When Xie Zhiyan entered to tell her that dinner was almost ready, Ning Yuxuan was examining her waist.
Pressing it felt a bit painful, but just looking at it, she couldn’t see anything unusual.
It was only slightly red, not at all noticeable compared to the other marks on her body.
The bruise hadn’t appeared yet.
Ning Yuxuan recalled the position she was in front of the mirror earlier.
She had thought she was almost used to it, no longer too shy about such things.
But in front of the mirror… it truly challenged her sense of shame once again.
So, thinking back on it, her cheeks burned so hot they felt like they might explode.
Finally, she concluded that it must have been easy to bump her waist back then.
At the time, her senses were preoccupied with other things, leaving no room to notice this. Only now did she feel a dull ache.
When Xie Zhiyan entered the room, he saw her lifting the hem of her pajamas, revealing a section of fair, smooth skin at her waist.
The man’s gaze flickered slightly.
“What’s wrong?” Xie Zhiyan asked in a deep voice. “Is your waist uncomfortable?”
Ning Yuxuan shot him an accusatory look. “Yeah, it hurts a bit.”
Xie Zhiyan stepped forward. “Let me take a look?”
Ning Yuxuan held up the hem of her clothes for him, muttering under her breath, “You can’t really see anything now, but tomorrow or the day after, it might bruise badly. Last time, wasn’t it…”
Amidst her rambling, Xie Zhiyan’s hand gently touched her waist.
Ning Yuxuan’s waist was her most ticklish spot. The moment she was touched, she immediately flinched backward.
But she forgot her legs were still weak, stumbling and nearly colliding with the mirror.
Thankfully, Xie Zhiyan reacted quickly and caught her, steadying her.
Ning Yuxuan blurted out, “Why are you touching me so carelessly!”
Xie Zhiyan apologized in a good-natured tone, “Sorry, I just wanted to see where it hurts.”
His good attitude softened Ning Yuxuan’s resolve. “Well, you can look, but don’t just touch…”
Xie Zhiyan replied gently, “If I don’t touch, I won’t know exactly where it hurts.”
Ning Yuxuan knew he had a point.
“Then you…” She pursed her lips. “Then be careful.”
Xie Zhiyan’s lips curled slightly. “Mm.”
With that, the man actually knelt on one knee to examine her waist.
For some reason, this position made Ning Yuxuan feel as if she were looking down at him, but it felt incredibly awkward. Her legs unconsciously tensed.
She suppressed this strange feeling and stayed still as the man’s hand rested on her lower back, only trembling imperceptibly.
Ning Yuxuan’s expression was tense as she looked down at Xie Zhiyan’s movements. “Can you see clearly? Is it red?”
Xie Zhiyan: “A little.”
Ning Yuxuan frowned. “I knew it. It’s all because you bumped into me too hard…”
Xie Zhiyan’s fingers paused on her waist, his voice deepening. “I’ll be gentler next time.”
Ning Yuxuan realized the ambiguity in her words and quickly corrected herself, “I meant your elbow, not…”
Xie Zhiyan looked up, his gaze profound.
Ning Yuxuan: “…”
Never mind. What difference did it make explaining where it was bumped? It happened back then anyway.
She fell silent.
Xie Zhiyan examined her waist carefully for a while longer, but Ning Yuxuan didn’t know what he saw.
After a moment, the man stood up and said, “After dinner, I’ll massage it for you. There should be a few bottles of massage oil at home.”
Ning Yuxuan hummed in agreement, changing the subject. “Is dinner ready?”
Xie Zhiyan smiled faintly. “Yes. Should I carry you to the dining room?”
Ning Yuxuan immediately replied, “No need.”
She emphasized, “Losing my balance just now was an accident. Who told you to suddenly touch my most ticklish spot?”
The living room and dining room were connected. Ning Yuxuan sat down at the dining table, waiting for Xie Zhiyan to bring the food.
The dinner for two wasn’t too large. Xie Zhiyan had cooked the two dishes he mentioned earlier, along with a small bowl of soup.
Ning Yuxuan helped herself to a bite of shredded pork with green peppers.
Since buying the apartment, she had already eaten Xie Zhiyan’s cooking several times.
However, they were all home-style dishes. She hadn’t had the chance to enjoy a truly extravagant meal.
Analyzing the reasons, it was probably because whenever the two of them ate at home, it was either right after work or like now.
Ning Yuxuan swallowed the food in her mouth. “Now that most of my things are moved over, I should be free all weekend.”
Xie Zhiyan looked at her, waiting for her to continue.
Ning Yuxuan: “What about you? Do you have to work overtime?”
A hint of a smile flashed in Xie Zhiyan’s eyes. “No.”
Ning Yuxuan: “Answering so decisively? Don’t you need to check your schedule?”
Xie Zhiyan’s lips curved slightly. “Since you’ve deliberately cleared your weekend, of course I’ll keep you company.”
Ning Yuxuan: “…”
She took a sip of orange juice and glared at him. “I cleared it to rest properly, not to do… other things.”
Xie Zhiyan: “What other things?”
Ning Yuxuan ignored him. “Anyway, I want to relax this weekend. Tomorrow, make me a big meal, okay? I miss the shrimp you cooked.”
Xie Zhiyan agreed. “Sure.”
Ning Yuxuan: “Besides shrimp, I want other things too. What else can you make?”
Xie Zhiyan smiled faintly. “I know how to make a lot. I guarantee my dear wife will be satisfied.”
Ning Yuxuan shot him a reproachful look.
After marriage, the man didn’t often call her that; most of the time, he still called her “Xuanxuan.”
So hearing him address her this way felt unfamiliar, and her ears grew slightly warm.
Ning Yuxuan forced herself to remain calm. “Well, your attitude isn’t bad. When the time comes, I’ll help you and learn a thing or two.”
Seeing a flicker of surprise in the man’s eyes, Ning Yuxuan pouted. “What? In case…”
Originally, she wanted to say, in case they got divorced, she could still cook for herself.
But remembering what happened the last time she mentioned “divorce,” she swallowed her words.
“In case you have to go on a business trip for ten days or half a month,” Ning Yuxuan said, “I can still make myself something delicious.”
Xie Zhiyan smiled. “With you here, I wouldn’t want to be away on business for so long.”
Ning Yuxuan retorted, “Easy to say,” though the corners of her lips curled up slightly.
After dinner, Xie Zhiyan went to clean up the dishes and put them in the dishwasher.
There were only the two of them in the apartment, and they hadn’t lived here every day before.
So after moving in, they hadn’t hired a full-time housekeeper. Instead, they scheduled hourly cleaning services regularly.
For small daily chores, Xie Zhiyan usually took care of them.
Ning Yuxuan curled up on the living room sofa, scrolling through her phone when a video call suddenly popped up.
Few people ever video-called her, so she was momentarily surprised. Seeing the caller ID as “Mom,” she quickly answered, worried it might be an emergency at home.
The screen froze for a second before showing Ning Fei’s side.
“Mom?” Ning Yuxuan asked anxiously.
On the other end, Ning Fei seemed momentarily stunned before smiling.
“Oh, Xuanxuan,” Ning Fei said. “Don’t worry, nothing’s wrong. It’s just Xiaoyue—”
“Mom!” Ning Shiyue’s voice came from somewhere off-screen.
Ning Fei pursed her lips and smiled, changing the subject. “Xuanxuan, are you busy? Is it convenient to talk?”
Ning Yuxuan: “Of course not. I just finished dinner and was relaxing by scrolling through my phone.”
In the background, Ning Shiyue’s voice chimed in again, “You eat pretty late.”
Ning Fei smiled gently. “Xuanxuan, was the move today smooth?”
Ning Yuxuan smiled. “Of course. Besides, it wasn’t really a move—just bringing over some personal items. What about you? Is everything going well with the film crew?”
Ning Fei had been out all day.
With the movie collaboration with Qin Man and Liang Jihuai about to start filming, Ning Fei had been busy preparing for her role lately.
Ning Fei hadn’t been this busy in a long time, sometimes leaving early and returning late.
At first, Ning Yuxuan felt a bit heartbroken, thinking that her mother was already in her fifties, nearing retirement age.
But realizing that this might be the life Ning Fei truly wanted—not being a wife and mother or managing a business, but continuing to shine in her acting career—Ning Yuxuan felt at peace.
Ning Fei nodded. “Everything’s going well. I’ll be joining the crew next week.”
Mother and daughter chatted for a while longer before Ning Fei said to her daughter, “Let Xiaoyue talk to you too.”
The person on the screen switched to Ning Shiyue.
Although they were siblings, they almost never video-called each other. If they had something to discuss, they usually texted or, at most, called.
Ning Shiyue scratched his head, his first words practically a denial: “Mom missed you. Actually, I really didn’t want to video call you.”
Ning Yuxuan blinked. “If you’re so unwilling, should I hang up?”
Ning Shiyue: “…”
The young man roared, “Ning Yuxuan! I just helped you move. Can’t you show a little gratitude?”
Ning Yuxuan laughed. “Fine, fine. What do you want to say? I’m listening.”
Ning Shiyue snorted.
“Actually, it’s nothing much,” Ning Shiyue said. “Zhuang Yiming went to dub for ‘Tides of Fate’ today and just texted me. He said he watched the sample clips and saw the part you made a guest appearance in.”
Ning Yuxuan let out an interested “Oh.” “And? What did he say?”
That guest appearance was also her first time in a period drama, so she was curious about how she performed.
Ning Shiyue: “He said your part was really beautiful and stunning. When it airs, the audience will definitely be… uh… captivated by you.”
He then cleared his throat vigorously. “You know how Zhuang Yiming is—always exaggerating and talking nonsense. Just take it with a grain of salt.”
Ning Yuxuan suppressed a laugh. “Fine, I won’t take it seriously. I usually don’t take what you say seriously anyway.”
Ning Shiyue glared at her in dissatisfaction. “Hey!”
On Ning Yuxuan’s end, there were a few sounds nearby.
She glanced over and saw Xie Zhiyan coming out of the kitchen after cleaning up.
The man’s sleeves were rolled up, revealing his firm arm muscles.
Ning Yuxuan saw Xie Zhiyan quietly sit down beside her without entering the frame, so she ignored him and continued casually bickering with Ning Shiyue.
Ning Shiyue suddenly squinted and leaned closer to the screen.
Ning Yuxuan was puzzled, and then she heard Ning Shiyue ask seriously, “Do you have mosquitoes at your place?”
“Huh?” Ning Yuxuan didn’t understand at first.
Ning Shiyue pointed at the screen. “On your neck. Is that a mosquito bite?”
Ning Yuxuan: “…”
Realizing what Ning Shiyue was referring to, her body instantly stiffened.
The key was that Ning Shiyue seemed genuinely convinced it was a mosquito bite.
Probably because he had absolutely no dating experience, so it never crossed his mind to think otherwise.
To make matters worse, the man beside her let out a soft chuckle at that moment.
Ning Yuxuan heard it clearly, making her even stiffer.
“My skin is delicate, and mosquitoes love biting me. What about it?” she retorted irritably. “Anyway, it’s getting late. If you have nothing else, I’m hanging up!”
Another low chuckle came from beside her.
Ning Yuxuan gritted her teeth, wanting to hit him, but as soon as she reached out, her hand was caught.
Her attempt backfired, and now she couldn’t pull her hand back.
On the other end, Ning Shiyue remained completely unaware, muttering to himself, “I was just showing concern. Why so hostile? The mosquito repellent at home works pretty well. I’ll bring it over sometime.”
…
After hanging up the call, Ning Yuxuan finally had the energy to deal with Xie Zhiyan.
She hit him with her other free hand, but within seconds, her right wrist was also captured by the man.
With both hands restrained, Ning Yuxuan struggled for a few seconds to no avail.
Indeed, with such a disparity in strength, once a sneak attack failed, there was no second chance.
Ning Yuxuan bit her lip, deciding to change tactics.
“Husband,” she looked up at him, her eyelashes fluttering slightly. “Let go first, please.”
Xie Zhiyan’s gaze darkened instantly.
Ning Yuxuan felt the grip on her wrists loosen slightly, so she cautiously tried to pull her hands back.
To her surprise, she succeeded.
As she slowly withdrew her wrists from the man’s grasp, she silently met his gaze.
Xie Zhiyan’s eyes were deep and inscrutable, making it hard to guess his thoughts.
Two seconds after regaining her freedom, Ning Yuxuan pretended to give up, rubbing her wrists as she turned away.
Then, suddenly, she reached out again, stubbornly trying to poke his waist with her fingers.
From her observations, Xie Zhiyan wasn’t entirely immune to tickling there—it just wasn’t as obvious as hers.
Once, during an intimate moment, she accidentally scratched his waist with her nails, and his gaze and intensity instantly changed, nearly overwhelming her.
Ning Yuxuan’s plan to strike back quickly fell through—
Even though she felt her movements were fast enough, the man saw through them instantly, catching her wrist again.
Their eyes met, and Ning Yuxuan, sensing the situation turning against her, immediately prepared to back down. “Xie Zhiyan, I…”
Suddenly, she felt weightless as she was lifted into his arms.
