Chapter 55:

The soft and sweet way the young girl addressed him as “big brother” reached Xie Qichen’s ears. The man caught the mischievous glimmer in her eyes and hesitated for a moment—

So she had sent him those photos because she already knew he was C?!

“Certain people wanted to surprise me, but didn’t expect that I already knew, did you?” Tan Mo saw the sudden surprise on his face, and her eyes curved into crescent moons.

The usually obedient young girl now looked like a cunning fox.

She lifted her chin proudly, like a winner: “Xie Qichen, you actually wanted to tease me? You don’t have what it takes. You’re the one who got tricked…”

Before she could finish, she suddenly felt herself lifted off the ground and swept into his arms.

“Ahh—”

Startled, she instinctively wrapped her arms around Xie Qichen’s neck as he carried her into the bedroom, shut the door behind him, and walked inside.

Tan Mo couldn’t suppress her grin, though she felt both timid and flustered: “Xie Qichen…”

In the next moment, she fell back onto the soft, cloud-like white bed. Xie Qichen pinned her delicate wrists above her head, bent his right knee between her legs, leaned in close, and his dark eyes swirled with intensity:

“Feeling happy after tricking me?”

Tan Mo smirked with feigned arrogance: “Who told someone to start teasing me first…”

Before she could finish speaking, a searing kiss came crashing down on her.

The man kissed her like punishment, biting her lips, forcefully parting them with the urgency of a storm, and flooding her mouth with his aggressive breath.

He was so fierce…

Trapped in that small space, Tan Mo couldn’t help but let out a soft whimper. He was usually so gentle with her, and every time she saw this dominant side of him, her heart raced with excitement.

Dazed from his passionate kiss, Tan Mo finally felt him pull away slightly. He rested his forehead against hers and stared into her eyes:

“Still feeling smug?”

Her lips, kissed to a glossy sheen, looked like luscious peaches. She blushed and stammered, “Okay, okay… I won’t say anything else…”

“When did you find out?” Xie Qichen asked with a sigh. “You’ve known all along and didn’t tell me?”

Tan Mo smiled: “I just happened to come across it when I was using your phone a while back. I deliberately didn’t say anything—I wanted to see how long you’d keep it a secret.”

It had been in March. One day, Tan Mo’s phone had run out of battery, so she used his to log into the D-site. When she opened the app, she saw the account information in the background and discovered that Xie Qichen was actually C, the one who had always been with her in the live stream.

She had been both shocked and moved. But then she thought, why not pretend not to know and let him reveal it himself when he couldn’t hold back any longer.

“Actually, I started suspecting something when someone came to disrupt my live stream that day.”

“Hmm?”

“I brought up C to you on purpose. With your strong possessiveness, you didn’t seem jealous at all?”

Tan Mo laughed: “And besides, someone was being really fake. How could you possibly be okay with me meeting fans alone late at night? Even if I didn’t know before, I definitely would have figured it out then.”

Last night, when Xie Qichen had wanted to meet her in person, she had already known he was coming back early to surprise her. To really let him think she had fallen for it, she had pretended to be clueless and asked for his opinion.

Xie Qichen thought she was still in the dark, not realizing that he was actually the one who had been kept in the dark all along.

This round, she was on the fifth floor, way above him!!!

After hearing her explanation and seeing her delighted expression, Xie Qichen’s eyes softened with helpless affection. He gently traced circles around the bow on her blouse:

“So happy after tricking me, huh?”

The room was dimly lit, filled with a hazy intimacy. Tan Mo felt his lips brushing against hers from time to time, their kisses hovering between contact and separation.

She was stirred into a hazy, sweet state, yet still asked seriously:

“Xie Qichen, why did you start paying attention to me so early on? Why did you watch my live streams anonymously for so long? Back then, I thought C was strange—someone who supported me without any ulterior motive, never prying into my real life, just quietly staying by my side…”

Xie Qichen’s lips brushed against hers again, gently tracing their shape, as his deep voice rumbled out:

“At that time, watching your live stream was the closest I could get to seeing you, being near you.”

When he was overseas, he had accidentally learned she had an online account and sought her out. At that time, their relationship had been delicate and distant. Tan Mo had deliberately distanced herself from him while in China, and Xie Qichen hadn’t known what role he should play in her real life, so he had chosen to be just an anonymous viewer.

“I didn’t have any hidden motives,” he continued. “I just wanted to see you more, support and encourage you, and protect you in the live stream as much as I could from outside attacks.”

Tan Mo’s heart softened, and she looked at him with a slight sting in her nose:

“Xie Qichen, thank you…”

He sighed, “Again with the thanks?”

“When you went overseas those years, even though I still loved you in my heart, I did try to let go. I even wanted to erase you from my world and my memories. Yet you were there, staying by my side like that. My feelings for you don’t seem so pure anymore…”

A slight smirk lifted the corner of his lips, “You’re an idiot. Those four years, I was the one who chose to go overseas, not stay by your side. You forgetting me or hating me was only natural. Even if you didn’t love me back then, or even loved someone else, it’s fine. As long as we’re good now, right?”

Tan Mo obediently nodded, “I never loved anyone else. I only ever loved you…”

Xie Qichen smiled, “Yeah, I know.”

“And even though you didn’t give me the surprise you intended, I still managed to surprise you.”

“Hmm?”

Tan Mo gently gripped his tie, her eyes sparkling:

“Weren’t you surprised when you saw those photos on my phone just now?”

“I did hesitate for a moment when I saw them.”

“Did you really think I’d send those kinds of photos to random people in the live stream? I’m not insane—of course I knew it was you before sending them.”

The man’s voice dropped lower, “I almost came over to discipline you.”

Tan Mo tilted her head and kissed his chin, her smile radiant, her voice soft: “Then how do you plan to discipline me tonight?”

His dark eyes deepened: “You want me to discipline you?”

Tan Mo blinked at him playfully: “Do you want to?”

Gazing at Tan Mo, who was behaving like a mischievous little imp at the moment, Xie Qichen’s jaw tensed, his Adam’s apple bobbing. He leaned in close to her ear:

“Been feeding you too little lately? You’ve gotten bold after just three days of me being away.”

Tan Mo’s face flushed instantly. She heard him continue in a low voice:

“Are the teaching materials ready?”

She froze, embarrassed: “Shouldn’t you be the one to answer that…”

Xie Qichen caught her meaning and chuckled, kissing her earlobe: “Sweetheart, I’m not talking about that. It was already ready the moment it saw you.”

At his words, Tan Mo realized she was definitely going to be disciplined tonight, and her face flushed even deeper…

He smirked: “I was talking about something else.”

“What?”

“Precautions.”

Realizing she had misunderstood, Tan Mo’s face turned red instantly, “I brought them, I brought them…”

Xie Qichen smiled, his gaze lingering on the young girl in the spaghetti-strap dress, her bright eyes and white teeth, his eyes darkening. A few seconds later, he husked out:

“Then shall I start unwrapping my gift?”

At his words, Tan Mo suddenly thought of something and whispered:

“Boss, if you unwrap this gift, you can’t tell my husband. He’ll get mad at me if he finds out.”

Xie Qichen paused, his eyes darkening abruptly, “Like playing this game, huh?”

Tan Mo’s eyes curved into a smile: “I’m just kidding. You didn’t hear anything…”

“I heard everything.”

Xie Qichen scooped her into his arms and turned toward the bathroom, finally sitting her on the bathroom vanity with him.

He gripped her chin, forcing her to lift her face, while his other hand tugged at the bow on her chest. His raspy, amused voice dropped low:

“Tonight, let’s see who’s stronger—your husband or me.”

Tan Mo’s heart raced, her face flushed red. Before she could speak, her lips were sealed by his: “Mmm…”

The bathroom was dimly lit, the warmth slowly rising.

The night stretched long.

–

The night passed in bliss.

The next morning, thin sunlight filtered through the glass curtain wall, bathing the entire city of Licheng in light.

Inside the hotel room, everything was in disarray.

On the large bed, Tan Mo lay like a boneless creature, softly nestled in the man’s arms, fast asleep.

Her soft, black hair was spread out behind her, and her pale shoulders were dotted with faint pink kiss marks, like a pristine white porcelain piece stained with delicate red, exuding a broken kind of beauty.

Tan Mo slept deeply, not waking up even past nine o’clock.

Last night, Tan Mo had unexpectedly started a roleplay game, and before she could escape, she had been drawn by the man into a new world.

On one hand, she knew the man before her was Xie Qichen, yet he had addressed her with another identity, making her feel as if she had truly come for a secret rendezvous with her livestream’s wealthy patron, her face blushing red with embarrassment.

In the end, she had kissed his Adam’s apple, tearfully cooing that she only loved her husband, and the man had finally ended the game, carrying her out of the bathroom to begin a new round.

Last night, Xie Qichen had seemed as if he had taken some kind of pill, tirelessly disciplining and playing with her for three hours before finally letting her go…

Later, Tan Mo deeply regretted it. Why had she been so bored and teased him so much, even wearing such clothes? It was like willingly throwing herself into a tiger’s mouth QAQ.

Tan Mo was a restless sleeper, constantly shifting in Xie Qichen’s arms. After a while, she ended up waking the man beside her first.

Xie Qichen opened his eyes and instinctively pulled her closer again. Tan Mo’s head nuzzled against his chest, letting out a few soft, kitten-like murmurs.

It was enough to stir discomfort in him early in the morning.

Xie Qichen’s eyes darkened slightly as he gently kissed her ear.

After a while, Tan Mo woke up ticklish, drowsily opening her eyes to meet Xie Qichen’s gaze:

“Xie Qichen…”

“Awake?”

Tan Mo felt herself pulled even tighter, her face flushed as she scolded him: “You’re being naughty so early in the morning…”

The man smirked, “Who was the one being naughty first in my arms?”

“I was sleeping just now, I didn’t do anything…”

They gazed at each other, and Xie Qichen gently asked her:

“How do you feel today?”

She let out a soft hum, “I’m so tired, I don’t want to be with you anymore…”

He chuckled, “Who was the one getting impatient last night?”

“I wasn’t impatient at all.”

Tan Mo rolled over, turning her back to him, but was pulled back into his arms again. His low, amused voice whispered in her ear:

“Last night, someone was clearly very willing, my little fountain.”

At his words, recalling last night, Tan Mo’s face flushed crimson. Embarrassed, she turned her head and covered his mouth, “Don’t say it anymore…”

The man chuckled deeply but promised not to bring it up again.

They whispered affectionately for a while, and finally Tan Mo said she was hungry and wanted to get up for breakfast. Xie Qichen agreed and got up, “Wear my shirt first?”

“Okay…”

The reason her nightgown couldn’t be worn was because it had been torn last night—some people were just too much.

She slipped into his shirt, which was large enough to be worn like a dress, yet still incredibly seductive.

Xie Qichen glanced at her a few times, afraid she would catch a chill, so he quickly averted his gaze.

They got out of bed, and Xie Qichen first called the hotel to order breakfast while Tan Mo went to freshen up.

After a while, the hotel quickly delivered the breakfast, and after Xie Qichen finished washing up, he came out and saw Tan Mo sitting on the edge of the bed playing with her phone. He went over and took her hand: “Come, let’s have breakfast.”

“Okay…”

Holding her hand, Tan Mo was led to the sofa and ended up sitting in his lap, leaning against him:

“I’m so tired today, I don’t want to move.”

Xie Qichen laughed, “Then shall I feed you?”

She hummed in agreement, silently accepting his tender care. As she ate, she softly asked him:

“Was it safe later on last night?”

Last night, when they were playing around, Tan Mo had been so excited and urged him on, so Xie Qichen hadn’t taken precautions at first and only did so halfway through.

Now thinking back, Xie Qichen slightly regretted giving in last night, fearing that the girl might have an “accident.” He asked, “If you did get pregnant, what would you do?”

“If I really did get pregnant… I would definitely keep it, of course.”

Letting her go through an abortion for their child? That was crazy, and it would also be bad for her body.

The man kissed her forehead. Feeling his guilt, Tan Mo comforted him, saying it was okay and that they would test in a few days.

Yesterday had been in her safe period, so it should be fine.

Tan Mo ate the breakfast he fed her while continuing to scroll through her phone.

She habitually opened the D-site and discovered that there were now many private messages from fans:

[Jasmine, are you in a relationship?!]

[Baby, are you dating someone?! My classmate is your schoolmate, they said they saw you walking on campus with a guy two weeks ago!!]

[Jas, someone is saying you’re dating the CEO of Aochuang Tech, is that true? Some even say you’re married!!]

Tan Mo: ?!?!

Tan Mo was shocked as she clicked into Weibo and found that someone had started a trending topic about this yesterday. At first, someone had posted online that a classmate from Tan Mo’s school had taken photos of her and Xie Qichen walking hand-in-hand on campus.

Later, some of Tan Mo’s classmates from the same grade had come forward, saying they had seen Tan Mo’s public post on her social media and confirmed she was indeed in a relationship.

Many insiders had revealed that Tan Mo’s boyfriend was none other than Xie Qichen, the recently popular CEO of Aochuang Tech.

Some even claimed the two were already married.

Their romantic relationship had sparked a wave of online buzz, and many netizens were excited. Seeing the photos of the two holding hands and standing together, everyone had started to enthusiastically ship them.

Since neither of them were public figures like celebrities, their relationship wouldn’t cause controversy, and people were mostly curious and eager to know more.

[Jasmine is a food blogger, and Xie Qichen is the CEO of Aochuang’s drones. How could they possibly be connected?!]

[No, they both graduated from F University’s computer science department, and they’re even senior-junior classmates?!]

[Oh my god, they look so perfect together, so handsome and beautiful. I’m shipping them so hard, crying my eyes out.]

[Of course they’re a perfect match, both of them are the kind of people who would be considered the most beautiful and handsome in school.]

[Can the people involved come out and confirm this? Why are you hiding it?]

Seeing the heated online discussions about their relationship, Tan Mo’s face turned completely red. She looked at the man beside her in confusion:

“Xie Qichen, it seems like everyone found out about us…”

“Hmm?”

Tan Mo handed her phone to him, her cheeks flushed red as she held her face: “How did they find out so quickly…”

Xie Qichen raised an eyebrow, “With so many people at your school knowing, how long did you think you could keep it a secret?”

That was true…

Tan Mo hadn’t really intended to hide it. When she had posted that social media update, it meant the news would definitely spread. During the school festival, the two of them hadn’t kept their distance on campus. When Tan Mo filmed videos, she often showed her face. If someone was paying attention, it wouldn’t be hard to figure out.

Moreover, Tan Mo had visited Aochuang Group under the title of the CEO’s wife. If any employee had mentioned it outside, everyone would have known. There was no way to keep it hidden.

Since Tan Mo hadn’t publicly announced her relationship on her own account, many fans had come to confirm the news, and many had gone to Aochuang’s official Weibo account to ask for verification.

Xie Qichen looked at the girl in his arms, “What do you plan to do now? Ignore it or explain?”

“Ignoring it now wouldn’t be good either, and there’s no need…”

Tan Mo pouted, meeting Xie Qichen’s gaze, “Besides, why should I hide being with you?”

She wanted to show him off to others.

Tan Mo decided to go public, so Xie Qichen took out his phone, created a personal Weibo account, and quickly got it verified through connections. “I’ll make the announcement first.”

He thought it was better for the man to take the initiative in such matters.

“Ahh…”

Xie Qichen casually said to Tan Mo, “I’ve posted it. You can see how to explain the rest.”

Tan Mo curiously opened Weibo and saw that Xie Qichen had posted a message under the trending topic discussion—

[Xie Qichen: I’m already married. No intention to hide it. My wife wanted to keep it low-key, and I was waiting for her permission to officially announce it.]

She saw the man lazily raising an eyebrow at her, his voice falling by her ear:

“Is this okay?”