. What kind of content was so hard to say out loud?

She took it and looked at it. The title had five large characters printed out: “Rich and Powerful Lovable Wife.”

Ye An, “…”

“That…To be honest, there’s nothing bad about the ‘Rich and Powerful Lovable Wife.’ Didn’t you marry into the rich and powerful? This coincidentally suits you…”

Shi Shuangshuang looked nervously at her, scared that she would throw the script directly into her leftover soup on the table.

It was a good thing that Ye An could still be considered calm. She looked up and asked faintly, “Has our studio regressed to this point?”

Shi Shuangshuang exhaled. “The competition is intense. Boss also can’t do anything.”

No wonder why he wanted to settle “Pharmacist” to the point of letting her accompany Lu Hong to drink. Ye An accepted the script and didn’t speak. 

Let it be the ‘Rich and Powerful Lovable Wife’ then; it’ll just be a livelihood adjustment.

“It’s still early. How about we go to the bar and hang out for a while?” Shi Shuangshuang suggested after eating. 

Ye An put her phone back in her bag, “I’ll pass; I need to go home.”

“Go home and accompany your husband? It’s not even eight yet; are you serious?” Shi Shuangshuang was dumbfounded.

Ye An looked at the time. Indeed, it  wasn’t even eight yet.

“Let’s not go to the bar then. Let’s just sit here for a little while. This place’s fruit wine isn’t bad; do you want to try some?”

In the end, Ye An was unable to resist and thus stayed to accompany her for a while. 

The two people drank wine as they chatted. Just as they were deep in conversation, a gaudily dressed man appeared at Ye An’s side. “Pretty lady, can I have your WeChat?*”

WeChat is what Chinese people use to communicate. It’s text, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram all in one app.

Ye An glanced at him. She rejected without the slightest hesitation, “Sorry, I’m married.”

The man saw her empty ring finger and was skeptical of her words. However, seeing her cold face, he was unable to continue the conversation and left resentfully. 

After the man left, Shi Shuangshuang looked at the face that attracted all the bees and butterflies. She clicked her tongue. “I thought that you would at least have a few more years. I didn’t expect that you’d marry in your prime. From now on, a large part of the forest is lost.”

Ye An swallowed the wine and said flatly, “I don’t want the top of my head to be green; what would I do with a forest?”

When Ye An says she doesn’t want the top of her head to be green, she’s referring to the idea of wearing a green hat, which signifies that she is cheating on her significant other.

Shi Shuangshuang, “….”

You’re beautiful; you’re right. 

Ye An put her cup down and looked at the time once again. She quipped, “Twenty minutes is up; I have to go. See you later.”

Shi Shuangshuang couldn’t help teasing her, “Not even willing to spare an extra minute. What are you so anxious for?”

Ye An looked up and smiled. “Newlywed things, you wouldn’t understand.”

“….”

Another arrow pierced through Shi Shuangshuang’s frail heart.

As Ye An stood up, a familiar voice suddenly called out to her. 

“Miss Ye?”

Ye An turned to face the sound to see a greasy, frivolous face.

“What a coincidence; I didn’t expect to meet you here.” Lu Hong reached out to support her side. His tone was ambiguous. “How about we sit for a bit?”

Last time, Ye An had only remained polite with him for the extended time for the contract. Today, she didn’t have the patience and directly evaded him, “My apologies, I have things to do and will leave for now.”

Lu Hong called after her, “Does Miss Ye not want to discuss the contract from last time?”

Ye An stopped in her tracks. 

Lu Hong, thinking that she had been swayed, laughed. “The contract still hasn’t been signed. If Miss Ye is still interested, we can…”

Before he could finish speaking, Ye An ruthlessly interrupted him. “Not interested.”

Lu Hong didn’t think that she would disregard his offer in front of everyone. His face darkened immediately.

Ye An didn’t even spare him a glance before grasping her bag. With a queen-like composure, she exited the restaurant without looking back.

Shi Shuangshuang followed behind her. As she looked back, she said, “Hey, 

Ye An stopped by the side of the road and replied indifferently, “He tried to get with me. I ignored him, so he ditched Xiang Quan.”

Shi Shuangshuang’s eyes widened. “He’s that evil? No wonder why Boss was so mad. When we go back, I’ll write a villain role that’s based on him and let him be cuckolded hundreds of times!”

Not only did he ditch Xiang Quan, but he also wasted her whole night. She originally didn’t intend to bother with this, but he just so happened to come and pester her again.

Ye An laughed coldly. “It’s not worth my anger, but this animation will definitely be mine!”

“Huh?” Seeing her solemn face, Shi Shuangshuang couldn’t help but wonder, “What… are you trying to do?”

Ye An turned around, her red lips curving. She winked. “Going back to seduce my husband.”

Shi Shuangshuang: ???

Author’s note: Xiao Xie drank Xiao Ye’s tea; that’s an indirect kiss! O(

In the next chapter, Xiao Ye will go home and cause ruckus!

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