Contractual Love: Mistaken for True

Yilin called Xia Chen to urge him to come back quickly, saying there was something important that required his decision. Xu Xiaoyou’s vacation wasn’t over yet, and she didn’t want to return home so soon. Xia Chen suggested that she stay at home a little longer, as he vaguely guessed that the matter Yilin wanted to discuss wasn’t going to be easily resolved.

On the evening before Xia Chen left, Papa Xu called him outside for a long conversation. When Xia Chen returned, he only glanced at Xu Xiaoyou before heading back to his room. Xu Xiaoyou followed him in, and they sat side by side in silence, not saying a word.

After a long while, Xu Xiaoyou finally asked what Papa Xu had said. From Xia Chen’s expression, it was clear that it wasn’t good news.

Xia Chen picked up Xu Xiaoyou’s hand and played with it, remaining silent. It was obvious he didn’t want to answer, which made Xu Xiaoyou increasingly anxious. Something Papa Xu had said must have made Xia Chen uncomfortable. Papa Xu was usually very gentle; the only thing he was strict about was the issue of her marriage. What about Xia Chen could he possibly dislike?

“Ah Xia,” Xu Xiaoyou said, looking at Xia Chen, “if Dad said something to upset you, I want to say ‘I’m sorry’ to you.”

Xia Chen looked at Xu Xiaoyou seriously and replied, “Uncle really did say something that upset me. Your ‘I’m sorry’ feels too casual; it doesn’t heal the hurt inside me.”

“What can I do to make you feel better?” The only person foolish enough to jump into a burning pit, knowing full well it was dangerous, was probably Xu Xiaoyou.

Xia Chen thought seriously for a moment and said, “Just staying with me tonight can make it all better.”

Xu Xiaoyou rolled her eyes at him, already knowing he had some ulterior motive. She took out her phone to check the time and said, “It’s getting late. You have a flight tomorrow, so you should get some rest!” She stood up to leave.

“Don’t…” Xia Chen pulled Xu Xiaoyou back, “Please don’t go.” He was acting like a child.

Xu Xiaoyou struggled to break free from his grasp. “I really can’t. It’s very late, and Dad would be even more upset if he found out.”

Xia Chen was persistent, wrapping his arms around Xu Xiaoyou’s waist and resting his head against her stomach, softly saying, “Actually, Dad already knows.”

“What!” Xu Xiaoyou gasped. She cupped Xia Chen’s face and asked, “When did this happen?”

“Just tonight! I told Dad everything.” Xia Chen had long decided to stop hiding; after being married for so long, it felt wrong to keep secrets from their families. They couldn’t even openly hold each other during the day, and the worst part was they couldn’t cuddle Xu Xiaoyou to sleep at night. When Papa Xu called him out tonight, it was the perfect opportunity to come clean. Although the result was a beating from Papa Xu, at least he acknowledged Xia Chen as his son-in-law. So tonight, they could finally sleep together and maybe even do some other things.

“Did Dad not get angry?” Xu Xiaoyou felt a bit confused; given Papa Xu’s temperament, she expected him to have given Xia Chen a good thrashing.

“Who said he wasn’t angry? Let me show you.” Xia Chen took off his jacket and rolled up his sleeve, revealing a series of bruises on his arms. “Dad likes to hit where others can’t see.”

Seeing the bruises on Xia Chen’s body, Xu Xiaoyou felt a pang of heartache. She couldn’t believe her dad would go that far, not even considering that Xia Chen had practiced martial arts for years-how could he compare to her father?

In reality, getting a few injuries from practicing martial arts wasn’t a big deal. Back when he and Chen Zihan used to get into fights, they dealt with worse. They would come home acting as if nothing had happened, then sneak off to apply medicine at night after everyone was asleep, ready to fight again the next day. Now, seeing this just seemed to be Xia Chen’s way of making her feel guilty enough to stay with him. He would be returning to City S tomorrow and wouldn’t see her for several days. Going home alone felt empty and somewhat uncomfortable.

“I’m going to get some medicinal alcohol to help with that,” Xu Xiaoyou said, pulling Xia Chen’s sleeve down as she prepared to go find it.

“No need,” Xia Chen said, holding Xu Xiaoyou back. If she got the medicinal alcohol, Papa Xu would find out. If he thought Xia Chen couldn’t even handle these minor injuries, he might change his mind. “Really, it’s nothing serious. You don’t need to apply anything.”

“But it’s already bruised; we need to get rid of the blood stasis and promote circulation,” Xu Xiaoyou said, worried.

“It’s fine; I’ll be okay after a good night’s sleep,” Xia Chen replied as he led Xu Xiaoyou toward the bed. They both collapsed onto the mattress, and Xu Xiaoyou tried to get up, but Xia Chen wouldn’t let her go, holding her tightly. He couldn’t let Xu Xiaoyou escape tonight.

“Honey,” Xia Chen called softly, “honey… honey…”

With each soft mention of “honey,” Xu Xiaoyou felt her body melt, and she let Xia Chen have his way.

Back in City S, Xia Chen kept himself extremely busy. He worked late into the night at the company, then would catch a quick nap in the designated break room before continuing with unfinished tasks the next day. Yilin watched him with concern; it had been a long time since he had seen Xia Chen looking this worn out. In the past, Mr. Chen had always shared responsibilities with him. Now, Xia Chen was left to handle matters for three companies all on his own. When would Mr. Chen return?

The moment Xu Xiaoyou emerged from the airport, she spotted Xia Chen right away. He stood out in the crowd, wearing a stunning silver trench coat that he had bought during her last shopping trip with Jingjing. After realizing that Xia Chen’s wardrobe was filled with nothing but black clothes, Xu Xiaoyou had suggested switching up his style with a different color. However, with everything that had happened afterward, that idea slipped her mind. She never expected him to actually wear it out, which indicated that he might not be opposed to other colors after all.

Upon closer inspection, she noticed that the outfit suited him quite well and looked much better than his usual black attire. She thought to herself that she should help him add some color to his wardrobe; after all, he was still young-there was no need for him to wear just one color all the time.

Xia Chen took Xu Xiaoyou’s belongings with one hand while using the other to gently pull her along as they made their way out of the airport.

“Ah Xia, you look really good in that outfit,” she commented.

“Then why didn’t you tell me when you bought it? I had to find out for myself!” If it hadn’t been for Yilin discovering it while getting clothes for him, he would have never known that Xu Xiaoyou had bought him a new coat.

“Honestly, I was afraid you wouldn’t like the color,” Xu Xiaoyou explained.

“As long as you bought it, I would like it,” Xia Chen replied seriously, looking into her eyes.

“Really?” Xu Xiaoyou asked with a hint of excitement in her voice. “Then I should buy you something red to try. I’ve always thought you would look great in red.”

Xia Chen felt a sweat drop running down his forehead at her suggestion. Red? How could she even think of that? A grown man walking out in a red outfit would surely turn heads, especially if it were a CEO going to work dressed in such a way. He could only imagine what the office gossip would be like.

“Put that ridiculous idea away. Don’t even think about it; I absolutely won’t wear red,” he insisted.

Xu Xiaoyou pouted, recalling how he had just said that he liked everything she bought for him. It seemed he was changing his mind rather quickly.

It had only been a few days since they had returned, but Xu Xiaoyou was already back at work. When she arrived at the newspaper office, she heard that there was a new editor-in-chief. It was said that he was young, talented, and a returnee from overseas, but she hadn’t seen this so-called returnee since starting work there.

On the other hand, Jingjing had undergone quite a transformation. One could tell from her attire that she had changed a lot. Xu Xiaoyou guessed that Jingjing must have found a boyfriend, but when she asked her about it, Jingjing merely denied it.

Wang Jie was someone Xia Chen had encountered several times, usually downstairs at the newspaper office. Only then did he realize that Wang Jie was the so-called returnee that all the women in the office had been talking about. He never expected that they would end up working at the same newspaper.

“When did you get back?” Xia Chen asked the woman sitting on the couch in the CEO’s office.

“Right before the New Year,” she replied, absentmindedly playing with her freshly manicured nails.

Xia Chen frowned; she had returned so soon after the New Year. The woman noticed the look on his face and inferred that she had irritated him again, which meant she had achieved her intended effect. “Don’t worry, I’m not back to annoy you.”

As Xia Chen looked at her, he realized that in the few months since they had last seen each other, she had changed quite a bit. She seemed more mature and sensible, unlike the time when she would barge in without knocking.

“So what brings you back?” Xia Chen was curious. If it wasn’t to bother him, then what could possibly interest her?

With a light breath, she uttered two words that genuinely surprised him-“Getting married.”

“Aren’t you happy that I found my own happiness in the UK?” she continued.

“Of course! It’s just that I didn’t expect you to decide to get married so quickly.” The news jolted him; he had always thought she returned to reignite old flames with him, not to start a new chapter in her life.

“Ah Xia, after leaving you, I realized that there really is someone willing to invest in you, simply to see you happy. I don’t want to lose him, so that’s why I came back. You don’t mind, do you?” She stood up from the couch.

“Of course not. I genuinely wish you happiness,” Xia Chen replied earnestly.

“Thank you.” She glanced at the time. “He should be finishing work soon; I need to go.”

“Disee,” Xia Chen called out just as she was about to push open the door to leave.

“Is there something else?” Dissie turned back and asked.

“Who is that man?” Xia Chen was genuinely curious about who could move her so deeply.

Dissie smiled and said, “You will get to know him.”

Dissie left after a long while, and Xia Chen remained seated, lost in thought. In just a few short months, she had transformed so much; he couldn’t help but wonder what kind of man could bring about such a change in her. Looking at himself, he noticed that he had not changed at all and was still standing still in his life. Xia Chen thought to himself that he could never measure up to Dissie.

When Xu Xiaoyou returned home, she almost thought a burglar had broken in. Unlike the last time when Mom Xia had left the door open, many of Xia Chen’s belongings were missing-items he cherished. Just as she contemplated calling Xia Chen, he entered through the door and said they were going out for dinner that evening.

Noticing him packing away his beloved items, Xu Xiaoyou asked, “What are you doing?”

As he continued to gather his things, Xia Chen replied, “These are too old; they need to go.”

Xu Xiaoyou watched as he put item after item into a bag, and she feared that if he continued this way, the entire house would be emptied.

“Ah Xia, I really like this pillow-could you please not throw it away?” She quickly snatched the pillow he often hugged from his hands.

“No, it’s too old; we have to get rid of it,” Xia Chen said as he reclaimed the pillow, knowing it was also one of her favorites that he couldn’t let slip away.

“If you keep tossing everything out, it’d be easier to just move instead-it would save you so much trouble,” Xu Xiaoyou muttered.

Xia Chen paused his packing, and Xu Xiaoyou thought he might have reconsidered, only for him to say, “You’re right; it’s time to move. Why didn’t I think of that?” He hurriedly made his way to the study to look for real estate listings. Xu Xiaoyou stood at the door of the study, utterly speechless. Could he be feeling overwhelmed, or was something troubling him? She had never seen him like this before.