23 – Chapter 23
Like Suffering from Skin Hunger
As the granddaughter of the birthday star, Si Nian was also one of the main figures of the entire banquet. Holding a wine glass, she moved through the crowd, chatting and conversing with people, a faint smile on her face. She truly seemed to possess the demeanor of a wealthy socialite.
Had this woman really changed? Did she want to settle down properly with Xie Zhi? In any case, Bai Yanlin didn’t believe it.
He raised his glass and walked in Si Nian’s direction, a haughty smile on his face. Stopping in front of her, he said, “Congratulations…”
“Thank you.” Si Nian brushed him off casually and quickly turned to leave, but her wrist was abruptly grabbed by Bai Yanlin. When she turned back, her originally gentle brows furrowed together, clearly displeased. “Let go…”
“Is this how the Si family treats their guests—refusing a toast?”
Si Nian retorted, “Is this the Bai family’s standard—casually grabbing the hand of your younger brother’s wife?”
Bai Yanlin’s expression instantly darkened, but he eventually released her. Si Nian patted the wrist he had held, and the disdain in her eyes did not escape Bai Yanlin’s notice.
“Heh…” Bai Yanlin sneered coldly a few times. Noticing Xie Zhi approaching, he raised his voice as if deliberately speaking for him to hear, “Those watches, ties, and other little trinkets you gave me before—come and take them back soon, or I’ll just treat them as trash and dispose of them.”
“You still remember that?” Si Nian showed a surprised expression. “They were just things I didn’t want anyway—trash that belongs where it should be.”
Si Nian’s words implied that Bai Yanlin was a trash collector. His face stiffened again but quickly returned to normal. Glancing at Xie Zhi, he said, “Miss Si is truly fickle and short-lived in her affections. When you like someone, you chase after them relentlessly and can’t be driven away. When you lose interest, you just walk off without a second thought. I truly feel sorry for your future targets…”
Bai Yanlin’s words managed to mock both Xie Zhi and Si Nian in one go. Si Nian, watching Xie Zhi approach and clearly having heard the entire exchange, mentally cursed the entire Bai family.
Was Bai Yanlin just plain crazy? She couldn’t be bothered with him, yet he eagerly stirred up trouble.
As she worried about how to explain things to Xie Zhi, she noticed that the usually gentle man’s voice now seemed laced with shards of ice, yet carried a mocking tone.
“Do you know what you look like right now?” Xie Zhi stood in front of Bai Yanlin. Though ten years younger, his 188 cm height gave him a few centimeters over Bai Yanlin, and his presence was no less imposing—even overpowering in certain aspects. He spoke slowly, “Like a resentful husband who’s been abandoned and can’t accept it, coming here to wag his tail and beg for pity.”
In an instant, Bai Yanlin’s face darkened.
He probably hadn’t expected that this illegitimate younger brother, who usually had little presence in the Bai family and hardly ever spoke or interacted with him, would be so disrespectful.
Did he not want to survive in the entertainment industry?
After all, the Bai family’s strongest asset was their entertainment industry influence. With just a little maneuvering, he could make Xie Zhi, this so-called film emperor, disappear quietly from the circle.
“How dare you speak to me like that?” Bai Yanlin sneered.Si Nian couldn’t hold back any longer. She shoved Bai Yanlin forcefully. “I’ve heard of foot-binding, but this is the first time I’ve seen brain-binding. Who do you think you are? Some ancient crown prince who expects everyone to coax you with sweet words and kowtow three times with nine prostrations? You really do think highly of yourself.”
Bai Yanlin’s face had turned as dark as a pot bottom from their remarks. However, he couldn’t possibly make a scene in such an occasion without losing face. It was only when his assistant came over saying there was something requiring his attention that he left after shooting them a warning glare.
Si Nian turned to Xie Zhi, comforting him, “Don’t mind him.”
Xie Zhi’s expression seemed to have returned to normal. “I’m fine.”
But Si Nian detected something unusual in his voice – his breathing was clearly unsteady, carrying a slight tremble…
Was he angered by Bai Yanlin? Si Nian slipped her hand into Xie Zhi’s, grasping his large palm that felt cool to the touch.
Regardless of Xie Zhi’s actual personality, Si Nian felt sympathy and even some heartache for his childhood experiences, the oppression he suffered from the Bai family after growing up, and later having the woman he loved taken by his brother.
It was precisely these messy circumstances that eventually led to his “dark transformation” and confrontation with the male lead, Bai Yanlin.
But from Xie Zhi’s perspective, he hadn’t done anything wrong.
What was wrong with pursuing a woman he liked? What was wrong with fighting for his father’s inheritance? Just because he wasn’t the protagonist, everything he did was considered wrong – that in itself was unfair.
Si Nian gave Xie Zhi’s hand a squeeze. “Let’s go out for some fresh air. It’s all alcohol smell in here.”
“It’s cold outside, and you’re wearing a dress,” Xie Zhi’s voice still didn’t sound quite right.
“That’s alright, I have my coat. And if it’s really still cold, aren’t you here?” Si Nian wrapped both hands around Xie Zhi’s arm, feeling him tremble slightly a few times. In her heart, she cursed Bai Yanlin again.
Look what he’s done! How could he bully someone like this!? And who knows if this might affect her mission progress.
Si Nian pulled Xie Zhi toward the back exit. Preoccupied with her thoughts, she didn’t notice that Xie Zhi seemed to be in rather good spirits at the moment. He glanced down slightly at their joined hands, a smile curling at the corners of his lips – not at all like someone who had just been bullied.
The two exited through the back door of the hall, passed through the European-style corridor, and arrived at an open-air garden.
The place was almost deserted, with only the warm glow from street lamps casting faint light.
Si Nian finally released his hand, and they sat together on a double swing.
With the soft hand gone from his grasp, Xie Zhi felt an emptiness in his heart…
She was just like before – touching him casually a couple of times then leaving.
The scattered light fell on Si Nian’s lovely face, her thick eyelashes casting shadows under her eyes. She blinked twice and turned to look at Xie Zhi. “It does seem a bit cold. The coat isn’t enough.”
Yes, not enough. The coat couldn’t ward off the cold, and he too seemed to have developed skin hunger, needing more…
“Cold?” Xie Zhi looked at Si Nian’s exposed ankles, his throat moving. “Do you need me to do something?”
“I—” Si Nian let go of the swing ropes and suddenly lost her balance, falling backward.
A pair of large hands immediately reached around her waist, firmly supporting her lower back. To be precise, it was more like gripping, because it hurt somewhat.
She was straightened up, but unfortunately the hands didn’t leave, instead gripping tighter and tighter…
“I’m uncomfortable.””Did I hurt you?”