Chapter 5: Cohabitation
Assistant Lin’s driving skills were, well, something. Rumor had it he picked them up from playing Speed Drifters in his early years. Consequently, he successfully intensified the nausea churning in Xie Shibai’s stomach.
After returning home, Xie Shibai washed his hands repeatedly at the sink. Even after disinfecting with alcohol, psychologically, nothing could compare to the sensation of clean water rinsing over them again and again.
The skin on his fingers broke from the scrubbing, and the running water brought waves of stinging pain.
Since leaving the sanitarium, Xie Shibai rarely lost control like this. It was as if the normalcy of the past few years had merely been a stockpiling of his condition, and under the pressure of one straw after another, he was gradually being pushed to the edge of losing control.
Only when the nausea gradually subsided did Xie Shibai casually wipe the wound on his face that hadn’t yet had time to scab over. Seeing no blood seeping out, he paid it no further attention.
He processed a few remaining work messages. When he looked at his SMS inbox, he paused for a few seconds, his expression thoughtful.
There was no payment deduction notification.
The platinum ring lay quietly on the vanity counter.
The phone on the counter vibrated slightly. A friend verification request popped up. The contact name was Lu Ciheng.
They had already collected their marriage certificates, yet they weren’t even friends on WeChat.
Xie Shibai tapped “Accept.”
The first message sent from the other side was an address.
When they were discussing cohabitation in the parking lot, Lu Ciheng mentioned he happened to have a property that had just finished renovations. The location was expensive and offered high privacy, ensuring no paparazzi could sneak photos. He had decisively slapped the table on the idea of Xie Shibai moving there tomorrow.
Assistant Lin found the household emergency medicine. Then, following Xie Shibai’s request, he brewed him a cup of coffee. When placing it on the kitchen island, he hesitated slightly. “Brother Xie, is this really your first cup of coffee today?”
Xie Shibai had a caffeine dependency, but excessive consumption wasn’t good for his body, especially given his condition. Because of this, his manager, Cheng Zhe, had repeatedly instructed Assistant Lin to control Xie Shibai’s coffee intake.
“En,” Xie Shibai replied without changing his expression.
“Oh, okay.” Assistant Lin felt relieved. Just as he was about to pack up and leave, his gaze suddenly caught the ring on Xie Shibai’s ring finger. He turned pale with shock and sucked in a breath of cold air.
“—!!!”
Assistant Lin shrieked, “Brother, why is there a ring on your hand?! Which brand sent that? How could they send one for the ring finger? That brand is too insensible!”
Xie Shibai took a sip of coffee. The bitter aroma largely soothed the agitation that had built up over the day. “It’s not.”
“It’s not from a brand?” Assistant Lin looked confused for a moment before sucking in two more breaths of cold air. “Could it be the one you mentioned to Brother Cheng last time?”
Before deciding to find someone for a contract marriage, Xie Shibai had mentioned it to Cheng Zhe to avoid a chaotic scramble should anything unexpected happen. Assistant Lin had been there at the time and naturally heard a bit of it.
Xie Shibai didn’t deny it. “En.”
Assistant Lin’s eyes widened, and he immediately became worried, muttering incessantly, “Is the guy’s character reliable? Do you need me to spy on him for you? What if the people at the main house find out and try to buy him off with a million yuan?”
Holding his coffee, Xie Shibai spoke unhurriedly. “They won’t.”
Assistant Lin thought seriously, then spoke with a sense of righteousness, “I feel like I’m more reliable for this kind of thing.”
Xie Shibai raised his brow slightly, speaking neither coldly nor warmly. “If it were you, you’d spill everything if the other side offered fifty thousand.”
Assistant Lin scratched the back of his head and chuckled sheepishly.
It wasn’t that Assistant Lin was overly worried. On his very first day applying to be Xie Shibai’s assistant, the Xie family had demanded he provide regular updates on Xie Shibai for a price of one hundred thousand yuan.
Assistant Lin, fresh out of university, had never seen so much money. He had taken the advance payment from the Xie family and immediately ran to Xie Shibai, crying and wailing. The result? Xie Shibai informed him that the Xie family had quoted one million yuan to the previous assistant; by the time it got to him, a zero had been missing.
In the end, he learned that because he was a university student and easy to fool, having ten thousand left after layers of exploitation was already considered pretty good.
While shouting “Damn capitalists,” Assistant Lin had tearfully used fake news to earn extra cash. When the Xie family finally realized they were being played, the contact person had furiously cursed Assistant Lin for not following the rules.
Assistant Lin, having lost his source of side income, spoke sternly, “You can know a person’s face but not their heart. Brother, tell me his name; I’ll perform a divination for you.”
You not only know him, Xie Shibai thought, you curse him every day.
But considering Assistant Lin’s mental well-being, Xie Shibai didn’t plan to tell him who the contract partner was. “No need. Go back and rest early.”
Right up until he left, Assistant Lin still refused to give up, wanting to calculate a fortune for Xie Shibai. He only dropped the idea and left after Xie Shibai sternly rejected him.
On the other side, peace didn’t return to the surface of the Xie residence until two hours later.
Aside from the servants, the enormous house felt empty. Everyone harbored their own sinister designs, rendering them sleepless even deep into the night.
Xu Ruixin looked serious. “What have you been hiding from me lately?”
Xie Lingxi felt a bit guilty. He had concealed the fact that he signed a gambling agreement. He skillfully dodged the question, “I haven’t done anything. I just invested in a new stock. The company’s new energy development is going very smoothly, so they’re preparing to go public.”
Xu Ruixin looked doubtful. “Really?”
If it were that simple, why would Xie Shibai suddenly drop such a vague, inexplicable comment?
Xie Lingxi complained with dissatisfaction, “Of course it’s true. Mom, how can you not believe me?”
Xu Ruixin thought to herself that Xie Lingxi had never lied to her since he was a child, so he surely wouldn’t deceive her now. It was likely Xie Shibai intentionally causing her distress, making that vague comment to keep her anxious for so long that she eventually slipped up in front of Old Master Xie.
She suppressed the inexplicable panic in her heart and said seriously, “Your grandfather has decided to find a match of equal social standing for Xie Shibai. He is obviously preparing to step down.”
Thinking he had successfully glossed things over, Xie Lingxi breathed a sigh of relief and peeled a tangerine, speaking indifferently, “It’s just a marriage proposal; it won’t necessarily happen. Besides, isn’t there still my dad? Even if Grandpa steps down, Dad should be the one to inherit. And doesn’t Dad have plenty of companies under him right now? Why worry about this?”
Xu Ruixin felt a headache coming on. Although Xie Shibai had disappointingly married someone of unknown origin, she had only seen a ring; that didn’t truly prove anything. The sense of crisis hung over her head like a sharp blade, constantly threatening everything she currently possessed.
She hadn’t planned for so long just to get her hands on a few companies with limited potential.
Xu Ruixin gritted her teeth. “The real golden goose is the assets in your grandfather’s hands. Your dad has the title but no real power. If your grandfather actually lets Xie Shibai grasp that power, we’ll all be sleeping on the streets. I’ve taught you this simple logic so many times; why can’t you remember it?”
Xie Lingxi shrugged indifferently. “Mom, I think you’re worrying too much. Didn’t he find his own marriage partner? Now that he’s done that, how could Grandpa still want him to inherit the Xie family?”
Xu Ruixin fell into deep thought for a moment.
She knew that Old Master Xie hated nothing more than people defying his arrangements—he was strict to the point that he would give up on even his own son for it. But who knew if he would get confused in his old age? She absolutely could not let things slide like this.
“Did you pay attention to the things I asked you to keep an eye on before?” Xu Ruixin suddenly asked. “I told you to buy off the people around Xie Shibai. Why hasn’t there been a single piece of news? Is his illness cured or not?”
Xie Lingxi got angry at the mention of this. “That assistant around Xie Shibai—I don’t even want to talk about him. To keep such an untrustworthy person around as an assistant… Xie Shibai must be crazy.”
Xu Ruixin said, “I tested him today. He’s the same as before. If his illness hasn’t healed, this matter will be easier to handle.”
Xie Lingxi replied, “Anyway, I don’t care. Mom, you go contact people to buy the information yourself.”
“You perform well during this time.” Xu Ruixin already had a plan in mind. She said, “Tell your grandfather about your company preparing to go public. Leave a good impression on him.”
Xie Lingxi’s ears were practically calloused from listening to this. He answered perfunctorily, “I know, I know.”
He was confident he could complete this gambling agreement. When the time came, he would definitely slap the faces of those who said he was inferior to Xie Shibai. Everyone would look at him with new eyes!
“If there’s nothing else, I’m leaving. My friends are waiting for me to go drinking.”
Xu Ruixin looked at him with disappointment. “Go show your face in front of your grandfather tomorrow. Don’t drink too much!”
Xie Lingxi was already almost out the door; he waved his hand to indicate he understood.
Early the next morning, Xie Shibai headed to the address Lu Ciheng had sent. Of course, he had to ignore the incessant chatter coming from the other end of WeChat: “Pick up.” “Teacher Xie is so heartless; if word gets out, people will say I’m abusing my partner.” “Being a discarded husband is such a failure.”
Finally, amidst one “Teacher Xie” after another that tested his patience, Xie Shibai blocked him, and the world became quiet.
He didn’t bring much: a few changes of clothes and necessary living supplies for work.
Lu Ciheng’s apartment was in Nanshan No. 1. The environment was peaceful, transportation was convenient, and it was famously expensive. It was a large flat with direct elevator access, and the greenery and privacy were top-tier.
Xie Shibai arrived according to the detailed address. Lu Ciheng had informed security in advance, so his entry was unimpeded. The moment he pressed the doorbell, the door opened instantly, as if the person inside had been waiting right there.
As the door opened, a handsome smiling face came into view.
Lu Ciheng’s appearance was impeccable. Without the mask and baseball cap, his handsome features were exposed without reservation. His brow bone was superior, his jawline smooth, and his hair possessed a certain casual refinement.
However, when his face was expressionless, he looked rather cold. His dark eyes, when settled on someone, appeared dangerous and hard to get along with. With a face like that, it was no wonder Lu Ciheng’s online image was predominantly aloof. He was highly deceptive when silent, but the moment he opened his mouth…
“Teacher Xie, that’s truly excessive. How could you block your newlywed husband of only one day?” Lu Ciheng drawled, his tone carrying a lazy dissatisfaction, though his black eyes revealed a hint of familiarity.
Xie Shibai looked at Lu Ciheng’s black eyes for a few seconds, recalling why they felt familiar. This expression was exactly like the neighbor’s enthusiastic golden retriever. Every time it saw him, it would whine and struggle to pounce on him. When it couldn’t pounce, it looked exactly like this.
Lu Ciheng noticed the wound on Xie Shibai’s face. His lazy, playful attitude instantly retracted, and his brow furrowed slightly. “What happened to your face?”
Xie Shibai had almost forgotten about the wound on his face; aside from the sting when washing his face, it had no presence. He said nonchalantly, “Accidentally grazed it.”
The curve of Lu Ciheng’s lips flattened. He noticed the wound was thin and long, dangerously close to the eye. One inch higher and it would have cut the eyeball. It didn’t look at all like an accidental graze; it looked more like he had been cut by a sharp object thrown at him. The wound was narrow and deep, so much so that it hadn’t scabbed over in the middle even after a whole night. The area around the wound was even slightly red.
His gaze fell on Xie Shibai’s fingers. Sure enough, the abrasions on his hands had become more severe. His fair fingers were covered in abrasions caused by forceful scrubbing, and some of the seeping blood had lightly scabbed.
In just one night, so many injuries had appeared on his body.
Lu Ciheng’s pitch-black eyes darkened, and his canine teeth ground together in displeasure. Just as he was about to press for answers, he heard Xie Shibai’s voice.
“How long are you going to block the way?” The beautiful eyes looked at him with indifferent directness.
Xie Shibai clearly had no intention of continuing this topic.
Lu Ciheng took a step back. Seeing Xie Shibai’s suitcase, he paused for a few seconds, then spoke in a normal tone, “Teacher Xie, you only brought this much to return to your own home?”
The luggage was so sparse it looked like a short-term business trip.
Xie Shibai: “Enough to use.”
Lu Ciheng ruffled his hair, helpless and without recourse. He could only carry the suitcase inside for Xie Shibai first, planning to find another chance to treat the wounds on his body later.
The apartment’s decoration style was minimalist, and the window scenery was meticulously designed. The massive floor-to-ceiling windows acted like a natural picture frame. The bedrooms were on the second floor. Lu Ciheng led Xie Shibai to the bedroom first to put away the suitcase.
“Everything is brand new. It’s close to the study, so it shouldn’t affect your work,” Lu Ciheng said. “However, the soft furnishings were done in a rush, so many things haven’t been fully stocked yet. If you find living here inconvenient, we can buy more.”
Xie Shibai glanced at the environment. “No need.”
He didn’t have great demands for housing, as long as it was clean and tidy enough.
Lu Ciheng smiled. “My bedroom is right next door. You’re welcome to find me anytime if you need anything.”
Xie Shibai: “I hope that aside from the contract, we don’t have any unnecessary interaction.”
It would be best if he acted like his online persona: silent and sparing with words.
Lu Ciheng hooked his lips and said seriously, “Don’t worry, Teacher Xie. I will definitely follow the contract to perfection.”
Xie Shibai glanced at him but didn’t make a sound, vaguely feeling a strange sense of anomaly in his heart.
Lu Ciheng dutifully gave Xie Shibai a tour of the house, from the garden terrace to the second-floor study, gym, screening room, and so on.
When it was the living room’s turn, Xie Shibai noticed a flash of red out of the corner of his eye and stopped abruptly. He pointed at the picture frame hanging on the wall, disbelief rising in his heart. His expression, which had been calm and composed all along, showed a crack of astonishment. “What is that?”
Lu Ciheng replied frankly, “Our marriage certificate. I framed it overnight yesterday.”
Xie Shibai: …
He remembered now. When they were taking photos at the Civil Affairs Bureau, Lu Ciheng had said he wanted to frame the marriage certificate. He never expected Lu Ciheng would actually go through with it.
“When people come to visit, they’ll be able to see at a glance that we are a harmonious couple living in wedded bliss,” Lu Ciheng said, looking at Xie Shibai. His tone carried a smile as he asked, “What do you think, honey?”
Xie Shibai stared at the framed marriage certificate for a while before commenting seriously, “It’s truly a pity that such a perfect brain wasn’t framed instead of the marriage certificate.”
Lu Ciheng replied unhurriedly, “Perhaps I’m just a humble person.”
Xie Shibai: ?
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