Lying on the bed, Ling Wei ground her teeth in frustration. She felt that half of the “military medal” on Xie Qingyan’s Moments belonged to him and the other half to her, and every time she was forced to contribute.
She had only added several of Xie Qingyan’s friends on WeChat yesterday, and now she could see their comments under Daddy Xie’s post.
Zhou Jianren was definitely the most loyal spectator of Daddy Xie’s Moments. Even though Daddy Xie constantly roasted him in creative ways, he still cheerfully rushed to leave the first comment every time.
Zhou Jianren: “If you’ve got the guts to show off your love, then go get married!”
Dong Dong: “I can’t live like this anymore. I’m uninstalling WeChat. Don’t try to stop me!”
Liu Qingnian: “I finally know why I’m still single. It’s because I don’t know how to show off!”
…
Daddy Xie replied to Zhou Jianren: “Even if Daddy gets married, I’ll still show off!”
Daddy Xie replied to Dong Dong: “You can scram quickly.”
Daddy Xie replied to Liu Qingnian: “You’re single because you’re ugly!”
Ling Wei was speechless.
As expected, foolish young men have the most fun.
She tossed her phone aside and turned over, landing on the side where Xie Qingyan had slept. She took a light breath. A cool, crisp scent lingered at the tip of her nose, faint yet pleasant. Vaguely, she recalled that in her drowsy state last night, she had seemed to cling tightly to something, warm and comfortable, with the same pleasant scent now drifting around her.
That was Xie Qingyan’s scent.
A certain thought flashed through her mind. Ling Wei abruptly buried her head in the pillow, ashamed of her impure thoughts.
The curtains in the room were drawn tightly, except for the one in front of the balcony’s floor to ceiling door, which had been pulled halfway open. Sunlight filtered through the glass door, casting a warm beam across the carpet.
Ling Wei rolled out of bed, casually smoothed her long hair, and padded barefoot to the balcony door. As soon as she gently slid the glass door open, she heard children’s laughter and a man’s handsome shout from outside.
She hurried to the railing and looked down. On the flat lawn in the yard, a badminton net had been set up. Xie Qingyan, bare chested, was playing badminton with Xie Qinghua, while Xie Ziyu jumped up and down at the side, cheering them on.
Xie Qingyan had excellent proportions, with well balanced and long limbs. He was the typical type who looked slim in clothes but well built without them. Now that he had taken off his shirt, his firm abdominal and chest muscles were clearly visible, yet not exaggerated, pleasing to the eye.
Ling Wei leaned leisurely against the railing, propping her chin on one hand, watching with growing fascination.
The moment she stepped onto the balcony, Xie Qingyan had already noticed her. Now, bathed in her ardent gaze, his desire to show off burned even stronger. Swinging his badminton racket, he launched a fierce barrage at Xie Qinghua, pressing forward step by step until Xie Qinghua had no chance to fight back. Forgetting all decorum, Xie Qinghua shouted across the net in exasperation, “Are you crazy? Did you get injected with chicken blood or something?”
Xie Qingyan twirled his racket with flair and said smugly, “You’re just too weak.”
Completely provoked, Xie Qinghua gripped his racket as if it were a broadsword. “Come on then, idiot.”
“If you want to fight, then fight, moron.”
Ling Wei was speechless.
Xie Ziyu turned around and spotted Ling Wei as well. Standing on tiptoe, he waved at her excitedly. “Mom!”
Although Ling Wei was still not quite used to his unique enthusiasm, she smiled and waved back.
Perhaps Xie Ziyu also found it boring that the two men were playing badminton as if they were fighting cocks. He turned and ran into the house, then all the way up to the second floor to find Ling Wei. The little boy had good manners. He knocked on the door and asked, “Mom, can I come in?” Only after getting her permission did he push the door open.
Then he ran happily to the balcony to watch the scenery with her.
“Where’s Grandma?” Ling Wei asked casually, chatting with the little bean sprout.
“She went to dance in the square.”
“Down the mountain?”
“Yes. There’s a park down there. Grandma goes every day. Sometimes she takes me, but I don’t think it suits me.” The little boy spoke in a tone like a miniature adult.
Ling Wei was amused by his manner of speaking. “Why doesn’t it suit you?”
He immediately began to complain, “It’s all grandpas and grandmas there. Every time they see me, they pinch my cheeks. After one trip, my face gets pinched swollen!”
Ling Wei examined his bun-like cheeks carefully. “They do look very pinchable. Can I try?”
Xie Ziyu fell silent for a few seconds, conflicted, then said with the air of someone heading bravely to his doom, “Fine, you can pinch.”
“You don’t mind?” she asked, holding back laughter.
He opened his eyes wide and said innocently, “You’re Mom. You’re allowed to pinch.”
Though it was just a child’s simple words, Ling Wei was deeply touched. She rubbed his little head and said, “Mom won’t pinch you. How about Mom gives you a kiss instead?”
Xie Ziyu pressed his lips together in a smile and nodded vigorously.
Ling Wei crouched down, wrapped her arms around his chubby little body, and planted a loud kiss on his plump cheek.
Giggling with his mouth covered, Xie Ziyu said, “Mom, you smell so nice. Mom, you’re really pretty.”
“Wow, that mouth of yours. You’re very good at sweet-talking girls!”
The two of them laughed together for quite a while. Then Xie Ziyu suddenly remembered something and tugged at Ling Wei’s hand, pulling her inside. “Mom, Dad has your photos here!”
Ling Wei was surprised and followed him curiously. “What photos?”
“Very pretty photos!” He led her to the sofa and pulled open the drawer beneath the coffee table. Sure enough, several photos were scattered inside.
“Can I look?” she asked, even though they were photos of her.
“Of course. I come up to look at them often,” Xie Ziyu said, taking them out and laying them on the coffee table for her.
At a glance, Ling Wei recognized them as stills from a film set, the very Republican era television drama Xie’s mother had mentioned earlier. In the photos, she looked both sly and youthful, sometimes proud, sometimes quiet. The one common trait was her youthful beauty, like a doll.
“How does your dad have these?”
“Uncle asked Secretary Du to get them for him. Later Dad found out and snatched them away and hid them here. Dad said as long as I didn’t tell Uncle, he would bring you to be my mom.” Xie Ziyu’s thoughts were clear and his explanation concise. In just a few sentences, he laid out the whole story.
But there seemed to be a lot of information in those words.
Not only had Xie Qingyan known her in advance, he had even snatched the photos from Xie Qinghua and hidden them. He had also told Xie Ziyu he would bring her to be his mother.
What did that mean? It meant that before signing the agreement, Xie Qingyan had already taken a liking to her.
At that realization, Ling Wei’s heart skipped two beats, then began to pound irregularly.
In her previous life, she had indeed encountered Xie Qingyan at some occasions. But at that time she already had Ye Zichu, and her eyes and heart were filled with him alone. Even when she met other outstanding young men, she never spared them a glance, let alone thought of befriending them. Perhaps that was why she had never come to know Xie Qingyan in her previous life, and had missed out on such an extraordinary man.
In this life, because Ye Zichu had exited early, her acquaintance with Xie Qingyan had come about so naturally.
Ling Wei suddenly felt fortunate. It was precisely because of the miserable experiences in her previous life that she was able to meet Xie Qingyan in this one. Ever since being with this man, her days had been full of twists and turns, vibrant and exciting.
Yet it seemed Xie Qingyan was unwilling to let her know this truth. In their conversation the night before, she had clearly sensed his evasiveness. Why was that? On one hand he showed off their affection in Moments with almost split personalities, and on the other he acted in front of her as though he had no desires at all. What exactly was he trying to do?
Looking at the photos of herself, smiling or angry, Ling Wei suddenly felt an immense sense of confidence. That confidence came from the importance Xie Qingyan placed on her.
All at once, she felt that life had become thoroughly interesting.
At eight thirty, Xie’s mother returned from her square dancing. After accompanying her for breakfast, Ling Wei was driven to the airport by Xie Qingyan.
Along the way, Ling Wei turned on the car’s audio player. Gentle, soothing love songs filled the cabin, and from time to time she hummed along softly.
Xie Qingyan focused on driving, glancing at her from time to time. “What, in a good mood?”
Ling Wei rested her left elbow on the center console, propping her chin in her palm, and narrowed her eyes at him with a smile. “I’m in a good mood every day, but today is especially good.”
Her smile made Xie Qingyan’s heart itch. He very much wanted to reach out and rub her head, but in the end he restrained himself. “Care to share the reason?”
Ling Wei kept the same smiling expression and said, “The weather is great today. The traffic has been smooth the whole way. Most importantly, sitting beside me is an unbelievably handsome and amazing man.”
Xie Qingyan’s hands trembled slightly on the steering wheel as he let out a low laugh. “I’ve always been this handsome. You’re only noticing today?”
Ling Wei shook her head. Her voice turned slightly husky, carrying a teasing edge. “Today you’re especially handsome.”
Xie Qingyan tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Just hearing her speak in that coy tone was almost enough to make him lose control.
For the rest of the drive, Ling Wei teased him in subtle ways. If his self control had not been strong, she might have completely undone him.
After arriving at the airport, Ling Wei met up with her manager Li Yi. Only then did Xie Qingyan let out a breath of relief. He felt that Ling Wei was somehow different today, yet he could not quite pinpoint how.
Before going inside, Ling Wei suddenly asked in a soft voice, “Gege, do you need a goodbye kiss?”
Xie Qingyan was speechless.
He finally realized what was different. Today, she was exceptionally good at flirting.