Chapter 11: Flashback

Tightly clenching his fists, Wen Lan Sheng’s eyes turned fierce. The only person who could leave a mark on her body, besides Rong Xiu, was impossible to be anyone else.

“You’ve had a long day, change out of your clothes and I’ll wash them for you.” As he spoke, Wen Lan Sheng had already reverted to his gentle demeanor. His hands crept up to her chest, unbuttoning her shirt one by one.

“No rush.” Fan Xia gripped his hands, lowering her head to gently kiss his fingertips. “It’s too late, you’re tired too. Let’s wash them tomorrow.”

Wen Lan Sheng’s fingertips curled slightly. The spot she had kissed grew warm, sending tingles of heat through his heart.

Ever since Rong Xiu had appeared in their world, it had been a long time since he’d felt Fan Xia’s gentle, lingering affection. Unable to contain himself, he leaned into her embrace, basking in her long-missed love. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he let out an irrepressible sound of joy: “It’s just putting clothes in the washing machine, not tiring at all. Besides, this is what I should be doing.”

Fan Xia lowered her head with a faint smile, her long slender fingers threading through his soft black hair.

Wen Lan Sheng’s hands trailed downwards, unbuttoning her shirt one by one. His heated breath fanned across her neck. The faint lace pattern of the sheer curtains cast intricate shadows on Fan Xia’s body through the hazy light. Blurred floral silhouettes danced in the depths of her eyes.

Wen Lan Sheng’s breath caught. He hooked an arm around her neck and kissed her, enveloped by the strong, rich scent of iris.

Fan Xia averted her gaze, looking through the thin curtains at the mesmerizing darkness outside. In her daze, a cool, faint scent of cedar filled her nostrils, along with the memory of Rong Xiu’s burning lips. Just like a volcano frozen beneath an ice mountain, that cold, ice-shard of a man had, in his feverish delirium, mistaken her for someone else. He had wrapped his arms around her neck and kissed her passionately, like flowing flames.

Fortunately, he remembered nothing of it now.

A warm tongue licked across her lips. Wen Lan Sheng’s tightly shut eyes and passionate expression were intoxicated, as if he were savoring honey mixed with iris fragrance, delving deeper bit by bit.

“Xia Xia, I love you so much… Last time you left me halfway, this time you’re not allowed to leave again.” Wen Lan Sheng panted softly, his face flushed as he said, “You have to make it up to me.”

Fan Xia lowered her head, a gentle smile in her eyes. Her fingers slipped open his robe. “Alright.”

The rain fell gently outside as shadows swayed within.

Satiated after their feast of passion, Wen Lan Sheng’s eyes crinkled with a smile. He put on his robe and picked up the scattered clothes from the floor, heading towards the bathroom. Just as he was about to throw Fan Xia’s day-worn shirt into the washing machine, a faint cedar scent wafted from it. Wen Lan Sheng’s eyes darkened. He took a pair of scissors from the cabinet and thoroughly shredded the shirt before throwing it in the trash.

After finishing everything, Wen Lan Sheng returned to bed. Fan Xia was already asleep. She had work tomorrow, so he couldn’t disturb her anymore.

Wen Lan Sheng carefully climbed into bed. He reached out his hand, stopping just a hair’s breadth from her brows and eyes. Separated by that thin layer of air, he lovingly caressed her sleeping features. Then he gently nestled into her embrace, falling into dreams accompanied by her soft breathing.

At Cloud Water Bay, a single lonely light shone in the cold, desolate villa.

Rong Xiu sat on the black leather sofa, his long straight legs casually crossed. By the light of the cold moon and lonely stars, he reviewed documents left unfinished during the day due to illness. Page after thin page filled with complex numbers piled up into a small mountain.

Reading until late into the night, Rong Xiu removed his frameless glasses. Closing his eyes, he rubbed his dry eyes with long-fingered hands. Out of habit, he took a pack of cigarettes from the drawer under the tea table and lit one to stay alert. Rong Xiu’s slender fingers held the cigarette as he exhaled a plume of smoke. The desolate smoke dispersed in the harsh white light.

His cold, narrow eyes swept over the icy furniture. Only the kitchen held a hint of warm light.

Rong Xiu stood up and took a drag on his cigarette. Through the swirling smoke, he seemed to see Fan Xia bustling about the kitchen earlier that day. The air of domesticity surrounding her was the only spark of life in this ice cave.

He stood by the kitchen for a long time, until the cigarette burned down to the filter.

Rong Xiu returned to the sofa, expertly stubbing out the cigarette butt in the ashtray, preparing to continue reviewing documents. But as soon as his fingertips touched the ashtray, his hand froze.

The ashtray was spotlessly clean, without a single cigarette butt or speck of ash. Yet just last night, he had sat here and smoked an entire pack.

Now, it had clearly been cleaned by someone.

Someone had touched it.

Rong Xiu’s expression turned cold and severe, his thin lips pressed into a hard line. He immediately took out his phone, disregarding that it was already two in the morning, and called the housekeeper, then Zhuang Nian.

“Ashtray? What ashtray?” Zhuang Nian mumbled sleepily.

“The ashtray on the coffee table in my living room. Did you clean it? Answer me!” Rong Xiu practically shouted these words, his voice hoarse.

Even when facing harsh criticism from the board of directors, Rong Xiu had never lost his composure like this. Zhuang Nian’s drowsiness instantly cleared. Though he didn’t understand what the big deal was about an ashtray, he knew the gravity of the situation.

He immediately got out of bed and thought for a moment before answering, “The living room coffee table? I didn’t touch it… But I did see General Assistant Fan come in earlier carrying a stack of documents. She seemed to put them on the coffee table. She probably saw it and cleaned it for you. Is that ashtray very important, CEO? CEO? CEO?”

“Beep————”

Rong Xiu collapsed onto the sofa, his hand gripping the phone trembling with suppressed emotion. His face was pale, and unprecedented panic and helplessness appeared in his cold, thin eyes.

She had seen it.

She knew he smoked.

Ever since cigarettes were invented, men smoking has been seen as uncouth. Even with the impact of modern Western ideas, this traditional mindset hasn’t changed. Rong Xiu used to abstain from both alcohol and cigarettes. But ever since he took over the struggling Shanhai Group from Rong Yan, the doubts from the group’s directors and shareholders, as well as the overwhelming societal criticism of his male identity, had left him gasping for air.

He suffered from insomnia, with only alcohol and cigarettes to ease his mind. In business circles, Rong Xiu never bothered to hide the fact that he didn’t drink or smoke. On the contrary, these male vices helped ward off some unwanted romantic attention, making women avoid him like the plague.

But he never imagined that his ugliest side would be exposed to Fan Xia like this.

Why did she have to see it? Why did it have to be her of all people? Rong Xiu lowered his head in shame, his carefully maintained facade shattered. He felt utterly mortified. How could he compare to Wen Lan Sheng like this?

When Fan Xia saw the pile of cigarette butts in his ashtray, she must have been disgusted and repulsed. He didn’t dare imagine how she had endured her revulsion as she dumped out those nauseating things and cleaned it thoroughly.

At that moment, she must have been thinking how fortunate she was to be marrying Wen Lan Sheng instead of him.

At least Wen Lan Sheng neither smoked nor drank. That was the kind of traditional man Fan Xia would like, not someone like him who was entrenched in the business world and constantly in the public eye.

Rong Xiu slumped lifelessly on the sofa, blood red to the point of being horrifying seeping from his mouth.

“Look at you. I stay up all night because I sleep during the day. But you? You work during the day, then it’s either social engagements or overtime at night. It’s past 2 AM now, and you’re still here drinking. Do you have a death wish?” Chen Yu Ze wiped a glass, his teasing tone tinged with concern.

“Give me a vodka.” Rong Xiu ignored Chen Yu Ze’s words.

“Are you insane? Such strong liquor – drink that and you won’t be able to go to work tomorrow, you know?”

“I know.” Rong Xiu’s gaze lowered, his flat tone filled with inescapable loneliness.

“This is so strange. You used to hate wasting even a minute of the day