Chapter 26: Phone Call

Long wet hair was lifted by slender finger bones, cool strands twining between Rong Xiu’s fingers. He turned on the hair dryer, warm air blowing, the jet-black hair surging like a deep dark sea wrapped in desire.

Rong Xiu’s breathing was heavy, his dark eyes seemingly burning.

Fan Xia sat properly, and having nothing else to do, she took out her phone. The wedding planner had just sent her a message, mainly about some details and the procession for entering the wedding ceremony.

Fan Xia had no interest in the wedding and directly replied: “For wedding matters, just ask my fiancé. He has full authority to decide.”

The planner immediately replied: “Miss Fan, it was your fiancé who asked us to seek your opinion.”

Fan Xia was a bit suspicious. Wen Lan Sheng was very enthusiastic about this wedding, wanting to have everything under his control to ensure every detail met his wishes.

Why would he actively seek her opinion?

“Ouch—” As she was thinking, Fan Xia suddenly felt her hair being pulled.

“Sorry.” The buzzing sound of the hair dryer immediately stopped. Rong Xiu apologized with a strange expression, his cold and sharp brows tightly furrowed. Even with the frameless glasses, his narrow, cold eyes could hardly conceal his extremely low mood at this moment.

“It’s okay,” Fan Xia said almost instinctively, and asked reflexively, “What’s wrong?”

“Your… your wedding is coming soon, right?”

Fan Xia nodded: “Counting the days, after returning from the business trip, I’ll be holding the wedding with Lan Sheng.”

After saying this, Fan Xia lowered her head and continued answering the planner: “Alright, I’ll discuss it with my fiancé and then let you know.”

Her fingertips lightly tapped on the screen, completely unaware that beside her, Rong Xiu’s eyes were as dark as night, as if brewing a violent storm.

The planner had just replied ‘okay’.

Wen Lan Sheng had already called.

“Xia Xia, which bouquet do you think we should choose for the wedding? I like irises, but everyone says lilies of the valley are best. I’m a bit undecided.” Wen Lan Sheng sent a voice message, which Fan Xia played directly. His tone was soft and coquettish, clearly the voice of someone who was cherished.

“If you like irises, then let’s choose irises,” Fan Xia said in an indulgent voice.

Rong Xiu gritted his teeth. He had always thought her unvirtuous, inconsiderate, and incredibly difficult and fussy.

But Rong Xiu knew that only those who are favored have the right to be difficult, to be fussy.

Just like him in front of Fan Xia, let alone getting angry or arguing with her, he would think thrice before daring to say a word, unlike Wen Lan Sheng who could be so confident in her favor.

During this time, he had been so immersed in the moments with Fan Xia that he had forgotten his own identity. Whether he wanted to face it or not, the wedding day would come. She would eventually marry Wen Lan Sheng in his wedding attire and become his official wife. He just didn’t expect this day to come so quickly. No, or rather, every day spent with Fan Xia seemed to pass in the blink of an eye.

As if afraid he might catch her, in the blink of an eye, in an instant, night had fallen.

And she, like a tired bird returning to the forest, went back to Wen Lan Sheng’s side.

Reality kept reminding him that she didn’t belong to him. He should face the truth, just as Chen Yu Ze said, she was a married woman. If he truly liked her, he shouldn’t disturb her life. He should silently bless her from the corner, watching her get married, have daughters, and live a happy, peaceful life.

But he wasn’t resigned to it. He just couldn’t accept it!

Whatever Wen Lan Sheng could give her, he would give her double. He was willing to give her everything he had. If she was willing, he would offer the entire Shanhai Group as a dowry, dedicating everything to her.

“But the florist told me they’ve never made a bouquet with irises before,” Wen Lan Sheng’s voice was sweet and soft.

Listening to their lovey-dovey conversation, Rong Xiu’s nails nearly dug into his flesh, the pain numbing his bleeding heart.

“If you like it, that’s what matters. Don’t worry about others’ opinions.”

Fan Xia’s gentle, lazy voice dissipated in Rong Xiu’s ears, an irresistible bewitching sound, softly yet heavily pounding on his heart, knocking on the door of his heart.

“Let’s choose irises—” As Fan Xia was speaking, she suddenly felt a dark, invasive presence looming over her. Before she could react, something cool and soft pressed against her lips, and something cold and metallic touched below her eyes – his thin, cold glasses.

Fan Xia was slow to react for a second, looking at Rong Xiu’s handsome, aloof features magnified before her eyes, the wine-red mole under his left eye corner swaying like alluring neon, her whole being falling into a wine-red ocean.

Fan Xia suddenly realized what they were doing now and moved back, but behind her was the soft sofa backrest. She had nowhere to retreat. She wanted to speak, but her lips were sealed by Rong Xiu. His lips were soft and cool, yet containing a scorching heat, ceaselessly assaulting her. He was like a fire sealed by ice, his cold and aloof demeanor all a facade. At this moment, his scorching intensity like magma was his truest self.

She pushed Rong Xiu’s arm, feeling the silky, expensive fabric of his clothes and the furnace-like temperature of his body beneath. The surrounding air suddenly became dry, the temperature rapidly rising, making her blood stir.

“What are you choosing, Xia Xia?” The phone was still pressed to her ear, Wen Lan Sheng’s voice like a splash of cold water on her head. On the other end of the phone, her fiancé was eagerly waiting for her to choose their wedding bouquet, while she was kissing another man in a hotel room.

Fan Xia’s heart rate suddenly accelerated, her ears burning.

“Mm……”

Rong Xiu’s hand slowly slid up her neck, the silky, cool fabric clinging to her slightly reddened, heated neck, like a timely rain soothing her feverish skin, yet also like a misty drizzle silently teasing.

But before Fan Xia could think further, Rong Xiu’s lips slowly left hers.

He pressed his lips tightly, his thick lashes lowered, concealing the expression in his eyes. Even though she couldn’t see his expression clearly, Fan Xia could sense his unusual state from his slightly reddened eye corners and the tense muscle lines of his arms.

“Xia Xia, Xia Xia?” Wen Lan Sheng’s voice urged, “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Fan Xia’s thoughts were in disarray. Only then did she realize she was still on the phone with Wen Lan Sheng.

“I’m here… just now, uh, the signal wasn’t good, it cut out for a moment,” Fan Xia said, her eyes unable to resist glancing at Rong Xiu.

Strangely, while she always remained vigilant with Wen Lan Sheng, she often forgot about him when she was with Rong Xiu.

Now he was lowering his head, sitting quietly beside her, his expression silent and subdued, like a fierce Doberman leashed, its sharp fangs retracted, sitting docilely beside its owner. The only difference was his flushed cheeks.

Fan Xia had never seen Rong Xiu like this before. He had always been cold and reserved, never blushing so thoroughly.

She thought, he must be regretting his actions just now. Sometimes the human brain is just like that, acting on impulse, without any regard for reason.

But this was good too. In a while, she could talk things over with Rong Xiu, pretending nothing had happened.

“I see,” Wen Lan Sheng hesitated for a moment, then said.

“Um, you like irises for the bouquet, so let’s go with irises. I quite like them too,” Fan Xia said.

“Alright, then it’s settled,” Wen Lan Sheng’s voice finally had a hint of cheerfulness.

“By the way, we’re heading over soon. Are you at the open-air restaurant now?” Fan Xia asked.

“…Yes, I’m in a private room. Why?” Wen Lan Sheng replied.

“Nothing, we’ll be right there.” The reason she asked was because the surroundings on Wen Lan Sheng’s end of the phone weren’t very noisy. Open-air restaurants were always bustling places full of life, and she found it unusual that it wasn’t loud and rowdy. But hearing that Wen Lan Sheng had booked a private room, it made sense.

Fan Xia had just put down the phone and was thinking about how to deal with the sudden incident that had just occurred.

But almost the moment she hung up, a burning flame rushed into her arms. Fan Xia fell back onto the sofa, with Rong Xiu’s frantically beating heart pressed against her.

She thought Rong Xiu had left her lips of his own accord earlier because he had come to his senses, but she didn’t expect that he was just waiting for her to finish with Wen Lan Sheng. He had never thought of backing down. An arrow stretched to its limit, once released, could not be recalled.

“Fan Xia……” Rong Xiu’s face pressed against her chest, murmuring softly.

The soft sofa bore the weight of two people, the sea foam cushions sinking deeply. The sofa legs moved slightly with their motion, the sofa and the ceramic tile floor rubbing together, making a sound almost like a moan.

“Rong Xiu, get up. We can still pretend nothing happened, mmph—”

Rong Xiu’s face drew close again, but this time, he almost violently took off his glasses and tossed them aside. His skin was as pale as the most beautiful porcelain described in classical poetry. She watched as the redness spread from his neck to his cheeks.

Fan Xia’s hand touched his waist without direction, like an ice cube dropped into a hot river. All those cold, noble facades melted instantly in her palm.

“Fan Xia……” Fragmentary murmurs leaked from between his lips. Rong Xiu’s intoxicated gaze was like an addiction, his eyes sparkling with intertwined love and desire. His slender fingers slid into her slightly damp hair, entwining like dodder vines, ecstatic yet painful: “Fan Xia, don’t marry him… please?”

Fan Xia looked into his eyes, the wine-red mole like a whirlpool drawing her in.

Bang—

A sound came from outside, the main door being turned open.

The cleaning staff wouldn’t come in at this time, and the key card was with her. Oh no, she forgot Wen Lan Sheng had a card too!