CH 19

Ye An didn’t calm down until she was out of the house and in the car. Her heart pounded relentlessly.

The redness in her cheeks didn’t fade for a while, and she leaned against the seat to calm herself. She twisted the wedding ring on her finger and inwardly complained

How could this man switch acts so fast?

She looked up and out the window. Her gaze became unfocused, and no one would be able to tell what she was thinking. 

The distant sun set on a westward incline. The golden rays filtered through the flowers and trees to produce a luminous glow like in a picturesque landscape.

When she arrived at the restaurant, night had already fallen.

Stars speckled the sky in the early night.

Ye An pushed the door open to exit the car then looked up at the restaurant name sign flashing in front of her. Bright colors met her gaze.

She lifted her hair behind her shoulders to tidy her appearance. She raised her chin and straightened her back before walking forward with confidence.

The hem of her skirt blew with the wind like fire in the night, dazzling the eyes.

Inside the private room, most of the studio’s employees had already arrived and sat at one table, talking and laughing. Some had even started pouring the alcohol.

Ye An entered with the sounds of her heels tapping against the floor, drawing many gazes to the doorway. 

Her delicate, womanly figure was accentuated by the dress swaying gently with her movements. Her beautiful face attracted the attention of all.

Ye An approached them with a slight smile before greeting Xiang Quan and sitting down in an empty seat beside Shi Shuangshuang.

Everyone went silent.

Xiang Quan saw her dazzling appearance, and a look of confusion flashed across his face. He couldn’t guess what she wanted to do.

Shi Shuangshuang noticed her unusual temperament, so she approached Ye An and whispered excitedly, “Are you going to announce some news today?”

Ye An looked up and smiled, not saying a word.

Most of the people present had quietly observed the allegations explode across the Internet, so when they saw her, subtle looks were exchanged.

Ye An glanced around at people’s reactions before pausing at two girls that sat diagonally across from her

the two who were gossiping about her in the bathroom the other day.

The two girls avoided her eyes, appearing slightly uncomfortable.

Ye An retracted her gaze and straightened out the hem of her dress. 

“An An, your dress is so pretty!” a baby-faced little sister praised her, admiring her dress.

The man next to her chuckled and said, “Those who are beautiful can wear anything and make it beautiful. How else could she be the face of our studio?”

The girl turned and glared at him. “I didn’t say that she wasn’t pretty! Why are you talking?”

The man immediately raised his right hand and fervently asked for forgiveness, “I was wrong; I’m sorry! I’ll shut my mouth!”

The room instantly erupted in laughter.

Ye An also smiled. She fixed her hair and showed a shy expression, saying, “You think so? My husband had this custom made for me by a designer.”

The laughter suddenly went silent; those that were drinking water choked.

Xiang Quan was also taken aback and looked her way.

Out of a table of people, Shi Shuangshuang was the only one that knew everything.

“Husband? You’re married?” The last questions were from an astonished baby-faced little sister.

“Yep.” Ye An pursed her red lips and casually put her left hand in a bright area on the table. Her other hand lightly twisted the ring back and forth on the ring finger.

Her ten fingers looked slender and delicate under the bright light. The ring wrapped around her finger had an exquisite beauty, and the inlaid diamonds dazzled, reflecting the light.

Everyone was blinded by her flamboyant flaunting.

“Why do I remember An An jie being single during New Year’s; did I remember wrong?” someone else asked blankly.

Xiang Quan recovered from his astonishment and also asked, “When did this happen, and why haven’t we heard you mention it?”

Ye An gave a slight smile. “Didn’t I take a long break from work a while ago? It was during that time.”

Everyone took a long time to digest such heavy news. The man that had previously chosen to remain silent sighed sadly, “It seems like I no longer have a chance!”

Someone immediately quipped, “You say that as if you had a chance in the first place!”

Everyone started laughing again.

The atmosphere livened up again, and the little sister from before looked at the ring on Ye An’s finger with envy. “Your wedding ring is so pretty!”

Ye An looked down, pursed her lips, and smiled. “My husband picked it out. The designer only takes orders from certain customers. If you want, I can introduce him to you.”

The girl immediately shook her head. “I was just asking; it definitely must be expensive…”

Ye An answered lightly, “It’s not that expensive; it’s only a few million.”

Everyone: “…”

Just a few million, ha-ha.

Since the topic was brought up, someone asked curiously, “An An, how did you and your husband meet?”

Ye An answered lightly, “The story’s not very interesting. It was just… love at first sight.”

“Love at first sight? Wow, how romantic! Is he handsome?”

Ye An smiled playfully as she secretly poked Shi Shuangshuang under the table and winked at her.

Shi Shuangshuang froze but quickly recovered. With an excited expression, she said, “I can answer this since I’ve seen her husband! He’s tall and handsome, like the models in magazines. With his jade-like beauty and natural confidence, he is part of the wealthy and is good at spoiling others! He treats An An really well! The cooperation with Brilliant Dreams is all due to her husband’s help…”

She said these phrases delightedly.

Ye An smiled and thought: the tall and handsome part is true, but even if he did know how to spoil others, I don’t know if I’ll ever live to see that day.

Hearing this, Xiang Quan finally understood why she made such a scene tonight.

She was going to dispel the rumors from the origin.

But… her husband was able to have Yuan He personally come see them. Who was it?

The rest of the night was basically in Ye An’s hands. After learning that she had married into a wealthy family, those who had previously gossiped about her matters politely and passionately toasted her.

Ye An didn’t mind and cooperated with them seamlessly. However, she had explicitly and implicitly sent a message: she was married to a rich and handsome husband. All of the unspoken relationship rumors were nonsense!

The crisp sound of glasses clinking mixed with merry laughter, and the sounds of enjoyment traveled far.

After eating and drinking their fill, everyone eagerly requested to go to a karaoke bar.

Ye An was a little dizzy from the alcohol, so she stood up and pretended to check her phone before saying, “My husband just texted me asking me to go home early. I won’t go tonight, but you all have fun.”

Someone said, “An An jie, you’re spreading dog food in public!”

Dog food- slang for PDA. 

Ye An smiled then turned to ask Xiang Quan, “Then I’ll be going now.”

Xiang Quan also drank quite a bit, so his face was flushed. He took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and said, “Then let’s go outside together.”

Everyone laughed and joked around on their way out of the restaurant. Before they even descended the steps, they were met with the sight of a Maybach parked nearby.

It attracted everyone’s attention.

The light inside the car was dim, making it impossible to tell whether or not someone was inside.

“My husband is here to pick me up, bye bye~”

Ye An smiled. She waved, turned, and walked forward.

Under the enchanting lights, the dazzling red figure walked away step by step. Her heels clicked against the pavement, making it appear as if she were walking the red carpet.

This brilliant last scene left a successful impression in everyone’s eyes.

Ye An’s confidence was high, and she didn’t look back once. She didn’t relax until she entered the car and closed the door.

She supported her dizzy head and laid limp on the seat, sighing in relief.

It was truly difficult to show off in front of everyone.

There was no one by her side.

Xie Shuo didn’t come.

A trace of disappointment flashed through Ye An’s eyes. She looked up and out the car window to observe the bustling night scene and flickering lights.

After a while, she leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes.

As the car drove on the highway, the lights sped by like the flashing picture frames in a movie.

—–

Ye An slept a little on the way home. Ye An, disoriented, was woken up by the driver when they arrived.

She got out of the car and staggered home. After entering, she came across Aunt Zhou, who was going to rest.

“Madam, have you been drinking?” Aunt Zhou saw her flushed face and unstable gait, so she hurriedly stepped forward to support her.

“

“I’m fine!” Ye An stood up straight with much difficulty. “I just slept for too long in the car, and I’m a little dizzy.”

“I’ll go make some soup to help sober you up.”

Aunt Zhou wasn’t at ease, so she turned to go to the kitchen. However, she was stopped by Ye An. “No, it’s fine, I’ll just make a cup of tea later–” She glanced upstairs. “Nothing happened after I went out, right?”

Seeing that she spoke clearly, Aunt Zhou didn’t insist anymore and answered, “No, everything was fine.”

Ye An nodded, planning to go upstairs.

Aunt Zhou paused, suddenly recalling something. “Oh right. The Eldest Young Master stood at the doorway for a while after eating dinner and asked what time it was as if he wanted to go out.”

Ye An was somewhat shocked. He hesitated?

She thought about it some more. Since he considered it, why didn’t he go through with the actions? For a grown man, he was very indecisive.

Ye An smiled faintly as she happily ascended the stairs.

The path from the living room to the bedroom was brightly lit.

Xie Shuo sat on his favorite sofa as usual without any expression on his face.

Ye An looked at him and chuckled. “Did you know that you look like a statue of a longing wife sitting like this?”

She staggered forward and put her hands on his shoulders.

The smell of wine mixed with her perfume wafted over. He frowned and paused. “You drank too much?”

Ye An draped an arm over his shoulders as she sat down. She gestured “a little bit” and tilted her head. “I’m good, just a little more than normal.”

The light shined on her faze and highlighted her rosy cheeks.

Xie Shuo’s frown became even more pronounced.

Ye An leaned on him gently and looked at him with sparkling, wide eyes, appearing distracted.

She suddenly stretched a hand out to smoothen his brows. “Are you still upset?”

As her fingertips got nearer, Xie Shuo subconsciously avoided them and raised his hand to catch them.

His palm captured a hard object in the process. He paused for a second before realizing that it was her wedding ring.

She wore her wedding ring?

Ye An didn’t try to struggle when she was caught by him. She only smiled, her eyes curving. “Don’t be upset; do you want me to sing to you?”

Xie Shuo was now sure she had drunk too much. He cast her hand away carelessly and ignored her.

“I’m really good at singing, no lie…”

Ye An staggered up using his shoulders and walked wobbly to another room.

After a while, she came back with a guitar in her arms. Since there weren’t any stools or cushions on the ground, she took off her shoes and sat beside Xie Shuo directly on the carpet.

The bottom of her dress laid on the floor around her. She held the guitar and plucked at the strings, her head angling slightly as she played.

In the dead of night, the gentle lighting gave her a glowing radiance and made her features vague, as if there were several filters applied.

Xie Shuo naturally couldn’t see the scene in front of him–but he heard the sounds of a guitar and a light melodious tune that he was unfamiliar with.

After the instrumental prelude, a woman’s soft hum started, sounding distant.

When the humming stopped, she finally began to sing, her voice clear and light.

Her singing flooded him like the sun shining over greenery in the spring and the moonlight emitting a soft glow onto one’s fingertips. It’d be able to awaken all hibernating animals from their deep slumbers.

The lyrics were light yet masterfully artistic, revealing a sense of refreshing youth.

Xie Shuo sat quietly. Even though he could clearly see nothing but darkness, he could imagine the spring greenery and warm clear skies. Most importantly, the girl who hummed softly while bathed in the sun rays.

There were ripples of emotion in his heart. Since they had gotten married, he had always regarded her as not essential to his life and didn’t care to know anything about her.

But at this moment, he suddenly wanted to know what she looked like.

Ye An’s lashes lowered as she sang and played with a focused expression as if she was immersed in past memories.

She sang two consecutive songs before stopping. Holding her guitar and getting up, she asked with excitement, “How was it; it wasn’t bad, right?”

Xie Shuo remained silent, declining to comment.

Ye An didn’t get annoyed by his silence. She carefully set the guitar down and turned to sit by Xie Shuo.

She seemed tipsy but not drunk. Her face was flushed, and she cuddled next to him, almost lying in his arms.

“When I was in college, some people would say that I would become a singer that was popular all over the world. Others said I would become an A-list celebrity in the entertainment industry…But in the end, I went behind the scenes to dub. I didn’t do either of those…”

“The moon waxes and wanes, and people have both blessings and misfortunes. There are also situations that can’t be described…” She held his shoulders and looked at him. He was reflected back in her clear eyes, but there was a trace of yearning hidden deep within her gaze. “So, you don’t always have to frown. What if there will be a day in which your eyesight gets better?”

“Even if there wasn’t… won’t I still be here?”

She whispered softly, and her warm breath fanned across his face. Xie Shuo’s lashes fluttered slightly, but he did not pull away in disgust as he usually did.

“Cheer up a bit…” she murmured while nuzzling her head against his shoulder like a cat.

Xie Shuo looked slightly startled.

Soft hair brushed against his shoulder and neck, and warmth appeared in his neck.

He smelled the fragrance in her hair, and a small hand touched the back of his soon after.

Ye An held his hand up and observed it under the light. His fingers were slender and clean, holding a jade-like beauty.

Ye An looked at it and suddenly said, “Your nails are a bit long. Do you want me to help you cut them?”

Xie Shuo: “…”

The intimate atmosphere dissipated immediately.

Xie Shuo couldn’t really understand why she was so keen on taking care of trivial things for him. It was styling his hair and shaving his jaw in the past, and now it was cutting his nails.

Ye An put his hand down and got up to find the nail clippers. She suddenly thought of something and sat down again.

“No, no, I can’t do that. My mom said that if you cut your nails at night, you’ll become forgetful. I’ll cut them for you tomorrow morning instead.”

Xie Shuo:…

What is going on in her mind?

“Oh right, I said that I would help you shave!” Ye An had paused for a second before getting excited again. She leaned on his shoulder to look at his chin. “Has your stubble grown out yet?”

Before Xie Shuo had time to react, she rubbed his chin.

“It doesn’t prickle my hands, so it hasn’t grown out yet.” Her tone was a little disappointed. “Why doesn’t it grow faster!”

Xie Shuo’s once indifferent expression darkened slightly.

Ye An looked up at him and said, not minding his face, “When I was young, I had a doll that I really liked. I combed her hair, dressed her, and drew on her eyebrows every day. But she’s a girl, so she didn’t need to shave. She didn’t have nails either…”

Xie Shuo’s expression became even darker.

“Ye An.”

He finally spoke.

This was the first time Ye An heard him call her name, so she was a little confused. “Huh?”

“Go shower.”

The two words were cold and sounded like she was testing his patience.

Ye An shook her head. “You go first.”

Xie Shuo frowned. “I’ll go to the guest bathroom.”

Ye An shook her head again and said stubbornly, “No, I need to stay outside when you take a shower. If no one is there to help you if you accidentally fall or hit something, it’ll be very dangerous.”

Xie Shuo was slightly shocked upon hearing this statement.

So that was why she stayed outside the shower every night.

“I’ll… go get some pajamas for you.”

Ye An spoke as she stood up while supporting herself on his shoulders. Just as she was about to take a step, she suddenly wobbled and fell back again.

She happened to fall right on Xie Shuo’s body.

Xie Shuo took the brunt of the fall, but his nose rubbed the back of her neck and detected a delicate fragrance.

He couldn’t see and only felt her restlessly moving on his legs.

“

”

“Don’t move!” He suddenly raised his arm to hold her and frowned.

Her waist was held by a large hand. The breathing behind her ears was warm and seemed to be quicker than usual.

Ye An stopped moving and sat in his lap with a confused expression.

Xie Shuo moved his hand and fumbled to find her shoulders. There was no fabric there, so he felt the warmth of her bare skin.

He didn’t want to bother with a drunk person, so he didn’t push her away this time. Instead, he guided her to sit down in his place. 

Ye An grasped his shirt. Her fair fingers curled tightly around the folds of the cloth.

She looked up and happened to see his smooth chin and raised Adam’s apple. The smooth contours of his neck and chest entered the collar of his shirt.

From this angle, he appeared very alluring.

The alcohol made her feel hazy, and the lights and shadows blurred in front of her.

The man seemed to be in her dream. She squinted her eyes in confusion and suddenly couldn’t restrain herself before she kissed his Adam’s apple directly.

……

Author’s note: Xiao Ye: I want to do the naughty after drinking.

Author: No, you don’t.

Xiao Xie didn’t go to the banquet this time. He still hasn’t overcome his internal turmoil, but he did hesitate~