Chapter 65
“Nan Xu.”
It was the Nth time that day Xie Hejing had called her name.
“Talk to me.”
He sat on one end of the sofa, his eyes fixed intently on her.
Nan Xu sat on the other end.
When she heard his voice, she lazily lifted her head, glanced at him once, and said nothing.
He was absolutely terrible, he clearly promised to be gentle, but it didn’t matter how softly Nan Xu begged him, he just kept going and got more and more intense instead.
He’d pushed her so far that she almost wanted to run again, but the thought of what he’d said last time made her abandon that idea for now.
If he really caught her, she might not even be able to beg for mercy.
Nan Xu lowered her head and went back to watching her variety show, ignoring the fiery glare he was giving her.
Xie Hejing let out an irritated hiss.
This girl really meant what she said—she’d told him she wouldn’t talk to him, and she actually wasn’t.
He didn’t know who had spoiled her like this.
…Then realized it was him.
It took him three full seconds to accept that fact.
Expression dark, he picked up an apple from the table, walked over to her side, and held it out in front of her.
Nan Xu’s eyes shifted from the screen to the apple, glancing at it twice.
She said nothing, and neither did he.
A silent standoff—let’s see who gave in first.
Xie Hejing had been through countless business negotiations, never once the one to lose his cool. He was always the one to break down others’ defenses.
But when Nan Xu turned away from the apple, put down her iPad, and started to stand up—
His brow twitched. He immediately reached out to stop her.
“Where are you going?” he asked first.
Nan Xu didn’t answer. She bit her lip, trying to push past him.
“Talk to me…” Xie Hejing said again.
Just as she brushed his hand off her waist, his fingers caught her shoulder firmly the next second, pressing her in place.
Nan Xu grew anxious and snapped, “Let go of me! I need to go to the bathroom.”
Hearing her finally speak—though not willingly—made the tension in his brow ease a little.
“I’ll carry you.”
Nan Xu froze, startled.
“No! I can go myself.”
But before she could protest further, she was already lifted off the ground. Xie Hejing didn’t bother arguing anymore; he simply carried her straight to the door.
“Go ahead,” he said.
The movement was so fast that one second Nan Xu was still struggling, and the next she was already on her feet again.
She blinked, a little dazed.
Xie Hejing smiled and said deliberately, “What? Did you think I was going to carry you in there and help you—”
“No!” Nan Xu cut him off, quickly swung the door open, and shut it behind her, firmly locking him out.
She leaned against the door, taking a long moment to steady herself.
Xie Hejing was too bold—she could never predict what ridiculous thing he’d do next.
When he’d said he’d carry her to the bathroom, she had actually thought, for a split second, that he might really force his way in.
When Nan Xu finally came out, Xie Hejing was leaning casually against the wall, scrolling through his phone.
The moment he saw her, he pocketed it and asked, “So, are you done being mad at me?”
“You actually know I was mad?” Nan Xu took a step forward, poking his chest with her finger as she spoke, emphasizing each word, “Then why were you so rough?”
Xie Hejing grinned, leaning in close to her face. “Then how do I make you stop being mad? Should I let you hit me—or bite me?”
He tilted his head, pretending to think. “Where do you want to bite?”
Nan Xu puffed up her cheeks and shook her head.
He chuckled. “Why are you shaking your head? Can’t bear to?”
With a completely straight face, Nan Xu said seriously, “Because I don’t think that’s punishment for you—it’s more like a reward.”
She’d seen it many times. Every time she bit him, he would look at her with that teasing smile, as if he enjoyed it.
For a moment, Xie Hejing’s expression cracked.
His first thought, though, was—Wait, does this mean she won’t bite me anymore?
“N–no,” he denied stiffly.
Nan Xu tilted her head, studying him with suspicion. “No? Really? Fine then. I won’t ‘punish’ you like that anymore. It’s not appropriate anyway.”
“No,” he said immediately.
“Why not?” Nan Xu frowned. “Do you actually like being ‘punished’ like that?”
“…Yeah.” His voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.
Nan Xu turned away. “Alright, enough. Take your hand off me.”
“Like it,” he blurted again, faster this time.
Nan Xu: “…”
She honestly couldn’t understand him.
“You… really are something else.”
She walked off to the side, picked up her iPad, and went back to watching her show, ignoring him completely.
After a moment, Xie Hejing asked, “Then what would make you stop being mad?”
“Let me go out,” she replied flatly.
It was true—he’d been practically addicted these past few days, keeping her cooped up in the hotel the whole time.
Since he was here, and she couldn’t really get away, she figured she might as well relax a little while they were in Huaining City.
But Xie Hejing hesitated. “Do you mean go out… or run away?”
Nan Xu glared at him and said bluntly, “I want to run…”
Xie Hejing’s hand, hanging by his side, slowly curled into a tight fist.
Nan Xu went on, “But now, I don’t really feel like leaving anymore.”
A flicker of joy crossed Xie Hejing’s heart.
“Because my legs are still kind of weak,” she added. “I probably wouldn’t get very far. I’ll rest first, then go.”
His expression darkened again.
In just a few sentences, Nan Xu had taken Xie Hejing’s heart on a roller coaster—soaring one moment, plummeting the next.
He leaned forward and covered her chattering lips with his own.
“Mmph—!”
Nan Xu had been mid-sentence when his sudden kiss cut her off, leaving her breath caught in her throat. She pushed at him, fists pounding against his chest.
When he finally realized she really couldn’t breathe, Xie Hejing let go.
“Maybe I should make sure your legs stay too weak to run, every day,” he murmured.
Nan Xu could tell he wasn’t joking—his gaze was serious, as if he was actually considering it.
Her heart skipped a beat. “I was just kidding. Don’t you have any sense of humor at all?”
“Kidding?” Xie Hejing gave a cold laugh. “If you ever say something like that again, I’ll make sure it happens.”
Nan Xu lowered her eyes in silence. Clearly, she couldn’t say just anything around him—it was dangerous.
Her sudden quiet made Xie Hejing think she was upset.
After a pause, he said, “Go get dressed.”
Nan Xu looked up, surprised. Didn’t he just forbid her from going out? Why was he agreeing now after just a moment?
“What, you’re not going? Don’t feel like going out anymore?” he asked, giving what sounded like a final warning.
“I do,” she said immediately.
He asked where she wanted to go. After thinking for a long moment, she finally muttered, “A bar.”
That caught him off guard. His lips pressed into a straight line—he was about to refuse. But seeing the look in her eyes, he clenched his jaw and nodded. “Get dressed,” he said, and after a beat added, “And wear something warm.”
Nan Xu smiled and picked up a dress, but under his sharp, warning gaze, she set it down again and reached for a black jacket instead.
They went to the nearest bar by the hotel.
At first, Nan Xu just sat and drank quietly—but soon, people started coming up to talk to her.
Xie Hejing’s patience snapped. He pulled her into his arms possessively, resting his chin on her shoulder. “You came here just to make me jealous, didn’t you?”
Nan Xu shook her head. “No. I just thought you’ve been too tense lately. You should relax a bit. Want a drink?”
She offered him her glass.
He shook his head. He had ordered drinks with barely any alcohol for her, but even so, he knew that sitting this close to her, one drink would be too much. With alcohol in his system, he might completely lose control—and then she’d probably ignore him for days again.
When he wouldn’t drink, Nan Xu just drank by herself—freely, openly, one glass after another.
He had never seen her drink like that before.
Finally, Xie Hejing reached out and stopped her hand.
“Why are you drinking so much tonight?”
Nan Xu said nothing, she simply set her glass down in time with his movement.
Xie Hejing glanced at her. Her lashes were lowered and he couldn’t tell what she was thinking. He keenly sensed that she hadn’t come to the bar to lift his spirits tonight—she came for herself.
“If you won’t talk, we’re leaving.”
Nan Xu leaned on Xie Hejing’s shoulder and gave a soft “mm.”
The hotel wasn’t far. Rather than hail a car, Xie Hejing lazily slung her over his back and headed toward the hotel.
Nan Xu’s mood seemed off tonight, and Xie Hejing spoke much softer.
“Nan Xu, are you still mad?”
She shook her head, then realized he couldn’t see her and spoke up: “I’m not angry anymore.”
“Then why are you still in a bad mood?”
“How do you know?” she asked. Her moods were always the first thing he noticed.
“Tell me.” He bounced her a little on his back.
Her head buried against the side of his neck. “Because… I like you.”
At first the words sent a little lift through him, but the feeling quickly smoothed out. His steps grew a little heavier. “Liking me makes you feel bad?”
There was a low pressure about him.
“No, not that.” Nan Xu pressed herself fully against him, inhaling the scent on his clothes. “I just feel like I’m not handling things very well. Should I be better to you?”
Aside from that one thing, Xie Hejing already treated her so well that even details Nan Xu hadn’t noticed didn’t escape him.
He folded all her clothes.
He knew she tended to wake up at night and like to drink water but would forget to put a glass by the bed, so he would leave a thermos of warm water on her nightstand.
He knew she was afraid of the dark; when she got up at night, he stood at the door waiting.
Nan Xu had been doted on by Nan Xiaocheng and Wen Qiu at home, but they had also taught her to be independent—they prepared the basics for her, but a lot she had to do herself. She never thought it was a big deal. But after Xie Hejing started doing those things for her, she gradually got used to it and began to feel a little pressured. Her nature made it hard for her to accept someone else’s kindness without feeling any burden.
She was thinking about how to be better to him, but then he would do something that made her angry again. The wine made her head fuzzy. She told Xie Hejing, “You’re so annoying.”
Then she would feel guilty, then angry again, all in quick succession.
“You’re annoyed with me again?” Xie Hejing’s voice was impossibly gentle. “What did I do this time to make you angry?”
It couldn’t possibly be because he’d proclaimed his claim on her at the bar.
Nan Xu snuggled closer into his jacket, making his back tingle a little. “Stop moving, you’ll fall down in a moment.”
Without thinking, she blurted out, “You wouldn’t let me fall.”
After she said that, even she froze for a moment—as if she’d suddenly realized something.
Xie Hejing had already long shown her his gentle side; she just hadn’t noticed. Maybe she had overlooked it without meaning to.
And he, too, had never said it aloud or even realized that what he’d been doing was gentleness. He’d only kept trying, endlessly, to meet that vague condition she’d once mentioned.
Nan Xu’s nose stung, and she muttered, “Are you an idiot?”
Xie Hejing blinked, confused. But the tipsy Nan Xu was lost in her own thoughts, refusing to explain further.
He gave in with a small laugh. “Alright, I’m an idiot. Anything else?”
No reply came from his back. When he tilted his head slightly, he realized she had already fallen asleep.
Back at the hotel, he laid her down gently and made sure she was settled before sitting on the sofa and sending a message to Xiang Weishi:
[How do you become gentle?]
The reply came almost instantly:
[Did someone hack your account?]
Xie Hejing: “…”
He called him directly.
“What does it mean to be gentle?”
Xiang Weishi was now convinced it wasn’t a hack—maybe Xie Hejing was possessed.
“You seriously want to discuss that with me, a single guy?”
Xie Hejing raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t you chasing someone? Haven’t you learned anything?”
Xiang Weishi: “…”
“If I’d learned anything, would I still be single? Please stop flaunting your relationship in the middle of the night—I’m trying to sleep.”
He’d had enough of being tormented by couples lately, and he hung up.
Then Xie Hejing tried messaging Wei Qingxuan—he remembered Xiang Weishi saying the guy was good at pursuing people.
But Wei Qingxuan replied that he’d just made Wen Qi mad and got kicked to the study to sleep.
Xie Hejing: “…”
That was even worse than his own situation.
Surrounded by useless friends, he gave up and went back to the bedroom.
Nan Xu, who should’ve been fast asleep, was sitting up in bed, looking dazed.
When she saw him, her unfocused eyes slowly cleared, though they didn’t quite land on him.
Xie Hejing walked to the bedside and waved a hand in front of her. “Hey, what are you staring at?”
There was a date stuck in Nan Xu’s mind. She blinked a few times and asked, “What day is it today?”
“It’s past midnight. The tenth.”
Her strange behavior all night had kept him on edge. He asked again, “What’s going on with you? Just tell me, so I don’t have to guess.”
Nan Xu yawned, rubbing her face hard with both hands.
Xie Hejing frowned. “Don’t rub so hard.”
When she finally stopped, she seemed more awake. Then she gave him a bright smile.
“Brother,” she said softly, “I think I finally figured out how to be better to you.”