The next day, it was Sunday. Ye An woke up early, and the empty feeling in bed was finally no longer present. The man lying beside her had a tranquil sleeping face, and his breathing was even.
The curtains were partially drawn, allowing the morning sun to spill through the ripples and trickle into the room.
Xie Shuo had great skin, smooth and flawless. As he slept, his features appeared somewhat gentler than usual.
Gazing at his handsome face so close, Ye An couldn’t resist reaching out and lightly brushing against fine, long eyelashes with her finger.
Instantly, Xie Shuo’s long lashes fluttered, and his eyes opened. In the depths of those profound pupils, a faint glimmer emerged, reflecting her figure.
As their eyes met, Ye An’s mind briefly went blank. Her heart raced with a thump in her chest.
Xie Shuo was also looking at her. Before him was her fair, pearl-like complexion, clear and bright eyes, slightly curled lashes, an exquisite nose, and rosy soft lips.
Xie Shuo’s gaze landed on her lips, lingering there for a moment.
Ye An clenched her hand and slightly pursed her lips, feeling that he might lean in and kiss her the next second.
However, in reality, he didn’t kiss her. He hesitated for a moment before releasing her and sitting up. Just like usual, he got out of bed and headed to the bathroom to freshen up.
As he left the bed, so did the warmth from the covers. Ye An held the blanket close, remembering the fleeting glimmer in his eyes just now. The doubts from yesterday surged back into her mind once again.
… Can he really not see?
Ye An lied in bed, pondering for a while. Unable to reach a conclusion, she eventually got up and went to freshen up.
After freshening up, she entered the walk-in closet to grab Xie Shuo’s everyday clothes. Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind…
Since trying to seduce him didn’t work, why not… do something that he couldn’t resist, something that would force him to reveal the truth?
Handing him the clothes, she scanned him from head to toe, then walked a little bit away from the walk-in closet. After a moment, she tiptoed back, her movements careful and quiet.
She remembered the first day, she accidentally walked in on him changing clothes. At that time, his expression visibly turned sour, and he had gotten really angry.
Now, if she were to openly watch him change clothes, he would definitely not be able to stand it.
Xie Shuo’s hand rested at his waist, about to untie the sash of his robe, when he unexpectedly caught a glimpse of her presence from the corner of his eye. His movement faltered.
Standing right outside the walk-in closet, Ye An fixed her gaze on him.
A peculiar expression flickered in Xie Shuo’s eyes. He paused for a few seconds before ultimately untying the sash at his waist as if no one was around. He took off the robe and casually tossed it aside.
The man’s tall and lean figure was almost entirely exposed to her eyes, with broad shoulders, a slender waist, and two long, muscular legs.
“…….”
Ye An hadn’t expected him to deviate from the norm, and she was taken aback at first. Soon after, she blushed and averted her gaze.
After a short while of looking away, she couldn’t resist glancing back again.
Xie Shuo slid into the pants she had prepared for him, and then he reached for the shirt. From top to bottom, he slowly buttoned it up, each button meticulously fastened. It was as if he was intentionally putting on a show for her.
His fingers were long and slender, and the muscles on his chest and abdomen formed subtle contours as they rose and fell. The movements he made were indescribably seductive.
Ye An’s face grew even hotter, yet she couldn’t seem to tear her gaze away.
Away from her line of sight, a slight tug formed at the corner of Xie Shuo’s lips. Unusually, a hint of a smile appeared on his face.
Having changed his clothes, he emerged from the closet and walked past her without glancing sideways, as if he truly couldn’t see anything.
Looking at his retreating figure, Ye An couldn’t help but doubt herself once again.
Could it be that she was really overthinking things?
…….
While Xie Shuo didn’t have to go to the company today, Ye An still had work at the studio. After breakfast, she instructed Xie Shuo on a few things, making sure he remembered to take his meds before hurriedly leaving the house.
Outside, the weather was clear and sunny, with sunlight beaming onto the car windows, making it warm and fuzzy.
On the side of the road, a cluster of red flowers blossomed in the warm sunlight, brimming with vitality.
As it was Sunday, the overtime wasn’t too long. Around 5:00 pm, Ye An finalized the schedule and process for tomorrow’s program recording with Xiang Quan before hurriedly heading home.
As the last sunset ray disappeared behind the mountains, the night fell, and the streetlights illuminated, casting a soft glow that spread like clusters of moonlight.
After dinner, Ye An pulled Xie Shuo for a walk in the garden.
It was still early after they returned to their room and showered. They nestled under the covers and sat against the headboard, resembling an old married couple.
Ye An specifically chose a book from the study and read it aloud to Xie Shuo.
The soft lighting from the lamp bathed the room as Xie Shuo listened to the familiar voice by his side, his eyelashes drooping slightly.
The book was in English, and once Ye An read to a certain point where she encountered an unfamiliar word, she paused and turned to ask Xie Shuo.
Xie Shuo looked up and read the word she pointed to aloud, even patiently explaining its meaning to her.
Ye An looked down and continued reading.
After reading about half of the book, she closed it and reached for the glass of water on the nightstand, taking a sip.
The phone on the nightstand buzzed a few times, and new messages kept popping up. She picked it up, unlocked it, and glanced at the screen. They were messages from the group chat with the rest of the members from the studio—which didn’t concern her.
She quickly skimmed through the messages before closing the phone and putting it back on the nightstand. When she turned around, she happened to meet Xie Shuo’s profound gaze.
They held eye contact for just a moment before Xie Shuo turned away.
Ye An caught a hint of something unusual in his eyes, and her suspicions grew stronger. Unable to resist, she raised her hand again and waved it in front of his eyes.
Xie Shuo didn’t even blink, remaining as still as a mountain.
Seeing his response, Ye An hesitated once again… If he had truly regained his sight, why would he keep such great news a secret?
Even if he didn’t tell her, he would at least inform Xie Baiyan and Grandfather, right?
Yet even now, there had been no sign of any reaction from Xie Baiyan or Grandfather.
Ye An got a headache from thinking about this and leaned against the sofa. Looking at him, a hint of frustration and disappointment appeared on her face.
Perhaps she was just hoping too much for him to regain his sight?
That might be why she was overthinking and having so many doubts.
The greater the expectations, the greater the disappointment.
She suddenly moved closer to his side as she recalled something and said, “I’ll be recording a dubbing program tomorrow. Pick me up at night?”
Xie Shuo finally reacted, looking up at her.
Ye An raised her chin slightly. “You’re even able to attend soirees now. Is it really too much to ask for you to pick me up?”
Xie Shuo speculated about her intention and replied, “Don’t we have a chauffeur?”
Ye An immediately responded, “It’s not the same! You’re my husband; there’s a world of difference between you picking me up and the chauffeur doing it.”
Snuggling up to him, she traced her finger back and forth across his chest, being a little bit playful before saying sweetly, “Just this once, can you?”
Xie Shuo’s gaze darkened and asked in a deep voice, “What time does it end?”
He actually agreed so quickly?
Ye An was pleasantly surprised, “I’m not sure right now, but it might go until around 11 or 12 pm.”
Probably thinking that the time was quite late, Xie Shuo frowned and asked, “Where?”
Ye An gave him the address and happily wrapped her arms around his, smiling brightly. “You don’t have to go too early. Once it’s over, I’ll call you.”
Xie Shuo glanced at her, and for a change, patiently responded with, “Alright.”
…….
The next day, Ye An got dressed and did her makeup early in the morning. She set out with the temporary assistant arranged by Xiang Quan, heading to the location for the program recording.
The dubbing program had a somewhat competitive element. The guests were divided into groups for dubbing performances, with eliminations and advancements leading to the final round.
The grouping of guests followed a specific pattern. The members of the group that Ye An was placed in were relatively young. Two were actors with acting skills in the entertainment industry, while another was a well-known veteran in the dubbing industry.
In terms of age, Ye An was the youngest among them. When it came to experience, she also had the least.
The reason Ye An was invited was mainly due to her skyrocketing popularity in the past half a year. She had both buzz and traffic. Additionally, the program had some connection to Brilliant Dreams Culture, so the program naturally leaned toward her.
The script for the recording had been prepared in advance. The program producers seemed to want to create hot and explosive headlines as the script assigned to her had a scene from a classic foreign movie.
Originally, it was expected to be somewhat challenging for her, but unexpectedly, she managed to handle it quite well.
In the past half a year, she had been reading books and documents to Xie Shuo, many of which were in a foreign language. As a result, her language skills improved by leaps and bounds, and her related professional skills also saw significant growth.
In the end, she even challenged herself by portraying multiple characters in one scene, seamlessly switching between them, and won enthusiastic applause from the audience.
After the recording was finished, it was nearly midnight. Outside the recording building, the night was dark, and the cold moon hung in the sky like a hook.
The staff began to leave one after another from the studio, bustling out and about.
Ye An called Xie Shuo, and when she learned that he was already in the parking garage downstairs, her heart was instantly filled with joy, happily taking the elevator downstairs with the others.
Everyone chatted and laughed along the way. When they exited the elevator, a staff member asked with concern, “Ye laoshi, do you have a ride?”
Ye An smiled with mirth. “My husband came to pick me up.”
As soon as she said that, people nearby displayed a curious expression, obviously knowing about the rumors.
However, Ye An didn’t pay attention to them. She turned to her assistant and instructed them to head back first. Then, she quickly walked forward in her high heels, the sound of her heels tapping against the ground echoing clearly in the parking garage.
Not far away, a familiar Maybach was parked quietly there. Beside the car stood a tall figure with a slender waist and long legs, his cold temperament accentuated by the black coat he wore.
Not expecting him to get out of the car, Ye An hurriedly quickened her pace and held his arm, a radiant and bright smile blooming on her face. “You actually came to pick me up?”
The parking garage was dimly lit. Xie Shuo glanced at her smiling face before averting his gaze, wrapping his arm around her waist, and getting into the car without saying anything.
No one noticed that in a distant corner, someone had raised their phone and discreetly taken a photo of them.
Once in the car, Ye An leaned against Xie Shuo’s shoulder, smiling as she recounted the day’s recording and her triumphant moment that had the entire audience cheering. Her eyes and brows were filled with joy.
“It’s a pity you weren’t there in person. When the program airs, I’ll play the audio for you.”
Xie Shuo lowered his gaze to glance at her, seemingly influenced by her mood. His expression softened, and he held her hand, gently kneading it.
The car exited the underground parking garage and merged onto the main road. The night scene was bustling, with street lights stretching along both sides of the road. The interplay of light and shadow continued to flash across the car’s windows.
As Ye An continued to talk, drowsiness gradually overcame her, and she closed her eyes, falling asleep.
A soft, shallow breath brushed against his neck. Xie Shuo turned to look at her, his gaze focused for a long while. He paused the motion of kneading her hand.
They arrived home at around one in the morning. The surroundings were quiet, and the moonlight cast a cold, serene glow over the garden with the flower branches shrouded in mist.
Ye An was still sound asleep, her face peaceful, showing no signs of waking up.
Xie Shuo looked at her, hesitated for a moment, and ultimately chose not to wake her up. Instead, he bent down and carried her out in his arms.
Ye An nestled against his shoulder, lightly nudging it.
Light spilled out from the mansion, and the two of them walked from the shadows toward the illuminated area.
It wasn’t until they entered the bedroom that Ye An opened her eyes. She gazed at the blurry figure before her, still a bit groggy.
Xie Shuo placed her on the sofa, and seeing her awake, softly said, “Go take a shower first. After that, you can go back to sleep.”
Ye An got up in a daze, grabbed her pajamas, and walked toward the bathroom, her steps feeling floaty the entire way.
After taking a shower and getting into bed, her drowsiness intensified. Her eyelids felt heavy as if weighed down by a thousand pounds, and she drifted further into sleep.
Turning over, she met Xie Shuo’s gaze. Thinking about how he had carried her earlier, a thought flashed through her mind as she parted her lips slightly.
The words “Can you see now?” were about to leave her lips, but before she could even ask, the overwhelming drowsiness took over, and she fell into a deep sleep.
……
Ye An slept particularly deeply in this sleep as she didn’t wake up until 10 am the next day.
The sunlight was bright, shining through the window and filling the room. Xie Shuo’s figure was nowhere to be seen.
At noon, she had lunch alone and then lounged on the sofa, leisurely playing on her phone.
With the program recording finished, she had a few days to rest and didn’t need to go to the studio.
In the afternoon, the winter sun bathed her in warmth, creating a cozy and fuzzy atmosphere.
Suddenly, a call came in with the caller ID being: Shi Shuangshuang.
As soon as the call connected, an excited voice nearly burst her eardrums…
“WTF?”
“Your husband is Xie Shuo?”
“Is that for real?”
Ye An was taken aback. “How did you find out?”
“Somebody took a photo of you and your husband and posted it online, and someone dug it out!”
Shi Shuangshuang was clearly overly excited by the news, repeatedly asking, “Is it true?”
“Is your husband really Xie Shuo?”
“So he didn’t become a vegetable after the accident but lost his sight instead?”
“You actually got married to him?”
“And you managed to hide this for so long?”
“You’re really good at keeping your lips sealed…”
Ye An was getting a headache from her constant questions and felt a bit overwhelmed. She rubbed her forehead and said, “Let me check; I’ll talk to you later.”
After hanging up the call, Ye An opened Weibo, and as expected, the comments and direct messages were all asking her about her relationship with Xie Shuo.
She opened a link in the comments and found a post from a marketing account: “Breaking News: Ye An’s husband is actually Xie Shuo, the young master of the Xie family and former CEO of Junming Group!”
Below the post was a photo attached, a candid shot of Xie Shuo picking her up from the program recording last night. Though the lighting was dim, his face was captured clearly.
The comments below were already in a frenzy:
“Earth-shattering news! Does this mean Xie Shuo is truly blind?”
“This isn’t just a piece of gossip, it’s BIG gossip!”
“Wuwuwu, even though he’s blind, he’s still so handsome!”
“No wonder she’s willing to marry him, if it were me, I’d marry him too.”
“Sis, count me in too!”
“Seriously, rich, handsome, and blind? Who wouldn’t want that?”
…….
Ye An quickly scrolled through the comments, feeling increasingly uneasy as the focus shifted from her to Xie Shuo. The headlines like “Xie Shuo Blind,” “Xie Shuo of Junming Group,” “Ye An & Xie Shuo,” began to trend and appear on the Hot Search list.
If this continued, it’s likely the news of Xie Shuo’s blindness would become widely known within a day.
Ye An quickly exited Weibo and hurriedly called Zhong Fu.
Zhong Fu answered the call and appeared quite calm, saying that the situation was already known on their end and told her not to worry.
“The PR team has already looked into it. Someone is buying the headlines.”
Hanging up the phone, Zhong Fu walked into the office and said to Xie Shuo, “It’s probably Zhang Junfeng who’s behind this.”
Leaning against the chair, Xie Shuo tapped his finger lightly on the desk, contemplating for a moment before saying with a smile, “No need to delete or suppress it.”
……
As expected, Ye An was right. The topic of Xie Shuo’s blindness was indeed gaining more and more traction. By around 4 or 5 pm, it had already made its way into the top ten trending topics.
There were many popular posts related to the topic popping up in numerous other forums and gossip groups. For a while, it seemed as if the entire internet was discussing this matter, overshadowing even the popularity of current top celebrities.
Throughout the entire afternoon, Ye An held her phone and closely followed the latest developments. She felt anxious and uneasy, with a sense that the unfolding events were becoming increasingly strange.
Given the popularity of both Xie Shuo and her, it didn’t seem likely that the situation would escalate so dramatically in just half a day. Moreover, it appeared that Junming Group hadn’t taken any PR measures and had allowed the situation to develop without intervening, even though she had already informed Zhong Fu.
Is the matter too big that it couldn’t be suppressed?
Is it that they feel it’s unnecessary to suppress it and are planning to give up?
In the evening, unable to endure it any longer, Ye An called Xie Shuo.
When his phone rang, Xie Shuo was in a small meeting with Zhong Fu and others.
Seeing the incoming call on his phone, Xie Shuo paused for a moment before answering it.
“Has Zhong Fu told you about the matter online?”
Ye An felt uneasy; her voice sounding somewhat feeble.
Xie Shuo: “He mentioned it, and I know about it. Don’t worry about it.”
Ye An clutched the pillow in her arms. “Is it really not a big deal?”
Xie Shuo sounded a soft “en” and said gently, “I probably won’t be coming home tonight. Go to bed early.”
Hearing him say this, Ye An finally felt relieved. “Okay.”
Xie Shuo hung up the call and placed his phone on the table, his expression becoming colder. “Continue.”
That night, Xie Shuo didn’t come home, and Ye An was lying in bed alone, tossing and turning, unable to sleep until midnight.
The next evening, Xie Shuo finally returned from the company, and accompanying him was Xie Baiyan, who had been on a business trip out of town.
The expression on both of their faces was somewhat solemn, and as soon as they returned, they headed straight to the study.
As Ye An walked past the study, she unintentionally overheard a snippet of conversation between the two men, revealing a piece of news…Three days later, Junming Group held a board meeting to formally remove Xie Shuo from his position in the company. The reason given was that his current condition was not suitable for holding a high position, posing too much risk and potentially affecting the company’s stock.
Upon hearing this, Ye An’s hands and feet turned icy cold.
So, did she cause all of this to him?
If she hadn’t insisted on him picking her up, he wouldn’t have been secretly photographed, and this situation wouldn’t have happened.
During dinner, the atmosphere at the dining table was somewhat low. Being somewhat restless, Ye An continued to count the amount of rice grains in her bowl, her appetite waning.
Stirring up such a big mess, yet Xie Baiyan didn’t even blame her, not even mentioning it to her. He truly had a good temper.
Ever since her parent’s divorce when she was a kid, Ye An followed Xia Jin and had never experienced the feeling of a harmonious family or affection from parents. However, after marrying into the Xie family, she occasionally got a taste of such feelings.
For Xie Baiyan, as long as she took good care of Xie Shuo, it didn’t matter if she behaved poorly in other aspects.
“An An, what’s wrong? No appetite?”
In the midst of her thoughts, she suddenly heard Xie Baiyan asking.
Coming back to her senses, Ye An smiled. “Nothing much, just a bit tired these past few days.”
Xie Baiyan observed her complexion and asked suddenly, “Are you perhaps pregnant?”
“I’ll have someone accompany you to the hospital for a check-up?”
“Cough…”
Ye An was caught off guard by this unexpected question and instinctively looked up at Xie Shuo, who also looked back at her.
As their eyes met, Ye An inexplicably felt her cheeks grow warm, and she averted her eyes.
“No, it’s just that I have a poor appetite.”
Hearing this, Xie Baiyan seemed a little disappointed. “Make sure to rest well.”
With this little episode, the atmosphere at the dining table eased a bit. In order to prove that she wasn’t pregnant, Ye An specially ate several bites of food in earnest.
……
After dinner, father and son entered the study once again.
Alone in the bedroom, Ye An had a feeling that a storm was brewing.
Not a sound could be heard amid the cold winter night. Outside the window, only the sound of the wind could be heard, as if all other noises had disappeared.
Sitting on the sofa and hugging her knees together, Ye An was feeling drowsy. Her head nodded down as if she was a sleepy chick pecking at grains.
Unknown time passed then footsteps echoed in the room as Xie Shuo walked in, his shadow casting a tall and slender silhouette.
Hearing footsteps, Ye An opened her eyes drowsily. Seeing him, she immediately awoke.
Sitting down beside her, Xie Shuo pinched his nose bridge and closed his eyes slightly, looking visibly exhausted.
Leaning closer to him, Ye An softly asked, “Did something happen?”
Opening his eyes, Xie Shuo replied insipidly, “It’s nothing.”
The more nonchalant he seemed, the more uneasy Ye An felt. She wanted to ask him about the board meeting, but she didn’t know how to broach the topic, given that she was the one responsible for all of this.
Her hesitant expression didn’t escape Xie Shuo’s notice, but he interpreted it differently.
Looking at her, he suddenly asked, “Are you really pregnant?”
