Chapter 34

Zhao Dongxuan slammed her hand on the table, startling Ye Mingxuan and Liu Yan. Ye Mingxuan shielded his stomach, head bowed. Tears clung to his lashes as he remained silent.

Liu Yan shrank back. “Madam, please don’t be angry. Don’t be angry.”

Zhao Dongxuan glared at Ye Mingxuan, then suddenly sat down and burst into tears. Liu Yan, Liu Yan! Is this how you and your son repay our family? We let him marry Tan Sizhe to live in luxury, to rise from humble beginnings to greatness. And what do we get? All I wanted was for him to speak up for our family—is even that too much to ask?!”

Zhao Dongxuan: “I thought you had a conscience! After Mingxuan left, I gave you a house and kept paying your wages every month. How good I’ve been to you!”

Her outburst caused plaster to flake off the walls, falling in a shower onto the floor. The ceiling fan creaked, stalled for two seconds, then resumed its rotation.

Liu Yan’s heart softened. Seeing her so upset, she hurried to comfort her: “Madam, Mingxuan didn’t mean it that way. He’ll discuss it with Mr. Tan. Mingxuan, say something!”

Ye Mingxuan closed his eyes wearily. Here we go again.

He remembered when he first arrived at the Ye household, he could tell Zhao Dongxuan disliked him. She exploited Liu Yan, so Ye Mingxuan urged Liu Yan to quit and leave.

Zhao Dongxuan resorted to the same tactics—crying and making a scene. She claimed the Ye family had given Liu Yan a job, making them benefactors, yet they were ungrateful.

Liu Yan was easily swayed and timid, never daring to stand up to Zhao Dongxuan. Later, Zhao Dongxuan tricked her into signing a ten-year contract, just as she had tricked Ye Mingxuan into marriage.

This meant that from age thirteen to twenty-three, Ye Mingxuan’s entire life would be controlled by Zhao Dongxuan—he couldn’t escape or shake her off.

Liu Yan urged Ye Mingxuan, “Mingxuan, please help the Madam. She’ll be grateful to you.”

The October air was bone-chilling. The cold wind whipped through the window, stinging Ye Mingxuan’s skin. He pressed his lips together. “I understand.”

Zhao Dongxuan smiled. “That’s the spirit. I knew Mingxuan would be the most sensible. Well, I won’t disturb you any longer. I’ll be going now.”

Liu Yan escorted her to the door: “Take care, Madam.”

Ye Mingxuan took several deep breaths. When Liu Yan returned, he pulled a red envelope from his pocket and pressed it into his mother’s hands.

Liu Yan was both surprised and delighted: “Mingxuan, where did you get this money?”

Ye Mingxuan replied softly, “I found an easy part-time job. It pays five hundred an hour. This is what I earned these past few days. Mom, take this to buy some nice food and clothes. I… I’ll come back again next time.”

“Not staying for dinner?” Liu Yan asked. “I was just about to go grocery shopping.”

Ye Mingxuan shook his head. He’d looked around the place—no air conditioner, no bathroom heater. He mentally calculated the costs. In a few days, he’d hire someone to install an AC and lay non-slip mats in the bathroom.

He reminded Liu Yan not to eat leftovers and to eat more meat, eggs, and dairy. She nodded to each point, smiling. ” Don’t worry. Now that my son’s earning money, Mom can live well too. We’ll eat better from now on.”

Ye Mingxuan nodded and headed out the door, descending the stairs. Liu Yan called after him to be careful and take it slow. She watched him for a long moment before closing the door.

Only then did Lin Jiale slowly emerge from the staircase corner. He felt he must be going mad.

Ye Mingxuan and Tan Sizhe? Married?!…

Ye Mingxuan huffed and puffed his way home. It had been raining these past few days, leaving the outside damp and chilly, but the house was dry and warm. He walked into the living room, poured himself a cup of warm water, and took a few sips to quench his thirst.

Aunt Fu poked her head out from the kitchen: “Mr. Mingxuan, where did you go this morning? Mr. Tan couldn’t find you.”

Ye Mingxuan froze, turning around: “Is the master here?”

Aunt Fu: “The master has been here all along.”

Ye Mingxuan: !!!

The man was actually home today!

When he left this morning, Tan Sizhe was still asleep. He hadn’t thought much of it, assuming Tan Sizhe had simply overslept. He never imagined Tan Sizhe hadn’t left the house at all!

Aunt Fu placed the carefully roasted chicken on the table: “The master is upstairs in his study. He said to come see him once you returned.”

Ye Mingxuan nervously tugged at his shirt: “Okay.”

He went to the bathroom, splashed water on his face, dried it off, and practiced smiling at the mirror. But the moment he thought of Zhao Dongxuan, his lips turned down.

Ye Mingxuan wiped the droplets from his face. Having absorbed the moisture, his skin appeared milky white and tender, with a faint pink hue, like a peach.

He walked to the study door, knocked, and Tan Sizhe called out, “Come in.”

Ye Mingxuan opened the door and stepped inside. “Sir.” He handed him the tea Aunt Fu had brewed.

Tan Sizhe paused typing, moved the teacup to the center of the desk, slid his chair back slightly, and patted his thigh. “Come up.”

Ye Mingxuan bit his lips until they turned a vivid red, turned around, and pressed his rounded little bottom onto the seat, sitting sideways on the man’s lap.

Tan Sizhe wrapped his arms around Ye Mingxuan’s body, trapping him between himself and the desk, and continued typing on the keyboard: “Where did you go this morning?”

Ye Mingxuan’s eyes darted nervously: “I went out for a walk.”

Tan Sizhe stared at him for a few seconds before lowering his head to sniff. “Went running?”

Ye Mingxuan had spent the entire morning outside, a thin sheen of sweat glistening on his skin. The scent within him was carried out by the perspiration, especially around his neck—warm and sweet.

Tan Sizhe leaned in to sniff deeply, his breath tickling Ye Mingxuan’s skin. The latter shrank his neck back. “Sir… it’s tickling…”

“Where does it tickle?”

“My neck.”

“I thought it was somewhere else.”

“?”

Ye Mingxuan was confused. Tan Sizhe clarified, “My butt.”

“!” Stunned into speechlessness by the man’s lewd remark, Ye Mingxuan tried to get up, but Tan Sizhe held him back, wrapping his arms around him. “Where are you going?”

Ye Mingxuan’s cheeks flushed crimson. “To take a shower…”

Tan Sizhe: “I’ll wash you.”

Ye Mingxuan’s eyes widened: “No need, sir!”

Tan Sizhe: “Your pregnancy is unstable now. Dr. Cai advised limiting physical activity. Wait until the fetus stabilizes after three months before resuming moderate exercise.”

Ye Mingxuan took careful note: “Mm-hmm.”

How strange. He still didn’t feel a tangible connection to the baby inside him. He often forgot there was a little life growing there, which led to moments of carelessness.

Life truly was a marvelous thing. To oneself, it came and went with a lightness, yet it could leave such a profound mark in another person’s heart.

The bathtub was lined with a non-slip mat, the water temperature just right. Soap bubbles formed continuous white waves, with a little yellow rubber duck swimming freely atop them.

Ye Mingxuan hugged his knees, curled up in the tub. His snow-white skin was covered in foam, as if he’d rolled around in the snow. Tan Sizhe scrubbed him as if bathing a doll—arms, shoulders, back, legs…

“Sir!” Ye Mingxuan yanked his legs back, cheeks flaming crimson. His voice nearly tripped over his tongue. “I… I can manage the rest myself.”

Tan Sizhe watched him with amusement. “We’ve been married over a month. I’ve seen everything there is to see. Still so shy?”

Ye Mingxuan buried his face in his knees, burying his head like an ostrich.

Tan Sizhe ran his fingers through his damp hair. “Alright, I’m leaving. Be careful washing.”

Ye Mingxuan nodded.

Tan Sizhe stood up and left, closing the bathroom door behind him. He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Bai Yu’s number. “Find out where Mingxuan went today.”

Bai Yu lay in bed, his soul seemingly elsewhere: “What now, my dear boss? I finally get a day off to sleep in, and you’re already bossing me around!”

“Mingxuan went out today and came back in a bad mood. Check if he went to the Ye family’s place.”

“The Ye family again? What are they up to now— Fine, fine, I’ll look into it, but you owe me compensatory time off!”

“Deal.”

“Boss is generous!”

Tan Sizhe hung up, his smile not reaching his eyes. He walked downstairs, asked Aunt Fu for a cup of hot ginger tea, and handed it to Ye Mingxuan after he finished showering.

Tan Sizhe: “Finish it, then let’s eat.”

Ye Mingxuan: “Okay.”

Holding the warm ginger tea, he watched the man’s tall, broad back as his thoughts churned.

Ye Mingxuan had only agreed to Zhao Dongxuan verbally; he never intended to mention her in front of Tan Sizhe.

The gentleman was so kind to him—he couldn’t take advantage of him.

Tan Sizhe took a few steps, then turned when Ye Mingxuan didn’t follow. Their eyes met. “What is it?”

Ye Mingxuan downed the ginger tea in one gulp and swallowed. “Nothing.”

After dinner, Ye Mingxuan lay down on the Simmons mattress, his mind unusually clear. He had never imagined he could one day live such a comfortable life.

During weekends at the Ye household, even meals were rushed, often followed immediately by being called to work.

Ye Mingxuan was only eighteen, yet he scarcely remembered being that age.

But after marrying his master, he seemed to rediscover glimpses of what an eighteen-year-old boy should be.

No need to fret over work, free to play with friends, savor delicious food, meet all sorts of people.

On rainy days, he could lie in warm bedding, drifting off to sleep to the sound of fine, threadlike rain. Just like now, Ye Mingxuan gently closed his eyes.