Tan Mo originally intended to tease Xie Qichen, but who would have thought she’d hear such risqué words from him? In the next moment, her ears turned as red as if they were roasted, and the heat on her face surged.
“…”
Wuwuwu, you pervert and scoundrel!
She now only wanted to use the phrase “decent” to describe him QAQ.
Thinking about how, years ago, if she had heard Xie Qichen say such words to her, Tan Mo’s face reddened even more. She quickly extinguished those fanciful thoughts, tightly closed her mouth, and refused to mention those words again, running out of his arms, averting her eyes, and quickly walking elsewhere with the golf club:
“I didn’t say anything, and you didn’t hear anything either. I’m going to continue playing golf…”
Watching the girl’s fleeing back, Xie Qichen smiled silently.
Truly, she was both timid and loved to tease.
The man then stopped teasing her and began teaching her earnestly how to play. After a while, someone came over to invite Xie Qichen for a match. Tan Mo felt it would be awkward to monopolize Xie Qichen’s time as a beginner, so she let him join the others. Coincidentally, Song Ranxia and Xiao Qian also came over to play with Tan Mo again, so Xie Qichen left first.
Midway, after finishing a round, Xie Qichen went to sit on a bench under the shade of trees to rest.
The man unscrewed a bottle of mineral water, tilted his head back to pour it into his mouth, his Adam’s apple rolling accordingly, sweat droplets sliding down his sharp jawline.
After drinking some water, he put the bottle down, and his gaze instinctively fell to the distance, quickly finding Tan Mo who was playing golf.
The girl seemed to have grasped some techniques and was somewhat able to play, though she spent a minute preparing and swung for three seconds, still looking clumsy.
After a while, Lu Zi’an slowly approached with a golf club, arriving in front of him, “Give me some water.”
Without lifting his head, Xie Qichen casually tossed him a bottle of mineral water. Lu Zi’an took it and drank, then remarked, “Achen, let’s play another round later. I feel like my skills have regressed today—I even lost to Xun Huo, something’s off.”
Xie Qichen leaned back against the chair, his voice calm: “It’s not possible.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your skills have no room to regress.”
“…”
Lu Zi’an was amused by Xie Qichen’s usual sarcasm and hit him with the golf club, “Xie Qichen, don’t push it. Where do I lack the space to regress? I participated in many competitions back in college. Explain it to me?”
Xie Qichen wasn’t focused on him, glancing sideways, “Stand aside.”
“Why?”
“You’re blocking my view of Tan Mo.”
“?”
Lu Zi’an sat on the chair beside him in disbelief, following his gaze for a moment before bursting into laughter:
“Sis Tan Mo’s golf game is… so imaginative.”
High EQ: imaginative.
Low EQ: terrible.
Xie Qichen ignored him, while Lu Zi’an couldn’t help but tease, “Hey, Xie Qichen, I remember you saying back in college that you really disliked sports idiots? You even wanted to leave immediately when you saw us playing badly. Why aren’t you like that anymore?”
Xie Qichen gave him a look as if he were an idiot, smirking slightly, “I went crazy. Would I hate my wife?”
Indeed, he didn’t like hanging out with sports idiots, but looking at the girl, all he could think of was the word “cute.”
At this moment, Tan Mo, exhausted from playing, told Song Ranxia and the others that she was going to rest. Then she turned around and noticed Xie Qichen sitting there, so she walked toward him. As she approached, she caught the faint smile in his eyes and blushed with embarrassment, saying, “I’m still too clumsy—no talent for golf at all.”
Xie Qichen smiled, slightly spreading his legs, pulled her to sit between the seats, and gently soothed:
“It’s okay, you did quite well just now? You’ve improved a lot.”
Beside them, Lu Zi’an: ??
Tan Mo: “Really…?”
Xie Qichen handed her water with a smile: “Really, it’s a bit difficult at first, but now you’re doing great. Rest a bit and have some water.”
Watching this scene, Lu Zi’an felt like a dog that had been suddenly kicked, turning his gaze away in disbelief.
He had no room for regression, while for Tan Mo, it was “you’re already doing great.”
Never thought there would come a day when Xie Qichen would be so biased…
In broad daylight, Lu Zi’an didn’t want to be a third wheel and got up to find his friends.
Tan Mo, half-hugged by Xie Qichen, felt shy and wanted to sit on the empty chair beside, but her body was held in place, “Sit here, why be shy?”
“Um…”
Tan Mo’s ears turned red, not expecting this person to be so clingy.
Unable to escape, she gave up and turned to look at Xie Qichen, her dimples showing as she told him something interesting:
“I have to tell you, when I was playing earlier, it was super fun…”
The two were chatting when, on the distant lawn, Song Ranxia and Xiao Qian finished their game and went to find some guys. Xun Huo came over, handed Xiao Qian a bottle of water, then gave one to Song Ranxia, smiling: “Tired?”
“Not really.”
“Want to play a round with me later?”
“Sure, then I have to be serious and not lose to you.”
Everyone chatted and rested, when someone noticed the intimate interaction between Xie Qichen and Tan Mo under the tree shade, and they were all surprised:
“Wow, Achen and his wife are so loving?”
The others looked over one after another, “My god, these two are really sweet?!”
Since college, everyone had known Xie Qichen as a cool and indifferent young master who had never been particularly enthusiastic or proactive toward anyone. They didn’t even think Xie Qichen would treat Tan Mo specially after marriage. Yet now, they saw the man half-hugging the girl, smiling at her, his eyes filled with tenderness and affection, completely different from his usual cold and aloof demeanor.
“I saw it today, Achen’s face when looking at Tan Mo was full of smiles. When did I ever see him smile at us like this?”
“Sigh, don’t you feel their current state is different from the last wedding? Why do I smell the sourness of love?”
“It really feels that way! Wow, this is changing my perception. Is this still the aloof Xie Shen I know?”
“Never thought Achen would change like this after marriage?! Is this the blooming of an iron tree or the melting of an iceberg? Hahahaha…”
Several people chatted, Xiao Qian went to get her phone, and Song Ranxia accompanied her to a side, smiling: “It does feel like Achen is different around Tan Mo?”
Xiao Qian smiled lightly, “It’s obviously different, right? Clearly, Xie Qichen has feelings for his wife.”
Upon hearing this, Song Ranxia lowered her eyes and smiled, “I never thought he would have such a side. I used to be curious about what kind of girl would catch his eye.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Qian leaned in and whispered teasingly, “You don’t have any little grudges in your heart, do you?”
Song Ranxia was surprised, “What little grudges?”
“You didn’t have a little crush on him once…”
Song Ranxia realized what she meant and quickly laughed it off, “That was years ago, don’t spread rumors. They’re married now, what would Tan Mo think of me if she heard this.”
Back in college, although Xie Qichen was excellent, Song Ranxia didn’t like cold and aloof guys, so she and Xie Qichen didn’t click and remained just good friends.
After going abroad, they kept in touch as friends. Until one year when Xie Qichen reached out to help her during a difficult time. She was alone overseas, and Xie Qichen’s timely help made her feel warm, stirring feelings in her heart.
So during that period, she briefly developed a crush on Xie Qichen.
However, later she clearly felt that Xie Qichen didn’t like her. She didn’t want this feeling to affect their friendship and quickly let go, continuing to treat him as a friend.
At that time, when Xiao Qian asked why she didn’t try to confess, Song Ranxia thought it was unnecessary. After all, there were many good men in the world, and she wasn’t someone who valued love above everything. She preferred to be loved passionately and sincerely rather than chasing after someone else’s footsteps.
Moreover, looking back, that crush was mixed with gratitude and emotion, not so intense after all.
Last year, when she heard abroad that Xie Qichen had married, she was indeed curious about what kind of girl he would marry and how their relationship would be. However, seeing Tan Mo now and observing Xie Qichen’s attitude toward Tan Mo, she immediately sensed how special Tan Mo was to Xie Qichen.
Perhaps their love grew after marriage? But whatever the case, Xie Qichen definitely cared a lot about Tan Mo now, and as a friend, she was genuinely happy for them.
Smiling, Xiao Qian hugged her shoulder, “Just kidding, Song Goddess can handle it. You have high standards, you know.”
Song Ranxia smiled, only to hear Xiao Qian continue, “Besides, don’t think I don’t know who you have your eyes on now. Someone’s been watching you all day.”
Song Ranxia’s face immediately turned red, scolding her, “You can’t say anything…”
In the afternoon, several friends played golf. Later, seeing Tan Mo getting tired, Xie Qichen took her to visit a nearby orchard.
In the evening, the clouds in the sky were like silk curtains blown by the wind, layered with orange-yellow glow until the sun set. Under Xun Huo’s instructions, the staff at the winery had already prepared the ingredients for a barbecue, so everyone could have a barbecue by the river tonight.
While eating the barbecue, the sky gradually darkened.
The city on the opposite shore lit up in the night, reflecting on the river’s surface with shimmering lights.
After finishing the barbecue, Tan Mo went to walk on the sand for a while and came back, sitting with Xie Qichen on the beach, taking out her phone to take some selfies. Tan Mo smiled cutely, and the man who usually disliked taking photos was surprisingly cooperative.
Someone nearby looked at the overly affectionate couple: “Why does it feel like we came here to accompany the two of them on their honeymoon?”
“Hahahaha, I feel the same…”
Eventually, the river breeze got a bit chilly, so Xun Huo suggested going to sing, and everyone returned indoors.
They were arranged to stay in a villa at the winery tonight, which also had indoor entertainment facilities.
Upon entering, they found the space very spacious, much more upscale and elegant than regular KTV rooms outside, with open tea rooms, mahjong rooms, and a home theater. Everyone could sing here, chat over tea, play cards, or watch movies.
The environment was very spacious, allowing everyone to do as they pleased freely.
Tan Mo and Xie Qichen didn’t like crowds, so they sat in a corner sofa.
The man leaned against the sofa, his posture upright and aloof, holding Tan Mo’s soft and slender hand in his, caressing and playing with it.
A friend handed Tan Mo a microphone, but she quickly waved her hands to decline. Xie Qichen asked her: “Why not sing?”
Tan Mo mumbled, “I don’t sing very well, I’ll be too embarrassed later.”
“Isn’t it quite nice? I often hear you humming at home.”
“…?”
Does this person have to be so familiar with her, even noticing that she likes to hum songs?
The key is that she often goes off-key when singing, yet he still says it’s nice—what a master of flattery…
In the room, several people started singing. After a while, someone also brought over drinks, beverages, and fruits. After a few songs, someone suggested drinking a bit and playing some games: “We must play something, otherwise just singing is too boring. We need to liven up the atmosphere!”
“What games, what games?”
Lu Zi’an laughed: “How about a truth game? Ask questions, everyone must tell the truth. If you don’t want to answer, you have to be forced to drink.”
“Great, that works!”
“Achen, you and Tan Mo also have to come!”
Everyone called the two over, and finally they joined in.
Xie Qichen looked at Tan Mo’s nervous appearance and couldn’t help but smile, “Why are you so nervous playing a game? If you don’t want to answer, I’ll drink for you.”
Tan Mo smiled at him: “If you get drunk tonight, I won’t be able to take care of you.”
“Not likely,” the man with a great tolerance for alcohol smiled, “Just don’t drink too much yourself.”
The game began, everyone spinning the wheel. After a few rounds, the wheel pointed at Xun Huo.
A guy grinned at him: “Xun Huo, you invited us to the winery today—was it to play together, or to see someone in particular?”
“Waoh, this is quite a spicy question…”
This question seemed to carry hidden meanings. Xun Huo smiled and, amidst the teasing, spoke:
“It was to see someone in particular.”
“Wow! Oh my god…”
The atmosphere on-site instantly heated up. Coincidentally, the next round also landed on Xun Huo.
Lu Zi’an laughed and asked his friend: “Then tell us, when you first saw the person you wanted to see today, what was your feeling?”
Xun Huo lifted his black eyes, his gaze falling somewhere, and smiled:
“The feeling… she was too beautiful today, I really want to see her every day.”
The room erupted in enthusiastic teasing. In the corner, Tan Mo noticed Xun Huo looking towards the opposite side.
And sitting there was Song Ranxia.
Upon hearing this, the latter’s face immediately turned red.
Tan Mo: Oh my god?! What unknown shocking gossip is this!
Tan Mo was like a raccoon jumping into a melon field, excitedly tugging at the man beside her sleeve, whispering to him: “What’s going on? Does Brother Xun Huo like Sister Ranxia?!”
Xie Qichen lowered his eyes with a faint smile, his hand supporting behind her back: “I don’t know, Xun Huo hasn’t told me.”
“He didn’t tell you?!!”
“They never discuss love issues with me.”
“…”
Right, with Xie Qichen being a love-averse type back then, who would discuss such things with him?
Tan Mo never expected there to be sparks between Xun Huo and Song Ranxia, but recalling the entire day, Xun Huo indeed paid special attention to Song Ranxia. Moreover, everyone could tease like this, probably some people already knew the inside story.
Shipping is human nature, and Tan Mo instantly focused on the two, feeling more excited than when she was in a relationship herself.
However, the following rounds didn’t land on Xun Huo again, giving everyone a chance to tease. Once it landed on Song Ranxia, but considering her shyness, no one teased her much.
They continued playing, and eventually, the wheel landed on Xie Qichen.
Everyone instantly lost interest: “Ah, there’s nothing interesting to ask Achen…”
“It’s boring, boring…”
Mainly because Xie Qichen was so cold and aloof, having no interesting secrets.
Someone thought for a moment and curiously asked: “Well, I’m not interested in other things, I just want to know what it’s like to be a CEO. Achen, can you tell us how much the most profitable deal you’ve had so far made?”
Everyone laughed: “Wow, how do we balance our mindset after hearing that question? Hahahaha…”
“Showing off wealth is shameful, you know! Hahahaha!”
The man in question sat in the corner, upon hearing this, his eyes lit up with a faint smile, finally speaking in a calm voice:
“The most profitable? It wasn’t about money.”
“What do you mean? Other assets?”
Tan Mo turned her head, equally puzzled as she looked at him. The man’s gaze met her eyes with tenderness, his deep voice resonating in her ears:
“The most profitable thing was—marrying the girl I had secretly loved for five years.”
Everyone: ????!!!
Everyone’s minds went blank for a moment before realizing:
“What?! Achen, you secretly loved Tan Mo for five years?!”
“Wow, really?!”
“Achen, didn’t you and Tan Mo get married for a business alliance?!”
At once, the shocked teasing almost blew the roof off. Tan Mo’s face turned completely red, as he, without caring about others present, smiled and solely gazed at her:
“There was no business alliance. I went to great lengths to win her over.”
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