He Siyu looked at the feather wand in Ni Yang’s hand in confusion.
“My skills are pretty good. I’ll make you feel comfortable.”
The moment the words left her mouth, Ni Yang suddenly felt that something sounded off. Somehow, what should have been a normal sentence had turned strangely suggestive.
He Siyu instantly understood what she meant. She wanted him to experience her ear-cleaning technique.
Looking into the girl’s expectant eyes, dark emotions surged within his gaze. A faintly ambiguous smile lingered on his lips.
Pretending to hesitate slightly, he walked over to the chair beside the work desk under Ni Yang’s watchful gaze and sat down. His back remained perfectly straight as he turned his head slightly and spoke in a calm yet mildly gentle tone.
“Go ahead.”
Ni Yang broke into a bright smile. “Alright.”
She disinfected her hands with alcohol, then walked behind him. Because she filmed videos there, her chair had no backrest.
Leaning close behind the man, she softly said, “Then I’m starting.”
“Mm.”
Ni Yang looked at He Siyu’s ears, which were neither too large nor too small, and nervously raised her hand. The moment her fingers touched the slightly cool curve of his ear, his body visibly stiffened.
“Relax, it won’t hurt.”
So far, she had only ever cleaned the ears of her parents and Little Ye. As for an unrelated adult man, He Siyu was the first.
Since they would be living together in the future, she did not want her relationship with her future husband to remain distant and formal. What she liked was a marriage filled with intimacy and closeness.
Her fingers gently massaged the outer rim of his ear, brushing lightly over the soft earlobe…
The instant Ni Yang leaned close to him, the delicate fragrance unique to her invaded He Siyu’s senses. Sweet without being cloying, it hooked into the filthiest corners of his heart. His hands resting on his thighs clenched abruptly, veins bulging faintly beneath the skin.
Perhaps because she was afraid of hurting him, Ni Yang’s movements were extremely gentle. The room’s soundproofing was so good that he could clearly hear the girl’s slow, steady breathing behind him.
She touched him.
Her hands were so soft.
She smelled so good.
The madness he had been suppressing exploded violently in his mind.
Take her home.
Possess her.
Consume her.
Make her completely his.
Closing his eyes, the sensual and obscene images in his mind would not disappear — her unclothed body, tear-filled eyes, pleading expression.
The burning heat below his waist was forcibly restrained. The dream from the night before seemed to have opened some shameful hidden door. Facing Ni Yang, the self-control he had always been proud of collapsed like fragile foam at the slightest touch. He could not wait to bring her back to his territory.
Ni Yang moved to his left side. The feather wand brushed softly over the edge of his ear before slipping inward. They were so close that she could clearly see his trembling eyelashes.
His body was tense from head to toe, making Ni Yang feel as though she were torturing him instead of relaxing him.
“He Siyu, are you nervous?”
The man kept his eyes closed, his voice slightly hoarse. “No.”
What a stubborn man.
Ni Yang admired his exceptionally beautiful ears. They were practically textbook-perfect in shape.
Just as she was about to switch to the other ear, He Siyu opened his eyes and looked up at her.
“We’ll leave the other side for next time. We still have a lot to do this afternoon.”
Ni Yang set down the feather wand. “Alright. Then are we visiting Grandfather and Grandmother first this afternoon?”
“We’re going back to the old residence. My father and stepmother will also be there. Whatever they say, you don’t need to care about it. You also don’t need to be overly polite to them.”
He Siyu stood up and adjusted his clothes. Suddenly, he felt as though his left ear had caught fire.
Ni Yang’s expression paused briefly as she looked at him with mixed emotions. She did not ask why. Since he said so, he naturally had his reasons. All she needed to do was listen.
After leaving the studio, Ni Yang returned to her room to touch up her makeup and appearance. Bringing along the gifts she had prepared, she left for the He Family old residence with He Siyu.
Along the way, she kept glancing at the man’s reddened ears. Her previously nervous mood eased considerably.
Suddenly, the man turned his head.
The smile on Ni Yang’s face froze instantly. To hide her embarrassment, she lowered her head, coughed lightly, and touched the luxurious leather seat beneath her.
“This car is pretty nice.”
He Siyu did not expose her awkwardness. “If you like it, I’ll give you one.”
“That would be too embarrassing.”
“We’re husband and wife.”
Meaning, anything he gave her was perfectly proper and justified.
“We haven’t gotten the marriage certificate yet.”
“That’ll happen in the next couple of days. It makes no difference sooner or later.”
Toward things he was determined to obtain, He Siyu had always been confident and aggressive.
A man in power expertly controlled every arrangement with ease. To him, it was second nature. From the moment he agreed to cooperate with Ni Yang yesterday, she had already become his.
Half an hour later, the car stopped in front of a traditional Chinese estate.
The butler, who had been waiting for a long time, led the servants in carrying the gifts Ni Yang had brought as they followed behind the two of them.
Holding Ni Yang’s hand, He Siyu stepped across the high threshold. A gentle breeze drifted through the air. Small bridges arched over flowing water, willow branches brushed the surface, creating ripples, and golden koi swam beneath the crystal-clear stream. Green bamboo added touches of jade-like color to the scenery.
Passing through long corridors and side halls, the stone pathway led directly into the main hall.
Old Master He and the old madam sat waiting eagerly inside. When they saw the black and pink figures approaching closer and closer, smiles instantly spread across their wrinkled faces.
Entering the hall, Ni Yang saw an interior where traditional Chinese style blended perfectly with modern design. Top-quality redwood furniture, exquisite blue-and-white porcelain, and incense burners releasing wisps of smoke filled the space.
The two elders seated at the head of the sofa were smiling warmly at them.
On one side sofa sat He Siyu’s father and stepmother, while on the other lounged the carefree Second Young Master He.
Ni Yang curved her pink lips into a polite and graceful smile.
He Siyu introduced everyone to her one by one. The old madam liked Ni Yang more and more the longer she looked at her. The girl wore a pink Hepburn-style dress. Her lively fox-like eyes shimmered brilliantly, dimples faintly appearing as she smiled, bright and spirited.
The old madam smiled and beckoned toward Ni Yang. “Come here to Grandmother, dear.”
He Siyu released Ni Yang’s hand and gestured for her to go over.
Ni Yang bent slightly, took the old madam’s hand suspended in midair, and sat beside her.
“Grandmother.”
“Ah.” The old madam took out a redwood box from behind her and placed it into Ni Yang’s hands.
“This is Grandmother’s gift for you. It’s the He Family heirloom prayer beads — 108 imperial jade beads. See if you like them.”
When the box opened, a priceless jade bead bracelet rested quietly inside.
Ni Yang instinctively wanted to refuse, but before she could speak, the old madam silenced her with a single look.
Wen Shuhua, seated nearby, immediately became restless. She had coveted that item for half her life, yet the old madam had given it to some girl they had just met. All these years of flattering the old madam had not compared to the dead girl He Siyu brought home.
Her carefully maintained face twisted slightly with anger. Those prayer beads symbolized the authority of the He Family matriarch. Giving them to an inexperienced little girl — the old madam must have gone senile.
Suppressing her fury, she forced herself to speak. “Mom, Miss Ni hasn’t even married into the family yet. Isn’t it too early to give her something this precious?”
The old madam did not even glance at Wen Shuhua. With warm affection, she personally helped Ni Yang put on the beads, wrapping circles of jade around her fair wrist.
“The prayer beads were always meant for the future mistress of the He Family. Yangyang is getting engaged to Siyu tomorrow, so they already belong to her. Look how beautiful they are on her.”
The old madam held Ni Yang’s hand up for He Siyu to see. Though her eyes were somewhat cloudy with age, the way she judged people remained extremely clear.
To preserve her noblewoman composure, Wen Shuhua could only force the fake smile on her face to remain.
Wasn’t the old madam basically saying in front of everyone that she herself was unworthy?
Beside her, He Chuanhan maintained an indifferent expression, sitting there coldly as though none of this concerned him.
Her own son stared eagerly at He Siyu like a bootlicker. Not a single person in this family stood on her side.
Wen Shuhua sulked alone, finding Ni Yang increasingly unpleasant to look at. Wasn’t she just lucky enough to have a good background? She was merely some internet influencer showing her face online. How could she compare to someone like herself who had worked diligently for the He Family all these years?
The He Family had not had a daughter for many years. Seeing such a beautiful girl like Ni Yang, Old Master He liked her immensely. Looking at his own cold-faced grandson, he suddenly felt the boy was unworthy of such a good child.
With a wave of his large hand, the butler immediately understood and instructed the servants to bring over the prepared gifts.
The old master, always accustomed to being stern, spoke seriously to Ni Yang.
“Girl, Grandfather doesn’t really have anything good to give you. I just gathered some properties, land, jewelry, and antiques for you. I hope you won’t mind.”
Ni Yang was both shocked and flattered. Seeing the old master’s serious expression, she responded just as seriously.
“Grandfather, you’re too kind. I also brought gifts for you and Grandmother. I hope you’ll like them.”
The butler moved all the gifts Old Master He had prepared into the hall, then also brought over the gifts Ni Yang had brought.
“Whatever the girl gives, your Grandmother and I will love it.”
He Chuanhan handed Ni Yang a red envelope. A fake smile floated on a face that resembled Old Master He’s almost exactly.
“I’ll just call you Yangyang then.”
Ni Yang smiled politely and nodded. “As you wish.”
But when he looked toward He Siyu, his eyes — identical to his late mother’s — stared coldly at him. There was not a trace of respect in them. Only cold disgust, openly displayed without concealment.
This eldest son had always opposed him, constantly going against him at every turn. He envied his talent. He envied the fact that the old master had skipped over him entirely and handed Yi An directly to He Siyu.
As the father, he actually had to work under his own son.
He hated this child who should never have been born.
“Yangyang, Siyu is very domineering as a person. He’s cold to everyone, doesn’t care about feelings, rigid, and completely lacking in romance. Being with him will make you suffer.”
The faint smile on Ni Yang’s face slowly faded.
She knew that He Siyu’s relationship with his father was bad, but she truly had not expected that a blood-related parent would speak about his own son with such hatred right in front of her, his fiancée.
She looked at the expressionless He Siyu with a trace of heartache.
Sensing her gaze, the man turned to meet her eyes.
There was no sadness in his calm gaze like she had imagined.
She smiled at him, then turned and stood firmly on He Siyu’s side.
“Uncle, forgive my rudeness, but I want to say this — in my eyes, He Siyu is very good. He’s attentive and gentle. I don’t need him to be particularly romantic. A relationship can’t survive on romance alone.”
“And yet, in front of Grandfather and Grandmother, you still speak badly about him. That only proves you truly treat him terribly. Those are not words a father should say. You should apologize to Siyu.”