Chapter 29

“Yi Siling was sure and certain that the man was drunk, even in his deep and magnetic voice, there was a hint of intimacy.

Her mouth was dry, she grabbed a handful of hair, trying to sober up a bit, then calmly walked to Xie Xunzhi’s side, not even supporting him, just looking down with her eyes.

This time, closer, she could see the distinct muscle lines more clearly, water droplets dripping down his chest, eventually disappearing beneath his abdomen.

The man seemed unaware of his disheveled clothes.

Her cheeks were faintly flushed, she suddenly looked away, ‘Your alcohol tolerance is not good, yet you dare to drink with my father until you can’t handle it. What are you trying to prove?’

She lifted her foot, stepping on his shin bone, ‘Get up yourself, I’m not a little cat or dog. If you ask me to come over, I will, I don’t care about face.’

Although she came over, she wanted to protest.

Xie Xunzhi rubbed his temples, his breath a mix of shower gel fragrance and brandy, the fragrance was strong, seemingly not just coming from him.

He was already in a mess, and she made it even messier by stepping on him.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean it.”

He sighed softly, “Drunk. In case I’m not steady somewhere, forgive me.”

Yi Siling bit her lip, snorted, then used her foot to step on him again, “You’re drunk and still pretending to be serious, get up yourself.”

Her feet were ice-cold, but the places she stepped on became very hot.

“Can’t get up.” Xie Xunzhi’s eyes half-closed, half-squinted, propped on the ground, the other hand casually resting on his bent knee, his drunken face was disheveled, but his gaze was scorching, a temperature never seen on ordinary days.

He was always upright, solemn, and powerful.

At this moment, he stared at her intensely, his voice low, “Help me up.”

The defense line in Yi Siling’s heart collapsed.

Heavens, how did he turn into this completely different person after getting drunk?

He made her feel at a loss, as if a rabbit was constantly moving in her chest, “Do you know what you look like now, Xie Xunzhi? Are you really drunk or pretending to be drunk?”

Xie Xunzhi closed his eyes, leaned back against the sofa, “Perhaps.”

He spoke incoherently, which amused and exasperated Yi Siling, refusing to help, “Then let me test if you’re drunk.”

She crossed her arms, her gaze lingering on the man’s exposed muscles, a hint of flirtation stirring in her, she squinted, “Zhi Zhi.”

Calling him by that derogatory nickname, not afraid of his pretense.

Xie Xunzhi kept his eyes closed, unresponsive, looking very drowsy.

“Zhi Zhi.”

He remained motionless, like a meditating monk. Yi Siling bit her lip, stepping on his foot, then moving up his leg, using her usual sweet and teasing tone, “Zhi Zhi Zhi Zhi Xie Xunzhi.”

Xie Xunzhi reached up and grasped her wrist, applying just the right amount of force. With a tug, she fell to her knees against him, her fragrance enveloping him, and he effortlessly caught her.

They used the same brand of shower gel, the same scent. It wasn’t until they collided that they both realized this.

Their scents were identical, blending together, making it impossible to distinguish between them.

Yi Siling sat in his embrace, surprisingly not wanting to escape. Her palm rested on his chest, carefully feeling his strong and powerful heartbeat. She felt like she was caressing a large male lion, with soft and smooth fur, a temperature that was hot and compelling, giving her a trembling sensation like the ebb and flow of waves.

When challenging something braver and stronger than oneself, the dopamine released is squared.

She admitted that she enjoyed provoking him.

She didn’t like his pretense, his seriousness, his solemnity, his nonchalance, or his discreet control over everything. Similarly, she didn’t like his elder-like tolerance. She was someone who enjoyed high levels of excitement; one cannot go against their nature.

His body was hot, his gaze was hot too, Yi Siling felt her teeth ache from his stare, but the dopamine in her brain was skyrocketing like wild grass, and she rubbed her palm against his bare and shower-scented chest.

“Don’t call me by my nickname, Zhaozhao,” Xie Xunzhi tightened his grip around her waist, smiling.

Yi Siling took a deep breath, unable to distinguish whether the scent she inhaled was from her own body or his because they were the same.

She hummed from her nose, trying to drive away the scent on him, “You, getting drunk and still acting so arrogant. It’s not only the officials who can start a fire, why do you keep calling me Zhao Zhao?”

Xie Xunzhi looked at her aggrieved face, then caught a glimpse of her skin, particularly fair against the red strap nightgown. He cleared his throat, alcohol causing his vision to blur, the urge to coax her growing stronger.

Xie Xunzhi never imagined he would become so vulgar when drunk.

“Yes, it’s not only the officials who can start a fire,” he said casually.

Yi Siling chuckled, not understanding the source of his dominance, so she rebelliously started repeating “Zhi” in a series. Xie Xunzhi was almost driven crazy by her noise, but he still smiled, maintaining his composure, quietly watching her. He waited for her to say countless “Zhi” words, until she finally got tired, stopped, and let out a long sigh.

“Are you happy now?” Xie Xunzhi asked hoarsely.

“Alright.” Yi Siling was actually not happy because he seemed indifferent, without a hint of embarrassment, which made her feel childish in contrast.

She didn’t want to appear as a naive child in front of him.

Xie Xunzhi just stared at her thick and colorful face, suppressing his vulgar thoughts, silently pressing his palm against her back, then suddenly exerting force, pressing hard.

Yi Siling was forced to move forward, her chin almost touching his Adam’s apple. In her astonishment, she saw the dominance in Xie Xunzhi’s eyes. He didn’t look like a drunk person; instead, he resembled a fully awakened lion – strong, elegant, and handsome.

“You’re a bit noisy, Zhaozhao.”

He muttered to himself, then lowered his head, ignoring her surprised expression, he sealed her lips and ruthlessly pried open her teeth, completely forgetting that last night, at this same time, he had made a vow to himself.

He promised not to be frivolous with her, not to deliberately make her angry, and not to kiss her without her consent.

Yet, he hadn’t kept any of those promises, not even for twenty-four hours.

Alcohol was truly to blame.

Xie Xunzhi acted as if he had lost control, fueled by alcohol, he sucked on her tongue.

Yi Siling remained dazed in his embrace, tears falling from the intensity of his kiss, feeling breathless, her tongue becoming weak. If his kiss last night had an element of exploration, today’s kiss was much more skillful, aggressive, and intense, as if teaching her a lesson for her earlier provocation.

She kissed him with a mix of shame and anger, wanting to resist but finding it strangely comfortable, involuntarily surrendering, even welcoming it, yet feeling increasingly embarrassed, her palm uncontrollably rubbing his chest.

The sound of water surrounded her ears, the refreshing taste of toothpaste in his mouth, a lingering hint of alcohol, and the scalding heat all stirred in her lips and teeth. After an unknown duration, Xie Xunzhi withdrew, looking at her face, now flushed from suffocation, with watery eyes, expressionless.

The recent kiss had left her brain foggy, as if all the alcohol from his body had transferred to hers. Now, facing his deep and cold gaze, devoid of any discernible meaning, Yi Siling trembled. In the next moment, she suddenly realized a more serious issue.

Where she sat, the dormant mountain, illuminated by the sunlight, cast a powerful, straight, silent shadow on the ground.

Like roots, the shadow pressed against her soft waters, untouched and undeveloped by anyone.

Yi Siling was burning up, on the verge of losing her mind. She clumsily propped herself up from the ground, breathless, and crawled out of his embrace.

She stood up from the sofa, quickly ran back to her own bedroom.

With a “click,” the sliding door closed and locked.

Xie Xunzhi finally let out a long sigh, staring at the tightly closed sliding door, lost in thought.

Inside the room, Yi Siling turned off the lights, buried herself deep in the covers, feeling the touch of his skin on her palms.

A night of deep sleep, like a dream, neither asleep nor awake, like the rising tide.

The next day, Yi Siling slept until noon, only to wake up and realize that Xie Xunzhi and the others had left early in the morning.

On WeChat, there were several messages from Xie Xunzhi sent at 8:30 this morning.

“I knew you wanted to sleep in, so I didn’t want to disturb you. I’ve left already.

The flowers are at the door, help yourself.

I’m very busy today, so I might not be able to reply promptly.

The messages were very formal, with a serious tone, but I can’t pinpoint what’s wrong.

Yi Siling, without much thought, yawned and walked to the door. She didn’t find any flowers there, so she asked Aunt Li if she had seen the flowers. Aunt Li smiled and pointed to the sliding door inside.

Yi Siling involuntarily paused her breath, thinking about last night’s kiss, the drunken Xie Xunzhi from last night, and only then did she realize the root of the slight unease – this man was overly serious.

After waking up from last night’s drunken escapade, Yi Siling’s face flushed, and she had a sudden idea.

If he remembered everything from last night, how could he remain so composed and act as if nothing had happened?

Yi Siling was somewhat annoyed.

Upon opening the sliding door, she found the flowers exactly where they were left on the ground. Blooming quietly, unappreciated yet not feeling aggrieved. Seeing the flowers dispersed much of her gloomy mood. She picked them up, a faint smile playing on her lips.

During breakfast, Aunt Li informed her that a large group from the Xie family would be arriving in Harbor City this afternoon, including Xie Xunzhi’s parents, younger sister, cousins, uncles, aunts, and a whole bunch of relatives.

Just hearing about so many people made Yi Siling feel overwhelmed.

“So many people in their family,” she stirred her seafood congee absentmindedly, thinking about their return this afternoon.

Aunt Li chuckled, “There are still more to come. Those who arrived are the close relatives. If we count the distant relatives, in-laws, it easily adds up to over a hundred people.”

Yi Siling felt overwhelmed, “Oh my, with so many people, how am I supposed to remember who’s who? I’ll be so embarrassed if I call someone by the wrong name in the future.”

“We just need to remember the close relatives, for the rest, even the master himself might not recognize them all.” Aunt Li reassured Yi Siling not to worry about these things; the most important thing now was the formal betrothal ceremony the day after tomorrow.

“Well,” Yi Siling pondered, “with so many of them, what if they gang up on me in the future?”

Even Aunt Li, at times, couldn’t handle the young lady’s coquettishness and helplessly said, “Miss, you are going to be the young mistress, the future mistress of the Xie family. Who would dare to bully you? They’ll be flattering you instead.”

Yi Siling blinked slowly in response.

But Xie Xunzhi, that old fox, would bully her.

When Xie Xunzhi wasn’t drunk, he resembled some majestic large feline, but after a few drinks, his fox tail would show.

Playing with her multiple personalities, huh.

“Later, Baoshan Pavillion will send over the altered qipao. The makeup artist will arrive at at two in the afternoon to do a trial makeup for you. You mentioned changing your nail polish, so the madam arranged a manicurist to come after dinner.”

The whole day was meticulously planned.

In Harbor City, the formal betrothal and wedding ceremonies were the two most grand occasions. As the saying goes, a successful betrothal leads to a happy marriage. Yi Siling thought about the upcoming formal betrothal in two days, feeling a slight nervousness in her heart.

“Auntie, what if my face is swollen the day after tomorrow? There will be a photographer for the photos.”

“How could that happen? Even if you sleep until the afternoon, your face won’t swell.”

“Don’t tease me,” Yi Siling blushed, then turned and earnestly asked Aunt Li to make sure to wake her up early the day after tomorrow.

“The day after tomorrow, you just want to sleep in, and the madam will wake you up.”

Aunt Li reassured her not to be nervous, as the elders from both families had everything planned out. On that day, everything would go smoothly and joyfully. Finally, Aunt Li comforted Yi Siling,

“You just wait for the master to bring the betrothal gifts, and everything will be settled beautifully.”

Xie Xunzhi was indeed very busy; he didn’t send any messages all day and only messaged her on WeChat the next evening, reminding her to set her alarm clock.

“Tomorrow morning, we will leave at 7:58 and are expected to arrive at your house by 8:30. Don’t oversleep. Set your alarm clock. Remember.”

Each message was a bit too serious. Yi Siling could even imagine his expression while typing, with slightly lowered eyes, precise lines, and a serious and cold demeanor.

It was impossible to imagine him as he was two nights ago, not in an open bathrobe, revealing his sexy abs, sitting casually and lazily, beckoning her with a playful finger, the Xie Xunzhi who insisted she come to help him.

It had been two days already, but Yi Siling couldn’t help but shiver at the memory of that night’s scene. Looking at Xie Xunzhi now, he truly embodied the word “stiff.”

He even reminded her not to oversleep.

Yi Siling was both angry and annoyed. She messaged back, “Did you forget something?”

After a few minutes, he replied with a question mark, asking if there was anything else needed for the next day.

Xie Xunzhi was afraid of forgetting important items.

Yi Siling clarified that it wasn’t about the next day but something else, leaving him to figure it out.

Xie Xunzhi sat at his desk, somewhat helpless, but still thought for a few seconds before responding, “Can you give me a hint? Otherwise, it’s hard for me to guess your thoughts.”

Yi Siling coldly hinted, “Do you remember what you did the night before last?”

He bullied her and then left early the next morning.

“What did I do the night before last?” Xie Xunzhi asked.

So, he truly had no recollection. Yi Siling couldn’t help but laugh.

The little flower plate sat on the pillow, staring at its owner with wide eyes, not understanding why she seemed to emit an inexplicable aura of anger.

Xie Xunzhi, you don’t need to come tomorrow. Really.

Xie Xunzhi was in the study, organizing the marriage documents and gift letters.

The two documents were handwritten by him, with neat and slender characters on the red auspicious paper with dragon and phoenix patterns. The golden ink sparkled, and the red paper symbolized good luck.

The marriage document was a copy of the one Xie’s grandfather used to propose to Xie Xunzhi’s grandmother, which he transcribed. The gift letter recorded each betrothal gift in detail, stretching to about a meter in length. The ink had naturally dried by now. He rolled it up, tied it with the concentric knot as instructed by his mother, and then placed it in a brocade box.

China is a land of etiquette, an ancient civilization with a unique charm in its traditional marriage customs that have been passed down for thousands of years. The distinct traditions and rituals evoke joy and reverence towards marriage.

Marriage is a serious matter.

Xie Xunzhi had to admit that without these rituals, he might have regrets.

After putting away the brocade box, he picked up his phone to check the message from Yi Siling.

The note read “Little mischief.”

“Little mischief Yi Siling, don’t come tomorrow.”

He sighed and rubbed his brow.

Yi Siling was pacing in the bedroom when her phone suddenly chimed. She immediately picked it up to read the message.

“Stiff Yi Siling, I got drunk and lost control, kissed you the night before last. I haven’t forgotten.”

Yi Siling: “”

“In the future, our kisses will be normal.”

Yi Siling: “”

“We are getting married, we are husband and wife, aren’t we?”

Yi Siling: “”

His series of questions pressed her, and she somehow felt like kissing was a normal thing.

“So don’t think about these things, go to bed early, I will definitely come tomorrow.”