Engagement Annulled? Now The Husbands Kneel and Beg for Her Favor

The sun had completely set.

In the warm yellow light, two figures drew close, their breaths mingling in the charged air.

Fingers as beautiful as carved jade rested on Jiang Qingli’s brow before tracing the side of her face, gliding gently past her chin, the side of her neck... Then, with a light tug at her waist, he pulled her into his arms.

Jiang Qingli sometimes wondered if she was being too indulgent with this bunny, letting him seduce her at every opportunity. His methods and words were growing bolder by the day.

But he was also very obedient and exceptionally eager to please. Even when he lost control, he only ever made her scream, never hurt her.

Being with him was, more than anything, a joy.

Jiang Qingli, being only human, wavered and parted her lips slightly.

It was a signal to continue, one Gu Nian had become quite familiar with.

He took a deep breath and leaned in with restraint, brushing his lips against the girl’s soft, crimson ones. Then, with a mix of control and tenderness, he began his conquest.

In reality, Gu Nian and Jiang Qingli hadn’t spent much time being intimate, especially compared to that shameless old fossil, Ye Linyuan.

But just as he could practice killing with greater efficiency, he could also practice tying a knot in a cherry stem with his tongue.

When it came to effort, he didn’t just talk the talk.

When the kiss ended, Jiang Qingli’s breathing was shallow. She steadied herself, her fingers feeling weak and her legs a little numb.

Gu Nian’s breathing was also ragged, but his sparkling eyes were filled with a triumphant desire for praise. ”Jiejie, am I softer than a kitten?”

’Competing with a kitten, of all things.’

Jiang Qingli pinched the tip of his nose, but before she could speak, there were two sharp knocks on the door.

Yi Nuo’s voice came from outside. ”Miss, dinner is ready.”

He paused, then added, ”Mr. Ye is already in the dining room.”

Hearing this, Gu Nian sneered inwardly.

’That ambitious wolf. He sees me with Jiejie and comes running to interrupt.’

’He must have put a lot of thought into finding a reasonable excuse.’

’It must be so hard for him, going crazy with his desire to usurp his superior while pretending to be a loyal dog every day.’

’Didn’t he betray Xie Youchen in the end? His loyalty is even lower than that of the brainless hunk, Qin Muye.’

’If Jiejie didn’t find him useful, I wouldn’t let him stay for a second.’

Jiang Qingli, however, wasn’t thinking about any of that. She was just a little surprised that Ye Linyuan was eating at home; he usually disliked dining with other males.

After catching her breath, she stood up, ready to go downstairs.

Gu Nian grabbed her hand, pulling it down. His cheeks were flushed as he protested in a low voice, ”Jiejie, you did this to me. How can I face anyone?”

”Then... why don’t you stay here for a bit?”

Jiang Qingli was only now belatedly realizing how hungry she was. Ye Linyuan’s brutal training regimen was truly torturous.

Gu Nian pressed his lips together, giving her an aggrieved look.

Suppressing a laugh, Jiang Qingli patted his cheek. ”Alright now, can we talk about this after the exams? I have to review with Yuan Shimo online tonight. I have four exams tomorrow, and you have exams too.”

”Then after the exams, Jiejie has to re... compensate me!” Gu Nian said tentatively, staring at her face.

’Oh, so that’s what he was waiting for.’

’Just as expected of a businessman. He never takes a loss.’

Jiang Qingli pinched his cheek and deployed her all-purpose answer: ”Be good. We’ll see when the time comes.”

She pushed the door open and went downstairs.

Gu Nian collapsed onto Jiang Qingli’s bed, burying his face in the duvet that was full of her scent. He inhaled deeply, then slowly exhaled.

It was a drag as forceful as pulling smoke into the lungs.

A paw pad pressed against his exposed ear. Xiao Xue was urging him to hurry up and prepare her cat food.

Gu Nian uncovered his eyes and got up with a sense of resignation, sighing mournfully. ”Daddy’s already in this state, and you’re still ordering me around. Really... you’ve learned bad habits from your mother.”

-

「In the dining room.」

Jiang Qingli ate until she was about half full, then her movements slowed. She glanced at Ye Linyuan across the table from time to time.

Ever since he sat down, Ye Linyuan hadn’t seemed to touch his chopsticks much. He was expressionless, as if in a bad mood.

Jiang Qingli had almost never heard Ye Linyuan talk about himself, and she wouldn’t idly take the initiative to ask, either.

She had a feeling... that Ye Linyuan didn’t really want her to know about his life.

So, even though he had marked her, Jiang Qingli still felt that aside from their physical connection, they were strangers in every other respect.

In truth, Jiang Qingli had thought about trying to communicate with Ye Linyuan before, but he seemed to prefer their current dynamic, so she just let him be.

’In any case, this major villain is hard to tame. Our marriage was an accident. Who knows, in three years, he might be the one to file for divorce even before Qin Muye does.’

As she thought about this, she felt a strange sense of melancholy and let out an unconscious sigh.

Across from her, Ye Linyuan suddenly spoke. ”You like him that much?”

”Huh?” Jiang Qingli froze for a moment.

”Xie Youchen.”

His golden, slitted pupils stared intently at Jiang Qingli, the faint dark circles under his eyes making him look cold and gloomy.

But Jiang Qingli didn’t have time to decipher his expression. His name alone set off a mushroom cloud in her brain.

Her mouth fell open, and as she processed his words, blood rushed to her cheeks, dyeing her beautiful face pink.

”You—you—you—” Jiang Qingli shot to her feet!

’Wait, calm down!’

Jiang Qingli felt she was overreacting. After a moment’s thought, she said, ”You’re talking about the clothes in the suitcase, right? They are, they are quite beautiful. I like them a lot... I also like the gown you gave me before.”

She even tried to play fair at the end.

But Ye Linyuan was clearly not satisfied with her answer.

He folded his hands in his lap, his golden, slitted pupils locked on her eyes, radiating an immense pressure. ”You know what I’m talking about.”

This time, Jiang Qingli couldn’t remain calm at all.

She glanced nervously back at Yi Nuo, who was standing nearby. Unlike usual, his head wasn’t bowed. Instead, his eyes were wide as he stared at her, as if in shock, or as if he couldn’t bear it.

A spark of fire seemed to ignite in Jiang Qingli’s chest.

’I barely know anything about Ye Linyuan, so how could he see through my secret at a glance! And he’s questioning me right in front of Xie Youchen’s former subordinate!’

Jiang Qingli’s fingers tightened. ”I’ve never tried to pry into your private life,” she said, displeased. ”What right do you have to ask me about mine?”

”This counts as private?” Ye Linyuan seemed to sneer. ”Or... is he planning to be your secret lover?”

”You—” Jiang Qingli was so incensed by his choice of words she was momentarily speechless. She retorted on the spot, ”This is my personal business! Why on earth should I tell you?”

”Personal business.”

Ye Linyuan repeated the two words, looking at her without saying anything more.

It should have been the prelude to an explosive argument, but there wasn’t much anger in Ye Linyuan’s gaze.

It was as if he had long expected this reaction from her.

’He knew, and he still asked!’

It wasn’t that Jiang Qingli was afraid to admit it; she just didn’t want Xie Youchen to find out what she was thinking from someone else before she had a chance to tell him herself.

’Besides... having a secret exposed in public is completely different from revealing it yourself.’

’This Ye Linyuan, couldn’t he have asked me in private? Do I have no pride?’

’And his tone is infuriating, too. This snake is practically begging to be taught a lesson.’

Jiang Qingli secretly gritted her teeth, bracing herself for a fight.

Unexpectedly, however, Ye Linyuan stared at her for a long moment before suddenly asking:

”Then do I count as personal business, or public business?”