Episode 27

When Shen Xi returned home, it was already dark. The smell of dinner was floating from the brightly lit villa. Mrs. Zhang was in the kitchen, cleaning up.

"Madam, you're back." Mrs. Zhang saw her enter and greeted Shen Xi with a smile.

"Nn." Shen Xi looked around. "Su Hang isn't back yet?"

"He'll be home soon." Mrs. Zhang replied. "He called in a half-hour ago and asked if the Madam had come back. I said that you were on your way, and Sir said that he would be coming back too."

"Oh." Shen Xi nodded.

"Was the Madam busy today?" Mrs. Zhang suddenly asked.

"I went to the orphanage and played with some children." Shen Xi replied.

"Ah, it seems that the Sir didn't want to disturb Madam." Mrs. Zhang commented.

"Why do you say that?" Shen Xi didn't understand.

"If Sir hadn't been afraid of disturbing Madam, then why didn't he just call you directly to ask when you'd be home? He didn't need to ask me." Mrs. Zhang replied. In her heart, she secretly commended herself for saying such a reasonable sentence that didn't sound too deliberate. Sigh, Sir really is outwardly cold but deep and passionate inside.

Shen Xi's expression turned strange. She didn't ponder whether or not Mrs. Zhang's words were deliberate. Instead, she felt guilty for some reason. She and Su Hang were a couple who acted like they were secretly in love with each other but hadn't dared to take that final step. Shen Xi hadn't thought much of it, but it seems that their situation was obvious to the people around them.

"Madam, I've already fed Chu Wu, so if you don't have anything else for me to do, I'll be leaving." Mrs. Zhang went on to say.

"Ah, of course." Shen Xi awkwardly responded.

After Mrs. Zhang left, Shen Xi took off her black coat and threw it on the sofa. She untied her ponytail and shook her head to loosen her hair.

This was the scene Su Hang first saw when he entered his home. A brightly lit house filled with delicious food, and a beautiful woman letting her hair down.

"Welcome back." Because Mrs. Zhang had told her that Su Hang would be home soon, Shen Xi wasn't surprised to see Su Hang standing by the door.

"Un." Su Hang rubbed Chu Wu on his head for a while, then asked. "You just came back?"

Shen Xi suddenly felt that this man in front of her really was the epitome of 'outwardly cold but deep and passionate inside.' He obviously knew she would be home because of Mrs. Zhang, yet he still asks her. It really makes a person want to expose him, ah. "Didn't you know already?"

"Uh, what?" Su Hang couldn't properly respond for a while.

"Didn't you ask Mrs. Zhang when I'd be back? Just now, Mrs. Zhang joked that maybe you didn't have my cell phone number, and that's why you ask her every time about me." Shen Xi deliberately changed Mrs. Zhang's words around. She wasn't afraid of being caught out, because she knew that Su Hang certainly wouldn't talk to Mrs. Zhang about this.

"I...." Having been exposed so straightforwardly, Su Hang couldn't help but feel embarrassed. After a few seconds, he suddenly asked. "Then, next time, I won't call Mrs. Zhang and just call you directly?"

"Whatever you prefer." Shen Xi, like a tsundere, turned around and walked into the dining room.

(The word used here is literally explained in the dictionary as presenting as unfriendly and blunt, but warm and tender inside (loanword from Japanese "tsundere") )

Does this mean that he could call Shen Xi every day? With this thought, Su Hang happily gave Chu Wu another round of vigorous rubbing. While Chu Wu whined, Su Hang secretly decided to increase Mrs. Zhang's salary.

"Let's eat!" Shen Xi, who had been waiting for a certain someone to come to the dinner table, couldn't help but shout when she heard Chu Wu's whines.

"Ah, we're coming." Hearing her calling, Su Hang immediately let go of Chu Wu. As soon as Chu Wu was liberated, he immediately ran away. Now in a very good mood, Su Hang put away his briefcase, loosened his tie, and quickly walked to the dining room.

Su Hang sat down, picked up his chopsticks, and was just about to pick up some food when Shen Xi suddenly asked: "Have you washed your hands?"

Su Hang's chopsticks abruptly stopped. He had been so focused on Shen Xi that he had forgotten to wash them. But wouldn't he look so stupid if he goes and washes them now?

"Pfft..." Shen Xi was very amused at the foolish expression on Su Hang's face. "Forget it, I won't hold it against you just this once."

Won't hold it against you, won't hold it against you, won't hold it against you...

After these words circled his brain, Su Hang hunched down, extended his chopsticks, and picked up some vegetables to cover up the smile on his face.

(The word used in the raw that means 'won't hold it against you' can also mean 'I won't dislike you.' Su Hang is happy because it's like Shen Xi is telling him she won't dislike him.)

Shen Xi saw that he was anxious to eat, so she poured him a bowl of soup and placed it near Su Hang's hand. "Eat slowly."

Su Hang tilted his head and glanced at the bowl that Shen Xi had placed near his plate. There were a few pieces of scallions, squash, and pork chops floating on the soup. He then looked at the empty bowl on the other side of his plate. Su Hang put down his chopsticks, picked up the empty soup bowl, and carefully filled it with soup. As if he had OCD, Su Hang carefully filled the bowl up to two thirds and made sure that the soup only contained scallions. Then, he pretended to nonchalantly place the bowl near Shen Xi's hand.

"Thank you." Shen Xi smiled at Su Hang, then took a sip of the soup from the bowl he had just put down.

Su Hang looked at Shen Xi's beautiful smile, her red lips shimmering with soup, and his heart pounded.

After dinner, Shen Xi played with Chu Wu in the living room, while Su Hang lingered in the living room instead of going into his study as usual. Naturally, Shen Xi noticed the change, but she didn't point it out, nor did she go back upstairs into her bedroom. She wanted to see how long Su Hang would dawdle around before finally telling her what he wanted to say.

After finding out what Su Hang went through as a child, Shen Xi felt even more distressed for him. But at the same time, she had never wanted to learn about his story from others, because in this way, she hadn't been able to comfort him afterward.

"You..." Su Hang finally gathered his courage, and with a gulp, asked: "How was your trip to the orphanage today?"

"It was good. The kids were cute." Shen Xi replied.

"Oh." Su Hang scrutinized her expression for a long time, but in the end, he really couldn't tell if Shen Xi found out about his past with Qing'an orphanage. Did the Dean not tell her? But that isn't in line with the Dean's gossipy personality, ah.

"Was there anything that left a deep impression on you?" Su Hang tried probing her again.

"There was!" Shen Xi replied.

Su Hang perked up, an expectant look on his face.

"The children sang for us."

"Oh." Su Hang was a little disappointed. But, well, it didn't matter if she doesn't know. Next time, he'll take her there himself.

Shen Xi glanced at Su Hang from the corner of her eyes. She was getting infuriated at this man's 'outwardly cold, passionate inside' personality, ah. Is he incapable of simply asking her directly? Then she sighed. Well, he's the type of person who only writes the date and weather in his diary after all. Su Hang trying to subtly ask her like this, can already be considered pretty good.

Then, a soft piano melody rang. It was Shen Xi's phone.

Shen Xi took out her phone and saw that it was Yun Shu. With a smile, she answered the call. "Yun Shu."

"Darling, have you eaten?" Yun Shu had specifically timed her call to catch Shen Xi after she had eaten.

"Just finished." Shen Xi lifted her legs onto the sofa, then wrapped an arm around a sofa pillow.

Su Hang stared at the pillow that was being hugged by Shen Xi and suddenly came up with the idea of printing their photos on all the pillow covers in their home.

"Are you free tomorrow? Let's go buy YingYing a birthday gift." Yun Shu said.

Yun Shu told Shen Xi: "YingYing's birthday is coming. It's on the 24th of this month, ah."

24th?!

"If YingYing found out that you had forgotten her birthday, she'd be devastated, ah." Yun Shu continued.

"Didn't forget, didn't forget, how could I? It's on Christmas Eve, after all. Once I see a Christmas tree, I remember it straight away." Shen Xi laughed.

"Then, do you remember that we promised to accompany her on her birthday this year?" Yun Shu asked again.

"Ah?" Shen Xi tried to recall this conversation, but for the reborn Shen Xi, this happened to her five years ago. She really couldn't remember.

"Have you forgotten? At the beginning of the year, we went to see YingYing, and we promised to accompany her on her birthday." Yun Shu reminded her. "I know a lot of things happened to you this year, so I'm not surprised you've forgotten."

"Wait, I do remember." Having been prompted by Yun Shu, Shen Xi finally recalled. At the beginning of the year, she, Yun Shu, and Shang HeXu went to see YingYing, who lived in another city. She remembered YingYing's crestfallen expression when they left. In the end, the three of them agreed to spend YingYing's birthday with her.

"But can you go?" Yun Shu asked.

"Why can't I?" Shen Xi was puzzled.

"We'd need to spend at least two days, ah. It's Christmas, will it ok for you to spend it away from your family?" Yun Shu teased.

Shen Xi gave Su Hang a guilty glance but saw that he was busy playing with Chu Wu. It seems that he wasn't paying her the least bit of attention, ah. Feeling frustrated, Shen Xi said: "I'll go. Since I promised, I'll go."

"Alright, it's settled. I'll talk to YingYing and Shang HeXu." Yun Shu said her goodbyes, then hung up.

Shen Xi ended the call, then opened the notepad app on her phone. As expected, she found a memo reminding her to accompany YingYing on her birthday this year.

"Who's YingYing?" After listening in on Shen Xi's conversation, Su Hang couldn't help but ask.

"Shang HeXu's younger sister." Shen Xi replied. "Also, my and Yun Shu's most favorite little sister."

(As in favorite younger girl, not favorite sister out of all of Shang HeXu's non-existent sisters. Shang HeXu has one younger sister.)

"Shang HeXu's younger sister?" Su Hang echoed, his voice sounding a little higher than usual.

"What's wrong?" Shen Xi gave him a confused glance.

"Nothing." Su Hang immediately straightened. After a moment's thought, he asked: "You're going to her birthday party on the 24th?"

"It's not really a birthday party. It's mostly just me, Yun Shu, and Shang HeXu accompanying her on her birthday." Shen Xi said. "By the way, I might be gone for two or three days."

"Two or three days?" And just you guys? I can endure it if it's just Yun Shu, but why is Shang HeXu there too? Su Hang's voice once again went a little high.

"YingYing was a premature baby, so she had been poor in health since childhood. Uncle Shang and Auntie Shang brought her up in a small town in the south to take care of her properly. It takes some time to get there, so it may take a day or two." Shen Xi explained.

"......." Su Hang was somewhat unhappy, and he pursed his lips.

"You don't want me to go?" Shen Xi asked.

"No. If you want to go, you should go." Su Hang stood up and said: "I'll be going back to my study first; I still have some things I need to finish."

His entire atmosphere had changed. Even Chu Wu could tell that Su Hang's wasn't happy. And yet, he still didn't say anything, ah. Shen Xi silently scolded Su Hang as she glared at the closed study door.

Su Hang sat on his chair and stared at the small calendar on his desk. December 24 was next Saturday. To make it in time, Shen Xi would have to leave next Friday. How can he arrange things so they could somehow coincidentally bump into each other?

Su Hang picked up his phone, and soon, Li QingYuan's warm voice could be heard. "Su Hang, this time, you'll have to thank your wonderful brother! I found the perfect place, it's the capital of Country W. I sent a picture on your email, take a look."

Su Hang turned on his computer, opened his email, and looked at the photos Li QingYuan had sent. Meanwhile, Li QingYuan continued to sell the place: "Next Friday is the 23rd, and then it'll be Christmas Eve. There's this special thing happening then on the central square of the capital of Country W. They set up the largest Christmas tree in the world; it's gonna be gorgeous. A lot of people visit it, and there's even a legend that men and women who propose under that Christmas tree will live happily ever after. I don't believe it, but women love things like that."

"I've already arranged the itinerary for you. The international flight lasts five hours. How about I book you a room in the hotel closest to the central square?" The more Li QingYuan talked, the more he admired himself. If his brother was to hold his beauty as soon as possible, a presidential suite was probably too big. He'll do him a favor and book a standard room with a big bed instead.

"Shen Xi is going to celebrate the birthday of Shang HeXu's younger sister next Friday." Looking at the photo of the beautiful Christmas tree, Su Hang felt increasingly lonely.

"****!" Li QingYuan cursed. "Go and snatch her back!"

"I can't rob a sick little girl." Su Hang replied.

"It's just a birthday party. It's no big deal." Li QingYuan let out another curse. "Brother, ten years. You've been in love with her for more than ten years. I'm not going to wait any longer for you to muster up your courage and confess to her. For ****'s sake, you're already married to each other, and yet you still have to delay things?"

"I'm going too." Su Hang suddenly spoke out.

"What?"

"I'm going with Shen Xi." He was determined to not let Shang HeXu get even the smallest opportunity. Su Hang was going to spend Christmas with Shen Xi.