Chapter 45: The blinding compensation

The next morning, Su Nian woke up from his sleep and found that the seat next to him was empty.

She rubbed her sleepy eyes, got up and washed up. When she was about to change clothes and go downstairs, the door was suddenly pushed open.

Si Yan walked in, damp and sweaty. His sweat-soaked T-shirt clung to his body, outlining his muscular build. Fine beads of sweat still clung to his hair, glistening in the morning light.

"You went running?" Su Nian asked in surprise.

"Yeah, morning run." Si Yan wiped the sweat from his forehead, his breathing calming down. "I'm used to it."

His voice was still slightly panting after exercise, low and magnetic. Su Nian unconsciously glanced at his sweat-soaked collarbone twice.

"Wait for me, we'll go down together." Si Yan said as he walked towards the bathroom. "I'll take a quick shower."

Su Nian nodded and turned to pick out some clothes in the closet. Looking at the bright red dresses in the closet, she frowned and finally changed into a pink dress she had brought with her.

Just as I fastened my belt, the bathroom door opened.

Su Nian subconsciously looked up and immediately held her breath - Si Yan walked out with his upper body naked, water droplets slid down his chest, leaving a crystal trail on his abdominal muscles.

His figure was even better than he'd imagined, with defined but not exaggerated muscles and a distinctly defined abdominal muscle. Su Nian's gaze unconsciously followed the water droplets down, counting silently in her mind: one, two, three...

"Look carefully?" Si Yan suddenly asked, a faint smile on his lips. "Look carefully so I can put on my clothes."

"No..." Su Nian was counting to the key point and was startled by the sudden question. Then he realized his mistake and his cheeks instantly burned. "Ahhh, did I see it? I, I didn't see it!"

She turned around in panic, but heard a low laugh behind her.

This man definitely did it on purpose! Su Nian thought angrily, her heartbeat uncontrollably speeding up.

Si Yan watched her expression change instantly, and the smile in his eyes deepened. This girl was much more interesting than he had imagined.

In the restaurant downstairs, the old man and the old lady saw the two of them walking side by side, and they smiled so much that wrinkles appeared at the corners of their eyes.

"Good morning, Grandpa and Grandma!" Su Nian called out sweetly, her voice as soft as cotton candy.

"Come and have breakfast." The old lady took her hand and led her to the dining table. "Your parents went to a meeting in the neighboring city early this morning."

"Let your grandfather take your pulse after dinner!" As soon as the old lady finished speaking, Su Nian almost spit out a mouthful of porridge and choked and coughed.

Si Yan quickly handed over a tissue and said, "Grandma, my mom just checked Nian Nian's pulse a few days ago. You guys are treating anyone you catch. Don't scare my wife."

Su Nian wailed in his heart: Your wife is already in a trauma!

The old lady gave up after hearing this and said, "We'll talk about it later."

"Okay, grandma, I'll listen to you." Su Nian quickly took advantage of the situation and secretly gave Si Yan a look that said "you're smart."

After breakfast, Si Yan waited for Su Nian to help the old man and the old lady measure the size of the clothes, and sent her to the tailor shop before going to work at Jishidiang. The two of them agreed to pick her up and take her back to Jinghua Garden in the evening.

The glass window reflected his back as he turned around. Su Nian touched her hot earlobe and suddenly felt that her marriage seemed to be more interesting than she had imagined.

In the morning, Su Nian received a call from lawyer Zhong Jie, asking her to provide her bank account number - the compensation process for Chen's Clothing Company has been completed and can be paid at any time.

Lawyer Zhong also talked about the compensation plan he and Yuanxin Studio had negotiated: the two parties agreed that the compensation would be paid in three installments within one year, with the first installment arriving within ten days; as for the apology letter, it was agreed that the apology would be published in the newspaper after notarization and would be completed within one month.

Su Nian praised Zhong Jie for his reliability and brought up the issue of attorney fees, emphasizing that they couldn't be discounted because of Si Yan's relationship. Unexpectedly, Zhong Jie laughed on the other end: "Sister-in-law, don't worry about the attorney fees. Si Yan and I don't talk about money!"

This won’t do! Su Nian was about to say something else when the other party hung up the phone with a smile.

That afternoon, a text message arrived, notifying him of incoming funds, with the note "compensation from Chen's Garment Company." Su Nian stared at the string of numbers, nearly blinded by the glare.

"Mom, Mom, look!" She yelled at Su Hong, holding up her phone. The glaring balance was on the screen. "Everyone, dinner is on me tonight!"

A little later, the first compensation payment to Yuanxin Studio arrived.

Su Nian felt that she might have had some good fortune recently, so she called Si Yan happily and said that she wanted to thank Zhong Jie very much. She asked how much the lawyer's fee was and she transferred the money to him immediately.

Si Yan chuckled from the other end: "Don't worry about these, just be happy, and leave the rest to me."

It was just the afternoon when Si Yan came to pick up Su Nian after finishing work. The two of them were moving to Jinghua Garden today and needed to buy some daily necessities.

Before leaving, Su Nian transferred money to Su Hong. He had promised to treat her to dinner, and he couldn't go back on his word.

The air in Yuanxin's studio was so heavy that it seemed as if water was about to be squeezed out of it.

Now that Yuanxin Studio has paid the first installment of compensation, it is on the verge of survival, but as long as the studio has not gone bankrupt, it has to continue to fulfill its contract.

Li Yuan is now desperate - if he doesn't pay compensation, he can forget about gaining a foothold in the clothing industry. After all, Su Nian is now backed by Chen's Clothing Company, and he can't afford to offend her.

How could he, a top student majoring in fashion design, be willing to change his career? He could only persevere and continue to deceive He Qian - after all, from the beginning, it was He Qian who urged him to keep the award-winning design for himself.

Thinking of this, Li Yuan suddenly grabbed He Qian's wrist, his knuckles turning white from the force. "Xixi, just trust me this last time!" His voice was filled with unprecedented urgency. "The first compensation payment drained our vitality, but as long as we can hold on through this, everything will be fine! We will definitely be able to turn things around!"

He Qian suddenly shook off his hand, her eyes red as cherries soaked in water: "Turn over? How do you turn over?"

She took a half step back, her voice stinging with disappointment. "The studio's accounts are cleaner than my face; they even owe the utility bills! If I hadn't trusted you back then, would I have spent all the dowry my parents gave me? Now, not only am I in debt, I've become a laughing stock in the industry!"

"You know my design abilities best, Xixi." Li Yuan's attitude softened instantly, and he practically hunched his shoulders in pleading, "Now's not the time to argue about right and wrong. Don't you still have some private money? Take it out and make some money, just this once!"

He hurriedly stuffed the drawing paper into her hands. "Look, this is my new design, which I worked on all night for three days. It's all original! I've almost finalized the deal with a children's clothing brand, and they're just waiting to see the samples!"

He Qian looked at the scribbled lines on the drawing paper, feeling completely unsure.

But then I thought of Li Yuan in college - he was standing on the podium of the design competition, his thin shoulders set off by his white shirt, and his eyes were full of the youthful vigor.

She had pursued him for a long time before she finally caught up with him. Although she went abroad for two years in between, when she came back, she saw a more handsome and outstanding him. Otherwise, why would she choose to be with him?

Was he really just going to watch him fail like this now? Hesitation clung to his heart like a vine.

Li Yuan noticed her relaxed expression with his sharp eyes and quickly leaned forward, his voice low and soft: "Xixi, we've been together for so many years, and you didn't know who I was thinking about when you were away from home for two years. I really have a talent for design, but I shouldn't be involved in design with Su Nian... Give me another chance. When the studio recovers, I'll give you all the money I make, okay?"

He reached out to hug her, but He Qian turned her head away, her hair brushing against the tip of her ear, bringing a bit of a flustered itch - Li Yuan thought to himself, I have to be more proactive tonight, try some new tricks, and serve her well.

"I... I'll think about it." He Qian bit her lip, her voice as thin as a mosquito's hum. She knew that investing more money was very risky, but she couldn't bear to see her hard work go down the drain.

Li Yuan breathed a sigh of relief, but his face remained earnest. "Okay, take your time to think about it. I'll wait for you." He paused, his voice deliberately low. "But Xixi, time waits for no one. We can't just close our studio like this."

These words were like a needle, piercing He Qian's most tangled spot. She frowned and said nothing, but a trace of calculation flashed through Li Yuan's eyes - as long as he got the money and stabilized the situation first, who could say what would happen next?