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Chapter 35: Sorry, I Misunderstood

Tan Qishen’s movements carried a kind of suppressed anger.

At first, Yan Man resisted—until she caught the familiar scent of cold pine.

He was fierce, so much so that Yan Man actually felt a bit of pain. She still had a night scene to shoot later and was worried it might show on camera.

Her body went soft, thankfully sitting on his lap with some support—otherwise, she would’ve collapsed.

A few minutes later, Tan Qishen finally showed some mercy and let her go.

He kept an arm locked around her waist, holding her firmly in place on his lap, forcing her to face him.

Yan Man’s eyes glistened with tears, her cheeks flushed. In this state, Tan Qishen didn’t want anyone else to see her.

Thinking about the filming earlier, his gaze darkened again.

Yan Man tried to calm her breathing, her voice trembling slightly, “Why are you here?”

She was genuinely surprised.

It was the first time Tan Qishen had come looking for her after getting angry.

He’d been acting strangely lately—too many unusual behaviors to count.

But his habit of getting mad and blocking people remained unchanged.

Tan Qishen lowered his eyes, calm on the surface, but with a hint of coldness. “If I didn’t come looking for you, would you never have come to find me?”

“That’s impossible.”

Yan Man instinctively denied it.

But truthfully, if Tan Qishen hadn’t come, she wasn’t sure when she would’ve tried to make up with him.

Maybe they’d just keep dragging it out until they eventually broke up.

Thinking that they were probably going to break up in the end, she looked at Tan Qishen’s face and felt a reluctant ache.

She coaxed him, familiar and practiced, “Baby, I’ve just been super busy these past few days. I only slept four hours last night—I’m still dizzy.”

She buried her head into his chest. Even through his thin shirt, she could feel his warmth. She rubbed her face against him, acting spoiled like usual.

Tan Qishen’s face remained cold after hearing that. It was unclear if he believed her or not.

He hadn’t had a full night’s sleep in six days.

During the quiet, lonely nights, he kept thinking of the nights they spent together—those were the only times he ever slept well.

He took a deep breath and finally voiced the question that had been tormenting him day and night.

With a cold tone, he asked, “What’s your relationship with Fang Hexun?”

No one knew how tight his throat was when he asked that—his fingers even trembled, betraying his nervousness.

Yan Man’s head shot up from his chest. Her soft and gentle expression instantly turned serious.

“How do you know about that?”

She thought Tan Qishen had investigated her family background without her permission. Her tone lost its sweet, coquettish quality.

Seeing her expression change only confirmed Tan Qishen’s suspicions.

He gripped her slender waist, heart tightening painfully as he ground out, “Yan Man, I’ve treated you well.”

“Fang Hexun already has a family.”

Tan Qishen’s eyes were dark, like he was struggling to hold something back.

Yan Man furrowed her brows slightly. “Huh?”

What did he mean by that?

She knew her brother was married—her sister-in-law was even her best friend.

Thinking back to his call that night and the way he was acting now, it suddenly hit her—she might’ve completely misunderstood his intentions.

“You came to my place that night, didn’t you?” she asked.

Tan Qishen’s eyes were deep and unreadable. He neither confirmed nor denied it.

Yan Man knew she’d guessed right.

It made sense now—her brother had just left, and then Tan Qishen called.

All the pieces came together. She finally understood why he was angry this time.

Yan Man almost laughed. “So you thought I was cheating on you? That I was someone’s mistress?”

Tan Qishen lowered his eyes, remaining silent—confirming everything.

The curve of Yan Man’s lips straightened. Now she was actually angry.

Tan Qishen wasn’t just unreasonable—he was disrespectful.

Sure, she wasn’t exactly a saint, but she would never cross such a moral line. At worst, she just toyed with people’s feelings.

She shoved his hand off her waist and got off his lap, putting some distance between them.

When she first came to Beijing, she changed her name because she didn’t want Tan Qishen to know her real identity. She was afraid he’d pull away if he found out she was from the Fang family.

But now, after nearly two years of dating—and with a breakup looming—it didn’t matter anymore.

Her voice was flat as she told him the truth. “Fang Hexun is my brother.”

Tan Qishen’s eyes lifted, the deep darkness in them suddenly confused. He didn’t react for a moment and asked, “Brother?”

Like… a boyfriend kind of brother?

“…”

Yan Man was speechless. She almost laughed from frustration. “What other kind of brother? My biological brother—same mother and all.”

That answer completely caught him off guard.

Tan Qishen hesitated. “But your last name is Yan, and his is Fang…”

He just couldn’t imagine them being siblings. They didn’t even look alike.

Yan Man was gorgeous and striking, the kind of beauty you couldn’t miss in a crowd.

As for Fang Hexun… best not to even mention.

Every time he thought about that night at her place—seeing her hug Fang Hexun—Tan Qishen had seriously considered cutting ties with Fang Tech altogether.

He despised people who mixed work with personal matters, who let emotions affect business. In his eyes, they weren’t fit to lead a company.

Yet here he was—becoming exactly the kind of person he hated.

That realization scared him.

Yan Man sighed and said expressionlessly, “You still don’t believe me? Want me to show you our household registration book?”

Then she turned her back to him, facing the window.

She didn’t need to show him anything. Tan Qishen already believed her.

If he hadn’t misunderstood her, why else would Yan Man be mad at him?

She’d always had a good temper. He must’ve pushed her too far this time.

The gloom in his heart was washed away by an overwhelming joy. His heart raced like it was finally being freed—like even his organs had been rescued.

The surprise came so fast, he was still recovering. Honestly, he’d already come up with a whole contingency plan in case Yan Man had admitted to having something with Fang Hexun.

First, he would cut off all cooperation with Fang Tech. Any executive lacking in moral character didn’t belong in the Tan Group’s partner list.

Then, he’d completely cut Yan Man off—no further contact, ever.

And if that didn’t work, he wouldn’t hesitate to use drastic methods to make sure she stayed by his side, as his and only his. He only cared about the end result—and Yan Man would belong to him.

But now, none of that was needed.

He regretted being angry at her these past few days.

He looked at Yan Man, only seeing her back. Her long black hair fell over her shoulders, still damp at the ends from the rain scene they’d just shot.

“…Sorry. I misunderstood.”

His deep, magnetic voice slowly reached her ears.

Yan Man said nothing, still sitting in the same position.

Tan Qishen, who was usually calm and composed, suddenly looked lost.

She always used to coax him. Now that the roles were reversed… he wasn’t sure what to do.

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