He Jiayu had just returned when he heard hurried footsteps. Following the sound, he saw an unfamiliar woman appear.
Perhaps from running, or maybe from excitement, the woman’s cheeks were slightly flushed, her moist lips slightly parted, and her deer-like eyes sparkled as if dotted with starlight. When she saw him, this little deer seemed startled, her eyes widening slightly, moist and utterly innocent.
He remembered—this seemed to be his newlywed wife, Xu Zhiyuan.
With just one glance, Xu Zhiyuan recognized this man as her current nominal husband, He Jiayu.
Although He Jiayu wasn’t the male lead but merely the second male lead, his appearance was strikingly handsome and dashing.
Standing at 190 centimeters tall, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist, his body proportions were perfect. His jawline was sharp, his features three-dimensional, and when his sharp phoenix eyes looked at you, it felt as if they could see right through you.
Xu Zhiyuan’s body immediately tensed up, her hands unsure where to place themselves. She felt as if her very soul had been laid bare under his gaze.
“H-hello,” Xu Zhiyuan spoke first, believing that the best defense was a good offense. Besides, her parents had taught her to take the initiative and greet others politely when meeting them. “You’re back.”
He Jiayu noticed her nervousness and forced composure. His face resumed its usual gentle expression, and his eyes softened, as if the sharp person from moments ago wasn’t him at all. “Mm.”
Xu Zhiyuan forced a dry smile, her lips twitching. “Have you eaten? I’ll… I’ll have the servants prepare something for you.”
He Jiayu walked over and sat down in the living room. “No need, I ate before coming back.” Seeing her still standing there, her body completely tense, he joked, “Do I look terrifying? You seem very nervous.”
Although this wife wasn’t someone he particularly liked, since he had accepted the arranged marriage substitution, he naturally intended to take responsibility.
Thus, he didn’t want their relationship as husband and wife to remain so distant and unfamiliar.
If it stayed like this, how could they carry on the family line?
He Jiayu was just that rational and logical.
Xu Zhiyuan immediately shook her head in denial.
He Jiayu wasn’t terrifying at all. On the contrary, he was very handsome—the most handsome man she had ever seen so far.
One reason she couldn’t relax was her social anxiety.
As for the other reason…
“Because we’re still not familiar,” she said.
He Jiayu had expected to hear some other reason, but he hadn’t anticipated Xu Zhiyuan’s straightforward answer. Surprised, he looked at her, taking in her innocent and earnest expression, and found it rather amusing.
It was clear she was telling the truth—direct and without any unnecessary complications.
Honestly, it had been a long time since he had met someone like this.
“That’s my fault. I’m sorry,” He Jiayu suddenly said.
Xu Zhiyuan was taken aback, not understanding why he was suddenly apologizing. Confusion flickered in her deer-like eyes.
He Jiayu didn’t beat around the bush either. If someone was being straightforward, it wouldn’t do to be evasive.
“I didn’t consider the situation at the time before going abroad.”
Xu Zhiyuan’s heart trembled, and her nose suddenly felt sour. But this wasn’t her own emotion—it was a lingering sentiment from the original host.
She couldn’t help but wonder: if the original host had also received an apology from He Jiayu, would the outcome have been different?
Unfortunately, there were no what-ifs.
“What’s wrong?”
He Jiayu did not miss the complex emotions that flashed in her eyes, mixed with an incomprehensible sense of regret and pity.
Xu Zhiyuan snapped back to reality. “No, no, that wasn’t something you could control,” she said, pretending to be carefree and joking, “It’s a good thing you didn’t leave in the middle of the wedding.”
“I wouldn’t dare,” He Jiayu went along with her joke, pretending not to notice her unusual demeanor. “If I really dared to do something like that, I definitely wouldn’t be able to walk out of the hotel—I’d be carried out.”
“It wouldn’t be that exaggerated,” Xu Zhiyuan said, her tense nerves relaxing a bit. She felt that He Jiayu was actually quite easy to get along with, just as described in the novel—someone approachable.
He Jiayu: Him? Approachable? Where did his wife get that filter from?
He Jiayu shrugged. “I absolutely wouldn’t try it,” he said. “Why don’t you sit down first? Isn’t it tiring to stand? Are you used to living here?”
Xu Zhiyuan hesitated for a moment before walking over to sit down, choosing a seat relatively far from He Jiayu. “It’s fine, I’m getting used to it.”
“If there are any problems, remember to tell me or Nanny Zhang.”
Xu Zhiyuan nodded, thinking about needing a room. “I want an empty room. Can I use the home theater downstairs?”
The home theater was the most suitable room—soundproofed with good audio equipment, perfect for creating works.
He Jiayu was curious. “What do you need the home theater for?”
“Creating,” Xu Zhiyuan said, her eyes lighting up as she spoke. “I want to write songs.”
The fastest way to make money was to copy songs.
Writing scripts or novels took time, but writing songs was different—recording a song wouldn’t take too long either.
“Write songs?” He Jiayu was surprised. The information he had didn’t mention that Xu Zhiyuan could write songs.
However, He Jiayu didn’t doubt Xu Zhiyuan. Since she dared to say it, she probably could.
Besides, even if she couldn’t or wasn’t good at it, it didn’t matter. His wife didn’t necessarily have to work—he could support her. But if she wanted to do something, as long as it wasn’t illegal or crossed his boundaries, he had no reason to oppose it.
He Jiayu nodded. “Sure, do you need anything? I’ll have someone prepare it.”
Xu Zhiyuan had been thinking about how to convince He Jiayu to believe her, but she didn’t expect him to agree without even asking.
“You agree?”
He Jiayu nodded. “Mm. But I remember you have a job. Can you manage both?”
Reminded by He Jiayu, Xu Zhiyuan remembered that the original owner had a job—a small clerical position in a small company under the Xu family, unlike Xu Zhixiao, who worked at the headquarters and held an important position.
Recalling the original owner’s life, it truly revealed how little her parents cared about her everywhere.
“I plan to resign,” Xu Zhiyuan said. She didn’t want to go to work; she even wished He Jiayu could inform the Xu family so she wouldn’t have to go through the resignation process.
But such thoughts could only stay in her mind. She could handle this herself—it was just a resignation procedure, after all.
He Jiayu didn’t try to persuade her. Even if Xu Zhiyuan stayed at home doing nothing, he could support ten more of her without issue.
A person walked in through the door. Hearing the sound, Xu Zhiyuan turned around and saw a stranger, instinctively standing up.
“Hello.”
A faint smile appeared in He Jiayu’s eyes.
Yuan Yuan: !!
“Hello, Young Madam.” Yuan Yuan was pleasantly surprised, but upon seeing the confusion on Xu Zhiyuan’s face, immediately realized she didn’t recognize him. “I am He’s assistant, Yuan Yuan.”
“Ah, oh, hello, Assistant Yuan.”