Chapter 38 It’s Too Late

Xue Furong leaned back slightly, his fingers brushing over the bridge of his nose. “My sister just met you, and you’ve been busy away from home for years without even writing back. She needs time to adjust to the idea of marriage.” The length of that “adjustment time,” of course, would be up to his little sister.

Although Xie Yan was a bit older, he had everything—family background, looks, and capability. Back then, their grandfather had stepped down forcefully just to secure this engagement, paying a high price. Xie Yan’s father had ascended to a prominent position largely due to their grandfather’s influence. The Xie and Xue families had long since become deeply intertwined, though on the surface it looked like the Xue family had declined.

He had never thought of himself as inferior to Xie Yan. His little sister might be a bit spoiled, but that wasn’t a big deal. If Xie Yan wasn’t satisfied, so be it. His Daidai was quite a catch. He still remembered how Daidai used to like a young educated youth in the village. Her letters were full of the sweetness of a young girl’s first love.

Xie Yan had missed that precious period in Daidai’s life.

“Alright, Second Brother,” Xie Yan licked his dry lips and let out a dry laugh. Every one of Daidai’s brothers was precious to her. He regretted not having taken a moment to send even one letter back over the years, which had now led to this awkward situation.

Xie Yan poured Xue Furong another cup of hot tea.

“Xie Yan, to be honest, I think you’d make a good husband for my sister,” Xue Furong said with a sigh. “Daidai is so beautiful and popular. Back in the village, there was a male educated youth who pestered her endlessly. You showed up far too late.”

“My sister might have some fear of men.” Xue Furong deliberately kept things vague. The truth was, his sister had even wanted their father to withhold that educated youth’s university admission letter. Though he doted on her, he couldn’t condone something so clearly wrong. Even now that his sister had come to the capital, she might still be thinking of that educated youth, and naturally wouldn’t be interested in the cold Xie Yan. Still, he would pin all the blame on Xie Yan. His sister, after all, was blameless in his eyes.

After politely sending Xue Furong off, Xie Yan sat at his desk for a long time, writing letter after letter on several sheets of paper, only to crumple them up in dissatisfaction and toss them aside. Then he pulled himself together, completed the day’s work and training, and even ran an extra ten kilometers. He didn’t feel tired. The cold reception he had gotten from Daidai seemed well-deserved. He hadn’t been there for her when she needed protection the most.

In the courtyard, Xie Yan casually rinsed off with cold water. The last time he went to the public bathhouse for a hot bath, he had felt extremely uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, Xue Qingdai, already dressed in cotton clothes, had curled up to sleep. Hearing the splashing water outside, she cracked the door open. The dim light fell on Xie Yan’s body. His Dacron shirt was completely soaked, outlining the clear lines of his abs, broad shoulders, and muscular build. Not bulky like a middle-aged man, and not overly defined like a bodybuilder either—just naturally firm.

She had only opened the door because of the noise, but hadn’t expected Xie Yan to have such a good figure. Eight-pack abs, visible through the wet shirt but not exposed.

“Who’s there?” Xie Yan called out when he heard the noise.

Xue Qingdai knocked on the glass, openly announcing her presence. Xie Yan slowly draped a towel over himself and returned to his room to change into a clean outfit. Dressed now in another army green shirt, he towel-dried his short hair.

“Daidai, I’m coming into your room to warm up a bit,” he said.

Xue Qingdai yawned and rubbed her round belly. The iron pot stew her senior sister had made was really good. Too bad their master wasn’t at the clinic. She was sleepy and leaned against the headboard, nearly dozing off.

Xie Yan quietly sat near the stove, his long hands sweating from the heat, yet reluctant to leave.

“Oh right, Xie Yan, thank you for washing my clothes…” Xue Qingdai remembered earlier that morning, when she went to fetch her socks and saw her pink triangle underwear hanging out to dry—she nearly lost it. All her underwear was specially made in the modern era and kept in her space. Hundreds of pieces, made of pure silk, only suitable for hand-washing—vibrant in color but super comfortable to wear. She hadn’t expected anyone else to see them. Xie Yan had acted too quickly.

She had another concern recently: taking too many health supplements had side effects. Her body was going through a second development. The tiny camisoles in her storage space were about to burst at the seams. It wasn’t because she was eating too much. Definitely not.

As she pulled her collar tighter, she said, “Xie Yan, why aren’t you saying anything?”

Xie Yan covered his flushed ears. “No need to thank me.” He felt even worse. It was just a small favor, but Daidai had actually thanked him.

When that little piece of underwear had fallen out, he had deliberately opened a new bar of soap and washed it with his eyes closed.

Xie Yan hadn’t buttoned his collar completely, revealing a glimpse of his tanned skin. He used to always button them all.

His hands were burning. Xue Qingdai wanted to pull away, but Xie Yan continued:

“Daidai, you don’t have to thank me for anything in the future. These are things I should’ve done.”

“I heard from your second brother that an educated youth hurt you…”

Xue Qingdai thought he was about to defend that guy.

“Yeah, I even got seriously ill—almost died,” Xue Qingdai exaggeratedly replied, shifting all blame onto the other party. No matter how awful her behavior had been under the plot’s control, so what?

Xie Yan, full of remorse, hugged Xue Qingdai. “Daidai, I’ll make up for all the years I wasn’t there.”

Make up for what? Just cancel the engagement!

Xue Qingdai suddenly realized she was in Xie Yan’s house—his turf. She couldn’t act too boldly. She took a deep breath and sobbed quietly, “It’s okay, it’s all in the past. I don’t mind anymore.”

“Xie Yan, if there’s any news about my third brother, you must tell me.”

Xie Yan gave a bitter smile. He really had shown up too late. Daidai didn’t need him anymore—her family already gave her enough love.

“Alright, I’ll let you know as soon as I hear anything.”

He wanted to say more but knew that words were meaningless without action.

As he gently patted her back, Xue Qingdai gradually fell asleep, not even noticing when Xie Yan left.

Her master didn’t expect her to arrive at the clinic at a fixed time, so even though she was the last to wake up, there was still hot breakfast waiting for her.

“Shuying, you look radiant these days—fewer wrinkles and your lips are redder too. No worries at home, huh?” one woman commented.

Zhang Shuying smiled perfunctorily. These people were just trying to get their hands on the good stuff her daughter-in-law gave her. Vampires, the lot of them. No way was she sharing those treasures.

“It’s fine. I’ve got my own worries. Old Xie just bought me two new coats, and now I can’t decide which to wear.”

“I can smell it! That floral scent is so nice. Way better than anything from the department store!”

“Look at you, bloodhound nose. Why didn’t I notice it myself?”

Zhang Shuying feigned annoyance and ran home, only to find Xue Qingdai still there.

“Daidai, I just polished my bike yesterday. I barely use it anyway—go ahead and ride it to the clinic so you don’t tire yourself out.”

“Oh wow, Shuying, whose daughter is this?” one of the nosy women called from the gate. The moment she saw Xue Qingdai, her eyes lit up.