70
When you are young, it seems to be just like this: the mere thought of something to look forward to gives you endless energy.
After their first true skin-to-skin contact, their relationship had clearly entered a new temperature zone.
That night, Ning Ye didn't dare to ask him what he was fantasizing about.
That would end up corrupting her too.
But Bian Xun would always look at her with a leisurely, meaningful gaze. The content of his fantasies seemed self-evident, vividly leaping off the page, lifelike and detailed down to the finest hair... Ning Ye covered her face.
That gaze, full of suggestion and tension, made Ning Ye unconsciously develop psychological and physiological... expectations.
Starting from the day of the first snow, Ning Ye's busy life began to have a dividing line.
In the past, her weeks only consisted of study schedules, revision plans, and part-time job timetables, like a heavy train loaded with clutter. But now, her week was bounded by Friday. Before Friday, she was walking toward it; after Friday, she was waiting for it all over again.
This feeling was just like...
Every Friday, she had a cake to unbox.
His shirt, his fingertips, the tingling numbness he brought, and the sweetness exchanged on the tips of their tongues.
Dating.
It was so interesting.
The parent of the student Ning Ye tutored jokingly asked her, "Has Teacher Ning gotten a boyfriend?"
Usually, this girl was easygoing and indifferent, so pretty that she had a sense of distance, as if walking alone in a hurry through her own life.
But now, the corners of her lips would unconsciously curl into a smile. Sometimes, when talking to the child, her voice would soften a lot, as if she were treating a little baby.
The student, also a girl, looked envious when she saw Ning Ye nod with a smile: "That's so nice!! Teacher Ningning, are you dating a handsome guy? I also want to—ouch!"
The student's mother patted her on the head. "Unless you get into Jinghua University like Teacher Ningning, you won't be able to date an excellent, handsome guy."
"It could also be a not-so-excellent handsome guy!"
"Can't you learn something good?"...
The bickering of the mother and daughter made Ning Ye unconsciously smile.
She indeed had a boyfriend, and even a child.
She wondered if many years later, she and Taotao would be like this too, warm and happy.
...
Once a person has expectations, time passes very quickly.
A certain someone had pushed away all his affairs starting from Friday noon.
Entering the eve of graduation, Bian Xun was actually very busy. He had already started handling his family's business and had to go to the company for meetings every day.
The Bian family was currently still under his grandfather's control. Everyone knew that Old Master Bian was just waiting for Bian Xun to fully mature, but there were countless people who wanted to get involved in this. For the next few years, the entire Bian family would be in a power transition period surging with undercurrents, until the ultimate victor emerged.
But none of this could affect Bian Xun celebrating his weekly holiday.
Some people seemed calm and breezy, but in reality, they were suffering day and night.
If Bian Xun were a few years older, he would probably be more composed than he was now. But right now, he couldn't be.
The moment he closed his eyes, his mind was filled with red cherries in the snow.
Biting down yielded a rich, sweet juice.
Bian Xun raised his hand to cover the corners of his lips, not letting his secret smile be too obvious.
This Friday's exploration also began after the little one fell asleep at eight o'clock.
This time, it stopped the moment Ning Ye felt pain.
Bian Xun took deep breaths for a long time and stopped, restraining himself, and made her happy in another way. Her painfully furrowed brows relaxed and smoothed out, finally transforming into a blooming display like fireworks painting the night sky.
After all, it was the first time. If he really drove straight in without any restraint, there was a high chance of bleeding.
That would hurt even more.
Bian Xun chuckled softly, lowering his eyes to look at her sweat-dampened face.
Take it slowly.
They still had many Fridays.
After a long while, Ning Ye finally opened her hazy eyes, held onto his incredibly powerful fingertips, trembled twice, and shrank into his arms, unable to recover her senses for a long time.
In the bedroom, there was only the sound of her shallow and deep breathing, while Bian Xun's was much steadier.
She leaned against him, her eyes full of the lingering afterglow of reaching there for the first time, her whole body spasming slightly.
Was this that... that thing?
She quietly patted her own face, rested on Bian Xun's shoulder, and whispered, "So amazing."
This meant they had already done it, right!
Bian Xun's restrained breathing paused, and then he couldn't help but lift her heavily, letting her feel a certain force that was still poised and ready to go, and laughed.
Ning Ye was startled, only then realizing that she had just run to the starting line and was already completely drained of energy.
Bian Xun's thin lips curled up, happily telling her a cruel fact.
"This is only the beginning."
Make her happy first.
And then he would enjoy it for a lifetime.
Ning Ye covered the corners of his lips, forbidding him from saying anything more shameless.
But those black eyes made it crystal clear:
He had plenty of strength and methods.
He had thought of ten thousand positions.
...
The following week, Bian Xun's gaze was entirely that of a carnivorous animal.
It was as if he had issued an ultimatum to his prey, repeatedly massaging her psyche during the waiting process, carrying an aggressive sense of booming hormones that made one's heart pound.
Just occasionally seeing her blush and kissing her until her legs went weak was enough to make Bian Xun secretly thrilled to no end.
A humid holiday belonging to youth, where they would entangle with each other upon touch, as if they had endless energy to kick off the most unforgettable chapter of life.
Ning Ye didn't know exactly how much he had thought about it, but it was enough to make her a little scared.
Bian Xun looked radiant every day, full of vigor beneath his cool and aloof features.
But, unfortunately, the next Friday was New Year's Eve.
"It's the New Year! It's the New Year!"
Ning Ye held back her laughter, watching Taotao run all over the house pasting fortune characters.
She was also mumbling and singing, "Wishing you prosperity, wishing you a wonderful time."
Ning Ye raised her eyes to look at Bian Xun, who had his eyes closed and his arms crossed. The aloof, noble man was covered in a layer of frost and snow, hiding the boiling lava within.
Falling through made one frustrated.
Seeing a certain someone deflated always made one unable to resist chuckling secretly.
His ease, his surging undercurrents, and his readiness all had to give way to the little one's New Year.
Ning Ye secretly breathed a sigh of relief in her heart. After all, a Bian Xun waiting to eat meat was too terrifying; she felt that she probably wouldn't be able to walk at all the next day.
Scary, scary!
What was wrong with a child wanting to stay up late on New Year's Eve? Especially this year, they were going to have a good New Year.
Ning Zhitao stood on the sofa, pointed a short finger, and grandly announced, "This time I definitely have to wait until the bell rings. Mom, do we have confidence!"
Ning Ye fully cooperated: "We do!"
Ning Zhitao turned her head again. "Dad, do you have confidence!"
Bian Xun took a deep breath and opened his deep eyes. "I do. What do you want to eat tonight?"
What else could he do.
The family of three would just celebrate the New Year nicely.
"I want to eat everything! Oh yeah."
Bian Xun looked at Ning Zhitao's enthusiastic appearance and caught a glimpse of Ning Ye's secretly smiling face.
The corners of his lips couldn't help but curl up as well.
This was also his first time looking forward to the New Year.
On New Year's Eve, the student's parent gave Ning Ye an early holiday, settled the tutoring fees for this term, and even brought her a box of chocolates. Ning Ye thanked her and rolled this class's hours over to the next time.
Carrying the chocolates on her way home, her steps were very brisk.
Last night, she had already spoken to Bian Xun in advance. For the New Year, he should still return to the Bian family. Judging from the attitude of his cousin they met at the restaurant last time, Bian Xun held a very important position in their family. It would be unjustifiable if he didn't go back for the New Year's Eve dinner. After eating, when he came back at night, maybe they could even watch the Spring Festival Gala together.
On New Year's Eve, she could take the little one out for a nice meal. She happened to have some money on hand, and having someone to accompany her during such a moment of reunion made Ning Ye's heart feel warm and fuzzy.
Walking downstairs to her apartment building, Bian Xun had just sent a message. The little one should be awake by now—in order to stay up late to welcome the New Year, this child chose to sleep early, stubbornly skipping the golden evening hours.
She truly was her father's filial daughter.
Ning Ye went upstairs to pick up Taotao. The two of them bundled up warmly, ready to go out for their New Year's Eve dinner.
However, Bian Xun's message came again. He sent a photo showing a cart full of groceries, fruits, and New Year gift boxes.
"Just wait for me at home."
Ning Ye was taken aback. Wasn't Bian Xun going home tonight?
She didn't want Bian Xun to have conflicts with his family, nor did she want to come into contact with the Bian family because of it.
For a while now, she didn't know what Bian Xun had done to his family, but no one had appeared to disturb Ning Ye's life anymore. Their relationship and small family life had been very sweet.
But she also knew one thing deeply: the significance of New Year's Eve was different. If she continued to apply downward pressure, the taut string might snap.
Ning Ye held Ning Zhitao's hand, checked the name of the supermarket on Bian Xun's shopping cart, and planned to go find him.
However, as soon as they reached the ground floor, an unfamiliar, old-fashioned, and seemingly very expensive luxury car parked at the entrance of the residential compound.
An unfamiliar middle-aged man who looked like a butler got out of the car. He opened the door for her with a humble attitude, but his expression left no room for refusal.
"Are you Miss Ning?"
"Please get in the car."
...
On the other side, Bian Xun was pushing his cart to check out when someone suddenly cut in line in front of him holding a bottle of water.
Bian Xun lowered his eyes and cast a cold glance. Bian Ziwen turned his head triumphantly.
"Brother Xun, you don't mind if I go first, right?"
Bian Xun looked at him with a faint, mocking smile, his eyes ice-cold.
Bian Ziwen still habitually shivered. The fear of being crushed by Bian Xun in every aspect since childhood had become an instinct.
But thinking of his grandfather cursing Bian Xun at home, Bian Ziwen smiled again. He was about the same age as Bian Xun, but he hadn't wasted time studying. Instead, he directly took over several of the Bian family's companies. Now his business was booming. Bian Xun had even visited the company and couldn't catch up with his progress at all.
Next year, Bian Ziwen planned to enter the main corporate group to gain experience. He believed he was now the most qualified person to compete with Bian Xun.
"I heard you're not going to the US? Just for a female college student?" Bian Ziwen suppressed his exuberant expression. "Brother, you're too immature. Grandpa is very angry."
Old Master Bian's attitude determined everything in the future.
Bian Xun calmly pushed the cart and tossed Bian Ziwen's bottle of water into his own cart.
Bian Ziwen was stunned and almost died of joy. Did Bian Xun know he had upset Grandpa and was about to lose power? Was he taking the initiative to make peace with him??
From childhood to adulthood, this was the first time.
He really wanted to see what this girl who could make Bian Xun change his life plans looked like.
What a pity, what a pity~
Bian Ziwen shook his head, following Bian Xun to the cashier with a suggestive look.
"Paying together?"
"Yes," Bian Xun said indifferently.
The cashier scanned the items in the shopping cart one by one. Bian Ziwen even pretended to be polite and helped him organize the items. When he bent down, his back pocket loosened, and Bian Xun snatched his wallet.
Then, he picked out a bank card from it and smoothly swiped it to pay the bill.
Bian Ziwen: "???"
Bian Ziwen looked at the cart full of New Year goods worth tens of thousands, while he had only wanted a bottle of water.
"Bian Xun, you motherf***er???"
Bian Xun had already calmly pushed the cart away. Outside the door, the assistant he had just begun to train was waiting there. He was a steady man named Zhang, who had been working for a few years.
Bian Ziwen stomped his feet in anger and couldn't help but yell, "You still want to spend the New Year with your little girlfriend? I know she lives in your neighborhood. She's probably at our house by now~~~"
The reason he appeared nearby was that he had tipped off their grandfather.
Bian Xun's fingertips paused, and then he handed the cart of New Year goods to Assistant Zhang, his dark eyes turning piercingly cold.
"Send out all the materials."
Assistant Zhang, who was very passionate this year, immediately said, "Yes!"
Bian Xun got in the car, and the engine roared as it sped off.
Heading in the direction of the Bian family's old residence.
...
This grand courtyard, which couldn't be found on a map, revealed a dark and solemn atmosphere in the night. The large red lanterns hanging along the corridors cast eerie shadows, making it look like a man-eating feudal compound from a Chinese horror movie.
"Where did she go?"
"Over there!"
Ning Ye held Ning Zhitao's hand as they ran through the winding corridors, her heart pounding wildly.
She guessed that it was the Bian family who came to invite her, but after being brought in by that black car, there was no one around. She didn't know who arranged it, but they just left her waiting in a ghostly, gloomy hall.
Why should she wait?
It was the New Year. Wouldn't it be better for her to go home and watch the Spring Festival Gala?
Ning Ye grabbed the little one and ran away.
As soon as she ran, many people who looked like household servants darted out from the corners of the mansion and started chasing them.
Ning Ye was considered a very calm and composed girl among her peers, but in such an environment, it was hard not to feel afraid. Everything around her felt like the Paper Bride haunted house they visited at the amusement park last time, but the difference was that Bian Xun wasn't here this time.
She nervously squeezed the little one's hand. In fact, she didn't know where the exit was. This old mansion was like a maze. She hurried past by the red light of the lanterns, becoming more frightened the more she looked.
Antique curios could be seen everywhere, and the carved railings and painted pillars everywhere looked like ancient architectural tourist attractions outside. She even vaguely saw the inscriptions on the plaques, and the signatures on them belonged to figures whose single word was worth its weight in gold outside. Even disregarding these, just looking at this prime geographical location within the Second Ring Road, and this seemingly endless land area...
Even the most ignorant student could feel this overwhelming wealth.
Was this... Bian Xun's home?
Ning Ye suddenly understood the other party's intentions.
It was to make her feel this oppressive gap, this barrier of wealth that was enough to suffocate ordinary people, making her shrink back in awe.
The other party didn't even need to show their face; just sitting condescendingly within this mansion was oppressive enough.
Ning Ye pressed her lips tightly together.
She could imagine that if her 19-year-old self had been brought in like this, she would definitely have been intimidated and would have anxiously pondered her future with Bian Xun.
Could they really keep going?
But at this moment, Ning Ye was not alone.
The little fist she held in her hand was warm, and a pair of dark grape-like eyes were round and bright under the red lanterns, quickly sensing Ning Ye's current emotions.
"Mommy, do you not want to play hide-and-seek anymore?"
For Ning Zhitao, she wasn't afraid at all. Wasn't this a place she was very familiar with?
She had thought they came in to play.
But since Mommy didn't want to play anymore, she wouldn't play either!
"I see them, they're over there!"
"Don't run around!"
Voices and footsteps surged in a chaotic flurry. Ning Zhitao pulled her mother along. "I'll take you to a safe place!"
Ning Ye's eyelashes fluttered slightly.
In the night, her little friend led her with pattering steps, weaving nimbly through the maze-like old mansion.
"Left here, right here!"
"We have to go through a door here."
The pursuers behind them were gradually left behind, asking in frustration and confusion.
"How is that kid so familiar with this place!?"
Exactly.
Ning Ye couldn't help but pat the top of her head.
How is she so amazing?
"We're here!"
Panting, Ning Zhitao led her mother to the entrance of a courtyard. Pushing the door open, the two walked in.
She led her mother into a room in the courtyard with familiar ease. It was very quiet here. Moonlight poured in through the window lattice. Ning Ye looked up and saw a small photo stuck to the wall by the bed.
It was the photo from her library card. She hadn't known where she dropped it, but it turned out to be here.
"This is Daddy's courtyard. No one will come in here."
Just as Ning Zhitao finished speaking, the courtyard door was opened again.
Footsteps rushed in, and only upon seeing the two of them did the person breathe a sigh of relief.
Bian Xun's eyes were cold and ruthless. The things he had just sent out should be enough to give the Bian family a very lively New Year.
Stepping over the threshold, Bian Xun saw Ning Zhitao swinging expertly in the rocking chair, realizing it was she who had brought Ning Ye here.
Smart and brave Little Grape.
Bian Xun lowered his eyes and chuckled, also patting her head.
"So amazing."
Ning Zhitao scratched her cheek. "It's nothing!"
Just doing some parkour in her hometown, that's all.
Bian Xun took a deep breath and walked toward Ning Ye.
She was quietly looking at the small photo by the bed, somewhat lost in thought.
Her slender figure was enveloped in the cold, lonely moonlight of the deep mansion. The first time an ordinary person felt the imposing weight of such immense wealth, they would be left breathless under the pressure.
It would probably take Ning Ye many years to face all this calmly. Unfortunately, right now, she was just an ordinary 19-year-old girl.
Naturally, doubts arose in her heart.
How far could she and Bian Xun really go? If the family's resistance was this great, could they really avoid breaking up? After breaking up, how would they get back together again, and how many years would it take?
The apprehension of the unknown swept across her youthful heart.
Ning Ye turned her face and met Bian Xun's deep, dark eyes. Before she could speak, he had already grasped her fingertips.
Bian Xun took a deep breath, his voice low and clear.
"I've submitted all the materials I recently collected on the tax evasion and improper management of several of the family's companies. This time, it will cut off a few of their arms. Consider it a preliminary revenge."
Ning Ye was stunned. Was he crazy? Weren't those his own family's companies?
In this year, his dark eyes were solemn and profound.
"I will slowly do more, until one day, this place is completely under my control."
His youthful figure was elegant and upright. Behind him was the ancient mansion that brought Ning Ye such a sense of oppression. His family background, the disparity between them—he blocked it all out in the moonlight of New Year's Eve.
In the future, he might become a ruthless capitalist, he might find himself in a whirlpool of wealth, and there might be unknown challenges.
"But I will always love you."
On this Friday of this year, Bian Xun's nerves and heart were absolutely certain of one thing.
"Even if there are twists and turns in the future, I will only love you."
"I will only make love to you."
"I will only be your husband, the father of your children."
