On the day of departure, Xie Siyan picked him up at 9 a.m., and along the way she explained the details of getting along with the old lady and also prepared a bunch of gifts for him.
About an hour later, the Rolls-Royce arrived at the Xie family's old residence.
After entering through the main gate, there is still a long distance inside.
Yan Shenyu looked around and found that this was a typical northern garden courtyard, with half of it being ancient buildings and the other half being Chinese-style villas. After passing a pine forest and a lake, the Rolls-Royce finally stopped in front of a Chinese-style villa.
"Xiao Yan is here!"
Grandma Xie was sitting in the living room reading a book. When she saw him come in, she took off her glasses and stood up. The old woman walked steadily, had a ruddy complexion, and looked to be in good spirits.
A cockatiel perched on its perch nearby, chirping incessantly, "Coming! Coming!"
"You've arrived. It's been so long since I last visited," Yan Shenyu replied with a smile, extending both hands to help her up. "It was my oversight; I should have come to see you sooner."
Yan Shenyu wore a modern Chinese-style white shirt today, paired with black lantern pants. Her long hair was braided and hung down to one side, making her look elegant and refined.
"It's good that you're here, it's good that you're here." Grandma Xie nodded happily and immediately took off the bracelet on her wrist and put it into his hand.
As expected of the Xie family, they started giving gifts as soon as they met.
The jade in the possession of this wealthy old lady is probably priceless. Yan Shenyu dared not accept such a valuable gift, and politely declined with a smile: "Such fine jade would be a waste for me to carry it. You should keep it."
“If you like it, you shouldn’t waste it,” the old lady shook her head, and put the jade bracelet on his wrist without any room for argument, before saying, “I gave it to you because I saw that you liked it. If it were a boorish person like Xie Siyan who doesn’t know how to appreciate things, I wouldn’t even let him look at it.”
Yan Shenyu didn't expect the old lady to be so fierce, even more so than Xie Siyan. She directly tricked him into accepting her offer.
He raised his eyes and glared at Xie Siyan, signaling with his eyes: What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and refuse!
Xie Siyan: If Grandma wants to give it to you, then accept it.
Yan Shenyu: "..."
What use are you to me? I'll have to do it myself.
“Grandma,” Yan Shenyu shook her head with a smile, “Actually, I prefer this brooch to the jade bracelet. Why don’t you give me the brooch?”
It was a brass brooch, mainly valued for its unique design, but not expensive.
Grandma Xie then took off the brooch: "Since you like it, I'll give it all to you."
Yan Shenyu: "..."
In the end, Yan Shenyu couldn't refuse. He was dressed in a rather traditional Chinese style today, so wearing these two items didn't look out of place.
"But what about you?" Behind the artificial hill, in an octagonal pavilion, Yan Shenyu stood under the shade of a tree and glared at Xie Siyan, complaining, "I just asked you to help me refuse, but you just stood there without saying a word."
“You know my grandma’s temper. If she wants to give you something, no one can persuade her.” Xie Siyan walked closer, carefully examined him, and naturally picked up a strand of long hair from his shoulder. “Besides, you really do look good in it.”
"I'm so handsome, what wouldn't look good on me?" Yan Shenyu raised his chin and snatched the hair back from Xie Siyan's hand. "But your family is suddenly so enthusiastic. I thought you wanted me to have a baby."
Xie Siyan glanced at his lower abdomen, a faint smile appearing at the corner of her eyes: "It's not impossible."
Yan Shenyu: "..."
"But to have a child, you first have to get pregnant." Xie Siyan's tall figure approached, his large hand reaching out to Yan Shenyu's lower abdomen, giving it a light but firm squeeze. "I just don't know if my boyfriend will allow me to exercise this right?"
"Well……"
"If anyone is to exercise this right, it will be me."
As he spoke, Yan Shenyu pulled Xie Siyan by the tie and pushed him onto the pavilion bench. He stood in front of Xie Siyan, looking down at him.
Xie Siyan's back pressed against the pavilion pillar, and he sat down, instantly becoming much shorter.
But he didn't resist; instead, he raised an eyebrow at Yan Shen: "Now?"
"Uh..." Where did he say "now"? But Xie Siyan had a half-smile on his face, making it seem as if he would be at a disadvantage if he didn't do it now.
Yan Shenyu was forced into a dilemma, so she cupped his face and lowered her head: "Right now."
Xie Siyan watched him without showing any emotion.
But after waiting for a long time, the expected scene did not appear. Xie Siyan looked up at Yan Shenyu and slowly said, "Why don't you continue?"
A moment later, Yan Shenyu stretched out her left hand, revealing a bracelet of excellent quality, and said dejectedly, "Wearing this, I always feel like Grandma is watching us."
Xie Siyan didn't take it seriously: "Isn't it more exciting to watch?"
"How can you do this..." Before Yan Shenyu could finish speaking, his arm was pulled, and he instantly lost his balance and fell onto Xie Siyan's lap.
Before he could even utter a question, a pair of strong arms encircled his waist, the back of his head was pressed down, and the next moment, Xie Siyan firmly sealed his lips with a kiss.
Yan Shenyu: ?
Didn't we agree that he would exercise the power?
After a brief moment of stunned silence, Yan Shenyu immediately snapped out of it, wrapped her arms around Xie Siyan's shoulders, and deepened the kiss.
Unfortunately, he misjudged the difference in their strength. By the time Xie Siyan released him, his waist was completely limp, his head was spinning, and he collapsed into Xie Siyan's arms.
He lowered his head, wanting to catch his breath for a moment, but Xie Siyan's lips came around again.
"No, I can't take it anymore..." Yan Shenyu reached out and pushed him, panting heavily from lack of oxygen. "If this continues, I'll suffocate."
"It's not that exaggerated," Xie Siyan's deep voice sounded in my ear. He sounded relaxed, and I could tell he was in a good mood.
“Yes, it is.” Yan Shenyu struggled for a moment, trying to get off his lap.
"Then let's hug for a while longer," Xie Siyan said lazily, "I won't kiss you anymore."
Yan Shenyu hesitated for a moment, but did not refuse.
Being held by Xie Siyan was indeed very comfortable. His body was thick and strong, a warm bundle, and his body temperature made me feel very safe.
Yan Shenyu lay in his arms, looking up at the sky. Two birds were perched on a tree, chirping away.
The towering trees overhead provide ample shade, while beneath their feet lies a vast lake, its surface shimmering in the sunlight.
In the stillness, Xie Siyan's voice slowly rang out: "When I was little, I also liked to lie here."
"Hmm? Like this?"
"Almost, do nothing."
Yan Shenyu was somewhat surprised: "I thought you were the type who made the most of every minute when you were little, with a full schedule."
“That’s not wrong,” Xie Siyan nodded. “I do that most of the time, but I also try to leave myself some time alone. During that time, I do nothing and think nothing. I just sit there doing nothing.”
After a pause, Yan Shenyu shook his head: "Actually, that doesn't count as doing nothing."
Xie Siyan: "What do you mean?"
“It’s like we’re sitting here right now, seemingly doing nothing.” Yan Shenyu lowered his head, looking at the line of ants at his feet, and said slowly, “But in this time, I’ve seen ants carrying leaves past our feet, I’ve heard the hoopoe in the tree call 10 times, and I’ve smelled the fragrance of grass…”
Xie Siyan didn't speak, but simply gazed at him silently.
“This is also a very important part of life,” Yan Shenyu said slowly, “but it’s because these things are not utilitarian that they are overlooked by people.”
No one spoke after that. The octagonal pavilion was quiet, and you could hear the wind rustling through the treetops.
The hoopoe in the tree called out again, making a series of cooing sounds.
After a long while, Xie Siyan lowered his head and slowly tightened his arms around Yan Shenyu.
When you first meet Xie Siyan, the heir of a wealthy family, you might have a stereotypical impression: an elite, serious, and a master of routine, where every arrangement in his life is done step by step and no mistakes are allowed.
But at this moment, through Xie Siyan's description, Yan Shenyu was able to briefly glimpse his childhood.
Only then did they realize that beneath Xie Siyan's elite exterior, he, like any other child, had a lonely and solitary childhood, but one in which he could still find some joy.
Thinking of this, Yan Shenyu's heart suddenly softened, feeling a bittersweet ache.
“Let’s go,” he said, looking at Xie Siyan again, his tone much gentler. “After all, we’re here to see Grandma. It would be impolite to disappear for too long.”
Xie Siyan nodded and offered to help him tidy up his disheveled clothes.
The lunch was a very pleasant and harmonious meal, and Grandma Xie's smile never faded. Grandma Xie preferred light flavors, but knowing that Yan Shenyu liked strong flavors, she specifically instructed the kitchen to prepare many spicy dishes.
At the dinner table, the old lady didn't inquire about his family, job, education, or other such conditions. She just chatted about some interesting stories from Xie Siyan's past, and the overall atmosphere was quite relaxed.
After the meal, Xie Siyan briefly went to his study to handle some official business. Old Madam Xie called Yan Shenyu aside. A cockatiel nearby, seeing him approach, immediately called out, "Little Yan! Little Yan!"
Yan Shenyu was somewhat surprised: "It still recognizes me?"
“I watch your program often,” Mrs. Xie said with a smile. “If I read it a lot, it might remember it.”
Grandma Xie was actually reading "Diary of a Rich Family"?
Looking back on her performance on the show, Yan Shenyu felt that she spent most of her time being lazy and a little time being embarrassing. She had almost no highlights and her image was nowhere to be found.
Yan Shenyu scratched his head, somewhat embarrassed: "I'm sorry you had to see this."
“No, no,” Mrs. Xie shook her head, saying happily, “I’m happy just looking at you.”
Yan Shenyu chuckled dryly, thinking to himself, "You're just laughing at me, aren't you?"
"You are a very good boy. I am very happy that Xie Siyan has a boyfriend like you," said Grandma Xie gently.
Yan Shenyu engaged in a friendly exchange of compliments: "He's pretty good too."
Grandma Xie: "But I don't want you to put on an act and fool me."
"What?!"
Yan Shenyu was stunned for a while before she reacted and said incredulously, "You thought Xie Siyan and I were pretending to be a couple and acting with you?"
“I know I pushed him too far before, and now I’ve been diagnosed with this disease…” Old Mrs. Xie sighed and said slowly, “But I never expected that he would go so far as to find someone to act and deceive me just to put my mind at ease.”
"Well……"
“No,” Yan Shenyu said, looking quite bewildered, “where did you see that we were fake?”
Grandma Xie: "You told me that Siyan has achieved remarkable success in his career, which is also a kind of happiness for him. At the time, I was unwilling to admit it, but after coming back, I thought about it for a long time and felt that what you said made a lot of sense."
Yan Shenyu: "But this doesn't contradict his dating life."
Grandma Xie didn't answer. She was immersed in her own world, talking to herself: "Especially that time I got sick and got lost, and almost died outside. After facing death, I suddenly felt that the things I used to be so attached to were not so important anymore."
The old lady looked up at him and said, word by word, "You are a very good boy, but I don't want to force Xie Siyan anymore, and I don't want to watch him put on an act in front of me."
“Uh…” Xie Siyan: “Although, but, we are really together.”
"Don't think I'm an old woman who's easy to fool," Old Mrs. Xie said seriously, her face stern. "I watched Xie Siyan grow up. I know his personality better than anyone. He's quite aloof and has a severe case of mysophobia. No one can get close to him. Especially his personality. He seems polite to everyone on the surface, but in reality, he's very guarded and extremely difficult to get along with."
“Even if he likes something, he will try his best to restrain himself and control his desires,” Grandma Xie said to Yan Shenyu with certainty. “Tell me, if it’s not an act, how could Xie Siyan possibly act like he likes you so much?”
Yan Shenyu: "..."