“Where is she!”
“Where is she!”
“Let me see! Let me have a look…”
A figure rushed abruptly before Xia Qiaoxi, the tall form leaning down, “So it’s you! Look up, let me see!”
Xia Qiaoxi held her phone and raised her head, “Hello.”
After waking up and coming downstairs, she found Tang Yushen wasn’t home.
She had just settled on the sofa when this man arrived.
His features bore some resemblance to Tang Yushen’s.
“Young Master, the Eldest Young Master said we mustn’t speak loudly in front of Miss Xia,” the old butler approached to remind him.
“Was I being loud? Why can’t I speak loudly? She’s not some porcelain doll, but…” Tang Ran tilted his head, examining Xia Qiaoxi left and right, “She truly is a beautiful fairy, worthy of my brother stealing someone’s sweetheart!”
“Hello, Second Young Master,” Xia Qiaoxi greeted politely. “Please have a seat.”
“You already carry yourself like the lady of the house, though you’re not married yet, right?” Tang Ran sat beside her. “You look…”
Xia Qiaoxi turned to meet his gaze.
She was indeed beautiful—otherwise the He family wouldn’t have chosen her back then.
“I’ve got it!!” Tang Ran slapped his thigh. “Exactly like the portrait in my brother’s study!”
“Young Master…” The old butler leaned closer, reminding him with difficulty, “Perhaps you should speak less.”
Tang Ran stared at him. “I haven’t said much! Only a few sentences!”
What, wasn’t he allowed to speak freely now?
Xia Qiaoxi had long guessed Tang Yushen saw her as a substitute for his white moonlight. Since she was merely using Tang Yushen too, she felt no anger at all.
It was mutually beneficial.
Tang Yushen looked at her to soothe his longing for his white moonlight, while she used Tang Yushen to break off her engagement and escape the Xia family.
Neither was at a loss.
“Young Master, I meant matters concerning the Eldest Young Master…” The butler hinted without elaborating.
Someone as clever as Tang Ran couldn’t possibly miss the implication.
“Alright, alright! I’ll stop talking!” Tang Ran nodded dismissively, then muttered under his breath, “But they really do look alike…”
As if the portrait was painted from her.
The only difference was that the girls in those portraits wore strange clothing—either cheongsams or previously popular Western dresses.
Styles from the Republican era.
But his brother had always been peculiar—unfathomable and incomprehensible.
Now that he’d found his true love from the portraits, if his brother didn’t steal her away, it wouldn’t match his character.
“Sis-in-law!” Tang Ran grinned foolishly. “Sis-in-law!”
Xia Qiaoxi: “…What was he randomly calling her?
“My brother has a terrible temper—you need to rein him in properly! Make him work hard, earn lots of money, so he can give me more spending cash!” Tang Ran said excitedly.
“What about you?”
“Me?” Tang Ran crossed his long legs. “As a third-generation rich, with the foundation laid by Grandpa and Dad, plus having a brilliant, shrewd brother dominating the scene, I only need to be an idle, law-abiding young master.”
“Not being a money-loser is already accumulating virtue for the Tang family and saving my brother trouble. So my dream is for Brother to earn loads while I spend loads. Since you can make Brother happy, I like you too…”
Xia Qiaoxi: “…”
Rare to find such harmonious brothers among the wealthy.
The He family was far more complicated.
“What do you like?” Tang Yushen walked in against the light, his eyes dark and profound. “Hmm?”
“The kind of liking I mentioned isn’t between a man and a woman—it’s admiration, respect, the kind of affection one has for an elder,” Tang Ran said quietly as he stood up. “Brother, you’re back…”
Tang Ran awkwardly moved aside.
Tang Yushen naturally took a seat beside Xia Qiaoxi. “Little Xi, you’re only allowed to like me. Don’t listen to his nonsense.”
“Mm…” Xia Qiaoxi nodded.
“Wow! Look at this, just look! Brother and sister-in-law are simply too perfect for each other—a match made in heaven, a pair destined by fate! May you grow old together, have children early, and enjoy endless blessings and longevity…” Tang Ran grinned, staring at Tang Yushen.
“Out of money again?” Tang Yushen’s voice was low.
“Brother, you know me…” Tang Ran tilted his head. “I swear I haven’t touched drugs, gambling, or anything illegal! It’s just eating, drinking, having fun, and social obligations.”
“What social obligations are you talking about?”
“The Tang family has plenty of social engagements here in the capital. The events you usually avoid, I attend!” Tang Ran laughed. “Brother, my dear brother, my own flesh and blood! And sister-in-law is so beautiful! Sister-in-law, please help me out.”
Xia Qiaoxi remained silent.
She couldn’t be that sister-in-law.
“Go find Chen Hei,” Tang Yushen said, wanting to get rid of him quickly.
Just leave!
Get out of his sight.
Don’t disturb him and his precious Xi’er from nurturing their relationship.
“Alright then!” Tang Ran left without looking back.
“My brother is just like that—no sense of boundaries,” Tang Yushen explained. “But sooner or later, he’ll be calling you sister-in-law. Consider this practice to get used to it.”
Had Tang Yushen’s true love really died?
The kind that would never return?
Was he keeping her by his side as a lifelong substitute for his lost love?
When men become ruthless, they even deceive themselves.
“Let’s take it slow. I’m not ready for that yet,” Xia Qiaoxi replied softly.
“Fine, no rush,” Tang Yushen said through gritted teeth.
But he was in a hurry!
He was desperate!
He wanted to register their marriage right now, to make her his rightful wife!
But the doctor had warned him about Xia Qiaoxi’s current condition—she couldn’t be overly stimulated.
“Little Xi, I have a gift for you. Give me a kiss, and I’ll give it to you,” Tang Yushen leaned his handsome face closer. “Two kisses would be even better, and ideally a hug too.”
“What gift?”
“It’s something that will definitely make you happy!” Tang Yushen lowered his head. “If you’re not happy when you receive it, I’ll return your kisses.”
Xia Qiaoxi: “…”
No matter how she thought about it, it didn’t seem right.
Calculating it all, he would still profit from two kisses.
Perhaps even more than two.
“If you genuinely want to give it to me, you’d give it to me even without kisses,” Xia Qiaoxi said, then tightened her grip on the phone in her hand.
Had she forgotten something?
Since Tang Yushen saw her as a substitute, wouldn’t anything she want come at a price?
He held her while sleeping, and in return, he gave her a phone.
What could one kiss exchange for?
Xia Qiaoxi set down her phone and slowly, deliberately, leaned closer to him. Her faint breath brushed against his cheek. “Well, where should I kiss?”
“Where do you want to kiss?” Tang Yushen suddenly grew tense, his hands gripping her waist to prevent her from escaping.
Little Xi looked like she might back out at the last moment.
“Your lips look so sensual…” Xia Qiaoxi stared directly at his mouth.
He probably liked kissing on the lips.
When he stole kisses from her, he lingered on her lips unwilling to pull away.
“Your lips look very kissable,” Tang Yushen said, growing impatient to take the initiative himself.
The slower Xiaoxi’s movements became, the more they made his heart tremble, every cell in his body screaming.
Kiss!
Give a kiss.
She would absolutely not regret giving him a kiss.
The gift he gave was no ordinary material present.
Xia Qiaoxi closed her eyes, relying solely on sensation as she gently, softly pressed against his lips.