Chapter 16: Personally Escorting You

The word "fierce" fits well when describing a wild beast, but it doesn't suit Xing Jue. His eyes are particularly striking—slender, almond-shaped, with eyelids that are just thin enough to give them a gentle roundness. Whether he smiles or not, he carries the air of a free-spirited gentleman, as radiant and serene as the breeze brushing the moon. His voice, mellow and tender, can easily coax anyone into softening.

Yet tonight, there is neither tenderness nor affection. His eyes narrow slightly, lips pressed into a straight line as he stares at Si Yao, his arm around her waist tightening, almost to the point of pain.

Si Yao bit her lip, wincing, “You’ve had too much to drink.”

Xing Jue stared at her for a long moment before releasing his grip. Unsteadily, he turned away, reaching to embrace another woman who had just been startled by his earlier forcefulness.

Judging by the scene, it would be some time before things settled. Si Yao got up and went outside to wait.

Xu Mian followed her out. “Yao Yao, is it that time of the month for you?”

Si Yao was taken aback, a little embarrassed. “Can you tell that just by taking a pulse?”

“Oh, my brother can even tell how many miscarriages someone’s had. I’m not that good—I can’t even tell the difference between a period and a miscarriage.”

Si Yao burst out laughing. “That’s impressive enough, considering you never studied it properly.”

In this day and age, such gentleness is rare. Xu Mian scratched his head, blushing. “I’m staying with my brother now. Come over for a meal when you have time.”

Xu Mian’s brother, Xu Yinian, lived very close to Xing Jue.

Si Yao nodded perfunctorily. “I’ll definitely come if I get the chance.”

“It’s settled then.” Xu Mian shyly hooked his pinky finger out.

Si Yao couldn’t help but smile. Wasn’t he supposed to be around Xing Jue’s age? He seemed a bit childish.

Xu Mian usually wouldn’t dare, since Si Yao was, after all, Xing Jue’s fiancée in name, not single. But tonight, emboldened by drink, he grabbed Si Yao’s hand and hooked it with his own, grinning. “It’s a promise.”

“What?” she laughed.

Xu Mian looked back, still holding her hand. “Yao Yao will come to my house for dinner.”

Xing Jue, his drunkenness seemingly vanished, leaned coldly against the doorframe and lit a cigarette. Smoke curled upward as he spoke from behind the haze, his tone so flat it seemed almost a joke, “Why not go now? It’s easier to do things after dark.”

Si Yao’s pupils contracted sharply—she could hardly believe it.

Xu Mian sobered up a little, awkwardly letting go of her hand and scratching his head. “Don’t be mad, Ah Jue. She’s like a sister.”

“I’m not mad. I mean it,” Xing Jue replied, cigarette held between his lips, a faint smile at the corner of his mouth. “Shall I drive you?”

He sounded as though he really meant it.

Xu Mian’s mouth opened and closed, then blurted out, as if possessed, “Are you finally marrying Ah Ni?”

Xing Jue’s smile deepened. “Yes.”

Xing Jue and Si Yao left one after the other.

Si Yao drove, while Xing Jue lit another cigarette in the back seat.

“Even if you’re marrying Xing Ani, you don’t have to insult me like this,” Si Yao said.

“Insult you?” Xing Jue’s tone stretched out, with a slight curve of amusement.

Si Yao couldn’t hold back—she braked hard and stopped the car. “If you want to get married, just do it. You don’t need to arrange my future for me.”

“And why shouldn’t I?” Xing Jue looked out the window, his voice calm. “Isn’t this man better than that hungry one?”

Si Yao gave a breathless laugh, looking back at him. “Certainly better than you, the hungry one.”

She regretted it the moment the words left her mouth. Xing Jue, when sober, was already unpredictable; drunk, he was even more so.

She took a deep breath, trying to smooth things over, her voice gentle as she probed whether he truly intended to marry or not. After all, she’d just heard today that Ani was having the time of her life abroad. “When’s the wedding? I’ll report it to Grandpa.”

“Grandpa... When you were younger, you always called him ‘the old immortal’,” Xing Jue chuckled softly. Before Si Yao could respond, he went on, “A month from now, I’ll marry Ani. And you—you’ll be our servant.”