Xie Heng walked up to the third floor and stood in front of Lu Xi’s bedroom door.
He raised his hand to knock but hesitated for a moment.
It was very quiet inside, and he wasn’t sure if she had fallen asleep.
But it seemed…
He frowned and sniffed.
Why did it smell like barbecue?
Xie Heng wasn’t entirely sure, since the family gathering had just ended, and there was a faint lingering scent of food throughout the house.
“What are you doing?” a deep voice suddenly came from beside him.
Xie Heng immediately withdrew his hand from the door, turned around, and, as expected, it was his Dad.
He was now only about four or five centimeters shorter than his Dad. As a teenage boy, his frame was a bit slimmer, and his shoulders weren’t as broad as his Dad’s, but compared to other boys his age, he was clearly taller and had a wider build. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to exert such force in a fight.
But every time he stood next to his Dad, he felt his own physique was still a bit lacking.
Xie Heng warily took a step back, shrugged with a nonchalant smile, “Nothing, just thought I’d have a quick chat with Ms. Lu.”
Xie Yizhao casually replied, “She’s asleep. Talk to her tomorrow.”
Xie Heng frowned a bit but said nothing. He wasn’t so unreasonable as to wake someone up when they were sleeping… Besides, he hadn’t figured out what to say to her yet.
Should he ask her if what Xu Jiaming said was true?
Or should he just thank her?
Either option sounded too awkward and pretentious.
Maybe he should just forget about it.
Xie Heng took the elevator down and happened to run into a servant carrying a barbecue tray.
He felt something was off and stopped her, casually asking, “Who are you bringing this to?”
The servant replied, “Madam asked us to bring it to her room.”
Xie Heng froze for a moment, then recovered his voice after a while. “But didn’t she fall asleep?”
“No, she actually asked us to bring her the barbecue a while ago.”
“…” The boy clenched his fingers and squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth, “Does my Dad know?”
The servant, unsure of the Young Master’s intentions, thought for a moment and replied, “Yes, Master specifically told us to prepare some of Madam’s favorite barbecue.”
Sure enough!
He had indeed smelled the barbecue coming from her room!
Old Xie… knowing she wasn’t asleep, why did his Dad lie to him? Could it be that his Dad was trying to get back at him for what happened earlier tonight?
Xie Heng took a deep breath, feeling a mix of frustration and amusement. He looked up at the third floor and couldn’t help but feel both annoyed and amused.
His Dad, seriously, it was just a candlelight dinner. It wasn’t a big deal. It’s not like there wouldn’t be other chances for his Dad to go on dates with Ms. Lu.
Xie Heng was unhappy, and his handsome face was filled with displeasure. He glanced at the barbecue tray in the servant’s hand and decisively took a few skewers.
Then, holding the skewers, he swaggered into the living room.
The servants were stunned.
What was going on? Wasn’t it said that the Young Master and madam had a good relationship? Why was he even snatching her late-night snack?
The servants quickly turned the story into a joke and spread it to their colleagues, and it quickly reached the butler’s ears.
But the butler couldn’t laugh.
The very next morning, the butler noticed something.
A small decorative item was missing from the greenhouse.
The item was something the Madam bought after moving in, a small deer-shaped ornament that cost a few thousand yuan. It had a very unique and cute design, and it had always been displayed in the greenhouse.
Compared to Mr. Xie’s collection, this item was relatively inexpensive, but it was still an important item in the house. As the butler, one of his responsibilities was to be familiar with the household items and ensure they were well-kept. Losing something could be a serious matter, so he quickly reported it to Lu Xi.
“The ornament is missing?” Lu Xi frowned slightly.
She remembered it was something she had bought not long ago. It wasn’t particularly expensive, but she thought the little deer was adorable, with its pale gold color and geometric shape. She had bought it on a whim while shopping and had kept it in the flower room ever since.
The butler paused for a moment and then cautiously asked, “Did you take it, or…?”
He wondered if perhaps Madam herself had taken it. After all, it was something she had purchased, and deer(鹿 Lù) was homophonic with her surname. He’d noticed she liked it.
If that were the case, it would save a lot of trouble.
Lu Xi shook her head, “No,” she paused, then added, “I remember it was still there yesterday afternoon.”
The butler’s gaze flickered, and he sighed softly, “Yes, I remember too.”
There’s cleaning done around the house every day, and since Young Master’s classmates were coming over yesterday, the greenhouse, being so beautiful, logically should have been open. The butler had specially instructed the maids to focus on cleaning it, and he had personally checked it, remembering that the little deer ornament was there.
Both of them fell silent.
So there are only two possibilities left : either a servant took it, or one of Xie Heng’s classmates did.
The butler cautiously glanced at Lu Xi’s expression, feeling the need to explain to her about the staff, “Actually, it’s not likely to be anyone working here; we’ve never had anything go missing before.”
Lu Xi gave him a reassuring look.
Of course, she understood.
It was precisely because the household staff was trustworthy, and nothing had ever gone wrong in all the years they had worked there, that no changes had been made to the staff. They received annual raises, and there were no surveillance cameras in the house.
If someone were to steal, it wouldn’t make sense to take something so insignificant.
Also, the timing was too perfect, it was yesterday, when so many outsiders were around.
The butler quietly stood by, waiting to see how Madam would handle it. He would certainly follow her lead.
Lu Xi thought back to yesterday.
Actually, only Xu Jiaming and Song Siyang, and the two girls she invited in, who were a bit more familiar to her. She only had a quick glance at the others last night. She couldn’t even match most of their names and faces.
This problem was difficult for her to solve.
She wasn’t a detective who could figure out who the thief was. She could either call the police, but that would make a huge fuss.
There was no guarantee they would find anything out, and it could ruin the friendly atmosphere of the gathering last night.
High school students are at a sensitive age, and being suspected of theft at a class gathering—what kind of thing is that?
Lu Xi relaxed her frown and said to the butler, “Let’s leave it at that. Also, don’t tell Xiao Heng about this.”
The butler smiled with relief upon hearing Madam’s decision. “I understand. Madam, you’re always thinking of Young Master.”
Anyone who dares to say the relationship between Madam and Young Master is bad, he’ll deduct their salary!
The butler knew Madam loved that ornament. Every time she went to the flower room, she would always touch the little deer first. But she could still let it go for the sake of Young Master.
The butler immediately gathered all the servants for a quick meeting, reminding them not to let anything slip.
Everyone agreed, but, as always with these things, there’s always a chance someone might let something slip.
The next morning, just before 7 AM, Xie Yizhao woke up according to his usual biological clock. He glanced at the watch on his nightstand, got up to wash up, and changed into the sportswear he had set aside last night.
At that moment, Lu Xi turned over.
Facing him.
Usually, he was the first to get up, and in order to not disturb her sleep, Xie Yizhao wouldn’t open the curtains, instead using the dim light of a night lamp to change.
The woman’s beautiful face was covered in shadows.
Xie Yizhao silently raised his hand and zipped up his jacket while looking at her sleeping face. He suddenly remembered something.
She had mentioned wanting to go for a morning jog together; she seemed serious about it last night.
But now she was sleeping deeply, lying on her side, half her face sunk into the pillow. Based on his understanding of her, she would need at least three more hours of sleep.
So, should he wake her?
Xie Yizhao stood by the bed, frowning in hesitation.
Unknowingly, a minute passed. He then gently sat down at the edge of the bed, lifted his hand, and lightly touched Lu Xi’s hair. Her normally calm face was unusually tense, and he softly called, “Xiao Xi?”
Lu Xi remained asleep, not responding.
Xie Yizhao, with a helpless look, pursed his lips. He knew it was probably difficult, but he still decided to wake her up.
She had eaten quite a bit of late-night snacks last night, and if she didn’t exercise today, she might end up with indigestion, like last time.
Thinking this, his voice grew a little louder as he gently pushed Lu Xi’s shoulder, “Xiao Xi, get up and go jogging with me.”
This time, Lu Xi woke up.
She was someone who loved to sleep, but she was easily disturbed. Both light and sound affected her, and with Xie Yizhao’s slightly louder voice, she frowned and reluctantly opened her eyes.
“What’s the matter?” The voice was delicate, with a hint of confusion, impatience, and a touch of grievance.
Xie Yizhao paused for a moment, his heart suddenly softening, wondering if he should let it slide this time. After all, he could always make her run tomorrow.
Just as he was about to get up, the man furrowed his brow.
No, if he let her off this time, tomorrow he would just soften again. Moreover, she had asked him for it that day, and he had agreed.
Xie Yizhao’s gaze became steady again. He leaned down slightly, speaking in a low voice, “Get up, let’s go running.”
Lu Xi thought she had heard wrong.
???
What’s wrong with you, big brother? You run your own miles, why drag lazy me along?
Her eyes clearly expressed that she had forgotten her request from that day. Xie Yizhao tugged at the corner of his mouth, “You said you’d run with me.”
Lu Xi : “…”
Did she say that? She must have been out of her mind to think she could get up early and run with him… wait, hold on.
At that moment, a fragment of memory slowly surfaced in her mind.
That day, while watching the show with Xie Yizhao, she had an anxiety attack, and in a spontaneous moment, had indeed mentioned it to him.
Lu Xi’s face instantly turned sour.
She only needed to look at the gray, cloudy sky outside to know it was barely past six in the morning—there was no way she was getting up.
“Let’s forget about it today, I… I’m too sleepy,” Lu Xi said, covering her face with her hand.
Xie Yizhao looked at her defiant, lazy posture with some helplessness, reaching over to remove her hand. His eyes narrowed slightly, “You said, if you don’t get up, I can punish you.”
Right, she remembered saying that.
Reluctantly, Lu Xi opened her eyes again, feeling still groggy, a weight on her chest, wanting to throw a pillow at him but unsure how to justify it. Deep down, she knew she was in the wrong, and even her anger seemed unjustified.
“Fine, then punish me, do whatever you want…” as long as she didn’t have to run.
As for anti-aging and fighting against time, she had given up on exercise. She figured she’d just smile less in the future.
Xie Yizhao, though helpless, couldn’t do much. From the moment he decided to wake her up, he had expected this outcome.
However, the process still had to go through.
He needed to hear her accept the punishment herself.
The man lowered his body even further, looking as if he was pressing against Lu Xi, though there was a slight gap between them. His gaze rested on her delicate side profile, and he gently moved his long fingers through her black hair without any resistance.
“Then it’s settled. You’ll make it up to me with a date. No one else can disturb us,” Xie Yizhao paused, a deeper meaning rising in his eyes, “Especially our troublesome little Young Master.”
Lu Xi, still hazy with sleep, mumbled a few indistinct ‘hmm’s. She heard him but didn’t quite process everything. She just wanted to agree quickly and get him to leave her alone.
Soon, the room fell quiet again.
Not sure how much time passed.
Lu Xi had slept enough, rubbing her eyes as she woke up. She got herself together as usual, then went to the wardrobe to pick out clothes, suddenly recalling something.
Had she agreed to a date with Xie Yizhao to make up for something?
This…
Although the ‘punishment’ wasn’t much, it was a little odd. The last candlelight dinner wasn’t even her fault; it was that troublemaking son causing trouble.
Lu Xi wasn’t that slow-witted. Since her school days, she had been the most popular girl, naturally attuned to the signals others gave.
Lately, a subtle, almost imperceptible atmosphere seemed to linger between her and Xie Yizhao. To say she hadn’t felt it would be a lie.
But recently, she’d been busy with her own matters, and with Xie Yizhao being away on a business trip, she hadn’t thought much about it.
Lu Xi wasn’t sure what Xie Yizhao was thinking.
At least, during this time, he had kept his promise. Although they shared the same bed, he had maintained the decorum of a gentleman and never made a move on her.
She understood. From Xie Yizhao’s perspective, there had been many years of distance between them. But for her, being intimate with her husband was not unfamiliar, it had been just over a month ago.
From any angle, she wasn’t opposed to Xie Yizhao.
The reason she had asked to separate rooms before was because she didn’t want their relationship to get too complicated. She wasn’t sure how to handle things with him. Now, she didn’t want to overthink it.
They were both adults, with a son who was already grown and careers to focus on, so as for their feelings… it would all happen naturally.
That said, recalling last night—romantic dinner by the pool, the man looking handsome and considerate under the candlelight—Lu Xi couldn’t help but smile slightly.
She was looking forward to the next date.
Lu Xi went directly out of the cloakroom and at first glance, she saw a blue-haired brat standing at her door, looking like he was carrying a grudge.
?
What time is it, and this brat isn’t even going to school?
Xie Heng saw her walk out of the cloakroom and froze for two seconds, then strode over to her. Lu Xi was startled by his sudden movement.
The boy stood in front of her, scowling, and stretched out his hand, “Where’s the little deer ornament you bought?”
Lu Xi frowned lightly and blinked, “Isn’t it in the greenhouse? What’s wrong?”
Xie Heng stared at her, his brows tightly furrowed, and he looked quite fierce.
She suddenly understood why her classmates were afraid of him. He looked like a little wolf cub, charging around recklessly.
Xie Heng let out a frustrated snort, his tone cold, “Alright, I know everything. Don’t try to hide it from me.”
“……”
Lu Xi let out a sigh of relief.
She had thought this nuisance was here to ask for money again.
At first, she thought the missing deer ornament was a small matter related to his classmates, and she wanted to let it go. But now that he had discovered it himself, it was out of her control.
Lu Xi raised an eyebrow slightly and asked with a smile, “Yes, it’s missing. What do you want to do about it?”
Xie Heng ground his teeth, slammed his right hand against the wall, his expression darkened. “Fine, I’ll find this thief!”
Lu Xi pressed her lips together. “How are you going to find him?”
“Don’t worry about it. If I can’t find him, I won’t accept your reward!” The boy’s angry eyes held a trace of concern.