Chapter 47

Chapter 47

One trending topic and the whole world knew. Lately, Xie Qiyan had been bombarded with questions regarding his lifelong commitment.

Jiang Baichuan said, “A good brother would take a knife for you, so I won’t laugh at you for being someone’s boy toy. But seriously, when’s the wedding? I’ll give a gift of 9.99 million.”

Xie Tan asked, “Brother, can I start calling Sister Wanzi ‘Sister-in-law’ now?”

The Old Master said, “You… why didn’t you tell your grandfather you were with Wanzi? Since things have reached this point, find a time to meet her parents in the UK and settle the marriage between our families as soon as possible.”

Xie Qiyan: “…”

Without paying attention for a moment, he had first become a boy toy kept by a woman, and now he was being directly arranged for an engagement.

Rumors stop at the wise, but clearly, they were more than happy to play the fool.

After Xie Qiyan intervened, the heat of the matter slowly died down, and a week later, everything had returned to peace.

It was peaceful for others, but Xia Wanzhi woke up with a start and let out a wail.

Her world was ending.

Overnight, the Xia Family’s debt had dropped to zero. The several hundred million in debt from before had been cleared with a wave of a sleeve by her grandfather far away in the UK.

Old Xia and Ms. Ross were also scheduled to arrive in Beicheng in two hours.

Xia Wanzhi’s jaw dropped. As she climbed out of bed to wash up, she clutched her head with both hands and paced in circles.

Breaking off her engagement with Zhou Yu was exactly what that old man wanted. Clearly, the reason he had compromised was that the rumors of her keeping a boy toy had reached the UK and reached the ears of her grandfather and grandmother.

She was doomed.

Never mind the old couple being angry-if Old Xia and Ms. Ross found out she was playing with men in Beicheng, they would definitely resort to family discipline.

After pacing for a few more rounds, Xia Wanzhi calmed down. She stared blankly at herself in the mirror and then smacked her own forehead.

She was truly muddled.

What was there to panic about?

She hadn’t actually kept a boy toy.

At 10:30 AM, Xia Wanzhi’s phone finally rang with a call from Ms. Ross.

“Mommy…” Xia Wanzhi’s voice was sickeningly sweet.

“Oh, my baby, Mommy missed you so much-” Ms. Ross’s gentle voice sounded. Xia Wanzhi’s eyes grew misty, but just as she was about to wipe them, she heard her mother shift her vocal register and roar from the gut-

“Xia Wanzi, you are simply audacious, reckless, rebellious, and dog-witched!” Ms. Ross couldn’t wait to scold her as soon as she got off the plane. “Tell me! Who is that ‘big white-faced toy’ you’ve been colluding with? Tell me and I’ll kill him!”

“That’s a bit extreme, a bit extreme…” Old Xia was beside her, stroking Ms. Ross’s back to soothe her.

Xia Wanzhi: “…”

Having not seen them for nearly three months, Ms. Ross’s habit of butchering idioms was the same as ever, her rose-like fiery temper was the same as ever, and Old Xia’s love for being the peacemaker was the same as ever.

“Mom, I missed you so much, waaaah-” Hearing their voices, Xia Wanzhi couldn’t hold back the stinging in her eyes. Tears flooded out like an open sluice gate.

Ms. Ross’s anger vanished at the sound of that thunderous crying, replaced only by the longing and heartache of not having seen her for many days.

The couple rushed to the address Xia Wanzhi gave them without stopping. After arriving at Lanting Bieyuan, the family of three hugged and cried for a while.

All three of them were emotional people.

Once things settled down, Xia Wanzhi still couldn’t escape the interrogation.

“I didn’t play with men, and I didn’t keep a boy toy. I swear on my parents’ lives, not a single word is a lie!” Xia Wanzhi raised three fingers to the sky and swore earnestly.

“Fine, fine, if you’re going to swear, then swear. But swearing on your parents’ lives? Do you have no filial piety left?” Old Xia hadn’t really believed it when he saw the video that had gone viral even abroad. He understood his daughter’s character.

Ms. Ross huffed, reluctantly believing her. Then she cupped Xia Wanzhi’s face with both hands, rubbing it while repeatedly saying she had gotten thinner.

Weight lost from a daughter’s body is pain felt in the parents’ hearts. The next second, Old Xia jumped up, rolled up his sleeves, and said he was going to buy groceries to stew a highly nutritious tonic soup for his daughter.
The couple headed out together, and Xia Wanzhi couldn’t stop them. Her eyes felt sore and swollen from crying for so long, so she got up to wash her face. Just as she stood, a sudden shriek erupted from the doorway.

“What happened? What’s going on?” Xia Wanzhi rushed to the scene. She managed to stop her feet in time, but her gaze kept moving, crashing straight into Xie Qiyan’s ink-black eyes. He was in the middle of moving in today.

I’m doomed.

Xia Wanzhi gave a hollow laugh, feeling the helpless exhaustion of being caught red-handed.

Seeing Xia Wanzhi’s parents, Xie Qiyan froze for a brief moment. Ignoring Ms. Ross’s earlier scream, he greeted them politely: “Hello, Uncle, Auntie.”

He was being incredibly well-behaved.

Xia Wanzhi pressed her fingers to her temples, wishing she could faint on the spot.

Xie Qiyan looked at her with a half-smile.

Old Xia and Ms. Ross stared intently at Xie Qiyan as if trying to confirm his identity. After a long while, Old Xia pointed at the two of them. “A neighbor? Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

Ms. Ross flew into a rage. “What’s there to introduce? Isn’t it obvious he’s the man your daughter is playing around with!”

Xia Wanzhi’s jaw dropped in horror, and she quickly tried to explain, “Mom! I’m not playing around!”

Ms. Ross was even more scandalized. “You’re not playing? You two are serious? The kind that’s going to get married?”

“OMG, let me calm down…”

Xia Wanzhi: “…”

Sometimes, having an overactive imagination was truly a disease.

Xie Qiyan remained unfazed, watching Xia Wanzhi with leisurely composure.

In front of her parents, her voice carried a hint of a spoiled pout. As she explained herself, her face was a picture of grievance; she shifted her weight restlessly, stomping her foot as if she might turn around and retreat into the house in a huff at any second.

Xie Qiyan lowered his gaze, his expression softening.

“You didn’t even think to help me explain,” Xia Wanzhi grumbled, leaning against the wall with her arms hanging limp. She watched her parents, who were supposed to be out grocery shopping, head back inside. She let out a long sigh.

“I’m being treated like a boy toy you’ve kept and played with. I’ve suffered enough grievance already; shouldn’t you be the one explaining for me?”

Xia Wanzhi ground her molars.

This man was so petty and annoying after the fact; he really deserved a beating.

Now that her parents were back, her support system had returned. Emboldened, Xia Wanzhi didn’t bother holding back her frustration and swung a small, pink fist directly at Xie Qiyan’s chest.

Without saying a word or listening to reason, she hit him and ran.

The punch felt as if it had landed right on his heart. Xie Qiyan stared at the door across the hall. After a moment, a faint smile spread to the corners of his eyes.

Back inside, Xia Wanzhi went over everything that had happened recently. It took a lot of talking and a very dry throat to finally convince Ms. Ross.

Whether the world had changed or the motherly love had simply run dry, Ms. Ross actually blurted out: “You don’t like him even though he’s that handsome? That’s just wrong.”

Xia Wanzhi: “…”

What was wrong was this situation!

As the evening glow faded and night replaced day, Old Xia’s homemade ginseng, goji berry, and black chicken soup was served. Xia Wanzhi had just sat down and started stirring her soup with a spoon when Ms. Ross barked at her to go next door and call their neighbor for dinner.

“Where are your manners? Go call Brother Xie over for dinner!” Ms. Ross lightly swatted the back of Xia Wanzhi’s hand.

If the table had been set with Western cuisine, Ms. Ross would have maintained her usual grace and elegance. But with Chinese food, she followed the local customs-whatever was most comfortable.

Driven out of the house, Xia Wanzhi paced in front of Xie Qiyan’s door, her hand rising and falling as she hesitated to knock.

Perhaps by coincidence, just as she was debating whether to knock, Xie Qiyan opened the door from the inside.

He had changed into loungewear: a simple, loose white T-shirt and black pants. It was a minimalist look that made him appear quite young.

Xia Wanzhi instinctively took a step back. Looking at him, she couldn’t help but swallow hard.

Looking at him like this… he really could pass for a boy toy.