Chapter 75
Lately, the two of them had been planning their honeymoon.
Nan Xu was having a hard time choosing a destination. Curled up in Xie Hejing’s arms, she showed him a few places she was interested in.
“Where should we go? Bali, Semporna… or somewhere in the country?”
Nan Xu was completely torn. Each place had its own charm, and she’d already been agonizing over the choice for days.
But after thinking about it for so long, she still couldn’t decide. With a sigh, Nan Xu wondered if she was simply not built for making choices. “Mm, I can’t pick. You choose.”
She shoved the iPad into Xie Hejing’s arms and got up to get some water, only for him to pull her back immediately.
“I need water,” she reminded helplessly.
Lately, she’d noticed more and more that Xie Hejing seemed to really love clinging to her. When other people were around he’d restrain himself a little, but whenever it was just the two of them at home, he practically wanted to hold her all the time.
And it wasn’t just when they were sleeping anymore. Whether Nan Xu was watching a show, eating, or drinking water—if Xie Hejing saw her, he wanted her in his arms.
Because of that, she’d become incredibly familiar with his scent. Over time, she even got used to it… and maybe a little addicted.
A few times when she went back to her parents’ place to sleep, she ended up unable to fall asleep at all.
Lying in bed, all she could think about was that cool cedar smell on Xie Hejing’s body.
Nan Xu frowned, and finally had no choice but to call Xie Hejing, complaining that she might have developed some kind of condition.
——She couldn’t sleep without him.
“Xie Hejing, did you do this on purpose? You just want me to be unable to sleep without you.” She said it casually.
But in Xie Hejing’s ears, that sentence was practically a love confession.
He couldn’t sleep either. He was lying in bed surrounded by Nan Xu’s scent, yet she wasn’t there. He kept tossing and turning, wanting to go pick her up.
“I did,” he said, sitting up lazily. “I want you addicted to me.”
Nan Xu: “…”
How could someone be so shameless and yet so straightforward about it?
“Then can you sleep?” she asked, annoyed.
“No,” he answered honestly.
Hearing that, some of her irritation from insomnia eased.
“Good,” she murmured, eyes half-closed, suddenly feeling more balanced inside.
“Should I come get you?” Xie Hejing asked tentatively.
“Get me? You mean take me back?” Nan Xu asked, confirming.
“Since neither of us can sleep, why don’t you come back and sleep here?”
Xie Hejing twirled the keychain in his hand, the silver glint circling again and again.
“But I have to go to the temple with my mom early tomorrow morning.”
Ever since returning to Zhi’an, Wen Qiu had developed a habit of going to pray every month. Most of the time, the whole family went together, but lately Nan Xiaocheng had been preparing to return to work, and Xie Hejing was busy too.
So this time, it was just Nan Xu and Wen Qiu.
“And what does it even look like if you pick me up in the middle of the night?”
If Wen Qiu woke up tomorrow morning and didn’t see her, and asked where she’d gone…
Nan Xu would be too embarrassed to say she couldn’t sleep without Xie Hejing, so she went back to him.
“It’s nothing. I’ll just send you back early tomorrow,” Xie Hejing said, the keys spinning faster between his fingers.
“Isn’t that troublesome? Going back and forth…” Nan Xu glanced at the time, it was already midnight. “It’s so late.”
“What’s so troublesome about it? Just tell me if you want to come or not. I can’t sleep without you either, and it might even mess with my work tomorrow.”
Nan Xu thought it over carefully before finally making up her mind. “Then… come pick me up.”
After hanging up, Xie Hejing didn’t waste another second. He changed into something casual and drove straight to the building where Nan Xu’s parents lived.
He sent Nan Xu a message from inside the car: [I’m here.]
She lifted the curtain and looked toward the spot where Xie Hejing usually parked.
Sure enough, his familiar car was already waiting quietly downstairs. She couldn’t tell if he’d noticed her pulling the curtain open, but the hazard lights blinked twice.
It had been less than half an hour, and he was already downstairs. Nan Xu was amazed at how fast he’d arrived.
Since she would be coming back early in the morning, she didn’t bother changing out of her pajamas. She simply threw on a coat and headed downstairs.
Seeing how she was dressed, Xie Hejing frowned. “Just a coat? Aren’t you cold?”
Nan Xu didn’t get into the car right away. She stood outside for a moment to feel the temperature. Even though it was late at night, Zhi’an was still fairly warm.
“I’m not cold.”
“Get in, quickly,” Xie Hejing urged, unable to hold back.
The moment she sat down, he took her hand.
Her fingers were a little cold.
He spoke in a low voice. “And you’re saying you’re not cold?”
“I really wasn’t,” she muttered.
Xie Hejing didn’t bother arguing with her. When they got out of the car, he took off his own jacket and draped it over Nan Xu’s shoulders.
“You’re not afraid of catching a cold?” Nan Xu asked.
“I’m more afraid of you catching one.”
“…”
Nan Xu secretly decided she should dress warmer next time.
Once they got home, Xie Hejing didn’t say another word. He simply pulled her into his arms and fell asleep almost immediately.
Nan Xu had thought she would fall asleep quickly too, but after lying there for a while, she was still wide awake.
Nestled in his arms, she turned slightly, carefully tracing the lines of his face. Her fingertips brushed over his brow bone, then the bridge of his nose, his lips, his jaw.
Her movements were slow, each second spent memorizing every detail of him.
When her fingers reached his Adam’s apple, he swallowed. Startled, Nan Xu worried she’d woken him, so she quickly pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth.
Then she tucked herself back into his arms and drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Nan Xu originally planned to return wearing exactly what she’d come in.
But Xie Hejing insisted she dress warmer before going back.
Any more delay and they’d be late, so Nan Xu had no choice but to change into a thicker outfit and head out with him.
As soon as they went upstairs and opened the door, they bumped into Wen Qiu, who was just about to head out to buy breakfast.
Nan Xu quickly held up the breakfast she’d bought downstairs. “Mom, I already got breakfast. Let’s eat.”
“Jiaojiao, you got up so early today? And when did you change clothes? You weren’t wearing this yesterday,” Wen Qiu said, surveying her outfit from head to toe.
Nan Xu placed the food on the table, took a sip of her porridge, and mumbled vaguely, “This outfit’s been here all along. I only noticed it today… so I changed.”
. . . . .
Even thinking back on it now, Nan Xu felt a bit embarrassed.
She said, “I won’t be hugging you to sleep for the next few days, so that I won’t keep thinking about you when I’m at my parents’ house.”
Xie Hejing still held her tightly, his chin resting on the top of her head.
“If you don’t want to hug me to sleep, then who do you want to hug?”
Nan Xu raised an eyebrow. “My stuffed animals, of course. Haven’t I always hugged them? I have plenty of things I can hug.”
Xie Hejing’s eyes twitched at the corner, he had completely forgotten about that. He let out a cold laugh. Even this little toy dared to compete with him for his wife.
“If you don’t hug me, tomorrow I’ll throw all your stuffed animals away. Whatever you hug, I’ll throw it away.”
Nan Xu: “…”
“You’re completely unreasonable.”
“There’s no reason to argue about this. Isn’t it only natural for me to hug my wife to sleep?” Xie Hejing lowered his gaze to look at her.
Nan Xu: “…”
She refused to speak to him.
Xie Hejing returned his attention to the iPad, carefully watching the places Nan Xu had selected.
“Going to all of them?”
He looked over the list. Since Nan Xu couldn’t decide, it meant she wanted to go to all of them.
Nan Xu’s temper flared quickly and then faded just as fast.
“No need to go to all of them. Isn’t work keeping you busy?”
Lately, Xie Hejing had been incredibly busy. Several nights, Nan Xu had already gone to bed, only to see him still working on documents when she went out for water.
“Just pick one place casually, and truly relax. Travel isn’t about how many places you visit, it’s about who you go with,” Nan Xu said.
Hearing this, Xie Hejing couldn’t help but curve his lips into a smile.
Nan Xu looked up at him. “How is it that you stay up all those nights and your skin still looks so good?”
It was enviably flawless, something she couldn’t help but admire.
“And… your eyelashes are so long. Xie Hejing, your irises are amber… they’re really beautiful.”
Xie Hejing hadn’t expected Nan Xu to notice such details. But thinking that they fascinated her, he curved his lips. “It’s natural!”
Without thinking, Nan Xu blurted out, “Will these genes be inherited?”
!!!
Xie Hejing’s breath instantly grew heavier. Pulling Nan Xu into his arms, he started heading toward the bedroom. “Let’s find out.”
Seeing him swallow repeatedly, Nan Xu suddenly realized what she had just said. She gave an awkward laugh. “I… I was just saying it casually.”
Xie Hejing held her hand against his face.
“Don’t want to see these features appear on someone who looks a bit like you?”
He leaned closer so she could see clearly. “Maybe they will be inherited!”
Nan Xu froze for a moment. But Xie Hejing’s movement toward the bedroom brought her back to reality. She pulled her hand back. “Isn’t it too soon? We just got our marriage certificate.”
Xie Hejing raised his head but didn’t argue. “Alright, we’ll talk about it when you feel ready.”
The sudden topic change almost made Nan Xu forget why she had gotten up in the first place. Tugging at Xie Hejing’s coat, she said, “I want some water.”
Right now, there was no way Xie Hejing would let her get it herself, either he’d carry her to the water or carry the water back and feed it to her.
At first, Nan Xu couldn’t quite understand Xie Hejing’s behavior. He seemed to want to take care of almost everything for her.
But gradually, she got used to it, even to the point of being able to guess what he would do next.
Just as she expected, Xie Hejing carried her in one arm, picked up a cup of warm water, and returned to the sofa, bringing the cup to her lips.
Nan Xu sipped slowly and suddenly remembered something Wen Qi had told her last time.
“Oh, right… Xiang Weishi seems to have broken up. Qiqi said she wanted to take him out to relax and asked if we wanted to join.”
Xie Hejing was aware of Xiang Weishi’s breakup, though it wasn’t exactly a serious one. He had pursued a girl earnestly for a while; she agreed to give it a try, but in the end, it didn’t work out, and they went their separate ways.
Nan Xu didn’t expect it to have reached the point where he needed a little “cheer-up” outing. He asked, “Wei Qingxuan going?”
Nan Xu nodded. “Yes, and it seems Xiang Weishi will bring another girl along too.”
Xie Hejing’s lips curled into a smirk. Xiang Weishi could still bring a girl along, huh.
“Do you know who it is?”
“No, I didn’t ask carefully,” Nan Xu turned her head, signaling for him to put the cup down. “Qiqi’s idea is that we stay out for a few days. She just wanted to check if you could take the time.”
“Sure.”
At dinner, Nan Xu was still focused on her variety show while Xie Hejing tapped away at the keyboard behind her.
Suddenly, she exclaimed, “So handsome!”
Instantly, Xie Hejing went on high alert. He put down the computer, squeezed up next to her, and watched along—but after a while, he still didn’t see anyone he could call handsome.
“Who are you talking about?”
As soon as Nan Xu heard that, she knew his jealousy was flaring up again. She used one hand to brush her eyebrow and the other to point at the male guest on the screen.
“Him. Isn’t he handsome? I’ve been following his variety shows and dramas these past few days.”
With every word she spoke, Xie Hejing’s expression darkened. But Nan Xu didn’t think about the consequences and continued: “He just has so much personal charisma. His movie comes out in a few days, I want to go watch it!”
“Oh? Let me see.” Xie Hejing scrutinized him carefully, then snorted coldly. “What’s so good about him?”
Nan Xu felt a mischievous thrill. She actually enjoyed seeing Xie Hejing get jealous.
She stifled a laugh and deliberately said, “Maybe it’s just the novelty.”
“You feel a novelty toward him?” Xie Hejing ground his teeth.
Nan Xu casually replied, “Mm.”
“You’re tired of me?!”
His voice rose noticeably. It had only been a few days—he had just married her, and she was already bored of him?
“I didn’t say that,” she said coquettishly, turning her head toward him.
Teasing Xie Hejing was fun, but in the end, it was always Nan Xu who suffered.
That night in bed, Xie Hejing didn’t hug her at all—in fact, he even slept with his back to her.
It was a rare occurrence.
Nan Xu was a little surprised, guessing it might be because of what she had said that evening. She spoke up again to clarify: “I only said he’s novel to me, not that I’m bored of you.”
“And how could I ever get bored of you? We just…”
Xie Hejing didn’t respond to her words. Instead, he turned over, his expression serious. “When something comes too easily, people don’t value it.”
“What?” Nan Xu didn’t catch his meaning.
“You made it too easy for me back then. I should have been more reserved, so you wouldn’t get me so easily.”
Nan Xu pressed her lips together. She never imagined the word reserved would come out of Xie Hejing’s mouth and she certainly didn’t think it could ever be associated with him.
“You’re sure that, in your state back then, you could actually be reserved?”
Xie Hejing: “….”
Just looking at Nan Xu made his heart race, it really was hard to live up to that word.
She continued, “I won’t get bored of you, don’t worry. I still cherish you more than I can even express.”
Her words sounded a bit like bait casually thrown out by a flirt. Nan Xu was wondering how to back up what she just said.
“Really?” Xie Hejing raised an eyebrow. “So you’re saying… I’m very attractive to you?”
“Well… I guess you could put it that way,” Nan Xu said, sensing a trap in his words but unable to figure it out.
But soon she realized what he meant. Xie Hejing threw back the covers, got up, and slowly began removing his pajamas.
Nan Xu wanted to stop him, but when she met his gaze, she quickly fell silent—otherwise, she might really have to do the thing she was worst at:
——Coaxing Xie Hejing.
Her eyelashes fluttered as she watched him undress, then he lay back down.
He turned his head toward her and said, “Show me where I’m attractive to you.”
Did he really need her to point that out while undressing?! His intentions were obvious.
Nan Xu refused to give in. She pulled the covers tightly around herself and said firmly, “I’m not pointing.”
Two seconds later, she added, “I’m sleepy. It’s already so late, staying up isn’t good for you either.”
But to avoid having to coax Xie Hejing later, Nan Xu specifically emphasized, “And every part of you attracts me, every single part attracts me!!!”
Xie Hejing chuckled lightly. “Are you sure?”
“…Hmm.”
But he wasn’t about to let Nan Xu get away with it so easily.
Nan Xu understood, but she couldn’t guess what Xie Hejing’s next move would be.
The mattress bounced as Xie Hejing got off the bed. Nan Xu didn’t know where he was going, but soon she heard his footsteps coming back.
Her vision was blocked in the darkness. Before leaving, Xie Hejing had turned off all the lights, leaving her unable to see anything.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
Xie Hejing didn’t answer. The next moment, a few ice cubes were pressed against her back and hands.
Soon, the ice melted, the cold running down along her spine, spreading outward. The cube in her hand was melting too.
Xie Hejing followed the melting water with his lips.
The heat of his mouth mixed with the cold, making Nan Xu’s breathing tense; her whole body trembled under the sensation.
He remained unhurried, methodically kissing every inch as he gently turned her over.
Nan Xu reached out, pushing him away. “Stop…”
She felt like she was caught between fire and ice.
Xie Hejing still held the ice cubes, his breath warm, his voice a teasing murmur: “Want to try playing with it?”
“Or… do you want to play with me?”