Chapter 67

Chapter 67

But just now, when she had felt Xie Qiyan’s heart pounding in the sea, when he had carried her back to the room, when a drop of water had fallen from the ends of his hair and landed on her lips…

Her heart had sped up without warning, and she had even lost control of that god-tier imagination of hers.

That single drop of water had felt as if it had turned into Xie Qiyan’s lips kissing her.

And then there was just now, when she’d accidentally caught him taking off his shirt and revealing that dangerously tempting scenery. The little devil in her heart had suddenly popped up, flapping its wings with a whoosh beside her ear and whispering-

Take him down! Paint to your heart’s content on those abs!

Every single one of these messy, improper thoughts was hinting at the same thing: she had wicked intentions toward a man.

The more Xia Wanzhi thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed. She couldn’t help tightening her grip around the glass. The moment she looked up and met Xie Qiyan’s worried yet puzzled eyes, she hurriedly downed the entire glass of water as if to cover up her guilt.

Xie Qiyan had no idea she was letting her mind wander into such indecent territory. Seeing her choke on the water, he very naturally reached out and patted her on the back. “Drink slowly.”

Xia Wanzhi’s heart skipped another beat.

Was Xie Qiyan baiting her?

The kind where he played hard to get?

–

Ten o’clock at night corresponded to two o’clock in the afternoon in the UK.

An international news item climbed onto the trending list for financial news-

#Heir of the Becker Family Succession Ceremony#

#Heir of the Becker Family Ms. Ross#

At the same time, the trending news drew plenty of attention back home. A few minutes later, marketing accounts quickly seized on the buzz and began posting videos nonstop-

#Xia Group Bankruptcy Means A Different Kind Of Rise#

#Madam Xia’s Full Name Is Rose Becker#

#Richard Becker’s Granddaughter Xia Wanzhi#

And just like that, after the marketing accounts got involved, a piece of financial news shot straight to number one on the entertainment rankings. The news that Xia Wanzhi had Becker Family blood spread throughout the entire illustrious family circle of Beicheng.

[I am SHOOK. Did I just witness a phoenix rising from the ashes?]

[Madam Xia is actually the heir of the Becker Family?! Something this incredible was hidden from the whole world?]

[So the Xia Family went bankrupt for nothing? Don’t tell me they deliberately went bankrupt just so she could return to the UK and take over the Becker conglomerate?]

[Xia Wanzhi is a real princess, ahhhhhh!]

[Oh my god, is this the Becker Family I know? The Becker Family ranked in the top fifty on the global wealth list?]

[Replying upstairs: yes, that’s the one! Anyone who bullied our Becker-Xia Family Little Princess before, you’ve kicked an iron plate this time!]

[Hahahaha, shouldn’t the one crying the hardest be that person from the Zhou Family? Hahaha. The face-slapping for that scumbag came way too fast! The Xia Family is basically a living revenge novel!]

…

The news spread too quickly. Since they were all living in the 5G era, the people on the cruise ship naturally saw the trending news as well.

Inside the banquet hall, everyone who saw the trending topics sucked in a sharp breath. While marveling at Xia Wanzhi’s background, they also desperately tried to recall whether they had ever offended her in any way.

There had been no small number of people who’d kicked the Xia Family while they were down. Now, their faces had all turned green. Not only did they regret missing the chance to build ties with the Becker Family, they were also worried about whether trouble would come knocking in the future.

In a corner, Sun Xiao, who had only just called home to ask for protection because she was terrified that Xie Qiyan would come after her for accidentally pushing Xia Wanzhi into the sea, immediately saw the trending news. Her whole body froze on the spot as if she had sunk into the deep ocean and run out of oxygen.

How was this possible…

Hadn’t Xia Wanzhi’s family gone bankrupt? Why was she suddenly connected to the Becker Family now?
Sun Xiao had lived in the UK since she was little. From the supermarkets she visited to the elite private school she attended, everything was property under the Becker Family’s name. She knew better than anyone how glorious it was to have a connection to the Becker Family.

Not to mention, what flowed through Xia Wanzhi’s veins was the blood of the Heir of the Becker Family…

Sun Xiao was drowning in regret.

While the outside world had boiled over into chaos, the heroine at the center of all the heated discussion had caught a chill and collapsed dizzily onto the bed, already fast asleep.

Xie Qiyan read the news. The moment he turned off the screen, the corners of his lips curved slightly.

The Little Princess was still the same Little Princess.

Xie Qiyan almost began to feel that even he was not worthy of the Little Princess.

The doorbell rang. Jiang Baichuan had personally come to deliver clothes and shoes. Xie Qiyan accepted them expressionlessly and was just about to close the door when Jiang Baichuan blocked it with his hand.

Jiang Baichuan smiled without quite smiling. “Where’s Xiao Wanzi?”

A flicker of displeasure crossed Xie Qiyan’s eyes. “Speak properly.”

Jiang Baichuan pushed the door open and walked straight in. Seeing no one on the sofa, he guessed that Xia Wanzhi was probably resting in the bedroom, so he lazily flopped down on the couch and teased, “President Xie has quite the eye. You picked out the Becker Family’s Little Princess at first glance.”

Xie Qiyan shot him a cold look.

He wasn’t sure whether Xia Wanzhi could hear them.

“But then again, that cousin of yours from the Zhou Family doesn’t have the good fortune. Xia Wanzhi was destined to be yours.” Jiang Baichuan raised a brow.

After all that, Xie Qiyan finally heard something from him that he found pleasing. He even abandoned the idea of kicking him out. “You said that. It has nothing to do with me.”

“Hah.” Jiang Baichuan let out a cold snort. “Still won’t admit it.”

“I’ll handle what happened tonight myself.” Xie Qiyan ignored his teasing, turned around, and spoke to him about serious business.

In the short time just now, he had already had Huo Yang give the Sun Family a warning, and incidentally make the entire Sun Family pay a small price.

If the Sun Family didn’t know how to educate their granddaughter, then Xie Corporation would do it for them.

Jiang Baichuan chuckled lightly. “You’re surprisingly obedient.”

“What else? Be like you, wanting to listen but having no one to listen to?” Xie Qiyan countered, then gave a soft scoff. “How pitiful.”

Jiang Baichuan: “…”

Because of Xia Wanzhi’s remark about extravagance, and because of the incident tonight in which she fell into the water, Jiang Baichuan had already given orders for the cruise ship to return. After half an hour, the ship had now docked, and the people on board disembarked one after another, each carrying an indescribable mix of emotions.

They had never expected that in the end, Xie Qiyan would turn out to be the biggest winner.

Once the cruise ship docked, Xie Qiyan knocked on Xia Wanzhi’s bedroom door. Receiving no response, he had no choice but to overstep and push the door open on his own.

Xia Wanzhi had left a warm bedside lamp on. Now she was nestled in the soft covers, only her breathtakingly beautiful face visible.

Xie Qiyan approached and was just about to speak when he noticed that, despite being sound asleep, her brows were tightly furrowed. Almost instinctively, he raised a hand to check her temperature.

Her temperature was normal. The heart Xie Qiyan had been holding up slowly settled back down. But then he thought that perhaps she had been frightened when she fell into the sea and was dreaming about something, and his breathing could not help but grow heavier again.

He did not wake her. Instead, he gently pressed his fingertip to the space between her brows, tenderly smoothing away the crease in her forehead.

The cruise ship remained docked at the shore overnight. Xia Wanzhi slept surprisingly well in the latter half of the night. When she woke in the morning and saw the sleep-inducing incense by the bed that had yet to burn out, an indescribable warmth flowed through her heart.