CH 4

Under the light, the man was perfect in every aspect. His skin was exquisitely fair and his eyes were hooded which was probably due to drinking. His narrowed eyes exhibited a faint sense of frivolity.

His stature held a youthful aura. At first glance, he seemed more like a fresh graduate, but that aura was diluted greatly by his mature style of clothing.

His gaze fell on Ye An with a hint of scrutiny.

Ye An felt that he seemed a little familiar. Somewhat dazed, she said hurriedly, “Sorry.”

Behind the man was another person who seemed to be his assistant. The assistant inquired under their breath, “Are you alright?”

Xiang Quan and Lu Hong also looked over.

Lu Hong originally narrowed his eyes, but after seeing the appearance of the man before him, his expression suddenly changed.“Young Master Xie?”

His intoxicated expression instantly changed to a grandiose and flattering smile. From his pocket, he took out a business card and handed it to the man in front of him.“I didn’t expect for us to be able to meet here…”

Lu Hong was drunk; even his speech was muddled. The young man frowned slightly, and it was clear that he didn’t recognize him.

The assistant swiftly accepted the business card from Lu Hong’s hand, glanced over it quickly, and said with a polite smile, “Apologies, we still have things to do. Excuse us.”

The young man shot a brief indifferent glance at Ye An. Thereupon, he walked on ahead with his assistant.

Lu Hong still wanted to bootlick, but the man paid no heed and walked far away.

Ye An leaned against the wall as she watched the man walk away from behind, feeling a bit shaken up.

After hearing “Young Master Xie” just now, it immediately clicked. The reason why she felt like he seemed familiar was that he looked a little like Xie Shuo.

Just as she was feeling apprehensive, Lu Hong interjected with another stab, “That person just now was the one I talked about earlier, the Xie group’s second young master, Xie Yuran…”

Ye An’s legs suddenly weakened, and she almost fell to her knees on the spot.

……

—

Before visiting Xie Shuo, Ye An did some homework in order to better understand the enemy and familiarized herself with the members of the Xie family.

Xie Shuo had a relatively close relationship with his younger cousin named Xie Yuran. When the latter was a teenager, his parents passed away, so he was placed under Xie Baiyan’s care until he became of age.

It was said that after Xie Shuo got into a car accident, Xie Baiyan fell ill, and the heavy burden of being heir fell on Xie Yuran’s shoulders. Ye An couldn’t help but be doubtful after recalling the youthful face she just saw––with such a young appearance, he was the complete opposite of Xie Shuo. Would he really be able to not make the company go bankrupt?

But she currently wasn’t worried about this. Rather, she was wondering… whether he would hold a misunderstanding towards her because of the earlier situation?

After all, the image she portrayed at the Xie manor was of a gentle and innocent girl who hadn’t even dated before. Otherwise, Xie Baiyan wouldn’t have felt at ease with picking her as his daughter-in-law.

If they knew about this matter, she reckoned that this marriage would immediately be canceled. Just after she had agreed to a marriage with Xie Shuo during the day, she came here to accompany an old, sleazy man to drink and socialize by night.

Then all her efforts these past few days would be wasted…

Ye An rubbed her temples dispiritedly. If she had known earlier, she would not have agreed to Xiang Quan’s request to come.

“Miss Ye, how about I send you home?” Lu Hong stubbornly insisted. He moved closer once again, his perverted hand reaching towards her waist.

A burst of nauseousness overcame Ye An and she couldn’t bear with it anymore. She moved back, giving Xiang Quan a warning glance.

Xiang Quan knew Ye An’s bottom line. If this Great Aunt got angry, there was no good outcome1. He hurriedly separated the two unobtrusively and supported Lu Hong, smiling while speaking,“Many thanks for President Lu’s offer, but it’s gotten very late and we don’t want to inconvenience you any further. I’ve already arranged for someone to bring her back, and they should be here soon.”

Haste would ruin everything, so Lu Hong didn’t press any further. Glancing sideways at Ye An, he smiled meaningfully. “Then let’s have dinner again another day?”

Ye An was really not in the mood to put up with him and perfunctorily smiled.

—-

After exiting the restaurant and sending Lu Hong off, Ye An massaged her temples. The nausea in her stomach had finally faded slightly.

Xiang Quan smiled apologetically on the side. “Thanks for your hard work today. Once the contract is signed, I’ll definitely give you credit.”

Ye An shot him a sideways glance.“You might as well just give me some more money.”

As the boss of the production studio, Xiang Quan had no serious shortcomings. He was easygoing and playful, but––he was just a little stingy.

As soon as she mentioned money, he immediately began to act stupid. He changed the topic, laughing, “So, how are you feeling? Do you want me to go buy you some medicine?”

Ye An waved off his offer. “I’m fine.”

She actually didn’t drink that much. Her appearance at the dinner table earlier was all an act that she had purposely displayed in front of Lu Hong. Otherwise, who knows when she would be able to escape?

“Stay here and don’t move. I’ll go request a car to take you back.” Xiang Quan took his phone out from his pocket and walked towards the road.

The streetscape was bustling at night, with lights of various colors shining in all directions. Ye An felt a bit dizzy from the flickering lights and shadows.

The phone inside her purse buzzed twice; Ye Yuan Nian had sent a text over.

Ye An grasped the side of the phone, and just as she was about to answer the message, her hand suddenly slipped.

The phone that she had owned for not even a month fell onto the ground, landing with a crisp sound.

The phone screen faced the ground. Hurriedly, she bent down to pick it up. Holding a slight thread of hope, she flipped the phone over.

At first glance: a shattered screen.

Furthermore, it was shattered so artistically. It looked like a blossoming flower, complete with a stem and leaves.

Ye An: “…….”

Her luck tonight was just great!

—

In the dark night, a Bentley arrived at the Xie residence.

Xie Yuran exited the car and passed through the garden to enter the house. Seeing Xie Baiyan sitting in the foyer, he called, “Uncle.”

Xie Baiyan nodded.

Xie Yuran looked around and then asked, “Where’s da ge1?”

Xie Baiyan replied, “In his room.”

Xie Yuran sat down and asked hesitantly, “How has da ge been these past few days?”

Xie Baiyan sighed, “Still the same.” After a pause, he continued, “Oh right, he asked about the collaboration with the Ye family today. Go upstairs and update him on it.”

Xie Yuran went upstairs and knocked on the door.

“Ge, it’s me2.”

There was a soft bang from inside, and then Xie Shuo’s voice sounded, “Come in.”

Xie Yuran entered the room and saw that Xie Shuo was wearing a bathrobe. He asked, “Are you about to go to sleep?”

“No.” Xie Shuo sat on the sofa with his hand on the armrest. “How come you’re back at this time?”

Xie Yuran also sat down, saying, “There’s a few things I wanted to discuss with you.”

“The collaboration with the Ye Family has pretty much been settled. According to the agreement, profits will be cut back by 6%, and the contract has been extended for another year.”

Xie Shuo gave a nonchalant,“En.”

After discussing work matters, Xie Yuran looked at him and asked suddenly,“I heard that the eldest daughter from the Ye family came over today. What’s she like?”

Xie Shuo didn’t reply, seemingly not wanting to talk about this matter.

Xie Yuran asked, “You don’t like her?”

Xie Shuo frowned. “It’s already set, what’s the point of still asking these questions?”

Xie Yuran was about to say something, but seeing his unconcerned expression, he decided not to ask.

……

—-

10:30 PM —

Ye An returned to her rented apartment.

As soon as she walked into the living room, a noble decree sounded from the secondary bedroom.

“B*tch! Get out of bengong’s sight3!”

Ye An: “……”

The door from the other bedroom was half-open, and a figure could be seen sitting in front of the computer wearing a pair of black headphones.

“How courageous. Even after seeing bengong, you dare not kneel?”

“Guards, slap her!”

……

Ye An swept over a glance. Accustomed to this, she tossed her purse onto the sofa and entered the bathroom.

It was a miracle how they still haven’t received a noise complaint yet.

After Ye An came out of the bathroom, Shi Shuangshuang had ceased her disturbing demonic yells and shuffled out of her room in her slippers.

“You’re back?” She held a cup of water in one hand and her phone in the other as she headed towards the sofa.

Ye An responded with an, “En.” Her head was still a little dizzy.

Shi Shuangshuang suddenly looked her up and down, asking, “What’d you do today? You’ve been gone since this morning and you also dressed up so prettily?”

As she had to go to the Xie manor, Ye An wore a high-end custom-made dress that Ye Yuan Nian had prepared for her today, aiming for the ethereal and graceful heiress look. The set of earrings and necklace paired with her outfit were expensive as well. Moreover, she was a beauty in her own right with a slender waist and slim legs, making her the perfect clothing model. All dolled up, she looked like she had just come back from some soiree.

Ye An spat out two words lightly, “Blind date.”

“Pfftt––”

Shi Shuangshuang spat out a mouthful of water, thinking that she must’ve misheard. “Darling, are you kidding me?”

With her looks, a casual glance from her could cause large swaths of people to grovel   at her feet. Was there still a need to go on a blind date?

Ye An collapsed onto the sofa. Her body laid crookedly, not wanting to move in the slightest.

Shi Shuangshuang sat down next to her. Looking at her languid beauty, she couldn’t help but squeeze Ye An’s chin. “Why don’t you just spend your entire life with bengong?”

Ye An’s eyelids fluttered as she grinned, “Sure. I’m so pretty so I’ll definitely marry someone wealthy. Why don’t you go earn a few hundred million first, and then I’ll see.”

I’m sorry to have bothered you…

lowly.jpg.

The author is trying to show contrast here where Shi Shuangshuang is apologizing in a sarcastic way and saying this lowly one shall excuse herself now compared to what she referred to as herself at first, bengong. 

Shi Shuangshuang retracted her claw decisively and continued to scroll through the gossip news on her phone.

Ye An couldn’t help but laugh. As her gaze drifted to her side, she inadvertently caught a glimpse of a familiar face on the screen and paused.

Before she could ask about it, Shi Shuangshuang had already cuddled herself over and started to gossip,“OMG! Breaking news! The young master of Junming Group became a vegetable after his car crash! It’s the Eldest Young Master of the Xie family, Xie Shuo!”

Ye An, having just been in close contact with said person that afternoon: “…..”

“That’s such a pity. Such a handsome face, and filthy rich too…”

“But there are also comments saying that he didn’t become a vegetable and only became blind. Some also say he broke a leg… not sure if it’s true or not. Anyways, it’s been a long time since he’s appeared in public.” Shi Shuangshuang cupped her face, showing immense regret. “The heavens were jealous of the gifted. I’ve even fantasized of marrying him in the past.”

Ye An: Sorry, that can’t be done anymore.

After being busy for a whole day, Ye An was already sleepy and had no energy to chat with her anymore. She shakily got up, planning to take a shower and go to bed.

After taking two steps, she suddenly thought of something and turned around. “Right, I’m moving out in two days. See if you want to find another roommate.”

“Ah?” Shi Shuangshuang was taken aback and threw the gossip to the back of her mind. “You’re gonna move? Why?”

Ye An thought for a bit and then said, “One: I’m actually the eldest daughter of a well-off family. I was abandoned by my scumbag of a father when I was little. Recently, he felt remorseful and wanted to make up for the lost years to me so he decided to bring me back home. Second: I went on a blind date today. He’s from a wealthy family and is both rich and handsome. Furthermore, he happens to be the man that I’ve been secretly in love with for many years. We hit it off and are going to register our marriage soon. I’ll soon be living in a mansion…”

She arched an eyebrow, smiling, “These two explanations, you choose one.”

Shi Shuangshuang: WDYM???

—-

Before two days had even passed, Ye Yuan Nian sent people over to come to fetch Ye An.

Ye An only packed a few important things and left everything else to Shi Shuangshuang.

Shi Shuangshuang was thrown into disarray after hearing the two explanations that Ye An gave and seeing the luxury car parked downstairs by the apartment building. It was accompanied by a driver who called out, “Eldest Miss” in a very proper manner.

What kind of magical storyline was this?

After a while, she finally recovered from her shock and hugged Ye An’s arm. “Eldest Miss, can we still be friends in the future?”

Ye An’s expression was noble and lofty. “No, we fairies don’t need friends.”

Shi Shuangshuang wailed.

Ye An ceased teasing her and laughed while saying, “I’ve paid the rent for another half a year so you don’t have to worry about finding a roommate so soon. What if I’m   kicked out again one day…”

Before she could finish speaking, Shi Shuangshuang interrupted,“ Can’t you have some ambition? Always thinking about these useless things. Since you’ve decided to go back, you should think of how to attain inheritance rights and some assets from your scumbag of a father. Afterward, go hook up with a Mr. Perfect. Marry into the wealthy and succeed in life! You’re holding the heroine script right now, get it?”

Ye An couldn’t help but laugh. Ye Yuan Nian had remarried a long time ago and had other children. She, the daughter that was taken away by his ex-wife, wanted to fight over the inheritance and assets? How could it be that easy? Giving face to the Xie family, it was already quite good that they prepared a decent dowry for her marriage.

Besides, she neither wanted to fight with them either. With that much spare time, she might as well marry Xie Shuo and pass her days comfortably as the lady of the house.

“Anyway, listen to what I say. When you go back, pretend to be pitiful when you can, and be strong when you should. The important thing is to get a hold of some assets, don’t help out other people.”

Shi Shuangshuang had obviously read too much gossip about the melodrama among the wealthy; her ongoing talk on fighting for inheritance and assets hit the nail on the head. Ye An was dragged through all the drama plots and fights by her. After complying with a few words and laughs, she then turned and got into the car.

In the neighborhood, spring was in the air. The shadow of a flowering tree flitted past the car window and was soon left behind.

Author’s note: The Bureau of Civil Affairs scene is almost here! Marriage in the next chapter!!!

PS: An An said Xie Shuo was actually her unrequited love. Everybody guess–is this sentence true or not?

1.This is internet slang to refer to someone, treating someone who may of be the same generation as you to be an elder, to show some kind of respect

2.Ge is a form of address for one’s brother, Da Ge means big brother

3. Bengong is usually used by the royal family members, Empress, or high-rank consorts to refer to themselves