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

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

Most of October passed in the blink of an eye.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Xie Shuo did not respond.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Not long after, Xie Yuran left.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He put his hand down, hearing her footsteps approach.

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

Xie Shuo turned to face her with a suspicious expression.

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

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

“Come, try a piece.”

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

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

Xie Shuo answered truthfully, “Not bad.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ye An: “…”

Are you addicted to my hand or what?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    “……”

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

She just occasionally found him boring.

Xie Shuo pursed his lips and didn’t reply.

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

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

“But, you are a little annoying sometimes…”

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

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

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

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

Ye An was suprised upon understanding his meaning.

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

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

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

“You’re saying yes?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

    —

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Xie Shuo frowned slightly and remained silent.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“A’Shuo.”

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

Ye An helped Xie Shuo turn around.

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

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

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

~

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

~

We’ll see next chapter~

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