Chapter 28: Glasses

Fan Xia suddenly sprang up from the bed, grabbing Wen Lan Sheng’s waist and pressing her back tightly against the wardrobe door. Her heart was racing, but she had to pretend nothing had happened to avoid arousing Wen Lan Sheng’s suspicion.

“What clothes? It’s not lingerie, is it…?” Fan Xia loosely embraced Wen Lan Sheng’s waist, feigning interest.

Wen Lan Sheng’s face turned slightly red, but he didn’t deny it, implicitly confirming.

Fan Xia pinched his cheek and said with a smile, “Those jingling things, you actually dared to bring them on the plane? Weren’t you afraid security would make you take everything out of your luggage for inspection?”

Wen Lan Sheng gave her a coy glance and said softly, “It’s not that jingling, and it’s not like it’s contraband. Even if security saw it, they wouldn’t say anything.”

“My Lan Sheng is so brave,” Fan Xia said, brushing her lips against his soft ones and giving him a delicate kiss. “But we’re short on time now. When we get back tonight, we’ll have plenty of time.”

Wen Lan Sheng pursed his lips, clearly a bit disappointed.

Just then, Fan Xia’s phone lit up. She picked it up and looked, her tense expression visibly relaxing a bit. “Rong Xiu sent me a message saying he’s almost at the shop now. We should hurry over there.”

“…Alright,” Wen Lan Sheng grumbled reluctantly, his hand on the wardrobe handle pulling gently outward, but blocked by Fan Xia.

Wen Lan Sheng looked at her and said softly, “Xia Xia, let me for a moment. I want to change clothes. This white outfit doesn’t look good.”

Fan Xia’s eyes scanned him up and down, and she blurted out, “No need to change. I think you look best in white clothes.”

“Really?” Wen Lan Sheng’s eyes lit up brightly. Anyone would be overjoyed to be praised by their beloved.

“Of course it’s true. I just love how you look in white clothes. You’re already fair-skinned, and white clothes make your skin look even better,” Fan Xia praised halfheartedly.

“Then who do you think is fairer, Senior Rong Xiu or me?” Wen Lan Sheng tugged at her sleeve, asking coyly.

Fan Xia replied without changing her expression, “You, of course.”

As she finished speaking, her eyes inadvertently glanced at the wardrobe. Actually, Wen Lan Sheng’s skin was quite fair, but this ordinary fairness paled in comparison to Rong Xiu’s naturally cool white skin. Though both had fair complexions, they seemed like two completely different shades.

Although it was a casually told lie, Wen Lan Sheng clearly believed it. He smiled happily, but suddenly changed the subject: “Never mind, I’ll still change. White clothes are hard to clean if oil splatters on them.”

Fan Xia’s heart was in suspense, unable to bear Wen Lan Sheng any longer. She put her arm around his shoulders and walked him out, coaxing, “It’s alright. After we finish eating, I’ll take you shopping for new clothes. We can also browse the night market here, okay?”

This trump card worked wonders. No man could resist the temptation of shopping.

“Great!” Wen Lan Sheng beamed. “It’s been so long since we went shopping together. I want to try the island’s specialty coconut sticky rice. Xia Xia, you must take me to eat it. Since you got your job, you’ve forgotten you have a fiancé at home.”

“Okay, okay, it’s all my fault. I’ll definitely change in the future. Now we need to hurry to the food stall,” Fan Xia said, imperceptibly leading Wen Lan Sheng out of the bedroom. At this point, as long as she could get Wen Lan Sheng out, she wouldn’t object even if he said she liked women.

“Let me blow-dry your hair for you. It’s still damp,” Wen Lan Sheng dawdled, concerned about Fan Xia’s not fully dried hair.

“The island weather is hot. It’ll dry soon. Don’t keep people waiting,” Fan Xia said, her arm around Wen Lan Sheng as they walked out of the room without stopping.

She didn’t dare look back. Although she didn’t know what expression Rong Xiu, hiding in the wardrobe, had at the moment, she was sure he must have breathed a sigh of relief now that Wen Lan Sheng had left.

Click—

The lock on the main door gently closed, and the entire room fell silent.

One Brow, left in the room, saw Fan Xia leave and waddled over to the bedroom following the scent. It sat obediently in front of the wardrobe, wagging its little tail, and gave a crisp bark.

It was met with dead silence.

One Brow began to grow anxious, pacing back and forth in front of the wardrobe, barking continuously.

After who knows how long, the wardrobe door slowly opened. As slow as a dying person, Rong Xiu crawled out from inside the wardrobe. His tall, slender figure was thin and desolate, his gaze indescribably dejected, his messy hair as if drenched by rain.

He looked expressionlessly at One Brow, who was staring back at him, feeling that at this moment he was more like a dejected dog than One Brow was.

But how could One Brow understand human thoughts? It only knew it was happy to see its master, wagging its tail and nuzzling against Rong Xiu’s feet.

Rong Xiu crouched down, gently stroking One Brow. His elegant fingers were pale, with fresh blood seeping from under the nails. The fingertips are connected to the heart; even the slightest touch was excruciatingly painful.

One Brow happily nuzzled into Rong Xiu’s palm. The little dog didn’t care about its master’s status or propriety; it only knew to rush towards its master without hesitation and to bite to death any other lowly dog that dared to compete for its master’s affection.

Rong Xiu’s fingertips twitched slightly, his sour gaze twisting with dark jealousy.

He slowly stood up, opened the wardrobe, and took out the lingerie set that Wen Lan Sheng had prepared. He looked at it; it revealed almost everything that shouldn’t be revealed, and even had animal ears and a tail, not to mention the jingling metal clips.

Rong Xiu clenched his fist tightly, his nails almost splitting. Just thinking about Wen Lan Sheng wearing this outfit tonight, flirting with Fan Xia, made a raging fire of jealousy grow like wild grass.

He tore the outfit apart as if ripping rags and threw it on the ground, disgustedly stepping on it.

‘Let’s see how you flirt with Fan Xia now.’ Rong Xiu’s expression at this moment was no different from that of a jealous husband in an ordinary household.

One Brow was in its teething phase, gnawing on anything it could find, be it table legs or chair legs. The suddenly fallen clothes and metal were perfect for its needs. It happily rolled around in the pile of clothes, frantically tearing and biting.

Rong Xiu’s lips curled in a smug yet pained smile as he patted One Brow’s head. “Good boy.”

One Brow was focused on destroying the clothes, completely unaware that it had done a great service.

Having vented his spite, Rong Xiu felt a bit better.

He walked out of the bedroom, intending to find the rimless glasses he had taken off earlier and carelessly tossed somewhere.

Rong Xiu had mild myopia, only about 100 degrees. Even without glasses, it didn’t affect his daily life. The reason he wore them year-round was that they made him look colder, driving away unnecessary admirers.

He vaguely remembered throwing the glasses on the carpet. Squinting his eyes, he quickly found the rimless glasses, but as he was about to put them on, he noticed that one of the temple arms was oddly bent, as if someone had stepped on it.

Rong Xiu’s eyes darkened.

At the outdoor food stall, it was the peak dining hour. The flow of customers was like a tide, business was booming.

Diners sat around tables in groups, talking and drinking merrily, having a great time.

Only Fan Xia’s table was quiet and cold, with dishes served but chopsticks untouched.

Wen Lan Sheng rested his chin on his hand and asked, “Xia Xia, didn’t Senior Rong Xiu say he was almost here? How come we arrived at the food stall even though we left later, but there’s still no sign of him?”

“Perhaps he was delayed by something on the way. Don’t worry, let’s wait a bit longer,” Fan Xia said.

Having left the hotel, her heart had completely relaxed, and she spoke more freely.

She leaned back lazily in her chair, her gaze fixed on the coastline in the distance.

“Delayed by something?” Wen Lan Sheng propped up his chin and laughed inexplicably. “Maybe.”

After waiting for half an hour, Rong Xiu finally arrived tardily.

“Senior Rong Xiu, over here!” Wen Lan Sheng stood up and waved, seeming even more enthusiastic and eager for his arrival than Fan Xia.

Rong Xiu nodded and sat down, his expression still as cool as ever, indescribably noble and aloof. The only difference was that he wasn’t wearing glasses today, making him look not sharp, but rather much gentler.

“Senior Rong Xiu, why aren’t you wearing your glasses? Did you lose them?” Wen Lan Sheng asked with a smile.

Rong Xiu’s deep gaze flicked over him lightly: “I didn’t lose them. I just didn’t want to wear them.”

Wen Lan Sheng nodded with a smile.

“Now that everyone’s here, let’s start eating. These seafood dishes have been sitting for a while; they won’t taste good if they get cold,” Fan Xia spoke up, pushing the food stall’s signature dish slightly towards Rong Xiu.

She was as gentle and attentive as before, showing no unusual reaction due to Rong Xiu’s kiss.

A wave of bitterness rose in Rong Xiu’s heart, unsure whether to be happy or unhappy.

“Oh, you’re eating here too!” A force suddenly slapped Fan Xia’s shoulder heavily from behind.

Fan Xia turned her head abruptly, a flash of embarrassment crossing her eyes.

It was the woman from the construction site who had ‘caught them in the act.’

She was still wearing her work uniform from earlier, just without the safety helmet. No wonder she had said she needed to hurry and finish work to eat; she was eating here.

The world really is small, Fan Xia thought wryly.

“And you brought your boyfriend,” the construction site woman said, her eyes fixed on Rong Xiu rather than Wen Lan Sheng.

Although she hadn’t seen Rong Xiu’s face clearly at the construction site, she had seen the hands that were tightly hugging Fan Xia—long, fair, and nearly perfect. So she recognized Rong Xiu at a glance.

“Yes, I brought my boyfriend out to play,” Fan Xia said, placing her hand on Wen Lan Sheng’s shoulder.

Although Wen Lan Sheng didn’t know the construction site woman, he smiled slightly at her and said, “Hello.”

The construction site woman blinked and paused for two seconds. “Uh, hello, hello.” Then she glanced at Fan Xia, then at Rong Xiu who was looking down without speaking, and grinned meaningfully. “Alright then, enjoy your meal with your boyfriend. I’ll be going now.”

Fan Xia nodded, “Okay, see you.”

They sat back down, each with their own thoughts. The construction site woman, who had just witnessed some juicy gossip, couldn’t stop grinning. Even as she walked away, she turned back to give Fan Xia a thumbs up: “Girl, you’re awesome!”