Chapter 34 — You seem pretty possessive about my innocence.
The second day of the business trip wasn’t as packed as the first. Compared to all the site visits and inspections yesterday, today felt much lighter.
Most of the work was concentrated in the morning, with just a short meeting in the afternoon. But Nan Xu wasn’t feeling well. She had managed to push through the morning, but by afternoon the discomfort was getting worse.
Her head throbbed dully, as if struck by a heavy hammer, the pain coming in waves. Even her temples pulsed violently.
This time, Xie Hejing didn’t give her a choice—he took her straight to the hospital. Turned out she’d caught a chill the night before.
Since the afternoon schedule wasn’t too heavy, Nan Xu suggested he just continue with his meetings so she wouldn’t delay him, but Xie Hejing was uncharacteristically firm about taking her back to rest.
Unable to argue him down, she returned to the hotel with him.
After taking the medicine, she barely made it to the bed before her whole body seemed drained of energy. She sank into the mattress and drifted into deep sleep.
When she woke again, the evening sun was streaming through the thick hotel curtains, scattering patches of light and shadow across the floor.
She was startled to realize she had slept away the entire afternoon.
Fortunately, the dizziness had eased a lot after the medicine and the nap.
Reaching for her phone on the bedside table, she saw several unread messages. Squinting through her grogginess, she noticed they were all from Qi Zhiyu.
Ever since Nan Xu returned to the country, Qi Zhiyu had been wanting to meet up. But when she had just come back, Qi Zhiyu was tied up with work. By the time her schedule cleared, Nan Xu’s had become hectic. They were like two lines that kept missing each other, never crossing at the right time.
As soon as she opened WeChat, the glaring red notification dot dominated her screen.
Qi Zhiyu had sent her quite a few messages.
[Xuxu, I’ve got good news for you—I’m taking a few days off soon.]
[Do you have time? I really want to see you!]
[Xuxu, I heard a new hot pot place just opened in Zhi’an. When will your trip be over? Let’s go try it.]
[Xuxu, why aren’t you replying???]
After that came a flood of “staring at you” emojis—exactly the same as before, just like old times.
Nan Xu couldn’t help but chuckle, then quickly sent her a few voice messages back:
[Yuyu, I’ll need a few more days before I’m back.]
[Yuyu, I wasn’t ignoring you. I wasn’t feeling well today and fell asleep, so I didn’t see your messages.]
[I’ll try to take some time off to meet you. Let’s go for hot pot together.]
[Oh, and a friend told me there’s a good Japanese place too. Be good and wait for me in Zhi’an—when I’m back, I’ll take you to eat something delicious.]
Qi Zhiyu perked up immediately after hearing from her. She asked about her health, whether she still felt unwell, and then they drifted into a lighthearted back-and-forth about which restaurant to try first. They ended up chatting for nearly an hour.
Toward the end, she also sent her a few voice messages.
Nan Xu tapped them open without thinking.
Qi Zhiyu’s voice came through, cheerful and teasing, with that familiar mischievous edge.
[Xuxu, your voice right now sounds like some delicate, fragile beauty—cold and weak. I swear, it’s making me melt. It’s nothing like your usual self.]
[Just now you told me to wait obediently for you in Zhi’an. Ahhh, at first I didn’t even dare play it out loud—I listened with my headphones. It felt like my ears were being seduced by you.]
Nan Xu: “…”
Her lips twitched. She quickly spammed several “stop talking nonsense” stickers until Qi Zhiyu finally quieted down.
That conversation had woken Nan Xu up completely. Since she’d barely eaten lunch and then slept the entire afternoon, her stomach now felt completely empty.
She checked the time. There was still about an hour before President Qi’s welcome dinner. Planning to freshen up first, she headed over to find Xie Hejing.
The moment she opened the door, the warm glow from the floor lamp filled the room with a quiet, cozy atmosphere. Xie Hejing was seated on the sofa, focused on his work.
Nan Xu paused, her gaze involuntarily drawn to him.
He was leaning toward the screen, brows slightly furrowed, eyes sharp with concentration. The tall bridge of his nose cast a faint shadow under the light.
Sensing her stare, Xie Hejing looked up. “Awake? Go eat something first.”
She quickly averted her gaze. “Ah… okay, thanks, Brother.”
But when she walked over, she saw a spread of extremely light dishes—so light they were almost bland. She frowned slightly. They weren’t bad, and they were certainly suitable for someone sick, but they didn’t do much to stir her appetite.
She ate absentmindedly while chatting with Qi Zhiyu. Ten minutes later, only the surface of the dishes had been touched.
Xie Hejing came over, glanced at the table, and asked, “It tastes that bad?”
Nan Xu shook her head. “It’s fine. I just don’t have much of an appetite. Besides, isn’t there a dinner party later? I’ll eat there.”
She smiled, thinking it was the perfect excuse to save her stomach.
“Eat some of this to fill up first.” He fastened the watch on his wrist.
“Also, you’re not going tonight. Stay here and rest.”
Nan Xu looked up. “Not going? But I’m supposed to be your assistant. If anything happens, shouldn’t I be by your side?”
She bit her chopsticks—truthfully, she was looking forward to trying the seafood banquet President Qi had prepared.
“What could possibly happen?” Xie Hejing asked.
“What if someone tries to get you drunk… and then drugs you and takes advantage—”
Two seconds later, Nan Xu realized what she had just said. Her heart skipped, and she cut herself off, staring fixedly at her bowl without daring to lift her head.
Xie Hejing stopped what he was doing, studying her expression. She did look better than in the afternoon, but social banquets—especially business ones—were exhausting and stressful.
“It hasn’t reached that point. Employees who are sick should be resting properly. The boss’s matters are naturally his to resolve—why are you worrying about them?”
“And as for… being taken advantage of…” His words trailed off. His gaze lingered on her instead.
Nan Xu’s grip on her chopsticks tightened. She forced a gulp of water, pretending calm. “Brother, I was talking nonsense. Don’t take it seriously.”
Xie Hejing raised an eyebrow. “You seem pretty possessive about my innocence.”
Nan Xu: “…”
She forced an awkward smile. “I’m your assistant, aren’t I? Of course I should care about my boss. It’s just concern, nothing more.”
“Is that so?” Xie Hejing asked.
Nan Xu nodded furiously.
Xie Hejing turned her words back on her. “Then shouldn’t a boss also care about his employees?”
A bad feeling crept up on Nan Xu. She tried to brush it off. “You don’t need to worry about me. I’m fine. Everything’s fine.”
But Xie Hejing ignored that, his voice steady. “Then why did you catch a chill last night?”
When he asked, Nan Xu grew tense. How was she supposed to explain? She couldn’t exactly tell him she hadn’t been able to sleep because of those “coaxing tricks”—or that she’d dreamed of him, woken in a fright, and calmed herself only by standing by the window in the cold night air.
“I just… just caught a chill,” she stammered, her gaze darting away. “Maybe the bed was too small. I rolled over, fell off, and got cold. That’s all.”
Her voice grew smaller and smaller.
The silence stretched. Nan Xu poked at the food in her bowl, praying he’d drop the subject.
Fortunately, Xie Hejing didn’t press further. Instead, he said evenly, “My bed’s plenty big.”
…His bed? Why bring that up? Was he bragging?
Nan Xu didn’t understand, so she gave an awkward laugh. “Oh? That’s… impressive.”
Xie Hejing: “…”
A little later, he returned from his room dressed for the evening. Nan Xu was still at the table, hunched over her phone, sketching.
Last night’s dream had haunted her—the image of Xie Hejing reclining on the sofa, tie draped over his eyes, that lazy, devastating allure. It had tortured her half the night, so she’d tried to capture it in a sketch. By now the outline was already taking shape.
She scrambled to hide her phone when he came closer.
“Brother, you’re heading out now? Be careful,” she said quickly.
Xie Hejing narrowed his eyes, but didn’t push. He only glanced at her, then said, “Come tie my tie.”
Nan Xu’s heart leapt into her throat. Last night’s scene replayed in her head, vivid as ever. To be so close again… she wasn’t sure she could handle it. What if she dreamed about him all over again tonight, and woke up feverish?
She froze, lips parting but no words coming out—until an idea struck like a lifeline.
“Ah! Yesterday Auntie Zhang said I should video call her. I just remembered. Brother, you tie it yourself—I’ll go call her now!”
Before he could respond, she fled toward her room in a fluster.
Xie Hejing halted, the tie loosening in his grip. His lips pressed tight. After a long silence, he said nothing more, only tied it himself with clipped, impatient movements.
. . . . .
At the banquet, Qi Hui showed up again.
Same scene as before—Qi Hui’s eyes stayed fixed on Xie Hejing, but she made no move beyond staring.
Xie Hejing’s thoughts weren’t here anyway. His mind remained back at the hotel.
Qi Ming, meanwhile, was on edge. He worried his sister might stir up trouble, but if he hadn’t brought her along, she would’ve made a scene at home.
The others, though, were in good spirits—raising their glasses to Xie Hejing, laughing with Qi Ming. The atmosphere at the table was lively.
After several rounds of wine, the main discussions were finished. Xie Hejing rose, ready to excuse himself.
That was when Qi Hui, who hadn’t taken her eyes off him, suddenly stood as well. “President Xie, allow me to toast you.” She picked up her glass and moved toward him.
Hearing his younger sister’s voice, Qi Ming instantly felt his hair stand on end. Before Xie Hejing could say anything, he rushed to Qi Hui’s side and whispered:
“You promised me you wouldn’t do anything. That’s the only reason I brought you here. Don’t try anything funny—if this deal falls through, I won’t let you off.”
Qi Hui smiled. “Brother, you’re too nervous. I’m just offering a toast and saying a few words, what’s the harm? That’s perfectly normal at a dinner like this, isn’t it?”
Qi Ming thought about it and admitted she was right. He was just too tense, always thinking this sister of his would stir up trouble. At a business dinner like this, not toasting Xie Hejing would actually look worse. Still, he warned her:
“A toast is fine. But if you cause any trouble, I won’t forgive you.”
“Relax, brother. There are so many people here. What trouble could I possibly cause?” Qi Hui said.
Xie Hejing didn’t particularly like Qi Hui, but after learning about the family situation between the two, he didn’t make a fuss about Qi Ming bringing her along.
Now that she was offering a toast, he decided to give Qi Ming some face. He raised his glass and drained it in one go.
Qi Hui’s eyes lit up. She wanted to toast him again, so she picked up her glass and walked over to him.
But as she drew near, she didn’t notice an empty bottle left carelessly underfoot. She slipped, stumbling into Xie Hejing, and the wine in her glass spilled all over him.
In an instant, the heavy mix of perfume and alcohol on Qi Hui clung to Xie Hejing.
Qi Ming nearly shot out of his chair, glaring at her furiously before rushing over to arrange fresh clothes for Xie Hejing.
Qi Hui stood there, flustered, apologizing over and over.
Irritation welled up in Xie Hejing. The strange, cloying smell on his body made him frown even deeper.
Wine had stained his suit jacket. Without a word, he shrugged it off and tossed it into a trash bin by the roadside, then headed straight back to the hotel.
By the time he arrived, it was already ten o’clock at night.
Nan Xu hadn’t gone to sleep yet—she was sitting cross-legged on the bed, feet dangling, watching a variety show.
It was one Wen Qi had recommended. She hadn’t had time before, but now that she started, she couldn’t stop after two episodes.
The hotel door opened and shut. Nan Xu guessed it was Xie Hejing returning.
She figured he’d probably just take a shower and go to bed, so she didn’t bother going out, happily glued to her show.
After a short silence, her room door was knocked on. It was right at the best part, so Nan Xu reluctantly hit pause, opened the door just a crack, and peeked out.
“Brother, it’s so late—what is it?” she asked.
Xie Hejing pulled the tie from around his neck and stuffed it into her arms, his voice edged with irritation.
“It’s not clean.”
Nan Xu blinked in confusion. She lifted the tie with both hands, examining it carefully.
“It looks clean to me,” she said, puzzled. She even rubbed it with her fingers to be sure there was no stain.
“There’s someone else’s scent on it.” Xie Hejing frowned.
“Really?” Nan Xu leaned in and sniffed it herself. Had something gone wrong? She couldn’t smell anything at all. “Nope, nothing. I don’t smell a thing. Why don’t you try again?”
Xie Hejing took the tie back and held it beneath his nose.
The once-neutral fabric now carried a faint trace of Nan Xu’s scent.
It was a fragrance he knew better than anything—soft, sweet, gentle, like a spring breeze. In an instant, the restless irritation inside him was soothed.
His eyes eased as he murmured, “Mm. Clean now.”
Nan Xu was completely confused by the sudden change in his attitude. The tie didn’t have much of a smell, but he himself had a faint scent of alcohol mixed with a hint of perfume.
“Brother, you should just go take a shower. There’s a weird smell on you,” she urged.
At her words, Xie Hejing’s mood, which had only just calmed, flared with annoyance again. He loathed this unfamiliar, foreign scent clinging to him.
He showered quickly, but afterward, the smell still lingered in his mind. Frowning, he picked up the tie again. The trace of Nan Xu’s fragrance had faded, yet even the faintest wisp was enough to let him breathe easier.
Gazing down at it, his eyes lowered. A thought surfaced, quiet but insistent.
He should be like this tie—covered with Nan Xu’s scent.
At half past ten, he knocked on her door again.
Nan Xu paused her show with a grumble and shuffled over to open it. The first thing she saw was Xie Hejing in a bathrobe. She instantly slapped a hand over her eyes and blurted, “I didn’t see anything! I swear I didn’t look—I didn’t see a thing!”
Xie Hejing: “…”
“Nan Xu, there’s still a smell on me,” he said, completely serious.
She blinked in confusion. “What smell? The body wash? Isn’t that normal?”
“It’s… a strange smell,” he replied.
Nan Xu tilted her head, still not understanding. She sniffed but caught nothing, then yawned carelessly. “Then just go shower again.”
Irritated, he reached out and tugged at her cheek.
Then, stepping closer, he said plainly, “Nan Xu, I should be carrying your scent.”
His voice softened, coaxing: “Maybe… your scent can cover up that strange one.”
Her breath caught, eyes blinking fast. “How—how exactly do I cover it?”