Ah?
Ye An’s mind had been in turmoil, and when she heard his sudden question, she was taken aback.
Immediately, an expression of speechlessness appeared on her face, and the way she looked at him was as if she were gazing at an idiot.
We’ve only done it recently; how could I possibly be pregnant so soon?
Are you using a rocket while others are just driving a regular car?*
TN – This phrase is a colloquial expression in Chinese that is used to emphasize the speed or intensity of someone’s actions or progress. It’s often used metaphorically to convey the idea that someone is progressing or achieving something much faster or more dramatically than others.
Moreover, didn’t you use protection?
“…….”
Soon after, Xie Shuo also reacted. His usually composed face showed a rare trace of unease. He turned away and wearily pinched his nose bridge once again.
Ye An couldn’t help but mock inwardly: With this level of intelligence, he would’ve fallen into the depths of the Mariana Trench. To think he still wanted to have a child!
Seeing him continuously pinching his nose bridge, she couldn’t help asking, “Is the company’s situation really serious?”
Xie Shuo withdrew his hand and said insipidly, “I have things under control; no need to worry.”
Thinking about the mess she had caused, a sense of guilt welled up in Ye An’s heart. Looking at him, she asked with concern, “Does your head hurt today? Want me to give you a massage?”
Going along with the flow, Xie Shuo responded with a simple, “En.”
Leaving his embrace, Ye An sat down beside him and reached out to support his shoulder.
Lying back with his head resting on her lap, Xie Shuo closed his eyes.
The soft light gently illuminated, outlining his handsome features. With her fair fingertips, Ye An began to massage his temples in a gentle and soothing manner.
…….
The next day, the sky was overcast with dark clouds gathering.
Just as Ye An was worried about the situation at the company, Xie Baiyan suddenly fell ill again.
The illness came on aggressively, catching everyone off guard. Ye An was deeply worried and hurriedly accompanied him to the hospital.
Xie Shuo also came along, but he had to tend to matters at the company, so he didn’t stay for long before leaving.
This time, Xie Baiyan’s illness took a turn for the worse. Ye An stayed by his bedside, her heart heavy with worry.
The next day, Ye An stayed at the hospital until around three or four in the afternoon before returning home.
When she arrived home, she found that Xie Yuran and Zhong Fu had also come over. They were in the study discussing matters with Xie Shuo.
Reckoning that they were discussing tomorrow’s board meeting, Ye An did not disturb them and waited until the two of them left before bringing in some tea.
When she entered, she found Xie Shuo sitting at his desk, propping his forehead with his hands, lost in thought.
Ye An walked to the desk, placing down a mahogany carved tray. Just as she was about to hand him the tea, he unexpectedly reached out and picked up the teacup himself, his movements precise and accurate.
“……”
Ye An was momentarily taken aback.
Immersed in his thoughts, Xie Shuo was completely unaware of anything amiss as he took a sip of tea.
His phone placed at the corner of the desk suddenly rang. He reached out and answered the call. Listening for a while, he frowned and said, “I’ll be there soon.”
After that, he got up and strode out of the study, heading toward the bedroom.
Ye An remained in a daze, and for a moment, she even thought she might have seen it incorrectly, wondering if she was experiencing a hallucination.
Her mind was in chaos as she followed him into the bedroom, watching as he entered the walk-in closet and took a piece of clothing.
Just as he was about to take off the clothing, a sudden realization seemed to dawn on Xie Shuo, causing him to freeze in his tracks.
The air became quiet.
He turned around slowly and met Ye An’s bewildered expression. She didn’t say anything and just stood there, staring at him.
Seeing her like this, Xie Shuo knew that he couldn’t keep hiding it, and he had no intention of hiding it from her anymore after today anyway.
He hung the clothing back and waited for her to speak up and question him.
Ye An stared at his eyes for a while before asking dazedly, “You can see?”
Her voice was feeble, as if afraid that any sudden movement might shatter this dream.
Xie Shuo looked back at her and responded with a soft “En,” saying, “I had planned to tell you tonight…”
Without waiting for him to finish explaining, Ye An repeated once again, “You really… can see now?”
Her voice suddenly choked, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Soon, tears fell down her face, leaving paths across her snow-white cheeks.
Xie Shuo was taken aback.
He had anticipated various reactions from her once she found out everything, such as anger, silent treatment, or even joy, but he had never expected it to be like this.
Standing just a step away, she gazed at him, tears flowing as if a dam had burst, continuously falling down.
Since they got married, Xie Shuo had never seen her cry like this. Even when she had a quarrel with her mom before, she had only shown a slight hint of grievance, so he was a bit taken aback by her current reaction.
“Why are you crying,” he asked.
Ye An didn’t answer, wiping her tears away from the corner of her eyes and saying with a tear-stained smile, “I just knew you would get better…”
She cried for a while, then smiled as if she was even more emotional than him.
A blurry image suddenly flashed through Xie Shuo’s mind… a young girl with a pale face, crying with tears like raindrops on pear blossoms.
A sense of familiarity surged up again, and he was briefly taken aback before asking, “Have we met somewhere before?”
Upon hearing this, Ye An’s expression froze for a moment, and her movements also paused.
She looked up and saw his puzzled expression, wanting to say something but ultimately chose not to in the end.
She looked into his eyes with depth, which had regained their brightness and were no longer dull like they were half a year ago.
After a while, she calmed down and remembered to ask, “When did you recover?”
Being asked this, Xie Shuo paused for a bit before replying, “The day after Dad’s birthday.”
Xie Baiyan’s birthday?
How long ago was that?
“So you were lying to me all these days?”
Ye An widened her eyes, finding it somewhat hard to believe that he would resort to such a childish prank of deception.
Xie Shuo glanced at her, remaining silent.
Ye An’s excitement about him regaining his sight had turned completely cold. Remembering the times when he pretended to be blind and watching her testing things in front of him like a fool, her anger surged instantly.
She looked at him and sneered, “Was it fun for you?”
Avoiding her gaze, a rare hint of guilt flashed across his usually indifferent face.
Ye An was confused. “But… Why did you lie to me?”
Xie Shuo initially wanted to bring up the divorce thing, but seeing that she seemed to have forgotten that arrangement completely, he held back and explained, “When my vision was first restored, it wasn’t stable, so I didn’t tell you right away. Later… it was because we needed to deal with Zhang Junfeng, and I didn’t want any unnecessary complications.”
Afraid she might read too much into it, he added, “Telling Dad was for the sake of convenience.”
“…….”
This explanation was barely justifiable, but a sense of hurt still lingered in the depths of Ye An’s heart. Both Xie Baiyan and Zhong Fu were in the know while she was the only outsider, even less than Zhong Fu.
She really worried for him all that time for nothing.
Ye An’s expression went cold, and she walked over to the sofa and sat down, not wanting to talk to him anymore.
She sat on the sofa with her body turned to the side, her long hair cascading over her shoulders. The light apricot-colored sweater she wore highlighted her slender waist.
Xie Shuo had anticipated that she would be angry. Glancing at her back, he walked over and sat down beside her, holding her hand.
Ye An withdrew her hand, turned away from him, and gave him a cold side profile.
She was in a mood now, and it would take a while to appease her. Xie Shuo was in a hurry to leave, and when he saw the time, he frowned and said, “I have a matter to take care of. I’ll talk to you when I come back.”
He returned to the walk-in closet, changed his clothes, and left in a hurry.
Listening to his fading footsteps, Ye An finally turned around and also snapped back to reality.
He regained his vision the day after Xie Baiyan’s birthday, which meant that during these few days of her unbridledly changing clothes in front of him, stealing glances at his body, and even taking photos of him secretly…
He was able to see everything!
A wave of intense embarrassment washed over her, making her feel numb from head to toe. Unable to contain herself, Ye An grabbed the nearby cushion and vigorously kneaded it, burying her face in it. Momentarily, she couldn’t determine whether she was more angry or more embarrassed.
She buried her face in it and smashed against it a few times.
AHHHH, she didn’t want to see him ever again!
……
It wasn’t until dinner time that Ye An left her room. The living room and study were both empty, and the entire second floor was quiet and silent.
She came downstairs wearing slippers, and Auntie Zhou had already prepared dinner. Seeing her come down, Auntie Zhou informed her that when Xie Shuo left, he said he wouldn’t be coming back for dinner.
Hearing this, Ye An felt relieved. It was good that he wasn’t—saved her from being awkward.
Outside, the sky was gloomy, with layers of heavy clouds piling up and the wind rustling.
Before long, rain started to fall, pittering and pattering on the leaves and branches.
On the glass windows, a mist gradually formed.
After dinner, Ye An went to bed early after taking a shower to avoid Xie Shuo.
The sound of rain was pitter-pattering outside, uninterrupted for a long time. Wrapped in her blanket, Ye An slept lightly. In a daze, she saw a figure entering the room.
Walking to the bedside, Xie Shuo looked down at her from above apathetically, similar to how he appeared shortly after their marriage.
Ye An: ?
It’s you who lied to me, no?
I haven’t even done anything yet, and you’re the one with the sour expression now?
She struggled to open her eyes and attempted to sit up, but her whole body felt weak and she couldn’t move.
Xie Shuo looked at her for a moment before suddenly saying, “Let’s talk about the divorce matter.”
His tone was indifferent, devoid of any emotions.
Ye An was taken aback as if a dagger of ice pierced her heart. Just then, the sound of the door opening suddenly sounded…
She opened her eyes.
The light suddenly turned on, and Xie Shuo pushed the door open, entering the room.
… It turned out that it was just a dream.
Ye An half-raised her body and watched him approach, her mind still a bit muddleheaded.
The shorthand of the clock pointed at 11. Xie Shuo took off his coat exhaustively before glancing at her. “Did I wake you up?”
His voice was still relatively gentle.
Ye An said nothing, anxiously having the feeling that he might say… “Let’s talk about the divorce matter.”
Seeing her calm demeanor, Xie Shuo thought she had calmed down, so he didn’t bring up the topic of pretending to be blind again. He loosened his tie and went to grab his pajamas before taking a shower.
The rain continued to fall, their sound melancholic. As she watched his retreating figure, an indescribable emotion surged within Ye An. A sense of emptiness seemed to settle in her chest.
He had really regained his sight.
Then, their agreement should also be fulfilled, right?
She thought back to the scene in her dream just now, her heart palpitating for a moment before lying back down, but she couldn’t fall asleep for a long time.
After a while, the bathroom door opened, and Xie Shuo came out after his shower, lifting the covers and getting into bed.
Due to the board meeting tomorrow, he had little room to think about anything else. He reached out and pulled Ye An into his arms before closing his eyes and falling asleep.
Ye An also knew that he had a tough battle ahead. She glanced at him and momentarily suppressed her thoughts and didn’t fuss with him.
The next morning, when Ye An woke up, Xie Shuo had already changed into his clothes. He was dressed in a suit, with his pants straight, and displayed a cold aura.
Ye An looked at him and hesitated for a moment before asking, “Do you want me to accompany you there?”
Xie Shuo fastened the buttons of his shirt before turning around and saying, “No need, just rest well at home.”
Ye An gave the blanket a tug, about to lay back down, when he suddenly held out a tie in front of her and said, “Help me tie it.”
The man’s fingers were slender and clean; his gesture was very natural as he reached out his hand.
Ye An glanced at him and said nothing. She silently took the tie from his hand and knelt by the bedside before expertly tying an elegant Windsor knot for him.
After she finished tying the tie, Xie Shuo rolled up his sleeve, put on his watch, adjusted his collar, and then left the room.
Looking at him walk away, Ye An felt a sense of nostalgia, as if she had caught a glimpse of the once-spirited and confident man he used to be.
