Chapter 81: Warm Hands

This villa district was perpetually quiet, offering a comfortable living environment—much more serene than Meng Ying’s Xinyue neighborhood. As a result, the living room was equally tranquil at this moment, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Zhao Qiao was on the sofa, likely engrossed in texting on WeChat, while Xu Dian and Xu Yi played Go in silence.

The game itself demanded patience and mental effort. Meng Ying shifted from sitting sideways to resting her head on Xu Dian’s shoulder. His collar carried a faint warmth and a subtle hint of tobacco. The fingers of the hand not holding a piece gripped her wrist as he focused intently on the board, his fingertips brushing lightly against her skin.

No matter where you looked from, you’d find yourself stealing an extra glance at the two of them. The man was handsome, the woman beautiful. Even without speaking, just leaning gently against each other in unconscious intimacy, they were a sight to behold.

Zhao Qiao picked up her phone and secretly snapped several more photos.

[Group Chat: A Bunch of Flowers (35)]

The photos were sent out.

Zhao Qiao: What do you think? Do they match? Tell me, do they match?!

Wen Qinqin: Very much so. The girl seems quite dependent on Xu Dian.

Li Yuan: They match—super well!

Li Yuan: Oh, if only my nephew could hurry up and remarry.

Zhao Qiao: No, it’s Xu Dian who depends on Meng Ying. Didn’t you see my son holding onto the girl’s hand and not letting go?

Wen Qinqin: I zoomed in to look—hmm, that hand is still missing a ring.

Zhao Qiao: Are you hinting at something?

Wen Qinqin: Guess?

Xu Dian cut off the path Xu Yi had been carefully planning for a while. He took a bold, unconventional move to break out, and Xu Yi finally realized he’d paved the way for his son’s victory. In a hurry, Xu Yi tried to block him. Xu Dian’s black pieces were intercepted, but he remained unruffled. Calmly retracting his hand, he glanced at Meng Ying during a brief pause and asked, “Tired?”

Meng Ying shook her head. “Not tired.”

She was a little worn out, though. Wearing high heels all day had left the tops of her feet sore. Her toes, painted with dark red polish, wiggled slightly. Xu Dian lowered his gaze, catching sight of them, and said, “Go lie on the sofa.”

Meng Ying muttered, “Lie down for what? I’m not sleeping.”

“I’m not telling you to sleep.” Xu Dian glanced at Zhao Qiao. She picked up a nearby throw pillow and tossed it over. Xu Dian caught it with one hand, stuffed it into Meng Ying’s arms, and nudged her. “Go, lie on the sofa—or would you rather lie in my arms?”

Meng Ying pursed her lips.

She shot him a look.

Xu Dian froze for a second, probably not expecting her to pout so playfully.

And that little pout really made his heart skip a beat. He wanted to say something more, but Xu Yi interrupted, “Hey, it’s your move.”

Xu Dian’s gaze shifted back to the Go board.

His focus wasn’t quite there, so he casually placed a black stone. Xu Yi’s eyes widened, and in the next second, he couldn’t hold back. He immediately played a white stone, breaking the setup Xu Dian had laid out earlier. The entire game flipped in an instant. Zhao Qiao, watching from the side, ran over in surprise, grabbed Xu Yi’s face, and planted a kiss on him.

“My God, you finally beat your son!!!”

Xu Yi: “Cough, cough.”

Xu Dian clicked his tongue and quickly rearranged the pieces. Seeing Meng Ying settle against the back of the sofa, he pulled her feet over, resting them on his knee. His fingertips gently massaged them as he said, “Beauty leads to the downfall of a kingdom.”

Meng Ying picked up her phone, paused, and looked at him. “What did you say?”

Xu Dian’s throat caught for a moment. “Nothing.”

The game grew brutal toward the end. Xu Yi had seized the upper hand, and even though Xu Dian tried to turn it around, he fell behind after losing a single piece. Still, fortunately, he didn’t lose by too much.

Meng Ying played on her phone while feeling her feet being gently kneaded.

Lifting her eyes from the screen, she saw his fingers moving tenderly back and forth over the tops of her feet.

She didn’t hold back anymore and snuggled closer into his lap.

Xu Dian raised his eyes to glance at her, then leaned in and whispered, “Want me to slip them under your clothes?”

Meng Ying’s face flushed.

She glanced over at Xu Yi and Zhao Qiao, but Zhao Qiao was too busy, eagerly teaching Xu Yi how to play the next round, determined to beat Xu Dian again.

Xu Yi listened patiently.

Even though Zhao Qiao’s advice was all over the place, he took it all in stride.

A new game began.

The living room quieted down again. Meng Ying leaned against the chair back, chatting with Xu Qing.

Xu Qing: Where are you? We just got to the neighborhood, planning to drop by your place.

Meng Ying: Not home. Tomorrow night, maybe.

Xu Qing: Where’d you go?

Meng Ying: Xu Dian’s place.

Xu Qing: His family home?

Xu Qing’s sixth sense was pretty sharp.

Meng Ying: Yeah.

Xu Qing: Nice. I feel like I should start preparing a wedding gift. What should I get you? How about I gift you an apartment?

Meng Ying: My goodness, no need.

Xu Qing: Come on, take it. My husband recently acquired a stalled apartment building in Li City. He’s planning to rebuild it into upscale duplex apartments. Xinyue neighborhood is starting to feel less suitable for living, so we’ll move over there eventually.

Meng Ying: A stalled apartment building? How long will it take to finish?

Xu Qing: About six months. It’s not exactly stalled—it’s already in the renovation phase, but the original owner suddenly didn’t want to continue.

Meng Ying: Then I’ll reserve one. That way, I won’t have to look elsewhere.

Xu Qing: I’ll gift it to you…

“Meng Ying, ah, come eat some cherries.” Zhao Qiao brought out a bowl of cherries and handed one to Meng Ying. Meng Ying felt a bit embarrassed and quickly looked up, reaching out to take one herself. As Zhao Qiao munched on some, she went back to offering her chaotic guidance to the Go game. She seemed eager to play herself. Meng Ying noticed Xu Dian was quite focused—one hand playing the game, the other gently massaging her feet. She reached for a few cherries, leaned over, and held one to Xu Dian’s mouth.

Without shifting his gaze from the board, Xu Dian opened his mouth and ate it.

It was as if he’d eat anything she fed him, completely naturally. Seeing he only ate one, Meng Ying offered another. Xu Dian took out the pit, accepted it, and had just bitten into the cherry when—bang—her phone slipped from her hand due to her position.

Xu Dian bent down, picked it up for her, and as he was about to hand it back, his eyes inadvertently caught a glimpse of the screen.

Xu Qing’s message: “I’ll gift it to you…”

It caught his attention.

Xu Dian scanned the chat history in a flash, taking it all in without a word, then silently handed the phone back to Meng Ying. She took it, oblivious to the fact that he’d read her conversation.

She leaned back against the sofa again.

After making another move, Xu Dian grabbed his own phone from the side and started typing.

Xu Dian: Mr. Gu, keep your wife in check.

Gu Sui: Hm?

Xu Dian: She wants to buy my wife a house. I can’t stand it.

Gu Sui: Oh, just bear with it. It’ll pass.

Xu Dian: …

Gu Sui: If you really can’t handle it, buy one yourself and see which one she picks to live in.

Xu Dian: “…”

She’d definitely choose the one with Xu Qing!

“Oh, Xu Yi, you’re about to win again!” Zhao Qiao exclaimed excitedly. “You’re amazing tonight!”

Xu Dian looked up.

The board was dominated by white stones again. He’d just made… a terrible move.

It was getting late, and they packed up the Go board. The last two games had both gone to Xu Yi. Zhao Qiao praised him several times before coming over to take Meng Ying’s arm. “Come on, let’s head to bed. I’ve prepared pajamas for you.”

Meng Ying was getting sleepy too. She had an interview tomorrow. Obediently slipping on her shoes, she stood up and chatted with Zhao Qiao as they headed upstairs. Behind them, the two men watched their retreating figures in unison.

Xu Dian popped a mint into his mouth, unbuttoning his cuffs as he followed them upstairs.

After Zhao Qiao pulled Meng Ying into the room, she took a black silk dress from the wardrobe and handed it to her. It was a modest dress, but Meng Ying’s fair skin made the snug fit accentuate her figure beautifully. After putting it on, she stretched lazily. Zhao Qiao went into the bathroom to freshen up, and Meng Ying’s phone pinged with a WeChat message.

She glanced down.

Xu Dian: Come out.

Meng Ying paused, walked to the door, and yanked it open. Xu Dian, chewing on the candy, grabbed her arm, spun her around, and pulled her into the nearby storage room. The entryway to the storage room was narrow. As soon as they stepped in, Meng Ying found herself pressed against the wall. Xu Dian lowered his gaze, his fingertips tugging lightly at her dress.

The hem started to lift.

Meng Ying quickly pressed it down with her hand. He chuckled lowly, crunching the candy with a sharp *crack*, then lifted his eyes and kissed her, pinning both her hands above her head.

The entryway was too tight.

They could only face each other, barely able to stand flat. Meng Ying’s back was pressed firmly against the wall.

With no light, the darkness heightened every sensation. Meng Ying gripped his hand and whispered, “Let go.”

Xu Dian tilted his head, kissing her cheek. “No.”

“Here okay?”

“No way.”

She was at someone else’s house, and Zhao Qiao was waiting for her. In short, it wasn’t happening. Xu Dian laughed, let out a soft “mm,” tilted his head again, and kissed her deeply, lingering.

After a while, he finally let her go.

Meng Ying steadied herself, pushed the door open, and as she was about to step inside, she glanced back at the storage room. Xu Dian was unbuttoning his shirt collar, his neck slightly red from the heat, sharp like chiseled lines. His gaze flicked toward her—just a light sweep, no words—but that look made Meng Ying’s face flush.

She glared at him, then shoved the door open and went in.

Zhao Qiao was still in the bathroom, humming a tune.

Meng Ying let out a sigh of relief.

Soon after, Zhao Qiao finished up and came out. Meng Ying went to freshen up. Their pajamas were matching sister-style sets. By the time Meng Ying returned, it was already quite late.

The bed was large—1.8 meters wide—perfect for two people. Meng Ying chatted with Zhao Qiao for a bit before lying down to sleep. As soon as she settled in, Zhao Qiao reached over, pulled the blanket up to her shoulders, and tucked her in. Meng Ying froze for a moment. Zhao Qiao gently patted her, saying, “Sleep well, good night.”

That hand seemed to carry a kind of magic, lulling Meng Ying into sleep.

She had never been treated like this before.

Since the age of five, she’d slept alone. Chen Jiao had to tend to Meng Xiao and couldn’t—or wouldn’t—spare her any attention.

The next morning, Meng Ying woke up around the same time as Zhao Qiao. Still groggy, she saw Zhao Qiao practicing yoga. Meng Ying quickly joined her, and the two worked out together. After finishing, they washed up and changed. Since Meng Ying’s clothes from the previous night had been swapped out, the nanny brought her a new outfit.

Zhao Qiao said, “You’ve got an interview today. Xu Dian had someone deliver this last night.”

Meng Ying changed into it—a shoulder-length dress. Zhao Qiao nodded approvingly. “Gorgeous.”

She pulled Meng Ying downstairs.

Breakfast was already prepared. Xu Dian and Xu Yi came down one after the other. After eating, Xu Dian drove Meng Ying to her company, where she went in for a meeting.

Once the meeting wrapped up, she headed to a magazine shoot.

There were three covers in total, requiring six outfits. Today, they’d shoot two sets. Lunch was eaten out, and in the afternoon, she rushed to a personal interview. This time, Meng Ying was also there to promote *Twins*. Over twenty media outlets held microphones up to her, asking questions one by one.

Meng Ying answered gracefully.

She kept a smile on her face, her eyes curving gently, her voice soft and warm. Many of the reporters felt as if they were bathed in a spring breeze, eager to connect with her.

So, aside from a few sharp questions sourced from netizens, most were fairly gentle. Toward the end, one reporter asked, “You and Mr. Xu from the Xu Corporation—any plans on when you’ll get married?”

Meng Ying: “Not yet.”

“So, was it him chasing you back then, or you chasing him?”

Meng Ying: “Him, I suppose.”

“How did he chase you?”

Meng Ying smiled lightly. “Let me think….”

“He drove me back to my apartment every day…”

A wave of reporters: “???”

That’s it??

That’s it??

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