Ye An: “…”
First, it was Zhang Muqing–now there was an ex-marriage candidate. Had she entered a battleground tonight?
“Change out of your dress first; we can talk after.”
The girl was smiling and didn’t seem to be petty, so Ye An calmed down and smiled back at her before entering the changing room.
She chose another floor-length dress, but the new one was red. Ye An’s loose curls fell on her shoulders, and her fair collarbone was on display.
Xin Li waited outside. She looked Ye An up and down and said, smiling, “I didn’t expect his vision to improve even after losing his eyesight.”
It was obvious that she was referring to Xie Shuo. After hearing her say this, Ye An couldn’t tell whether she was a friend or foe.
Xin Li smiled again, guessing what Ye An was thinking. “Don’t worry, I’m not interested in married men. Back then, my dad wanted me to give him and the relationship a chance, but after meeting him once, I couldn’t take it anymore. He was so boring.”
Ye An couldn’t help but appreciate Xie Shuo’s cold demeanor in this instance.
Xin Li noticed her reaction and asked, “Is he still boring even after marriage?”
Seeing that she wasn’t hostile, Ye An smiled again. “He’s all right.”
The two walked down the stairs, and as they reached the bottom, Xin Li gave her a purposeful look. “The one who has ill intentions toward your husband is over there!”
Ye An followed her line of sight and saw Zhang Muqing in her blue dress. Ye An didn’t know when Zhang Muqing had finished reminiscing about old memories with Xie Yuran and sat down next to Xie Shuo, talking to him.
Ye An felt her heart stop, and jealousy washed over her.
She took a deep breath and walked over to sit down next to Xie Shuo. Her lips curled, and she called out affectionately, “Hubby.”
She held his arm and stared at him: If you frown or move; you’re done!
Fortunately, Xie Shuo was used to her acting like this on occasion, so he neither frowned nor showed any disgust. His expression was even quite gentle.
Ye An leaned against him, satisfied. She looked up at Zhang Muqing sitting on the side and smiled innocently. “Hubby, what are you guys talking about?”
Seeing Ye An and Xie Shuo’s innocent gestures, Zhang Muqing was surprised. She seemed to be in a daze, and her fingers curled on her leg.
Xie Shuo said lightly, “Nothing.”
Zhang Muqing smiled and explained. “I saw him sitting here alone. I thought that it would have been unsuitable for him, so I came over and asked.”
Ye An held Xie Shuo’s hand and smiled slightly, “I accidentally bumped into someone and stained my dress, so I went upstairs for a moment to change my clothes.” She looked up and asked softly, “Hubby, are you hungry? Do you want me to bring you something to eat?”
“No.” Xie Shuo took advantage of the situation to take her hand and begin kneading it again.
Ye An: “…”
She would endure it for now.
To be honest, she didn’t think there was an ambiguous relationship between Xie Shuo and Zhang Muqing. Xie Baiyan and Grandfather Xie definitely knew about her habit of fraternizing with both of the brothers and would never accept a relationship unless one of them would die for her. Obviously, Xie Shuo wouldn’t fall in love at first sight and meet this criterion.
She just wasn’t accustomed to the scene of them being together, and she couldn’t accept Zhang Muqing’s desire to keep talking to Xie Shuo. She had left in the past, so why was she coming back acting lovelorn? Did she want to act as long lost lovers or establish her image as his first love?
Did Zhang Muqing really think that she would let that happen?
Seeing their intimacy, Zhang Muqing also felt somewhat awkward. She sat on the side with her lips pressed together in a smile. “Since you’re back, I’ll go say hi to Uncle Xie.”
Xie Shuo didn’t say anything, so Zhang Muwing smiled and nodded Ye An farewell before getting up to leave.
As soon as she left, Ye An stopped smiling and stared at Xie Shuo.
Even after a while, Xie Shuo still didn’t notice and continued to play with her hand.
“……”
Somehow, she forgot that he couldn’t see. Ye An was disappointed and retracted her gaze, not wasting her effort anymore.
Thinking about the young woman she had just met, she looked up to ask, “Do you know Xin Li?”
Xie Shuo lowered his gaze upon hearing the name. “The Xin family’s daughter; why are you asking about her?”
“I just knocked into her and spilled her wine on my dress, so I had to change.” Ye An paused. “She told me that she was one of your marriage candidates.”
This time, Xie Shuo didn’t deny it. He was silent for a few seconds before saying, “I only considered it; it was a long time ago.”
The Xin family was close to Grandfather Xie. At the time, he was unable to go against Grandfather Xie’s persuasion, so he met with Xin Li.
Ye An leaned against his shoulder. She looked up at him and sighed deliberately. “A childhood sweetheart, an ex-marriage partner. I didn’t realize this before, but you have quite a few suitors.”
Xie Shuo heard the jealousy in her tone and chose to keep silent, feeling as if he was heading down a slippery slope.
Seeing him not responding, Ye An felt worse and worse, as if she was stuck in one place.
Ye An leaned into his ear and whispered viciously, “Although we have three conditions on our contract, I hate cheaters the most. If you dare cheat on me with other women before we divorce, I’ll end you!”
At this point, she was confidently arrogant and had completely forgotten how her appearance in front of him in the past as a shivering little bunny.
Xie Shuo remained silent but suddenly let go of her hand. His hands went to his forehead, and his eyebrows furrowed. He appeared uncomfortable.
Seeing him, Ye An didn’t care to threaten him anymore and hurriedly asked, “What’s the matter? Does your head hurt again? Do your eyes hurt?”
Xie Shuo pursed his lips tightly and didn’t answer.
Ye An reached out to support him. “How about I help you back to the room so you can rest?”
Xie Shuo pushed himself up from the sofa and went upstairs with her help.
Ye An helped him into the room and sat down beside him on the bed. “Sleep for a while. I’ll come back, and we can go home later.”
Xie Shuo took off his jacket and loosened his bow tie. Because of the movement, a fraction of his collarbone was exposed.
Ye An glanced at him as she helped him lie down. She put his coat and tie away for him and ensured that he was tucked in before leaving. She made sure to close the door softly.
The banquet hall was still very lively, contrasting the quiet upstairs.
Ye An returned downstairs. Her red dress paired well with her black hair. The skirt moved like undulating waves as she walked, occasionally revealing her ankles.
At some point, someone stopped her.
Xin Li leaned against the long table while holding a glass of red wine in her hand. She tilted her head slightly, and her eyes sparkled as she said, “Let’s have a drink together?”
The Xin family was also influential in the city. As the jewel of the Xin family, it was no wonder that her words and actions were casual.
She was a guest, and Ye An was obligated to entertain her requests as a host. The latter took a glass of wine from a waiter’s tray and walked back over.
Xin Li clinked glasses with hers and took a sip. “This is for ruining your dress just now. I’ll have someone send a new one to your house later.”
“There’s no need.” Ye An smiled slightly and took a sip of wine.
Xin Li pinched the neck of her glass with red nails. Her gaze fell on Zhang Muqing, who wore a blue dress not far away.
“What do you think is so good about that woman for so many men to be head over heels for her?” Xin Li seemed to be quite hostile towards Zhang Muqing; her eyes were narrow, and her tone was sarcastic.
Men probably liked her as she was.
Ye An didn’t know the conflict between the two, so she could only smile. However, Xin Li suddenly turned to remind her, “Watch your husband, don’t let her take advantage of him.”
Ye An, “…”
“Did something happen between the two of you?” Ye An couldn’t hold in her curiosity and asked.
Xin Li took another sip of her wine and smiled. “No, I just can’t stand her pompous attitude!”
Ye An thought to herself: this has to be the fiercist conflict on this battleground.
It was obvious that Xin Li had drunk a lot, as her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were glazed.
Ye An turned around with the wine glass in her hand and was about to find a place to rest, but someone else stopped her.
When Xie Shuo was there before, no one dared to come to approach them. Now that she was alone, everyone gathered around to greet her.
Ye An could only smile and talk to them one by one.
After socializing some, she was also quite tipsy.
At around nine o’clock, Ye An glanced at the time and felt it was about time. She found Xie Baiyan and told him about her and Xie Shuo’s plan to return home.
Xie Baiyan nodded, concerned about Xie Shuo’s condition, and had the driver send them back first.
Ye An went upstairs, planning to go to the room and wake Xie Shuo up, but she suddenly heard a strange noise from the balcony.
She paused and walked over there. When she turned her head, her eyes suddenly widened.
The light was dim, and the two almost indistinguishable figures clung to each other. One of them was wearing a black knee-length dress, showing off their fair legs. It sememed to be Xin Li.
She was pressing a man against a corner and reaching up on tiptoe to kiss him. The man was tall and slender, and his figure looked somewhat familiar.
Just as Ye An was trying to figure out who it was, the man suddenly removed Xin Li’s arm and scolded her in a hushed voice. Listening to the voice, Ye An found out that it was clearly Xie Yuran!
Xie Yuran and Xin Li?
Ye An was shocked and almost thought she was hallucinating from the alcohol.
There was no wonder why Xin Li hated Zhang Muqing so much. Their animosity was because of Xie Yuran.
Seeing that the two of them were leaving the balcony to head her way, Ye An hurriedly turned around and pretended not to see anything. She hurried to the room where Xie Shuo was sleeping.
When she opened the door and entered, Xie Shuo had already woken up and sat on the bed. His cold features were calm and showed a trace of exhaustion.
“I’ve already said goodbye to Dad, so we can go home now.”
