Chapter 6 Persuasion
Finally, he couldn't help but speak, his voice deliberately steady but with a clear guiding tone: "Ayan, look... Ke Xia is here too. Over the years, everyone has seen how she treats you. She's a really good person, gentle and considerate, and comes from a good family. Your uncle and aunt both like her very much. You... why don't you try dating her?" He practically forced himself to finish the sentence.
As soon as he finished speaking, the room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The blues music was still playing, but it sounded even more jarring.
An Kexia's heart leaped into her throat, her cheeks flushed, her hands on her knees twisted nervously together, and her eyes were fixed on Xie Shiyan's profile with hopeful eyes.
Xie Shiyan stopped swirling his wine glass. He didn't answer immediately; the only sounds in the private room were the soft crackling of melting ice against the glass.
A few seconds later, he slowly turned his head. His gaze swept coldly over An Kexia, whose face was flushed. There was no disgust in his eyes; his thin lips parted slightly, uttering three words, clear, cold, and leaving no room for negotiation:
"Not suitable."
Those three words pierced An Kexia's face, which turned deathly pale, and her eyes, which dimmed instantly. All color drained from her face, her clenched fingers loosened and fell limply to her sides, and she wished she could disappear from the spot immediately, overwhelmed by embarrassment and despair.
Zhou Yanzhe's expression changed as well. A surge of anger, mixed with years of worry and helplessness, suddenly welled up inside him. He stood up abruptly, his voice rising sharply, filled with barely suppressed excitement:
"Not suitable? How do you know it's not suitable if you haven't even tried? Xie Shiyan, look at yourself now. You're living like an emotionless robot. Ningning is dead, she's been dead for eight years. Her bones have turned to ash. Are you going to spend the rest of your life holding her urn? Wake up, let it go. Can't you?"
"Yanze!" Shen Nian'an exclaimed, rushing over to grab Zhou Yanze's arm, shaking her head at him with a pale face. Xiao Xiao also covered her mouth in shock, while Lu Jingshen frowned deeply.
After shouting, Zhou Yanzhe's chest heaved violently, and he realized he had spoken out of turn, especially mentioning that taboo name. He closed his eyes in annoyance, slumped down, scratched his hair in frustration, and lowered his voice, tinged with embarrassment: "...I'm sorry, I drank too much."
The name "Ningning" pierced Xie Shiyan's deepest, never-healed wound.
His fingers tightened sharply around the glass, his knuckles turning a horrifying bluish-white from the excessive force. He didn't look at anyone, nor did he respond to Zhou Yanzhe's apology. He simply raised his hand abruptly and gulped down the remaining half-glass of strong liquor.
His Adam's apple bobbed violently, and he slammed the empty glass down on the table with a dull, crisp sound.
An Kexia was completely terrified by Zhou Yanzhe's mention of "Ningning" and Xie Shiyan's current reaction. She dared not look at Xie Shiyan anymore and shrank back into the sofa, utterly dejected. The atmosphere in the private room plummeted to freezing point.
After the party ended, Zhou Yanzhe and his friends took their wives home. An Kexia and Jiang Yueyao walked together, while Xie Shiyan was half-helped and half-supported by the driver into the back seat of a Maybach.
The car door shut out the noise of the outside world. Xie Shiyan leaned back against the cool leather seat, his eyes closed, his hair falling messily, the strong smell of alcohol mixed with the scent of agarwood on his body.
The car glided silently into the city's most exclusive villa district, finally stopping in front of a brightly lit mansion. Xie's mother, who had been waiting at the door, felt a sudden pang in her heart when she saw her son being helped out of the car by the driver, staggering.
For eight years, this scene had become a recurring torment. "Thank you for your hard work," Xie's mother said, her voice hoarse with exhaustion. She forced a smile at the driver and quickly stepped forward to take over.
The moment her hand touched Xie Shiyan's arm, she immediately felt the stiffness of his taut muscles and the inhumanly low temperature emanating from the expensive suit fabric. Her heart ached even more, and she almost burst into tears.
"Mom..." Xie Shiyan seemed to recognize her, and called out in a low, indistinct voice, before pressing down on her with most of his weight. Xie's mother and father supported their son's tall, heavy body, and slowly and laboriously made their way to his bedroom.
Finally, they settled him on the large, cold gray bed. His mother was panting, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. She pulled the thin velvet blanket over him.
The instant the blanket covered his chest, a broken, incoherent murmur, heavy with the smell of alcohol and carrying a deeper, more profound pain, escaped from his chapped lips:
"Ningning...don't go..."
"Ningning...wait for me..."
"Ningning...it hurts..."
Each indistinct sound burned fiercely into Xie's mother's heart. The name "Ningning" instantly overwhelmed Xie's mother. She covered her mouth, and suppressed sobs escaped from between her fingers.
"My son..." She trembled as she gently brushed away the black hair on her son's forehead, which was soaked with cold sweat. Looking at his brows, which were furrowed in pain even in his sleep, her heart ached. "Tell your mother... what should I do... what should I do to make you forget Ningning..." Her voice was broken and pleading.
She bent down, her scalding tears falling onto Xie Shiyan's cold hand, but he was oblivious. It was only after a long time that Xie's mother managed to stop her tears from collapsing.
She took a deep breath, hastily wiped the tears from her face with her sleeve, and glanced one last time at her son, who was curled up in agony on the bed. Her eyes were filled with an overwhelming weariness and sorrow. She gently closed the heavy bedroom door, shutting out those heartbreaking murmurs inside.
Under the bright lights of the corridor, Mr. Xie stood there silently; he had clearly heard everything that had just happened. He didn't go forward to comfort his wife, but instead extended a broad, weathered hand and silently embraced Mrs. Xie's slightly trembling shoulder.
"Sigh..." A long and heavy sigh came from deep within his chest, and the couple helped each other back to their room.
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