NOVPUBChapter 225: Chapter 225: A Guilty Conscience
Chapter 225 -225: A Guilty Conscience
Bai Xiao brought out a quilt for him and had set up a pillow on the sofa, but she looked at the double sofa and wondered if it was too cramped for An Zhiyuan’s 6’1″ frame? 𝒏𝒐𝙫𝙥𝙪𝙗.𝒄𝙤𝙢
An Zhiyuan watched the small figure of the woman bustling about outside, his gaze fixed on her slender silhouette, his burning eyes seemingly ready to reduce her to ashes.
Footsteps came from the doorway, carrying the unique unhurried steadiness of a man.
Bai Xiao paused, feigning composure as she continued with what she was doing.
After all, the atmosphere between them was a bit ambiguous. She was innocent and not afraid of shadows crooking, but she didn’t know if An Zhiyuan saw it the same way. He might think she was playing hard to get or behaving improperly!
“The sofa is a bit small. How about I sleep on the sofa and you take the bed?” Bai Xiao wasn’t Lei Feng, but she really felt sorry for a 6’1″ man having to curl up on such a cramped sofa.
“No need. I’ll sleep there!” An Zhiyuan refused, letting his future bride sleep on the sofa wasn’t something he, as a man, could consent to.
Bai Xiao checked and everything was pretty much in order.
“Then go ahead and sleep,” she looked at the clock. Indeed, after all their to-ing and fro-ing, it was almost 11 p.m. already.
An Zhiyuan nodded, his eyes drawn to her flowing, smooth long hair, which reached her shoulders. Usually tied in a ponytail, it was not noticeable, but after washing, it shimmered like glossy black satin, dazzling his eyes.
“You should go to sleep too.”
Bai Xiao obediently returned to her room and even deliberately locked the door.
With An Zhiyuan’s character, he definitely wouldn’t barge into her room in the middle of the night, but somehow, locking the door made her feel more secure.
She lay on her bed, unsure if it was because the bed was too soft or suddenly having another person in the house, but she tossed and turned, finding it hard to fall asleep.
After trying to sleep for a long time and unable to, her throat felt very dry.
In the north, where there’s central heating, the room gets extremely dry.
She got up to pour a glass of water in the kitchen, and stepping out of her room, she saw the TV in the living room still on, the screen showing static, though the lights were already off.
She guessed he must have fallen asleep while watching TV.
She walked over and turned the TV off.
Turning around, An Zhiyuan’s right hand was resting on his eyes, lying there quietly, his long legs on the arm of the sofa, the quilt draped askew over him. The light from the street lamps outside the window illuminated his features, softening his sharp contours.
His lips were pressed in a straight line. She suddenly imagined if they were to have a child, it would definitely be very beautiful, given the genetics at play here.
Suddenly feeling her cheeks heat up, she scolded herself for letting her thoughts wander to having children.
She tiptoed closer, able to see his eyes tightly closed, and his slender eyebrows slightly furrowed.
She reached out to pick up the quilt and gently covered him up, as the north wind continued to howl outside.
Bai Xiao smiled, gently touched An Zhiyuan’s cheek, feeling a small thrill of pride and sweetness that such a man was hers. Seeing he was still asleep, she turned and quietly returned to her room, gently closing the door.
What she didn’t know was that shortly after she left, An Zhiyuan opened his eyes, staring at the slit of light leaking through the door, his gaze growing deeper.
His lips curled up, revealing a subtle smile that was hard to detect.
…
The next day, Bai Xiao overslept.
Due to the restless tossing and turning of the prior night, she hadn’t slept well and had only fallen asleep at dawn, so upon waking, she was startled by the bright light filling the room.
Climbing out from under the covers, she could feel the air in the room had gotten several degrees colder. Drawing back the curtains, her eyes were met with a world blanketed in snow—rooftops, large trees, cars on the roads, and even the roads themselves covered in white, making the scene stunningly beautiful.
In her hometown, it also snowed, but never this heavily.
At the moment, thick flakes of snow were still drifting down from the sky.
Heavy snow promises a plentiful harvest. It seemed like next year would be fruitful, but sadly they didn’t have any land. He couldn’t help but think of his elder sister still in the village, wondering how she was doing now? The last time he received a letter from Xiaosan Li Haishun, it had stated that everything was fine at home and told her not to worry about the family or send money back because they had enough, clearly written in the tone of his elder sister Bai Yue.
More than a month had passed, and with the New Year approaching, Bai Xiao missed home.
This was a truly new year. With his big sister around, he could bring back his second sister when he returned. He was a bit worried about whether his eldest brother could make it back for New Year’s since he had just taken him to school in August and probably couldn’t get the holiday leave.
After folding the quilt and stepping out, he saw a table laid with steaming millet porridge, dough sticks, steamed buns, tea eggs, and a small dish of pickles. He was momentarily stunned. An Zhiyuan had already come out of the kitchen, holding a bowl and chopsticks, and said without even raising his eyebrows, “Go wash up. I’ve heated some water for you; it’s in the basin.”
Bai Xiao was speechless. This man was too domestic.
What a good man!
After washing up, the two of them sat down at the table to eat.
“This is…” Holding a dough stick, Bai Xiao couldn’t help but ask; they certainly didn’t have these in the cafeteria.
“Bought them from a street vendor. I asked for freshly fried ones and even brought a pot for them, to keep them warm. Eat up, and once we’re done, I’ll take you to make snowmen!” An Zhiyuan thought suggesting a movie might be too abrupt, but they both had the day off and he didn’t want to go back doing nothing.
The holiday was soon and they would both return to their respective homes for the New Year, separating for a month. If he didn’t use this opportunity to foster his relationship with his fiancée, how could it work?
Bai Xiao laughed, “Isn’t that a bit childish? You, a grown man making snowmen; aren’t you afraid your subordinates will see?”
“Not afraid, they should be the ones scared. Whoever sees, runs ten kilometers with a load!” An Zhiyuan responded slyly.
Bai Xiao’s eyes crinkled with laughter.
A loud knock on the door.
So early in the morning, who could it be?
“Who is it?”
“Xiao, it’s your brother! Hurry up and open the door for me!”
Good heavens!
Bai Xiao jumped in surprise!
His expression flustered, he glanced over at An Zhiyuan, feeling almost as if he’d been caught red-handed in a scandal.
But they hadn’t done anything!
Moreover, they were engaged!
An Zhiyuan responded to Bai Xiao’s worried glance by calmly standing up and opening the door.
“Big brother, hello!”
Bai Song’s coat and hat were covered in thick snow. Seeing Bai Song, he was momentarily startled, then took off his hat and began patting the snow off it outside.
“An Zhiyuan, what are you doing here?”
“I just arrived. Xiaoxiao was eating, and I joined in for a bit!” An Zhiyuan’s composed expression surprised Bai Xiao. The transition was too smooth!
Who really was the reborn one here?
Seeing the food on the table, Bai Song laughed, “I haven’t eaten either, perfect timing for me to join.”
Unexpectedly, he didn’t ask further questions, which surprised Bai Xiao.
Was she still his little sister?
Then she glanced at the wall clock and finally understood why her big brother didn’t show a hint of suspicion—it was already half-past ten. What would you think seeing An Zhiyuan here at this time?
It seemed she was the one with a guilty conscience.
