Su Yanxi has indeed been in a good mood recently—because Bie Yunzong has also been behaving well.
Not only did she stay at the hotel with him and learn about the daily operations of the film crew, but she also very thoughtfully learned to share her itinerary. Every time she went out for a walk, she would send him her real-time location to let him know where she was, so that he no longer had the opportunity to be suspicious or let his mind wander.
Such progress is commendable, but it also really piqued Su Yanxi's interest. He wondered why this nemesis clearly knew how to share his real-time location, but why didn't Bie Yunzong do it when he returned home late in Beicheng before?
—He must have something to hide.
Bie Yunzong's obedient behavior, on the contrary, confirmed that Su Yanxi's previous suspicions and guesses were probably correct!
For this reason, no matter how good or relaxed Su Yanxi was, she resolutely refused to let Bie Yunzong touch a single finger!
He can only hold me while I sleep; anything further is out of the question. Don't ask, the answer is he's just uncomfortable with it—he thinks it's dirty!
Su Yanxi decided to give Bie Yunzong a break for a month or two, letting the guy "vent his frustrations," and then find an opportunity to talk to him when he had time. If it was truly a misunderstanding, then it would be resolved; if it wasn't...
Then we can only chop off the chicken and throw it away.
Bie Yunzong, enjoying the sweet feeding from his beautiful wife, had no idea that she harbored such terrible thoughts.
After lunch, Su Yanxi and Bie Yunzong switched back to the driver's seat, with Bie Yunzong driving back to the Garden Hotel where the film crew was staying. To avoid being seen by anyone with ulterior motives, Bie Yunzong would drop Su Yanxi off near the hotel and then drive around a couple of times to try and avoid returning at the same time.
This tactic proved extremely effective. On his way back to the hotel wearing sunglasses and a mask, Su Yanxi was recognized by several fans who surrounded him, vying for his autograph.
Su Yanxi was very approachable and would agree to any reasonable request. He placed the million-dollar Birkin bag on the ground, signed autographs, and curiously examined the fans' support items, asking a question.
"These fans and banners are so cute! Did you design them yourselves?"
"Yes, we extracted it from the trailers and promotional videos!" Fans enthusiastically presented support items. "SuSu, your Weibo followers have increased from around 100,000 to 8 million! We all think 'Red Flower' has a lot of potential to be a hit and will definitely be number one in ratings!"
"Eight million...?" Su Yanxi's hands trembled upon hearing this, and she almost signed the wrong name. "My God, is that much?"
Su Yanxi was busy filming during the day and dealing with her nemesis husband and strict agent at night, so she had no time to pay attention to trivial matters online. A couple of days ago, Lin Xiaohai mentioned that "Young Madam, you've gained a lot of followers on Weibo," but he wasn't interested and didn't bother to ask.
"Yes, yes, it's not just about gaining followers, look, Su Su, you're number one on all the popularity charts right now!" The fan proudly showed Su Yanxi the chart results, "It's really amazing, we're all so proud of you!"
Having been confined to the film set for so long, Su Yanxi truly had no idea that she had become so popular!
Being picked up and dropped off by fans after get off work, having dedicated fansite photographers to take photos of his schedule, and creating unique and adorable fan merchandise... all the dream treatments he had longed for were now seemingly coming closer to him!
Su Yanxi had been planning and yearning for popularity, recognition, and the realization of her ideals for far too long! So much so that when this day was finally about to arrive, Su Yanxi always felt a sense of unreality.
He felt lightheaded, as if he were floating on clouds with joy, or as if his soul had left his body due to unease.
He returned to the hotel half-asleep and swiped his room card to enter the passenger elevator.
He wanted to clear his head while riding the elevator, but just before the elevator doors closed completely, another person swiped their room card and opened the door.
"Hey, hello there. You must be Su Yanxi?"
The double elevator doors opened to both sides. Due to the backlighting, Su Yanxi couldn't see the person's face clearly. Therefore, what awakened before her vision was her hearing, and—
Sense of smell.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Qi Xiang'an from the film crew next door."
Su Yanxi frowned slightly, keenly smelling the men's cologne Qi Xiang'an was using, which was exactly the same unfamiliar scent that lingered on Bie Yunzong's coat a year ago when he was drunk and carried home by his friends.
Author's Note:
Someone's trying to cause trouble, someone's trying to pin the blame on the dog!
Dog: My heart is riddled with holes, only meat from my wife can heal me.
————————
Thank you to the number baby 20777384 for the two bottles of wedding wine, and to the adorable Xiao Lezi who reads every day for the 167 bottles of wedding wine!!!
Thank you, thank you, Bodhisattva! This author is so pathetic, I've never seen so much nutrient solution before, I thought there was a bug!!
Love you both! Let's raise a glass to wish the couple a speedy recovery from the seven-year itch!
#24 Trap, you really did cheat!?
"Hello, my name is Su Yanxi."
Although she was momentarily distracted, Su Yanxi, who was used to big occasions, quickly adjusted her emotions and shook hands with Qi Xiang'an with great poise.
Chapter 44
"I had heard from my agent that the 'Rising Sun' crew was also moving into the Garden Hotel. Because of my busy work schedule, even though the filming location is nearby, I haven't been able to say hello, and I'm very sorry about that."
"No need to be so polite. We're both leading actors with heavy responsibilities, so I understand." Qi Xiang'an put on his signature social smile. "I'm quite busy too. If I had come over to say hello, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to entertain you."
"Really? Then it's really a good thing we met today." Su Yanxi smiled, as gentle and generous as ever. "Otherwise, I was afraid I wouldn't even be able to say goodbye after the show ended."
“Yes, yes.” Qi Xiang’an pointed to the numbers on the screen. “I’m here first. We can talk again another time.”
Su Yanxi nodded and smiled as he watched Qi Xiang'an walk out of the elevator. When Qi Xiang'an turned back to look at him, he waved very warmly and said goodbye.
But the next second, the elevator doors closed again, and the smile on Su Yanxi's face disappeared.
At first glance, the brief exchange seemed polite and courteous between the two sides, but upon closer examination, one would realize that it was full of subtle competition.
Although she didn't lose out in the competition, the result of their first encounter was only a draw, but Qi Xiang'an's familiar yet unfamiliar men's perfume still successfully disrupted Su Yanxi's thoughts and affected her rationality.
While taking a shower at night, Su Yanxi was lost in thought and accidentally knocked over the essence lotion next to the sink.
The crisp clanging sound caught Bie Yunzong's attention. The young master, who had been idly watching TV outside, hurriedly burst through the bathroom door to check on the situation.
"Honey, what's wrong?"
Su Yanxi frowned, looking at the shattered glass bottle on the ground: "It's nothing, just a bottle of essence lotion that broke."
Are you alright?
Without even glancing at the floor, Bie Yunzong went straight to his wife's side to check on her.
"Did you get splashed by the glass? Did you touch it on your hands or feet? Be careful, be careful. I'll have someone come and clean it up in a bit, so please don't touch anything—don't get hurt!"
Bie Yunzong acted strangely, pulling Su Yanxi's hand over and touching it repeatedly, then rubbing his face against it, looking like a puppy begging for petting.
Su Yanxi felt a mix of emotions, her thoughts in disarray and unable to make sense of what she was thinking.
Feeling a tightness in his chest, he glanced helplessly at the ground and said, "I'm fine, but the serum is. I've only used it a few times since I bought it, it's such a waste to break it."
“How much is that thing worth? I’ll buy you a new one before I leave tomorrow; buy five sets, buy ten sets!” Bie Yunzong said generously, “As long as my wife is happy, I can buy a hundred sets and leave them unused.”
The stinky dog's eyes sparkled, filled with the light of joy for Su Yanxi.
Su Yanxi pondered for a moment, then pinched her husband's cheek and said, "Still the same old rascal."
"What's wrong with you? I just want you to be happy."
Bie Yunzong put his arm around his wife's waist, and a hint of seriousness crept into his playful, mischievous eyes.
"After lunch, when we got back to the hotel, you looked preoccupied and sullen again. If you don't want me to leave, just say so. Why keep it bottled up like this?"
"Don't give me that. No matter how much you hint, I'm not going to let you stay. Buy a plane ticket and go back to Beicheng as soon as you wake up tomorrow." Su Yanxi poked Bie Yunzong's forehead. "Shameless."
"Ah...so it wasn't because you couldn't bear to part with me that you were unhappy?" Bie Yunzong sighed regretfully.
Then he suddenly perked up, looked serious, and leaned closer to Su Yanxi to ask again.
"If it's not because of me, then what is it because of?"
"Yanxi, can't you just say what you want to say? Seeing you so unhappy makes me feel terrible too. I really can't go back to Beicheng in peace when you're so depressed."
Bie Yunzong rarely had such a serious moment, and even less often did he call her "Yanxi" instead of "wife".
As soon as the name Yanxi came out, Su Yanxi knew: her nemesis husband was serious.
"Am I that obvious?" Su Yanxi sighed softly, "So obvious that you can't stand it and want to talk to me in a serious manner?"
“You’ve always made it quite obvious when you’re around me.”
"You are a good actor and a good man, that's true, but I—I am your husband. I can see through your little tricks and know that something is wrong with you."
Bie Yunzong's words silenced Su Yanxi.
Although he is two years older than Bie Yunzong, and Bie Yunzong is more dependent on and clingy to him in daily life, it seems that Bie Yunzong needs him more. But in reality, it is always him who is protected by Bie Yunzong and the Bie family's halo.
He was always the one who was cared for and pampered.
Because Bie Yunzong cared for and doted on him, the balance of their relationship swayed, making him anxious and uneasy. Bie Yunzong also noticed that something was wrong.
"You're so confident to say that, it seems that this seven-year relationship wasn't a waste of time—and this marriage wasn't a waste either."
The two-way connection made Su Yanxi feel very good.
After all this speculation, tonight is probably the perfect opportunity to clear up all my doubts with Bie Yunzong.
“Come here, sit down and let’s talk.” He pulled the big dog to sit on the sofa. “I have so many things I want to interrogate you about. You have to tell me everything honestly and clearly.”
“That’s great, I was just afraid you wouldn’t ask. It’s so hard for me to watch you keep holding back—I’m really afraid that one day you’ll lose your temper and drag me to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get a divorce without even asking.”
Bie Yunzong patted his chest in lingering fear.
Su Yanxi didn't say anything, but poured two cups of warm tea for later use.
He didn't tell the dog that he had actually considered divorce.
"What exactly happened?" Bie Yunzong sat down on the sofa, bent one leg and propped it up on the sofa, scratching his head in confusion. "How serious must it be for someone to use the word 'interrogation' to describe it?"
"Extremely serious."
Su Yanxi's face darkened, and she sat with her legs crossed, leaning against the back of the sofa. Her posture alone was much more upright than Bie Yunzong's, giving people an invisible aura and pressure.
Chapter 45
Bie Yunzong had a premonition that even if she answered a single word wrong tonight, she might be dragged to the nearest civil affairs bureau first thing tomorrow morning and be the first in line to get a divorce certificate.
“I’m asking you, the summer you graduated—which was last summer. One day you said you were going out to party with friends and would go home to sleep that night, but then you suddenly got a message saying you weren’t going home and would be spending the night outside.”
"You said it was a party, but what did you actually go there for?"
Su Yanxi deliberately obscured some information to test whether Bie Yunzong remembered what happened that day.
Logically, he should remember, since Bie Yunzong has a high alcohol tolerance and rarely gets so drunk.
Ke Bie Yunzong looked completely bewildered: "Wh-which time?"
Su Yanxi frowned: "Hmm?"
“No matter which time it is, if I say I’m going to a party, then I definitely mean it! How could I be wrong?” Bie Yunzong, desperate to survive, clasped his hands together and pleaded weakly with his wife, “I really don’t remember… Honey, can you give me more accurate information, please?”