Chapter 29: Boiling Frog

Xie Yan met his brother’s teasing gaze and silently nodded. Then, fearing he might upset Xue Qingdai, he gently let go of her waist.

“No, no, you’ve got it wrong,” Xue Qingdai quickly corrected. “Just call me Xue Qingdai.”

When it came to matters concerning Xue Qingdai, Xie Yan still couldn’t keep his emotions in check. The corners of his mouth drooped ever so slightly.

Li Xinren had been watching Xie Yan and avoided looking directly at Xue Qingdai. But when he saw his usually formidable army friend deflated like this, he couldn’t help bursting into laughter. He had never seen the famously stern and commanding Xie Yan from the military zone look so subdued.

“Right, right, my bad—‘Little sister-in-law,’” he joked. “Oops, my mouth always gets it wrong.”

Xue Qingdai: “…”

This brother of Xie Yan’s didn’t seem too bright—how’d he even become a police officer?

Xie Yan looked down at her and rubbed her head casually in reassurance. He liked hearing her called “sister-in-law.”

Li Xinren had an hour off before his next shift, so the two decided to catch up. Xie Yan first brought Xue Qingdai home and spent some time comforting her before heading out to the restaurant.

They met at a state-owned restaurant they frequented in their youth. Li Xinren ordered four dishes, one soup, and two bowls of zhajiang noodles.

“Xie Yan, let me toast you first—for your service and sacrifice for the country. I still have work later, so I’ll use tea instead of liquor. Don’t mind me.”

Xie Yan and Li Xinren were as close as brothers, practically having grown up in the same pair of pants. Due to his father Xie Songshan’s strict teachings, Xie Yan didn’t smoke or drink and raised his cup of Qianlinchun red tea in a respectful toast.

There were no formalities between them, but after so many years apart, some of the familiarity needed time to return.

“You’re talking too formally. Makes it feel like we’re strangers,” Xie Yan said. “I’ve been busy these past few days since I got back. Haven’t had a chance to visit. My fiancée had something nearby, so I brought her along to meet you.”

When Xie Yan mentioned Xue Qingdai, his voice softened, and he allowed a rare smile.

Li Xinren, two years younger than Xie Yan, was also suffering from constant matchmaking pressures. Xie Yan’s tone was so sweet it made his teeth ache—so the reason he hadn’t come to visit was because he was busy with his future wife!

Slurping his noodles and chewing on a clove of garlic, Li Xinren muttered with his mouth half-full, “Not cool, Lao Xie! You found a girl and just ditched your brothers, huh? No wonder your fiancée didn’t look too happy with you, ha!”

He waved at the server. “Hey! Add one more bowl of noodles to the northeast corner table!”

It was partly to lighten the mood, partly to dodge Xie Yan’s death stare. After all, Xie Yan had been on the battlefield—the pressure he exuded was not something normal folks could handle.

Xie Yan, wearing a tight-lipped smile, casually poured vinegar and chili oil into Li Xinren’s bowl. “Eat.”

Li Xinren looked up, a little confused. Something told him Xie Yan was serious. That family of his couldn’t possibly have trouble getting married.

“You know, bro, you really can’t be too soft with a woman. If you give in too easily, your place in the household’s gone. Gotta set the rules early.”

Xie Yan chuckled coldly. “You, a bachelor, giving me advice? So why are you still single then?”

“Xie Yan, that’s a low blow! I’m just trying to help.”

“But seriously, your fiancée is gorgeous. Where did you find someone like her? Does she have a younger sister?”

Xie Yan replied, “Forget it. Qingdai has three older brothers—she’s the baby of the family. And I like spoiling her, even if she’s a bit delicate.”

While picking his teeth with a toothpick, Li Xinren jabbed his gum too hard and winced. “Damn, that hurts.”

“Xie Yan, you’ve changed!”

He then leaned in and whispered, “Does she know about… you know, that problem?”

Xie Yan set down his chopsticks with a sigh. “She knows. She even wants to break off the engagement…”

From a young age, Xie Yan had earned his reputation in the military—not through nepotism, but by fighting tooth and nail for every rank. His father’s high military position only brought him more pressure and scrutiny.

The injuries from the battlefield had mostly healed, but the issue of infertility had been maliciously spread around. Though Xie Yan didn’t dwell on it, he couldn’t bear the thought of letting down the girl he genuinely liked—his fiancée.

Li Xinren’s throat suddenly went dry. “She seems like a bit of a spoiled princess, but she doesn’t strike me as someone who’d dump you over that.”

Xie Yan’s voice trembled slightly. “She says she doesn’t care—but I care. I want to give her a perfect family, one that’s happier than the one my mother had.”

“Qingdai… she’s just upset because I didn’t write during the engagement. That’s why she wants to back out, in secret, without telling her family. And if that’s how she wants to act, I’ll let her.”

“But breaking off the engagement? Not happening.”

“The only thing that really eats at me… is the thought of never having a child with her.”

Li Xinren swore, “Damn, that’s cold-blooded, Lao Xie. You’re playing the long game. I bet she thinks you’re going along with the breakup.”

Xie Yan nodded slowly. He hadn’t confirmed or denied it. And every day, Qingdai was so happy running off to food stalls that she forgot all about it.

Li Xinren suddenly felt his zhajiang noodles lost all flavor. His buddy was already planning for married life and kids, while he was worried the girl might ditch him.

But it turned out Xie Yan was way ahead—he never let himself get played. If anything, he was slowly drawing the girl into his world without her even noticing.

Soon, that “little fiancée” would be warming his bed.

Jealous, Li Xinren muttered, “Damn, Xie-ge, you’re the real deal. Teach me your ways. I was blind earlier.”

Xie Yan checked the time—past 7 p.m., a bit too late to head home right away.

“I just had a good dad to learn from.”

“What?! You mean General Xie is like that too?!”

Xie Songshan was a legend. Could being a henpecked husband really run in the family?

Xie Yan remained silent—his old man still had to save face, even in his later years.

Li Xinren didn’t say a word either. He admitted total defeat. Might as well go back and work overtime.

Before Xie Yan left, he handed Li Xinren a slip of paper. “Keep your subordinates in check. Too many wandering thoughts during work hours aren’t acceptable.”

Li Xinren looked at the contents of the paper, and the lines on his forehead creased with frustration. His joking tone vanished instantly, replaced by seriousness as he tightened his expression.

“I got it,” he said solemnly.

The next day, despite his busy schedule, Xie Yan still made time to pick up Xue Qingdai. He was supposed to take her straight to Jiren Hall on his bike, but she didn’t seem as eager as usual. Twisting slightly in place, she clung to his arm, looking hesitant and shy.

Xue Qingdai had something on her mind, but it was clearly difficult to say—her fair cheeks flushed red.

“What’s wrong?” Xie Yan asked, confused. He was sure he hadn’t upset her.

Xue Qingdai leaned her head against his chest, her soft, pink-tinged cheeks resting lightly on him. Her bright, watery eyes looked up at Xie Yan, and she gently tugged at his slender fingers.

“Xie Yan, can I ask you a favor?” she said softly.

Xue Qingdai’s coy charm always worked like magic on her family—but this was the first time she used it on Xie Yan. Today, since the police couldn’t come help her deal with those unreasonable women, her small frame alone clearly couldn’t hold them back. Borrowing the male lead’s authority would be perfectly acceptable.

Xie Yan was completely enjoying her little act of affection. Part of him wanted to hug her or pinch her cheeks. His heart had already melted into a puddle.

But—if what she wanted was to break off the engagement… then no way!

Xie Yan suddenly tensed up, not reacting at first, worried he’d fall for her honeyed trap and say something stupid. He quickly calmed himself and tried to sound as gentle as possible:

“Daidai, what is it you want to ask?”