Staring at her name on the contract, Ye An was stunned for a while, finding it hard to believe that Xie Shuo could do such a thing.
She turned around, intending to confront him, but her gaze met a pair of eyes filled with mirth, and her resolve weakened.
This man used to have a perpetually stern face and was impervious to humor. Now, he smiled as if it cost him nothing.
Ye An struggled to regain her focus after being charmed by his looks and said, “You’re the one who grabbed my hand to sign my name. The signature isn’t right, so the contract doesn’t count.”
Xie Shuo didn’t release his hold and pulled her back into his embrace, leaning in close to her ear. “Written in black ink on white paper, how can it not count?”
As soon as he mentioned “written in black ink on white paper,” Ye An couldn’t help but remember the trick she had played on him before and the image of forcefully kissing him, making her confidence waver.
How could she have been so bold back then?
But this wasn’t the time to be timid. Ye An straightened her back, placed her hand on his chest, pushed him away slightly, and said with a playful smile, “If I say it doesn’t count, it doesn’t count. Besides, the name on the contract isn’t even yours.”
When she smiled, there seemed to be a twinkle in her eyes. Xie Shuo’s gaze subtly intensified as he tightened his grip around her waist.
Ye An had a feeling he was about to repeat his previous antics, getting close to teasing her, so she moved slightly away before he could make a move.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be heading back.”
As she got up to leave, she was unsurprisingly pulled back into his embrace.
Just as she was about to free herself from his hold, he rested his chin on her shoulder and said, “I went to Professor Cen’s clinic a couple of days ago.”
Upon hearing this, Ye An was no longer in the mood for playful banter with him and quickly turned to ask, “What happened? Aren’t your eyes healed now? Is there another issue?”
Xie Shuo looked at her but remained silent.
Meeting his playful gaze, Ye An finally realized what was going on, and her cheeks flushed. She was genuinely annoyed and kicked his shins. “If you use this to trick me again, you can just be alone from now on!”
“I didn’t lie to you.”
Xie Shuo wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. “Professor Cen said that I’ve been overworking my eyes lately and need more rest. Otherwise, there’s a risk of a relapse.”
Ye An was still somewhat irked and quipped, “You only have work on your mind. Are you really worried about a relapse?”
Her originally fair earlobes turned slightly red. Xie Yan glanced at it and couldn’t help but turn to give it a kiss as he said hoarsely, “Stay and help me?”
Ye An was left in a daze after his kiss, her entire body tingling. She turned to push him away and said, “If you’re talking, just talk; stop trying to take advantage of me.”
Xie Shuo looked up, loosened his hold on her slightly, and his hand slid down her wrist to cover her soft hand. His gaze rested on the contract before him.
“If you stay and help me, I won’t be so exhausted.”
Ye An followed his gaze and thinking about the act he had just put on, suddenly felt like laughing. “Where did you learn all this? You’re so childish.”
“Even from Senior Wen…” Ye An turned to playfully poke at his shoulder. “Did you think I was that easy to fool? If I hadn’t come, let’s see how you would’ve managed.”
Xie Shuo didn’t respond; he already knew he couldn’t fool her. He was just having a try.
Fortunately, his try was a success.
He let go of her, leaned backed against the sofa, unbuttoned his collar, and a hint of weariness showed between his eyes.
Thinking about what he had just said about Cen Qingyan’s warning, Ye An couldn’t help but soften her heart. “Do you have a headache? I’ll give you a massage?”
Xie Shuo smiled and held her hand before saying, “Let’s have dinner first.”
Ye An had just flown over, and she was indeed a bit hungry, so she nodded.
“Shall we have dinner delivered or go downstairs to eat?”
“Let’s go downstairs.”
Xie Shuo got up, held her hand, and they left for the restaurant downstairs.
After dinner, the two of them wandered around the island, and Ye An didn’t bring up the topic of leaving again.
What she wanted was his genuine affection. When she had insisted on a divorce, it was because she felt he had no feelings for her. Now that he was openly showing his emotions and going to such lengths for her, she had no reason to harbor any grudges.
Ye An had always been kind to herself and had no intention of deceiving herself. Love was love. There was no need to make decisions against one’s heart.
…….
The next day, Ye An accompanied Xie Shuo to meet a business partner, a middle-aged British-Chinese man named Mr. Fei.
Xie Shuo introduced her in English, saying, “This is my wife.”
Mr. Fei seemed surprised that he had brought his wife along, and he turned to compliment, “Your wife is truly beautiful.”
Ye An blushed slightly and smiled before sitting down with Xie Shuo, listening to them talk.
Her gaze gradually focused on Xie Shuo’s face. It had to be said that the way this man earnestly discussed business had a unique charm; even his eyelashes seemed to shimmer, making it hard to look away.
After the meeting, Ye An linked her arm with his and accompanied him back to the hotel. When they entered their room, she suddenly remembered something and turned to say, “Do you think I should go take a course?”
Xie Shuo squeezed her hand and asked, “For what?”
Ye An sat on the sofa with him and said, “It’s nothing, just thinking of learning a couple more languages to make dubbing easier.”
Xie Shuo replied, “No need to go through all that trouble. I can teach you.”
Ye An looked at him. “Besides English, do you know any other languages?”
“I also know French. If you want to learn, I can teach you.”
Without waiting for her response, Xie Shuo turned to her and said a phrase in French, “Jetaime.”
Ye An: “…….”
Did you think I couldn’t understand even such a simple phrase as “I love you”?
Xie Shuo reminded her, “Repeat after me.”
Ye An: Heh.
Ye An grabbed his tie, pulled him forward, and leaned in to whisper in his ear, “Your approach is so old-fashioned, it lacks any creativity.”
Moreover, it wasn’t romantic at all! I don’t want to hear a confession in this context!
As she pulled him forward, Xie Shuo took the opportunity to embrace her slender waist and press her down onto the sofa.
Ye An hadn’t expected the sudden shift to such an ambiguous position. After being stunned for a moment, she quickly let go of his tie.
Xie Shuo, however, showed no intention of getting up. He used one hand to support himself beside her, towering over her with deep, alluring eyes.
Ye An looked up while lying down with a view of his smooth jawline and sexy Adam’s apple; his collar buttoned all the way up. She felt oddly nervous and pushed against his shoulders to free herself, scooting to sit at the corner of the sofa.
“Don’t you have something to do later?”
Xie Yan glanced at her and didn’t insist further. He calmly redid his tie, his action refined yet filled with lust.
Ye An’s heart raced… She had once again shamefully succumbed to his charms.
Soon, an assistant knocked on the door and came in to report something to Xie Shuo.
The first few days after arriving on the island, Xie Shuo was super busy, and Ye An stayed by his side, helping him read some documents and occasionally bickering with him as if they had returned to the past.
After completing most work matters, they didn’t rush back to China. Instead, they spent two more days on the island.
The weather was perfect, with a gentle breeze and sunny skies. The sea stretched endlessly toward the horizon, with waves rolling in and out one after the other.
On the beach by the seaside, parasols dotted the area like mushrooms as tourists came and went.
Xie Shuo lay on a sunbed, wearing sunglasses, and relaxed with his eyes closed.
Ye An, in a sundress, lay beside him with a beach towel draped over her back, exposing half of her fair shoulders.
Turning around slightly, her gaze traced the contours of the man’s chest and paused on his well-defined muscles.
She extended a finger and playfully poked on his abs.
Xie Shuo opened his eyes, removed his sunglasses, and turned to look at her.
Ye An met his gaze for a moment before quickly withdrawing her hand with a mischievous smile. She pretended as if nothing had happened, wrapped her towel closer, and turned to gaze out at the sea.
A man wearing floral swim trunks stood in the sea, raising his arms in a super cool pose while asking his friends to help him take a photo.
Just as the shutter clicked, a large wave suddenly crashed down and pounced on him…
His floral swim trunks were washed away…
“AHAHAHAHA….”
“Quick, look! That guy lost his trunks!”
Laughter echoed all around. Upon hearing the commotion, Ye An immediately sat up and looked toward the scene.
However, it was quite far away, so the scene was quite indistinct.
Curious, she craned her neck, trying to get a better view. But suddenly, her vision was blocked by a large, cool hand gently covering her eyes.
“What are you doing? Don’t block me!”
Ye An grabbed his wrist, attempting to pry his hand away, but she lacked the strength to overpower him.
During the struggle, his lips suddenly descended upon hers.
After a long while, the warmth of his lips finally left, and his hand withdrew from her eyes.
Her vision restored, and Ye An found herself leaning against him, her lips red and slightly swollen, glistening with a hint of moisture, making her look particularly seductive.
Looking up, she met his eyes, and she couldn’t help but blush even more, the heat scorching to her ear lobes.
…… When this man got serious, she was no match for him at all!
“There are still people around!”
Ye An glared at him, scanned their surroundings, and upon realizing that nobody was watching, she relaxed. She got up from his arms and wrapped the towel even more tightly around herself.
Xie Shuo’s gaze brushed over her lips, and he smiled before lying down once more.
After a while, Ye An lay down on her side and reached for her phone nearby before opening her camera to openly snap a side profile of him.
Perhaps due to excessive exposure to the sun, when they returned to the hotel that evening, Xie Shuo experienced an unusual headache and discomfort in his eyes.
Ye An helped massage his temples for a while. Seeing that he seemed to be feeling a bit better, she helped him up and prepared to return to her room.
But before she could stand up, he pulled her into his arms.
Ye An bumped into his chest and turned to glare at him. “You already have a headache like this; what do you still want to do?”
He always used this tactic, and she wondered if he ever planned to try something different.
Under the soft light, Xie Shuo held her waist, his forehead against hers, before saying, “After we go back… stop living in the condo?”
Ye An was taken aback, almost forgetting about this aspect.
Looking at his slightly pale face and remembering his recent efforts to please her, she pursed her lips and turned her head away before giving a vague response, “Let’s discuss it when we get back.”
Usually, when she said something like that, it was equivalent to giving her consent.
Xie Shuo smiled. As she prepared to get up, he pulled her back into his arms and held her hand.
Ye An gently brushed his hand aside and asked, “What’s with you now?”
Looking at her, Xie Shuo said softly, “Why don’t… you stay here tonight?”
Ye An: “…….”
Hmph, men.
