CHAPTER 27

Wen Yang finished her shower and was about to get into bed when, just as her slipper touched the floor, a knock sounded at the door.

She opened it, and to prevent a repeat of what had happened the night before, she pushed him back a step before closing it again.

Leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, Wen Yang looked straight at his chin. “Say whatever you need to right here.”

Xu Yi couldn’t help but chuckle, though he was slightly exasperated. He placed his hands on her waist and said, “Today, you made me both angry and happy.”

She caught the scent of the same body wash on him that she had used. She understood what made him happy—it was likely her soothing words and willingness to approach him—but the anger…

“What do you have to be angry about? Didn’t I already message you to tell you I was going to see Xiao Yan?”

“But you didn’t explain why you were going.” Xu Yi suddenly stopped mid-sentence. After a few seconds, his voice dropped. “You used to like Qi Chen. Do you still like him?”

Hearing that, Wen Yang shifted slightly, her hand slipping away from where it rested on his arm. Her expression remained indifferent. “I didn’t like him before, and I don’t like him now.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Xu Yi sounded like he was throwing a small tantrum. He stepped closer, pressing her against the wall.

If it were before, she wouldn’t have bothered to explain. But now, with her elbow against the wall trying to push him away without success, she could only sigh in resignation. “There’s a reason for that. I never actually liked him.”

Her elbow started to ache, so she changed her posture and let her arm drop.

“You can’t tell me why?” Xu Yi asked.

“Don’t be so nosy. Just remember that I don’t like him.”

Pressing too hard would only make him annoying. Realizing this, Xu Yi quickly dropped the topic and instead asked, “Then when will you like me?”

Wen Yang thought for a moment. “Now. I’m working on liking you, trying to catch up to you. Is that okay?”

She hadn’t even finished saying “okay” when Xu Yi pressed the hand behind her waist, pulling her into his arms.

“Run faster. I’m not waiting for you.”

His voice was muffled, and Wen Yang, now pressed against his chest, could feel his heartbeat quicken.

After saying goodnight to each other, Xu Yi watched as Wen Yang closed her door, thinking that one day, the door she would be closing would be the one to their shared room.

To keep a close eye on his grandson’s love life, Lin Huashan moved into the villa. Xu Chenglin, upon hearing that his son was dating, came by a few times, but Xu Yi was indifferent to him. Despite squeezing into the warm, lively atmosphere with a smile and staying for dinner, he always left feeling dejected.

Wen Yang had been living here for over a month and had also witnessed how intimidating Xu Yi could be when he put on a cold face.

She wasn’t particularly interested in his family affairs, but if he wanted to talk about them, she would listen. Whether she commented on them or not was another matter.

That day, Xu Yi, as CEO, granted himself a day off to go on a date with Wen Yang. But she slept until the afternoon. When he knocked on her door in the morning, she glared at him with sleepy, fiery eyes, scaring him into retreat. He could only listen for any sounds of movement, not daring to wake her again.

Wen Yang had no idea about the planned date. She stayed in her room until dinner before finally emerging.

That evening, Xu Yi didn’t pick up food for her, which felt a little unusual to Wen Yang. Remembering something, she asked, “Why were you looking for me this morning?”

Xu Yi held back the urge to respond, avoiding her gaze as he sped up his eating.

Noticing the tension, Grandpa Lin spoke up to lighten the mood. “Slow down, don’t choke. Wen Yang, give him a spoonful of soup.”

She didn’t know what he was upset about, but she was sure it had something to do with her.

Xu Yi finished the soup she ladled for him, put down his bowl, and without waiting for her to finish eating, went upstairs.

Watching his grandson’s stormy departure, Grandpa Lin turned to Wen Yang. “He didn’t go to the office today.”

Wen Yang nodded. She might have figured it out.

Back in her room, she brushed her teeth and washed her face, then changed back into the sleepwear she had just taken off. Sitting on the sofa, she glanced at the new messages and videos she had received—there were a few more than before. But then she remembered something important.

Her boyfriend needed comforting.

Standing outside Xu Yi’s door, she knocked.

Seeing her outside his room for the first time, the anger in Xu Yi’s heart vanished instantly. But his face remained serious as he quietly looked at her.

Wen Yang said, “Grandpa told me you didn’t go to the office today.”

Xu Yi replied, “Mm.”

“Because of me?”

“You.”

“Is it too late for me to make it up to you now?”

Xu Yi took her hand and led her downstairs. “Let me see how you plan to make up for it first.”

A few days ago, Xu Yi had just renovated a private theater room on the second floor. He turned on the lights and pointed to a semicircular couch. “Sit there.”

After adjusting the room to movie mode, the lights dimmed instantly.

Sitting beside her, he draped his arm over the back of the couch and tilted his head. “What do you want to watch?”

Their eyes met, reflecting the faint light in the room. Wen Yang thought this was a good chance to make it up to him.

She gave him a little shove. “I’ll pick myself.”

For the next half-hour, Wen Yang scrolled through all the movie options, then started over again, still unable to decide.

Xu Yi watched her go through them twice. “Do you have decision paralysis?”

“Probably.” She leaned against his shoulder. “I feel like eating snacks.”

“You brushed your teeth before coming here.”

The lingering cool scent of mint mixed with her own subtle fragrance, hitting him directly.

“It’s dirty now.”

Xu Yi brushed aside her hair, his hand resting lightly on the back of her slender neck. “Who are you calling dirty?”

Wen Yang turned her head. “You smell nice. Go get some snacks.”

Unable to argue with her, he got up and left the room.

When Xu Yi returned, Wen Yang was still scrolling through movie options. He placed a tray on the table.

She glanced at it. “Why is it all fruit?”

“The housekeeper is downstairs. She won’t allow snacks at night,” he told her.

Wen Yang eyed the carefully arranged fruit, each piece neatly skewered with a toothpick. She doubted the housekeeper had gone to the trouble of making it look like a hedgehog. But she only let out a quiet “mm” in response. She just needed something to chew on—it didn’t matter what.

In the end, she chose a children’s adventure film, but before it was even halfway through, she lost interest and focused on finishing the last of the fruit instead.

Noticing her distraction, Xu Yi asked, “Do you stay up late often?”

“Just recently. I’ve been busy with work.”

“What work?” Xu Yi never interfered in her personal life apart from insisting she live in the villa, so he had no idea what she had been up to.

“A college friend asked me to invest in her girl group company. Since I had money, I bought shares. Now I’m reviewing applications and audition videos.”

“She asked you for investment?” Xu Yi was skeptical but knew Wen Yang wasn’t the type to make up such a lie.

Wen Yang picked up the empty fruit tray. “She knows I used to be broke, so she didn’t ask at first. I volunteered. If I have money, why work for someone else?”

“Besides, I told you I’m rich. You just didn’t believe me.”

Xu Yi left the room and returned with a card, placing it in front of her.

Wen Yang glanced at it. “Didn’t I say I didn’t want it?”

“If you don’t spend my money, I don’t feel like I exist as your boyfriend.”

“Every night, you don’t even have dinner with me.”

Wen Yang believed him when he said he felt invisible.

“You said you wanted to make up for it. Now’s your chance.” Xu Yi, slipping into his domineering CEO persona, forcefully stuffed the card into her pajama pocket.

Wen Yang didn’t refuse. She yawned, her eyes tearing up from the stretch, and held up a piece of watermelon to him. “I’m full.”

Xu Yi took a bite, pulled the toothpick from her hand, placed it back in the fruit tray, and then set the tray on the table.

“It’s past midnight. Are you going back to sleep?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Wen Yang replied.

Just as she was about to get up, Xu Yi held her down. “One last compensation.”

—

The next morning.

Wen Yang woke up from the heat radiating off the person behind her. She nudged his leg, which was pressing down on her.

Xu Yi groggily tightened his arms around her. “Stop moving.”

Wen Yang kicked off the blanket and fished out the card that had been poking into her all night from her pajama pocket. She tossed it onto the table. “Xu Yi, aren’t you going to work?”

Xu Yi buried his face in her hair. “I don’t want to get up.”

Wen Yang turned over, torn between wanting to sleep and not wanting to, but in the end, she dozed off again.

Listening to her steady breathing, Xu Yi sat up, opened the door, then scooped Wen Yang into his arms and carried her up to the third floor, tucking her back into her own bed. Returning to his room, he changed clothes and washed up. When he saw the faint dark circles under his eyes in the mirror, he let out a self-deprecating laugh.

Last night was pure self-torture.

He could only look, not touch. He didn’t fall asleep until the latter half of the night.

When Wen Yang was placed back on her own bed, she was vaguely aware that Xu Yi was carrying her. But she was too sleepy to say anything.

She was finally woken up by the sound of her phone ringing.

Xiao Yan: “Wen Yang, are you and Xu Yi free? Qi Chen has regained his memory. Let’s find a time for the four of us to meet up.”

Regained his memory…

Wen Yang’s mind gradually cleared. The power of love was truly remarkable. Thinking about it, in the novel, Xiao Yan spent over two years searching for Qi Chen, and he regained his memory just a little over a month later.

“Okay, I’ll ask Xu Yi when he gets back.”

After hanging up, Wen Yang knew that only she was aware that Lin Minjing had been sabotaging things between Xiao Yan and Qi Chen. In the end, she would have to be the one to deal with it.

Wen Yang: 006, what should we do about Lin Minjing?

System: Her mission has already failed, and the system has abandoned her as a host. But she hasn’t left the novel world yet. We don’t know what she’s planning next.

Wen Yang: She knows I’m also a transmigrator.

System: She probably does. You were the one who found Qi Chen, and she saw you in the hospital room.

Wen Yang: Can she expose my identity as a transmigrator?

System: She can, but 006 will erase the memories of anyone who hears it. No one will remember her revealing your identity.

Wen Yang: Not Xu Yi. Don’t erase anything he hears.

System: Why? Aren’t you afraid he’ll be scared of you?

Wen Yang: What’s there to be afraid of? He might struggle to accept it, but he won’t be scared.

The system hesitated. It was worried Xu Yi would fear the host.

—

That night, when Xu Yi came home, Wen Yang brought it up.

Xu Yi was picking out fish bones for her. Hearing what she said, he remarked, “Qi Chen still has those scheming people in his company to deal with. I don’t want to get caught up in it and end up with amnesia too, forgetting you.”

He placed the fish meat onto her plate.

Wen Yang said, “You didn’t take my words seriously that day.”

Xu Yi paused and fell silent.

Wen Yang ate the fish he had carefully prepared. It seemed she really needed to explain everything clearly. Only then would this man be at ease.