No Need for His Affection

Qiao Yanli left the room with Xia Yanxi still crouching on the floor, hands cupping her knees as she stared blankly at the ceiling. 

It all happened so fast and before she knew it, she was no longer a maiden. What else could she feel but shame and anguish? 

Then again, the man was… she could not do anything about it. He had offered his hand, to take responsibility for his "deeds", yet was blatantly rejected by Yanxi. 

The truth of the matter was, she was the one who made the first move. She was the one that had gotten into his car. She kissed him. She lounged at him. She… 

Her heart sank. A warm, tingly sensation creeped around her eyes but she resisted it. She could not allow herself to cry again. 

"Come now, little one. Please do not cry or this elder brother will feel really, REALLY bad!" 

Xia Yanxi cocked her head when she heard the melodious, sing-songy voice of the man, and looked at him. Unlike any other woman that would instantly be drawn in by his shapely eyes, the kind that spoke volumes of one's humility, and of course, an above average handsome complexion, Xia Yanxi blinked and spoke casually. 

"What do you want?" 

Chu Muzhi scanned through the girl who was crouching on the floor, and when he looked into her eyes, at how her iris reflected the darkness of the sky, against the whites of her sclera; like stars in the night, he feel silent as he was stunned. 

When even words had failed him, Chu Muzhi somehow understood why Qiao Yanli, the man who would never touch any other woman, a hygiene freak, would lay with this particular woman. 

Looking at the girl once more, he arched a smile like no other, and said, "Master Qiao's love… no… affection for women is scarce. If you do not accept his hand in marriage, at least accept this cheque and clothes he has prepared for you." 

Xia Yanxi sulked, her expression darkened, before she stood up and retrieved the compressed bag of clothes. 

"I'll have the clothes. Give that piece of paper back to him! I don't need it!" 

Chu Muzhi said nothing. He shrugged helplessly and left the room. 

She opened the bag, and inside contained a yellow skater dress, and a set of pink lingerie. When she put them on, be it the size or cutting, it fit her perfectly. 

Was he really telling the truth? Had he never touched another woman before? How did he know her sizes after just one night? 

She looked into the mirror. What reflected back was a beautiful face of a woman that was clearly drained, worn out, red-eyed, and ghostly pale. Her face was so pale, like there was no blood flowing to her face. 

Not wanting to remain in the room for a second longer, she picked up her dirty, wet, and ragged clothes, stuffed them into the now empty bag, and left the hotel as quickly as possible. 

Once she was outside, she called her friend, Lan You, to come and pick her up. 

Half an hour later, the charming, enchanting Lan You drove to the hotel's doorstep with her strikingly red Ferrari. Before greeting her friend, Xia Yanxi pulled open the door of the passenger seat. With her body sore and weary, she slid into the car gently. 

Lan You leaned toward her, her eyes traced from the top of Yanxi's head down to her shrivelled legs. When she was done, she leaned in closer and saw her discolored cheeks and an obvious look of fatigue. 

"You look like you have been through a lot! What happened? Did you spent the night with Bai Wenxuan?" 

As soon as the name "Bai Wenxuan" was dropped, Xia Yanxi could feel a prickly sense of pain in her chest, like a metaphysical knife was being jabbed into her heart.

She had promised to share her first time with him, hoping that it would be their first night together as a married couple. Now… 

Lan You furrowed her eyebrows. Worried when she noticed how Yanxi was cringing in pain, she asked, "What happened?" 

Xia Yanxi explained everything then and there.

Lan You clenched her fist tight and punched her steering wheel hard. 

"Yao Manlian! She's been pretending this whole time! To think that she has taken advantage of being your stepmother and had the audacity to unveil this evil plan! Urgh! In order to get the most out of it, she actually used you instead of her own daughter for her plans! URGH! I'm going to find her now! You, me, we're going to⁠—" 

Xia Yanxi held Lan You's hands to interrupt her. After forcing out a smile, she said, "Youyou, I will handle my own family. Please don't interfere."