Chapter 69: Daily Life

Outside the cold, high walls of the prison, white clouds floated in the blue sky. Not far away was a steep cliff, with rolling clouds like surging waves crashing against coastal reefs along the protruding rock face.

Rong Xiu stood at the edge of the cliff wearing a black coat. The cold, damp mist splashed on his body, and the light gray scarf around his neck seemed to exude coldness. His profile, with smooth lines like bold brush strokes, was shrouded in thick fog, as if a black, gorgeous poisonous flower had bloomed at the edge of the cliff.

Fan Xia walked towards him with light steps, her shoes dampened by dew from the unknown short grass on the ground.

Hearing her footsteps, Rong Xiu pulled his gaze back from the bottomless cliff. His eyes carried a misty smile as he reached out his hand to her.

Fan Xia grasped his hand and tucked it into her coat pocket. In the small pocket, their hands were tightly clasped, as if they were born to be intertwined, inseparable.

They strolled leisurely. If one ignored the towering, gloomy castle-like prison nearby, they would appear to be an ordinary couple out for a casual walk and chat.

“That private detective you introduced me to is really good. Today when I saw Wen Ming Yue, she looked like a walking skeleton with just a thin layer of skin clinging to her bones. It’s clear she’s been tortured quite severely,” Fan Xia said in a light tone, more airy than the dew beneath their feet or the clouds on the horizon.

“It’s not that the detective is particularly skilled. After all, people were more than happy to help cover the school fees for their children outside the prison with just a slight gesture. The detective only had to say a few words, and besides, no one would refuse the price you offered,” Rong Xiu said.

“By the way, if you’re still not satisfied with Wen Ming Yue’s current state, we can have those people in the prison increase their efforts.”

Fan Xia shook her head. “Forget it, I’m afraid of killing her. She’s evaded justice for so many years; it would be a shame if she died too easily.”

“…Alright.” Rong Xiu quietly observed Fan Xia. In the past, when she spoke, it was always measured, yet weighed down by countless heavy burdens, her voice tinged with a distant melancholy. But now, it was as if she had suddenly stood up straight, her entire demeanor transformed.

Without the burden of vengeance, Rong Xiu felt she looked even younger than when he first met her in college.

Or rather, the years hadn’t etched a single trace of aging on her face.

Men at thirty are like tofu dregs, women at thirty are like blossoming flowers. Indeed, the saying that women become more charming with age was true. Compared to Fan Xia in her prime, Rong Xiu suddenly felt a fear of falling into old age.

Compared to women, men’s youth was far too fleeting. Moreover, he was a year older than Fan Xia, which only intensified this panic. It felt as if he were the only one in the world growing old, while waves of eighteen-year-old men kept emerging, like the wild grass beneath his feet – endless and inextinguishable.

With this fear, Rong Xiu stood before a medical beauty clinic for the first time. He chose the most professional doctor from the company’s roster, who thoroughly analyzed his skin condition. Even though the doctor said his skin was in excellent condition for his age, he still opted for medical beauty treatments.

Rong Xiu thought, what use was it to be considered very good among his peers? No matter how youthful the skin of a 26-year-old, could it compare to the fresh-faced eighteen or nineteen-year-old college students in their prime? Moreover, there was already an eighteen or nineteen-year-old college student around Fan Xia, a basketball player full of vibrant energy, looking so fresh he could drip water without needing any skincare products.

How could he not panic? Not be jealous?

Like a starving person seeing a sumptuous feast, he bought a large assortment of anti-aging skincare products. It wasn’t until he brought these packages home that he realized he couldn’t use any of them now.

After the medical beauty treatment, his face still felt slightly red and stinging. The doctor had instructed him not to touch water or use skincare products, so all these things he bought could only serve as decoration.

Rong Xiu sat dejectedly on the edge of the bed. He was like a terminally ill person who had bought out an entire pharmacy with countless money, yet not knowing that no amount of medicine or money could cure the incurable cancer of aging.

He sat forlornly on the bed for a while, then got up and went downstairs to the kitchen.

An hour later, Fan Xia returned, casually tossing the keys to her apartment on the coffee table before happily petting the dog.

“Did that person agree to move out?” Rong Xiu asked while cooking.

Fan Xia said, “I don’t know, I didn’t go to the community. I just took the documents and called a locksmith to change the lock. Strangely, the locksmith said he didn’t see anyone inside. Maybe he wasn’t there at the time, or perhaps he’s moved out?”

“Either way is fine, as long as you can reclaim the house and get rid of that person,” Rong Xiu said.

Fan Xia put down one eyebrow and came to the kitchen, slowly approaching him.

Rong Xiu’s face reddened slightly as he stammered, “What is it? Is there something on my face?”

Fan Xia looked at him, her clear eyes reflecting his image. “Your face is so red today. What’s wrong, do you have a fever?”

Rong Xiu quickly shook his head. “It’s nothing.”

Out of a man’s private desire, he hoped to secretly appear younger in his lover’s eyes, and not through any technological means. He wanted to see the surprised look in her eyes and hear her say, ‘Have you gotten younger recently?’ Such praise would allow him to conceal the fact of aging in his lover’s eyes.

“Tell me?”

Fan Xia hugged him from behind, her arms encircling his waist, her soft chest pressed against his back, her face nestled in the crook of his neck. Like warm cotton candy, a faint, intoxicating scent made him unable to resist.

“I… I went to a beauty salon,” Rong Xiu tentatively said.

“Ah, why didn’t you say so earlier?” Fan Xia quickly let go.

Rong Xiu felt as if something had pierced his heart at lightning speed, thinking Fan Xia was displeased that he had gone to a beauty salon.

Some women can’t accept men going to beauty salons, some worry about the cost, while others feel that such men are no longer ‘natural’, their faces full of high-tech treatments.

But before he could overthink and let his sensitive, insecure heart take over, he saw Fan Xia quickly wash her hands with soap, then take the spatula from his hand and usher him out of the kitchen.

“If I had known you went to a beauty salon, I shouldn’t have hugged you. I just petted one eyebrow, my hands were full of bacteria, but I didn’t touch your face, so it should be fine, right?… Why are you, a CEO, cooking yourself right after getting a beauty treatment? Wouldn’t it be better to let the housekeeper do it? Don’t let the oil and smoke ruin your freshly treated skin.” Fan Xia skillfully stirred the pan with the spatula, her eyes showing no hint of rejection towards his beauty treatment.

Fan Xia wasn’t familiar with the various treatments offered at beauty salons, only knowing they were expensive.

Every time Wen Lan Sheng returned from a beauty salon after a medical beauty treatment, his face would be red too. The treatment he got was called something like Jima? Then Wen Lan Sheng wouldn’t let her touch his face, saying her hands had bacteria and he couldn’t be touched for a few days.

Although she didn’t know if Rong Xiu had gotten the same treatment, at times like this, a man’s face was always precious, and should be well-protected if possible.

“You don’t mind?” Rong Xiu asked, leaning against the kitchen island.

Fan Xia smiled. “Why would I mind?”

Wen Lan Sheng often said, a man adorns himself to please the one he loves. These medical beauty treatments are quite painful and can even cause bleeding. He endures this pain to look younger and more handsome, to better please women.

She wasn’t the one spending money or experiencing pain, yet she was the one benefiting in the end. What right did she have to mind?

Fan Xia quickly dished out the sweet and sour pork ribs from the pan. “Come and eat.”

Rong Xiu was visibly dazed for a moment, his mind blooming with pink flowers as if in a manga. His eyes flickered with the shadow of happiness as he watched the water gushing from the sink, finding it particularly adorable.

“What are you smiling about?” Fan Xia turned down the faucet and untied his apron. “Hurry and come eat after you’ve washed your hands.”

Rong Xiu nodded with a smile and quickly washed his hands before sitting down beside her.

The table was laden with dishes prepared for Fan Xia, with only one or two vegetable dishes he had cooked for himself. After the beauty treatment, his diet needed to be light, but even the simplest salt-stir-fried vegetables tasted like exquisite delicacies in his mouth.

Fan Xia and Rong Xiu took one eyebrow for a walk on the beach, enjoying the sea breeze until the sun sank into the sea. Under the night sky, the azure sea revealed a deep blue color, with distant yachts twinkling like stars, their small lights swaying like drunk people bobbing up and down in the sea.

Only then did they lead the satiated one eyebrow back home. Upon returning, one eyebrow immediately crawled into his two-story dog house, looking exhausted and ready to sleep.

Fan Xia went to take a shower. When she came out, she saw Rong Xiu sitting on the edge of the bed. The warm-toned light illuminated his profile, snaking into his loosened collar, as if a glass of spilled wine had been poured over him, flowing over his cold brow bone, alluring mole, dripping from his exquisite jawline, tracing a proud arc at his protruding Adam’s apple, before slipping mysteriously into his collar.

Fan Xia sat down beside him, tilting her head to dry her long hair with a towel.

Rong Xiu naturally picked up the hair dryer to help her. As he was almost done drying her hair,

Suddenly, Fan Xia seemed to remember something and asked, “Does your knee still hurt?”

Rong Xiu turned off the hair dryer, his moist, alluring eyes flashing a hint of bashful hesitation.

“Weren’t you complaining about knee pain last night? I rubbed it for quite a while. It doesn’t hurt anymore?” Fan Xia chuckled lightly.

Rong Xiu bit his lip and dove into the covers. The fluffy, soft down comforter puffed up like a cloud of cotton candy as he burrowed in.

Fan Xia embraced him through the soft blanket. “Are you angry?”

Rong Xiu didn’t respond, only shifting his body towards the inner side of the bed, making room for her.