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"I'm not going home tonight."
It's not that I haven't suspected the man of having ulterior motives.
However, Ning Yuxuan couldn't resist the temptation of the swing and eventually got into the car obediently.
The car turned into the entrance of the residential area and parked in the underground garage.
Practice makes perfect, and this time Ning Yuxuan remembered the way, arriving at the apartment entrance without Xie Zhiyan's reminder.
When they came last time, this apartment didn't strictly belong to them; this time, all the formalities have been completely completed.
Ning Yuxuan turned to Xie Zhiyan and spread her hands: "The key."
When she left yesterday, she forgot to ask him for the key.
Door locks can be opened with fingerprints, passwords, or keys, but mechanical methods are still the most reliable.
Xie Zhiyan placed the key in her palm.
Ning Yuxuan casually fiddled with the unassuming metal key for a couple of moments, thinking that it would represent their home from now on.
Thinking about it, it still feels a bit unbelievable.
Ning Yuxuan casually asked, "We haven't had time to register your fingerprints yet. As for your password, has it been changed?"
Xie Zhiyan: "Yes, it's your birthday."
Ning Yuxuan blinked.
Xie Zhiyan: "What?"
Ning Yuxuan: "This is too unsafe. My birthday is public; anyone can find it online. If someone with malicious intent follows me to my home, they could easily guess my password."
Xie Zhiyan hummed in agreement: "What you said makes sense. I originally planned to set it to something else, but I was afraid you wouldn't remember it."
Ning Yuxuan asked curiously, "What did you originally intend to set it to?"
Xie Zhiyan: "It's the same as my lock screen password, our wedding anniversary."
The man's tone was calm, but Ning Yuxuan somehow detected a hint of mischief in his eyes.
“Who said I can’t remember it?” Ning Yuxuan said. “It’s just a six-digit number, what’s there to forget?”
Xie Zhiyan calmly asked, "Then tell me how much it is?"
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
She hadn't remembered the date when she checked Xie Zhiyan's phone last time.
Ning Yuxuan: "June, June..."
I only got to the month, then I got stuck on the date.
She refused to admit that she still didn't remember, and tried hard to recall in her mind what day of June that Tuesday was.
Xie Zhiyan looked at her without surprise, his tone helpless: "As expected."
Ning Yuxuan: "...Tell me again, and I promise I'll remember next time."
Xie Zhiyan raised his eyebrows slightly.
Ning Yuxuan assured him, "Really! I actually have a pretty good memory. I did very well in Chinese and English when I was in school. I could memorize classical Chinese texts and vocabulary words without any problem. My teachers all praised me!"
Xie Zhiyan chuckled to himself.
Not only did he appear so confident, but he even brought up his high school exam scores.
Ning Yuxuan was afraid that Xie Zhiyan wouldn't believe her, so she looked at him sincerely and said, "Really."
Xie Zhiyan replied in a calm and unhurried tone: "So you have a great memory, but you just can't remember the day we got our marriage certificate, huh?"
Ning Yuxuan was speechless for a moment.
It seems she dug a hole for herself.
"Ahem, anyway..." Ning Yuxuan said seriously, "Say it again what month and day it is, and I'll definitely remember it next time."
Xie Zhiyan's lips curled up slightly: "You've brought up your grades from when you were in school. Did your teacher tell you that you have to find the answers yourself to make a lasting impression?"
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
She gave a soft snort, "Stingy."
Ning Yuxuan stopped getting entangled with the man. Anyway, both marriage certificates were in her study. She could just take them out and look at them when she got back.
She changed the subject: "What about fingerprints? Besides the password, shouldn't fingerprints be recorded too?"
Xie Zhiyan: "Mine has already been entered. Now you can enter yours too."
Ning Yuxuan nodded enthusiastically: "Sure, how do we record it?"
The act of taking fingerprints itself is nothing new; the key is the meaning behind it. She had never lived alone before, so she couldn't help but feel excited.
Xie Zhiyan: "Let me set it up first."
He came here under the guise of trying out the swings, but he was worried that she would find it troublesome to take fingerprints, so he didn't mention it when they first arrived.
However, since she was interested, he was naturally willing to cooperate.
Xie Zhiyan manipulated the door lock a few times, entered administrator mode, and selected to add a user.
Ning Yuxuan watched his movements curiously, and then the man took her hand.
Xie Zhiyan's movements were gentle; he lightly held her finger and placed it on the fingerprint recognition area.
Ning Yuxuan's heart skipped a beat for a second, then she silently complained to herself—
That man is really something.
It's just pressing a fingerprint; she knows how to do it, so why would he need to hold her hand to do it?
However, she didn't say anything and still cooperated by placing her index finger on it.
It took several attempts to record her fingerprint, and Xie Zhiyan's palm enveloped her the entire time, the warmth of his body transferring to the back of her hand.
After recording, I tested it again to confirm that everything was working correctly.
After a few minutes of fussing, the two finally entered the apartment.
Ning Yuxuan walked ahead, and Xie Zhiyan turned on the lights in the house behind her.
Last time I came during the day, this time I came at night, and it felt a little different.
Ning Yuxuan didn't go to the swing right away; instead, she went to the huge floor-to-ceiling window on the balcony.
Located in one of the most bustling areas of the northern part of the city, the night view outside the window is particularly beautiful, with neon lights flashing and magnificent skyscrapers in full view.
Ning Yuxuan exclaimed from the bottom of her heart, "It's so beautiful."
She's probably a common person who thinks city apartments should be paired with such brightly lit night views.
If you want to enjoy natural scenery, why not just buy a villa in the countryside?
However, Ning Yuxuan couldn't give up the convenient life and abundant entertainment facilities in the city, so if she had to choose, she would still prefer to live in a metropolis like Beicheng, and occasionally go on vacation to other places when she got tired of it.
Ning Yuxuan turned to look at Xie Zhiyan: "After I finish work and go home, I want to open a bottle of red wine here, enjoy the night view, and have a few drinks."
Xie Zhiyan's eyes flickered slightly: "And what about me?"
"You?" Ning Yuxuan thought for a few seconds. "You're a big boss, so you definitely won't be as relaxed as me. You'll probably be out socializing and working overtime. Don't worry, I'll just have a drink here and won't rush you home."
Xie Zhiyan looked at her with amusement: "You really are heartless."
Ning Yuxuan raised her eyebrows: "Where am I being heartless? I'm just being understanding. Aren't all you men like this, saying you need your own space?"
Xie Zhiyan gently shook his head: "I'd rather be with you than drink outside."
As he spoke, Xie Zhiyan took two wine glasses from the bottom shelf of the wine cabinet in the living room and asked her, "What would you like to drink?"
After all the paperwork for the house was completed, Xie Zhiyan's people moved some of his personal belongings here during the day, including several bottles of his treasured wine.
Ning Yuxuan didn't know much about wine, so she thought for a moment and asked, "Which bottle is the most expensive?"
Xie Zhiyan couldn't help but chuckle.
The man was tall enough to take a bottle of red wine from the top shelf of the wine cabinet and hand it to Ning Yuxuan.
Ning Yuxuan took it and glanced at it. It was written in neither Chinese nor English, and since she didn't know anything about wine, she naturally couldn't understand it.
"You're not kidding me, are you?" She examined the wine bottle in her hand. "Is this really the most expensive one?"
Xie Zhiyan said calmly, "You can do whatever you want with the things in the house, including this wine. You can drink it whenever you want, so why would I lie to you?"
Ning Yuxuan was pleased to hear this and gave a soft hum to show her satisfaction.
"You open it." She handed the bottle back.
Xie Zhiyan opened the wine and poured it into a wine glass.
There's a small bar near the view window in the living room, just the right size for two people to sit and have a drink.
Ning Yuxuan sat on a bar stool, raised her glass, and clinked it with Xie Zhiyan's.
The smooth liquor slid down her throat. Ning Yuxuan closed her eyes and savored the sensation, then gave her evaluation: "Not bad."
Actually, she had no in-depth knowledge of red wine and couldn't discern any specific nuances; she just thought it tasted pretty good.
The most direct feedback is that it does taste quite expensive.
Xie Zhiyan looked at her with a smile on his lips, his eyes seemingly filled with endless indulgence.
Ning Yuxuan even had the illusion that no matter what request she made at that moment, he would agree without hesitation.
As Ning Yuxuan sipped her red wine and gazed at the night view outside, she couldn't think of anything she could say to embarrass the man.
She was already satisfied with the current situation.
Ning Yuxuan thought to herself, "He got off easy today."
Good wine is meant to be savored slowly, but Ning Yuxuan doesn't have that kind of patience.
After taking a few sips, she remembered the original purpose of her visit.
With only a sip of red wine left in her glass, she couldn't wait to stand up and go to the newly installed swing.
Ning Yuxuan stood by the swing and swung the ropes.
Xie Zhiyan then walked over: "Want to try it now?"
Ning Yuxuan: "Mm."
The swing is made of rattan and has beige seat cushions and backrests on it.
Ning Yuxuan sat down, gripping the rope with both hands, and glanced warily at the man beside her: "Let me try first, don't push me."
She was afraid this person would launch a surprise attack on her.
Xie Zhiyan smiled and agreed.
Having received the man's assurance, Ning Yuxuan relaxed her hands and began to swing casually on the swing.
"Do you know why I want to install a swing?" she asked.
Xie Zhiyan's gentle voice rang in her ear: "What?"
In fact, Ning Yuxuan didn't care about his answer; she just suddenly wanted to recall the past.
Perhaps it was because she had drunk some alcohol, or perhaps Lin Yuanfeng's phone call had affected her to some extent.
Ning Yuxuan rarely reminisced about her childhood.
“When I was little, I was sick and often got sick. My mother was worried about me, so she rarely let me go out to play. Even when I could go to the park to swing, I could only play for a short while because I couldn’t be exposed to the wind for too long.”
Xie Zhiyan listened quietly.
Ning Yuxuan smiled and said, "So I thought back then that when I grew up, I would definitely install a swing in my own home and play on it to my heart's content."
After swinging on the swing for a while, Ning Yuxuan gradually got used to the rhythm, put her hands down from the ropes, and became more relaxed.
She glanced at Xie Zhiyan: "Don't you find it strange that since I like swings so much, why didn't we install one in the yard of the villa?"
Xie Zhiyan's eyes softened: "Why?"
Ning Yuxuan: "It's a really funny reason. When my family first moved to our current villa, I said I wanted to put a swing in the yard. Ning Shiyue laughed at me and said I was too childish, that I was almost graduating from elementary school and still liked to play on swings."
Recalling the scene, she found it amusing: "In order to prove to him that I, as his older sister, am not childish at all, I decided to stop pretending in a fit of anger."
The world of children is always unpredictable. In order to prove to Ning Shiyue that she was mature, she actually gave up the swing she had always wanted.
As she grew older, she gradually forgot her obsession with the swing and never considered installing one again.
It wasn't until planning the layout of the new house that I remembered this "childhood wish".
Ning Yuxuan looked at Xie Zhiyan and said jokingly, "Don't you think Ning Shiyue is wicked? He made my dream take so long to come true."
A smile appeared in Xie Zhiyan's eyes as he agreed, "Yes, indeed."
Upon hearing this, Ning Yuxuan stared at Xie Zhiyan.
The man's eyebrows twitched slightly, indicating his doubt.
Ning Yuxuan said in a serious tone, "I'm going to write down what you said and tell Ning Shiyue when he comes back, so that the two of you won't team up to lie to me again."
Xie Zhiyan: "When did I lie to you?"
Ning Yuxuan: "When we were in Jiangcheng."
Although it was meant to surprise her, Ning Yuxuan didn't care about that; she just wanted to be unreasonable tonight.
Xie Zhiyan had probably given in and stopped talking, no one knew what he was thinking.
Ning Yuxuan ignored him and started swinging on the swing.
The alcohol gradually took effect, and even though there was no wind in the room, Ning Yuxuan felt herself slowly becoming lightheaded.
She heard the man's deep voice say, "Besides the swing, what other wishes do you have? We can grant them all at once."
Ning Yuxuan, with her eyes closed and feeling a little dizzy, answered, "Let me think... When I was little, I always wanted a bunk bed with a slide."
Xie Zhiyan: "Then let's install one in the secondary bedroom. If we have children in the future, they can sleep there."
Ning Yuxuan opened her eyes, turned her head and glanced at him: "Why do we have to have a child? Can't I sleep there by myself?"
Her head was spinning, and she had entered an unreasonable mode.
Xie Zhiyan probably realized it too, and said helplessly, "Okay."
After a pause, the man added, "As long as you're willing to let me sleep alone in the master bedroom."
Ning Yuxuan said decisively, "I'm willing!"
Xie Zhiyan: "..."
She had been swinging on the swing for too long, and the glass of red wine she had just drunk was even more intoxicating than she had imagined.
Ning Yuxuan felt her tipsiness becoming more and more pronounced, and decided to get off the swing to calm down.
She lowered her feet to the floor, attempting to apply the brakes manually.
I didn't expect that I overestimated my self-control, or that the alcohol affected my reaction time.
Not only did he fail to brake and regain his footing, he also stumbled and almost fell off the swing.
Xie Zhiyan reacted quickly, using one arm to steady her body and the other hand to hold the rope, preventing the swaying swing from hitting her.
Ning Yuxuan felt as if she had only blinked once, and she was now on the swing in the man's arms.
She was only slightly drunk to begin with, but this sudden outburst completely sobered her up.
Ning Yuxuan leaned against Xie Zhiyan's arm and met his gaze.
The man's eyes held a clear sense of helplessness: "Looks like we'll have to put up a sign here from now on: Swinging while drunk is prohibited."
If he hadn't seen her come over to swing after drinking, and hadn't been prepared and kept a close eye on her movements, he probably wouldn't have been able to protect her from falling so quickly.
Ning Yuxuan herself felt ashamed.
It's embarrassing that someone so old can still fall off a swing.
She said guiltily, "It was completely an accident..."
I added to myself: I really shouldn't come to the swing after drinking alcohol in the future, it's a safety hazard.
After saying that, Ning Yuxuan realized that she was still in the position of being half-embraced by Xie Zhiyan.
She cleared her throat: "You can let go of me now."
Xie Zhiyan looked at her silently.
Ning Yuxuan instinctively sensed a dangerous aura.
"Xie Zhiyan, I..."
Before he could finish speaking, his body suddenly felt light.
Ning Yuxuan didn't even have time to cry out before the man picked her up in the most classic way—a princess carry.
Out of instinct, not wanting to fall, she reflexively clung tightly to Xie Zhiyan.
After she realized what was happening, she had already wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.
It's very similar to the way they kiss.
This sudden thought made Ning Yuxuan's heart, which was already about to burst out of her chest, even more out of control.
It was the first time she had been hugged like this, and she felt a little insecure and didn't dare to let go at all.
She could only tightly hug the man's neck while saying, "Xie Zhiyan, what are you doing!"
Xie Zhiyan gave her a deep look.
“Continue what we couldn’t finish yesterday,” he replied in a deep voice.
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
She knew exactly what he meant.
I had prepared myself mentally before coming with him.
But when the moment actually arrived, and it happened so suddenly, Ning Yuxuan didn't know how to react for a moment.
The words that were about to be spoken were completely forgotten, leaving only a pounding heart and blood rushing to the ears.
Xie Zhiyan took her silence as acquiescence.
He strode forward, steadily carrying her towards the bedroom.
When she was carried and placed on the bed, Ning Yuxuan finally regained a sliver of her rationality.
"Xie Zhiyan..." Ning Yuxuan struggled to push against the man's chest, "Wait a minute, wait a minute!"
She could feel that Xie Zhiyan's breathing was much heavier than usual, and the darkness in his eyes was so intense that it seemed impossible to dissolve.
But as she resisted, he eventually stopped.
The man's voice was no longer as clear and crisp as before; it was low and hoarse: "What's wrong?"
Ning Yuxuan's breathing was erratic: "Where...where's my phone?"
Xie Zhiyan: "Why are you looking for your phone?"
Ning Yuxuan glanced at the wall clock: "It's already past nine, almost ten... I need to tell my mom in advance that I'm going to..."
Her cheeks were burning, and her voice lowered slightly: "Tell her I'm not going home tonight, so she won't worry."
Xie Zhiyan looked at her silently, his eyes seeming to hold a hidden current.
Ning Yuxuan added softly, "Unless... unless you think we can end this soon and I can get home before 10:30."
Xie Zhiyan: "..."
Ning Yuxuan was pinned to the bed by his arms, her chest heaving with tension.
One second, two seconds.
Just when Ning Yuxuan thought she had successfully persuaded Xie Zhiyan, the man's body suddenly pressed down on her.
Ning Yuxuan: "?"
Did she think her reasons were valid enough?
To Ning Yuxuan's astonishment, the man kissed her forcefully.
Their lips pressed tightly together, as if the air itself had been stolen away, and Ning Yuxuan endured a kiss that seemed even more passionate than the previous ones.
It was as if her words had not only had no effect, but had actually provoked the man.
Xie Zhiyan finally stood up slowly, giving Ning Yuxuan a moment to catch her breath, after she was kissed so much that she was almost suffocating.
Ning Yuxuan's mind went almost blank as she stared blankly at the man in front of her.
Why did it suddenly stop again?
Xie Zhiyan's voice was frighteningly hoarse: "I'll go get your phone."
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
She leaned against the pillows and watched the man straighten his shirt and leave the bedroom.
However, it was obvious that Xie Zhiyan's shirt had already been torn to shreds, so this level of tidying up would not have any effect whatsoever.
Ning Yuxuan looked at his back, feeling somewhat puzzled.
It turns out he took her words to heart.
Why didn't you let go of her immediately, instead of kissing her for so long before going to her?
Before Ning Yuxuan could figure out the trick, Xie Zhiyan had already taken the phone from her bag and returned to the bedroom.
The man handed her the phone.
Ning Yuxuan took it, took several deep breaths, and cleared her throat a few times.
Once she was fully prepared, she dialed her mother's number.
After two rings, Ning Fei answered the phone: "Xuanxuan?"
Ning Yuxuan couldn't help but glance at the man so close to her before speaking, her cheeks flushed.
"Mom, I probably won't be going back tonight."
[Author's Note]
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 23:50:00 on July 22, 2024 and 23:40:00 on July 23, 2024!
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Spring is coming (66 bottles); My proud little Mimi (27 bottles); Yangyang (22 bottles); Moli, Miss Casey, Sugar Heart Chocolate, R5_8, Floating Life Like a Dream, Ruo Ruo Xiao Hua Ping, Jiu Mi, Bo Xiao (10 bottles); He Gui Gu Shan, Sugar Roasted Chestnuts (8 bottles); Red Bean Yuanxiao (6 bottles); Spicy Milk Tea, jccai, Yuuu, Fuji That Mountain (5 bottles); Zhi Yun'er, @ (3 bottles); 67878871, 73553946 2 bottles; puddingbaozi, qianshu, 41797934, not a girl's roll, 72426516, yula, jijiiii, one two three four five, 65922539, little bug, ManGo, duidui duidiandidi, go to sleep, exquisite little girl, Xiaojietingya, Fenglingxue, Dazhixianxian, Jing, Dongling, Shian, Xiu, jjjjjjjjjj, Erlangshizi, An, Zuixingting, Baitaoxiaoge, Ataobuaichitaozi, wink, clover 1 bottle;
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