Chapter 3: Then See You Tonight, Darling

She asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. If that’s the case, then I’ll just pick something myself.” His voice had returned to normal.

“Okay.”

In truth, Xu Tanxi did not care at all that Shang Hejing wanted to buy her a birthday gift. After all, he was a big-shot CEO; the only thing he was short on was cash.

Gifts were nothing more than jewelry, designer handbags, mansions, luxury cars, and the like. There was nothing novel about any of it, and she was not lacking in those things herself. She was only playing along to save face for the plastic husband she was about to meet in person.

“Then we’ll see each other tonight, baby.”

Xu Tanxi nearly dropped her phone when those two intimate syllables reached her ear.

What had he just called her? Baby???

This was their first conversation, and he was already being that sultry? Too much, really.

That strange feeling in Xu Tanxi’s heart grew stronger, because Shang Hejing’s “baby” reminded her of that unrestrained,疯狂 rain-soaked night in Paris.

That night, that pretty boy had seemed to pin her waist and call her baby over and over again.

And to be fair, their voices were somewhat similar.

“...”

Xu Tanxi shook her head hard, trying to fling the dirty rubbish from her mind. She could not think about it anymore; this was too damn stimulating.

On the phone with her lawful husband, being called baby, while her mind was on another man calling her baby in bed.

Xu Tanxi, oh Xu Tanxi, you really have made something of yourself. So devoted to never yielding to gambling or drugs, and yet look at you now.

She forced herself to stay calm and continued in that saccharine, cutesy voice: “Okay, hubby. See you tonight~”

Xu Tanxi was not sure whether she had heard wrong, but the person on the other end seemed to let out a cold laugh.

It must have been her imagination.

At last the call ended. Half gagging, half relieved, she flopped back onto the bed.

“Ahhhhh Xu Tanxi, you are disgusting! Your voice is so fake it could kill a mosquito!”

Just thinking that she would have to speak to Shang Hejing like this in the future made her want to die.

After a brief frenzy on the bed, Xu Tanxi got up to wash, dress, and do her makeup. Before she had fallen dead asleep the night before, she had clung to the last thread of consciousness and arranged to have lunch with Meng Qianyi today.

At Moulton Restaurant.

“I can’t find anything. I really can’t find anything. You didn’t sleep with some major figure, did you? I’m asking seriously?”

Xu Tanxi speared a piece of steak and chewed through it. “No way, is it really that mysterious? Now I don’t even dare keep seeing him.”

“What are you thinking? Are you really planning to keep that pretty boy around? If you want to play with men, sis, I’m naturally supporting you, but in Jing City, forget the Shang family’s reach, even the two of us can run into someone we know every few steps. Isn’t that a little too exciting?”

Xu Tanxi wore a troubled look as she considered Meng Qianyi’s words, and found them rather reasonable.

“Besides, I’m honestly curious what your pretty boy even looks like, and just how good he is in bed, to make you so obsessed.”

Xu Tanxi closed her eyes, remembering the exquisite feel of those abs, and her stunning face was written through with bliss.

“I can sum him up in two words for you: a stunner. Do you know what I mean by a stunner?”

Meng Qianyi looked at her. “Fine, fine, you’re in too deep. But seriously, since you can’t find any information at all, maybe that means there really is something off about him? Maybe you should just stop seeing him. Better to avoid trouble.”

Xu Tanxi let out a soft sigh, resting her face in one hand.

“Ah, if you’re going to write regret, then you can’t just write regret. You have to write a peerless pretty boy with whom you’ve had only one night of passion.”

In truth, she had not been this regretful at first, but once she heard that he would be returning to Jing City too, she could no longer still her restless heart. She was already so close, yet could only stop short.

“Don’t emo over it. Think about it another way. Tonight you’re going to the Shang family old residence to meet your CEO husband from the marriage alliance, aren’t you? Maybe he’s even better-looking than your pretty boy. Then that white-faced little thing may become nothing more than a passerby.”

Xu Tanxi gave a dry laugh. “Even if his face can match up, his technique may not. Technique is the sort of thing hidden away; it’s not easy to get the chance to uncover it.”

Meng Qianyi: “...I know rough speech can be truthful, but yours is a little too rough. Then I’ll wish you success in testing Shang Hejing’s technique tonight, and pray he keeps you out of bed for three days straight!”

Xu Tanxi: “?”

Whose words are rougher, exactly?

After lunch, the two of them went to get their nails done.

By the time they finished, it was past five in the afternoon. Xu Tanxi was planning to head to the Shang family residence, and since Meng Qianyi was going in roughly the same direction for her own errands, she got into Xu Tanxi’s car.

“When the family dinner’s over, let’s go have a drink at our usual place. That dog, Shang Hejing, calling me ‘baby’ over the phone really did scare me a bit. I need a couple of drinks to calm my nerves.”

“Fair enough. This is the first time you two have really spoken since getting married, right? And he opens with ‘baby’? Seems your plastic husband is every bit as sultry as you are.”

Xu Tanxi watched the red light ahead linger for a full minute, slowly pressed the brake, and lowered the visor mirror to touch up her lipstick.

“That’s exactly my point. He can call a woman he’s never even met ‘baby’ without blinking. I don’t believe he’s some innocent saint. He must have played around like crazy overseas.”

“Alright then. Once I’m done, I’ll head there first and wait for you. You can come over when you’re finished.”

“Mm.”

After dropping Meng Qianyi off along the way, Xu Tanxi turned onto the highway. The black G-Wagon sped all the way down the road, and before long entered the hillside villa district where the Shang family’s old residence stood.

As she rounded the final bend, she looked out into the distance and saw a vast, antique Chinese-style courtyard half-hidden among the trees. Several ancient pines stood tall by the gate.

The butler was already waiting beside the pines.

Once the car came to a stop, Xu Tanxi took off her flats and changed into a pair of black pointed-toe stilettos.

For this first family dinner, Xu Tanxi had brought many gifts. The butler sent someone to fetch them from the trunk, then escorted her toward the main hall.

As she entered the outer courtyard, strings of water hanging beneath the corridor eaves tinkled softly. The sound was not harsh at all. To her right was a broad lotus pond, its rippling water gleaming, the jade-green leaves filling her entire field of view.

The door to the main hall was half-open. The moment Xu Tanxi stepped inside, she caught a faint fragrance of sandalwood, calming and refreshing, while warm voices and laughter reached her ears.

The most esteemed member of the Shang family, Shang Zhaoshan, sat in the seat of honor, so Xu Tanxi saw him at once when she entered.

Though Shang Zhaoshan was already past seventy, he remained vigorous and hale. While chatting with the younger generation, he also looked toward Xu Tanxi.

The old man’s face shone with delight. “Tanxi is here.”

Just those four brief words instantly seized everyone’s attention, and Xu Tanxi could feel every eye turn toward her.

All except the one seated to Shang Zhaoshan’s right, with his suit jacket draped over his face as he slept.

She knew that this person must be Shang Hejing.

To be able to sit directly beside the old master ahead of several uncles and elders showed just how high his standing was in the Shang family.

It was probably better that he had not opened his eyes yet; that would save her from awkwardness. She could greet the elders first, then go deal with that great Buddha afterward.