Xie Shuo stayed in his crouched position and paused for several moments. His mind whirled with ideas on how to resolve the situation.
In the end, he moved his hand to the other side and fumbled around before finally picking up the tie. He turned and said, “You’re awake?”
Although Ye An thought it was strange, she didn’t look more into it since she had just woken up. After replying with an “En,” she walked up to him, took the tie from his hand, and put it away.
In order to dispel her suspicions, Xie Shuo deliberately asked, “Where are my pajamas?”
Ye An pulled out a robe from the wardrobe on the side and brought him a pair of underwear afterward. She then reached out to guide him to the bathroom.
Her attitude seemed somewhat detached today. Ye An didn’t take the initiative to speak at him, and she didn’t glance at him either.
After showering, XIe Shuo stood in front of the windows for a while, recalling the scene where he had almost been discovered. He turned to leave the bedroom and go to the study to retrieve a document.
Not long later, Ye An had also finished taking her shower. She walked to the side of the bed to see him leaning against the headboard, holding a document between his slender fingers.
Hearing her approach, he handed the document to her. “Read this to me.”
Ye An had just gotten under the covers when she saw his actions and the indifferent expression that accompanied them. She was immediately annoyed, “Didn’t you not need me? If you don’t need me, then stop asking for my help whenever you want!”
Ye An dramatically raised her hand against her forehead. “My head hurts; I’m not reading.”
How dare he tell me to read and expect to read at his will? Does he think that I’m the type of woman that comes and goes according to his wishes?
Xie Shuo couldn’t reply for a moment after seeing the angry expression on her face. He didn’t understand why she was so angry.
Since he didn’t understand why she was angry, he didn’t know how to reassure her. He squeezed the document tightly and paused for a few moments before taking it back and saying, “Rest early then since your head hurts.”
Ye An: “…”
Ye An was completely floored by this straight man’s single-track thought process. She grabbed the pillow next to him in a rage and threw it at him.
As Xie Shuo was about to get hit by the pillow, he caught it and frowned at her.
Her facial features appeared delicate under the lights. Her long eyelashes framed the bright eyes that stared back at him. Her red lips were tightly pursed, yet she still looked cute and fresh-faced.
Xie Shuo’s heart beat faster, propelled by overwhelming feelings. However, even at this point, he looked away from her, afraid that she would notice his staring.
He quickly averted his gaze and asked, “If you don’t want to read, then don’t read; why are you mad?”
Hearing him speak, Ye An was shocked once again, and she almost threw the other pillow at his face.
However, after staring at the man’s beautiful features for a while, she calmed down and thought silently, Forget it, I won’t bother with him today. She ended her hard feelings with a solid kick to his legs, neither softly nor too heavily.
Xie Shuo was hit once again with no explanation.
Ye An no longer fought with him and instead leaned over to take the document. She brought it back over to her side of the bed and began to read.
She may have gotten annoyed and angry, but she put all personal feelings aside when it came to important documents.
A soft, gentle voice began to sound throughout the room. Xie Shuo glanced at her delicate side profile and then fluffed up his pillow before leaning on the headboard again.
His long eyelashes drooped, and his eyelids closed.
Honestly speaking, the reason why he asked her to read tonight was not only to dispel any doubts and suspicions about him. He missed her voice and wanted to hear it again.
Some habits became routine over time.
The scenery outside the window was dark, and time passed by peacefully. After Ye An finished reading the last page, she turned her head to find that Xie Shuo had closed his eyes and interlaced his hands in front of him, appearing asleep.
Ye An: …?
Is my voice that boring?
Ye An felt that her professional abilities had been compromised and was somewhat insulted. Her gaze passed by his tall nose and thin lips–slowly and carefully.
The light was hazy, like a cage of artificial moonlight. The man’s long eyelashes drooped down, casting light shadows on his face. Ye An held her breath and looked at each one individually, her face only a few centimeters from his.
Suddenly the man opened his eyes, and under the long lashes, his eyes met hers.
With her heart pounding, Ye An hurriedly sat back. She turned away, her ears becoming warm.
“I finished reading; were you even listening? Because I’m not reading it a second time.” Ye An pretended as if nothing happened.
Xie Shuo’s gaze fell on her soft cheeks, and he froze slightly. After a while, he replied with a soft “En.” His voice was low, and the response seemed to come deep within his chest.
Ye An felt her fingertips go numb for no reason. She squeezed the documents tightly before handing them back to him.
Xie Shuo held the document but took advantage of the moment to grab her slender hand and squeeze. “There’s a dinner party this Friday. Come with me.”
As Ye An heard him speak, she looked up at him in surprise.
Didn’t he hate attending banquets because of his inability to see? The last time he showed his face in public was at Xie Baiyan’s birthday party.
Xie Shuo caught a glimpse of the surprised look on her face out of his peripheral. Weary of the fact that she may be thinking too much, he added on, “It’s really important for a business matter.”
Ye An understood. She looked at the hand that he was playing with and said, “Oh.”
—-
The next day, Xie Shuo got up early and left for the company again without having Ye An accompany him.
Ye An ran through some lines to practice her voice dubbing alone at home. She received a message from Xiang Quan later in the afternoon stating that the recording plans for the program had been finalized. It was to start next Monday, so she needed to make preparations quickly.
Ye An became so busy that she didn’t have time to worry about Xie Shuo’s affairs anymore. The two barely had any communication except for the occasional interaction.
Before they knew it, it was Friday.
Ye An went to the studio to work in the morning before hurrying home at four in the evening to prepare for the banquet.
Xie Shuo had returned home early and was already waiting. Ye An chose a suit for him and a dress for herself before letting him have the closet.
She went into the bathroom to wash her face before returning to the bedroom and changing her clothes by the bed.
Xie Shuo buttoned his shirt and walked out of the closet with a tie, prepared to ask Ye An to tie it for him. However, he was met with the sight of her taking off her skirt.
The graceful curves hit his eyes without warning, and her skin was tender and fair, as pale as snow.
“……”
Xie Shuo did not expect to encounter such a sight at all, and he was stunned into oblivion.
Even after seeing him come out, Ye An didn’t react. She continued to change leisurely since she was under the impression that he couldn’t see anything, to begin with.
Seeing her casual demeanor and calm expression, Xie Shuo deduced that it obviously was not the first time that he had heard these rustling sounds in the house when he was still blind.
“You want to wear a tie?”
After changing into her dress, Ye An walked up to him, took the tie from his hands, and stood on her tiptoes to wrap it around the back of his neck.
She wore a low-cut dress, and the front and back were left mostly exposed.
Xie Shuo lowered his gaze and stopped at her delicate collarbones and the pale shapes below. His eyes darkened recalling the scene of his entrance.
Ye An didn’t notice the changes in his gaze at all. She tied his tie quickly, skillfully weaving the fabric through her deft fingers.
After arranging a neatly placed Windsor knot at the base of his neck, she carefully adjusted his collar. She then turned around to call the makeup artist coming into the room.
After Xie Shuo was fully dressed, he stood to the side with one hand in his pocket and watched the makeup artist smear various products on her face. Even though he originally thought that watching them do makeup would be a boring process, he found it unexpectedly enjoyable to observe.
Approximately twenty minutes later, a bright and elegant makeup look appeared in his line of sight. Her eyes sparkled, and her red lips made her skin look as fair as snow.
Ye An stood up and walked over to him, holding the bottom of her dress in one hand and taking his arm with the other.
Xie Shuo looked at her. After leaving the room, he couldn’t resist and took another glance at her.
—-
The two arrived at the banquet hotel at six o’clock.
Since Xie Shuo’s condition made things inconvenient and attracted attention, they went early and booked a room in the hotel.
At seven o’clock, the banquet officially started.
The buildings towered over the moon under the night sky. The lights throughout the buildings brightened the skies and large fountains gurgled the rippling water.
Hours had passed by before Xie Shuo finally motioned for Ye An for help at eight o’clock.
There were a number of people milling about in the banquet hall. Ye An eye’s casually scanned the area and noticed Zhang Muqing, who stood not far away. There were two women next to her, both of them looking in her direction.
Judging by her interactions with Grandfather Ye, Zhang Muqing seemed to have completely given up on Xie Shuo. Instead, she seemed to have set her sights on Xie Yuran, so Ye An had lost interest in her as well. Ye An pretended not to have noticed her and guided Xie Shuo toward the banquet area.
Senior Wen looked to be in his fifties or sixties. His temples were gray and used a cane, but he still seemed very youthful and energetic.
Yan Fei and Jiang Shiyan stood by his side with wine glasses in hand. They seemed to be engrossed in conversation.
After seeing Xie Shuo, Jiang Shiyan raised his eyebrows and said, “So you’ve finally come out of hibernation?”
After speaking, he turned to Ye An and said with a smile, “Hey, long time no see.”
Ye An smiled back, “Long time no see.”
After chatting for a bit, they left the lively banquet hall and went to the balcony.
The night sky was vast, the night breeze was cool, and flickering lights sparkled in the distance. After taking a seat, Xie Shuo kneaded Ye An’s hand as he said quietly, “Go get something to eat.”
Ye An gathered that they probably had important things to discuss, so she smiled and headed back towards the banquet hall.
The area was full of excitement and chatter. Ye An had rarely attended such banquets, so she barely knew anyone. It was nearly impossible to find Zhang Muqing in the crowd, so she picked up some small fruit cakes and looked for a corner with fewer people in an effort to sit down.
However, just as she took her first step, she saw Zhang Yinian and a young woman sitting in the corner near the balcony, with food and drinks in front of them.
Zhang Yinian smiled brightly at her and asked, “Do you want to sit with us?
Ye An was bored of being alone, so she walked over.
The three chatted with each other as the drank, creating a lively atmosphere.
Half an hour later, Zhang Yinian saw someone he knew and got up to go greet
them.
Ye An was somewhat tipsy, so she put her wine glass down and got up to walk towards the restroom.
As she turned around the corridor, Ye An bumped into Zhang Muqing heads on. The young woman who was by Zhang Muqing’s side before was no longer there, and a young man seemed to have taken her place.
The man put his hand around Zhang Muqing’s waist with a frivolous smile and a stereotypical playboy appearance.
Zhang Muqing paused upon seeing Ye An. Her face turned pale, as if she was greatly embarrassed.
Ye An glanced at the man and wondered, had Zhang Muqing given up of Xie Yuran that quickly?
The man’s gaze fell on Ye An’s face with undisguised lust in his gaze.
Ye An was a little uncomfortable from his ogling. She frowned and hurriedly walked past the two of them.
After Ye An finished using the bathroom and returned to the banquet hall, Zhang Muqing stopped her while holding a red wine glass. The latter said, “Let’s sit down for a bit.”
The greasy man was now gone and was replaced by several young women that stood behind her waiting to gossip.
Ye An didn’t have the time nor the patience to accompany their condescending antics, so she smiled politely and said, “Sorry, but I have to go find my husband.”
After speaking, she walked calmly away, her skirt swaying and sparkling like stars under the bright lights.
