Xie Zhiyan's expression was terrifyingly dark.
Since Ning Yuxuan had known Xie Zhiyan, she had only heard about this man's fearsomeness through various rumors.
In her memory, Xie Zhiyan was aloof, a man of few words, yet not particularly difficult to talk to. In fact, he could even be considered responsive to her requests.
Xie Zhiyan had never shown anger in front of her.
So much so that at this moment, Ning Yuxuan actually felt a bit afraid.
Ning Yuxuan didn't want to show weakness in front of the man. She forced herself to meet his gaze, struggling to control her urge to step back. "What are you doing, suddenly getting so close to me? Let go of me!"
Xie Zhiyan looked at her deeply, not uttering a word, the strength in his hand not diminishing in the slightest.
Ning Yuxuan struggled a few times, realizing that with her strength, there was simply no hope of breaking free.
She was like a fawn that had fallen into a predator's claws, with no room for resistance at all.
After her struggles proved futile, Ning Yuxuan felt utterly wronged.
Why was he treating her like this?
Being dumped so abruptly by Gu Yunhao was already painful enough.
Xie Zhiyan, this man who had barely appeared in her life over the past few years, why did he suddenly have to emerge and disrupt her life?
Who she liked, who she wanted to be with, were her own affairs.
What right did he have to interrogate her, force her, and now look at her with that kind of gaze?
Ning Yuxuan's eyes reddened as she glared fiercely at Xie Zhiyan. "What exactly do you want from me?"
Xie Zhiyan: "It's simple. Agree to marry me."
Ning Yuxuan: "Impossible!"
Xie Zhiyan didn't seem surprised by her resistance. His gaze slowly swept over her widened eyes, her reddened nose, and then continued downward.
Ning Yuxuan felt her skin tighten under his scrutiny, almost breaking out in goosebumps. "Xie Zhiyan, you..."
The man's gaze finally settled on her slightly parted lips.
She wasn't wearing makeup, but due to her intense emotions, her lips were rosy and glossy, trembling ever so slightly now.
Xie Zhiyan's eyes darkened.
Just a little bit closer, and he could cover her lips, silencing all those words he didn't want to hear.
Noticing his line of sight, Ning Yuxuan's body tensed reflexively.
"Xie Zhiyan!" she said. "Don't even think about it!"
The man suddenly curved the corners of his lips.
"Ning Yuxuan," he switched to a tone less oppressive, even bordering on gentle. "What do you think I want to do to you right now?"
Ning Yuxuan's breath hitched. "I..."
A voice in her mind said he wanted to kiss her.
But she couldn't say it out loud.
That a man like Xie Zhiyan, who remained unflappable even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, would actually want to force a kiss on her seemed like a sheer fantasy.
...
The standoff between the two ended when Ning Fei entered the living room holding a cup of water.
Seeing her daughter's shoulders pinned by Xie Zhiyan, Ning Fei's eyes flashed with astonishment.
But she quickly adjusted her emotions and looked at her daughter with a gentle smile.
"Xuanxuan," Ning Fei said softly. "Have some warm water?"
Ning Yuxuan hesitated for a couple of seconds.
She was also somewhat angry with her mother, upset that her mother would even consider having her marry Xie Zhiyan.
But compared to being angry with her mother, Ning Yuxuan wanted to quickly escape the man's overwhelming presence even more.
So she walked over to Ning Fei's side, took the cup of water, and began sipping it quietly.
Seeing this, Ning Fei's gaze softened further. "Xuanxuan, Mom made your favorite dishes. Let's have lunch together in a little while, okay?"
Ning Yuxuan remained silent.
Ning Fei's eyes were full of heartache. "You haven't eaten anything since last night. How can you keep going on an empty stomach? Have at least a little bit, hmm?"
Ning Yuxuan still didn't speak, just lowered her head to drink the water.
Ning Fei sighed helplessly. She didn't know when exactly the relationship between her daughter and herself had slowly become like this.
She was clearly the little girl who used to love sharing everything with her, but ever since she started dating, an indescribable barrier had grown between them.
Originally, Ning Fei signed up for that variety show precisely to repair her relationship with her daughter. She never expected Gu Yunhao would call to break up just before the recording.
If this incident hadn't happened, Ning Fei would never have presumed to decide her daughter's marriage on her own.
But now, her daughter had clearly walked into a dead end, even secretly running off to the rooftop terrace.
So when Xie Zhiyan expressed his fondness for her daughter and his desire to marry her, Ning Fei did not immediately refuse.
In such a situation, perhaps a strong dose of medicine was indeed needed—someone to appear and divert her daughter's attention, pulling her out of the state of being wholly consumed by thoughts of Gu Yunhao.
Snapping out of her thoughts, Ning Fei looked at Xie Zhiyan apologetically. "Zhiyan, I'm sorry..."
Xie Zhiyan gave a slight shake of his head, indicating that Ning Fei needn't feel sorry.
He took a few steps closer to the mother and daughter.
Hearing the footsteps, Ning Yuxuan quickly looked up, alertly watching the man attempting to approach.
Xie Zhiyan stopped and looked at her. "Do you want to starve yourself to death, so Gu Yunhao will pity you when he finds out?"
Ning Yuxuan: "Don't mention his name!"
Xie Zhiyan: "Why can't I mention him? Isn't he the man you're pining for?"
She was momentarily speechless but continued to glare at him.
Seeing her like this, Xie Zhiyan softened his tone. "You said earlier you'd marry no one but Gu Yunhao?"
Ning Yuxuan's eyes were wary. "Yes, so what?"
"The matter of marrying me can be discussed further," Xie Zhiyan said unhurriedly. "After lunch."
...
Ning Fei didn't cook at home often, but today she had specially made several of her daughter's favorite dishes herself.
Braised sea bass and eggplant, and tomato beef brisket soup.
To be honest, Ning Fei's versions of these dishes weren't as good as the housekeeper's, but for some reason, her daughter always preferred the ones she made with her own hands.
Ning Fei thought it was probably because their family's financial situation wasn't as good in the past, and they couldn't afford a cook. Her daughter had grown up eating these few dishes she made, developing a habit for them.
At the dining table, Ning Yuxuan sat at the diagonal corner farthest from Xie Zhiyan.
If there weren't only five chairs at the family dining table, she could have sat even farther away from him.
Ever since being brought down from the rooftop, Ning Yuxuan had been sulking alone in her bedroom without eating.
Ning Fei's offers to bring her food at the door had all been refused.
Now, nearly twenty hours later, Ning Yuxuan had to admit that her stomach was indeed feeling very empty.
The dishes on the table were all her favorites. In the end, the aroma of the food temporarily triumphed over the pain of the breakup.
Ning Yuxuan picked up her chopsticks and served herself a piece of fish.
The moment the delicious fish entered her mouth, Ning Yuxuan felt her agitated mood ease slightly.
However, soon she began to fret again.
The sea bass and braised eggplant were placed near her side, within easy reach.
But to accommodate their guest, Xie Zhiyan, the tomato beef brisket soup had been placed closer to his side, with the ladle resting on the other side of the porcelain bowl.
If Ning Yuxuan wanted soup, she would have to ask someone to pass her the ladle or stand up to get it herself.
Out of a rather childish mindset, she didn't want to stand up to get the soup ladle in front of the other two people, especially Xie Zhiyan.
Ning Yuxuan pursed her lips, suppressing her craving for that tomato beef brisket soup, and took a bite of rice.
But her eyes still couldn't help lingering on the soup bowl for a few more seconds.
The next moment, a hand with distinct knuckles reached over and took her soup bowl from right in front of her.
Ning Yuxuan looked up in surprise.
Xie Zhiyan unhurriedly picked up the soup ladle and served soup into her bowl.
Ning Yuxuan's heart inexplicably skipped a beat, followed immediately by a harsh, stern retort: "Xie Zhiyan, what are you doing? I don't need your fake kindness!"
Xie Zhiyan didn't acknowledge her, not even sparing her a glance.
He simply lowered his gaze and continued filling her soup bowl to about eighty percent full, then placed the newly filled bowl in front of her.
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
There was no way she would change her opinion of this despicable man who took advantage of her situation just because of such a trivial matter.
Yet, for some reason, her mother's words from last night surfaced in her mind.
"Zhiyan says he has feelings for you and wants to marry you," Ning Fei had said. "Xuanxuan, Mom thinks Zhiyan is a very good man, and a good match for you. Please think it over carefully, okay?"
When she first heard it, Ning Yuxuan didn't believe a single word, convinced that Xie Zhiyan just wanted to use the so-called "life-saving favor" to bind her, that he had ulterior motives.
As for what he was after, it certainly wasn't love.
For years, Xie Zhiyan had never expressed any affection for her, and from the very beginning, he had known she liked Gu Yunhao.
Realizing she had thought of Gu Yunhao again, Ning Yuxuan was momentarily stunned.
When she was broken up with over the phone, hearing Gu Yunhao say he liked Cen Meng, the sharp, wrenching pain in her heart had made her almost wish for death.
But now, thinking of that name again, that familiar physical pain didn't resurface in her chest.
In the past, every time they had a breakup fight, that dull ache would torment her relentlessly, as if her own body were reminding her just how deeply she loved Gu Yunhao.
Ning Yuxuan was dazed for a few seconds before reaching a conclusion: she must have been hungry for too long, her body's primal survival instincts kicking in, making her numb to all sensations beyond basic physiological needs.
She glanced at the bowl of beef brisket soup placed before her.
It was Xie Zhiyan who was detestable, not the food.
Thinking this, Ning Yuxuan silently picked up the bowl and began drinking the soup.
...
After lunch, Ning Fei left the living room to her daughter and Xie Zhiyan.
She knew that even if she agreed to the marriage unilaterally, getting her daughter to accept it wouldn't be that simple.
The two needed some time alone to talk properly.
Having eaten and drunk her fill, Ning Yuxuan felt her strength to resist Xie Zhiyan had replenished somewhat.
She looked at Xie Zhiyan and asked him in an icy tone, "Didn't you say earlier you wanted to discuss the marriage matter with me?"
After a pause, she added, "But there's not much to discuss. I've said it before, I won't marry anyone other than Gu Yunhao."
Ning Yuxuan believed she had made herself perfectly clear.
Yet Xie Zhiyan didn't answer her. He just looked at her with an inscrutable expression, making her feel as if she were being seen through from head to toe.
Unable to bear his gaze, Ning Yuxuan broke the silence again: "Why aren't you saying anything? Have you decided to give up?"
Xie Zhiyan finally spoke, his tone calm: "In that case, how about we make a bet?"
Ning Yuxuan: "What kind of bet?"
Only after speaking did she realize that in this standoff, the man had once again effortlessly taken control of the pace.
Xie Zhiyan's voice was steady: "If you and Gu Yunhao get back together within a week, I will never mention marriage again. Otherwise..."
He glanced at her and said lightly, "We'll go get our marriage license."
Ning Yuxuan glared at him angrily: "That's completely unfair!"
Xie Zhiyan: "Is it that you don't believe in yourself, or that you don't believe in Gu Yunhao's feelings for you?"
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
...
Ning Yuxuan couldn't believe she had agreed to such an unfair bet.
As if heaven itself was watching this good show, the moment she agreed, her phone rang.
It was Gu Yunhao calling.
The phone call she had been hoping for all day. Now, actually seeing the caller ID, her instinctive reaction was surprisingly to hang up.
She instinctively resisted answering this call in front of Xie Zhiyan.
Ning Yuxuan gripped her phone tightly and looked at Xie Zhiyan.
The man gave a slight tug at the corner of his mouth: "Why aren't you answering?"
Ning Yuxuan pressed her lips together: "It's my call. You should give me some privacy."
Xie Zhiyan: "It concerns our bet. I believe I should listen."
Ning Yuxuan: "..."
The phone had been in her hand the whole time; he never had a chance to see the caller ID on the screen.
Yet the man seemed to have already deduced from her reaction who the caller was.
Ning Yuxuan took a deep breath and answered the phone almost petulantly.
If he wouldn't leave, then she'd let him listen.
A familiar voice came through the phone: "Why did it take you so long to answer?"
Without waiting for her reply, the man on the other end continued: "I didn't really want to call you, since we've already broken up, but... I thought about it. We did have a relationship after all, and Mengmeng also said I should check in on you."
...
Ning Yuxuan had never imagined that one day, talking to Gu Yunhao on the phone would make her physically nauseous.
Gu Yunhao placed all the blame for their breakup on her—it was all her fault for being unreasonable and unrepentant.
He also compared Cen Meng to her, his words full of praise for Cen Meng's understanding, gentleness, and empathy, while she, in his telling, was utterly worthless.
"Yuxuan," Gu Yunhao said, "I know you're very unwilling, and I know you've always liked me a lot, but love is never an equal exchange. After meeting Mengmeng, I finally understood what true love is. True love is irresistible. Even if I got back together with you, it wouldn't change the fact that my heart belongs to Mengmeng."
Ning Yuxuan almost vomited, unable to control a dry heave.
At the same time, the familiar waves of heartache assaulted her again, just like every time she and Gu Yunhao had fought before.
She felt like two split personalities: one utterly disgusted by this person's words, the other unbearably saddened to the point of losing control.
After hanging up, Ning Yuxuan touched the corner of her eye.
Feeling wetness, she moved her fingers down and realized tears had already streaked all over her cheeks.
Ning Yuxuan stared blankly ahead, unaware of when she had started crying so hard.
A hand touched her cheek.
Ning Yuxuan froze for a moment, realizing her tear-streaked face had been fully witnessed by Xie Zhiyan.
She tried to pull away, but the man easily grasped her wrist.
Xie Zhiyan's fingers were strong and forceful, easily pinning her firmly with just one hand, making it difficult for her to retreat even half a step.
He raised his other hand and gently, slowly stroked her cheek, wiping away her tears.
After the initial shock, Ning Yuxuan began struggling with all her might.
This time, she used every ounce of strength in her body and actually managed to wrench her wrist free from his grip.
Even she herself was caught off guard.
Ning Yuxuan had no time to think; her right hand instinctively swung toward the man's face.
