Chapter 42

Ji Xiaonian threw a pile of clothes on his bed and sought his opinion on the best outfit.

Yu Shengjie seemed to know what was going on.

That man’s presence seemed to have cheered her up. Was she going to doll up because they have a date tomorrow?

He was in no mood to help her out. His face turned gloomy and he enquired with jealousy, “Who’s that person that came looking for you earlier? What’s the relationship between you both?”

She was still in low spirits when she returned home but the man’s appearance had completely turned her mood around.

Yu Shengjie thought that man had to be the person that held her heart!

At the thought of that, Yu Shengjie felt a tightening feeling in his chest as if he had eaten a fly.

“Do you mean Bai Yan? He’s my man that I’ve been telling you about. Did you meet him earlier? Isn’t he super good-looking and manly? Let me tell you this, he’s not only tall and handsome, but his professional competence is his most appealing strength.”

“He’s actually the CEO of Shengtian Group,” Ji Xiaonian explained, immeasurably self-satisfied.

She was not aware of the dejected expression that washed over the face of the man standing by her side.

“You’re having an affair?” Yu Shengjie questioned as the heaviness in his chest grew.

Surprised, Ji Xiaonian turned her head around to face him. “What affair?”

“Aren’t you my wife? How can you go behind my back to be with another man?” These words that came from the depth of his heart held true feelings, and he was not joking. It sounded like an interrogation and a reproach simultaneously.

Ji Xiaonian tensed up and stared at him with her eyes widened. “Stop it with the nonsense. We talked about this before and I made it clear that it was only a game we played when we were little. Why are you taking it so seriously?”

“Besides, I only agreed to welcome you into our house and be kind to you because of the things that happened to your family. Don’t blame me for ignoring our blood relations if you keep going on about this.”

She really could not fathom why he must obstinately persist about that!

Ji Xiaonian would chase him out of her house and cut him out of her life if he insisted on making her his wife.

Of course, seeing as he had fallen into dire straits, she could take him in and be his good friend if he stopped bringing up their childhood’s promise.

They were relatives, after all, and relatives could not progress into a husband-and-wife relationship!

Yu Shengjie did not expect the little girl to learn about his family’s misfortunes. Had she become kind towards him out of pity?

He smiled miserably suddenly and masked the devastation he felt from deep within his heart. “I was only kidding! Don’t take it seriously,” he said with a change of tone and patted her on the shoulder.

Only he knew full well that he was not kidding.

He sailed across the sea for two reasons; first, to avoid the family’s creditor, and second, for her.

The photo taken during their “marriage” was still tucked inside his wallet until now!

Although he knew that it was a child’s play, he was serious about their marriage arrangement and had been missing his wife for over a decade.

However, now that he learned her tolerance and generosity actually sprung out of pity, he should dismiss the wild dream about taking her as his wife.

This was because he truly feared that she would chase him out of the house and cut him out of her life completely. Then, he would be left with nothing at all.

Upon seeing his smile, Ji Xiaonian’s attitude changed immediately too. “That’s right, we’re both adults now and whatever happened when we were younger shouldn’t be taken seriously.”

“Moreover…”

Ji Xiaonian sized him up and down and smiled again when she continued speaking. “Look at you, you’re tall and good-looking, you should be able to get your hands on any girl you want and there’s no reason for you to insist on being with me. You must have had numerous girlfriends before this huh?”

He knew the little girl would not believe him no matter how hard he tried, hence he decided to play along with her and nodded in agreement. “Absolutely, I’ve had several girlfriends in the past. Besides, you look hideous and I’ll never be interested in you.”

Yu Shengjie pinched her cheeks as he said that.

Irritated, Ji Xiaonian pushed his hands away. “You know, there’s no need to pinch my cheeks as you speak. Besides, is it true that I look hideous?”

His answer would be extremely important because if Yu Shengjie thought she was hideous, surely Bai Yan would think the same too.

Yu Shengjie looked at the innocent little girl in front of him. In fact, he was attracted to her the moment they met again after all these years, but he did not dare to admit the truth.

This was because he did not have the ability to love her or to appropriate her for himself.

He was no longer the elegant son of a wealthy family like he used to be. His life had fallen apart hence he did not deserve to go after her!

Although he knew he was not eligible, he did not want other people to be with her either. Therefore, he decided to call her hideous.

He wanted the world to abandon her so both of them could finally be together.

“In my opinion, you’re hideous. You don’t have huge boobs or curvy ass and you’re also unusually talkative, unlike the other girls. In short, you’re not my cup of tea. Also, I don’t care what you wear because you look all the same to me so, please, leave my room with your dresses. I need to rest.”

He walked to the edge of the bed and plopped himself down. He turned sideways and waved dismissively at her as if he could not bear her presence for another second.

Ji Xiaonian’s self-esteem immediately dropped when he said she looked hideous. She grabbed her dresses and dashed out of the room.

Back in her own room, she stared blankly at the pile of shirts and dresses then kept examining her face in front of the mirror.

She did not rest well because she was so caught up with her appearance the whole night. The next morning, two dark circles hung under her eyes evidently like a panda.

As expected, Bai Yan appeared at her doorstep.

He glanced at his watch and realized it was already seven o’clock in the morning. He thought the little girl must still be sleeping if she was not here waiting by the door.

He got out of his car and entered Ji Residence to get the little girl.

Ji Xiaonian had already gotten out of bed but she had been sitting in front of her dressing table for a while. This was because she was not familiar with make-up and her failed attempts in concealing the dark circles only made it worse. She became more anxious as she did not know what to do.

It was completely out of her expectation that Bai Yan would enter through the door all of a sudden.

Shocked, she quickly turned her back against him. “Um… You… Why are you here?” she mumbled out of nervousness.

Bai Yan was very suspicious of her reactions. He approached her and questioned, “Don’t you want to go out with me? What are you still doing here? And you’re still in your pajamas. What’s wrong? Don’t feel like going out anymore?”

“No, I want to, but…”

She did not know the proper ways to apply make-up so she could appear beautiful in front of him and improve his reputation.

Ji Xiaonian was anxious the whole morning because she did not know how to face him.

Bai Yan was really curious when he noticed the little girl’s incoherent speech and her effort to avoid his gaze. He placed his hand on her shoulder and turned her around to face himself.

Shock washed over him when he discovered the make-up on Ji Xiaonian’s face.