Lemme Hug For a Bit

The ring made its way slowly up her finger.

Her heart pounded incessantly.

Ye An was a little flustered, even her breathing was messed up.

Without giving her time to collect her thoughts, Xie Shuo released her hand and readjusted his sitting position. He returned to his previously indifferent state without any expression. 

Ye An wasn’t as calm as he was. She touched the ring on her hand and glanced at him. The strange feelings in her heart hadn’t disappeared yet.

Calm down, Ye An! This is a political marriage involving no feelings!

This is a coldhearted man; you have to stay strong!

She took a deep breath to calm down and no longer deliberately provoked him.

In the bright spring scenery, crabapples were in full bloom near the sidewalks. The overlapping blooms appeared hazy before one’s eyes.

Ye An gradually became drowsier and leaned against the seat to rest her eyes for a bit.

When she woke up, they had just happened to arrive at the Xie manor. She took out a small mirror to touch up her makeup before bending to get out of the car with Xie Shuo.

Having not even taken two steps out of the car, Ye An immediately saw a familiar face

Xie Yuran.

He stood smiling by the colorful garden with a white dress shirt and black trousers on his slender figure. 

Ye An’s practiced smile suddenly went rigid.

After that night’s events, Ye An had almost completely forgotten about him. She didn’t expect to meet him right after arriving at the Xie manor.

……

Please let him have forgotten me… Ye An silently prayed.

“Ge.” Xie Yuran welcomed them and greeted Xie Shuo first.

Soon after, he turned to Ye An. His gaze fell on her face, and he paused.

Ye An was a little apprehensive and shuffled to the side. She grasped Xie Shuo’s arm and slightly lowered her head.

Xie Shuo was grasped by her so suddenly and intimately. He knitted his brows and prepared to push her away. 

Ye An immediately latched on tighter until her whole body was nested against his, giving off the appearance of a sweet and bashful bride.

In this kind of situation, even if Xie Shuo wasn’t happy, he couldn’t get angry and push her off. He had no other choice, but to put up with it.

“Da Sao*.”

da sao – a term to refer to an elder brother’s wife, equivalent to sister-in-law

After a long while, Xie Yuran finally spoke in a flat tone. It was unclear whether he remembered her or not.

Ye An skillfully put on her practiced polite smile and nodded. She held onto Xie Shuo while continuing forward with a fixated gaze.

The springtime rays shone on the white dress, reflecting a golden halo. 

After walking to a further distance, Ye An breathed a sigh of relief and let go of Xie Shuo.

But Xie Shuo had gotten accustomed to her leading the way. Defenseless, he stumbled on the steps ahead of them and almost fell.

Ye An hastened to support him again while also taking the opportunity to lecture him, “Weren’t you just telling me not to help you? Look, you almost fell just now.”

There was a bit of complacency in her tone.

Xie Shuo’s complexion turned purple from anger, and he pushed her away.

Just as he did, he was once again pulled back by Ye An.

She coaxed him like a child, “That’s enough. There’s a lot of people around; don’t be mad.”

Xie Shuo’s expression immediately turned a shade darker once again.

    —–

Ye An guided Xie Shuo through the door and saw Grandfather Xie, who had especially rushed over from the main residence.

Grandfather Xie had white hair and a benevolent appearance. His vigor did not seem so good so Xie Baiyan accompanied him. 

They walked up to him.

“A’Shuo.”

Grandfather Xie took Xie Shuo’s hand with teary eyes. This was his most beloved grandson, but who would have thought that…

Facing Grandfather Xie, Xie Shuo finally curbed his withdrawn behavior. His expression relaxed somewhat. “Yeye*.”

Yeye – paternal grandfather

Grandfather Xie turned to Ye An and looked at her from head to toe.

Ye An suppressed the anxiety in her heart and took the initiative to shake his hand. She smiled, “Yeye.”

Grandfather Xie nodded and patted the back of her hand. He brought her and Xie Shuo’s hands together.

As their skin came into contact with one another, so did the temperature.

Ye An glanced up at Xie Shuo. This time, he didn’t turn away with a cold face.

Soon after, Grandfather Xie asked someone to bring a box with quaint decorative patterns over. Inside lay a jade bracelet that appeared transparent, pure, and as cold as water.

“Come, this is yeye‘s meeting gift for you. From now on, you both have to be well…”

Ye An accepted it with a smile. “Thank you, yeye.”

    —-

After meeting all of the in-laws, Ye An finally had some free time to rest in the bridal chamber for a while.

It was unclear who called Xie Shuo away. She explored the room alone, familiarizing herself with her soon-to-be new home. 

The pristine master bedroom was connected to a similarly designed closet. Inside the closet, the warm lighting shone on the glass display of accessories, reflecting a brilliant array of vibrant colors. It held a dreamy fantastical beauty.

On one side of the bedroom were panoramic French windows and an expansive balcony where seasonal flora were arranged. Ye An didn’t notice it there last time she visited. They must have been recently added. 

Ye An wandered around before her gaze fell on the king-size bed positioned in the center of the room. The double pillow set and duvet covers were neat and tidy, not a wrinkle to be seen.

Ye An’s face felt unexplainably warm. She shifted her gaze and planned to sit on the balcony for a bit.

Suddenly, something sounded from behind her. A little girl had secretly snuck in. She appeared to be seven or eight years old full of mischievousness with large dark eyes.

As it was a family banquet, there weren’t many guests, let alone children. It was unclear who brought this child over.

Ye An was taken aback for a bit.

The little girl blinked her large eyes. After looking at her curiously for a few seconds, she tilted her head. “Jiejie, you’re really pretty.”

Ye An’s heart instantly melted as she saw her tilt her little head. How was she so cute?

Ye An, smiling, bent down and met her eyes. “You’re also very pretty.”

The little girl shook her head earnestly. “Mommy said that the bride is the prettiest.”

Ye An chuckled and patted her head. She asked, “Which family’s princess are you, so cute and smart?”

Seeing the smile on her face, the little girl’s wariness completely vanished, and she happily held her hand.

“My name’s Sui Sui…”

Ye An just happened to have nothing to do and decided to play with her.

Soon after, crisp laughter sounded from inside the room.

“Jiejie knows how to imitate a lot of sounds; do you want to hear some?”

“Really? Then do you know how to make kitty sounds?”

“Meoww.”

“Wow, it’s so alike! How about a bird?”

“Gugu..”

“What about a frog?”

    “……”

Looking at the surprised and innocent smiling face in front of her, Ye An felt that she was quite talented in amusing children. 

After playing for a while, the little girl suddenly asked, “Jiejie, how did you and Shuo gege meet?”

Ye An was caught off guard and choked. She couldn’t truly tell her that they were having a political marriage and decided to get married after meeting each other, right?

No, she couldn’t break a little kid’s weak and innocent heart…

Ye An pondered for a moment dazedly and said in a slow, gentle reminiscent tone–

“It was a pitch-dark night, with rain pouring down outside…”

She only got a few words in before the little girl asked with wide eyes, “Jiejie, are you going to tell a ghost story?”

Ye An: “…”

“I’m not telling a ghost story; I’m telling the story of how your gege and I met.”

Ye An cleared her throat and adjusted her tone before starting again

“It was a cold and rainy night. Jiejie was only wearing a dress and didn’t bring an umbrella… jiejie sat on the side of the road alone and wanted to go home but wasn’t able to. At this time, your gege appeared. ”

She described it earnestly. Her gaze was focused as if she was really immersed in the memory. 

The little girl asked, “And then what? Did gege lend you his umbrella?”

Ye An shook her head and looked down, smiling. “No, he didn’t lend me an umbrella. He sent me directly home, and then…”

She paused and looked up, her eyes gleamed like that of a girl discovering love for the first time. “Then I fell in love with him at first sight!”

In the next second, Ye An’s smile froze on her face. 

The bedroom door hadn’t been closed, and Xie Shuo was standing at the entrance for who knew an unbeknownst length of time. He looked at them with an expressionless face, cold as an iceberg. It was completely inconsistent with the “love at first sight” narrative. 

Ye An: …

Face slapped on the spot.

The little girl seemed to be somewhat afraid of Xie Shuo. After seeing him appear, she quietly said, “Bye-bye, Jiejie,” and jumped off the sofa before quickly slipping away.

The once cheerful and laughter-filled room fell silent in a split second. A faint awkwardness spread in the atmosphere.

Xie Shuo entered the room, felt around for the sofa armrest, and sat down to the side. 

After a while, Ye An overcame her embarrassment and glanced at him. She coughed lightly, explaining, “Umm… I was making things up just now… don’t take it seriously…”

Xie Shuo’s expression remained apathetic. It was clear that he didn’t take what he just heard to heart.

    ……It seems like her explanation was unnecessary.

Ye An felt like she had just punched cotton*. Her heart felt stuffy.

在了棉花上-to punch cotton is used to describe intangible results after one puts substantial effort into an action

The two sat in silence.

There was no one else like them–newlyweds sitting in silence.

After a while of silence, Ye An began to look around in boredom. 

Not even a wedding photo was hung on the pristine snow-white walls.

After looking around, she turned back to look at Xie Shuo. The man’s appearance was grave and stern. Dressed in a white shirt with a tight bow tie, he appeared poised and noble, particularly attractive. 

Ye An watched him with rapt attention and suddenly had a thought: there was no wedding photo, but a picture would also work!

She stealthily took out her phone and opened the camera to selfie mode. Without a sound, she moved toward him.

When she got to his side, she tilted her head towards him. Just as she raised the phone, a cold voice suddenly sounded.

“What are you doing?”

Ye An tilted her head. Xie Shuo had also just happened to turn his head. His deep gaze met hers and his brows furrowed.

In that instant, Ye An even suspected that he wasn’t blind.

The two were only a short distance apart. Their breathing was audible, and there was something in the air. 

Ye An’s heart trembled. She was stunned for a few seconds before rapidly retreating, saying, “There’s something on your face; I’ll wipe it off for you.”

She frantically reached her hand out and solemnly wiped his face.

Her fingers were suddenly grasped by Xie Shuo. With a cold face, he got up and headed to the bathroom.

 “……”

He splashed his face with a basin of cold water. The throbbing in Ye An’s heart instantly cooled, and the ambiguous atmosphere fizzled off.

A man with no emotions.

Ye An sneered at herself, and she tossed her phone aside.

    —-

After a while, Xie Shuo had finished washing his face and came out. Ye An didn’t want to continue to accompany him in a daze like a fool, so she got up from the sofa, brushed through her hair, and planned to go out and take a walk.

However, not before she had even taken two steps, a figure suddenly appeared at the door wearing a white shirt and black trousers. Shockingly enough, it was Xie Yuran.

Ye An’s brain froze. Without thinking, she turned to the side and hugged Xie Shuo.

Xie Shuo was taken aback.

A soft body snuggled him tightly, and her breath, warm and moist, fell lightly on his neck.

Ye An wrapped her arms around his lean waist and buried her face in his neck.

    “……”

“My blood sugar is low, and I’m a little dizzy right now. Let me hug you for a bit…”

~

Author’s note: my period came today, and I feel like I’m handicapped. I also want a hug~

There’s some pretty obvious foreshadowing about Xiao Ye and Xiao Xie’s first encounter O(∩_∩)O~

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