Chapter 37 A Crisis of Emotions Triggered by a Plate of Cold

Xia Yuzhe and Ning Jiale stood at the exquisite and luxurious entrance, changing their shoes. Suddenly, he pointed to the curved staircase. “That’s my sister, Xia Yuan.”

Ning Jiale looked in the direction of his finger.

Xia Yuan was standing sideways in the stairwell, her slender shoulders draped with a Loro Piana shawl. The floor-length blue mermaid skirt hugged her fragile waist, while her fair, cool skin peeked out between the shawl and skirt hem, resembling a blooming camellia—delicate and vivid.

Hearing the noise, she turned her gaze toward the two energetic boys. Her beautifully clean eyes had a faint red ring around them, like the meticulous brushwork of a painter. When she smiled, her eyes became even more lively—bright and sparkling, a color that would never fade.

Xia Yuzhe regarded Ning Jiale as a good buddy, unaware that his friend was composing a little essay in his mind about Xia Yuan’s appearance…

“Sis!”

Xia Yuzhe hurried over, looking Xia Yuan up and down. “I heard you got sick again. Is it still a cold? Are you feeling better now? You should rest at home.”

Xia Yuan replied, “I’m not sick; it’s just that the sun is too strong today, and I feel a bit overheated.”

She glanced past Xia Yuzhe at the tall boy behind him. “Who is he?”

Xia Yuzhe explained, “Oh, I forgot to introduce you. This is Ning Jiale, who debuted with me. I’ve mentioned him before. You even praised his facial features and bone structure. I’ve wanted to introduce you for a while, but never had the chance. What a coincidence today!”

“Hello, Jiale,” Xia Yuan greeted.

“Good evening, Sister,” Ning Jiale replied coolly, his demeanor no different from how he treated his fans.

Xia Yuzhe whispered to him, “What are you doing? Don’t act like a star in front of my sister; she’s not your fan, and even if you’re famous for life, you still couldn’t afford Shenghai Manor!”

The protective brother was on high alert!

Ning Jiale looked at him helplessly. “I’m not acting like a star. If I were overly enthusiastic toward your sister, you should be worried, right?”

“You dare!”

Xia Yuzhe asked Xia Yuan, “Where’s my brother-in-law?”

Xia Yuan smiled, “I wanted to eat rose cakes, so he went to the flower room to pick some roses. You guys sit down; he’ll be here soon.”

Butler Wang had already prepared tea and snacks.

The two tall and handsome boys sat opposite Xia Yuan, looking rather restrained, each seemingly preoccupied with their own thoughts.

Xia Yuan felt the atmosphere was too cold and decided to pass the snacks to them.

“Thank you, sister, but I can get it myself.” Ning Jiale quickly reached out, his excessive politeness making him seem a bit distant.

Xia Yuan retracted her slender fingers, feeling as if she had brushed against Ning Jiale’s fingers by accident.

—

Xing stars are quite willing to spend money on self-care, but Xia Yuan didn’t expect that Ning Jiale’s fingers were so rough.

It could be that he was too busy with work, or perhaps he didn’t have time to take care of himself due to filming.

What she never considered was that her own fingers had been pampered too much by Qin Mohuai.

As Ning Jiale ate the glutinous cold cake, he also thought it was too delicate.

Unknowingly, they finished an entire plate of cold cake. If his agent found out, he would surely be scolded.

But it was just too delicious, and he couldn’t resist.

Xia Yuzhe didn’t notice his buddy’s odd behavior; instead, he was busy on his phone, cursing at haters on Weibo before reporting them.

His fans were too well-mannered, and their fighting spirit couldn’t match that of Ning Jiale’s dedicated fans. Otherwise, he could leisurely enjoy the cold cake too.

Xia Yuzhe put down his phone and picked up another plate of cold cake to try. “Hmm… this one’s quite sweet. Didn’t you say you don’t like sweet things?”

Ning Jiale replied, “My plate isn’t very sweet.”

Xia Yuzhe shot him a look that said he saw right through him. Ning Jiale remained expressionless; his skills in managing his demeanor weren’t in vain.

“You’re too uptight; there’s no need to finish everything.”

“It’s not being uptight; it really isn’t sweet.”

Xia Yuzhe clicked his tongue and started massaging Ning Jiale’s shoulders. “You say you’re not uptight, yet your muscles are all tense!”

At that moment, Qin Mohuai appeared with a bunch of heavy-petaled roses. He bent down and kissed Xia Yuan’s forehead, handed the roses to Butler Wang, and casually asked, “What’s all this commotion about?”

He sat beside Xia Yuan, his finely tailored white shirt adorned with a few rose petals, exuding a lazy and relaxed elegance.

Xia Yuzhe, carefree, replied, “Just now, my sister passed a plate of cold cake to Jiale. He clearly doesn’t like sweet foods but ate it out of politeness, saying it wasn’t sweet.”

Qin Mohuai stated, “I don’t like sweet foods either.”

He picked up a piece of the cold cake and tasted it. His deep-set eyes narrowed slightly, and a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes appeared. “It is a bit sweet.”

He grasped Xia Yuan’s fragile waist—this was a grip, not an embrace—carrying a hint of danger.

Xia Yuan felt uneasy. What was he upset about?

Was it because everyone enjoyed the cold cake without waiting for him?

But he didn’t like sweet foods!

Xia Yuzhe was oblivious and continued to laugh, completely unaware of the tension. “This afternoon tea was prepared for my sister; she loves sweet foods, so it’s only natural that the cold cake is sweet.”

As his large hand tightened around her slim waist, Xia Yuan gasped, her beautiful eyes misting over. Her already strained waist, almost pushed to its limits, could hardly manage to evade him.

“When we were young and our family was poor, our parents would say that if candy fell on the ground, my sister would wash it and eat it.”

Please don’t say any more about our father!

—

What benefits are there in provoking Qin Mohuai into a frenzy?

Xia Yuan leaned against Qin Mohuai, her fingers lightly resting on his chest, soft and delicate, like a precious female creature soothing a mentally volatile giant wolf.

“Since you’re here, stay for dinner,” Qin Mohuai said, loosening his grip and concealing the emotions in his eyes. He used the invitation to dinner to ease the tension, a detail so thoughtful that it left no room for criticism. He wasn’t just someone who could fly into a rage; his emotional intelligence was top-notch, though his high position didn’t require him to show it often.

Dinner consisted of dishes that leaned toward the sweet side, like sweet and sour shrimp and sweet and sour ribs…

Ning Jiale silently ate the food, thinking it wasn’t very sweet and was quite tolerable.

After the meal, Xia Yuzhe wanted to play at the large outdoor swimming pool in the estate. Qin Mohuai’s eyes sparkled with deep amusement. “Perfect timing; I want to swim for a bit to digest.”

Xia Yuan had no choice but to follow them to prevent any incidents, as her left eye kept twitching.

Upon facing the luxurious outdoor pool, she merely took off her sandals and dipped her feet in the water. Her fair, pink toes resembled flower petals, and the soft sound of her feet splashing in the water was rather unseemly, giving rise to boundless imagination.

Xia Yuan gazed blankly and just happened to catch sight of Ning Jiale removing his shirt, revealing a well-defined six-pack.

He looked good, no doubt about that.

But he didn’t possess the same allure as Qin Mohuai.

She averted her gaze, only to catch a glimpse of Qin Mohuai surfacing from the water, his cold, lake-like eyes fixated on her.

“Do you think he looks a bit like your ex-boyfriend?”