CH 22

For the next three days, Ye An focused on practicing the song.

During rehearsal, Ye An always had Xie Shuo as her audience and asked for his opinions. However, Xie Shuo kept his cold face and ignored her.

The more he ignored her, the more Ye An liked to tease him.

Three days later, Ye An went to the recording studio to record “Mountain Ghost” as previously arranged.

The recording process went very smoothly. Lu Chuan, who had been known to be notoriously difficult, didn’t nitpick at all. After the recording, he handed her his business card and said he looked forward to their next cooperation.

Ye An took it out of courtesy and didn’t expect anything out of this. He sent out a promotional Weibo post and went to find Xiang Quan to sign the end of the contract.

Soon after, Xiang Quan changed the name of the studio to Xiyin Studios and finalized the contract. With Ye An’s help, he was able to establish a long-term partnership with Brilliant Dreams Culture.

After handling everything, Ye An handed all the operations over to Xiang Quan and returned home to be a rich mistress.

Xie Shuo had recovered from his illness, allowing Ye An to breathe a sigh of relief. However, after a few days of peace, something else happened:

Xie Baiyan fell ill.

Over the past year, Xie Baiyan didn’t have it easy. He originally was going to retire and live a peaceful life, but both his wife and son had accidents happen one after the other. This forced him to return to his chairman position while enemies lurked at every opportunity. 

It was mentally and physically straining, so it was naturally difficult to endure.

He suddenly collapsed at a shareholder’s meeting, so the situation was very chaotic.

When Xie Yuran called to inform them, Ye An was on the sofa in the living room trying to persuade Xie Shuo to go to a spa with her.

Hearing Xie Yuran’s voice coming from the phone, Xie Shuo’s became even more solemn, making Ye An feel uneasy.

If Xie Baiyan couldn’t fully recover during this time, then the Xie family would definitely fall into turmoil.

As a member of the family, she would undoubtedly be affected.

After the two finished their call, she hurried to support Xie Shuo and prepared to go to the hospital.

However, Xie Shuo didn’t move. He continued to sit on the couch with a gloomy expression.

Ye An watched him incredulously. Xie Baiyan was sick; was he still unwilling to go outside?

“Are we going to the hospital to visit him?”

Xie Shuo sat for a few more moments before finally getting up.

Ye An breathed a sigh of relief and got up to support him again, but her wrist was suddenly grabbed.

“Go change first.”

Ye An: ??? At this time? Changing clothes?

Xie Shuo frowned, not to be questioned.

Ye An was unable to decipher his thought process but still followed him into the bedroom. She passed him a black suit according to his request.

While he changed clothes, so did Ye An. She chose a peach-colored skirt to stay low-key and appropriate.

Just as she finished changing, Xie Shuo came out of the closet holding a tie. He asked her, “Do you know how to tie a tie?”

This was the first time he took the initiative to ask for her help. Ye An stood in shock for a second before replying, “Yes.”

She approached him, held the tie, and went on her tiptoes to wrap it around the nape of his neck.

The couple was very close in this position. Ye An could feel his warm exhales on her skin, and the contours of his neck and jaw were in her line of sight.

To be honest, she had little experience tying ties, so her movements were awkward.

As she neared him, her nails accidentally scratched his Adam’s apple. Her heart thumped, and she instinctively looked up for his reaction.

Xie Shuo’s brows knitted, but he had no other reaction.

Ye An looked back down and tried to focus all of her attention on tying the tie in front of her. However, her pounding heartbeat was out of control.

The tips of her ears burned, and the heat gradually spread to her face, so much so that her fair fingertips had a faint blush.

After a while, she pushed the knot of the tie up and glanced up at his jaw. Pretending to keep her calm, she tidied his collar while saying, “Done.”

Xie Shuo rolled up his sleeves and said, “Help me choose a watch.”

There was a glass case specifically made for his watches in the closet. There were many watches in it, each of them being valuable.

Ye An looked at them before turning to ask, “Which one?”

Xie Shuo’s reply was two words. “You choose.”

“……”

Seeing that he trusted her taste, Ye An looked back down and chose one she liked. She brought it to Xie Shuo and pulled out his wrist before putting it on for him.

The man’s fingers were long and slender; Ye An inevitably touched them as she moved. They have had even more intimate moments normally, but they were all initiated by her. In this silent moment, she was especially conscious of having any physical contact with him.

His breaths fell on the crown of her head. She kept looking down, not daring to lift her head.

After putting on the watch, she fixed his sleeves as well, even straightening out one of the wrinkles on his cuff.

With his clothes neat, Xie Shuo calmly retracted his arm and began walking outside. 

.

The hand-made suit accentuated the man’s long lines and fit perfectly. The pants were straight, and his belt cinched his narrow waist. The ensemble added an air of loftiness to his cold aura.

Ye An suddenly recalled a memory when she saw Xie Shuo before he had lost his eyesight. He wore a suit under the media spotlight and walked in high spirits, truly embodying a proud son of the heavens.

She couldn’t tear her gaze off of him.

Xie Shuo walked a few steps before realizing that she hadn’t followed after him. He tilted his head, asking, “What’s up?”

“Nothing.”

Ye An hurriedly caught up with him. She looked at him before looping her fingers around his arm.

Her heart skipped a beat as if a deer entered her body.

After descending the stairs, Ye An saw Zhong Fu in the garden, who had clearly rushed here to meet Xie Shuo. The man was still holding documents while hastily walking over. 

“President Xie.”

He greeted Xie Shuo and then turned to Ye An. “Madam.”

Ye An gave a faint smile.

Zhong Fu opened the car door. Ye An thought they would want to sit in the back seats together to discuss business matters, so she let go of Xie Shuo and headed towards the front passenger seat.

However, before she could sit down, Zhong Fu approached her and said, “Madam, President Xie wants you to sit with him in the back.”

Ye An froze for a moment before getting out of the front passenger seat and moving to the back.

Xie Shuo smelled her familiar fragrance as she settled in, and he extended the papers to her. “Read this through.”

“……”

Ye An finally understood why he wanted her to sit in the back with him. She took the papers and skimmed them, quickly adopting the role of a human scanner.

Zhong Fu raised the privacy screen, so they were left alone in the back seat. Unfortunately, there was no romantic tension whatsoever.

—-

By the time they got to the hospital, Ye An had almost read the entire report. Her mouth was dry, and her throat was sore.

Xie Shuo remained silent and frowning the whole time.

Ye An guided him to the private ward where Xie Baiyan resided. He was no longer in critical condition, but he wasn’t conscious yet.

In the waiting area, several middle-aged people were talking in hushed tones. They seemed to be elders of the Xie clan.

Xie Yuran was also present with a worried expression.

“Ge.” After seeing Xie Shuo, he quickly stepped forward.

The others appeared surprised. Since the car accident last year, they had seldom seen Xie Shuo appear in public. 

They looked at Xie Shuo’s eyes and saw that he was truly blind, and strange expressions flitted across their faces.

“Xiao Shuo, is your health better nowadays?” After a while, a gentle-looking old man took the initiative to speak.

Xie Shuo recognized his voice and responded gently. “Uncle Zhang.”

The others followed suit and greeted him one after the other.

Xie Shuo responded to each greeting before entering the ward. Since he couldn’t see, he listened to Xie Yuran describe the situation. “The doctor said that there is nothing terribly wrong for the time being, but he needs to recuperate, and it would be best if he remained in the hospital for monitoring.”

Several voices could be heard from outside as if there was arguing.

Xie Shuo frowned and told Xie Yuran. “You stay here and take care of him; I’ll return to the company with them.”

Hearing this, a hint of surprise flashed across Xie Yuran’s face. Despite being taken aback, he responded, “Okay.”

Xie Shuo walked out of the ward, and the Xie clan elders immediately stopped their argument.

The atmosphere suddenly became solemn.

Although Xie Shuo hadn’t appeared in public for a long time, his accumulated influence was still there. Ye An could feel everyone’s fear while standing next to him.

The group left the hospital and traveled back to the headquarters of Junming Group.

After getting in the car, Xie Shuo linked his hands and leaned against the leather seat with his eyes closed. While he appeared to be resting, he also seemed to be contemplating something.

This was the first time Ye An had experienced family politics in person. She was a bit nervous, and her originally loud personality quietened down. She sat properly with her legs crossed and fingers interlaced.

She originally thought that Xie Shuo would have her stay in the hospital to look after Xie Baiyan, but he had unexpectedly chosen Xie Yuran to stay behind and brought her to the company. 

Was it because she wouldn’t be able to understand anything? Was she supposed to sit still and look pretty?

But he wasn’t able to see how she looked anyway.

The car was silent, and the atmosphere was heavy. Her hand accidentally slipped, hitting his thigh.

The man opened his eyes and looked to the side with his deep eyes and thick lashes.

Ye An: “…”

Ye An’s poor heart trembled, and she quickly retracted her hand, trying to pretend as if nothing happened.

Having been married for so long, she had never felt so feeble in front of him. She felt as if she had transformed from a goddess from the heavens into a trembling little white rabbit.

Xie Shuo waited for a moment, but before she could speak, he asked, “What’s the matter?”

Ye An furiously shook her head, but immediately after doing so, she realized that he couldn’t see her.

She tried to calm down and asked, “Are you going back to the company to hold a meeting?”

Xie Shuo gave a faint “En.”

Ye An originally wanted to say, “then should I leave soon,” but when she thought about it, she felt that it was unnecessary. If he wanted her to leave, then he would have told her. All she had to do was follow along.

Ye An didn’t say anything for the rest of the trip.

The early summer heat wave swept across the busy streets with skyscrapers on either side

The sun’s rays shone diagonally, and the car’s tint reflected the light. It finally stopped in the personal garage for the Junming Group’s President.

Zhong Fu opened the door. Her high heels landed on the ground, and Ye An exited the car before reaching in to help Xie Shuo.

The man stepped out of the car, his figure appearing tall and straight. At first glance, one could immediately detect the powerful aura embedded deep in his bones. 

Ye An held his arm and guided him inside.

Although she was as nervous as a rabbit on the inside, her appearance, fortunately, was bright and dignified. With a noble posture and her straight back, she was able to suppress her apprehension.

The workers in the office building received short notice of their arrival, so the workplace was in disarray.

With a “ding,” the doors of the executive’s elevator opened. 

A group of people walked into a meeting room in a grandiose manner.

In the conference room, a large screen was turned on. The floor-to-ceiling windows let in the natural sunlight and overlooked the rest of the city below.

There was a long conference table in the middle, and multiple assistants stepped forwards to pull out chairs.

Ye An supported Xie Shuo as he sat at the front of the table. Only then did the others take their respective seats.

There was only one chair at the front of the table. Ye An glanced around and felt that her presence was unnecessary, so she prepared to leave. However, before she could do so, Zhong Fu had already pulled another chair out for her.

Ye An was unsure on whether to sit down or not. She looked up to see many gazes directed at her, and the pressure increased by tenfold.

In the past, she would only stand quietly by Xie Shuo’s side as a background character and never had this much attention on her. However, she now also stood in the spotlight. Everybody’s gaze was focused on her and speculative. 

Xie Shuo’s marriage was not publicized, so the people present thought that she only had the role of being a housewife.

Why was she here at such an important meeting?

Ye An’s anxiety was at an all-time high. Man can only fight against the heavens for a few seconds before surrendering. 

She leaned closer to Xie Shuo’s ear and whispered, “Should I wait for you outside?”

Only when her warm breaths entered his ear did Xie Shuo seem to recall her presence. He paused for a moment before quietly telling Zhong Fu, “Take Madam to the lounge.”

Zhong Fu nodded and took her to the lounge. He arranged for a secretary to take care of her needs and returned to the meeting room.

Ye An sat on the sofa in the lounge and felt her entire body relax.

The secretary wearing a pencil skirt placed a cup of freshly brewed tea in front of her and silently observed her.

They didn’t expect that President Xie, who was notorious for not interacting with women, would suddenly get married.

This was the number one piece of gossip in the company!

Ye An was not used to people watching over her, so she copied Xie Shuo’s indifferent manner of speaking and said, “Go back to work. I’ll sit by myself for a while.”

“If Madam needs anything, just call me.” The secretary suppressed her curiosity and smiled courteously before leaving. 

Ye An was finally able to completely relax. She surveyed her surroundings before taking her phone out. 

At the same time, every floor’s break room exploded

“Hey, did you see President Xie come back just now!”

“I saw him and thought that I was hallucinating!”

“Speak clearly; which President Xie?”

“The one from before, not little President Xie.”

“Are you joking? Didn’t that one get into a car accident and turn into a vegetable?”

“Where did you hear that rumor? That’s not true; I heard that the reason why he disappeared for so long is that he went blind and was in recovery.”

“He’s still able to run the company blind?”

“Maybe he’s been cured! I was really far away, so I couldn’t tell.”

“I saw a woman by President Xie’s side. Is she our lady President?”

“No way, right? I never heard anything about President Xie marrying!”

“Does President Xie have to notify you if he marries someone? Don’t be stupid!”

“Anyway, I don’t think they have a simple relationship. Have you ever seen President Xie bring a woman to the company? They were also holding hands and acting very close.”

“So what’s the situation? Who’s going to scout it out?”

—-

There were no sounds in the lounge.

Ye An held the phone in her hand but wasn’t in the mood to play on it. She was already worried because of Xie Baiyan’s condition, but she was even more worried about how Xie Shuo’s meeting was going.

He already couldn’t see; how would he be able to spot every individual that had ulterior motives in that meeting?

Xie Baiyan was already sick. If he were to…

Her phone suddenly sounded, interrupting her wild thoughts.

She quickly glanced at it and then froze.

A rare name appeared on the screen

Mom.

Author’s Note: Today is Xiao Xie’s time to shine! Today is also the day Xiao Ye becomes a little trembling white rabbit.