"Xie Chengxiao, don't follow me so closely!"
Bai Liuyue wrinkled her nose in slight annoyance, even changing how she addressed him.
Calling him directly by his full name.
The man following behind her guiltily touched his nose and nodded his head.
Then,
It happened for a third time.
Bai Liuyue: "..."
Out of frustration, she simply bent down, took off her shoes, and stepped barefoot onto the soft carpet.
Finally reaching the window, Bai Liuyue gave a forceful pull.
"Swish—"
The heavy curtains, interwoven with gold and red patterns, were pulled open. Tonight's moonlight wasn't very bright, as thick dark clouds piled up in the night sky.
Blocking out most of the moonlight.
However, a sliver of light finally appeared in the room.
Bai Liuyue could feel the rapid breathing behind her slowly steadying.
Just as she turned her head, ready to speak.
Suddenly, her center of gravity shifted upwards. Caught off guard, Xie Chengxiao had already wrapped one arm around her waist and placed the other under her knees, lifting her up in a princess carry.
"Ah, Brother-in-law," a gasp escaped her lips.
Bai Liuyue naturally looked up at him. The moonlight filtered through the window, reflecting on Xie Chengxiao's sharp and handsome features. His dark eyes were deep, and the rise and fall of his chest still didn't seem to be at a normal rhythm.
However, his body was no longer trembling, as if he had regained his reason and composure.
"You'll catch a cold walking barefoot," he responded, his voice no longer as broken and stuttering as before.
His thoughts were clearly coherent.
"Oh." Bai Liuyue blinked.
The two of them really had such a pure relationship.
Her brother-in-law was just afraid that she would be cold stepping barefoot on the floor, which was why he was carrying her like a princess.
That must be it, right?
"Knock, knock—" A knock came from outside the private room, carrying a hint of anxiety.
Followed closely by Bai Baozhu's agitated voice:
"Chengxiao, Chengxiao, are you in there?"
"As soon as I heard that the department store you were in had a power outage, I rushed over immediately."
"I know you are afraid of the dark. Don't be nervous, I'm here."
Outside the door, Xie Manyu also patted the door and said, "Brother, open the door quickly. Why is the door to this private room closed?"
In reality, Bai Baozhu had rested in bed for most of the day, and her cold symptoms had finally improved.
She had been looking forward to Xie Chengxiao returning for dinner, only to learn from Nanny Wu,
"The Young Marshal just called and said he is taking Miss Liuyue to eat at the department store tonight, so he won't be coming back."
What?!
Xie Chengxiao was her husband. It was bad enough that he accompanied another woman to wander around the department store all day, buying her all sorts of things.
But they were having dinner together too?
Eating what?
A candlelight dinner?
Bai Baozhu completely couldn't sit still anymore, no longer as confident and calm as before.
She quickly found Xie Manyu and told her about this matter. The two of them put their heads together and decided to also go to the department store for dinner to create an accidental encounter.
At the same time, they could monitor whether there was any inappropriate behavior between Xie Chengxiao and Bai Liuyue.
Who knew it would be such a coincidence; just as they entered the restaurant on the top floor of the department store,
The lights above them instantly went out.
It scared Xie Manyu beside her into letting out a gasp and a scream.
Bai Baozhu hurriedly comforted her, saying, "It should just be a power outage. It will be restored in a while."
Recovering from her fright, Xie Manyu suddenly thought of something. She slapped her thigh and said,
"Oh no! We have to go find my brother immediately."
"Why?"
"He gets scared. He can't stay alone in a pitch-black environment. When he was a child, a nightlight always had to be left on at the head of his bed when he slept."
Xie Manyu didn't go into any further specific details.
Bai Baozhu guessed that this might be related to a childhood trauma.
So she said agitatedly, "Then we must find Chengxiao right away!"
With great difficulty, they found the restaurant manager, confirmed that Xie Chengxiao was indeed dining here, and then fumbled through the dark to find the private room they were in.
Unexpectedly, the door was shut.
Xie Manyu was a little angry. She turned her head to look at the restaurant manager who had followed them and said,
"Do you have a spare key? Open the door for me immediately."
"If something happens to my brother, can your restaurant bear the responsibility?"
The restaurant manager also knew that the person inside was the Young Marshal, but it was also the Young Marshal's personal order that, aside from serving dishes, no one was allowed in without his permission at any other time.
They could not enter the private room.
He said in a difficult position, "But..."
Bai Baozhu's tone was also sharp.
"No buts. I am the Young Marshal's wife, open the door quickly."
"I promise I won't hold your restaurant accountable afterwards, but if you intentionally delay and something happens, then..."
How could the restaurant manager afford to offend them?
One was Young Marshal Xie's sister, and the other was Young Marshal Xie's wife. They should be able to handle it, right?
Steeling his resolve, he handed over the key to the private room.
Xie Manyu moved very quickly. After taking it, she handed it to Bai Baozhu and said, "Sister-in-law, you open it."
Bai Baozhu was very satisfied with her reaction.
That meant no matter what happened, she would always prioritize her feelings first.
Fumbling for the position of the door lock in the dark.
The key was inserted into the lock.
With a click, the lock opened.
Xie Manyu hurriedly pushed the door open. At the same time, the originally pitch-black department store regained its light.
The power was restored!
Before they could even feel happy about this fact,
Bai Baozhu's body froze.
As the door was pushed open, it revealed a tall man in a military uniform standing by the window.
It was Xie Chengxiao.
In his arms, he held a petite woman dressed in a lotus-pink qipao. Her fair, smooth calves and delicate ankles dangled as she struggled in his embrace.
It was Bai Liuyue.
She was barefoot.
Her embroidered shoes lay discarded on the carpet not far away.
The posture they were in was far too intimate, radiating an undeniable air of ambiguity.
A power outage. A private room. A brother-in-law. A bridal carry. A sister-in-law.
Bai Baozhu's lips trembled uncontrollably. A thousand words caught in her throat, refusing to be spoken.
She had foolishly believed herself to be the angel who had saved Xie Chengxiao from the darkness.
Yet, who would have thought that he would be in a secluded private room, playing some intimate little game with her own cousin, Bai Liuyue?
Xie Manyu, on the other hand, was much more direct. Known for her fiery temper, she immediately lashed out the moment she saw the scene before her:
"Bai Liuyue, you shameless vixen! No wonder you wouldn't open the door. We've been shouting for you to open up for ages, but you just ignored us."
"So you were in here secretly seducing my brother! You disgusting, shameless hussy."
"And you're not even wearing shoes! Barefoot! You, you, you..."
She stumbled over her words in her rage. Turning her head, she gently nudged Bai Baozhu beside her and urged, "Sister-in-law, say something!"
"They are crossing the line."
"Even if this is the new Republic, where things are more open and progressive, and not as feudal as the previous dynasty, they can't just be this shameless!"
Bai Baozhu's lips quivered, and her eyes gradually grew red with unshed tears.
Pointing a trembling finger at Xie Chengxiao, she said in sheer disbelief:
"Did you do this on purpose?"
"Because I ran away with Xu Yanci before, you deliberately orchestrated this whole scene just so I would catch you holding Bai Liuyue."
"You wanted to give me a taste of my own medicine, didn't you?"
"Xie Chengxiao, do you really hate me that much..."
