Chapter 10: My Eyes Are the Ruler!

“Lost weight again?” Xie Ting’an lifted his sister with one hand, feeling that she was lighter than before. He had been extremely busy the past few months, and today, seeing Xie Boxia, he noticed she had lost quite a bit of weight.

“Being on camera adds three pounds, bro!” Xie Boxia said with a face full of frustration. Before she could say more, the kitchen timer beeped, and she immediately let go and dashed back, frantically stirring something in the pot.

“Bro, you sit first, I’m almost done here!”

Xie Ting’an smelled something burnt coming from the kitchen and smiled helplessly. He lowered his head to place the bag of groceries he brought beside him, and as he was about to change his shoes at the entrance, he noticed a pair of conspicuous men’s shoes.

Red limited edition sneakers.

The kind young guys would wear.

“Bro, I almost forgot to tell you, I have a friend over.”

Xie Boxia was busy stirring the unknown contents in the pot, her face showing a hint of awkwardness.

“Boyfriend?” Xie Ting’an asked naturally, with a hint of amusement in his voice. He opened the shoe cabinet, which had two pairs of slippers prepared by Xie Boxia for him and Xie Yurun, but one pair was missing.

Xie Boxia blushed, “How did you know, bro?”

Xie Ting’an smiled but didn’t say anything.

Years ago, when Xie Fu took over a private film company, he did quite well. At that time, Xie Boxia was still young and often got borrowed by film crews for cameos. Sometimes she played the orphan of a gang leader, other times a little princess in palace dramas. The more she acted, the more it sparked her dream of becoming an actress.

As Xie Boxia grew older, the Xie family’s situation began to decline. To avoid adding to the family’s burden, four or five-year-old Xie Boxia claimed she didn’t like it and stopped learning piano and equestrian, as suggested by her performance teacher.

When Xie Boxia was around ten, Xie Fu’s investment failed, and a series of poor decisions led the Xie family into debt. Xie Boxia transferred from a private to a public school and could no longer attend her favorite ballet and acting classes. Despite this, the little girl always smiled and never complained.

It wasn’t until Xie Ting’an returned and pulled the Xie family out of debt that Xie Boxia, who was in high school, cautiously picked up her dream again and worked hard to get into the drama academy, officially entering the entertainment industry four years ago.

After experiencing the ups and downs of the Xie family, before entering the entertainment industry, Xie Boxia made a pact with Xie Ting’an to keep her relationship with the Xie family a secret.

Xie Ting’an understood her concerns. She was afraid of doing something wrong and bringing shame to the Xie family, affecting their stock prices. She didn’t want to drag Xie Ting’an down.

Initially, Xie Ting’an disagreed, but once Xie Boxia set her mind on something, she was incredibly stubborn. He could only agree temporarily and protect her safety in private. Seeing her work diligently and cautiously over the years, she finally gained a bit of fame, reaching the level of a seventh or eighth-tier artist.

This was the result of her hard work, and Xie Boxia valued her career greatly. To avoid exposing her identity, she generally avoided letting Xie Ting’an meet her friends from the entertainment circle.

But there was one exception.

This friend wasn’t just an ordinary friend.

“Where’s your boyfriend?” Xie Ting’an asked with a teasing tone, looking around but not seeing anyone.

“Seems like he’s in the study!” Xie Boxia blushed, glancing outside and raising her voice.

“Ren Shan, my brother’s here!”

Xie Ting’an walked towards the study, but suddenly heard the sound of flushing from the bathroom. He turned around and saw a young man coming out, his expression slightly pausing.

Ren Shan, a top-tier actor in the film industry, had regular features and could be considered handsome. He was slightly shorter than Xie Ting’an, about 1.8 meters tall. It seemed he had just realized there was a guest, and upon seeing Xie Ting’an, his expression immediately became cautious, as if unsure, he repeatedly looked at Xie Ting’an, his eyes full of uncertainty.

“Hello, I’m Ren Shan, a friend of Boxia’s.”

Ren Shan extended a friendly hand, his expression appropriately nervous.

Xie Ting’an’s gaze was deep as he looked at the person in front of him, constantly comparing in his mind.

In the carousel of memories.

In the future, when Xie Boxia’s photos were exposed.

There was a man covered tightly.

Although the carousel only lasted a moment, Xie Ting’an almost engraved that figure in his mind.

The person in front of him, if at first glance, had a 60% resemblance, combined with his identity and relationship with Xie Boxia, now it was a 100% match!

Ren Shan extended his hand friendly, but after a while without a response, he awkwardly put it down, casting a pleading look towards the kitchen, just in time to meet Xie Boxia, who had just taken the dish off the stove.

“Bro, this is Ren Shan, my boyfriend. He debuted quite early and is my senior in the entertainment industry. He’s about the same age as me.” Xie Boxia, with a bit of ash on her forehead, seriously introduced Ren Shan to Xie Ting’an, her eyes shining brightly.

Xie Ting’an glanced at his sister, pulled a tissue from the table, and gently wiped the dirt off her face.

Why did her first love have to be with someone like this?

Xie Ting’an had seen too many wealthy children fall in love with people who weren’t a good match. The more their families opposed, the more determined they were to be together.

Xie Ting’an threw the tissue into the ashtray, then looked up, giving Ren Shan a gentle smile.

“Xiao Ren, have we met somewhere before?”

Ren Shan tried to recall but couldn’t remember.

“It seems like it was when Mr. Zhang invited us to dinner.” Xie Ting’an smiled appropriately, opening all the data points in the system, “You were there at the time.”

“Ah, yes, yes!” Seeing Xie Ting’an so certain, Ren Shan pretended to remember, nodding repeatedly, his tone apologetic.

“My memory is terrible, I forgot we had dinner together.”

“No worries.” Xie Ting’an glanced at the numbers above Ren Shan’s head, his expression friendly, “But back then, you left a deep impression on me.”

“To be remembered by Mr. Xie means we were destined to meet, so today I must leave a good impression on you.” Ren Shan smiled politely, casting a loving glance at Xie Boxia.

Seeing the two chatting, Xie Boxia felt relieved, picked up the ingredients Xie Ting’an bought, and went into the kitchen to fry, stir-fry, and cook.

In the living room, Xie Ting’an drank tea, and Ren Shan tried to start a few conversations, but the other party didn’t respond, just calmly looking elsewhere.

By the time the meal was ready, it was already getting dark. Seven or eight dishes were placed on the table, and the three sat down. Ren Shan looked down at the unidentifiable dish in front of him, unsure how to start.

Looking at Xie Ting’an, he was unfazed, holding chopsticks and starting to eat.

“Ren Shan, don’t be shy.” Xie Boxia smiled, “My brother has already started, you can eat now.”

Ren Shan looked at the blackened dish in front of him, hesitating, only to see Xie Ting’an pick up the communal chopsticks and place two pieces of something unidentifiable into his bowl.

“Eat, Xiao Ren.” Xie Ting’an’s expression was gentle.

Ren Shan gritted his teeth, glanced at Xie Boxia, and tried to put a piece of the dish into his mouth. The thirteen spices mixed with the burnt meat flavor instantly hit his nose, the aftertaste overwhelmingly salty!

With the Xie siblings watching, Ren Shan didn’t dare spit it out, controlling his almost twisted facial features, swallowing the dish whole.

“Eat slowly.” Xie Ting’an’s smile widened, continuing to place more food into Ren Shan’s bowl with the communal chopsticks, “It’s rare for you to come, I won’t let you go hungry.”

Ren Shan gritted his teeth, putting a piece of unidentifiable charcoal into his mouth. This time, the strong smoky flavor, accompanied by the texture of real charcoal, made him suspect that Xie Boxia had directly put charcoal on the plate.

After a few bites, with Xie Ting’an still adding food to his bowl, Ren Shan couldn’t take it anymore and looked at Xie Boxia.

“Xia Xia, why don’t you try your dish?”

Xie Boxia blinked, a bit disappointed, and took out a plate of vegetable salad from the fridge, making Ren Shan’s eyes widen.

“I want to, but I’m an actress, I have to manage my figure.” Xie Boxia said sadly, taking a bite of the salad.

Ren Shan almost spat out a mouthful of blood, while Xie Ting’an, smiling, continued to add food to his bowl, initiating a conversation.

“Xiao Ren, I heard your contract with Huashi is about to expire?”

Ren Shan perked up, secretly clenching his fist, continuing to eat the dish, a smile on his face, “Yes, Mr. Xie.”

Xie Boxia pitifully nibbled on the salad leaves, watching her brother and Ren Shan chat intermittently. After finishing a box of salad, still feeling hungry, she picked up her chopsticks, just about to grab a piece of braised ribs, when the next moment, the food was knocked out of her chopsticks by Xie Ting’an and placed into Ren Shan’s bowl.

“The guest hasn’t eaten enough.” Xie Ting’an smiled, picking up the dish and pouring the remaining food into Ren Shan’s bowl.

“Xiao Ren, you’re young and have a good appetite, don’t waste Boxia’s effort.”

Ren Shan’s face turned blue and then green, but he couldn’t disrespect Xie Ting’an. Looking at the food in his bowl, he endured the urge to vomit, taking a bite and drinking three gulps of water to wash it down.

After the meal, it was completely dark. Xie Ting’an and Xie Boxia saw Ren Shan, clutching his stomach, off. Back inside, Xie Ting’an opened a bottle of red wine, pouring it into a wine glass, drinking while putting the pots and pans into the dishwasher.

“Bro?” Xie Boxia poked her head out, seeing that Xie Ting’an had already drunk half a bottle of red wine.

“Hmm?” Xie Ting’an looked at his sister with gentle eyes, holding the wine glass.

“What do you think of Ren Shan?” Xie Boxia asked shyly, eager to know her brother’s opinion of him.

“You won’t be happy together.” Xie Ting’an, slightly tipsy, casually gave a definitive answer.

“Bro, why!” Xie Boxia pulled Xie Ting’an to sit in the living room, full of confusion, “Ren Shan is different from other guys, he’s gentle and respects my thoughts. He was with me without knowing I was from the Xie family…”

“Shh.” Xie Ting’an raised his hand, smiling half-drunk, pinching Xie Boxia’s chattering mouth.

“Regardless of whether he knows you’re from the Xie family or not.

Do you know why, during Mr. Zhang’s dinner, with such a large table of people, I remembered him so well?”

“Why?” Xie Boxia’s mouth was pinched, her eyes showing a bit of frustration.

Xie Ting’an released his hand, slowly leaning closer to Xie Boxia’s ear.

[Whispering Skill activated.]

[Current distance, trust level increased by 30%.]

[Distance closing, trust level increased to 60%.]

“I happened to go to the bathroom with him, and I accidentally saw…” Xie Ting’an’s lips curled up, his thumb and forefinger pinching together, slowly pulling apart.

“He’s just this much.”

Xie Boxia was stunned.

Xie Boxia went to the drawer to find a soft ruler.

Xie Boxia measured the distance between Xie Ting’an’s fingers.

“No way.” Xie Boxia was full of disbelief.

“Just this much?”

“In this aspect.” Xie Ting’an raised his wrist, his two fingers pointing at himself.

“My eyes are the ruler.”

Xie Boxia’s expression was a bit dejected, wanting to say something but unable to speak.

So, it was this kind of unhappiness.

No wonder her brother was so certain.

This was indeed quite definitive.

“Actually, a platonic relationship…” Xie Ting’an blinked, the next moment, his mouth was covered by Xie Boxia.

“Bro, stop talking.” Xie Boxia’s face was ashen, “You’ve had too much to drink, I’ll call a driver to take you home.”

The driver received the call and helped the boss into the car. Xie Boxia, wrapped in a down jacket, watched the car leave with a forlorn look. Once back home, she couldn’t help but open the chat with her best friend.

[Xiao Ai, I might not want to date him anymore.]

[Why? Your brother doesn’t like him?] Xiao Ai replied quickly.

[It’s not my brother’s problem, it’s that my brother… accidentally saw his very small problem.] Xie Boxia was full of sorrow.

The other side was quiet for a while.

[Is it the small I think it is?]

[Yes, just a little bit.] Xie Boxia typed in anguish, [I’m not talking about milk tea.]

[A little bit is a bit too much, huh.] Xiao Ai was quiet for a long time, [I’m not talking about milk tea either.]

The two girls fell into silence.

No one understood better than them the importance of happiness.

[By the way, what if he asks why you’re breaking up, will saying it directly make him angry? His skill at stirring up fans is top-notch, and the two of us are not influential enough to argue with him.]

Xiao Ai was a bit worried. When Ren Shan’s assistant came to ask about Xie Boxia’s situation, she felt he had some motive.

Xiao Ai initially thought Ren Shan was just interested for a moment, given his higher status in the entertainment industry compared to Boxia, but she didn’t expect him to actively pursue Xie Boxia a few days later.

[Then I’ll try to be tactful.] Xie Boxia fell into thought.

That night, Ren Shan, with weak legs, leaning against the wall, had just come out of the bathroom when he received a message from Xie Boxia.

[Ren Shan, let’s break up.]

Ren Shan’s hand trembled, unable to resist questioning.

[Why!]

[There are some things I don’t want to expose about you.] Xie Boxia was very tactful, [Can we part on good terms?]

[What do you want to expose about me?] Ren Shan gritted his teeth, his stomach growling as he typed, [Don’t think just because you’re the Xie family’s eldest daughter, you can make baseless accusations!]

“Ding,” a message came from the other side.

[Please don’t misunderstand, I’m exposing something in the physical sense.]

As if afraid Ren Shan wouldn’t understand, the other side sent a picture. Ren Shan opened the message, and upon seeing the picture, his eyes went black.

Xie Boxia: [Short Spout Teapot.jpg]