When Chu Anhe left the old residence, she carried a heavy rosewood box containing a pair of priceless jade bracelets.
“Xie, this… this is far too valuable. I can’t accept it.”
“You take it,” Xie Jingran said, eyes on the road, seeming in a good mood. “Grandpa gave it to his granddaughter-in-law. If you return it, it would be like rejecting him.”
“Although… we’re just pretending,” Chu Anhe murmured, looking at the box in her hands. “Grandpa is genuinely kind to me. I don’t want to deceive him with his gifts.”
Xie Jingran’s grip on the steering wheel tightened.
Pretending?
Perhaps at first.
But now, seeing the faint flush on the girl’s face reflected in the rearview mirror, along with the life value on the system panel rising, he suddenly thought maybe pretending could become real…
“By the way,” he said, changing the subject, “Grandpa’s birthday is in a couple of days. You’ll need to attend his birthday banquet with me.”
Chu Anhe nodded obediently. “Okay, I’ll behave well and make sure I’m worth it. You don’t have to worry.”
Back at Yujing Bay, as soon as they entered, Xie Jingran tossed a thick stack of files onto the black marble coffee table.
“These are the profiles of Xie family core members and the schedule for the day after tomorrow’s birthday banquet. You need to memorize everything by tomorrow night.”
Chu Anhe glanced through the files. The densely packed relationship charts made her head spin.
Yet she nodded obediently. “Okay, I’ll complete the task.”
Xie Jingran unbuttoned his suit, draped his jacket over his arm, and was about to head upstairs when he paused. His gaze fell on Chu Anhe’s slightly stiff posture, brow furrowed. “Also, the opening dance of the banquet must be performed by us. Can you dance?”
Chu Anhe shook her head honestly. “Is the third set of broadcast calisthenics okay?”
Xie Jingran: “…”
He took a deep breath, seemingly calming himself, then casually tossed his jacket onto the sofa, unclasped his cuffs, and walked toward Chu Anhe.
“Come here. I’ll teach you.”
The living room lights were dimmed, and soft classical music filled the air.
“Place your hands here.”
Xie Jingran’s voice was low, resonant like a cello.
Chu Anhe’s palms were sweaty with nervousness as she tentatively placed her hands on his broad shoulders. The next second, a warm and strong hand immediately rested on her waist without hesitation.
“Relax. Your waist is stiff like a board,” Xie Jingran said, eyes lowered, brow slightly raised. “The entire audience will be watching us in two days. Do you want to show them we’re strangers?”
“I… I’ve never danced with a man…” Chu Anhe stammered, unable to meet his eyes, staring instead at his moving Adam’s apple.
“Look at me,” Xie Jingran commanded.
Reluctantly, Chu Anhe lifted her head and met his dark, bottomless eyes.
“Follow my steps. Left in, right back… breathe, don’t hold your breath.”
As the music played, their bodies were forced closer. Every spin brought them nearer, and their breaths intertwined.
Xie Jingran had intended only to train her, but the softness of the girl’s waist in his arms, her faint scent, and the blush on her cheeks mere centimeters from his lips distracted him.
【System: Ding! Host, have your hands been there too long? Sensors detect your palm unconsciously stroking the heroine’s waist. Tsk tsk, is this your “special training”?】
Xie Jingran froze, as if burned, instinctively wanting to pull back.
At that moment, Chu Anhe stepped on his foot, shouting, “Ah!”
To prevent her from falling, Xie Jingran had no choice but to pull her tightly into his arms.
“Thump.”
Their bodies were pressed tightly together.
Chu Anhe’s face was buried in his chest, clearly hearing his slightly irregular heartbeat.
Thump, thump, thump…
Way too fast.
The air froze for five seconds.
Then Xie Jingran’s hoarse voice sounded from above: “…This might be a good opportunity to fall into my arms, but can you please get off my foot first?”
Chu Anhe jerked back, face as red as a boiled shrimp. “S-sorry!”
After dancing, it was already late at night.
Chu Anhe felt more exhausted than after a full day of labor. She practically collapsed onto her pillow, sleeping soundly.
Next door, Xie Jingran in the master bedroom was trapped in a scandalously vivid nightmare.
In the dream, dim, intimate lighting and looping cello music surrounded him. The girl’s soft body pressed against him, her slender waist perfectly fitting in his hand.
His hand moved uncontrollably, stroking, tightening, fingertips savoring the delicate touch, wanting more. He bent down, nose catching the faint sweetness of her hair.
“Xie…” the girl called softly in the dream.
“Boom—”
Xie Jingran snapped awake, sitting upright in bed.
Dawn light seeped through the window. The room was silent.
He gasped, heart pounding violently, glancing down at an undeniable natural response, his face immediately darkening.
“Xie Jingran, are you a beast?”
He gritted his molars, cursing himself quietly. Just dancing and he had this… this filthy dream!
System: Tsk tsk tsk! Good morning, host~
Detected host’s hormone levels extremely high. Last night’s dream material has been automatically archived.
Commentary: Typical “well-mannered scoundrel, verbally reluctant but physically straightforward.”
“Shut up!” Xie Jingran angrily flipped the blanket and ran to the bathroom.
Cold water poured down for twenty minutes, barely quelling the inexplicable heat.
On the way to school the next morning, the car atmosphere was tense.
Chu Anhe sat in the passenger seat, occasionally stealing glances at the brooding Xie Jingran.
“Um… didn’t sleep well last night?” she asked cautiously.
Xie Jingran’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. He shot her a cold glance, voice hoarse and stiff. “Slept well.”
Slept well? You should know better. Culprit!
Chu Anhe shrank back, confused. Men have… periods too?
The black Volkswagen Phideon slowly stopped two hundred meters from Haishi University’s campus entrance.
“Get out.” Xie Jingran said, eyes forward, tone cold, as if saying more would shorten her life.
“Oh, see you tonight, Xie.”
Chu Anhe habitually unbuckled her seatbelt and stepped out.
Watching her ponytail swing energetically as she carried her backpack, Xie Jingran pressed his throbbing brow and irritably loosened his tie.
Tonight… absolutely no more dancing.
This wasn’t training her. This was torturing himself.
As Chu Anhe entered the campus, under the teaching building, her cousin Chu Anning appeared, wearing a designer dress and carrying a limited-edition bag.
Chu Anning studied art at Haishi University’s Art Department. She only got in because her father, Chu Weidong, donated tens of thousands when her test scores weren’t enough.
After Chu Anhe’s father, Chu Weimin, died by jumping from debt, her uncle Chu Weidong inherited most of the family connections and resources, running large projects successfully and doting on his only daughter.
Seeing Chu Anning in a five-figure dress, Chu Anhe felt a sharp irony.
“Yo, isn’t this my good cousin?”
Chu Anning removed her sunglasses, scanning Chu Anhe’s simple jeans and T-shirt, a mocking smirk on her face.
Chu Anhe frowned, wanting to ignore her, stepping aside.
“Stop!” Chu Anning stepped forward, holding up an invitation. “See this? This is the invitation to the Xie family grandpa’s seventieth birthday banquet!”
She leaned closer, tone full of bragging. “I have a child marriage with the Xie family. This invitation is for me to meet the crown prince of the Xie family.”
Chu Anning laughed scornfully, patting Chu Anhe’s shoulder with the corner of the invitation. “Chu Anhe, when I become the Xie family’s young mistress, maybe I’ll let you work there, sweep the toilets, something like that, just to give you a meal. How about it? Jealous?”
Chu Anhe looked at the invitation, then at Chu Anning’s arrogant face, expression odd.
Xie family young mistress?
If memory serves… the red booklet was still in her backpack.
“Finished?” Chu Anhe said lightly. “Then move, good dogs don’t block the way.”
“You!” Chu Anning didn’t expect such firmness. Her face turned green with anger. “Fine! Chu Anhe, wait! Tomorrow night at the banquet, I’ll show you what the real difference looks like!”
Watching her stomp away in heels, Chu Anhe shook her head.
Difference in status?
Indeed.
Just don’t know who’s cloud and who’s mud.