The sunset painted the sky. Ye An walked into the headquarters while carrying her purse.
Usually, she would come with Xie Shuo, but appearing alone this time caught the front desk off guard. They were taken aback momentarily before quickly coming forward to greet her respectfully, “Madam.”
Ye An smiled and nodded toward her before walking through the corridor, heading toward Xie Shuo’s office.
A female secretary quickly approached to guide her, knocking on the office door.
When Ye An entered, Xie Shuo sat at his desk looking through documents. He wore a white button-up, black pants, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched on his nose, appearing to be a refined delinquent.
He rarely wore glasses before, but after regaining his vision, occasional use became normal due to eye strain.
Looking up and spotting Ye An approaching, his stern expression softened into a gentle smile.
Ye An walked up to the desk, leaning her slender figure against the edge, and asked, “Still not done with work?”
Xie Shuo looked at his watch; it was half past five.
“Almost.”
Ye An didn’t rush him, pulling a chair over and sitting beside him. With her chin resting on her hand, she observed as he reviewed documents then signed and stamped them.
His fingers holding the pen were clean and slender, his gaze slightly lowered, and reflections danced on the lenses of his glasses.
After watching for a while, Ye An took out her phone from her purse and adjusted the angle discreetly before snapping a photo of him.
A moment later, Xie Shuo finished with the documents and was about to remove his gold-rimmed glasses when Ye An stopped him, “Don’t take them off yet!”
Xie Shuo paused in his movements.
Leaning forward, Ye An scratched his chin and said with a playful smile, “I’ve found that you, with this appearance, look quite like a refined delinquent. Let me look a bit more.”
Refined delinquent… Upon hearing these words, Xie Shuo reached over and grabbed the hand she placed on the table.
Capturing the subtle change in his expression, Ye An could naturally guess his thoughts after being married for so long. She stood up and sat on his lap before wrapping her arms around his neck.
“What are you thinking?”
She leaned in and asked softly by his ear.
Holding her waist, Xie Shuo’s eyes darkened slightly behind his glasses. “Thinking about what a refined delinquent should do.”
Sometimes, the more serious and formal the place, the more it stirred up the desire to do something naughty.
Ye An had never been a docile person. She wrapped one hand around his neck as the other traced his jaw, sliding down along his Adam’s apple to the buttons of his shirt.
The reason she dared to be so wantonly was that she was certain that Xie Shuo wouldn’t make any moves on her.
With his workaholic and serious attitude, she simply didn’t believe he would do anything inappropriate to her in this office.
However, she clearly underestimated the man’s self-control…
In the next moment, her waist was grabbed, and her entire body was lifted, then placed onto the desk, her skirt spreading out like water.
Ye An was taken aback. Why did things not go as she had anticipated?
Xie Shuo pushed his chair back and unbuttoned the collar of his shirt, revealing his collarbone, before unfastening his cufflinks, giving off the appearance that was unmistakably preparing for business.
Ye An couldn’t help becoming nervous. Her fingers gripped the edge of the desk, sitting back slightly with the documents that he just reviewed behind her.
“What do you want to do? This is the office.”
Xie Yan glanced at her. His glance clearly conveying the message: “Isn’t that what you brought yourself up here for?”
Ye An: “…….”
Leaning forward, Xie Shuo suppressed his desires and propped both of his hands on either side of her.
The desk was cold and hard, and Ye An’s legs were still a bit sore. Unprepared to do something like that with him in this kind of place, she timely pressed his hands when he lowered his head, taking the initiative to kiss him.
She brushed against his lips fleetingly as if comforting him.
Xie Shuo wrapped his arm around her back, deepening the kiss.
After a while, Ye An, still embracing his neck, descended from the desk. Taking advantage of the moment, she softened her tone and said, “Honey, I’m hungry. Let’s get dinner?”
Xie Shuo looked down at her, the dark depths of his eyes revealing that he didn’t want to just let her off so easily.
Ye An kissed him again, one hand holding onto his arm and the other picking up her purse. “Are you done with work?”
Xie Shuo looked at her fervently and suddenly pulled her back into his embrace before placing her on the desk again.
Before Ye An could react, her lips were sealed again, and she couldn’t break free. She could only pat his shoulder.
After a while, Xie Shuo finally released her and straightened up before adjusting his shirt collar and sleeves, once again displaying that gentlemanly appearance.
Ye An’s red lips were slightly swollen. She couldn’t but kick his shin.
Xie Shuo paused, casting a sidelong glance at her.
Ye An immediately became timid, fearing he might change his mind and really proceed with something here. She quickly jumped off the desk, but her legs were numb, nearly causing her to fall. Xie Shuo reached out to support her.
He smelled clean and pleasant, so Ye An didn’t push him away, leaning affectionately against him as they walked out.
However, just as they exited the office, they ran into Zhong Fu and two other familiar high-level executives, along with… other assistants.
“…….”
Ye An froze.
Why didn’t he inform her that there were people outside?
Fortunately, they hadn’t really done anything inside… She subtly straightened her posture to be more proper, attempting to salvage some of the dignity befitting the CEO’s wife.
The gazes of the onlookers were peculiar, silently observing. Zhong Fu had no choice but to take the bullet and said, “President Xie, the contents from the meeting this afternoon have been organized…”
Xie Shuo, true to his “refined delinquent” reputation, remained completely unruffled, calmly saying, “I’ll deal with it later.”
With that, he embraced Ye An and walked through the corridor, heading toward the elevator.
They took the elevator down to the garage. After getting in the car, Ye An still felt a bit embarrassed, and the flush on her face had yet to subside. She took out a small mirror from her purse, intending to touch up on her makeup.
While rummaging through her purse, she accidentally touched the ring box inside. She hesitated for a moment, initially planning to have Xie Shuo put the ring on her finger, but when she looked up and saw him leaning against his seat, appearing calm and composed, combined with the incident at the office at first, she felt she couldn’t let him be so complacent. So, she stuffed the ring box back into her purse.
Hmph, we’ll see when he behaves well next time.
After having dinner, it was still quite early, so the two of them took a stroll in the courtyard outside the restaurant before heading home.
On the way back, they encountered traffic.
The street lights stretched into the distance, and the cars moved like snails in the slow-moving traffic. Ye An turned to the side and spotted a girl by the road singing to the passersby while holding a guitar, with long hair flowing down her back.
Xie Shuo followed her gaze and recalled something before saying, “I remember you sang a song before?”
Hearing this, Ye An turned around and raised an eyebrow. “I’ve sung more than just one song. Which one are you talking about?”
Looking into her eyes, Xie Shuo said, “The time you were drunk and came back, saying you wanted to sing a song for me while holding a guitar.”
Ye An reminisced for a moment before realizing which occasion he was referring to. She laughed, “You mean ‘Youth’? That was the OST of the movie I shot in college. It’s not very well-known. Why do you ask?”
Xie Shuo held her hand and whispered, “How about singing it again when we get back?”
Ye An couldn’t help but chuckle. She leaned in, raised her chin, and said, “Didn’t you shun it at that time? Why do you want to hear it now?”
Xie Shuo playfully pinched her chin, attempting to lower his head for a kiss, but she evaded him.
She rolled her eyes and said teasingly, “Depends on my mood.”
Despite her words, when they returned home, Ye An accompanied Xie Shuo to the music room. She retrieved the guitar that had been accumulating dust and started playing and singing.
The lively and melodious melody filled the air, her vocals clear and bright, accompanied by the light night breeze.
The woman, dressed in a light-colored dress, was focused on her performance, radiating a soft glow as the curtains behind her swayed gently, resembling the flow of water.
She gently plucked the strings, and a hint of youthful vigor emerged in her expression.
When she sang this song initially, Ye An was at the prime of her youthful, frivolous era. Although she was tired from the daily hustle and bustle, she was filled with both passion and hope, so the lyrics and melody were vibrant and full of life.
Xie Shuo stood quietly on the side, watching her. It was as if, across the expanse of time, he glimpsed her past self.
At that moment, a thought flashed through her mind. If, back when they first met, he had just asked for her name, could they have been together a little earlier?
As the song came to an end, Ye An stood up and set aside the guitar, asking him, “How was it?”
This time, Xie Shuo finally didn’t remain silent like the last time and said with a smile, “Beautiful.”
Ye An was very satisfied with this response. Turning around, she saw the piano covered by a cloth nearby and asked, “You can play the piano, right?”
Xie Shuo followed her gaze and replied, “En.”
He had learned it since elementary school, purely for the purpose of cultivating his artistic talent and enhancing his appreciation for the arts.
Ye An grabbed his hand, her eyes brightening. “Play for me then?”
Xie Shuo was about to walk over when he suddenly thought of something. “Not today, a while later.”
Did playing the piano require lighting incense, bathing, and choosing an auspicious day, or what?
Ye An couldn’t understand what he was thinking. Was it because he hadn’t played in a long time, so he wanted to practice first?
Before she could figure it out, Xie Shuo had already taken her back to the bedroom.
Due to the reckless behavior in the afternoon, that night, Ye An deeply experienced what a true “refined delinquent” was. The next day, she almost couldn’t get out of bed again.
……
On Thursday, Xie Shuo had an appointment for a check-up at Cen Qingyan’s place to check on the recovery of his eyes.
Although Ye An knew it was just a routine check-up, she was still worried. The night before, she tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
Sensing her unease, Xie Shuo embraced her from behind, his lips brushing against her neck, “Can’t sleep?”
Ye An had no intention of being intimate with him at the moment. She turned around, using the dim light to look into his eyes, and asked worriedly, “You said your eyes hurt a few days ago. Are there any other symptoms?”
Xie Shuo was slightly taken aback, looking at her for a moment before asking, “If I were to lose my sight again, would you leave?”
Ye An kicked him from under the blanket, “Don’t make such assumptions!”
Xie Shuo chuckled and pulled her closer into his arms, whispering, “Go to sleep.”
Ye An leaned against his chest, listening to his steady heartbeat before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.
……
On that day, it wasn’t particularly sunny as the sun hid behind the clouds, and the leaves on the tree-lined path swayed gently.
After arriving at the clinic, Xie Shuo went in for an examination. Meanwhile, Ye An waited for him outside just as usual.
Before entering, she gave him a hug just like she did the first time, saying, “I’ll be waiting for you outside.”
There were not many people in the corridor. Ye An felt more at ease and calm compared to the previous visits. Leaning against the chair, she gazed toward the window at the end of the corridor. Spring had arrived, and the branches were lush and green.
This time, the check-up didn’t take long. Cen Qingyan gave some instructions and informed Xie Shuo that the follow-up visits could be extended to once every three months. After half a year, he probably wouldn’t need to come anymore.
Exiting the medical room, Xie Shuo immediately spotted the familiar figure waiting outside. The sunlight gently basked her in a warm glow.
In the tumultuous year that followed his accident, he was trapped in darkness, experiencing too much disappointment. At one point, he felt restless, unwilling to undergo examinations or surgery, thinking it was all meaningless.
He didn’t know when it started, but he no longer feared or rejected it because… she would always be here waiting for him.
Regardless of what kind of result.
Regardless of whether he could see or not.
Hearing the noise, Ye An turned around, and just like before, she smiled brightly.
Xie Shuo also smiled. He stood in place, tall and upright, holding his hand toward her.
Smiling, Ye An quickly walked over and threw herself into his arms.
“Let’s go home.”
