Chapter 63 Chapter 63 Reflection in the Mirror

Xia Qingwan took two steps back, shifting her gaze away as well. "...Mr. Ye, you've arrived."

Her way of addressing him probably didn't surprise Ye Peixiu.

The last time they met was half a year ago when he went to the Xia family's old house to see Pei Meizhu. Now they are going their separate ways, and of course, they are just ex-boyfriends and girlfriends with no lingering ties.

Are all the elderly people inside?

Ye Peixiu asked.

"Um."

At this moment, the butler arrived late, came forward to greet Ye Peixiu, and led him around the corner to the door.

Xia Qingwan lagged a few steps behind the crowd, unconsciously touching her elbow.

Grandma Liang's villa for retirement was well-insulated, and the interior was warm as spring. Therefore, she was only wearing a long-sleeved dress, and the warmth of his palm seeped through the thin fabric and into her skin.

Ahead, Liang Xinwu's joyful voice could be heard from afar, "Pei Xiu, why are you here so early?"

"I thought you wouldn't arrive until Chinese New Year."

Several elderly people stood up to greet him.

Ye Peixiu took off his overcoat and suit jacket, handed them to the butler, and said, "Come early so I can spend the New Year with you all."

Xia Qingwan followed her in and stood silently to the side.

"Please sit down, don't be shy. I'm not a guest, so there's no need to make me feel uncomfortable."

Liang Xinwu smiled and asked Xia Huiqing and Grandma Xi to sit down. "That's true. We're a real family, so no one needs to stand on ceremony."

Xia Qingwan silently sat down on her original single sofa.

Ye Peixiu's driver came over carrying several bags, smiling, "These are gifts that President Ye brought for you."

"What a coincidence, we're opening our presents right now."

Liang Xinwu took the gifts and placed them in the pile in front of the fireplace. He opened them one by one: a muscle massager for Grandma Xi, a set of calligraphy and painting supplies for Grandma Xia, and a travel guide for Grandma Liang.

Grandma Liang protested, half-jokingly, "Why are you giving me such a low price?"

Ye Peixiu smiled, "There's a reason behind this gift—no matter where you want to go, I'll take care of all your needs."

"That's more like it."

Xia Qingwan lowered her eyes to look at the pages of the book, listening to their conversation, her hand remaining motionless as she turned the pages.

A dark shadow swept past, blocking the firelight from the fireplace, and she looked up.

Ye Peixiu approached her, holding a box in his hand. "This is for you."

Did she get a share too?

In such a joyful family atmosphere, it wouldn't be good to spoil the fun and refuse to accept the gift.

"……Thanks."

She closed the book and took it.

It's a bottle of perfume.

The currently popular gift for couples is an AMOUAGE mirror reflection, which costs three or four thousand dollars. Considering his usual lavish spending, it's a price that won't be a burden for the recipient.

"Why not give it a try?"

He looked down at her; she seemed to be putting the perfume back in its box.

Xia Qingwan paused, then rolled up her sleeve, sprayed a little on her wrist, and brought it to her nose.

"How does it taste? Do you like it?"

He asked.

She nodded.

She looked up and met his gaze, and for some reason, she inexplicably raised her wrist. "Would you like to smell it?"

Ye Peixiu gently lifted her hand with his fingertips, stopping just short of touching it, and then lowered his head to get close to her wrist.

Take a light sniff.

His breath brushed lightly against her wrist, and Xia Qingwan couldn't help but look away.

My heart is beating like a drum.

It's just like when they first met.

While the two of them were talking, the three old men in front of the fireplace all held their breath and remained silent and still, pretending that they didn't exist.

A deep, unspoken undercurrent.

"Not bad, it suits you."

He said.

"Thanks."

She withdrew her hand and realized that in order to accommodate him and eliminate the height difference, she had unknowingly leaned up from the sofa cushion.

As I settled back onto the sofa cushions and leaned back against the backrest, my heart pounded in my chest.

Ye Peixiu sat down on the sofa diagonally opposite her, drinking tea and reading a book.

After a moment, someone finally spoke up.

Grandma Liang smiled and said, "Pei Xiu knows how to give gifts. He gives perfume to young girls, and he also gives gifts that suit the tastes of the elderly."

These words pulled Xia Qingwan back from being an ex-girlfriend to an ordinary young girl she knew, subtly easing the atmosphere.

Xia Qingwan felt more at ease and looked up to smile at Grandma Liang.

Ye Peixiu smiled but didn't reply.

After unwrapping the gifts, Grandma Liang tidied up the area in front of the fireplace and suggested, "Shall we play cards?"

Xia Huiqing neither knew how to play nor liked to play, so Grandma Liang said, "You can watch the cards for me, then there will be four people left."

Thick carpets and cushions were laid out in front of the fireplace, and everyone sat around them.

Xia Qingwan is a novice.

First, you need to learn how to draw the cards. Hold a handful of cards in your hand, trembling slightly, and arrange them properly.

I sometimes hesitated when playing my cards.

Looking at what he had in his hand, and then at what had already been produced on the carpet, he quickly calculated in his mind.

Grandma Xi laughed at her, "You've got quite the ambition! A beginner trying to learn card counting?"

Ye Peixiu suggested, "Let me take a look for you."

"No."

Xia Qingwan tilted the cards towards herself, "You've seen all my cards, what am I supposed to do?"

Ye Peixiu laughed.

Xia Qingwan lost this round without any surprise.

With a sticker stuck to his cheek, he muttered to himself as he shuffled the cards, "Isn't there supposed to be 'newbie luck'? Where's my 'newbie luck'?"

Liang Xinwu watched from the sidelines, glancing at her and then at Ye Peixiu. He always felt that whenever the two of them were together, they were more vibrant and lively than usual.

After several rounds, both Grandma Xia Qingwan and Grandma Liang had bruises on their faces to varying degrees, while only Ye Peixiu's face remained clean.

Liang Xinwu refused to continue and kicked him off the card table.

Xia Huiqing, who had watched a few rounds, joined in.

Ye Peixiu sat on the sofa diagonally behind Xia Qingwan, observing from the sidelines.

After silently watching several rounds, when Xia Qingwan hesitated again, Ye Peixiu spoke up to remind her, "Just the pair on the left, that's right, move them."

Xia Qingwan turned around and glanced at him.

He laughed, "Don't you believe me?"

The atmosphere was harmonious and pleasant. He was so gentle, calm and measured, just like an ordinary older brother from a family friend's family. Xia Qingwan couldn't help but relax and said easily, "...I'll trust you this time. If I lose, I'll blame you."

"Trust me, go ahead and go."

He said.

We won this game in a very close call.

Liang Xinwu rummaged through the mess of cards, picked out the ones Xia Qingwan had played, and said, "You had bad luck this round, you only got bad cards, it's really not easy for you to win."

After playing for more than an hour, it was getting darker and darker. The butler came over to say that it was time to eat. Ye Peixiu raised his wrist to check his watch and said, "I have a dinner appointment and I have to go out."

"Go ahead, but drink less."

Grandma Liang said.

The atmosphere became more relaxed after he left.

The four people sat around the dining table, eating, drinking, and chatting in a joyful and peaceful atmosphere.

Xia Qingwan thought to herself, this is probably the most special Spring Festival ever.

With her graduate school application and internship all settled, her grandfather's name cleared, the Xia family reappearing in the public eye, and her reconnecting with her mother's relatives...

Everything is moving in a positive direction, and there is a sense of exhilaration and prosperity.

After eating, she took a shower and then went out to find a book to read.

Passing through the living room, I saw cards and gift wrappings scattered on the carpet in front of the fireplace, so I stopped and tidied them up. I neatly arranged the cards and put them in a box, crumpled up the wrapping paper, and threw it in the trash can.

I was passing by the restaurant when I took out the trash and heard voices coming from inside.

She hadn't intended to listen, but upon hearing the name "Pei Xiu," she involuntarily stopped in her tracks.

Grandma Liang said, "Pei Xiu's father called me a while ago and said that the Ye family has reached an agreement to keep things quiet for the next few years, and then arrange his marriage after Pei Xiu returns to the capital."

marriage.

Xia Qingwan held her breath.

Grandma Liang sighed, "What a pity, what a real pity," and said with regret, "Look how nice the atmosphere was just now. It's so rare that the two of them could talk to each other. Isn't that what life is all about? Outside, there are all sorts of ups and downs, but when you come home, you have a close and loving partner to relax and feel comfortable with."

After a long while, another voice rang out. It was Xia Huiqing, “...I think that even if Qingwan doesn’t get married, she can live a very good life on her own.”

"That's for sure. In the late Qing Dynasty, people had a passion for scholarship and could dedicate their lives to it, which was a joyful thing."

Liang Xinwu said, "It doesn't necessarily mean she won't get married. Qingwan is still young now. In a few years, as time goes by and her heart is untied, she will meet the right person, and anything is possible."

Xia Qingwan went to the guest bathroom on the first floor, quietly washed her hands, and then came out to look for books again.

At that moment, a message popped up on WeChat, unexpectedly from Ruan Xu.

He asked her if she was free tomorrow so he could return the book he had lent her.

Xia Qingwan thought for a moment, then typed, "This afternoon?"

"Okay, see you at the bookstore."

Ruan Xu sent an address.

She found a book of poems, took it upstairs, and went back to her room.

It was midnight, and I was half asleep when I vaguely heard the sound of a car outside.

She got out of bed in the dim light and walked to the window. She pulled the curtains open a crack and saw Ye Peixiu getting out of his car in the front parking lot. He was wearing a suit and overcoat and walking towards the building. Suddenly, he looked up and stared in the direction of her window.

A bleak and desolate winter midnight.

The sky was a gentle, dim indigo blue. In the twilight, he passed by a nightlight, its warm glow lingering on his shoulder for a moment before he stepped back into the darkness.

Xia Qingwan tried hard to make out his figure in the dim light.

But it was all in vain.

Ye Peixiu stood under the porch, facing the view of the front yard, and lit a cigarette.

While smoking, he heard footsteps beside him. He turned his head and saw Xia Huiqing.

Xia Huiqing greeted him politely, "Mr. Ye."

Ye Peixiu smiled gently, "Don't be so polite. Just call me by my name, like my grandmother does."

"Ah-Xi has made you some hangover soup. Drink some before you go to sleep."

Xia Huiqing said.

"Okay, thank you."

After a moment of silence, Xia Huiqing said, "...You were the one who arranged my grandfather's affair, weren't you?"

"The respect and status are what the old man deserves; I merely sent someone to remind him."

Anyway, thank you.

"You're welcome."

Over the years, Xia Huiqing has come to realize that Ye Peixiu and Xia Qingwan are both sensible and have broken up on their own initiative. It has been more than a year since they broke up, and neither of them has provoked the other. When they meet in this villa, they treat each other like ordinary family friends, like brothers and sisters.

However, the unique atmosphere between the two of them made Xia Huiqing uneasy—

I'm afraid this matter isn't over yet.

She always had a premonition that something was about to happen.

Ye Peixiu's interference in the Xia family patriarch's affairs made her feel even more bewildered and uneasy.

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Author's note: I originally wanted to write 5,000 words!