“Naturally, you should figure it out yourself. Else, what’s the point?”
Ye An got up from his embrace and went to the other side of the sofa, placing her legs on top and crossing them.
Looking at her, Xie Shuo was about to respond when the sound of a phone vibrated.
Ye An retrieved her phone from the side of the sofa and checked the incoming call before answering it.
It was from Xiang Quan, who said there was a slight issue with the dubbing for the movie she had worked on recently, and they needed her to come in for some last-minute retakes.
In the end, Ye An didn’t get to hear Xie Shuo’s sweet talk. She hastily changed her clothes and rushed to the studio.
Fortunately, the issue was minor. After getting the situation sorted out, Ye An immersed herself in the recording booth and busied herself.
It was already 4:30 p.m. when the retakes were completed.
Ye An didn’t head home immediately. Instead, she hung out with Shi Shuangshuang at a nearby cafe.
Shi Shuangshuang had been incredibly busy recently due to a new script, and the two of them hadn’t had a chance to catch up in a long time.
After some hesitation, Shi Shuangshuang couldn’t suppress her curiosity about the rumor and asked, “Was the rumor about your divorce a while ago for real?”
Taking a sip of her coffee, Ye An threw a question back at her, “What do you think?”
Shi Shuangshuang: “I didn’t believe it at first, but there were just too many people circulating it as if it was real. Besides, have you noticed that you haven’t been showing any signs of PDA for a long time?”
Even when it was such chaos on Weibo, she didn’t show any signs of anything, which didn’t fit her image.
Ye An raised her eyes and glanced at Shi Shuangshuang.
She didn’t say anything and just picked up her phone before dialing a number.
“Hi Honey, where are you?”
Her tone was sweet and coyish, giving anyone listening goosebumps.
“So when are you coming to pick me up?”
“An hour? That’s too long…” She pouted and had a displeased expression. “No, I’ll only wait for you for 40 minutes. If you don’t arrive within 40 minutes, you’ll be sleeping in the study tonight.”
After ending the call, Ye An looked up and ran her fingers through her hair elegantly before smiling.
Their PDA was evident for all to see.
Shi Shuangshuang: “…….”
Sorry to have bothered you.
Shi Shuangshuang shut her mouth and never brought up their divorce again. Stirring her coffee, she changed the topic to discuss other gossip.
Outside the cafe, people were coming and going, and the sunlight gradually imbued with a warm hue.
About 40 minutes later, Xie Shuo arrived at the cafe in a rush.
The man walked through the glass door, tall and dashing, quickly attracting the attention of many.
Looking up, Ye An saw him at a glance, and her eyes involuntarily brightened.
“Your husband really has the looks of a stereotypical romance hero.”
Shi Shuangshuang followed her gaze, shaking her head ruefully, “I can’t imagine him being banished to the study by you. According to the usual plot, aren’t you supposed to be loving each other passionately and torturing each other to no end, with him taking you forcefully?”
In reality, Ye An wasn’t sure if she could accomplish the daunting and unusual task of sending Young Master Xie to sleep in the study. However, she was determined not to lose face. So, she said nothing and just raised her chin, giving off an untamed, willful, and spoiled indulgence.
Xie Shuo walked over to their seats.
“Done recording?”
His gaze swept over Shi Shuangshuang and then settled on Ye An, becoming gentle.
Ye An nodded and linked her arm through his naturally before turning to ask Shi Shuangshuang, “Wanna join us for dinner?”
Shi Shuangshuang had no desire to be the third wheel and quickly waved her hand. “No thanks. I have plans with Boss to discuss some matters tonight.”
The three of them left the cafe, with Shi Shuangshuang returning to the studio and Ye An and Xie Shuo heading toward their car parked by the road.
Xie Shuo didn’t use the chauffeur today. He drove by himself. After getting into the car, he leaned over to help her fasten her seatbelt.
Looking at his lips, Ye An couldn’t resist leaning in and brushing her lips against his fleetingly.
Xie Shuo looked up, his gaze landing on her face as he maintained his position, leaning toward her.
Ye An blinked her long, slightly curled eyelashes, her innocent look mixed with a hint of flirting and smugness.
Xie Shuo paused for a moment before securing her seatbelt and sitting back in his seat.
He turned his gaze back to the road ahead, his long fingers resting on the steering wheel. In the golden glow of the setting sun, his side profile seemed as if it had been enhanced with a beauty filter.
Ye An suddenly recalled the first time she had seen him and couldn’t help but steal a few more glances.
Soon after, the car started, driving into the gorgeous sunset, with the horizon painted in hues of gold.
Xie Shuo had made a reservation at a high-rise French restaurant. Through the floor-to-ceiling glass walls, they could overlook the city’s night skyline.
“Do you still need to go to the recording studio tomorrow?” Xie Shuo asked as he passed the place of perfectly sliced steak to her.
Ye An looked up and replied, “No.”
Xiang Quan didn’t know the real identity of “Mr. Wen,” so he didn’t assign any new projects to her.
Now that her remuneration had risen significantly, she no longer needed to take on every project like before.
After dinner, it was still quite early.
It was a warm spring day. Ye An didn’t rush home and pulled Xie Shuo for a stroll.
The night breeze was gentle and carried the scent of grill and charcoal. Hand in hand, they strolled with the smell of flowers wafting in the air.
There was a sense of joy in moments like this despite not doing much.
Surrounded by towering skyscrapers and colorful neon lights, a large LED screen high above was playing the latest movie trailers.
As the light and shadows danced across their faces, Xie Shuo suddenly asked as he looked at the trailer on the screen, “Wanna go watch a movie?”
The two of them had hardly ever had a proper date before, so when she heard his suggestion, Ye An was a bit surprised.
Looking up at him, she playfully scratched his palm and said with a smile, “Sure.”
It was a typical romantic movie, though its plot was a bit melodramatic. As they watched, Ye An couldn’t help but lean in and quietly remarked to him.
Holding her hand, Xie Shuo patiently listened to her, and his typically aloof expression softened.
As the movie approached its end, the story finally reached a happy ending. On the giant screen, the male lead took out a ring and proposed to the female lead.
The background was picturesque, and the music set a romantic mood. Ye An was nearly moved to tears, and she had forgotten any discontent from earlier.
The dim light from the screen cast a soft glow on her face, enhancing her slightly curled eyelashes and creating a stunning side profile.
Xie Shuo gazed at her focused side profile, lost in thought. His sight shifted slightly, landing on her left hand.
Between her fair and slender fingers, there was nothing.
After watching the movie, it was already pretty dark. They left the movie theater and didn’t engage in any other activities, driving straight back home.
During the day, while Ye An was away, Xie Shuo arranged for her things at the condo to be packed and moved back home.
After staying up late yesterday and having a busy afternoon today, Ye An was exhausted. She didn’t have the energy to bicker with him and went straight to bed after taking a shower.
Xie Shuo held her in his arms and kissed her, intending to do something more, but seeing that she couldn’t even keep her eyes open, he decided to let her rest.
Soon enough, Xie Baiyan found out about Ye An moving back, but he didn’t reprimand them. He simply chalked it up to youthful exuberance and recklessness, bickering and making up soon after.
For the following few days, Xie Shuo returned to his typical busy routine while Ye An, bounded by her “contract,” accompanied him.
Xie Shuo was a stereotypical workaholic, working to no limits if no one watched him.
Worried that he might genuinely experience a mishap, Ye An stayed by his side just like she used to, reading documents for him and trying to minimize the strain on his eyes.
In the blink of an eye, it was already Friday. The studio had arranged a live-streaming event at 7:30 p.m. for Ye An, so after dinner, she abandoned Xie Shuo and returned to the study to start up her laptop.
As soon as she said “Good evening,” after entering the live-streaming room, the screen was immediately filled with a flurry of bullet comments:
“Good evening, jiejie!”
“AHHHHHHHH, your beauty is off the charts!”
“Sis, are you barefaced? I envy your flawless skin…”
“Jiejie’s voice is so gentle tonight…”
“I unilaterally declare that this is my wifey!”
“CEO Xie with a poker face: Who dares to steal my wife? Come chat with me.”
……
After exchanging greetings, Ye An chatted with the audience for a while before moving on to the interactive segment. Fans would suggest characters or dialogue scenes, and Ye An would do live voiceovers for them.
The live-streaming room was bustling with activity, and the viewer count continued to rise.
Ye An switched between characters like she had split personalities, not even pausing to take a sip of water.
At a certain point toward the end of the livestream, a bold fan asked, “Jiejie, is CEO Xie there?”
Immediately, many others chimed in.
Ye An was briefly taken aback and glanced toward the door of the study before responding, “He’s at home, but he’s not here with me.”
Once this topic was brought up, it couldn’t be contained, and soon another fan asked, “Jiejie, jiejie, how do you and CEO Xie usually get along?”
Just as Ye An was about to reply, the door of the study was suddenly pushed open, and a figure walked in.
Xie Shuo approached her from behind and placed a cup of tea beside her laptop.
The screen immediately exploded with comments:
“?”
“I think I just saw a man’s figure…”
“Is that CEO Xie?”
“AHHHHH, was CEO Xie concerned about jiejie being thirsty that he brought tea over?”
“So sweet!”
“The CP I shipped finally set sail! Waaah…”
From the camera angle, only Xie Shuo’s upper body and arms were visible; his face couldn’t be seen at all. However, this didn’t dampen the excitement of the fans.
Just as Xie Shuo was about to turn around and leave after placing the cup down, Ye An glanced at the screen filled with comments and grabbed his arm, saying, “Honey, would you like to say hello to my fans?”
She adjusted the camera toward him, so now his jawline was partly visible.
Xie Shuo paused for a few seconds before nodding slightly toward the screen. “En.”
“En?”
“Just this?”
“AHAHAHAHA, he’s too aloof!”
“A true domineering CEO-style indifference.”
“CEO Xie: Don’t think I don’t know you all want to steal my wife!”
……
Ye An had a good laugh and didn’t pay any more attention to him. She continued to interact with her fans.
Suddenly, an observant fan spotted “Little Penguin,” Yin Yin placed in the corner and curiously asked, “Jiejie, is that a penguin in your room?”
Ye An turned to look and said, “It’s an AI robot.”
It was just upgraded and came back yesterday.
“So cute!”
Another fan asked, “Is this penguin bought by CEO Xie?”
Without another thought, Ye An replied frankly, “Yes, he gave it to me.”
“Seriously?”
“AHAHAHAHA, his lofty and aloof image crumbled in one second…”
“From now on, I will picture CEO Xie’s face as a penguin.”
“OP, are you the devil in disguise? I’ve already forgotten CEO Xie’s good looks.”
“OMG, this is too hilarious. AHAHAHAHA…”
“Gifting your wife a penguin… that’s too sweet! AHHH, I’m totally into this cold exterior and warm interior image!”
……
On the screen, besides the jokes and laughter, many CP fans were exclaiming.
After the livestream ended, related topics quickly emerged on Weibo and forums, where netizens were discussing in fervor.
Some netizens even created stickers of a domineering CEO penguin, all in good fun.
After showering, Ye An was leaning against the headboard, scrolling through Weibo when she came across the stickers, and she couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Xie Shuo, wearing a robe, also got into bed. Seeing her nestled in the blankets, laughing crazily, he leaned over and asked, “What’s so funny?”
Ye An suppressed her laughter and showed him one of the penguin images. “Doesn’t it look like you?”
Xie Shuo: “…….”
Looking at his indifferent handsome face, Ye An couldn’t resist poking him with her finger. “Not quite; you’re not cute at all.”
There was a sparkle in her eyes as her slightly curled and long eyelashes fluttered. Xie Shuo caught her finger and held it in his palm, his gaze fixated on her rosy lips.
Before he could react, Ye An leaned in and kissed him on the lips.
However, she always just provoked and didn’t take responsibility for what came after. After the kiss, she nonchalantly turned around and placed her phone on the nightstand, getting ready to lie down and sleep.
In the next moment, her waist was embraced from behind, and she bumped into a strong and familiar embrace. His scent overwhelmed her as he held her tightly, without any room for escape.
In the quiet of the night, as the wind rustled and the moonlight danced gently, they remained entwined, undisturbed for a long while.
……
