Chapter 98

Chapter 98

“Watching through a screen won’t satisfy you. If you’ve got the nerve, come find me and look in person.” Xie Qiyan sounded perfectly composed. As he leaned back, he exposed only a sliver of his neck.

His prominent Adam’s apple shifted slightly as he spoke, so sexy that even through the screen it was hard to take.

Xia Wanzhi had no idea what exactly ran through the Becker Family bloodline for three generations.

But when it came to being a little too fond of good looks, she might have successfully inherited that from Ms. Ross.

All that reserve she had shown before getting together with Xie Qiyan had been fake.

After getting together with Xie Qiyan, it was as if her entire person had been unlocked.

The more thrilling, the better.

Xia Wanzhi was filled with regret.

She really should have taken a screenshot just now and saved it for later.

After all, with male beauty right in front of her, things like modesty could be set aside for the moment.

They had only been apart for a day, yet she actually missed him a little.

“I’m not looking anymore.” Xia Wanzhi suddenly remembered that tomorrow she had to attend the family ball in full dress. Although it was only a formality, if Xie Qiyan, that giant vinegar jar, found out she had to dance in another man’s arms-

The end of the world might really arrive.

Seeing her raised brows suddenly knit together, Xie Qiyan wondered if he had killed her mood.

He had only meant to tease her.

Even a grown man had his sensitive moments. So he lifted his knuckles and tugged at his tightly buttoned pajamas, revealing a bit of collarbone before clearing his throat awkwardly. “You can look if you want.”

Xia Wanzhi was amused, but she stubbornly teased him, “Beg me.”

Xie Qiyan: “…”

She was asking to be dealt with.

Since she couldn’t guarantee the room was completely soundproof, Xia Wanzhi was afraid that Xia Yongqing, her slippery father, might pretend to pass by and steal intelligence. So she didn’t dare keep the video call going for too long. After chatting a little more, she hung up and went to rest.

The next day, evening fell and the ball began. Xia Wanzhi made her grand entrance as the finale, dressed so magnificently she looked like a princess from a fairy-tale kingdom.

A Western-style ball-grand, elegant, and noble.

Music swirled through the hall and dance steps leaped, only to come to a halt with Old Richard’s voice.

The old man was introducing his granddaughter to everyone in polished, authentic English, his expression warm and relaxed.

There were too many remarks. As Xia Wanzhi listened, she accidentally drifted off, her gaze sweeping over the young nobles present.

The foreigners had all sorts of hair colors, but among the crowd, there seemed to be one dark head.

Black hair?

Xia Wanzhi’s gaze locked on it.

But there were too many people, and the person’s face was blocked.

She didn’t know if it was just her imagination, but Xia Wanzhi vaguely felt that the hairstyle was somewhat similar to Xie Qiyan’s.

Very quickly, she dismissed the thought.

This was a ball hosted by the Becker Family. How could Xie Qiyan possibly have wandered in?

It had to be a hallucination caused by missing him too much.

Xia Wanzhi pushed aside those wild thoughts. Right then, Old Richard finished his speech, and thunderous applause filled the room. Xia Wanzhi was the focus of the crowd, and once she came back to herself, she looked straight ahead with poised grace.

This was her first time attending such a foreign aristocratic social occasion. Old Richard led her around the entire time, and in just a short while, she had already met several family heirs.

They were indeed very fair-skinned.

Gentlemanly, polite, handsome, and at the same time, they did not hide their admiration for Xia Wanzhi in the slightest.

Given her status, Xia Wanzhi couldn’t be bothered to judge whether their fondness came from her background or genuine appreciation of her.

She didn’t remember a single one of their names. Her mind was full of Xie Qiyan.

What was Xie Qiyan doing?

Had Xie Qiyan eaten dinner?

Her phone wasn’t with her. Would Xie Qiyan send her a message?

She hadn’t told him about the ball. If Xie Qiyan found out one day, would he tie her up and do that to her…

Xia Wanzhi was obviously distracted.

Someone stepped forward and invited Xia Wanzhi to dance. Old Richard lifted his chin, signaling for Xia Wanzhi to socialize more.

This was the most basic courtesy.

Dancing was innocent.

Xia Wanzhi pressed her lips into a faint smile. After letting go of Old Richard’s arm, just as her fingertips were about to fall into the young nobleman’s hand, a warm palm cut in from the side and took her slender, pale fingers into its grasp.
Xia Wanzhi froze.

The young nobleman also looked in surprise at the man who had cut in on him.

The man had a face that could only be described as the cream of the crop among those of Eastern descent. Unlike the young nobleman’s gentleness, his presence was overwhelmingly powerful.

“My apologies, Mr. Walker. Ms. Xia Wanzhi promised me the first dance tonight.” Xie Qiyan had put on those refined-scoundrel glasses again. Behind the lenses, the possessiveness in his eyes was not hidden in the slightest.

He knew this young nobleman, and he was speaking Chinese.

The young man seemed to know him as well. He did not take offense. Perhaps he had guessed the relationship between the two of them, because he politely yielded.

Xia Wanzhi’s brain seemed to short-circuit. Her huge, bewildered eyes stared straight at Xie Qiyan, who had parachuted into the ball out of nowhere. “…”

Richard was still standing nearby, sizing Xie Qiyan up.

Anyone able to enter the manor and attend tonight’s ball must have received an invitation.

But Richard did not remember any Chinese guests on the invitation list.

And this man looked a little familiar.

Very much like the pretty boy who had appeared on the trending searches with his precious granddaughter some time ago.

“It is an honor to meet you, esteemed Mr. Richard.” Xie Qiyan naturally switched to holding Xia Wanzhi’s hand with his left hand, freeing his right to extend it toward Old Richard.

Old Richard looked at their tightly interlaced fingers with a taut expression.

Xia Wanzhi’s mind was not online, so she did not notice Old Richard’s hidden displeasure.

“You are…”

“Xie Qiyan.” Xie Qiyan introduced himself by his Chinese name.

The displeasure on Old Richard’s face very clearly deepened.

“Brother Xie?” Richard had heard Xia Yongqing and Rose mention him many times last night. The moment he heard the surname Xie, he immediately connected it to this Brother Xie.

Xia Wanzhi snapped back to herself. “…”

Had Brother Xie become famous both at home and abroad now?

“That’s me,” Xie Qiyan replied politely. Then he added, “Also Elvis, Mrs. York’s adopted grandson.”

The confusion in Old Richard’s eyes instantly turned to surprise, then slowly settled back into calm.

He had not invited Xie Qiyan, but he had indeed sent an invitation to the York Family.

“Ah, Mr. Elvis. Fine, I understand.” Old Richard’s gaze fell once more on their intertwined hands. With mixed feelings in his heart and his thoughts still a mess, he said mechanically, “Go dance.”

As soon as they walked away, Xia Wanzhi leaned close to him. Unable to pull her hand free, she simply pinched the flesh of Xie Qiyan’s thigh hard with her fingertips.

She kept a smile on her face, but the words squeezed out through her teeth carried a distinctly murderous edge. “Elvis? Mr. Elvis? Mrs. York’s adopted grandson?”

She had not gone easy on him. Although Xie Qiyan’s expression did not change, he was doing his utmost to endure the pain.

Xia Wanzhi let out a cold laugh. “Since when did you go off and become someone’s grandson?”

Xie Qiyan: “…”

“It’s a long story.” Xie Qiyan held her hand and manually guided her into the proper dance position. The spot on the outside of his thigh where she had pinched him was burning with pain. In a low voice, he laughed and said, “Dancing with my dear Princess Wanzi at the Becker Family’s ball is a very romantic thing. Would Princess Wanzi do me the honor of being happy for a moment?”

“When did I ever promise to save my first dance for you?” Xia Wanzhi puffed out her cheeks and deliberately stepped on his foot. “And you can still laugh? Xie Qiyan, you have too many secrets.”

He was hiding far, far too many things she did not know.

Perhaps she really had gotten too swept away. This love, into which she had fallen so swiftly and so deeply, was still not mature enough.

She had thought they were intimate without barriers. But in reality, she knew nothing at all about his secrets, or about the things that had once happened to him.