Chapter 33
After dinner, the two men went to the study. Grace affectionately took Su Xuan's arm and offered to escort her back to her room.
Grace held onto the golden, carved handrail on the stairs as she walked and asked, "Sister Xiaoxian, how did you and my brother meet? I asked him last time, but he wouldn't tell me."
That eavesdropping in the stairwell was indeed not a very honorable thing to do. If Grace knew that Lin Zhiyuan was being blackmailed, it would really damage his image as an older brother.
Su Xuan smiled and said, "Yes... I met her through Zhang Zhiran."
This isn't exactly a lie, since that's how it was during our first official meeting.
"It's Zhiran. She hasn't been to England in a long time. We used to go skiing together at Christmas."
“She and I are good friends. If you have time, you can come to Hong Kong to visit us.”
“Okay.” Grace and Su Xuan stopped at the top of the stairs on the second floor. “Um…you know what? This is the first time my brother has brought people here.”
“My parents are very open-minded. Ever since my mom found out that your relationship has been stable for so long, she has been looking forward to meeting you. But please forgive me if I was impolite just now.”
This refers to the time she called her sister-in-law earlier. Su Xian shook her head, "It's okay."
Grace smiled and said, "Then when my brother comes back to work in the UK this year, we'll be able to see each other more often."
Is Lin Zhiyuan going back to work in England? Su Xian suppressed her surprise and smiled at Grace.
Grace covered her mouth with her hand, yawned, and said, "I'm going to sleep now."
Su Xian said goodnight to her, and they went back to their rooms.
Back in Lin Zhiyuan's room, Su Xuan felt a sense of relaxation followed by exhaustion. She closed the door, picked up the whiskey on the table, poured herself a glass, and sat down in the armchair in front of the fireplace, lost in thought.
Hearing the door open, Su Xian looked up. Lin Zhiyuan took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack, poured himself a glass of wine, sat down on the sofa, and clinked glasses with her.
"Are you tired?" he asked.
Su Xuan shook her head, looked at the flames in the fireplace, and asked, "What is Post-Impressionism?"
"Were you thinking about these things while you were so focused?" Lin Zhiyuan leaned back leisurely on the sofa. "Impressionism depicts the impression of a scene in a moment. Post-Impressionism both originated from it and opposed it. Although it also focuses on depicting nature, its colors and outlines are bolder and it emphasizes the painter's personal emotions more."
"It's easy to understand with an example: the former is represented by Monet, while the latter is represented by Van Gogh and Cézanne."
"And what about Boucher?"
Boucher was one of the leading figures of Rococo, which was popular in France and England in the 18th century. Unlike Baroque, which was solemn and upheld religious beliefs, Rococo was light and gentle, and upheld the principle of pleasure.
Su Xian frowned more and more as she listened, "I don't seem to have any talent for art appreciation."
“Even in our circle, there are many people who only know the surface.” Lin Zhiyuan reached out and smoothed her brow. “I can teach you slowly in the future. You’re so smart, you’ll figure it out soon.”
Su Xian poured himself some whiskey, took a sip, and continued, "Are you going back to work in England?"
“Grace said that? My father wanted to step down last year and let me take over.”
"Congratulations then." Su Xuan raised her glass and clinked it with his. "So, will Holmes be able to sign a long-term contract with me then?"
“Okay, the kind where you sign for life.” Lin Zhiyuan put down his cup, propped his head up with one hand, and said casually, “But I haven’t agreed yet.”
Su Xian was quite surprised. Lin Zhiyuan looked up at her and said, "If I go back to England, I might not have much time to be with you in a year. Your life will be mostly in China, so I have never agreed."
Su Xian wouldn't give up her current job and life for him, and Lin Zhiyuan was well aware of this, which was probably why he hadn't told her.
Su Xian didn't answer, picked up her glass and slowly finished her whiskey. Lin Zhiyuan took the glass from her hand and placed it aside, patting his hand on his trouser leg.
Su Xian understood and obediently sat down and hugged his neck.
"Why do you like drinking so much?"
Su Xian gently rubbed her nose against his face, greedily inhaling his scent, "I just want to drink, sometimes it's hard to resist."
"Drinking alcohol is bad for your health." Lin Zhiyuan turned his head, and the two of them were nose to nose, their breaths filled with the rich aroma of alcohol.
"Then what should we do?"
"The desire for alcohol can be replaced by other desires."
"For example?"
"Like me."
Lin Zhiyuan's fingers traced along her lips, and Su Xian felt a ticklish sensation, unconsciously squirming in his arms.
Su Xuan feigned ignorance and asked, "How can you help me?"
"I'll help you however you want."
Lin Zhiyuan held her lips in his mouth, then guided her to stick out her tongue, enveloping it with his lips and savoring it, just as he had savored her yesterday.
Su Xian's blood seemed to ignite instantly. She used all her strength to gently push him away, her voice barely audible, "Stop fooling around, it still feels a little sore."
Lin Zhiyuan chuckled softly and said "okay" affectionately, but then reluctantly lowered his head to lean against her, his hot breath spraying through his sweater onto her chest.
Afraid that he would tease her again, Su Xian took the initiative to steer the conversation toward a more serious topic, "Are you really going on vacation tomorrow?"
"Well, you were free for two weeks, so we could have taken a trip around England. Did you think I was lying?"
Su Xian knew that Lin Zhiyuan had said that to help her out of an awkward situation. She wasn't part of this circle, and even if she attended the banquet with Lin Zhiyuan tomorrow, she would still feel somewhat awkward.
"There must be a lot to worry about when hosting a banquet at the manor. I think your mother could easily manage a business. Even with my unexpected appearance this afternoon, she handled everything perfectly."
“My mother was exposed to these things from a young age: banquet arrangements, art, charity, social etiquette, and so on. But don’t worry, it’s not as complicated as you think; you’ll gradually get used to it.”
Su Xuan, however, lacked confidence. She was not a sociable person to begin with, and the intricacies of high society were completely unfamiliar to her. She didn't know if she had the ability to navigate them.
Su Xian didn't express her thoughts, and Lin Zhiyuan didn't continue the topic. Instead, he asked her if there was any place she particularly wanted to go. Su Xian never worried about these things and just let him arrange things.
They spent two weeks in England, staying in lakeside cottages, rowing on the lake during the day, and sitting under the stars by the campfire at night; visiting rural towns, leisurely cycling and enjoying the scenery of the cliffs; and staying in bustling cities, spending the whole day in art galleries or museums.
Su Xian and Lin Zhiyuan walked together through the streets and alleys, and were recognized by Chinese people several times. She smiled and waved to those who recognized her in a generous manner, not caring about their surprised looks when they saw that she had a boyfriend.
When Bai Lin sent Su Xian the photos taken by netizens and warned her to be careful, Su Xian calmly told Bai Lin that she didn't want to hide anymore, but she wouldn't respond.
Upon returning to Hong Kong, Su Xuan immediately began promoting "Snow Abyss," including interviews, live streams, door-to-door visits, and meet-and-greets. She plunged back into her busy work schedule, but unlike before, she moved into Lin Zhiyuan's house.
It all started on the day Su Xian returned to Hong Kong from England. After finishing a live broadcast with the other actors from "Snow Abyss," Lin Zhiyuan picked her up in an Alphard and took her directly back to their hillside mansion. The next few days were the same; the two tacitly began living together.
However, Su Xian resolutely refused Lin Zhiyuan's request for her to try on some of the other scant underwear in her wardrobe. That one shameless seduction was already her limit. Lin Zhiyuan was quite disappointed and even hinted that he would get angry again next time.
During the Spring Festival, "Snow Abyss" officially premiered. With such a favorable time slot and its excellent quality, the viewership ratings steadily increased within days of its release. The 30-episode series, only halfway through its run, already had over 100 million effective views per episode. Several topics related to "Snow Abyss" appeared in the top ten trending searches daily, and Bai Lin was sending Su Xian the latest data every day.
Su Xian wasn't too surprised that the show would become a hit. Audiences aren't blind; high-quality film and television works always stand out. As the data surged and broke multiple records, it exceeded the expectations of her and the rest of the creators, but it was still great news.
In the open kitchen of the hillside mansion, the most fragrant aroma is that of the already plated soy sauce chicken.
The blue flame on the gas stove only burned in the middle ring, and the steam rising from the wok on the stove smelled sweet and sour. Su Xian opened the lid, dipped some of the sweet and sour pork rib sauce into her chopsticks, and put it in her mouth, hesitating whether to add some salt.
Lin Zhiyuan, who was beating eggs beside her, put down his bowl, took her hand, and dipped his chopsticks in the sauce, putting some in his mouth. He nodded with a smile, and Su Xian turned the heat up to the maximum to reduce the sauce.
"Xiao Xian, haven't you been cooking for too long? Have you gotten rusty?" Zhang Zhiran, who was waiting idly on the island platform, said.
"Don't worry, we cook all the time." Su Xian turned off the stove, instructed the maid to plate the food and take it to the island counter, and then turned around to take off her apron and hang it up.
"Tsk tsk tsk." Zhang Zhiran picked up a piece of pork rib, took a bite, and exclaimed exaggeratedly, "No wonder this sweet and sour pork rib is so sweet today."
Su Xian sat down next to Lin Zhiyuan. Since there were no outsiders, the three of them did not go to the restaurant, but instead sat on the island counter to eat.
"Then we'll share this sweet and sour pork ribs." Lin Zhiyuan made a move to pick up the plate and switch it to his side.
"No, no, no!" Zhi Ran quickly pressed down on the plate, grinning as she said, "Even if it's dog food, I'll eat it today."
Su Xian smiled, lowered her head, peeled a shrimp, and put it in Lin Zhiyuan's bowl. Zhi Ran clicked her tongue again.
"You seem so serene and content, I'm starting to wonder if you're completely oblivious to what's going on around you."
"Has anything big happened recently?" Su Xian peeled a second shrimp and put it in Zhi Ran's bowl, so that she wouldn't accuse her of favoritism later.
Zhi Ran put a shrimp in her mouth. "Isn't it a big deal that 'Snow Abyss' became such a huge hit?"
“I know that. Sister Lin sent me the ratings data.” Su Xian calmly picked up her bowl and took a bite of the chicken breast that Lin Zhiyuan had put on her plate. “Actually, it was a combination of good timing and location. The release date was good, and the show itself was good too.”
"At this rate, it's very likely to break viewership records. I feel like everyone is watching it, including my colleagues, and even my dad and mom are watching it together."
"Why don't you look at it yourself?" Lin Zhiyuan asked Su Xian in confusion.
"Xiao Xuan basically doesn't watch her own shows."
"For me, wrapping up filming means the task is complete, and the final result depends on the director. Looking back at it might make me doubt my own performance at the time."
"But if you want to watch, I can watch a few episodes with you," Su Xian said with a smile, looking at Lin Zhiyuan.
"Oh dear! You've forgotten your friends for the sake of a pretty face. You wouldn't even watch an episode of 'Brilliant Life' with me back then, and that was my first drama. My heart aches so much." Zhi Ran clutched her chest and winked, making Su Xian burst out laughing.
"Still laughing? You have no conscience. I'm never eating with you two again. I'm already stuffed from all the PDA."
That being said, Zhi Ran ate the most tonight, finishing most of a plate of sweet and sour pork ribs by herself. After eating, she complained that she would never eat Su Xian's cooking again, as the weight she had finally managed to lose had come back.
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