Blossom through the Cloud - Extra Chapter 10
Extra Chapter 10
"At 9:20 AM, Miss Zheng left Jiangcheng and flew to the Netherlands."
After the secretary finished speaking, Yan An raised his head to glance at the clock. It was already ten o'clock.
Wonderful. The moment he opened his eyes, his wife was about to fly out of Asia once again.
Yan An sat in his office for half a day before suddenly letting out a silent laugh.
Pointless.
In the afternoon, the usual group of friends extended an invitation.
Yan An was the first to arrive. Looking at the empty private room, he inexplicably thought of his own empty, oversized villa.
At this hour, Zheng You'an should still be on the airplane.
Later on, when Ji Yan remarked that his "wife had run away again," Yan An actually felt like it was quite accurate.
He truly had the sensation of a wealthy abandoned husband.
When leaving the gathering that evening, Ji Yan and Zhu Dong walked in front, while Yan An and Fu Mingyu lagged a step behind, walking side by side.
As Fu Mingyu got into his car, Yan An heard him instruct the driver to head to the airport.
Yan An let out a laugh. "A twenty-four-filial husband going to pick someone up at this hour. Is the other party an underage child or what?"
Fu Mingyu rolled the car window all the way down, resting his arm half-way across the frame as he turned his head to look over.
"It's still better than someone who wants to show filial piety but has nowhere to apply it."
Yan An: "..."
The car slowly stopped in front of Yan An. Standing by the car door, he let out a sneer. "I don't have your kind of idle time."
The winter night was chilly, and Yan An left his car window open.
With his eyes closed, gusts of cool wind blew inside, yet they failed to dispel the stifling frustration in his chest.
When the car reached the urban district, he opened his eyes and instructed, "Go to the banks of Chengshu River."
The riverside had wine and crowds of beautiful women.
With a wave of his hand, Yan An rented out an entire open-air restaurant, sitting quietly by himself while the female singer on stage performed exclusively for him.
Her singing was melodious, and the singer swayed her waist with amorous, alluring eyes.
Yan An closed his eyes, his fingers gently tapping along to the rhythm of the music, feeling rather content.
Still, that wasn't enough. He recorded a short video and sent it to Fu Mingyu, carrying a slightly boastful flavor.
"Want to come? This singer is quite gorgeous."
A few minutes later, Fu Mingyu replied with a voice message.
Yan An tapped to play it, but it was Ruan Sixian's voice instead.
"President Yan, are you jealous that Shihang's stock has been doing too well lately, so you want to engage in unfair competition and have me finish off Fu Mingyu?"
Yan An didn't reply, letting out a cold laugh.
Henpecked.
Yet as he laughed, the corners of his mouth stiffened.
Yan An glanced around his surroundings. Out of every ten people passing by, eight were couples.
Yet here he was, sitting alone with four or five waiters standing around him. No matter how one looked at it, it was bizarre.
Pointless.
Yan An paid the bill and stood up to leave.
More than half a month passed in this leisurely fashion.
There was nothing wrong with it. If he wanted to drink, he drank; if he wanted to go somewhere, he went. In such a huge house, he could stay in whichever room he pleased.
Unlike certain people who were busy from morning till night and still had to run to the airport to pick up their wives.
They even had to walk on eggshells if they accidentally broke a cup, constantly worrying about having to sleep in the guest bedroom.
That afternoon, Yan An leisurely strolled over to the airport to check on the apron, only to run into Fu Mingyu being there as well.
The two stood side by side, watching the ground crew perform tethering work. Amidst the deafening roar of machinery, Fu Mingyu's phone kept ringing incessantly.
Yan An found it deeply annoying.
"Can you turn off your ringtone? Aren't you sick of hearing it?"
Fu Mingyu: "If I turn off the ringtone and can't hear my wife's phone call, what then?"
Yan An: "..."
Fu Mingyu: "Pardon me, I forgot. You don't have this annoyance."
Yan An's gaze froze, and suddenly he found himself completely speechless.
While replying to a message, Fu Mingyu said, "Sometimes, no matter how busy work is, you still have to answer your wife's calls at any moment, otherwise... actually, sometimes I quite envy you."
"Is that so?"
Yan An turned and walked toward the exit. "Then why don't you get a divorce."
Hardly had he left that spot when he ran into Ruan Sixian in the airport's crew passageway.
She was just about to board a plane when she walked straight toward him and greeted him.
"President Yan, at the airport so early?"
Yan An didn't speak. Ruan Sixian tilted her head and said mysteriously, "You wouldn't happen to be heading to Europe, would you?"
"Who said that?"
Yan An raised his eyebrows. "Do I look that idle?"
Ruan Sixian rubbed her nose, let out a soft "hmph," and didn't know what else to say.
"Ah, hubby!" She suddenly looked up and waved toward someone behind him.
Feeling Fu Mingyu walking over in this direction, Yan An couldn't be bothered to care and strode away.
Yet after taking a few steps, he still couldn't resist looking back.
Tsk.
Are you two Siamese twins or something?
Nearly thirty years old and still hugging and clinging to each other.
Unbearable to watch.
Yet why did it feel so heartbreaking?
How could two people who both owned airlines find their fates diverging to such an extreme?
Yan An slowly made his way back to the Beihang Building.
After a full day of work, he still decided that making money was far more interesting.
Just as he was preparing to head home, he suddenly remembered that tomorrow was Zheng You'an's birthday.
However, according to Zheng You'an's current time zone, it was already her birthday right now.
He thought about it and figured he still needed to say a couple of words to her.
But the moment he opened their chat window and saw that message from over half a month ago—"Brother Yan An, I think I accidentally ruined your clothes last night, I'm going to Europe to buy you an identical one to compensate!"—his head began to throb.
Forget it.
Yan An exited the chat window.
Zheng You'an had run off for over half a month without saying a single word to him, so why should he bother sending a message?
Yet after lingering for a while, simply out of sheer idleness, he went back to check Zheng You'an's Moments feed.
Wonderful, absolutely nothing was updated.
Even her birthday was spent in total quiet. It seemed she wasn't having all that great of a time in Europe either.
Yan An's mood settled down a fraction.
That night, he received a bank charge notification for his supplementary card.
The transaction amount wasn't small.
This was the first time in over half a month that Zheng You'an had used his card.
Did she really go buy him a shirt?
If that was the case, Yan An felt he could forgive Zheng You'an.
The young miss was just shy. After being coaxed by him in bed like that, finding it hard to face him was completely normal.
"Arrange a driver for me."
Yan An instructed his secretary, "Right, what about that necklace I told you to order?"
"It has already been delivered to your house, but no one is there."
After speaking, just as the secretary was about to leave, Yan An called her back.
"Never mind, I'll drive myself."
The secretary nodded, looked at Yan An twice, and hesitated with words on the tip of her tongue.
This secretary was a recent hire primarily responsible for Yan An's everyday trivial matters, rarely touching actual work affairs.
The young lady was meticulous and cautious; usually, she even helped arrange Zheng You'an's matters flawlessly.
"What?" Yan An asked. "Is there something else?"
The secretary licked the corner of her lips, took out her phone, and said timidly, "This morning, Miss Zheng posted a Moments update. I have a feeling she might have forgotten to block me."
Yan An: "What?"
The secretary showed him the phone.
The small photo was packed with quite a few people.
Zheng You'an was sitting in the middle of the sofa, with several young women standing behind her—her friends.
Surrounding her were five, six, seven, eight... shirtless, blue-eyed hunks holding birthday cakes and champagne, wearing light-up headbands that together spelled out "HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNA."
The accompanying caption read: Growing up on schedule! A new year of age, a new level of cuteness! Thank you everyone for rushing to a foreign land to celebrate my birthday with me, I love you guys! ~
The corner of Yan An's eye twitched violently.
For a moment, he actually didn't know where to start getting angry.
Because this damn thing could piss him off from every single angle.
What "a new year of age, a new level of cuteness"?!
What "I love you guys"?!
I didn't even know your English name was Annie, dammit!
So she swiped hundreds of thousands of his money just to hire eight muscular hunks to celebrate her birthday, and yet the person footing the bill was blocked from seeing it?!
For a fleeting second, Yan An's blood pressure spiked to a level that required calling an ambulance.
"Freeze her card immediately!"
The secretary quickly nodded and said yes.
Yan An sat down and lit a cigarette.
Calm down. No, he had to calm down.
Pressing a hand to his chest, he took a few deep breaths, then instructed his secretary again, "Arrange a flight for me. I'm going to Europe."
It was currently eight o'clock at night.
The secretary said, "There are no flights left at this hour. The earliest available one is tomorrow night at nine o'clock on Shihang."
Yan An: "Can't you arrange a private jet!"
The secretary was so shaken by Yan An's blazing temper that she retreated two steps.
Meanwhile, Yan An grabbed his jacket and stormed off, slamming the door hard enough to rattle the walls.
The secretary looked pitifully at the closed door.
B-But your wife left on your private jet...
At that moment, Zheng You'an was just waking up in her hotel bed.
She stared up at the ceiling, reluctant to get up for a long time.
Emptiness. Her entire being felt completely hollow.
Yesterday, a few good friends found out she was in Europe and quietly came over to give her a surprise.
A surprise was a surprise, but she still had to treat her friends properly.
Throwing a party to celebrate.
Yet even her friends had flown all this way from afar, while her husband hadn't sent a single message.
Even if they were nominally... no, by now they were far more than just nominally husband and wife.
Zheng You'an irritably flipped over.
All night long, she had hoped Yan An would tell her "Happy Birthday," yet she was terrified of him saying those words to her.
After waiting for the better part of the day, her brain short-circuited, so she hired eight models and specifically took a photo.
She wanted to post it to Moments so only Yan An could see it, but she was afraid that if Yan An noticed a lack of likes and comments from mutual friends he would grow suspicious, so she restricted the visibility to just his secretary.
However, after so much time passed, Yan An didn't react at all.
Perhaps his secretary saw it but didn't dare tell him.
What felt the most painful was that when she went to pay the bill, she discovered she didn't have that much money.
She was no longer the proud Miss Zheng of the past; she didn't dare casually ask her family for money and had to rely on swiping her husband's card.
This marriage was utterly meaningless.
Zheng You'an sluggishly sat up, stared at her disheveled self in the mirror, and remained in a daze for quite a while.
No, she couldn't let herself look like an abandoned wealthy housewife.
It's my birthday! It's my birthday!
No matter how plastic a couple they were, they still owed each other a "Happy Birthday"!
Two years ago before they got married, he would specifically have someone deliver gifts, so why was it that now they had marriage certificates, she didn't even get a single sentence?
The more Zheng You'an thought about it, the angrier she grew until her hair practically stood on end.
Yan An, I'm telling you, send me a message within ten seconds or you won't have a wife anymore.
Zheng You'an pulled out her phone and stared intently at the screen.
"Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, nine, eight, seven, nine, eight, seven..."
After counting down for goodness knows how many times, Zheng You'an's phone finally chimed.
—A bank notification informing her that her account had been frozen.
"Hiss—"
Zheng You'an clearly heard the sound of her own sharp intake of breath.
By the time Yan An arrived at the airport, the secretary called him with trembling hands to brief him on the situation.
Splendid.
Yan An laughed.
He stood quietly in the business aviation terminal, staring at the large glass panel and watching his own reflection without uttering a word.
The person following behind him tried to speak several times but didn't dare open their mouth.
"President Yan, should I still arrange a Shihang flight for you?"
The secretary said cautiously, "Departing at nine o'clock tomorrow night. When you get off the plane, it will be just around noon over there."
"No need."
Yan An hung up the phone.
She ran away using my airplane, spent my money while surrounded by handsome men, and still expected me to travel thousands of miles to Europe to find her?
Zheng You'an, I'm telling you.
Not happening.
Two minutes later, Fu Mingyu received a WeChat message on his phone.
[Yan An]: You around? Borrow a plane?
Zheng You'an's girlfriends hadn't left yet; they came back to her hotel that afternoon to look for her, only to find she was already gone.
When they called her, she wouldn't answer.
Even her assistant, Pei Qing, was staying alone in the hotel and had no idea where Zheng You'an had gone.
However, everyone wasn't too worried because before leaving, she had specifically instructed the front desk to thoroughly clean her room.
She had complained that the duvet felt a bit too rough.
In truth, Zheng You'an had simply gone out for a stroll by herself.
The Netherlands was the birthplace of Van Gogh and Rembrandt, and its capital, Amsterdam, housed some of the finest art museums in the world, so Zheng You'an was quite familiar with the country.
She went to the Rijksmuseum, visited the Van Gogh Museum, and later unwittingly wandered into the Red Light District.
She didn't pay attention to the sights; she just felt it was way too cold.
Why was this ghost of a place so freezing?!
After sneezing by the riverside, Zheng You'an squatted down to question the meaning of life.
How miserable. She had never imagined her future would turn out this tragic.
She had rolled in the sheets with her legal husband, yet she didn't dare face him and bolted faster than anyone else.
Right now, she was clearly a wealthy abandoned housewife with a home she couldn't return to.
Having lived this long, she wasn't like she hadn't seen other plastic couples; at least other people spent money as they pleased, whereas her plastic husband didn't even offer a single birthday blessing, and on top of that, he actually froze her bank card!
Just thinking about it made Zheng You'an want to faint.
As evening fell, the water buses on the canals ushered in another peak period.
Zheng You’an bought a ticket as well, but it was just one of those traditional small boats that could only hold two people.
She sat all alone in melancholy, taking a seat at the very edge.
Sigh.
Zheng You'an let out a heavy sigh.
"Pretty lady, did you come here to travel all by yourself?"
The person speaking to her was another Chinese tourist on the same boat—a guy who looked quite handsome, except he had long, permed hair that made him look a bit like Cowboy Dick.
Zheng You'an nodded without speaking.
"You're quite bold." Cowboy Dick leaned a bit closer. "Aren't you scared being by yourself?"
"What is there to be scared of?" Zheng You'an said with a deadpan expression. "Isn't Amsterdam the safest city in Europe?"
Cowboy Dick smiled as he looked at her. "Judging by your look, are you out here to clear your head because you're in a bad mood?"
Seeing her staring at her phone again, Cowboy Dick thought he understood everything. "Did you get into a fight with your boyfriend?"
Zheng You'an: "I don't have a boyfriend."
"Oh, is that so..." Cowboy Dick pursed his lips and slowly produced his phone. "Then can we add each other on WeChat? I'm also traveling here alone; I'm here for photography. If you're free, I can even take pictures for you."
"Sure," Zheng You'an nodded, "if my husband doesn't mind."
Cowboy Dick: "..."
He slowly pulled his phone back.
"No need for that after all."
No sooner said than done, Zheng You'an had already taken out her phone to send a voice message to Yan An.
"There's a guy who really wants to add me on WeChat and take some photos of me, do you mind?"
Cowboy Dick: "..."
He didn't really want to that badly.
Once the message was sent, Zheng You'an played it back to listen to it herself and instantly felt a twinge of regret.
What was the point of this?
They had agreed not to interfere in each other's private lives.
Before even two minutes had passed, she hurriedly recalled the message.
Cowboy Dick quietly scooted a bit further away. Zheng You'an raised her head and looked over. "Can you lend me a tissue?"
For some reason, she suddenly felt a bit like crying.
She felt as though she was tethered down by something.
"Oh, let me check..." Cowboy Dick patted down his entire body, only to find a crumpled piece of toilet tissue. "Here."
Against all odds, Zheng You'an didn't mind that the tissue looked a bit dirty and clumsily wiped her eyes with it.
Thank goodness she hadn't worn makeup when she went out today.
Although she was a married woman, seeing that Zheng You'an looked rather pathetic, Cowboy Dick swiftly converted himself into a "friend of women" role and scooted back over.
"Little sister, did you have a fight with your husband?"
Zheng You'an nodded.
When her friends came over to celebrate her birthday a few days ago, she hadn't been able to voice it out.
Yet facing a complete stranger, she suddenly felt a stronger urge to vent.
"Well, if you don't mind, you can tell me about it, and I'll talk you through it," Cowboy Dick said. "Though we won't add WeChat, seriously, no adding."
How should she put it?
Zheng You'an thought about it, and the root of her bad mood seemed to stem entirely from Yan An failing to give her a birthday blessing.
"It was my birthday, and he didn't wish me a happy birthday."
Cowboy Dick: "That's it?"
Zheng You'an: "That's it."
Cowboy Dick remained silent for a long time, pondering how women could be so impossibly difficult to deal with.
Getting angry enough to run off to a foreign country just because a birthday blessing wasn't said, and sitting here playing Lin Daiyu into the bargain.
Zheng You'an turned her head, looking at him with tear-filled eyes. "Isn't that going too far?"
"It is pretty far," Cowboy Dick said. "Get a divorce."
Zheng You'an: "Is this how you talk people through things?"
"Sigh." Cowboy Dick pulled another tissue from his bag and stuffed it into Zheng You'an's hand. "Look at you, cracking up over just this. If your husband ever cheats or strays, and turns around to bring home mistress number three, four, and five, wouldn't you jump in the river?"
Zheng You'an didn't answer, but her heart gave a slight jolt.
She had actually been seriously wondering what she would do if Yan An really did something like that.
Clearly, she was the one who claimed she didn't care about each other's private lives not too long ago.
"Aiya, if you don't want a divorce, then just turn a blind eye and push through it," Cowboy Dick said, patting her shoulder. "Worst case scenario, you go out and find someone yourself—brainless and carefree, double the happiness."
Before he could pull his hand back, Zheng You'an suddenly heard someone calling her name.
She blinked, thinking she was hearing things.
"Zheng You'an!"
Zheng You'an looked up and spotted a familiar figure right on top of a bridge.
In this ghost of a Dutch weather, he wasn't even wearing a jacket, standing straight up there with the sunset casting a glow over him as if draping him in a layer of golden light.
Zheng You'an stared at him, for a moment thinking she was experiencing hallucinations.
Until Yan An leaned forward, reached out, and pointed right at her.
"Stop right there."
Zheng You'an's mouth remained half-open as the thoughts in her brain slowly formed a coherent picture.
Why on earth was Yan An appearing here???
At the very moment she was dazing off, their small boat sailed under the bridge, abruptly cutting off her line of sight.
A short while later, the boat emerged from beneath the bridge.
Zheng You'an was still maintaining her head-up posture, but Yan An was no longer on the bridge.
Stunned for a moment, she sluggishly turned her head and saw that Yan An had boarded another boat at some point, watching her from a distance.
"Zheng You'an! Stop!"
It was only at this exact moment that Zheng You'an became certain it was truly Yan An who had come.
Colorful fireworks burst inside her mind instantly.
Yet once the fireworks cooled down, her very first reaction was to run.
It felt as if actually seeing this person meant she was about to plunge into some kind of abyss.
"D-Don't let him catch up!" Zheng You'an was so nervous she even forgot how to speak English. "Run!"
But the boatman had been doing this for decades, having seen tourists of all nationalities and mastering the skill of translating language purely through facial expressions.
Cowboy Dick looked back and forth multiple times, utterly failing to figure out who the man chasing them was to Zheng You'an.
Certainly not her husband, anyway.
What kind of woman would run away upon seeing her husband?
Unless he was abusive.
"Hold on, why are you running? Who is that guy?"
Seeing Zheng You'an stand up in agitation, Cowboy Dick grabbed her hand out of fear that she might fall over. "Be careful."
Yan An watched with his own eyes as that man grabbed Zheng You'an's hand.
Fire blazed in his eyes as he instructed the boatman to speed up with a deep voice.
The two small boats thus launched into a chase across the canal.
Watching the distance between herself and Yan An shrink rapidly, Zheng You'an felt her heart beating faster and faster.
What is this!
Are you insane?!
Why are you chasing me anyway?!
"What are you doing?!" Zheng You'an couldn't help shouting toward him. "Are you out of your mind?!"
Yan An didn't speak, instead walking toward the bow of the boat.
The gap between the two vessels closed at lightning speed.
Seconds later, a chorus of gasps rang out from the surroundings.
Before Zheng You'an could react, an arm hooked around her waist and hoisted her across onto the other boat.
Both boats rocked violently at the same time, nearly sending Mr. Cowboy Dick tumbling into the river.
As for Zheng You'an, her feet landed on the boat deck, but she was still lingering in shock.
The boat was swaying, and she was held tightly in Yan An's grip.
"Have you lost your mind! What on earth are you doing?!"
"Zheng You'an, don't move!"
"Are you crazy—ah!"
While struggling and stepping back toward the edge, Zheng You'an suddenly missed her footing, prompting another wave of startled cries from surrounding tourists.
Yan An never let go of his grip, pulling her back with all his might the exact second she fell.
He managed to pull her back, all right, but the momentum sent both of them tumbling off the opposite side and straight into the water.
The canal instantly erupted into chaos with loud noises—some people gasping in shock, others shouting "help."
However, before anyone else could attempt a rescue, Yan An had already surfaced while holding Zheng You'an in his arms.
The two of them clung to each other like this in the freezing river.
Perhaps Zheng You'an's brain had been soaked by the water, as she blankly muttered, "I-I remember you were actually quite good at swimming."
Yan An closed his eyes and took a deep, heavy breath. "Zheng You'an, did I owe you a debt in my past life?"
Inside the hotel suite, a doctor and Pei Qing were speaking in low voices in the living room.
Zheng You'an was wrapped in a blanket, sitting on the edge of the bedroom bed without daring to lift her head.
Yan An sat on the opposite sofa wearing a bathrobe, his face deathly pale.
He never imagined he would experience such a pathetic moment in his life.
He woke up to find his wife had run away, even making off with his airplane. Then she went abroad and blew his money to mingle with handsome guys. When he swallowed his pride to borrow a plane and chase after her, he caught her heart-to-hearting with some afro-haired guy.
He didn't bother saying much and dragged her back, only to plunge headfirst into a river in full view of the public.
He'd probably make it onto the trending search topics again in a bit.
Though thankfully this time the female lead was his wife, leaving his old man with nothing to say.
Yan An opened his mouth, wanting to say something to Zheng You'an, but he discovered his throat was burning and aching so badly that he decided it was better to say nothing at all.
Zheng You'an felt the same way.
The temperature in the Netherlands at this time didn't exceed five degrees Celsius, and with both of them falling into the river together, if they hadn't been young, they could have literally dropped dead right there on foreign soil as corpses.
So merely catching a cold could already be considered a blessing from the heavens.
Pei Qing walked in carrying two cups of hot water, casting cautious, sideways glances at the two of them.
"M-Maybe take some medicine."
While Yan An was drinking water, Pei Qing asked from the side, "Then President Yan, should I help you book a separate room?"
"A room?" Yan An was amused to the point of anger by Zheng You'an's assistant. "My wife is right here and you want me to go book a separate room?"
On the bed, Zheng You'an gave an involuntary jolt.
Yet she didn't dare say a word.
"Oh, oh..." Pei Qing backed out the door. "Then you guys get some rest early, call me if you need anything."
It was already ten o'clock at night.
Judging by Yan An's jet lag, he hadn't properly rested for an entire day, and since Zheng You'an had fallen ill, naturally she felt sleepy too.
Yan An pulled back the covers and got into bed. "Sleep."
Curled up like a shrimp on the far edge of the bed with her back to Yan An, Zheng You'an whispered, "Why did you come?"
With a dark expression and an unkind tone, Yan An said, "If I hadn't come, were you planning to go on a date with that afro today or summon another sixteen shirtless hunks for a merrymaking spree?"
Zheng You'an: "..."
So he really did see it all.
And that was why he flew all the way to the Netherlands?
So he was... jealous?
Zheng You'an's cheek suddenly felt a bit itchy, and she stealthily rubbed against the pillow.
"Were you jealous?"
In the next instant, she heard the sound of Yan An inhaling sharply once more.
"Zheng You'an." Yan An turned over, pulling her toward him as well. "This isn't a matter of being jealous or not, if other people saw you pulling stunts like that, where would I put my face?"
Only a dim floor lamp was lit in the room, making Yan An's silhouette look exceptionally gentle under the hazy glow.
Zheng You'an looked at him and asked in a small voice, "Then are you jealous or just worried about your face?"
The lighting was dim, but Yan An's eyes were clear and bright.
It was the first time the two of them held such a prolonged gaze, yet neither spoke.
The hotel's heater fan wasn't very loud under normal circumstances, but at this moment Zheng You'an felt like it was roaring past her ears like a rushing train.
After a moment.
Perhaps a few seconds, perhaps a few minutes, Yan An finally spoke.
He let out a shallow sigh first.
"Jealous, happy now?"
Zheng You'an abruptly turned around again to face away from him, remaining silent.
After waiting for a bit, Yan An figured she wasn't going to talk anymore, so he closed his eyes to sleep.
A long time passed before Zheng You'an suddenly spoke. "I didn't."
Yan An opened his eyes. "What?"
Zheng You'an: "I only took that photo for my Moments, and only your secretary could see it, nobody else."
Yan An curved his lips into a smile. "Oh."
"And I didn't do anything," Zheng You'an continued. "I didn't even touch their abdominal muscles."
Yan An: "..."
He turned onto his side and hooked his arm around Zheng You'an's neck.
"You wanted to touch their abs too?"
Blushing, Zheng You_an muttered, "I... I..."
"Didn't you get enough of touching mine?"
Yan An grabbed her hand and pressed it against his own lower abdomen. "Go ahead and touch, touch to your heart's content."
Whether it was due to a physiological reaction from falling into the water or not, Zheng You'an felt that Yan An's body was exceptionally hot.
She instantly pulled her hand back and glared at him. "Are you out of your mind?"
Yan An released her hand and rubbed her forehead.
"Almost."
That night, although Zheng You'an was sick and had taken medication containing sleeping aids, she didn't really manage to fall asleep deeply.
Neither did Yan An.
"Um, let me ask you three more questions," Zheng You'an said, still keeping her back to him. "Why didn't you send me a blessing on my birthday?"
Yan An: "You took off without a word and vanished like you disappeared from the face of the earth for half a month, and you expected me to act like nothing happened and wish you a happy birthday?"
"Oh." Zheng You'an digested his reply. "So you were sulking?"
Yan An sighed. "If you say so, then yes."
Zheng You'an opened her mouth to say something else when Yan An suddenly interrupted her. "That was already the second question."
"Are you always this stingy?" Zheng You'an twitched the corner of her mouth. "Then I'll just condense it and ask directly. Brother Yan An, do you like me?"
As her voice faded, a prolonged silence fell over the room once again.
Zheng You'an faintly sensed that Yan An's breathing was a bit unsteady.
"Say something."
"Little An'an," he addressed her the way he used to when they were kids. "Otherwise, why do you think I ran thousands of miles to this ghost of a place?"
Zheng You'an swallowed hard. "I've got a fever and my brain isn't working too well, give it to me straight."
"Yes, I like you."
She looked into Yan An's eyes, examining them closely, and it took a long time for those words to settle deep into her heart.
She really must have a fever; Zheng You'an felt a bit dizzy.
Oh, the tank of romance—whoever bumps into it passes out.
She rapidly closed her eyes and declared, "I'm going to sleep."
"Mn, go to sleep."
Yan An reached out to wrap her in his arms, resting his chin near the crook of her neck. "Listen to me say a few words while you fall asleep."
"We're already married, and I never intended on getting a divorce on a whim. Besides, I'm not that young anymore, past my reckless youth, so stop tossing me around. Let's live our lives properly."
"Oh."
"Then we'll go home once your sickness clears up?"
"Oh." Zheng You'an nodded slightly. "Then I guess we can make do and live together, it's not like we can divorce."
The day they returned, both of them slept through the entire flight.
They arrived home right at ten o'clock at night; the jet lag couldn't be adjusted, and they were both exhausted.
So they headed straight back to bed to lie down.
Not knowing where to cast her gaze, Zheng You'an looked around and noticed a box on the bedside table.
"What is this?"
She picked it up to inspect it.
Yan An watched her with a smiling expression.
After opening the box, Zheng You'an frowned.
"Whose necklace is this? So sparkly and flashy, how tacky."
Yan An: "..."
He picked up the iPad beside him and flipped through a couple of pages. "Who knows, maybe the cleaning lady left it behind."
Another long stretch of silence ensued before Zheng You'an shifted from sitting to lying down, curling up under the covers.
"Guess I'll sleep then?"
Yan An reached out to turn off the lamp. "Goodnight."
Watching him in the dark, Zheng You'an suddenly had a realization: Could that necklace from just now have been a birthday gift from Yan An?
Then... then if she said things like that just now, how awful of her.
Cautiously, Zheng You'an reached out and poked Yan An's wrist.
Yan An turned his head, meeting Zheng You'an's bright, doe-like eyes.
Very beautiful, very cute.
Yet remaining completely unmoved, he turned back with a deadpan expression.
"Not doing it."
"Otherwise you'll run away again tomorrow."
"......?"
All of Zheng You'an's pink bubbles of romance shattered completely at that moment.
"Who wants to do it with you?!" Zheng You'an forcefully tugged the blanket to turn her back to him. "You're the one whose brain got fried by the fever!"
Yan An chuckled softly, put down what was in his hand, and leaned over her.
"So, are we doing it or not?"
Muddled moonlight filtered in patchily, illuminating solely Yan An's eyes.
His breathing was shallow, yet it brushed against Zheng You'an's face with a scorching warmth.
For the very first time, before acting on their status as husband and wife, there had actually been a process of asking for consent like this.
Not knowing how to reply, Zheng You'an merely averted her face slightly.
Yan An lowered his head and gently kissed her cheek.
"Then are you going to run away tomorrow morning?"
"N-Not anymore... mmph..."
The night was like water, calm and tender.
With a hazy blur in her eyes, the person before her felt both real and illusory.
Her chin was hooked upward, and the breath by her ear was burning hot.
"Little An'an, have you never called me hubby?"
"Mn..." Zheng You'an reached out to wrap her arms around his waist. "Hubby."
Early the next morning, the alarm went off right on schedule.
Before going to sleep last night, Yan An still hadn't felt entirely reassured, so he had specifically set a six o'clock alarm.
The moment he opened his eyes, he subconsciously looked toward the side of the bed.
Beyond his expectation, yet seemingly expected—the space beside him was empty.
He let out a long sigh.
So tired.
He was a corporate CEO, not a bounty hunter chasing his wife all over the globe.
So which country had his wife flown to this time?
Yan An reached for his phone, preparing to stubbornly yet despairingly dial his secretary's number.
However, a slip of paper was placed right beside his phone. Picking it up, he recognized Zheng You'an's handwriting.
"She was originally the daughter of a wealthy family, but when her household declined, she sacrificed herself through an arranged marriage to save her family. Her husband held her in utter contempt, unwilling to even touch her. Yet after an episode of drunken revelry late at night, he discovered her hidden allure. That day, they tangled passionately through the night, thoroughly indulging. But when he woke up, her figure was nowhere to be found, leaving only a line of words stuck to the bedside—"
Unsure whether he was still half-asleep or not, Yan An actually raised his head to look at the headboard.
Sure enough, a small sticky note was pasted right there.
Squinting his eyes, Yan An leaned closer to read it: Add my WeChat and send a red packet of 20 to read the full text ^-^
Yan An: "..."
The bedroom door suddenly pushed open, and Zheng You'an poked her head inside.
"You're awake?"
The tense edge that had gripped Yan An vanished completely the moment he read Add my WeChat and send a red packet of 20 to read the full text ^-^.
He beckoned Zheng You'an over. "Where did you go?"
Walking toward him, Zheng You'an replied, "I went to do some yoga."
Glancing briefly at her neck, Yan An chuckled, "You wear a necklace while doing yoga?"
"Oh..." Zheng You'an said. "I wanted to prove that this necklace actually isn't all that ugly, it mostly depends on who's wearing it."
Still heavy with morning sleepiness, Yan An propped himself up halfway on the bed, feeling that today's mood was the most relaxed he had experienced in months.
"I can tell you didn't really like this one." He reached out to stroke her collarbone. "Let me get you another birthday gift, what do you want?"
"Can I pick anything?"
Zheng You'an looked at him expectantly.
Yan An nodded. "Mn, anything you want."
With a pursed smile, Zheng You'an hugged his arm. "Then let's commemorate our mishap of falling into the river from the boat the other day."
Yan An: "Mn."
Zheng You'an: "So buy me a yacht."
Yan An: "..."
Having been married for over a year, Zheng You'an finally developed the feeling of being in a romantic relationship.
Furthermore, she desperately wanted to show off to the entire world how great her boyfriend—oh wait, her husband—truly was.
On the day the yacht arrived, she impatiently prepared a banquet.
Though she didn't say it out loud, she felt this truly counted as her "wedding," except that Yan An happened to be tied up with matters and couldn't rush over today.
However, this contraption had nowhere to be docked in Jiangcheng, so it was stationed in Jinxing City instead.
Zheng You'an invited a large crowd of people. The yacht's deck was piled high with champagne and desserts, drawing envious gazes from all the surrounding guests.
"Is this what you called making do and living together?"
"I want a husband who buys yachts to come make do and live with me too."
"Look at how hard you're smiling, your face is about to blossom."
"Alright, alright, you guys go have fun!" Zheng You'an's face was indeed practically blossoming with smiles; she felt like she was the happiest woman in the entire world.
At that moment, Ruan Sixian arrived.
Welcoming her up, Zheng You'an asked, "Why are you only just getting here? We were waiting entirely for you."
With a travel-worn look, Ruan Sixian wore a trace of exhaustion on her face. "My husband dragged me shopping, I'm dying of exhaustion."
"What's wrong?" Zheng You'an pulled her along to tour her yacht. "What did you buy that made you so tired?"
"An airplane, of course," Ruan Sixian sighed. "I spent ages looking at them."
Zheng You'an: "..."
She lost.
She felt she had lost.
"Oh, doesn't your family already have one? Why buy another?"
"I can't pilot that model, how am I supposed to go on self-driving tours in the future?"
Zheng You'an gazed off into the distance. "Fine, whatever."
Meanwhile, both "husbands" were at the bank.
Proof of such high-value assets required their personal presence to sign off.
Exiting the VIP lounge, the two of them ran smack into each other.
Both were startled by the sheer financial coolness of the other's spending.
"Why are you here?" Yan An asked. "Didn't you go to Jinxing City?"
"No time." Fu Mingyu adjusted his cuff and said, "Didn't you go accompany your wife?"
"I'm the one who truly has no time." Yan An smiled as he looked at Fu Mingyu. "What do you mean no time, it's clearly your wife who won't let you tag along."
Yan An guessed correctly.
Nearly everyone Zheng You'an invited this time around were girls, and Ruan Sixian didn't want to be the only one bringing her husband along, as that would be too boring.
Fu Mingyu didn't speak.
Holding his phone, Yan An scrolled through WeChat.
A few minutes ago, Zheng You'an—who was supposed to be hosting a party—had sent him two messages.
[Wife]: Hubby, why aren't you replying to my messages? tvt
[Wife]: Is it because I didn't send you a message? qaq
Though entirely unreasonable, it possessed its own brand of cuteness.
"Sigh, my wife is too clingy, always demanding hugs and kisses, I have to coax her," Yan An sighed. "Actually, sometimes I really envy you."
Fu Mingyu: "Then why don't you get a divorce."
Yan An: "...Seriously, why are you holding such a petty grudge?"
That night, Yan An and Fu Mingyu still ended up heading to Jinxing City.
The bright moon hung high in the sky, completely devoid of stars.
"An'an, come here." Stepping out of the shower wrapped in a bath towel, Yan An sat down on the sofa, only to wait half an age without seeing his wife make a move.
With no other choice, Yan An walked over to the balcony and hugged Zheng You'an from behind.
"What are you daydreaming about?"
Keeping her gaze fixed upward at the sky, Zheng You'an said, "I was thinking, those people can fly in the sky while we can only swim in the water, how pointless is that."
Yan An felt a slight headache coming on.
"You want to fly in the sky now too?"
"Hubby, can we?"
Zheng You'an looked at Yan An expectantly once again.
Yan An ground his teeth. "Yes, yes, whatever you want, do you want to go to outer space?"
"Hubby." Zheng You'an dropped the corners of her mouth. "You don't love me anymore."
Yan An: "..."
Frowning as he stared up at the sky, he remained speechless for a moment.
Zheng You'an let out a sudden "pfft" of laughter.
"Just joking with you." She nudged Yan An. "Go change your clothes, I want to go out for a walk."
Who goes strolling around at this time of night?
Yan An held this doubt in his heart, but he kept it to himself to avoid triggering another round of "Hubby, you don't love me anymore" attacks.
Such a fine night with scenery like this, and an inch of time worth a ton of gold—he felt there was truly no need to waste it.
"An'an." Remaining stationary, he lowered his head to look at Zheng You'an. "There's a question I've always wanted to ask you."
"Mn." Zheng You'an casually surveyed the scenery downstairs. "Go ahead."
Supporting her head, Yan An made her look directly at him.
Water droplets were still dripping from the man's hair, landing on Zheng You'an's neck—cool yet highly provocative.
She pursed her lips as her gaze began to drift.
This setting, this atmosphere, was simply far too suitable for kissing.
Gazing at her just as intently, Yan An asked, "Is my performance in bed really that bad?"
Zheng You'an: "..."
Speechless, this young miss was utterly speechless.
Why did you men care about this so much?
"I..." Zheng You'an found it hard to articulate. "Didn't I already say..."
"Doesn't count," Yan An pressed. "Words spoken by women in bed are equally untrustworthy."
"Oh..." Lowering her eyelids, Zheng You'an mumbled, "Anyway, I wasn't faking it any of the times."
"Good."
Yan An let out a long breath.
His masculine pride was restored.
Feeling thoroughly satisfied, the young president returned to the bedroom to change into a loose set of clothes before taking Zheng You'an by the hand and heading downstairs.
Jinxing City was quite hot today, with the nighttime temperature refusing to drop below thirty degrees.
After walking barely a few steps, Yan An began complaining about the heat.
Everything was quiet all around; apart from the streetlamps, there were no other light sources, giving it quite the romantic rendezvous atmosphere.
Stopping in his tracks, Yan An leaned against a streetlamp.
"An'an."
"Mn?" Zheng You'an turned her head. "What is it?"
Pulling her into his embrace, he asked, "How about a kiss?"
"No, no, no..." Zheng You'an propped her hands against his chest to block him. "What if someone sees us? All the guests I invited are staying at this hotel."
"No way." Yan An was completely baffled. "Who on earth would be bored enough to wander around out here at night?"
Pitch black, sweltering hot, and crawling with mosquitoes.
Only this young master would be willing to accompany his wife out here.
Yet Zheng You'an paused in surprise. "What do you mean?"
After a few seconds of stagnant atmosphere, Yan An gave up.
"Just pretend I didn't say anything."
They took another couple of steps forward before a murmur of voices drifted over from ahead.
Yan An was left speechless.
Someone really was bored enough to wander around outside.
Drawing closer, they realized it was old acquaintances.
On a bench sat Fu Mingyu and Ruan Sixian side by side.
Hearing footsteps, Ruan Sixian turned her head and smiled. "You guys can't sleep either and came out for a walk?"
Yan An twitched the corner of his mouth without answering.
The only ones who couldn't sleep were probably you two.
"Mn," Zheng You'an said. "Out for a walk."
As she spoke, she noticed Ruan Sixian was still clutching a few roses in her hand, prompting her to tug at Yan An's sleeve.
"Hubby, I want those flowers too."
Looking solemnly at the flowers in Ruan Sixian's hand, Yan An thought to himself that women were truly like this—whatever someone else wanted, they wanted too.
Thus, he turned and headed toward a flower bed where several clusters of roses happened to be planted.
As he reached out, he cursed inwardly.
Fu Mingyu, are you even human? Picking flowers from the roadside, do you have any civic virtue at all?
However, the moment his fingers brushed the stems, a sharp piercing pain struck him, causing Yan An to let out a helpless sigh.
Fu Mingyu had it tough too, it seemed.
Plucking a flower and handing it to Zheng You'an, Yan An checked his fingertip under the streetlamp.
The skin really had been punctured and bled.
"Oh!" Zheng You'an spotted it too; abandoning the flower, she grabbed his hand. "Why is it bleeding?"
Off to the side, Ruan Sixian burst out laughing, collapsing into Fu Mingyu's arms.
"President Yan, what's wrong with you? Didn't you know roses have thorns? I just grabbed these casually out of my hotel room, why on earth did you go pick them from the roadside?"
With a heavy heart, Yan An turned his head to glare at Fu Mingyu.
—Control your wife.
As if failing to catch his eye signal, Fu Mingyu simply leaned back against the bench and raised his chin toward him.
"Come sit."
The bench looked quite spacious even with four people seated on it.
A breeze blew past, and Zheng You'an and Ruan Sixian ran off toward the fountain to take pictures.
The moon reflected in the water, perfectly round and flawless.
"Hey, are you guys planning to have kids?" Yan An asked offhandedly.
Fu Mingyu uttered an "Mn."
"What a coincidence," Yan An said. "We're planning on it too. How about becoming in-laws through our children in the future?"
Fu Mingyu: "Declined."
—End of Novel—