Chapter 28 Chapter 28 Opportunity.
Ye Peixiu straightened up and put one hand in his pocket.
His handsome face, alluring in the night, gazed at her with deep eyes.
She approached, took a brocade box from her trench coat pocket, handed it to her, and said nothing.
Not knowing when he would come looking for her, she carried the gift with her all day, ready to give it to its final owner at any time.
Ye Peixiu didn't answer immediately, "...don't you have anything to say to me?"
"Happy birthday."
A very light and quick sentence.
He half-jokingly said, "Won't you think I'm going too far? Like I'm coming to collect a debt, asking for a birthday present?"
"You know that yourself."
Ye Peixiu liked how she showed her true emotions, finding it incredibly cute and innocent, so he couldn't help but laugh and ask, "What did you give me?"
"Cufflinks."
"As a return gift, I'll treat you to dinner tomorrow."
Both of Xia's elders are at home, and it's already late at night; it would be inappropriate to take her away now.
But he longed to see her, especially after returning to the old house in Xishan and hearing what the old man had said. A strong sense of unease overwhelmed him.
She didn't respond immediately.
Ye Peixiu just lowered his eyes and looked at her quietly without asking any questions.
Even without interference from others, she was already avoiding him enough, never contacting him unless there was a reason. When they met, things were a little better; she could relax in his presence and was willing to confide in him. But every time she took a small step forward, she would retreat eight hundred feet the next time.
I always blurt out "Mr. Ye," and it's so rare for me to even call out his name.
At first, when things were relatively peaceful between them, he felt she was like a slippery fish. But now, no one can say that they are completely innocent anymore, and he still feels like he can't hold onto her.
Unlike slippery fish, which are ultimately food on a chopping board and will eventually be cooked and eaten, fish are not slippery.
She is like a mountain.
He got lost in the fog and clouds.
Everyone was advising him: There is no way to get through this mountain, and this is not your destination.
The mountain itself remained steadfast and unmoved.
Only he stubbornly wanted an answer.
After a long while, with Ye Peixiu's heart experiencing a rollercoaster of emotions, Xia Qingwan finally nodded and said softly, "Okay."
She was wrong. It would be useless if reality stopped at this moment. In fact, the damage was done as soon as she caught a glimpse of him in the alley club.
As soon as I saw him, all reality and any resistance collapsed.
When Xia Qingwan returned to the main house, her grandmother had already gone to sleep, but Grandma Xi was still sitting on the sofa in the living room waiting for her.
"Mr. Ye is leaving?"
Grandma Xi asked with a smile, while turning her head to look out the window.
"Um."
Xia Qingwan could see Grandma Xi's worry, but she couldn't lie and say that there was nothing going on between her and Mr. Ye.
In her own eyes, she and Mr. Ye only felt an uncontrollable, fluttering emotion. But what about in the eyes of others? Leaving aside Qiao Yingxue and Xia Changping, even Grandma Xi probably wouldn't think that what she and Mr. Ye had was love.
How could a powerful man and a fledgling female student be in love?
The answer between them will inevitably be bloody, devoid of any poetic or romantic sentiments; it can only be considered a romantic affair.
His family, her family, the undeniable gap between them, the stares of those around them...
Everyone's eyes were like burning embers, waiting for her to walk to that spot on her own initiative.
-
Xia Qingwan has been busy with her studies lately, and she doesn't stay at home on weekends. So, it was only natural that she packed her things and went back to school on Saturday morning.
Back at school, she hung the clothes she had washed at home the night before into the closet, made her bed and desk, and then went to the library.
They stayed there for the entire day.
At 7 p.m., Ye Peixiu drove to pick her up.
In November, it was completely dark. Rows of bright yellow streetlights cast their glow through the withering branches, like lantern fruits with their dry outer skin peeled off.
The meal will be served in Ye Garden.
This time, Xia Qingwan learned that Ye Garden had three main buildings, with white walls and black tiles, connected by a covered bridge. The westernmost building was for guests to stay in, and Mr. Ye's personal chef also lived in this building.
Ingredients are specially supplied and the chefs are frequently changed.
“The chef from Shaoping specializes in southern cuisine,” Ye Peixiu said. “Try it.”
A waiter in uniform brought the dishes over one by one from the west wing, and Xia Qingwan had already taken her seat.
Ye Peixiu took off his suit jacket, unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, poured himself a glass of red wine, and, holding the glass, walked around the table to her side, slowly pouring her a glass of juice.
Xia Qingwan looked up at him, "You drink alcohol and I'll drink juice?"
"I don't know how much you can drink."
"not good."
She said truthfully, "I drank once at the university orientation ceremony. I drank 350ml of beer and got drunk."
Ye Peixiu laughed, "So precise? What's it like when you're drunk?"
"Talkative."
She and Lin Xiangyu became acquainted with each other because of this incident. Lin Xiangyu had never seen anyone with such a low alcohol tolerance as her.
"However, I wasn't completely drunk. It was more like that other people would think I was drunk, but I felt perfectly sober."
Ye Peixiu sat down on the chair and picked up a piece of tender fish for her with the serving chopsticks.
"And you?"
She picked it up and ate it, then looked up and asked him.
She had made up her mind to spend time with him as usual today. No matter what the future held, every minute and every second with him was worth cherishing.
Ye Peixiu looked at her across the dining table, "...I, probably won't speak."
Neither of them spoke much during the meal.
At the end, Ye Peixiu got up and took out another bottle of wine from the wine cabinet.
Judging from the look of it, it seems like he won’t go home until he’s drunk tonight.
When Xia Qingwan opened the lotus leaf cover of the wine jar, she could already smell a strong fragrance.
Peach blossom wine.
He walked over, poured her a small glass, and said, "It's not very strong, have a taste."
Xia Qingwan picked up the wine cup as instructed and took a sip.
She then looked up at him, "...It's delicious."
The wine seemed to spread to her eyes immediately, and her pupils were filled with a cold and watery light.
Ye Peixiu looked down at her, his internal organs already boiling.
Xia Qingwan turned her gaze away and changed the subject, "Do you still have the white tea from last time?"
"how?"
"I heard that it can help with hangovers. I'll make you a cup."
Ye Peixiu chuckled, "Do you think I'm drunk?"
He followed her to the tea room behind the screen.
Xia Qingwan knelt on the futon, expertly adding tea leaves and stirring the aroma.
She was wearing a loose black long skirt today with oversized sleeves. She rolled it up a little, freeing her hands to tie up her long hair.
Across the long Huanghuali table, Ye Peixiu leaned against the backrest of the lazy sofa, looking at her quietly, almost holding his breath.
When she poured out the first brew, she caught a glimpse of him still drinking and couldn't help but ask, "If you keep drinking like this, what's the point of me making tea?"
It sounds a lot like a wife scolding her husband.
Ye Peixiu smiled, put down his wine glass, and raised one hand to show surrender.
Xia Qingwan glanced at him, her glance was cold and indifferent, as if to say, "You're smart."
Ye Peixiu's eyes were glued to her face and he couldn't move them away. He had never been so drunk as he was now, and he actually felt that she was like his wife.
I brewed the tea and pushed it in front of him.
He just took a sip.
"Does it taste bad?"
She asked.
"It's too late, you won't be able to sleep if you drink too much."
Xia Qingwan didn't say anything else, but looked out the window with her chin supported by her hand.
On the opposite bank of the pond stand several tall ginkgo trees, their leaves already turning yellow. Occasionally, a few leaves flutter down in the gentle breeze.
It's like a scene from an art film.
Ye Peixiu looked at him, and had a strong feeling that if he didn't say anything, she would be about to take out her books to study.
Xia Qingwan tried her best to clear her mind, transforming herself into an unconscious humanoid object, when she heard Ye Peixiu say...
"Are you really that calm inside?"
She turned her head and met his eyes, and suddenly she felt an urge to cry.
Maybe it's just too much pressure.
She suppressed the unsettling gazes of others, the recent events in the Xia family, and her overwhelming desire for him, burying herself in her studies.
Now that her eyes met his, the depth in his eyes made her almost unable to control herself.
Xia Qingwan stood up and said, "Let me see your screen."
This eight-fold rosewood mother-of-pearl inlaid lacquer screen is a precious and superior piece, with many details worth studying.
Ye Peixiu neither stopped her nor spoke, but simply leaned back in his chair and quietly watched her profile.
After a while, he said, "Come here."
"Um?"
She straightened up.
Ye Peixiu shook the brocade box in his hand, "Your gift, help me put it on."
Xia Qingwan walked over and knelt down beside him. Ye Peixiu rolled up the cuff of his shirt on his left arm and held it out to her.
She gently lifted his wrist, aligned the buttonholes on both sides of his cuff, pinched them, and threaded the cufflink through.
She lowered her eyes and pursed her lips slightly, her expression focused and serious, her eyelashes half-closed.
He could faintly smell her fragrance, a cool, woody scent.
In Xia Qingwan's peripheral vision, she could see his heaving chest, and through a white shirt, she could see the outline of his pectoral muscles.
be terribly upset.
"……alright."
She said softly.
After several seconds, there was no response from him.
She had to look up at him.
The undercurrent in his eyes startled her. She instinctively tried to stand up by supporting herself on his shoulders, but as soon as she stretched out her arm, he pulled her into his arms around her waist.
She almost half fell on him, supporting her hands on his shoulders, barely keeping her upper body away.
Their gazes met, trembling.
Because she restrained herself, she did not sit completely on his lap, so her line of sight was higher than his, and Ye Peixiu looked up at her.
"Close your eyes."
Such a hoarse voice made her subconsciously close her eyes.
Ye Peixiu raised his chin.
She felt like a dewdrop on a lotus leaf, trembling involuntarily as the leaf swayed. In the darkness, she could almost hear her own heartbeat, like the primordial rumble of thunder that had echoed across the wilderness for tens of thousands of years.
After an unknown amount of time, a very light kiss fell on her lips.
Perhaps those who have drunk alcohol crave water, so the moment their moist lips touch, they immediately feel a fatal attraction and pleasure.
Ye Peixiu licked and teased her lips, holding them in his mouth and rubbing and entwining them, sucking them again and again.
She was starting to feel the strain, when Ye Peixiu grabbed the back of her head with one hand and her waist with the other, pressing her down onto his lap.
Her whole body was held in his arms, and that hot and strong embrace made her feel like a soft and melted candy, with only sweet stickiness all over her body and heart.
The gentle kiss quickly turned intense. She tasted the fragrance of peach wine, and her lips and tongue were like a lost city, at his mercy.
Ye Peixiu tirelessly licked her lips and sucked her tongue, as if he wanted to eat her.
He had wanted to do this for a long time and had been holding back for months. Once he opened it up, it was like a raging flood, unstoppable.
Her waist bent back, and instinctively she wanted to hold onto something, so she reached out and grabbed his arm.
His arm was wrapped around her waist, his muscles taut and radiating an astonishing heat, with veins bulging and serpentine. Startled, she pulled her hand back and hooked it around his neck.
Xia Qingwan couldn't breathe and grabbed the back of his neck, tearing at it.
Ye Peixiu finally stepped back slightly and loosened her grip. Both of their chests heaved violently. Her tied-up hair had become messy, with a few strands falling across her cheeks. Physiological tears welled up in her eyes and trembled as they hung at the corners of her eyes.
He touched her forehead to hers and called her in a low, husky voice, "...Xia Qingwan."
She couldn't speak, and her bent legs had already felt that mass, so she didn't dare to move, keeping her arms around his neck.
Ye Peixiu then started talking about unrelated things.
“When I was studying in California, I loved going to outdoor movies by myself, having the whole theater to myself.”
On a midsummer night, the pink and purple sunset spread across a large area, the breeze was blowing gently, and a black-and-white film from the last century was playing on the big screen.
"That scene gave me the most wonderful feeling in a long time."
"The first time I saw you, you were standing on tiptoe in the courtyard of the Hutong Club, smelling that branch of crabapple. From that moment on, my feelings were refreshed."
"There's no better feeling than seeing you."
He paused here, his voice lowering a few notches, "If there was one, it was kissing you just now."
"Perhaps you have many concerns in your heart. Your family and your studies are more important things," Ye Peixiu said, "but I feel that I should give you an explanation—"
Xia Qingwan could feel herself trembling, tears rolling down her eyes.
Ye Peixiu stroked the wet corners of her eyes with the back of his fingers and whispered, "If possible, would you be willing to give us a chance?"
She said with a thick crying voice, "Did you do this just to coax me into sleeping with you?"
Ye Peixiu chuckled, "You should know," he kissed her damp nose, "Last time in the study, I wanted to kiss you, but in the end I only kissed your forehead, didn't I?"
"The more you explain, the more suspicious it seems."
She was still crying, sobbing, and hit his shoulder.
Tears kept pouring out, and she could hardly wipe them away. Ye Peixiu coaxed her, "I must have heard you confess your love many times, right? Why are you crying like this?"
“I’ve said it before,” she said, almost sobbing, “no one is as difficult as you.”
Ye Peixiu looked into her eyes intently and chuckled, "This should be said to you."
"Take one step forward and three steps back, what am I supposed to do with you?"
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