CH 42

Xie Shuo watched her movements quietly as the lights and shadows weaved between her slender fingers.

Afraid that she would be discovered by him, Ye An stopped her movements and laid back into his shoulders. “If you can’t sleep, I can massage your temples.”

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly turned away to sneeze.

It was a cold winter night, and although the heater was turned on, her fingers and shoulders were still chilled.

Xie Shuo glanced at the thin layer of pajamas on her body and pulled the comforter over her. He lay down on his side and said, “Go to sleep.”

He thought that she would return to the bed next to his, but after she turned off the light and laid down next to him. She wrapped her hand around his arm as if they were at home.

The room fell into darkness. Xie Shuo tilted his head and looked at her blurred outline beside his pillow. He opened his mouth wanting to say something but decided not to in the end.

The light breaths brushed across his shoulders and gradually deepened. Since the first day of treatment was beginning tomorrow, his insomnia inevitably returned. Xie Shuo was wide awake with his eyes open and only managed to fall asleep at around two or three in the morning.

Early the next day, Xie Shuo woke up in a trance. He thought that his ability to see was a dream until he turned to see a quiet face near him.

The morning sun passed through the gaps in the curtain and leaked into the ward.

He stared at the sleeping face beside him for a long time.

—

For the next week, Xie Shuo stayed in the research institute to receive treatment. Cen Qingyan came to check on his condition every day.

Ye An stayed by his side to take care of him, and she had felt that there was something different about him. Although he still didn’t talk very much, the air of depression around him had faded quite a bit, and his personality had become much more peaceful.

Time passed quickly, and a week later, the two returned to the Xie residence. 

The day they returned home, Xie Shuo locked himself in the study and stayed there for an entire afternoon.

Ye An had not seen him like this in a long time and subsequently felt uneasy.

Before leaving the institute, Cen Qingyan talked to Xie Shuo alone for a long time. Could there have been something wrong with the course of treatment, or did Cen Qingyan say something that destroyed any hope?

Ye An looked worriedly at the closed door, but she couldn’t go directly in. After standing there for a while, she sat in the living room and waited for him to figure things out by himself.

The sun was gradually sinking diagonally into the west with a blood-red hue.

At around six in the evening, Ye An knocked on the door again when it was time for dinner.

This time, Xie Shuo came outside. His expression looked all right, although a little tired. Ye An breathed a sigh of relief and reached out to support him.

“What were you doing in the study? Aren’t you tired?”

Xie Shuo didn’t reply, seemingly deep in thought.

The two went downstairs and sat down at the dining table, where the dishes had already been set.

Xie Shuo picked up his chopsticks and instinctively wanted to pick from the dishes, but his bowl was already taken away by Ye An.

As usual, she took her time to assemble his bowl and pick all his favorite pieces.

Xie Shuo paused the movement of his chopsticks and silently looked at her.

Fortunately, Ye An was so focused on serving his vegetables that she didn’t notice his unusual behavior just then. After choosing his dishes, she put his bowl back in front of him and moved his fingers to the rim of the bowl.

Xie Shuo pretended to not be able to see and felt around the rim of the bowl. He was careful from then on to not make the same mistake again.

After eating, Ye An didn’t give Xie Shuo a chance to retreat back into the study again. She took him out to the garden for a walk.

The hazy night covered his actions well. He no longer had to put on an act and let her guide him through the garden.

“What did Professor Cen say to you before we left?” Ye An asked after hesitating for a while.

Xie Shuo turned and replied lightly, “Nothing.”

Ye An clearly didn’t believe him. “If it was nothing, then why did you lock yourself in the study and refuse to come out after coming back?”

Xie Shuo was silent.

Ye An’s hand slid down his arm and intertwined with his fingers. She looked up at him and said softly, “Don’t be upset, all right? If you don’t like Professor Cen’s treatment, then we can switch medical professionals.”

Xie Shuo paused and met her gaze. The night was dark, and the concern in her tone was obvious. There was no trace of callousness or fabrication.

When he couldn’t see before and was only able to listen, he naturally could not detect these subtleties. 

“You really want for my eyesight to recover?” Xie Shuo asked after a while.

Ye An was confused by his question and said, “What are you talking about? Of course, I want your eyesight to recover!”

Xie Shuo’s gaze focused on her face before diverting into the distance.

???What was that for?

Ye An was even more confused upon seeing his reaction. She contemplated it before saying, “Did you think I wouldn’t want your eyesight to recover because of our agreement?” Ye An became angry. “What do you take me for? Don’t worry, when your eyes recover, we can divorce right then and there! I’ll never break that promise!”

Xie Shuo turned to see her humiliated expression. He didn’t know how she had arrived at this conclusion. 

Ye An became angrier the more she thought about it. She released his hand and glared fiercely at him, taking advantage of the fact that he couldn’t see.

Xie Shuo: “…”

The winter night was chilled Ye An’s face and down her neck, rendering her no longer in the mood to fight. She turned him around with a blank face, saying, “It’s cold; let’s go home.”

After walking a few steps, she suddenly heard Xie Shuo’s low voice say, “I didn’t mean it that way.”

Ye An stopped in her tracks, surprised. This Eldest Young Master had learned to defend himself?

Her anger instantly dissipated, and she was relieved. She walked farther and said calmly, “Whether you mean it or not, I never go back on promises. We’ll divorce once you recover.”

Xie Shuo listened to her words as he looked at her blurred profile. There were complicated emotions in his eyes.

The air was cool in the dark night.

—-

The two went back inside.

Sometime after nine in the evening, Xie Baiyan returned. He had come back from an evening event, so when he came back, he seemed drunk and smelled of alcohol.

As soon as he returned, he asked Ye An about the results of their consultation, and Ye An told him the truth about Cen Qingyan’s efforts to console them.

Xie Baiyan showed a disappointed look and sighed, appearing older than before.

Seeing his reaction, Ye An felt even worse. She smiled, comforting him. “Don’t be too worried. His situation has been improving; maybe he’ll be cured one day.”

Xie Baiyan knew that she was trying to comfort him and nodded. He said warmly, “Thank you for your help.” After a while, he asked, “Where is he?”

Ye An replied, “In the study.”

After returning from their walk, he locked himself in the study without any reason why.

“I’ll go see him. You should rest early.”

Xie Baiyan turned and headed towards the study. He walked up to the door and knocked, saying, “A’ Shuo, it’s me.”

Soon after, the door opened, and Xie Baiyan entered.

Ye An glanced at them from a distance and entered the bedroom.

The study was silent for a while.

Xie Baiyan looked at his uncommunicative son and suddenly asked, “A’ Shuo, do you still blame me for what happened to your mother?”

Xie Shuo sat at the corner of the sofa without saying a word. His eyes were dark, and half of his silhouette remained in the shadows.

Xie Baiyan’s eyes were bloodshot. He raised his hands to cup his forehead and said in a somber tone, “I shouldn’t have argued with your mother. If I knew something would happen, I would have never left her alone.”

His voice was somewhat hoarse because he had been drinking, and his tone was undulating with emotions.

Listening to his words, Xie Shuo finally reacted by turning to look at him.

Roughly saying, Xie Shuo hadn’t seen him in a year. His father looked a lot older. The hair on his temples was gray, and it was particularly noticeable under the lamp.

Xie Baiyan and his mother had been married for many years, and they had a good relationship. There were no illegitimate children or other serious problems, but she was frustrated with Xie Baiyan’s workaholic habits and excessive social obligations. After having a large argument one day, she went out to sea alone in a fit of anger.

At the time, Xie Baiyan was already preparing to hand the company over to Xie Shuo, but he didn’t expect that just as he finished tying up loose ends and before he could go find her, bad news arrived.

In the end, it wasn’t Xie Baiyan’s fault. Xie Shuo looked at him for a moment before suddenly saying, “I’ve regained my sight.”

Xie Baiyan was shocked. He looked up at Xie Shuo, thinking that he had heard wrong.

Xie Shuo stood up and Xie Baiyan a document that he had earlier sorted out on the desk. His movements were smooth and unobstructed, proving his ability to see.

Xie Baiyan was completely stunned, and it took a long time for him to return to his senses. He looked into Xie Shuo’s eyes and asked, “When… when did this happen?”

Xie Shuo said lightly, “A week ago.”

Xie Baiyan held the document and couldn’t control his emotions for a long time. The news had been so sudden that he had almost forgotten to be happy.

Xie Shuo sat back down and said, “Don’t tell anyone else. I’ve been investigating Zhang Junfeng recently. I suspect that he was the one behind the car accident.”

Xie Baiyan had heard Xie Shuo mention Zhang Junfeng’s potential involvement before, and he frowned upon hearing it. “I didn’t expect that he would do such a thing after having known each other for so many years.”

Xie Shuo’s eyes were cold. “He’s deeply rooted and doesn’t act rashly, so we have to take him off guard this time.”

Xie Baiyan quickly understood what he meant and asked him, “When are you planning on returning to the company?”

Xie Shuo leaned into the sofa and said, “Let’s go tomorrow and assess the situation.”

He paused before suddenly adding, “Also, don’t tell Ye An that I’ve recovered my eyesight.”

Xie Baiyan was stunned and puzzled when he heard Xie Shuo’s words. It was one thing to hide this information from outsiders, but Ye An had nothing to do with their company affairs. So why hide it from her? “Why are you hiding it from Ye An? She worries about you a lot…”

A strange look flashed through Xie Shuo’s eyes. “Just don’t tell her now. I’ll tell her when the time is right.”

This son of his always had his own opinions. Since Xie Shuo had said this much, Xie Baiyan had no choice but to agree.

The father-son pair chatted for a long time in the study.

When Xie Shuo returned to the bedroom, Ye An lay on the sofa reading script lines on her phone. She hadn’t worked in a long time and was afraid of losing her touch, so she practiced whenever when she was free.

After seeing Xie Shuo come in, she put her phone down and asked, “You’re done talking to Dad?”

Xie Shuo’s gaze fell on her face, and he replied with a light, “En.”

Ye An put on her slippers and got up from the sofa, saying, “I’ll go get your clothes and run a bath for you.”

Xie Shuo looked at her moving figure, and her previous words, “divorce once you recover,” ricocheted through his mind.

Ye An picked out some clothes for him, and after she came out of the bathroom, she continued to read the script on her phone on the sofa.

The sound of water came from the bathroom, and she didn’t go shower until he finished.

The weather was getting colder, so instead of wearing spaghetti strap night dresses like before, she changed into a cherry red nightgown that displayed her fair and slender calves.

She completed her bedtime skincare routine and walked toward the bedside. Xie Shuo was still awake and leaned against the headboard in a trance, and it was unclear what he was thinking about.

Ye An lifted the covers and climbed into bed. She neared his side, asking, “What are you thinking about?”

Xie Shuo looked up, but her figure fell directly in his line of sight. The neckline of her nightgown hung low, revealing a collarbone. The dip between her collarbones was as fair as snow, and the sights below were almost visible.

However, she didn’t notice his gaze and leaned closer towards him, the curves of her chest becoming even more obvious.

Xie Shuo’s eyes narrowed slightly. He paused for a few moments before looking away inconspicuously. 

Since Ye An didn’t know he had regained his eyesight and thought that he was still blind, she didn’t bother to tighten her robes. She chose to remain comfortable; if it wasn’t as cold, she would have been wearing even less.

“I’m going to the company tomorrow,” Xie Shuo spoke straight ahead. 

Ye An was somewhat caught off guard, but she considered it a good thing that he wanted to go. She asked, “What time are you going?“

“Nine thirty in the morning.”

“Then I’ll wake up earlier.”

Xie Shuo originally wanted to say that she didn’t have to go with him and remembered that if she didn’t accompany him, then it would look suspicious. In the end, he swallowed his words.

Ye An leaned on his shoulder and was about to prepare to let him sleep earlier, but she suddenly caught a glimpse of a small water stain on the collar of his nightshirt. It must have come from the water in the bathroom.

The black shirt he wore tonight had a loose neckline that revealed some of his chest and abdominal muscles. Ye An couldn’t help but sneak another glance.

She recalled the abs she had touched when she was drunk on the night of Xie Baiyan’s birthday, and her gaze slipped downward again. 

Xie Shuo inadvertently turned just in time to see her bowing her head to look under his neckline at his chest. She looked ready to pounce at any moment.

Xie Shuo: …?What are you looking at?