Chapter 56:

Tan Mo looked at Xie Qichen’s Weibo post, her face suddenly flushed red with embarrassment, and she softly scolded him:

“Xie Qichen, how could you just post that…”

Xie Qichen lazily leaned against the sofa, his palm gently wrapping around her slim waist through his shirt, and drawled teasingly, “Isn’t that the truth?”

At first, it was indeed Tan Mo who chose to keep their relationship low-key.

She faltered for a moment, and then saw him meet her gaze, tender and affectionate words falling by her ear:

“I don’t think my achievements in business are worth boasting about, but marrying you—I want the whole world to know.”

He always wanted to publicly acknowledge their relationship with her.

Upon hearing his words, Tan Mo’s heart was once again filled with love, and she leaned against his chest, saying, “Xie Qichen, I really like you…”

She truly felt so lucky to be able to love him in this lifetime, and to be loved by him in return.

Xie Qichen raised his hand to hold her tighter. Tan Mo looked up at him, smiling, “If you post something like this on Weibo, I bet the netizens will be super excited.”

Sure enough, not long after this Weibo post was published, it immediately stirred a huge uproar in the circle:

[“What?! Is this the president of Aochuang?! Is this the real deal responding?!”]

[“Mrs… is this an acknowledgment of Xiaomoli’s marriage to him?!”]

[“Oh my god, this is basically an indirect public announcement! Ahhhhh I’m actually getting real couple vibes! It’s even better than fiction!”]

[“‘I’m waiting for her permission to make it public’—this subtle expression of affection is so sweet!”]

[“…”]

Tan Mo’s Weibo post was shared in Xie Qichen’s super topic, instantly drawing a crowd of excited fans. The loud cheers were almost deafening, and many were surprised, thinking Tan Mo was still so young—how could she already be married?!

As the popularity continued to rise, it even briefly made it to the trending topics. More people saw it, but along with the attention came some negative comments as well.

Some questioned why Tan Mo had hidden her relationship, whether their marriage was real or just a publicity stunt, and even speculated whether she had gotten pregnant before marriage and married for that reason.

On the other end of the phone, after breakfast, Tan Mo and Xie Qichen saw the online discussions and couldn’t help but feel both amused and annoyed.

How did the rumors even get to “pregnancy”…

Tan Mo didn’t want the rumors to spread further, so she said to Xie Qichen, “Maybe I should do a live stream later to explain everything to everyone?”

“Hmm?”

“I think I should personally clarify things with my fans, and I don’t want these baseless rumors to keep spreading.”

Tan Mo explained the rumors to him, and Xie Qichen’s eyebrows immediately furrowed. She gently soothed him, “It’s okay, just a simple explanation. And Mr. Xie, are you going to make an appearance? I also want to show off my husband to others.”

Xie Qichen ruffled her hair, “Alright, I’ll do whatever you say.”

So Tan Mo posted a message on the d-site, saying she had seen the online rumors and would soon do a live stream to explain everything. She urged everyone not to guess or believe rumors blindly. Upon seeing her message, the fans expressed understanding and eagerly waited for her live stream.

Tan Mo didn’t want to appear on camera wearing Xie Qichen’s shirt, so she changed into her own clothes, touched up her makeup slightly, and finally sat down beside Xie Qichen.

As soon as she clicked to start the live stream, a huge wave of viewers flooded in.

Seeing the rapidly scrolling comments, and for the first time appearing with Xie Qichen on camera, Tan Mo nervously greeted everyone, “Hello, everyone…”

[“Hi, MoMo!”]

[“Wow, I was just browsing your threads earlier and now you’re live!”]

[“My heart is broken, is my wife really going to make an announcement now? [Crying]”]

[“Oh wow, who’s the guy next to you? Mommy, is MoMo going to introduce her family to us? [Smirking]”]

The fans’ attention was all on the man beside Tan Mo. Embarrassed, Tan Mo raised her eyebrows, looked at Xie Qichen, and secretly tugged at his sleeve, “Can you also introduce yourself?”

Xie Qichen wasn’t used to appearing on camera like this, but he looked at the lens, slightly smiled, and calmly said:

“Hello, I’m her husband.”

The audience outside the lens saw that the man indeed had the most handsome face in F University’s history—black hair, bright eyebrows. At this moment, he half-hugged Tan Mo, his long eyelashes slightly lifted, catching the sunlight coming through the floor-to-ceiling window behind him, exuding a noble and aloof aura.

His excellent bone structure was flawless even under the camera, surpassing the looks of male celebrities.

[“So they really are married!!! I got fed couple vibes the moment I entered the live stream!”]

[“Ah! MoMo’s husband is so handsome!!”]

[“So handsome, and they look so perfect together!”]

Looks are everything. Xie Qichen’s appearance immediately won everyone’s favor, and the fans were excitedly screaming. Tan Mo, who usually gets shy when teased in real life, was even more so in a live stream.

Blushing, she finally smiled and said, “I’m doing this live stream today mainly to officially explain my relationship with Xie Qichen and to clarify the online rumors.”

Tan Mo glanced at Xie Qichen, and the man held her hand, “Let me explain.”

He said, “I met Mo Mo when she was in high school. Later, she went to college while I went abroad for work. Because of some coincidences, and because of things related to both our families, I came back to China and we got married. There’s no truth to the rumors about pregnancy.”

The fans: [“Wow, you’ve known each other for so long!”]

[“So it’s a long-lost reunion and you got married because of some coincidences?”]

Xie Qichen turned to look at Tan Mo, raising his eyebrows, “Not entirely coincidental. I’ve had a crush on her for a long time. I came back to China this time specifically to marry her.”

Upon hearing these words from Xie Qichen, the live stream audience turned into screaming fans. Tan Mo’s face turned red as she smiled at the camera:

“We were almost out of touch for nearly four years. Back in high school, I was the one who first developed feelings for him, so these years have been mutual crushes.”

Tan Mo explained that the reason they hadn’t gone public was because she was still in college and felt it might set a bad example for younger fans. She added that getting married this early was a special circumstance, and marriage should be a serious decision.

Then she dropped an even bigger bombshell—

“Actually, the streamer you all love so much, Big Brother C… it’s him.”

The audience: [“What?!?!”]

To avoid suspicion, Tan Mo took out Xie Qichen’s phone, opened the backend, and showed everyone: “I only found this out recently. He kept it hidden from me for a long time too.”

The live stream viewers might not be familiar with Xie Qichen, but who doesn’t know Big Brother C?

[“Big Brother C is Xie Qichen?! What a shocking twist!”]

[“No wonder Big Brother C always seemed to spoil Xiao Mo Li so much. He must have secretly liked her all along. What a beautiful love story!!”]

[“Earlier I was wondering if Big Brother C would be sad to see Mo Mo get married, because it seemed like he might have feelings for her. Turns out Big Brother C had already schemed to win her over. I’m crying so hard!”]

[“I was also wondering what Big Brother C would do. I used to ship Big Brother and Mo Mo, and thought my couple had a bad ending, but turns out it’s an even sweeter surprise?!”]

[“Remember when Big Brother said he runs a small business? Haha, the president of Aochuang Tech redefining ‘small business’!”]

[“Big Brother is rich and low-key. I love him so much!”]

Seeing the comments, Tan Mo teased the man, “It feels like my fans might start to like you more than me.”

The man’s eyebrows lifted slightly, his tone gentle, “No, I’m your fan too.”

As the live stream viewers watched the couple openly display their affection so naturally, they all said it was overwhelmingly sweet.

Finally, Xie Qichen also said, “We’re just two ordinary people in a regular relationship. I don’t want the public exposure to cause any malicious rumors or harm to Mo Mo. If there’s anything, come after me, but if there are any online rumors about my wife, I will pursue legal action.”

Xie Qichen’s attitude remained consistent, just like when he was C, protecting Tan Mo in the live stream.

Tan Mo felt warm inside upon hearing his words and added, “We’re not coming out to create hype. We just want to answer our fans’ questions. My video style and content won’t change. I will continue to work hard to make food videos for everyone. Just enjoy the videos happily.”

The fans responded positively, expressing their understanding and blessings.

Neither of them were big celebrities, and neither needed money, so they had never considered using their marriage to attract attention. Rational fans also urged everyone not to dig too much into their private lives.

After finishing their conversation, Tan Mo ended the live stream.

Putting down her phone, she sighed in relief, leaning on Xie Qichen’s shoulder and smiling at him, “Someone must be feeling very satisfied after successfully making our relationship public. This time, you’ve become a husband directly. I wonder what my classmates will say when they see this.”

The man gently scratched her palm and chuckled softly:

“Shall I say I successfully pressured you into marriage?”

Tan Mo pouted, “Well, you did present various agreements in front of me back then. It was definitely coercion and temptation, deceiving an innocent girl.”

“Deceiving?”

Xie Qichen couldn’t help but lift one corner of his mouth, “Didn’t someone end up willingly taking the bait anyway?”

Tan Mo huffed, “Xie Qichen, you’re just taking advantage of my feelings for you. If I didn’t like you, you wouldn’t have a chance in hell!”

Her earlobe was kissed gently, and his tender voice whispered in her ear:

“Yeah, I’m glad you still like me.”

Tan Mo was soothed by his words, her eyes curving into a soft smile as she softly warned him, “You better treat me well in the future, or else I’ll…”

“Or else what?”

Tan Mo turned over, straddling him, her eyes narrowing playfully at his dark gaze, her tone defiant:

“I’ll kill you.”

The hem of her knee-length skirt draped over the man’s trousers, her raven hair and crimson lips accentuating her slender waist. She resembled an alluring enchantress poised to consume him.

(Note: I adjusted “妖” to “enchantress” for natural flow while retaining the mystical and seductive connotation. The translation maintains the vivid imagery and sensuality of the original.)

Xie Qichen swallowed hard, loosely wrapping his arms around her waist while still lazily leaning against the sofa, locking eyes with her and smirking:

“And how exactly are you going to kill me?”

Tan Mo’s fingers tugged at his collar as she leaned in, her lips curving into a sweet yet tempting smile:

“Like this… sweet enough to kill someone without mercy.”

Before she even finished speaking, her waist was suddenly grabbed, and she felt the world spin. In the next moment, she was lying on the sofa.

“Xie Qichen…”

The man pinned her wrists, his dark eyes burning like hot iron, his voice husky as his lips descended:

“Baby, I want you again.”

He bit her earlobe, a smirk tugging at his lips: “Looks like you’re trying to kill me with pleasure.”

Upon hearing this, Tan Mo blushed furiously and was soon lost in a deep kiss.

After a while, the man’s kisses stopped. He picked her up in his arms and carried her toward the bedroom.

The curtains on the floor-to-ceiling windows were drawn shut.

The room once again plunged into a hazy, intimate darkness…

–

Xie Qichen contacted the hotel front desk to extend their stay.

With all his work done today and no need to worry about the time, he could finally spend some quality time with the girl in bed.

Tan Mo was clearly tired, but her body only responded to him, her mind caught between exhaustion and sweetness. In the end, she was completely consumed by him.

Afterward, Tan Mo looked like a flower battered by wind and rain, her long lashes glistening with moisture, lying tiredly in Xie Qichen’s arms, receiving his tender kisses and declarations of love.

Tan Mo was on the verge of tears.

How could this man have endless energy in this aspect? It felt like he could break the bed…

She estimated that with their difference in stamina, before he ended up exhausted, she would probably collapse first QAQ.

But that was an exaggeration. In the end, Xie Qichen was still considerate enough. The number of times wasn’t too many, but as a mature and experienced man, he was excellent in every way. Each time was long and passionate, always prioritizing her feelings, making her feel completely melted in his arms. Therefore, in her heart, she loved being intimate with him.

Fatigue was secondary; she was really hungry now, her stomach pressed against her back.

The entire afternoon, they had been entangled off and on, until around 6 PM, when Xie Qichen ordered dinner at the hotel restaurant.

Half an hour later, Xie Qichen carried Tan Mo out of the bathroom after their shower, just as the room service delivered the food.

Tonight, the man had ordered Western cuisine—steak, pasta, a snack platter, and vegetable salad. Seeing the food, Tan Mo’s eyes lit up, “I feel like I’m so hungry I could eat all of this.”

Xie Qichen laughed, “That hungry, huh?”

Tan Mo blushed and softly huffed, “All because of someone making me exercise too much today…”

He smiled and pulled her into his arms, placing the tray in front of her, “Eat more, replenish your energy.”

Tan Mo ate while feeding Xie Qichen too. After finishing the steak, she picked up a fork and speared a sausage, bringing it to her mouth for a bite. Just as she was chewing a little, she heard the man slowly ask:

“Which one do you like?”

“What do you mean, which one…”

Tan Mo froze for two seconds before realizing he was making a suggestive comment. Her whole face turned bright red, and she scolded him softly, “Xie Qichen, how could you be such a pervert!”

He looked so refined and gentle on the outside, yet he was so naughty in front of her…

Thinking back to her own proactive actions during their intimate moments earlier, her cheeks still ached, and her face turned red all the way to her neck. Angrily, she shoved the fork into his hand, “I’m not eating anymore. You eat by yourself.”

Xie Qichen softly laughed and tried to appease her, “I’m sorry, don’t be angry anymore.”

After a while, the little girl was soothed and sat in his lap swinging her feet, being fed dinner by him. A while later, Xie Qichen’s phone rang.

Tan Mo picked it up casually and hesitated slightly upon seeing the caller ID. “It’s Dad calling you.”

Seeing that the call was from Xie Wenzong, Tan Mo handed the phone to him and tried to get off his lap, but he still held her close. “It’s okay, just stay here.”

Then the man answered the call. “Dad—”

Xie Wenzong’s steady voice came from the other end, “Qichen, where are you?”

“I’m having dinner with Momiao outside. What’s wrong?”

“If you’re available, come home as soon as possible. We need to discuss some matters regarding the group.”

“Did something happen?”

Xie Wenzong sighed. “The police just came and took Wenkan away.”

After a few more exchanges, Xie Qichen agreed to return home. After hanging up, Tan Mo looked at him with concern. “What’s going on?”

Xie Qichen looked at her. “Xie Wankan has been arrested.”

Tan Mo was stunned.

“Because of Xie Siyuan’s incident.”

After the board meeting in early May, Xie Qichen learned that Xie Wankan had ulterior motives for the group. One day, a sudden thought struck him—if Xie Wankan had been aiming for power all these years, then besides himself, Xie Siyuan must have also been one of their targets.

If Xie Siyuan hadn’t encountered trouble, they would have certainly tried to bring him down. Thinking about it made him shudder—could it be that Xie Siyuan’s accident already meant they had succeeded?

Before obtaining solid evidence, Xie Qichen dared not tell Xie Wenzong yet, fearing that he might not be able to bear the blow. Therefore, he secretly assigned people to investigate in this direction.

To his surprise, they indeed found some clues.

On the night Xie Siyuan had his accident, Xie Wenzong had been on a business trip. His stepmother, Zhen Mei, had been at the villa discussing the following month’s transition of the group to Xie Siyuan with Xie Wankan. Around ten o’clock that night, she received a call from the hospital saying that Xie Siyuan had been in a car accident, the driver had fled the scene, and he had been rushed to the hospital.

Later, accompanied by Xie Wankan, Zhen Mei went to the accident site. The crash happened on an abandoned bridge used as an illegal racing track. According to the investigation, someone had arranged to meet him there for a race, and someone had tampered with his car, causing it to malfunction.

The perpetrator had done a clean job, leaving almost no trace, clearly intentional.

That night, Xie Wankan indeed had an alibi, as he was with Zhen Mei the entire time. Xie Shao claimed he had been on a business trip out of town, providing hotel and flight bookings as proof. However, after Xie Qichen secretly sent people to investigate, they found that this alibi could have been faked. They couldn’t find any solid evidence proving Xie Shao was actually out of town on the day of the accident.

Therefore, Xie Qichen guessed that originally, they had planned to take down Xie Siyuan and install him as the successor. However, Xie Wenzong unexpectedly called him back from overseas, ruining their plan. Thus, they shifted their focus to him.

After Xie Qichen informed Xie Wenzong, Xie Wenzong reported it to the police. The police reopened the investigation and gradually uncovered more clues.

Tonight, with solid evidence found, Xie Wankan and Xie Shao were arrested on charges of intentional harm.

Upon hearing the news, Tan Mo and Xie Qichen finished their dinner, left the restaurant, and quickly returned to the Xie family villa.

Tonight, the Xie household was undoubtedly “lively.”

Several relatives who had learned of the news rushed over. At this moment, Zhen Mei sat on the living room sofa, both furious and tearful, never expecting that Xie Wankan, whom she had always thought treated her well, would harm her son and still manage to smile and chat with her every day after the incident.

Enraged, Zhen Mei swore that she would ensure Xie Wankan and Xie Shao serve long prison sentences and pay the price they deserved.

Then Zhen Mei saw Xie Qichen walk through the door. Realizing she had misunderstood him all along, she no longer had that fierce demeanor. She felt embarrassed and guilty, unable to utter a word or even look at him.

At this moment, Xie Qichen had no intention of dealing with her, and took Tan Mo upstairs to see Xie Wenzong.

Meeting Xie Wenzong, the elderly man was overwhelmed with grief. He never imagined that the one who had harmed his son would turn out to be his own younger brother. Initially, he had thought Xie Wankan’s underhanded business maneuvers to seize control of the group were already despicable, but he never expected him to stoop so low as to endanger lives—utterly devoid of humanity and moral底线.

After this incident, Xie Wenzong would no longer show any leniency toward Xie Wankan and had him sent to prison.

After this, Xie Wenzong and Xie Shao would certainly be removed from all their positions within the group. Xie Wenzong had summoned Xie Qichen to discuss the transition of responsibilities and the reorganization of the group.

After finishing the work-related discussions, Xie Wenzong said to Xie Qichen, “The good news is that your brother’s health has started improving recently. He’s gradually regaining consciousness, and the doctors say the chances of him waking up are increasing. This time, I’m planning to take Siyuan and Zhen Mei on a proper vacation.”

Xie Qichen also didn’t want Xie Wenzong to continue staying in Licheng, fearing that too many responsibilities might worsen his health. So he told Xie Wenzong that he would handle Xie Wankan’s matter and that they should go and rest properly.

At this moment, what mattered most to Xie Wenzong wasn’t how many years Xie Wankan would be sentenced to, but rather his son waking up as soon as possible.

Now, the entire group was united in supporting Xie Qichen, and he was fully capable of taking over. Xie Wenzong finally felt at ease.

Xie Qichen stayed with Xie Wenzong for a while, and finally, Xie Wenzong said there was nothing else and told him and Tan Mo to go back first.

At this time, Zhen Mei also came upstairs to the bedroom. Xie Wenzong told her, “I’ve already assigned all the matters to Achen. He will handle them properly. We’ll take Siyuan for further treatment.”

Zhen Mei looked up at Xie Qichen for a moment, then averted her gaze after a few seconds, pursing her lips and speaking softly:

“Okay… thank you.”

Finally, Xie Qichen and Tan Mo left the Xie family villa.

They got into the car, and the Rolls-Royce started, speeding through the night.

On the way, Tan Mo gently squeezed Xie Qichen’s hand, looking at the man beside her with concern. “You might be busy again for the next while.”

He wrapped his large palm around her hand and slightly tugged at the corner of his lips. “It’s okay. Not too busy. I just hope these troubles can be resolved quickly, so Dad can rest properly. His health can’t take much more strain.”

Tan Mo nodded. “I noticed that lately, after the group resumed normal operations, Dad’s stress has eased, and his condition has improved a lot.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Thinking about the recent events, Tan Mo felt a surge of emotion. She never expected that behind family interests, there could be so much darkness. “Xie Qichen, you must protect yourself at all costs.”

Xie Qichen raised his hand and pulled her into his arms. Tan Mo leaned on his shoulder, her nose tingling with emotion.

“I don’t seek wealth or fame. I just wish for you to be safe and sound, and for us to spend the rest of our lives together, peacefully.”

There were so many troubles in this world, and the desire for money and fame was like an endless abyss. She didn’t care about that. Her only wish was for her Mr. Xie to live a healthy and safe life.

Xie Qichen gently ruffled her hair, leaned down, and placed a kiss on her forehead, his voice low and husky.

“I know.”

“With you, I have everything I need.”

Xie Qichen looked down at Tan Mo, his eyes filled with affection as he softly called her name.

“Momiao?”

“Mm?”

“After you graduate next month, let’s make proper arrangements and have a real wedding.”

“So soon…?”

Tan Mo was slightly taken aback. Then she heard him speak tenderly.

“Last winter, on the day of the first snow, we got married and only held a small banquet.”

Xie Qichen met her gaze, his voice soft and deep.

“Now that the cold winter and spring have passed, it’s finally summer. I want to plan a grand and romantic summer wedding, so you can marry me in full glory and become my Mrs. Xie. What do you say?”