Chapter 48 Why are you explaining this to me?

Chen Yao'an rushed forward, standing in front of Xu Jialan, spreading her arms to protect him like a mother hen protecting her chicks, and looked at Xu Qing warily, "What do you want to do?"

Xu Qing's gaze paused for a moment, then his eyes hardened. "Get out of the way!"

"No!" Her eyes were firm. "I won't let you hurt him!"

Xu Jialan knelt behind her, clutching her stomach, and looked up at her slender back. Her heart pounded at her words.

He endured the pain in his stomach and struggled to his feet.

Xu Qing seemed to have gone mad, and without caring about anything else, he was about to throw the stone in his hand.

Chen Yao'an remained motionless, but subconsciously closed her eyes.

Xu Jialan reacted the instant the stone fell, grabbed her shoulder, pushed her to the side, and then kicked Xu Qing hard.

He didn't have time to throw the stone in his hand.

Xu Qing was kicked to the ground and was in so much pain that he couldn't get up for a moment.

Chen Yaoan hurriedly turned around to check Xu Jialan's injuries, grabbed his arm, and asked, "Are you alright?"

"fine."

Xu Yan followed closely behind and asked what had happened.

Xu Jialan glanced at Xu Qing lying on the ground and said impatiently, "Take him back."

"I'll accompany you back to the hotel first," Chen Yaoan said.

He nodded.

The couple left before the wedding was fully completed.

In the room, Chen Yao'an asked the hotel for a first-aid kit, intending to treat his wounds.

Xu Jialan was huddled on the sofa, her brows furrowed, looking unusually irritable.

Chen Yao'an dipped a cotton swab in medicated wine and tried to apply it to his wound, saying, "Let me put some medicine on you."

Xu Jialan raised her hand and blocked her hand, looking completely unconcerned, "This little injury won't kill you."

"Then we still need to apply medicine."

But he wouldn't listen at all, stood up from the sofa, and said, "I'm going for a swim."

"Your wound must not get wet."

"It's not like it's just a superficial injury." He didn't care at all.

Chen Yaoan couldn't stop him at all.

Xu Jialan went to the bedroom to change her clothes, opened the door and went downstairs. Chen Yaoan was worried and followed her.

The two went downstairs together to the hotel's swimming pool. Xu Jialan took off her bathrobe and plunged into the pool.

Chen Yao'an couldn't swim, so she sat on the shore with him.

Xu Jialan swims for several hours at a time. When she gets tired, she rests on the shore, and when she has rested enough, she continues swimming.

Until it got dark.

She wouldn't listen to her advice at all.

Fearing he might run into trouble if he continued swimming like that, Chen Yaoan walked to the edge of the pool and called out to him, "Xu Jialan, it's time for you to come up!"

Xu Jialan finally stopped, floated on the surface of the water to look at her, and then swam over to her side.

She reached out her hand to him, "I'll pull you up."

He reached out and took her hand.

With a struggle, Chen Yaoan used the strength in her hand to climb ashore and stand opposite her.

He suddenly reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist without warning.

She panicked for a moment, but didn't struggle, letting him pull her closer and closer with his arm.

They were so close they could feel each other's breath.

Her heart was pounding more and more wildly.

Can you swim?

His voice was deep and hoarse, as if it carried an electric current.

An electric current surged through her brain.

She had almost lost the ability to think clearly, and answered instinctively, "No."

Xu Jialan curled her lips into a slightly roguish smile, her irritation largely gone. "Then would you be willing to experience the feeling of suffocation underwater with me?"

"I……"

Before she could answer, Xu Jialan pulled her straight into the water.

The water went over his head, and Chen Yao'an instantly experienced the suffocating feeling he had been told, and struggled instinctively.

Xu Jialan didn't let her stay underwater for long. He flipped over and plunged underwater, then grabbed her thigh and pulled her to the surface.

The terrible feeling of suffocation lingered, and after a long time without breathing fresh air, she opened her mouth and gasped for air, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck, clinging to him as if he were her lifeline.

He looked up and smiled at her reaction, then asked, "How are you feeling?"

Chen Yao'an shook her head; the feeling of suffocation was unpleasant. She looked down at him.

His dark, inky eyes shone into her heart.

She thought that if it were with him, she might be happy to do it.

—

The night after the wedding was the post-wedding banquet. I heard there would be a dancing segment, but Chen Yao'an couldn't dance, so she didn't really want to go.

For some time before the banquet began, Chen Yao'an stayed in her room and did not go out.

Xu Jialan knocked on the door.

He leaned against the doorway and asked her, "Xu Yan said you don't want to go to the banquet?"

Chen Yaoan turned and went inside, sitting on the sofa. "Isn't there dancing at the banquet? I don't know how to dance, and besides, I'm not familiar with the other people, so it shouldn't matter whether I go or not."

Xu Jialan walked in and closed the door. "Isn't there Xu Yan and me? I can teach you if you can't dance."

He sat on the armrest of the sofa next to her, very close to her.

She looked up at him, somewhat tempted. "You really want to teach me?"

He extended his right hand and placed it gentlemanly in front of her. "I can teach you now."

Chen Yao'an looked at his fair and slender hand, hesitated for a second, and then took it.

He pulled her up from the sofa with force, and he also stood up and put his arm around her waist, bringing the two of them close together.

Chen Yao'an's gaze fell on his chin, where there was bluish stubble. She wondered what it would feel like to touch it.

Xu Jialan led her along, taking casual steps, "Dancing doesn't require any skill, just do whatever you feel like."

He always had a carefree attitude.

He raised his arm and spun her around a few times until she finally fell into his arms.

The evening banquet was held at the Aifei Manor, where Chen Yaoan and Xu Jialan stepped into the mysterious and ancient castle together.

Many guests had already arrived and were all seated. Xu Jialan led her to an empty seat.

At 8 p.m., the banquet officially began, and music started playing in the hall.

The main characters today were originally Xu Qingbang and Wang Yifei, and they should have danced the opening dance. However, Xu Qingbang was not able to due to his health condition, so he gave the opening dance to someone else. Xu Qingbang only went up to say a few words with Wang Yifei by his side.

As the prelude to the dance music began, everyone was curious about who would perform the opening dance.

Chen Yaoan and Xu Jialan also turned their attention to the spotlight in the center.

Then, Xu Qing appeared, leading a girl into the room.

Xu Jialan scoffed, showing utter disdain, and never looked at the two dancers again.

As the song ended, Xu Qing led the girl offstage.

The music didn't stop, and one after another, others gathered under the spotlight in the center.

Xu Jialan stood up from the seat next to her, extended her hand to Chen Yao'an, and extended an invitation with a smirk, like a playboy, "Miss, may I have this dance?"

Chen Yao'an raised her hand and placed it in his palm, more than happy to do so.

"good."

Xu Jialan took her hand and led her to stand under the spotlight.

The spotlight shone on the two of them, and Chen Yaoan felt inexplicably nervous.

Perhaps sensing her unease, Xu Jialan leaned close to her ear to comfort her: "Don't be nervous, trust me."

A thin layer of red appeared on the auricle of the ear.

Surprisingly, his words did calm Chen Yao'an down.

"Just jump around, nobody will notice us anyway."

Chen Yaoan nodded.

Her first dance went surprisingly smoothly under Xu Jialan's guidance.

Xu Jialan looked at her smugly, "What did I tell you? Trust me, I'm not wrong."

“Yes, I believe you.” She smiled.

The two left the stage together.

Xu Jialan let go of her hand. "I'm going to the restroom."

Xu Jialan got up and left.

Not long after, another person sat down next to her.

She immediately asked, "Do you like Xu Jialan?"

Chen Yao'an then noticed that Shen Moke had sat down next to her at some point. "What did you just say?"

I asked, "Do you like Xu Jialan?"

She didn't know why she asked that question, "So what if I like it? So what if I don't?"

Shen Moke chuckled, "I just want to give you some advice. Xu Jialan is like the wind; I can't catch her, and neither can anyone else."

"What's the meaning?"

"I just hope you don't end up like me."

Will they suffer the same fate as her?

Chen Yaoan suddenly remembered Shen Moke's set of comparison photos, and the reason why she had changed so much was all because of Xu Jialan.

She told her not to end up like her…

What does she mean? Is she saying that Xu Jialan will also let her down?

"Shen Moke, what did you say to her?" Xu Jialan returned and questioned her bluntly.

"Just a few words," Shen Moke said without any fear. "Why can't I even say a word to her? Is it really necessary to be so strict?"

"Go do what you need to do, she has nothing to say to you."

Shen Moke stood up, took a few steps toward Xu Jialan, leaned down and whispered, "What? Are you afraid I'll tell her something?"

Xu Jialan frowned and didn't give her a friendly look.

"Perfect timing, I also have something to tell you."

"What did you say?" he asked impatiently.

"Let's go outside and talk."

Shen Moke didn't give him a chance to refuse and walked straight out, so Xu Jialan had no choice but to follow.

Chen Yaoan thought about it for a while, feeling somewhat uneasy, and after a while, she followed him out.

Shen Moke didn't go far either; she waited for him in the corridor with her arms crossed, looking like she was going to settle accounts with him.

Xu Jialan was not afraid at all, and walked over to her to ask, "What do you want to say?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than, with a "slap," Shen Moke slapped him across the face.

He was a little confused.

"Slap!" Another slap landed on the other half of his face.

When Chen Yao'an chased after him to the door, she saw this scene, but she did not go forward.

Xu Jialan was a little annoyed, "Shen Moke, what's wrong with you!"

Shen Moke slapped him twice purely to vent her anger. After the slaps landed on his face, she felt much better. "Xu Jialan, you deserved those two slaps. From now on, we're even. I won't bother you anymore, you scumbag!"

Xu Jialan chuckled, seemingly relieved. "Alright, from now on we'll go our separate ways."

Shen Moke snorted and turned away with a flourish.

Chen Yaoan also turned around and went back to the hall.

Later, back at the hotel, on the way back to their room, Chen Yao'an asked him, "Does your face still hurt?"

Xu Jialan paused for a moment, seemingly a little embarrassed, and cleared her throat. "You saw it all."

"I saw it."

"It's not what you think. Shen Moke is just venting her anger about what happened before. She won't come looking for me again."

Chen Yao'an glanced at him and asked, "Why are you explaining this to me?"