Epilogue: Ye An & Xie Shuo
As the season changed to summer, the weather became increasingly hot. Under the scorching sun, the chorus of cicadas echoed incessantly, and even the leaves of the plants beside the road wilted.
Ye An, having just woken up from an afternoon nap, nestled on the sofa, reluctant to move. The AC was set low, and she covered herself with a thin blanket, revealing her calves.
It had been over a month since her wedding ceremony with Xie Shuo, and he had returned to his busy schedule, perhaps even busier than before.
Ye An, on the other hand, was so free. She had just finished dubbing a drama last week and hadn’t taken on any new projects lately. The studio was managed by Xiang Quan, and she had also hired an assistant, so there was not much for her to handle.
It was super sunny outside, so she decided to stay at home and rest.
Ye An crossed her legs and lay on the sofa, playing on her phone for a while before getting up to fetch an English pronunciation practice book from the study.
The upgraded Little Penguin, Yin Yin, stood in the corner by the wall, reminding her to take breaks periodically.
The summer days were long, and even by 5:00 p.m., the sunlight was still somewhat dazzling, with the heat almost penetrating through the glass windows.
Ye An checked the time, and as usual, sent a message to Xie Shuo, asking if he had any social gatherings for the night.
Xie Shuo quickly replied with an affirmative answer.
Ye An reminded him to “drink less” and “take care of your eyes” before putting down her phone and getting up to stretch.
Just as she stood up, she remembered something and picked up her phone again, adding, “Come home early.”
Sitting in his chair at the office, Xie Shuo shifted his gaze away from the documents on the desk, and a loving smile appeared on his face as he looked at his phone.
……
After dinner, Ye An took a short stroll in the garden before returning to her bedroom to chat and play games with Shi Shuangshuang and the rest.
Shi Shuangshuang messaged her: “You’ve been so free lately. You’re not gonna go on a honeymoon with CEO Xie?”
Thinking of the honeymoon at Qianyue Mountain, she replied: “We already went on one.”
After the wedding ceremony, she did consider planning a proper honeymoon, but unfortunately, Xie Shuo was too busy, and since he didn’t bring it up, she suppressed the idea.
Well, who asked her to marry a workaholic?
……
Around 8:00 p.m., as night fell and the starry sky glittered above, the bedroom door was pushed open. A tall figure walked in, and Ye An was deeply engrossed in her game, completely oblivious to the approaching footsteps.
Xie Shuo walked to her side, bent down, and embraced her from behind, resting his chin in the crook of her shoulder.
His warm breath puffed on her neck, and Ye An finally sensed his presence. It just so happened that the game ended, so she turned around and smiled. “You’re back?”
Xie Shuo embraced her waist, uttering a soft, “En.”
Ye An gently hooked his chin with her fair index finger and said, “You came back relatively early today. Keep it up in the future.”
Xie Shuo glanced at her phone. “Stayed at home all day?”
Ye An nodded, “It’s too hot; I don’t wanna go out.”
While speaking, she grabbed his tie and pulled him closer. “Did you drink?”
Xie Shuo didn’t answer but followed her movement, leaning down to kiss her on the lips.
No scent of alcohol.
Ye An was pleased. On the other end of her phone, Shu Shuangshuang excitedly shouted, “An An, where are you? Hurry up, it’s about to start!”
Ye An picked up her phone again, and just when she was about to speak, her waist was suddenly pinched by Xie Shuo.
She patted his hand, handing him the phone. “Play a round for me?”
Taking it, Xie Shuo started playing on her behalf.
Ye An leaned on his shoulder, watching his moves and occasionally giving him some pointers.
After the round ended, Shi Shuangshuang shouted on the other end, “Did you get some help or what? This isn’t your skill level!”
Ye An was delighted, kissing him on the corner of his lips as a reward. Xie Shuo immediately closed the phone and held the back of her head, deepening the kiss.
……
When they parted, Ye An was now sitting on Xie Shuo’s lap. His tie had been taken off and thrown to the side; the two collar buttons of his shirt were undone, revealing a flush on his collarbone.
This appearance made people itch with desire.
Ye An suppressed her stirring thoughts and pushed his chest before saying disdainfully, “You’re full of sweat; go take a shower.”
Xie Shuo held her and kissed her two more times before letting go and getting up.
Ye An grabbed his PJs for him and placed them in the bathroom. This time, Xie Shuo didn’t take advantage of this to mess around with her.
Ye An showered after him. When she came out of the bathroom, the bedroom was empty, and there was no sign of Xie Shuo.
Ye An walked out of the bedroom and looked toward the direction of the study. As expected, the light was on inside, casting a long beam of light through the partially closed door.
She walked over and pushed the door open, finding him sitting at the desk, typing on the keyboard in front of the laptop. The glasses perched on the bridge of his nose reflected a glimmer of light.
Ye An: …. Finally back early for once, and he’s still working overtime at home.
This man had no sense of moderation when he got busy. Thinking about his eyes, Ye An pushed the door open and walked in.
Hearing the sound, Xie Shuo looked up and glanced at her before continuing with his work.
Ye An walked over to his side and leaned against the side of the chair, resting her elbow on his shoulder before leaning in close to his ear and saying, “Still not sleeping?”
The smell of body wash wafted in the air, and Xie Shuo kneaded her fingertips, saying, “You go to bed first.”
Ye An raised her other hand. Initially, she intended to take off his glasses, but after some thought, she changed her mind.
She smiled and extended the tip of her foot to gently brush against his shin.
For the first few touches, Xie Shuo didn’t react.
Ye An leaned in again by his ear and blew a breath. “Honey…”
Just as she finished blowing, her waist was embraced, and Xie Shuo lifted her onto his lap.
Ye An wrapped her arm around his neck with a playful smile and asked, “Really not sleeping?”
Xie Shuo’s eyes darkened, finally taking off his glasses. He pinched her chin and leaned down to kiss her.
The sounds in the room continued until midnight, and the two took another shower.
Ye An, feeling weak all over, curled up in Xie Shuo’s arms, almost drifting off to sleep when she suddenly heard him ask, “Where do you want to go for our honeymoon?”
With drooping eyelids, she mumbled, “With how busy you are every day, do you even have time to go on a honeymoon?”
Xie Shuo said nothing, just kissed her forehead.
Extremely sleepy, Ye An randomly mentioned, “How about Africa? I want to dig for diamonds and become richer than you.”
Xie Shuo: “…….”
First Antarctica, now Africa.
Her thought process was always so unconventional.
Completely oblivious to his reaction, Ye An held his waist and snuggled in his embrace before drifting into a deep sleep.
The next day, as per his routine, Xie Shuo woke up early and went to work. Ye An stood in front of the mirror, going through her morning routine, when she suddenly recalled his question from last night and paused.
He finally remembered that they hadn’t gone on a proper honeymoon?
However, after that, Xie Shuo hadn’t brought up the topic of their honeymoon again.
Ye An speculated that he might have considered it but was overwhelmed with his responsibilities. She didn’t dwell on it too much since they had plenty of time ahead. Whenever they found the time, they could always plan and make up for it.
……
Days passed amid the hustle and bustle, and with the arrival of winter, the foliage turned yellow.
One day at the end of November, Xie Shuo suddenly took her to the hospital for a check-up,
His unexpected move left Ye An a bit uneasy. Lately, the pressure from his grandfather and the rest to have children had been increasing. Could it be that he couldn’t resist any longer and wanted children now?
Ye An didn’t oppose the idea of having children, but the suddenness of it all made her a bit anxious. They hadn’t discussed it beforehand, and they hadn’t even started preparing for pregnancy.
That night, after taking a shower, Ye An climbed into bed. Seeing Xie Shuo sitting at the bedside looking at a document, she leaned over and asked, “Why did you suddenly decide to have a check-up today? Did Grandpa and Dad pressure you again?”
Xie Shuo looked up, stunned.
Seeing his reaction, Ye An thought she had guessed right. She moved closer to him and said, “Such an important matter, why didn’t you discuss it with me…”
Before she could finish her sentence, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a line on the document in his hand… Antarctic Travel Plan.
She was stunned. “What’s this?”
Xie Shuo handed her the document. “Didn’t you say you wanted to go to Antarctica for our honeymoon?”
Ye An: …….?
They were really going to Antarctica!
Ye An was shocked. When she came back to her senses, she snatched the travel plan and started reading it carefully.
“When did you start planning this?”
Ye An looked up, overjoyed.
Xie Shuo smiled. “Don’t wanna go?”
“Of course, I wanna!”
No wonder he had been extremely busy in the past few months. Despite her constant nagging, it turned out he was busy preparing for this trip.
Ye An hugged his neck and gave him a deep kiss on his cheek. “I love you!”
Xie Shuo embraced her waist, then changed the topic suddenly, picking up on what she misunderstood earlier. “You want to have a baby?”
Ye AnL “…….”
“No!”
Ye An pushed him away coldly and turned to the side before immersing herself in looking at the travel plan.
Seeing the departure date on top, she couldn’t help but worry, “We’re leaving early next month, and I haven’t prepared anything. Won’t it be too rushed?”
Afraid she would spend the whole night dwelling on it, Xie Shuo took the paper from her hand and placed it on the nightstand.
Ye An reached out to grab it, but he pulled her into his arms. “I’ve already arranged everything. You just need to bring yourself.”
Leaning against him, Ye An was overjoyed and kissed his chin, her eyes sparkling as if she had already stepped into the icy world of Antarctica, seeing groups of penguins.
……
In early December, the couple, well-prepared, embarked on their honeymoon to Antarctica.
Before leaving, Ye An patted the little head of Yin Yin in the study and said with a smile, “We’re going to see your relatives!”
Yin Yin excitedly flapped its small wings. “I want to go too! I want to go too!”
Ye An couldn’t help but chuckle and waved at it before walking out of the study arm-in-arm with Xie Shuo.
The preliminary plan for this trip was set for a month. They would first take a private plane to King George Island and then board a cruise ship heading toward the Antarctic Peninsula.
On the day they boarded the cruise ship, while there was still a signal, Ye An took a photo and posted it on her WeChat Moments.
Caption: Honeymoon in Antarctica…
The photo received an immediate flood of comments…
“Antarctica?”
“Is this a ‘Once in a Lifetime’ series? Share itinerary!”
“Can you buy a penguin back for me? Or maybe a seal?”
……
The scenery along the way was infinite, and the two enjoyed the views as if they had entered another world.
In December, Antarctica had long daylight hours, and the weather was relatively warm.
On the azure sea, glaciers floated, and in the distance, there was an endless expanse of pristine white snow.
In the midst of the ice and snow, Ye An finally saw living penguins. They moved in groups, walking clumsily yet cutely.
Leaning against Xie Shuo’s embrace, she pointed to one of them and said, “Look, doesn’t that one resemble Yin Yin?”
In reality, they were quite far away, and only the general outlines could be discerned, but she still thought it looked like Yin Yin.
Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, Xie Shuo looked in the direction that she pointed at and responded with an “En.”
Ye An turned around and cupped his face; the breath she exhaled turned into mist. “Do you know which one I’m talking about? Are you just responding to me?”
Her fingers were cold. Xie Shuo smiled and wrapped her hands in his palms, adjusting her scarf, and asked, “Do you want to go ashore and take a walk?”
Ye An nodded, and hand-in-hand with Xie Shuo, disembarked along with the others.
Later, the two took a photo on the island. At that moment, it seemed as if time had stopped, and the figures side by side merged with the eternal ice and snow of Antarctica.
……
