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

Xie Youchen must have just left a meeting. He was dressed in a sophisticated suit, and though he didn’t affect an air of arrogance, his calm and unhurried demeanor was enough to command obedience.

The sales associate completely forgot Chi Yun was still there. He subconsciously took the card while Chen Mi waited to the side.

”Let’s go.”

Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Xie Youchen skillfully took Jiang Qingli’s hand and led her away.

Jiang Qingli looked back. Lin Xiyue made a gesture at her, signaling that she would go find Ai Li, and the three of them would meet in the garage later.

As she passed a few onlookers, Jiang Qingli overheard two people with their backs to them whispering:

”Didn’t they say Jiang Qingli and Xie Youchen had a falling out? The Xie Family and the Jiang Family’s positions are pretty far apart, right? How are they still on such good terms?”

”They grew up together, after all.”

”Speaking of which, is Marshal Xie actually quite pleased with Chi Yun? He even helped him out of that jam...”

”He’s the male his ’sister’ liked for so long, after all. Who knows, maybe Jiang Qingli still has feelings for Chi Yun—”

Before they could finish, Jiang Qingli had already pulled her hand free from Xie Youchen’s, walked right up to them, and corrected, ”Jiang Qingli can’t stand Chi Yun. There’s no chance.”

After saying her piece, she ignored the petrified expressions on the two gossipers’ faces and returned to Xie Youchen’s side.

Xie Youchen glanced down at her, a hint of a smile in his eyes.

Jiang Qingli avoided his gaze, cleared her throat, and, in a rather obvious attempt to change the subject, announced, ”I want to get some milk tea.”

”Okay.”

They took the elevator downstairs.

They were standing close. Jiang Qingli’s fingers hesitated, reaching out and then pulling back.

’I want to hold his hand, but I can’t find a good reason.’

’I shouldn’t have said anything to those two. It was so deliberate, like I was trying to explain myself to Xie Youchen. And now I’ve lost my excuse to hold his hand.’

Jiang Qingli curled her fingers, but the next second, she felt Xie Youchen’s knuckles gently brush against the back of her hand.

The subtle movement sent a tingling jolt through her, like a spark of electricity.

Jiang Qingli snatched her hand back behind her, turned her face away, and pretended to be looking at the scenery.

She didn’t notice the flicker of disappointment in the young man’s eyes beside her.

After a dozen seconds of silence, the elevator doors opened.

Jiang Qingli stepped out first. Then, as if no one else was watching, she grabbed his hand, seemingly to hurry him along.

030: [Yep, not deliberate at all. Our little one is so clever.]

Jiang Qingli: [...]

Blocking out the sarcastic system, Jiang Qingli glanced at the young man beside her out of the corner of her eye and asked casually, ”Are you going to Sister Shu’s farewell party too?”

”No,” Xie Youchen said. ”I have official business.”

”Then what are you doing here?” Jiang Qingli asked.

”It was on the way.”

Those words again.

The text he sent her last time popped into her mind—

[Do you want it to be on my way?]

’How did I reply back then?’

’Oh, right. I think I was so flustered I just sent a sticker.’

After buying her milk tea, Jiang Qingli took a satisfied sip. She and Xie Youchen walked toward the garage, and she recounted her run-in with Chi Yun. Finishing with Xie Youchen’s arrival, she remarked, ”I want to pull a move like that someday.”

”Is there any card of mine you don’t have the password to?” Xie Youchen said. ”You can use them whenever you want.”

He was telling her to take his cards and show off as much as she liked.

Jiang Qingli couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smile. She huffed twice. ”Now that’s more like it.”

The mall they were in was the largest in all of Zone A. Jiang Qingli usually couldn’t be bothered to shop here with her friends because it was too big, and the garage was inconveniently far.

Today, however, the walk to the garage felt incredibly short.

’I barely got to hold his hand.’

In the garage, Lin Xiyue and Ai Li were leaning against a car, chatting. They saw Jiang Qingli from a distance and waved.

Jiang Qingli turned, gave Xie Youchen a wave, and hurried toward her friends.

Xie Youchen watched the car drive away before pulling his gaze back and looking down at his own palm.

The palm that had held hers.

’It’s very warm, but it’s hard to tell whose body heat it is.’

’Maybe it’s both.’

’It’s best not to be able to tell.’

Xie Youchen thought.

-

Chen Mi arrived at the garage a moment later.

Chi Yun followed closely behind him.

Upon reaching them, Chen Mi reported to Xie Youchen, ”Marshal, Mr. Chi Yun has something to say to you.”

His expression drooped, showing the classic resignation of an employee caught in a tough spot.

Xie Youchen gestured with his eyes for him to get in the front seat.

Chen Mi sat in the driver’s seat and watched the situation in the back through the rearview mirror.

As soon as the obstacle was gone, Chi Yun leaned against the car window with both hands and thanked Xie Youchen. ”Thank you for helping me out, Brother Youchen. You truly are like a brother to her, able to see at a glance that my feelings for her are genuine!”

The moment those words left his mouth, Chen Mi saw his superior’s brow furrow by a few pixels.

’Based on my experience working with him, Marshal Xie is definitely angry!’

’Well, yeah. Who knows how many landmines he just stepped on with that one sentence...’

And yet, Chi Yun, completely oblivious, was still eager to prove his sincerity to this ”brother”:

”Brother Youchen, I honestly don’t know why I liked Bai Yiyi before. It was like I was under some kind of spell... But after I came to my senses, I realized it’s Qingli I love!”

”You have to believe me, my feelings for her are no less than those useless, good-for-nothing Beast Husbands!”

”I know she doesn’t want to divorce the others right now, and I can accept that. As long as she takes me back, I can pretend the other males don’t exist...”

”Brother Youchen, can you help me win Qingli back? I can help you—”

Before he could finish, Xie Youchen finally raised a hand, cutting off his incessant, worthless stream of confessions and pleas.

”You seem to have misunderstood something.”

The young man’s expression was indifferent as he said coolly, ”I wasn’t helping you out just now.”

’It was simply that Jiang Qingli wanted something, and he was obligated to get it for her.’

’It had always been this way, ever since they were children.’

However, Xie Youchen had no intention of letting anyone else in on this thought.

He glanced at the stunned Chi Yun and raised an eyebrow slightly. ”The people from the Chi Family will be here in three minutes.”

’Why am I getting dragged back again?!’

Chi Yun grew anxious. ”Today was an accident, I have money...”

Xie Youchen didn’t spare him another glance and simply raised the car window.

Chen Mi, as if unable to watch any longer, offered a piece of advice. ”Mr. Chi Yun, rather than trying to prove yourself to the Marshal, you might want to investigate why the money in your account vanished into thin air.”

Chi Yun froze.

He had never lacked for food, clothing, or spending money. In the weeks since he’d woken up in the hospital, he had been so focused on how to repair his relationship with Jiang Qingli that he hadn’t thought about this at all.

Hearing this, he finally sensed something was wrong and hurriedly began to check the transaction history on his cards.

Chen Mi drove away. Seeing Chi Yun’s shocked face in the rearview mirror as he frantically scrolled through his records, he was momentarily speechless. ”...”

’He needs me to remind him about something like this? How can someone be so brainless?’

’What did Miss Jiang ever see in him? Was it just his face?’

’But even if it was about looks, our Marshal’s face is clearly superior!’

Chen Mi fumed indignantly.

He turned slightly, wanting to glance at his Marshal’s devastatingly handsome face for comparison.

But when he looked back, he saw Xie Youchen staring down at his own palm, his thin lips curved into a slight smile, as if recalling some wonderful memory.

At the military district, Xie Youchen almost never smiled, always handling everything with calm composure.

Therefore, seeing him smile was so startling that Chen Mi immediately whipped his head back around and focused on driving.

「At the same time.」

Back in the garage, the men from the Chi Family had arrived.

They had prepared for Chi Yun to resist wildly, but unexpectedly, he looked furious enough to kill as he demanded, ”Where is Bai Yiyi?!”

Upon learning that Bai Yiyi was missing, Chi Yun ordered through gritted teeth, ”Find her and drag her to me!”

The bodyguards looked troubled. ”Young Master, even the Bai Family hasn’t been able to catch her. Where are we supposed to find her?”

Chi Yun paused, thought for a moment, then found Bai Yiyi’s number and sent her a few flirtatious, invitational messages.