She wouldn't actively expose their relationship, but if they were recognized, she wouldn't pretend she didn't know Huo Shenyan.
That's unfair to him.
So Ni Jingxi ate her meal openly and stopped thinking about other people's business.
After dinner, the two strolled around for a while before returning to the villa.
As for Xiao Yichen and the others, they naturally couldn't go to sleep so early. After asking around at the villa, they learned that the others were playing chess and card games in the room, so they went to find them.
As soon as I pushed open the door, I found the atmosphere inside was quite lively.
"I won this round, pay up quickly." A gentle and generous voice rang out, and Su Yiheng, who was sitting directly opposite the door, spread her hands.
Her face was beaming with smiles, her already striking black eyes brimming with laughter.
When she looked up and saw Huo Shenyan and Ni Jingxi walking hand in hand, she smiled and said, "Brother Shenyan, Jingxi, you're back."
She took the initiative to greet everyone, and her poise and confidence surprised the people sitting at the table.
Xiao Yichen turned around and looked at them, laughing loudly, "You would never guess what a coincidence! We came here to have fun and bumped into Yiheng, who was filming a promotional video in Tongli."
Xiao Yichen is a meticulous person; he immediately stated his position.
They came here to play not because he told Su Yiheng, but because they happened to bump into each other.
"I haven't even said anything to you yet, and you came without even calling me. What, have you excluded me now?" Su Yiheng snorted and glared at Xiao Yichen with her bright eyes.
Xiao Yichen immediately begged for forgiveness, saying, "You're a big star now, your schedule is booked until next year, how could I dare to bother you so easily?"
These words are spoken with familiarity and intimacy, reflecting a close relationship built on childhood friendship.
Back when Su Yiheng was in high school, she was very beautiful, and many boys coveted her. Xiao Yichen protected her from countless unwanted suitors. Over the years, although they are not blood sisters, they are closer than blood sisters.
He felt that as long as Su Yiheng could let go of Huo Shenyan, she would still be the same lovely girl.
This time, when he saw Su Yiheng take the initiative to greet them and even call Ni Jingxi by name, her expression was poised and generous, showing no trace of her previous awkwardness, Xiao Yichen was quite happy for her.
“Others may not have time, but I still have time to play mahjong with you guys and win some money.” Su Yiheng’s gaze fell on the people at the mahjong table, and she made a counting gesture with her outstretched hands in the air: “Here’s the money.”
"A big star like you, obsessed with money. How embarrassing would it be if your fans saw you like this?" Xiao Yichen smiled at her, then handed her the money in front of him.
They were betting very small stakes, only a few hundred dollars in winnings and losses. For everyone present, it was just a way to pass the time.
After carefully counting the money, Su Yiheng chuckled and said, "Even if my fans knew, they would only praise me for being cute."
She blinked slightly, and perhaps because she was already used to the camera, she seemed to be able to maintain a perfect expression at any time.
Han Zhao, standing to the side, turned to Huo Shenyan and asked, "Brother, should I give it to you?"
"No need, you can play." Huo Shenyan shook his head slightly and pulled Ni Jingxi to sit down on the sofa next to him.
They didn't play for too long that night; Ni Jingxi got sleepy around 11 p.m. She leaned against Huo Shenyan, her head unconsciously resting on his shoulder, and finally couldn't resist leaning against him.
"Tired?" Huo Shenyan asked in a low voice.
Ni Jingxi couldn't help but nod, so he said directly, "Let's go back to the room."
"You guys keep playing, I'm taking her back to bed first," Huo Shenyan said, turning to the group still engrossed in their card game.
"How about we stop playing?" Xiao Yichen suggested.
Unexpectedly, Su Yiheng said, "Don't do that! I just won money, and you're already thinking of running away? Shenyan and his wife are going home to sleep, what are you doing?"
Xiao Yichen was taken aback, but this time he laughed from the bottom of his heart: "Okay, I'll play with you tonight. We Yiheng can play until as late as we want, and no one is allowed to run away."
Shen Qiqi immediately raised her hand and said, "I want to have a midnight snack."
"Okay, I'll go prepare it," Old Chen said with a smile.
Huo Shenyan said calmly, "You guys continue playing."
As he spoke, he reached out and took Ni Jingxi's hand, leading her out of the room.
“Shenyan is truly enviable now.” Xiao Yichen drew a card, his face indeed showing envy, but his eyes unconsciously glanced at Su Yiheng across from him.
After a long while, Su Yiheng picked up a card from in front of her and played it. Her voice was no longer as cheerful as before, but she nodded and said softly, "Yes, Brother Shenyan was the first among us to get married, and he is so happy."
"That's nice." Her voice was soft, as if it came from a very far place.
*
The resort was quite large, especially since the chess and card room was at least a few minutes' walk from their room. Ni Jingxi could barely lift her eyelids while walking.
Ni Jingxi stopped when Huo Shenyan pulled her back, her eyes glazed over as she looked at him.
They probably didn't understand why he stopped walking.
"Get on, I'll carry you." Huo Shenyan stood in front of her and squatted down slightly.
A cool night breeze swept by, bringing a slight chill that made Ni Jingxi shiver.
She gazed at the man's back, and after a few seconds, she gently placed her hand on his shoulder, pressing her chest against his back. Huo Shenyan's hand rested on her leg, and in an instant, she was lifted into the air.
Ni Jingxi hugged his neck tightly, their clothes rubbing together softly until she pressed her cheek against the warm, bare skin of his neck.
On a chilly late autumn night, she nestled close to his back.
So warm.
In that short journey of just a few minutes, Ni Jingxi fell asleep on Huo Shenyan's back until he put her on the bed. Under the soft light of the bedside lamp, the scars on her face were still clearly visible.
Huo Shenyan sighed inwardly.
As he involuntarily lowered his head slightly, the girl who had been keeping her eyes closed suddenly opened them. Her large, round, dark eyes stared at him and trembled slightly. Her long, curled eyelashes fluttered as she looked at him, and she said with a slight smile, "You're not going to harm the injured, are you?"
this……
Huo Shenyan's tender feelings vanished instantly after her words, and he stared at her expressionlessly.
He reached out and pulled the blanket over her, covering her alluring eyes.
"Go to sleep." His voice was a little hoarse.
When he stood up, his gaze unconsciously drifted to his pants. Ha, is he that kind of person?
Author's Note:
Shenyan: I didn't, I'm not...
Chapter 37
When Ni Jingxi got up, she didn't see Huo Shenyan. After walking around the villa for a while and finding he wasn't there either, she waited for half an hour before he returned with Old Chen.
"You're up?" Huo Shenyan walked over and gently kissed her forehead.
Old Chen, standing to the side, smiled but said nothing, and simply carried the things in his hands to the back kitchen.
Ni Jingxi noticed the dew on his clothes and asked curiously, "Where did you go?"
Then she looked up and noticed that not only her clothes, but even her short, black hair was covered in water droplets, as if she had just come from a place full of green plants.
“There’s a farm next door that grows lots of vegetables. I ran into Old Chen when I went for a run this morning, so I went with him.” Huo Shenyan’s voice sounded particularly pleasant at this moment, as if it had just been filtered by the morning dew.
It has a clear and bright appearance.
Ni Jingxi hadn't expected him to go pick vegetables so early in the morning. She knew his biological clock was fixed, the kind of schedule you see in American TV shows. He'd get up at six in the morning, run for half an hour, have breakfast, and then go to the company.
Unless I'm working overtime or busy, I usually go to bed around 11 p.m.
As a journalist, Ni Jingxi is self-aware of her job as a news dog and often works overtime and stays up late.
Sometimes, when there's breaking news, you have to turn on your computer immediately, even if you're just about to get out of bed.
On the contrary, the time she spent recovering from her injury, being hospitalized, and resting at home these past few days has been the most comfortable and carefree time she has had in recent years.
I don't have to think about tomorrow or work every day. I watch movies, mostly documentaries.
When Huo Shenyan wasn't busy, he would come back to have dinner with her.
When he's busy, she doesn't bother him, but she'll take short videos to share Aunt Qian's delicious cooking skills.
This kind of life is indeed very comfortable, but afterwards you will feel empty.
It's like you were running towards a goal with all your might. Although you were tired, you still had a goal in your heart. But now that goal has temporarily disappeared.
She turned to look at Huo Shenyan and said in a low voice, "Can I talk to you about something?"
Huo Shenyan chuckled lightly and asked in a calm voice, "Do you want to go back to work?"
Ni Jingxi's eyes widened instantly; she really hadn't expected Huo Shenyan to guess her thoughts.
She blinked and stared intently into his eyes. Did this man have X-rays in his eyes?
“Working hours will be long, but your health is the most important thing.” Huo Shenyan paused. “I always support you working hard, but the premise is that you take good care of your health.”
Ni Jingxi reached out and grabbed his hand. "I won't go to work right now. Can I wait until the wound on my face heals?"
She was pleading with him, so her voice was soft and gentle, tickling his heart.
I had a feeling I should agree immediately.
Huo Shenyan was silent for a moment, then helplessly reached out and rubbed her forehead twice before saying, "As a boss, I would really like an employee like you, who is dedicated and hardworking."
Ni Jingxi smiled instantly.
"But as her husband, I feel sorry for her." His voice was full of helplessness.
They sat by the window, sunlight streaming in from behind, partially obscuring his face. His eyes were slightly lowered, but the helplessness and heartache in them were so clear.
Ni Jingxi couldn't help but say, "I promise you, I will definitely take care of my health first."
She just felt that her injury didn't warrant a month of rest. This time, the newspaper gave her a full month off, and even the editor-in-chief said that if a month wasn't enough, she could make more requests.
"All she knows how to say are nice things." Huo Shenyan really couldn't do anything about her.
*
Su Yiheng left the villa early in the morning because she had to rush back to Shanghai to attend another event. As for the others, except for Han Zhao, they all slept until late morning.
Shen Qiqi, the last to emerge from the room, blinked as she saw everyone was there: "You weren't all waiting for me, were you?"
"What do you think?" Han Zhao glanced at her sideways.
Shen Qiqi blushed instantly.