Wen Yan replied with "Okay." This was her job, and even if the interviewee was Xie Cheng, she had to do it well.
The next day, when Qi Siye came to deliver breakfast, she asked him to help schedule an appointment with Xie Cheng.
Qi Siye immediately dialed Xie Cheng's number and briefly explained the interview.
She didn’t know what was said on the other end, but the call ended quickly.
Almost simultaneously, Wen Yan’s phone screen lit up with a new WeChat message.
[Xie Cheng: If you have something to discuss, come to me directly. I don’t bite.]
Wen Yan stared at the familiar snowman profile picture, her heart tightening abruptly.
She knew this snowman all too well. On the night she confessed her feelings, she had built it outside Xie Cheng’s apartment building, working from late into the night until the sky began to lighten. Her hands had turned bright red from the cold, and her body had grown so stiff she lost all sensation.
She still remembered Xie Cheng’s dazed expression when he saw the snowman, his reddened eyes, and the warm embrace that followed.
She also remembered blocking him when they broke up.
He must have secretly accessed her phone while she was asleep that night at the hotel.
Her fingers paused slightly as she typed a formal, business-like reply in the chat box.
[Wen Yan: Dr. Xie, when would you be available?]
[Xie Cheng: See you this afternoon.]
"You have Xie Cheng’s WeChat?"
Qi Siye’s voice suddenly came from beside her—he had inadvertently glanced at her screen.
Wen Yan’s heart skipped a beat, but she calmly turned off her screen. "Yes, he added me as a friend when he took me home that night."
Qi Siye smiled. "For work matters in the future, just go to him directly. Don’t worry about bothering him. We’re about to get married, so my friends are your friends."
Qiao Xi, who had been silent until now, spoke up coolly from the side. "Brother, why don’t you just marry Jiang Wantang instead and spare my best friend?"
"Qiao Xi!" Qi Siye’s expression darkened. "Wantang is just like you—she’s like a sister to me."
Qiao Xi pursed her lips. "If Wen Yan and I were both hospitalized, you wouldn’t stay by my side and ignore her."
"Wantang is different from you."
Qi Siye’s voice grew colder, anger flickering across his face.
Wen Yan had already been considering calling off the engagement because of Jiang Wantang. With the wedding date approaching, Qiao Xi’s words only added fuel to the fire.
Seeing that he was genuinely upset, Qiao Xi didn’t dare say anything more.
Qi Siye was usually gentle in temperament, but that didn’t mean he lacked a temper.
Wen Yan spoke up at the right moment to break the tense atmosphere. "Xixi, I have a caregiver here. You should go back and rest. I’ll call you if I need anything."
"Alright, call me if you need anything."
Qiao Xi hugged her, picked up her bag, and left without another glance at Qi Siye.
Mentioning the caregiver reminded Qi Siye of the expenses.
"Yanyan, you’re my fiancée. I should cover the caregiver’s fees."
"We haven’t registered our marriage yet. Please allow me to pay for it myself."
Wen Yan’s tone was gentle, but her attitude was firm.
She had been financially independent since starting work, and there was no need to owe anyone a favor over such a small amount.
Qi Siye sighed helplessly. Wen Yan was strong-willed, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Sometimes, he wished Wen Yan would rely on him more, like Jiang Wantang did. But she was always so polite and distant, keeping him at arm’s length, leaving him unable to understand her.
He still had to buy a small cake for Jiang Wantang, so he instructed Aunt Zhao to take good care of Wen Yan.
Watching his figure disappear, Wen Yan opened her laptop and began drafting the interview questions for Xie Cheng.
The core of the talk show was professional discussion, while the follow-up feature interview needed to explore the expert’s life outside of work, making the interviewee’s image more vivid and three-dimensional.
Her thoughts focused, her fingertips lightly tapped the keyboard.
At half past two in the afternoon, Xie Cheng arrived punctually.
He wore a finely tailored black overcoat, which he removed upon entering. Underneath was a well-fitted dark gray suit paired with a simple black tie.
His demeanor was elegant and refined, exuding the composed detachment of an industry elite, along with an intensely disciplined sense of asceticism.
Wen Yan felt somewhat dazed—was this Xie Cheng truly her former boyfriend who had once been insatiable in his desires?
She averted her gaze and poured him tea.
To show respect, she had even borrowed an expensive tea set from Qi Siye.
"Dr. Xie, please have a seat."
Xie Cheng sat down, his expression cool and distant. "Reporter Wen, let's begin. You have half an hour."
Wen Yan pressed the recorder and spread out her prepared outline.
She started with a few routine questions, to which Xie Cheng responded succinctly.
Finally, she nervously asked, "Dr. Xie, would you mind sharing why you returned to the country?"
It was a perfectly normal question, but coming from her, it seemed to carry an additional layer of meaning.
Xie Cheng took a sip of tea and lifted his eyelids slightly. "Is this a question you personally want to ask, or is it a necessary topic for the interview?"
As expected, he had overthought it.
Wen Yan chuckled lightly. "If Dr. Xie prefers not to disclose, we can move on to the next question."
After the interview aired, many viewers had left comments expressing curiosity about Xie Cheng's reason for returning.
Though reluctant to admit it, she too wanted to know.
Just as she was about to switch topics, Xie Cheng suddenly spoke. "For a woman."
His tone was serious, his eyes deep and unfathomable like a secluded pool.
Wen Yan froze, not even noticing when her interview outline slipped from her hands.
Xie Cheng bent down to pick it up and handed it back to her.
The moment their fingertips touched, Wen Yan felt the warmth of his fingers, as if a faint electric current spread from her fingertips to her chest.
She composed herself, suppressing the momentary fluster, took the outline, and continued, "Dr. Xie, what are your hobbies outside of work?"
Xie Cheng continued to stare at her, answering with a question of his own. "Shouldn't Reporter Wen follow up on the previous question?"
"We're not entertainment news. When it comes to the private lives of interviewees, we usually keep it brief," Wen Yan explained with a smile.
"Is Reporter Wen unwilling to ask, or afraid to ask?" Xie Cheng's tone carried a hint of barely perceptible probing.
His relentless attitude instead stirred the stubbornness deep within Wen Yan's bones.
She calmed down and met his gaze.
"Dr. Xie, interview reports often reflect the journalist's personal style. I'm not interested in the follow-up to the previous question and won't include it in the report, so there's no need to pursue it further."
She truly had no intention of writing about this topic. Once put into words, readers' focus could easily shift to his private emotions, overshadowing his professional achievements.
If the interviewee were someone else, she might have included it to boost engagement.
As for Xie Cheng, consider it her personal bias.
Xie Cheng leaned forward, closer to Wen Yan, his smile cool and detached.
"Reporter Wen, besides reflecting the journalist's style, a report should also present a well-rounded image of the interviewee, shouldn't it?"
Wen Yan looked at the suddenly magnified handsome face before her, her heartbeat uncontrollably quickening.
He must have shaved before coming—his jawline was clean and sharp, and as he drew near, she caught the scent of Bvlgari Thé Vert aftershave balm.
This was the scent of aftershave lotion she loved most; during those four years in Europe, she had only ever bought him this one brand.
She leaned back slightly, creating a little distance, and struggled to keep her voice steady. "Then, may I ask, what is Dr. Xie's relationship with that woman?"