Chapter 136 Buy One Get One Free
Xie Chen got home late, and by the time Mu Yan returned to her room, it was already late at night.
Looking out the window, there were only a few lights still on around the villa, and the not-so-bright moonlight quietly shone down.
Mu Yan had found her ID card and marriage certificate in advance and placed them on the bedside table. In the photo on the marriage certificate, Xie Chen smiled naturally at the staff's request, and Mu Yan's head was slightly tilted towards Xie Chen. She smiled a little stiffly because of shyness, and they really looked like a newlywed couple.
She couldn't quite put her finger on why. Maybe it was because she hadn't recovered from the emotions of the day, or maybe it was because the divorce, like the marriage, had come too suddenly. Mu Yan felt a strange mix of emotions.
He didn't sleep well that night either, tossing and turning until late into the night, when he finally felt a little sleepy as light began to filter through the curtains.
It was almost ten o'clock when I got up. Xie Chen probably went to bed late too, and went out to walk the dog in the morning. They haven't come back yet.
The aunt cooked congee for breakfast. It seemed inappropriate to get up at this time without eating breakfast. After thinking for a moment, Mu Yan scooped up a small half bowl of congee and sat down at the table.
The sound of conversation and Tangyuan's excited shouts came from the courtyard. One of the voices was Xie Chen's, and the other sounded like Shang Qiyue, who had brought Yaoyao back.
Shang Qiyue would take the child out once a week. For a child who was less than a year old, her father's pheromones had a natural calming effect.
They must have bumped into each other by accident. Shang Qiyue comes to pick up and drop off the children every week, but he almost never takes the initiative to contact Mu Yan. He has the nanny's contact information and always contacts her directly when he comes over. It just so happens that Xie Chen gave the nanny the day off today.
Mu Yan heard Tangyuan's happy shouts outside, and knew that Tangyuan must be rubbing against Shang Qiyue again, wanting him to play with him. Tangyuan has been clingy since he was little. Although Xie Chen has never been good to Shang Qiyue, he felt awkward every time he saw Tangyuan like this.
It wasn't just Shang Qiyue; Tang Yuan always acted the same way whenever he met his dog friends or their owners. Mu Yan couldn't do anything about it, while Xie Chen always praised his good and likable personality.
Mu Yan quickly finished the rest of the porridge and headed for the door, thinking she would bring the child over first to avoid embarrassing Xie Chen.
Shang Qiyue was playing catch with Tangyuan in the yard, while Yaoyao was babbling and laughing in Xie Chen's arms.
Upon seeing Mu Yan come out, Shang Qiyue felt uneasy. He picked up Tangyuan's leash and handed it to Mu Yan.
"Aunt Wang said she took the day off today. When I brought Yao Yao back, I happened to run into Mr. Xie bringing back glutinous rice balls. It wasn't on purpose..."
"It seems no one here has said you did it on purpose," Xie Chen said calmly.
Shang Qiyue was slightly taken aback. He was used to Xie Chen speaking to him in such a sarcastic way, but he still subconsciously felt that something was wrong.
A few seconds later, he realized that the problem was that Xie Chen usually spoke very directly, never beating around the bush when he cursed, and never bothered with such sarcastic remarks.
Shang Qiyue vaguely sensed that something was wrong.
But Xie Chen was looking at him calmly, as if asking him when he was leaving. He really had no reason to stay here and say anything more to Mu Yan.
"...I'll be going now. I'll come pick Yao Yao up next week."
Mu Yan nodded, and Tangyuan, realizing he was leaving, let out a listless whimper of reluctance.
Although he bought it to please Mu Yan, Shang Qiyue couldn't possibly be completely without affection for the puppy he had brought home before it was weaned. He hadn't seen Tangyuan in a long time either. After thinking for a moment, he handed the ball that he had just been playing with Tangyuan to Mu Yan.
"This is the ball that Tangyuan used to really like..."
Mu Yan nodded, reached out and took the ball. Shang Qiyue carefully placed the ball down without touching his palm.
A breeze brushed against Mu Yan's collar, and a very faint pheromone, definitely not belonging to Xie Chen, drifted out.
The pheromones of vetiver.
Shang Qiyue was clearly taken aback.
Mu Yan felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze and subconsciously avoided his eyes.
"You've accepted Lu Chong." Shang Qiyue suddenly spoke, his tone calm, not questioning. "Are you two... going to get a divorce now?"
“It has nothing to do with you,” Xie Chen raised an eyebrow and glanced at him. “Or are you a free gift, something you can get for free?”
“It is possible,” Shang Qiyue replied earnestly.
Seeing Shang Qiyue made Mu Yan feel even more confused. Not wanting to involve Xie Chen, he gently tugged at Xie Chen's sleeve and urged in a low voice, "Brother, let's go get the formalities done first..."
"Mu Yan, can we talk now?" Shang Qiyue urgently blocked their way. "You've accepted Lu Chong, can you accept me too? I'm serious. I've thought it over. As long as it's you, I don't care about anything else... I don't care about anything else..."
"I don't care if you don't love me as much, and I don't care if you have other people in your life."
His gaze was intense, as if it could burn you.
“I’m not a normal person, and neither is Lu Chong… You said you hoped I would be happy, but I will never be happy without you, never.”
Mu Yan stared at him blankly, her heart feeling as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand.
"You're crazy."
He felt very confused and wanted to be alone to sort things out.
Suddenly, Shang Qiyue reached out and gently placed his fingertips on his chest, slowly drawing a line.
"Half is enough," he whispered. "Sweetie, give me half... okay?"
Shang Qiyue said plenty of things to slander Lu Chong, and he also made many comparisons to him, both openly and covertly.
But Mu Yan still likes him. If this continues, even if it takes ten or twenty years, he may not be able to completely win over Lu Chong.
Besides, Mu Yan will continue to go to school and work. What if he meets new people? What if he falls in love with new people? What if more people fall in love with him like I do with Lu Chong? Are we going to fight like this for so long only to have the other party benefit from our rivalry?
At least not that scheming, manipulative woman.
"I only need half."
Mu Yan stood there, stunned, until Xie Chen gently grasped his wrist.
"Let's take care of our issues first, okay?" Xie Chen said in a low voice. His body temperature was very high, and the places his skin touched felt a little hot. "He also has Lu Chong. You can take your time to think about it."
“Since Mr. Shang is here,” he quickly turned to Shang Qiyue, “our housekeeper has just taken the day off, so could you please take care of Yaoyao and Tangyuan?”
Mu Yan snapped out of her daze, as if she had suddenly found her anchor, and nodded to Xie Chen almost without thinking.
Let's get the paperwork done first. It's really inappropriate to get Xie Chen involved in all this nonsense and these inexplicable people and things...
Shang Qiyue glanced at the two of them and silently took the leash from Yao Yao and Tang Yuan.
When Mu Yan and Xie Chen arrived there, it was during the staff's lunch break. The two sat down on the chairs by the door. Mu Yan lowered his eyes and gently stroked the marriage certificate in his hand, his gaze dark and unfathomable.
"What are you thinking about? You seem a little unhappy," Xie Chen asked. "You don't need to make a decision about their relationship right away."
Mu Yan raised her face and smiled gently at him.
"No, I just feel bad for dragging you into this."
Xie Chen patted the top of his head: "Why are you always thinking about others? These are all small things to me. Your future happiness is the most important thing to me."
"When you first saw me on the speedboat," Xie Chen said with a smile, as if he had just remembered something, "were you too scared to recognize me?"
Mu Yan was slightly taken aback. Had they met before they met on the speedboat?
"Yes. Actually, we met once at Yunlin Temple. My father had just been poisoned, and I was ostensibly praying for him, but I don't really believe in these things. But since I was already here, I still made a wish to find Aunt He's child who had been missing for many years as soon as possible."
"And then I met you."
Mu Yan's eyes widened slightly.
He remembered.
Under the eaves of the temple, the sound of chanting sutras filled the air. The image of the cold, stern, and unapproachable man in his memory overlapped somewhat inexplicably with that of Xie Chen, who was always gentle and patient with him.
"You glanced at me again back then, and I thought it was because..." Mu Yan's voice lowered, then she chuckled softly, "Turns out it was because Aunt He and I look alike."
"No," Xie Chen quickly denied. "What did you think it was at first?"
Mu Yan shook his head: "Back then, I had Shang Qiyue's pheromones on me, so I thought you knew him."
Upon hearing this answer, Xie Chen's eyes darkened, as if he were somewhat disappointed.
"I don't know him."
"What's the reason for that?" Mu Yan asked, his curiosity piqued, as he leaned closer.
The staff in uniforms returned to their workstations one after another. Xie Chen did not answer the question, but instead pulled Mu Yan to stand up and walked to the window to sit down.
"Please show your marriage certificate and ID cards."
Mu Yan had already prepared in advance and immediately took out her marriage certificate and ID card and handed them over. Xie Chen, however, paused for a moment and then looked at the staff member apologetically.
"Sorry, I think I forgot to bring it."
[Author's Note]
The shamelessness of the Merchant Dog makes him unselectable in most competitive situations, except in a physical sense, of course.
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