After coming clean with the family about the marriage, Ning Yuxuan still hadn't officially moved in to live with Xie Zhiyan.
She had only taken a few sets of clothes and some personal items over, spending the night there from time to time.
After the variety show ended, Ning Yuxuan had been busy with Hua Yuan affairs and didn't want to expend too much energy on moving. Yet, she couldn't entirely hand the task over to others either.
Only she herself knew which items she wanted to leave at the villa and which ones to take with her.
One day during dinner with the three of them, Ning Fei said to her daughter, "I heard things at Hua Yuan aren't too busy lately. You could take this opportunity to move to Zhiyan's place."
Ning Yuxuan took a sip of orange juice and looked at her mother. "Mom, are you trying to get rid of me again?"
Ning Fei shook her head helplessly.
Ning Yuxuan pressed on, "Isn't it just fine the way it is now? I can still have dinner with you every night. Mom, don't you want me to keep you company?"
Ning Fei smiled gently. "Of course I do, but it's not right for a married woman to keep living with her mother."
Ning Yuxuan said, "It's because I can't bear to leave you!"
Ning Fei just smiled and didn't bring up moving again.
She was utterly defenseless against her daughter's acting spoiled.
Beside them, Ning Shiyue wrinkled his nose and taunted, "Ning Yuxuan, I never realized you were so good at acting spoiled before. And you can be so gentle with Mom and Brother Zhiyan, so why are you always so fierce with me?"
Ning Yuxuan lifted the corner of her lips and replied airily, "Then you should look for the reason within yourself."
Ning Shiyue: "..."
Ning Yuxuan changed tack, "But there are some things I still think of you for first."
Ning Shiyue scoffed lightly, "Don't bother. I'm sure it's nothing good."
Ning Yuxuan raised an eyebrow, "So self-aware?"
Ning Shiyue pouted, "It's because I've long seen your true nature."
The thing Ning Yuxuan was referring to was the move.
After dragging it out for over half a month following the new store's opening, moving was finally put on the agenda.
The apartment was already fully furnished. All the items Ning Yuxuan had previously planned for had been gradually purchased and added over the past month.
The flower stand for the balcony, the rug for the living room, and the coffee table she wanted to buy.
What needed to be moved was only Ning Yuxuan's personal belongings and clothes.
Therefore, Ning Yuxuan didn't call a moving company. She simply booked Ning Shiyue's "personal services"—
"Do you have time on Friday? Drive to help me move?"
"I do, but—"
"Then it's settled. Drive your SUV over Friday afternoon."
...
Two days in advance, Ning Yuxuan dug out several large storage boxes from the storeroom and began packing the things she wanted to take.
Clothes made up the bulk. Her favorite dresses from the walk-in closet were taken out and neatly folded into the boxes.
There were also her frequently worn pieces from the bedroom wardrobe to take.
On top of that, there were the clothes she had tossed into the wardrobe in Ning Shiyue's room.
Most of those were clothes she didn't really like anymore; otherwise, she wouldn't have left them in the most inconvenient spot.
Ning Yuxuan decided to take this moving opportunity to declutter. She took all the clothes stored over there out.
A small portion was moved to her own room's wardrobe, while the majority were packed into cardboard boxes, ready to be donated to a nearby clothing collection point.
On Thursday night, when Ning Shiyue finished work and returned to his room to rest, he felt something was off. It wasn't until he saw the suddenly half-empty wardrobe that it dawned on him.
So, just as Ning Yuxuan was sorting through the old clothes, Ning Shiyue came looking for her.
Ning Yuxuan hadn't closed her door. Ning Shiyue knocked twice at the doorway and walked right in.
He then saw the clothes that used to be in his room, now all transferred to cardboard boxes on the floor.
Hearing footsteps, Ning Yuxuan glanced up at him. "What do you want?"
Ning Shiyue coughed twice. "Just seeing if you need any help."
Saying this, he made a show of wandering around Ning Yuxuan's bedroom. After receiving two disdainful remarks—"Don't block my light" and "If you really have nothing to do, go move bricks at a construction site, stop loitering here"—he finally revealed his true purpose.
"Um..." Ning Shiyue stared at the clothes in the boxes. "Are you planning to throw all these away?"
He noticed the other clothes were in plastic storage boxes, while these familiar-looking clothes were tossed in cardboard ones.
Ning Yuxuan was folding clothes and, without looking up, replied, "Pretty much. I plan to donate them tomorrow."
Ning Shiyue: "..."
After folding two dresses, the person standing beside her remained silent.
Ning Yuxuan looked up at Ning Shiyue, somewhat baffled. "Why are you just standing there? Holding a vigil for these dresses?"
Ning Shiyue: "...No, I just think it's a bit of a waste."
Ning Yuxuan was even more puzzled. "A waste of what?"
Ning Shiyue looked somewhat uncomfortable. "These dresses... aren't they quite nice?"
Ning Yuxuan stood up, eyeing Ning Shiyue suspiciously. "What do you mean? Do you want to wear them? Since when did you have that hobby?"
Ning Shiyue shot her a glare. "No!"
Ning Yuxuan: "Then what are you talking about?"
It wasn't that Ning Shiyue didn't want to say; it was just that the reason was a bit hard for him to voice.
Over the past few years, he had grown accustomed to Ning Yuxuan occupying over half of his room's wardrobe.
It was no exaggeration to say that every time he stayed at home, he would see Ning Yuxuan's dresses in the wardrobe and had almost memorized their styles.
Suddenly, the wardrobe was half empty. It just felt wrong everywhere.
Seeing Ning Shiyue silent again for a long moment, Ning Yuxuan completely lost her patience. "Ning Shiyue, what's gotten into you? How about you skip helping me move tomorrow and make a doctor's appointment instead?"
Ning Shiyue finally mumbled, avoiding eye contact, "It's just... after you took your clothes away, my side feels so empty. I'm just... a little unused to it."
Ning Yuxuan blinked slowly.
Then she mercilessly called him out, "Ning Shiyue, if you're going to miss me, just say it. I'm not dead. Don't go all 'thinking of the person upon seeing the object,' okay?"
...
On Friday afternoon, Ning Yuxuan and Ning Shiyue together moved the several packed boxes of items to the apartment.
There wasn't a lot of stuff.
With Ning Shiyue's help, Ning Yuxuan quickly moved and arranged everything except the clothes in their new places.
As for the clothes, because they included sleepwear and intimate apparel, which were more private, Ning Yuxuan didn't let Ning Shiyue help her sort them. She could handle those on her own later.
Spring and autumn in Beicheng were both very short. Although by the calendar it was already the tail end of summer, the weather was still sweltering.
Ning Shiyue had carried all the boxes up by himself. Even though there was an elevator for the trip up and air conditioning inside, beads of sweat still appeared on his forehead.
"Want something to drink?" Ning Yuxuan asked him. "There are cold drinks in the fridge. If you're hungry, I think there are a few packs of snacks in the cabinet."
Ning Shiyue took a can of iced cola from the fridge and drank half in one go.
Holding the remaining half, he waved at Ning Yuxuan. "I'm heading back now."
Ning Yuxuan's brow lifted slightly. "Don't you want to enjoy the air conditioning a bit longer and rest some more?"
"No." Ning Shiyue's reply was crisp and decisive.
Meeting Ning Yuxuan's slightly puzzled gaze, Ning Shiyue pointed at the wall clock. "It's almost five. What if Zhiyan gets back from work soon? I don't want to be the third wheel for you two."
Ning Yuxuan laughed. "You're quite considerate. But you could stay until he gets back, you know. Is there such a hurry?"
Ning Shiyue's eyes darted away, as if thinking of something.
"Better not." Ning Shiyue said decisively. "I'll head off now. Just text me if you need any help!"
With that, Ning Shiyue took two more big gulps of the iced cola and left, closing the apartment door behind her.
Ning Yuxuan watched Ning Shiyue's retreating figure, unable to suppress a smile at the corners of her lips.
She could probably guess why Ning Shiyue was in such a rush to leave.
At the "family celebration dinner" over half a month ago, a drunk Ning Shiyue had delivered the classic line, "What's so great about a husband anyway?"
The next day, Ning Shiyue was actually in a blackout state and had no memory of what she'd said.
But between Ning Yuxuan's verbal reminders, the video evidence, and the meaningful looks Xie Zhiyan gave her a few days later when they all had a meal together, Ning Shiyue gradually pieced together what had happened.
For the two weeks since then, Ning Shiyue had been acting furtively whenever she saw Xie Zhiyan—the very picture of a guilty conscience.
Her hurry to leave today was likely also because she was afraid of running into Xie Zhiyan face-to-face.
Xie Zhiyan's work hadn't been too busy these past two weeks. There was occasional overtime, but he hadn't had to fly out to another city on business yet.
Most of the time, he would return before dinner to eat with Ning Yuxuan.
Ning Shiyue had done all the "heavy lifting" today, so Ning Yuxuan wasn't feeling very tired. She decided to tidy away the clothes before Xie Zhiyan got back.
The wardrobe in the master bedroom was spacious, with half the space already occupied by Xie Zhiyan's clothes.
Xie Zhiyan's wardrobe was monotonous, mostly black, white, and grey shirts and suits, along with two dark-colored overcoats.
The quantity wasn't large either. Although it took up half the space, the items hung sparsely, each shirt seeming rather unfamiliar with its neighbors.
Without hesitation, Ning Yuxuan stuffed her own frequently worn clothes and dresses into the wardrobe, squeezing Xie Zhiyan's seemingly expensive shirts into a corner.
At the border where their clothes met, a hot pink, figure-hugging mini skirt pressed against Xie Zhiyan's black shirt, creating a striking contrast.
Ning Yuxuan felt inexplicably warm, which immediately reminded her of that night, the scene of their clothes piled together on the chaise lounge.
She shook her head, dispelling the memory.
Coming back to her senses, she found her fingertips unconsciously stroking that pink mini skirt.
She had bought this skirt just before graduating from university. Later, her taste had changed somewhat; she wasn't as keen on such tight-fitting styles anymore, so she hadn't worn it for a long time.
For a considerable period, this skirt had been forgotten, gathering dust in the farthest corner of her walk-in closet.
It was only during this move that she remembered she still had this piece and brought it along.
Ning Yuxuan recalled this skirt was quite expensive, from some independent designer brand. The cut and quality of the fabric were both excellent.
The clothes in the villa's walk-in closet were regularly tended to, so even though it had been stored for a while, it didn't look old.
On a sudden whim, Ning Yuxuan wondered what she would look like wearing clothes from her student days.
If memory served, her weight was about the same as when she graduated, maybe just three or four pounds heavier at most. It shouldn't be too small to wear.
Ning Yuxuan reached for the clothes. As she took the hanger, her fingertips brushed against Xie Zhiyan's black shirt.
She was wearing a short T-shirt with wide-leg pants today, which she changed out of easily.
But when it came to putting on the skirt, she encountered a bit of difficulty.
The skirt fit perfectly, but being a tight-fitting style with the zipper at the back, it was hard to zip up alone.
As expected, the zipper got stuck halfway up, right at her waistline.
With no other choice, Ning Yuxuan went to the full-length mirror, turned her back to it, and tried to find a suitable angle to pull the zipper up.
As luck would have it, a sound came from the entrance at that very moment.
Ning Yuxuan reflexively closed the bedroom door immediately and turned the lock.
Even though she knew it was unlikely anyone other than Xie Zhiyan would have a key to the apartment, her heart still raced instinctively at the sound of someone entering while she was changing.
Hearing the person enter, Ning Yuxuan raised her voice and called through the bedroom door, "Xie Zhiyan?"
A familiar, magnetic voice replied, and she let out a sigh of relief.
"Give me two minutes," Ning Yuxuan said. "I'm changing."
A "Sure" came from outside the door.
Ning Yuxuan turned her back to the mirror again, continuing her struggle with the zipper.
But whether it was because she hadn't worn such a tight skirt in too long and her technique was off, or because the zipper had lost its smoothness after being stored for so long, Ning Yuxuan struggled for over a minute and still couldn't get the zipper up.
What was more frustrating was that when she thought about giving up and changing back, she found she couldn't pull the zipper back down either.
It was stuck right at her waistline, neither up nor down.
Ning Yuxuan swore inwardly.
Obviously, if she didn't want to ruin the skirt by using brute force, she now had only one choice.
Ning Yuxuan took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
Then she turned the lock, opening the bedroom door a crack.
"Xie Zhiyan," she called the man's name. "Can you come in and help me?"
Footsteps sounded outside, and soon the door was pushed open.
As Xie Zhiyan walked in, Ning Yuxuan lightly pressed her lips together, not yet having had time to explain her predicament.
The man's gaze had already, of its own accord, fallen on the full-length mirror behind her.
This mirror was one Ning Yuxuan had picked out herself, installed just last week.
She liked large, floor-length mirrors like this—they provided a clear view, making it easy to see the effect of an outfit when getting dressed.
Because the skirt had thin spaghetti straps, Ning Yuxuan had taken off her bra while changing, casually tossing it onto the bed along with her T-shirt.
In the mirror, the woman's curves were pronounced. Almost her entire smooth, luminous back was exposed, her shoulder blades clearly visible.
Ning Yuxuan met Xie Zhiyan's eyes and saw the man's Adam's apple bob slightly.
