In the evening, Ye An and Xie Shuo didn’t stay at the hospital, instead choosing to return to the Xie residence.
It was past ten by the time they returned. As soon as they entered the bedroom, Xie Shuo removed his blazer, revealing the metal cufflinks that gleamed under the light.
Ye An reached out to take it and glanced at his indifferent expression, remembering his appearance in the meeting earlier. She was still somewhat anxious from before.
The man was jaded and never let anyone near.
Who knew where her courage came from before, allowing her to stick to him like no one else.
After taking off his blazer, Xie Shuo sat down on the sofa and leaned back, with his hand supporting his forehead. He appeared to be exhausted.
Ye An stood by his side for a moment before quietly saying, “Do you want to take a bath?”
Xie Shuo pinched his eyes shut before opening them again and getting up once again.
Ye An went to the closet and took out a pair of underwear and pajamas before following him into the bathroom. Because she was still restless, she accidentally knocked into his back.
With the white fabric acting as a barrier, her face came into close contact with his back. The familiar cool scent of the man wafted into her nose like the early winter snow.
She instinctively grabbed the hem of his shirt. It appeared as if she was hugging him from behind in this position.
Ye An froze before quickly letting go. “Sorry.”
Xie Shuo stopped. He turned around and frowned, detecting her out-of-character actions. Normally, she wouldn’t apologize and would distort the truth to act coquettishly around him.
Ye An’s heart trembled after seeing his knitted eyebrows and sullen face. Was he angry?
Fortunately, he wasn’t able to see, so he wouldn’t be able to find her if she were to hid. Ye An held her breath and shuffled quickly over to the bathtub and turned on the faucet. She put his clothes over to the side.
Xie Shuo’s brows knitted again as he heard the noises in the darkness.
When Ye An was done and stood up again, Xie Shuo had already begun to loosen his tie.
The man’s chin was slightly lifted as his slender fingers made sharp movements from left to right, revealing his prominent Adam’s apple.
Ye An’s heart skipped a beat.
Every time he removed his tie, there was an inexplicable lustful atmosphere that was able to make others blush and avert their gaze.
Ye An stared at him for a few seconds before catching a glimpse of the watch on his wrist. She asked, “Do you want to take your watch off?”
Xie Shuo paused, took off his watch, and handed it to her.
Ye An took it and felt the warmth that still remained. Her fingertips burned as she forcibly retracted her gaze and quickly left the room.
After walking out, Ye An put the watch back in its original place and walked over to the sofa to sit down. She faced the ceiling-length windows as Xie Shuo usually did and started to daydream.
In the dark night, the lights were dotted across the sky like stars, and the distant mountains seemed never-ending outside the windows.
—-
The lights suddenly came on, dispelling the darkness.
Xie Yuran returned to his apartment. He opened the door and entered with a tired appearance.
He removed his shoes in the hallway but received a call before he could even get to the living room.
His eyes darkened after seeing the name on the phone screen. He deliberated for a moment before clicking to accept it.
On the other end of the phone, a drunk female voice laughed. “I thought that you blocked me and wouldn’t ever answer my calls again.”
Xie Yuran said coldly, “What do you want?”
“I miss you; will you come over tonight?”
There was a trace of coquettishness in the female voice, making it sound like she was whispering in his ear. Xie Yuran’s face suddenly became cold, and he prepared to hang up.
The other person had already predicted this move and suddenly raised her voice, “Xie Yuran, try hanging up on me again, I dare you!”
Xie Yuran’s face was cold, but he paused briefly.
Her voice quieted down again, but her drunken request continued, “I have something related to your brother’s car accident. Do you want to come and listen to it?”
Xie Yuran looked up and gripped the phone tightly.
“I’ll give you an hour. If you don’t show up, then so be it.”
After speaking, the other party hung up.
Xie Yuran stared at the phone screen and frowned for a long time. He suddenly tore off his tie, tossed it aside, and opened the top two buttons of his shirt in the process. The gentle aura from earlier in the day disappeared with his half-exposed collarbone, messy neckline, and ruffled hair. His expression was hostile.
His slender shadow was cast on the wall, and the curtains in the living room swayed in the cold, windy night.
He turned around and strode out the door, disappearing into the night.
—–
The bathroom door opened to reveal Ye An with freshly dried hair. As she entered the bedroom, she discovered that Xie Shuo had yet to go to bed. Instead, he stood in front of the window.
The man wore a black nightgown that covered his long and lean figure. Half of his face was illuminated by the lamp, while the other half was hidden in the shadows. There was no expression on his face.
Even from a distance, she could feel the gloomy aura emanating from his body. Ye An approached him and asked carefully, “How come you’re not asleep?”
Xie Shuo continued to stand in silence, not responding.
Ye An asked again, “You can’t sleep?”
Her voice was very soft for fear that he might get annoyed.
Xie Shuo didn’t move, but he finally said three words, “You sleep first.”
Ye An:…If I’m still able to sleep with you acting like this, then my mental capabilities are simply too strong.
Ye An looked at him and hesitated. She asked, “Are you going to the company tomorrow?”
Xie Shuo didn’t answer; his face was still solemn. It was unclear what he was thinking about.
Ye An pursed her lips and ignored her growing irritation. She said softly, “Now that Father is ill, I also think it would be a good idea if you could return to the company to help him out.”
Hearing this, Xie Shuo finally reacted by turning to meet her, his gaze deep and dark.
Ye An looked at his unpredictable gaze and became more anxious. The air became suffocating.
Remembering Xie Baiyan’s request from the hospital bed earlier, she braced herself to continue. She wrapped her slender fingers on his arm and said, “If you still rather not, you can ask Zhong Fu to give you the documents like from today, and I can read it out to you…”
She paused to glance at him and saw that his focus grew deeper.
“The Xie family’s business shouldn’t have to fall into the hands of outsiders.” Ye An gritted her teeth to say the last sentence.
Xie Shuo smelled the scent of the shower gel on her body and remained silent for a while. He removed her hand and said, “You don’t need to worry about these things. Go to bed early.”
….Not this sentence again.
Ye An sullenly muttered, “If only I didn’t have to worry about it…”
Although her voice was quiet, Xie Shuo heard it clearly. He actually knew what she was worried about
that he wouldn’t be able to inherit the family business.
She had originally married him for the benefits anyway; there were no feelings involved.
Xie Shuo sneered at this in his heart before returning to bed.
Ye An couldn’t read his thoughts and followed him back.
Ye An looked at him lying sideways in bed. She wanted to say something, but after seeing that he had already closed his eyes, she changed her mind and turned off the light.
The room plunged into darkness, and she was left alone with her racing thoughts.
