spring bite mark

Chapter 50 Xie Yunxi

No. 1 Mansion.

That night, Yan Changye had a stylist come to choose an outfit for Jiang Manman for the private banquet on the cruise ship the next day.

Before the stylist arrived, Jiang Manman leaned against Yan Changye's chest, flipping through the latest fashion magazines.

Yan Changye had one arm around her waist, looking languidly at reports on his laptop.

"Why does Madam keep staring at me at night?" Yan Changye caught her subtle gaze for the third time. His fingers, which were typing on his notebook, paused, and he met her gaze with a puzzled look.

"I had tea with Chen Jinzhou this afternoon." Jiang Manman said "Oh," her voice tinged with teasing. "After we came back from tea, I felt you looked even better."

Yan Changye's lips curled up slightly: "If it's beautiful, then look at it a little longer."

Jiang Manman snuggled closer to him, her eyes holding a hint of inquiry, as if casually asking:

"Everyone says you have a severe case of mysophobia, that you can walk through a garden of flowers without a single petal touching you. Five years ago at the hotel, how come you were so easily touched by me?"

Yan Changye put down his notebook and raised an eyebrow: "Why did you suddenly bring up the matter from back then, Madam? What did Chen Jinzhou tell you?"

"It has nothing to do with Chen Jinzhou. I just feel that you didn't even struggle or resist back then, and you just easily... Yan Changye, did you like me back then?"

Yan Changye's eyes flickered slightly, and he chuckled, "My lady is so delicate and beautiful, isn't it normal for me to like her?"

Jiang Manman said "Oh": "Then did you fall in love with me long before that, so you only half-heartedly went along with it back then?"

Yan Changye didn't answer this time, but just smiled casually.

Jiang Manman nudged him: "Say something."

Yan Changye said indifferently, "So what if it is, so what if it isn't? Back then, Madam and Xie Yuheng were always inseparable and affectionate. Did it matter to me, an unrelated bystander, whether I loved them or not?"

“It’s important.” Jiang Manman leaned closer to him, put her hands around his neck, and whispered in his ear, “I was attracted to you.”

Yan Changye was caught off guard, his heart skipped a beat for a moment: "When?"

“When I sent you the first batch of love letters,” Jiang Manman raised her almond-shaped eyes slightly, “I had the idea of ​​writing you a love letter in return.”

Sending love letters was something that happened after Jiang Manman's coming-of-age ceremony.

He styled her hair and inserted a hairpin, a gesture that held special significance in ancient times. Even in the more open-minded modern world, and despite Yan Changye's high status that would prevent people from having any impure thoughts, it still inevitably carried an element of ambiguity.

After their coming-of-age ceremony, their relationship grew even closer. He subtly seduced her by taking advantage of tutoring her with her homework, thinking she was slow to understand, unaware that she had also been tempted at some point.

Yan Changye couldn't quite describe the feeling in his heart, and he was a little annoyed by her lack of courage: "Then why didn't you confess?"

"You have a face that makes people feel unattainable," Jiang Manman sighed softly. "I forcibly suppressed that fleeting feeling of attraction."

The banquet lasted all night; "..."

He suppressed his slight annoyance, hugged her tightly, and bit her lip resentfully: "You're spineless."

The stylist entered the villa right on time.

Several stylists, dragging large suitcases, stood at the entrance.

On the sofa, Yan Changye's eyes shimmered, his breathing slightly disordered. He got up from Jiang Manman with some irritation, using a blanket to cover her with one hand, while casually buttoning the three buttons on his shirt with the other.

"Madam, please choose your clothes and get your hair styled first. I'm going to go outside and get some fresh air." Yan Changye pursed his thin lips, which were smeared with lipstick, and went out the door, his expression slightly agitated.

Outside the door, his assistant, Shen Zongqian, was looking for him, looking somewhat anxious.

Yan Changye glared at him: "What happened?"

Shen Zongqian glanced inside the door, and seeing that Jiang Manman wasn't paying attention, he lowered his voice and spoke:
"Something happened in the port city."

Yan Changye's gaze turned slightly cold.
In the living room.

Before Jiang Manman had even chosen her dress, Yan Changye walked in with a solemn expression.

“Madam, I can’t accompany you to the cruise banquet.” He said with a complicated expression, “I have to go on a business trip. There’s something urgent that I need to take care of.” Jiang Manman nodded understandingly, “Okay.”

"I'll try to get back as soon as possible." Yan Changye kissed her lips again, this time with a gentle, unhurried kiss, the irritation from being interrupted completely dissipated.

Late at night, a private plane flew directly to the port city.

Five o'clock in the morning.

Harbor Royal Bay.

The sound of the car was exceptionally clear in the still of the early morning. Inside the villa, the old butler looked up in surprise and saw a familiar figure appear at the door a few seconds later.

The man was tall and elegant, with a hint of coldness about him.

The old butler asked anxiously, "Young Master Yunxi, you're back?"

As night deepened, Xie Yunxi stood outside the light and shadow, his features indistinct and his expression unfathomable.

He gave a nonchalant "hmm" and strode upstairs: "Where are they?"

The old butler quickly followed and explained, "The two young masters have just taken their second dose of fever reducer and are both asleep."

Xie Yunxi went up to the second floor, walked to the two beds side by side, and bent down to look at the children on the beds.

The two little children had an unnatural flush on their faces, were breathing erratically, and had sweat on their foreheads.

He knelt down, gently picked up a hot towel and wiped the sweat from the children's foreheads, then checked their temperatures at the nape of their necks.

"Why are they all suddenly sick?"

“The family doctor came and said it’s a virus that’s currently circulating,” the butler quickly said. “They probably got it at school. The doctor said the two young masters are too weak and we don’t dare to use antibiotics indiscriminately. They might have a fever for four or five days.”

"School? Didn't Xie Jian take leave?"

“Young Master Xie Jian has taken leave, he’s being cautious,” the butler said carefully. “But Young Master Yu went to school and brought the virus back with him.”

"..." Xie Yunxi paused for a moment, his tone unreadable, "Go down, I'll stay with them."

The butler responded respectfully, "Young Master Yunxi, would you like some food prepared for you?"

"No need."

The housekeeper helped the old man downstairs.

The room quieted down, with only the two children's breathing, sometimes light and sometimes heavy, and the occasional groan.

A look of heartache flashed across Xie Yunxi's cold eyes.

Just then, Xie Jian groaned in pain and kicked off the blanket. Xie Yunxi reached out and picked him up, patting him gently.

Xie Jian groggily opened his eyes: "Daddy?"

"I'm here," Xie Yunxi replied gently.

imperial capital.

Early in the morning, the Night Chaser cruise ship docked at Port 1.

A group of security personnel stood orderly at the boarding gate, carefully checking the guests' invitations.

Jiang Manman did not board the ship immediately. Instead, she sat in the port leisure area a few dozen meters away, waiting for the people from Mu Chan Studio under a parasol.

One group of celebrities after another entered the Night Chaser. Chen Mohan, along with the heads of the six major families, stood on the main stage, silently waiting for the most important guests of the day.

After half an hour of being exposed to the cold wind, several more luxury cars arrived, and Xie Yuheng, surrounded by a group of prominent figures from the port city, drew closer. His refined and aloof features, thin lips, and icy aura gave off an intense sense of pressure.

As they approached the Night Chaser, he seemed to sense something and suddenly looked at Jiang Manman.

(End of this chapter)