BXBX NOVEL Chapter 222 - Two -Hundred and Twenty-Two: Difficult to Coax
“I don’t think Shi Gao will give up. She seems intent on trying to break up Shi Ke and Xiang Yang, regardless of the cost,” Yun Nan remarked worriedly.
Shi Nian replied, “It’ll be fine. Chang Yuan will warn the ShiA family to behave. The ShiA family recently undertook one of our projects, so they wouldn’t want to sour relationships with us. Their lawyer will explain things clearly when he goes back. Right now, I’m just afraid that Shi Gao will do something. I’ll get someone to keep an eye on the media.”
Yun Nan nodded. “Alright. I’ll also inform the press that I’m familiar with. Even though the Internet is very sophisticated nowadays, there are only a few influential news outlets.”
Shi Nian thought about it but was still slightly worried, so he called Chang Yuan again. Yun Nan chuckled, “I feel like your relationship with Chang Yuan is more like buddies than that of an employer and employee, but it’s slightly different from your relationship with Ye Kun and the others.”
Shi Nian nodded. “Chang Yuan’s grandfather was my grandfather’s butler for as long as I could remember. He passed away a few years ago. Chang Yuan’s parents died in an accident when he was very young. It was too difficult for
Grandpa Chang to care for his grandchild alone, so Grandpa decided to bring Chang Yuan to our place. Chang Yuan grew up with us, so he’s basically one of the family.”
“It’s just that Grandpa Chang had instructed him to serve our family well, and Chang Yuan always followed those instructions. He treats himself as an outsider, a servant, even though our entire family has never thought of him as such. Shi Ke and I have beaten him up for this before, but Chang Yuan was too stubborn to change his mind, and we weren’t willing to beat him up too badly,” Shi Nian continued.
“We could only let him move out and work for our company as he wished. No one in our family, from Grandpa to Mom and Dad, treats him as an outsider. Everything that we have, he also has a share, but we have to be careful not to trample on that aggravating self-esteem of his. He doesn’t like Ye Kun and the others, so he doesn’t interact with them much.”
It was the first time Yun Nan heard him talk about Chang Yuan. Only then did she understand why that fastidious man was so loyal but felt so out of place.
Xiang Yang went to the living room after she’d taken a shower and saw that Shi Ke had already changed into loungewear and was sitting on the sofa reading her product magazine. Due to professional habits, Shi Ke sits straight and properly even when relaxing.
He raised his head to look at Xiang Yang and frowned before he got up to find the hairdryer and sat her down on the sofa to dry her hair. So long as he was around, he would help her dry her hair because she could never dry it properly —she was always quite sloppy when it came to taking care of herself.
Xiang Yang hugged Shi Ke’s waist when he turned around to put away the hairdryer after he’d finished drying her hair, but didn’t say a word. Shi Ke lowered his head and looked at the tightly clasped hands at his waist. He patted them gently, placed the hairdryer on the coffee table, and then turned around to squeeze close together with Xiang Yang.
Xiang Yang’s face was still slightly swollen from her earlier crying jag. Feeling self-conscious about her looks, Xiang Yang turned her head away. However, Shi Ke gently turned her head towards him and kissed her. “Alright, my princess,” he uttered. “If you’re still angry, I’ll get Chang Yuan to beat that kid up, okay? I guarantee we’ll beat him so badly that his mom won’t recognize him.’
That made Xiang Yang laugh, and she quietly muttered, “Why ask Chang Yuan to beat him up?”
Shi Ke swiftly replied, “You want me to do it myself? Okay—I‘
“No!” Xiang Yang said immediately and glared at Shi Ke. Even though she knew he was joking, she couldn’t accept him using his identity to do something so absolutely unworthy.
Shi Ke reached out and ruffled Xiang Yang’s head. “I’m sorry, honey. It’s all my fault. We agreed to take a vacation together, but I stood you up, and you had to go to Lu Town alone.”
Shi Ke knew he owed her. Xiang Yang rubbed her head against his palm, and
Shi Ke kissed her forehead before saying, “It’s late. Let’s go to bed.”
Xiang Yang met Shi Ke’s eyes and asked seriously, “Darling, don’t you want to know why I fought with someone? Are you really not at all interested in my past, just like you told Shi Gao?”
Shi Ke thought for a bit before he also asked a question, “Do you think what I said to Shi Gao was just for show?” He sighed helplessly, “Honey, I meant everything I said.”
Xiang Yang bit her lip and said softly, “I actually wanted to tell you about my past for a long time now, but I never had the right opportunity. I also… didn’t have the courage to tell you. I was afraid—afraid you would despise me.”
Shi Ke chuckled, “I would never! Why would I despise you?” He patted Xiang Yang’s shoulder and stated, “You can tell me whenever you’re ready. I’ll just treat it as a story. If you’re not ready to tell your story, if telling it will make you sad, then you can continue to keep it to yourself. Xiang Yang, life is a luxury. We should cherish the present and the future, not dwell on the past..”