At the center of the dining table, there was a simmering hotpot with a split design.
Thinly sliced meat, seafood, mushrooms, and vegetables were arranged in a circle around the pot.
As dusk gradually descended, the indoor lights were bright, reflecting the restaurant's image in the glass. The spicy and warm aroma wafted up from the bubbling pot, rare traces of life appeared in the grand Guanlan Manor.
Liang Xian's knife skills seemed to come from nowhere. The meat was sliced so thin that it was almost translucent. Ming Si arranged the vegetables into pleasing shapes, then took a photo with her phone and applied a filter before saving it.
After taking the photo, the meat slices were cooked to perfection. Liang Xian picked some up and put them into her bowl, filling the air with their enticing fragrance.
Ming Si used to have a high tolerance for spiciness, but after several years of studying abroad, her tastes had adapted to the the bland flavors. She managed to eat about half before the spiciness brought tears to her eyes.
Liang Xian handed her a tissue, "Don't eat the spicy part. Take it from the mild soup instead."
Ming Si picked up a few slices of mild soup potato, but it tasted bland. Her eyes couldn't help but wander towards the vibrant red chili peppers. Her chopsticks crossed the boundary, and Liang Xian gave her a look. She defended herself, "You have to eat spicy food in winter, it's too cold."
The villa maintained a constant temperature throughout the year.
Liang Xian chuckled lightly and pushed the milk carton toward her.
The hotpot meal went on for nearly two hours.
After they were full, Ming Si looked at the table full of plates and felt a slight pang of guilt. It quickly transformed into an accusation against Liang Xian, "I'm going to gain weight, it's all your fault."
Liang Xian looked at her and propped his head with one hand before suddenly grinning, "Just do some exercise, and it'll be fine."
Ming Si glanced at him and instinctively felt that his idea of exercise wasn't that simple.
So she stood up, cautiously took a step back, sped up as she passed him, and finally slipped away along the wall.
Liang Xian watched her departing figure and smiled. He reached for a cigarette box and lit one.
After indulging in a hotpot meal, taking a shower at home felt as if it were in vain.
Ming Si lifted her collar and took a sniff, furrowing her brows slightly. She stepped into the warm spring. The fragrance that Liang Xian had bought in Venice was still lingering. She had chosen a scent of honeysuckle and roses, which felt wonderfully suitable for winter – warm and comforting.
As soon as she emerging from the bathroom, she saw Liang Xian was seated on the sofa, engaged in a phone call. Upon catching sight of her, a slight upward twitch of his eyes signaled her to approach.
Ming Si walked over and nestled herself in his embrace, inhaling the crisp, clean scent of his shower gel. It was also warm and inviting. Her mood instantly brightened, and she opened Weibo to browse.
Cheng Yu seemed to reside on Weibo, posting multiple updates throughout the day. This time, within the span of five minutes, he had shared seven or eight humorous videos, laughing incessantly. Ming Si left a comment, expecting Cheng Yu's usual quick reply, but this time, there was no response.
The factory director must be incredibly busy, to the point that even scrolling through Weibo demanded efficiency.
Ming Si perused updates from a few bloggers she followed.
At some point, Liang Xian had concluded his phone call. He encircled her waist and lifted her slightly, "Come here, let's settle the score."
Setting her phone aside, Ming Si looked puzzled, "What score are we settling?"
He couldn't possibly be this petty, still holding onto that incident of her conversing with another man at the airport, right? Jealousy, perhaps?
"Were you biased against me in the past because of Yan Yuanqian?" His fingers brushed against her waist, provoking a ticklish sensation. Ming Si attempted to squirm away but remained captive in his grasp. She shot him a stern glance, "I didn't have any bias against you."
He signaled for her to provide an honest answer.
She could only hold up her finger, indicating a width of about one knuckle, "Just a tiny bit."
Objectively, Liang Xian and Yan Yuanqian didn't look alike, but their temperaments had a slight resemblance. Both had that kind of roguish and carefree aura upon first glance.
While Ming Si didn't consciously judge people based on appearance, subconscious influences were hard to escape. Coupled with a poor first impression, it became difficult for her to change her view later on.
"Didn't your teachers teach you not to judge people by appearances?" Liang Xian lowered his head slightly, resting his chin on her shoulder.
"No, they only said to learn tolerance," Ming Si pushed away his mischievous hand on her waist and emphasized her words, "And not to be a rogue."
Liang Xian remained unfazed.
Her feeble attempt at resistance barely made a mark.
To prevent him from fidgeting again, Ming Si had to press down on his hand and said with an exasperated tone, "So, I apologize, okay? You childish brat."
Liang Xian's eyebrows lifted; he seemed quite willing to be childish for once, "En."
"I was wrong to judge by appearance," she clasped her hands together, pretending to be earnest in her apology while also poking fun at him, "Will the childish brat forgive me?"
"Just a verbal apology? No sincerity," Liang Xian's arm snaked around her waist. When she started to struggle, he gently guided her onto the sofa and then leaned down to kiss her, "Let's add some substance to it."
......
When Ming Si reached for her phone again, it was already over three hours later.
She was so tired that she didn't want to move her fingers. She glanced at the time and pushed her phone aside. She continued lying on the sofa, burying her head in her arms.
Liang Xian returned with a clean nightgown, tugged at the crumpled bathrobe she had haphazardly draped over herself, but before he could say anything, Ming Si grabbed the collar and turned around, giving him a look of accusation.
Calculating nearly a week, she had been sleeping until noon almost every day, all because of the mischief caused by this guy during the nights.
Did he understand moderation? Could he take things slowly? Was being gentle too much to ask?
She felt like she should retract her previous apology.
Liang Xian had a peculiarly roguish air when it came to her.
He sat on the sofa, his legs casually stretched out, and his gaze turned towards her, "Are you going to keep wearing that bathrobe?"
"If I want to wear it, I will. It's none of your business," she retorted with a hint of irritation. Wrapping the bathrobe around her, she sat up, intending to say more. However, she met his amused yet knowing gaze, and suddenly realized what they had done as she wore this bathrobe. Her face turned quickly red.
"Should I put it back then?" He pretended to take the clean nightgown away.
Ming Si instinctively held onto it. Their gazes locked, and she curled her fingers, slowly tugging the nightgown back. Trying to appear composed, she said, "I suddenly feel like wearing it."
Liang Xian couldn't help but but chuckle.
The bathrobe she had taken off was tossed casually aside.
The lighting in the living room was soft, and outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, there was a serene ambiance. The air still carried a hint of lingering intimacy.
Ming Si carefully sniffed the air, her face growing redder.
The nightgown she was wearing had long sleeves, but the silk fabric was thin and translucent, not very warm. Liang Xian got a blanket and covered her with it, then pulled her into his arms, and started a movie.
It was a classic Western cowboy film, but to Ming Si, the plot was utterly baffling. Characters who seemed formidable one moment would die the next, while seemingly ordinary peasants in cottages would turn out to be highly skilled masters.
After finishing the movie, she let out a yawn, feeling a bit tired.
Liang Xian carried her back to the bedroom. Just as he put her down, his phone rang again.
Ming Si, half-asleep on the pillow, was ready to doze off. However, a sudden thought jolted her awake—Liang Xian could just answer the call; why was he avoiding her?
Although she wasn't the kind of wife who would pry into her husband's privacy, even when they weren't officially together, he had never avoided calls in her presence.
Now, his sudden wariness raised significant questions.
She turned off the light and didn't wait long before Liang Xian returned.
Ming Si immediately sat up, and with a snap, turned on the bedroom light.
The glaring light caused Liang Xian to slightly narrow his eyes, and on the other side, Ming Si had already slapped the bed heavily, assuming a serious interrogative posture, "Spill it! Who were you talking to? And why were you avoiding me?"
It was a scene straight out of an interrogation room.
However, Liang Xian, the suspect, seemed quite at ease. He leisurely stretched his legs and sat at the edge of her bed before finally saying, "It was work-related."
"Hmph!" She didn't believe him and attempted to kick him off the bed.
Liang Xian chuckled and reached over to pull her into his arms. Seeing her resistance, he pulled back a bit, "Do you really want to know?"
"It's not about wanting, it's about needing to know," Ming Si emphasized, then reached up to touch her neck while keeping a sidelong glance on him, "You never avoided talking on the phone around me before."
Liang Xian released her, stood up, left the bedroom, and returned shortly with a tablet.
Ming Si sat up a bit straighter, opened the tablet, her curled hair falling onto her fair shoulders.
"How about I buy you a private mine in South Africa?" Liang Xian reached over to tuck a strand of her hair behind her ear, "A diamond mine with good quality."
The document was densely packed with information, and when Ming Si initially looked at it, she thought that Jinghong had intentions of entering the jewelry industry. She never expected it was meant for her.
Ming Si quickly thought of Yan Yuanqian and wondered if the airport incident had inspired this.
However, no matter what, she was about to become a mine owner!
Those few rundown mines Yan Yuanqian had were nothing compared to this. He wanted to catch her attention, but what Liang Xian offered was even better!
Ming Si put down the tablet and scooted forward, wrapping her arms around Liang Xian's shoulder and rubbing against him, "Ooops, I wrongly accused you."
This time, it was Liang Xian who responded with a scoff, his demeanor cold.
She switched to embracing his waist, apologizing for her unjust suspicions while appreciating his thoughtfulness. Thus, she continued to rub against his shoulder, "Wuwuwu, hubby, you're so good."
Liang Xian's expression remained unchanged.
"Wuwuwu."
"Wuwuwuwu."
"Wuwu...!"
Before she finished that last wu, she was pushed back onto the bed. Her voice was stifled as a wave of crisp breath descended upon her, followed by the warmth of his lips pressed against hers.
That night, in her dream, Ming Si found herself seated in a grand dome-like palace. The throne, crafted from gold, emitted a sparkling brilliance. The armrests were adorned with red gemstones. Gazing around, she saw that every part of the palace was adorned with a variety of dazzling gems.
Inside her bedroom, crowns, gold, pearls, and diamonds formed a small mountain. Every night, she would lay on it and sleep alongside Liang Xian.
......
After Ming Si laughed off her drowsiness, she found herself in a rather awkward situation.
Let's not even talk about the extravagant palace design that could be considered the epitome of contemporary Mary Sue. Sleeping with jewelry as pillows at night, was she a dragon? Wasn't she afraid of getting a stiff neck?
Anyway, it was a dream that left her speechless but, upon closer thought, also brought a smile to her lips.
The bedroom was shrouded in darkness with blackout curtains drawn. She shifted a bit toward Liang Xian's side, reached out to hold his waist, snuggling even closer to him, and then closed her eyes to sleep.
Last night she had truly been worn out. Even if the dream was beautiful, she still felt exhausted upon waking up. The drowsiness quickly overcame her, and she fell asleep.
In a daze, not knowing how much time had passed, she felt someone pulling her away.
Ming Si didn't want to let go; the man bent down to kiss her cheek. He whispered, "Someone's here; I'll go answer the door."
"Oh," Ming Si mumbled absentmindedly. Liang Xian tucked her in and put on a sleep shirt before stepping out of the bedroom. Passing through the living room, he picked up a cigarette pack.
Knocking their door at this time, there was no need to guess—it had to be Cheng Yu and the others.
After all, Cheng Yu had messaged him last night, specifically asking if he was staying at Lujiang Manor or Guanlan Manor today.
He could've opened the door from the bedroom, but he reckoned that if Cheng Yu came in, he might wake Ming Si up, so he decided to go downstairs.
Outside the door, Cheng Yu was nervously excited, "Brother Xian doesn't know I'm back; he'll be really surprised when he sees me!"
Ke Lijie squatted on the floor, sounding annoyed, "At ten in the morning, you've already given me a surprise in bed, which nearly made me explode. Reason it out—Brother Xian will probably just give you a beating."
Yu Chuan leaned against the other side, and judging from his expression, he seemed to share Ke Lijie's sentiment.
"It's only ten; the sun will burn your ass," Cheng Yu said, "Moreover, it's already eleven; Brother Xian doesn't have a nightlife..."
Before he finished speaking, the front door swung open.
Liang Xian stood nonchalantly in the doorway, wearing a sleep shirt. He tilted his head to the side and bit his cigarette. His expression was as casual as ever, "It's early; what's up?"
Cheng Yu was just about to speak, but the expression on his face suddenly shifted to astonishment. Subsequently, this expression, as if it was copy-pasted, also appeared on Ke Lijie and Yu Chuan's faces as they stood up.
They saw a pair of fair and delicate hands reach out from behind Liang Xian, encircling his waist.
Then, a familiar yet somewhat unfamiliar female voice sounded—a voice that was still groggy from sleep, exuding a tender charm, "Who's there?"
Although the woman behind Liang Xian only revealed half of her face, and her eyes were still closed, it didn't hinder the people standing outside the door from recognizing her—after all, she was their childhood friend whom they had grown up with.
For a moment, the three people outside the door were left dumbfounded, their world-views shattered.
"I, I, I..." Cheng Yu was so shocked he resembled a rooster about to crow. He stammered for a long time, but the words just wouldn't come out.
Ming Si had followed her instinct to stay close to Liang Xian as she walked down in a half-dazed state. Upon seeing his silhouette at the door, she instinctively reached out to hug him. Now, she faintly realized that there seemed to be familiar people outside. She wanted to peek out to take a look, completely forgetting that she was currently wearing a loosely hanging strap nightgown.
Liang Xian raised his hand to pat her hair, simultaneously pushing her back a bit. In an unconcerned tone, he lowered his voice slightly, "Wrong door; go back to sleep."
Cheng Yu/Ke Lijie/Yu Chuan: "???"
Then, the front door closed right before their eyes, producing a resounding thud.