Chapter 14: He Was So Innocent—Actually Inviting Her Back to Their Marital Home
A sudden wave of guilt rose in Chi Yang’s chest.
She immediately wrapped herself tighter in the blanket until she resembled a burrito, then stubbornly lifted her chin and glared at him. If not for the slight tremble of her lashes, she might have sounded convincing.
“It had to be you who dragged me over there!”
Xie Youci: “…”
Unhurriedly, he sat up.
The blanket slid from his shoulders, revealing a dark blue satin pajama top. The collar hung loose around his neck, and the front was visibly wrinkled, as though someone had spent quite some time clutching it.
Chi Yang instantly tightened her blanket cocoon.
Her eyes stayed fixed on him.
She watched as Xie Youci leisurely looked away before letting out a quiet, ambiguous chuckle.
She had already been feeling guilty. That laugh only made her scalp tingle.
“What are you laughing at?”
“Nothing.”
His tone was lazy and casual.
But that only made it worse.
“No, you’re definitely laughing at me.”
“What exactly am I laughing at?”
He tilted his head toward her.
Chi Yang: “…”
Her cheeks were beginning to redden.
Still unwilling to surrender, she continued arguing.
“You’re laughing because I slept too deeply. You took advantage of me and pulled me over there, and I didn’t even notice.”
Silence stretched between them.
After a long moment, she still couldn’t help adding,
“Right?”
The only answer she received was another amused chuckle.
Chi Yang: “…”
She was so frustrated she wanted to kick the blanket.
No matter how hard she thought about it, she couldn’t figure out why she’d ended up sleeping on his side of the bed.
Could she really have snuggled over there herself?
No way!
It had to be this shameless Xie dog taking advantage of her while she was asleep, pulling her into his arms and then turning the blame around on her.
“I’m done talking to you.”
Refusing to continue this battle, Chi Yang threw back the blanket and darted into the bathroom.
As she ran, she lifted the collar of her pajamas and sniffed.
The scent lingering on them was entirely Xie Youci’s body wash from last night.
How long had they been hugging?
The smell had practically soaked into her clothes.
Click.
The bathroom door locked.
Xie Youci only heard the sound from outside.
He lifted his chin arrogantly toward the door before throwing back the blanket and climbing out of bed as well.
Fine.
He wouldn’t argue with her.
Not when she liked him this much.
After breakfast at home, Chi Yang and Xie Youci bid farewell to both families, using gallery business as an excuse, and left Mingyue Bay together.
Inside the Bugatti La Voiture Noire.
Resting one wrist casually against the steering wheel, Xie Youci glanced at her.
“Where to? Going back to our place?”
Chi Yang was rummaging through her purse.
Only after considerable effort did she spare him a response.
“Why would I go back there? I’m not.”
One of his brows lifted slightly.
With one hand on the wheel, he guided the car out of Mingyue Bay. Once they reached smoother traffic, he looked at her again.
“Not going back? Mrs. Xie was throwing herself into my arms last night, and now you’re acting shy?”
Chi Yang: ?
She froze halfway through searching for her lipstick and looked up at him.
Then she heard the sentence that struck her like a bolt from a clear sky.
“Weren’t you trying to sleep with me?”
“Xie Youci.”
She stared at him for several long seconds.
Then she finally pulled out her lipstick and said in a deliberately mocking tone,
“Wow. You’re really innocent, aren’t you?”
Xie Youci shot her a sidelong glance.
Sitting up straighter, Chi Yang flipped down the passenger-side sun visor and began applying lipstick using the vanity mirror.
“You don’t seriously think…”
She admired her reflection for a moment.
“…that after spending one night in the same bed, I’d suddenly fall for you, do you?”
Xie Youci: …?
The traffic light ahead turned red.
He stepped on the brake.
Only after the car came to a complete stop did he slowly turn to look at her.
Not fall for him?
Hadn’t she climbed into his arms on her own last night?
Held onto him?
Pressed herself against him?
She’d even called out for her mother.
“What’s wrong?”
Twisting the lipstick closed, Chi Yang looked at him curiously.
“Did I do something last night that gave you the wrong idea?”
Xie Youci: “…”
Fine.
Very good.
Apparently she had no intention of taking responsibility for any of it.
His lips pressed into a thin line as he turned away.
The carefree confidence from earlier vanished completely.
His narrow eyes darkened, gloomy enough that the words I’m annoyed might as well have been written across his face.
Chi Yang watched him for a long moment.
To be honest, she was feeling uncertain too.
She’d lived alone during her years in Italy. The only time she’d shared a bed with anyone was when she was very young and slept with her grandmother.
She honestly had no idea what her sleeping habits were like.
Nor did she know what exactly had happened last night to end up in Xie Youci’s arms.
In truth, it probably wasn’t him who had pulled her over—
Even if she’d insisted otherwise.
Deep down, she knew she was talking nonsense.
Fortunately, after a long silence, Xie Youci finally looked away.
His sharp jaw tightened as he coldly said,
“No.”
The knot of anxiety in Chi Yang’s chest immediately loosened.
But Xie Youci gripped the steering wheel so hard that the veins stood out on the back of his hand.
At that moment, he honestly wanted to throw Chi Yang straight out of the car.
Heartbreaker.
In the end, Chi Yang returned to her little villa.
Xie Youci, however, couldn’t go back to the Xie family home.
Ever since they got married, informants stationed around the properties under his name regularly reported back to his family, keeping tabs on whether he had actually moved into the marital home with Chi Yang.
So he could only return alone to Xizi Bay.
Every night, facing the red wedding decorations still plastered to the windows, he found himself unable to sleep.
There was only one thing on his mind.
Does Chi Yang actually like me or not?
Damn it.
