Chapter 64: The Misunderstood Fan Club

Chapter 64: The Misunderstood Fan Club

The updates on the fan account with the handle "OnlyForYancyRyan" had been dormant for half a year. Emily had been too busy with work to keep up with her fangirling. And once work settled down, her thoughts seemed to be occupied by someone else...

And now, that very someone was holding her fangirl evidence, leisurely enjoying it.

"'Aahhh Lily Yan looks good in anything, but he's killing it in red!'" Ethan read aloud, his tone as flat as could be, devoid of any emotion. His voice was so monotonous that when he read the "aahhh," it sounded almost robotic, like Siri.

As Ethan continued reading in this monotone voice, Emily's ears quickly turned red with embarrassment.

Ethan was practically subjecting her to public humiliation, but in private!

"Shut up!" She slapped his shoulder. "Ethan, you're so annoying!"

Ethan caught her little hand in his larger one, his eyes still fixed on the screen, clearly amused.

"'Killing it'? What does that mean?"

Emily huffed, refusing to answer his question.

Undeterred, Ethan continued in his Siri-like tone: "'Today's another gender-bending day, my oppa, I can totally handle you!'"

He paused, reflecting for a moment.

He realized that his wife's Chinese was incredibly advanced; every single tweet she posted was filled with terms he didn't understand.

He had no idea what "gender-bending" meant, but seeing the word "gender" made him feel inexplicably irked.

"'I can handle you'?" He leaned closer to her, his voice dropping to a low murmur as he brushed her ear. "You can handle what?"

Emily: "..."

Emily: "You're impossible."

"'Missing you needs no reason. Goodnight, my Lily Yan darling.'"

Emily whipped her head around. "Are you done yet?!"

She tried to push him away, but he had her securely held by the waist, making it impossible for her to move. She shot him a fierce glare.

"I told you it's just fangirling. Why are you taking this so seriously? What's the point?"

Seeing that she was genuinely upset, Ethan quickly closed the laptop.

He looked at her with those deep, soulful eyes that reminded her of a sad golden retriever. After a moment, he tightened his embrace, pressing his chiseled jaw into the crook of her neck.

"But the star you're fangirling over is also chasing you," he said quietly. "I can't help but care."

He paused, and then, with a voice that carried an undertone of wounded pride, added, "And you've never called me that."

Emily blinked, startled. "Huh?"

"You call him 'oppa,' you call another man 'darling,'" Ethan said, his voice growing softer as he nuzzled her neck with his stubbled jaw. "You've never called me that..."

Emily's heart gave a little jolt at the combination of his rough jawline and the way he said "oppa" and "darling." She felt her neck tingle and her face grow warm.

"You always call me by my full name," Emily countered, trying to regain the upper hand.

Ethan seemed to brighten at her response. He smiled and said, "So, how do you want me to address you? You don't like being called 'wife,' do you?"

He leaned in, kissing her eyelids softly, his scent of cedarwood filling her senses.

"Then how about 'darling'? Or 'my darling Emily'?"

The way he said "darling" now, with that slightly husky tone, was worlds apart from how he'd just read it out loud from her fangirl tweets.

Emily's ears went soft, and she felt her back turn to jelly. She leaned against his shoulder, too embarrassed to speak, her face turning even redder.

"Darling," Ethan called her sweetly, planting a kiss on her flushed cheek. "Won't you change what you call me?"

Emily hummed softly, hesitating for a moment before saying, "I did call you oppa before..."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "Hmm?"

Emily blinked, "Isn't it what I call Brother Ethan?"

Ethan: "…Drop the 'Brother'."

Emily pursed her lips, "Have you forgotten that you're seven years older than me?"

She looked at him with mock disdain. "Aren't you embarrassed to be called oppa?"

Ethan: "..."

That was a low blow.

Ethan had never been bothered by his age before, but now he was becoming acutely aware of the age gap between him and Emily.

"So it's okay to call someone three years younger than you oppa, but not someone seven years older?"

"Mm-hmm." Emily nodded, her tone full of righteous indignation. "Someone like you? I should be calling you uncle."

Ethan: "..."

Uncle? Seriously?

"Uncle won't work," he said, licking his lips lightly as a playful smile spread across his face. "But you could call me daddy."

Emily: "!"

Her face turned beet red in an instant. "In your dreams!"

Suddenly, Ethan's arm tightened around her, lifting her into his lap effortlessly.

The motion was so smooth and commanding that Emily shrank back like a little bunny.

"Really not going to say it?" His voice was laced with teasing mischief, "If you do, maybe next time I'll be gentler, hm?"

Emily: "!"

She raised her hand and smacked him on the forehead.

"Ethan, you're shameless!"

She grabbed his collar, trying to sit up, unaware that her flushed cheeks and the way she tugged on his tie were only making her more irresistible.

Ethan's throat bobbed slightly, the movement imperceptible but telling.

"Darling," he sighed theatrically, "you call other men oppa and refer to your own husband as a dog. How does that make any sense?"

Emily huffed through her nose. "You are a dog."

Not just a dog, but a human-shaped poodle at that.

She glanced sideways, noticing the sad puppy-dog look in his long-lashed eyes again.

Emily's lips curved into a smile as she pulled out her phone from her pocket. "Look."

Ethan glanced down at the screen, seeing his contact in her phone listed as: Ethan [dog emoji] :)

Ethan: "..."

Emily giggled softly, her delicate fingers tapping on the screen.

"There, how's this?"

She changed "Ethan [dog emoji]" to "Ethan力" with a bright pink heart emoji next to it.

Ethan's lips pressed into a thin line, clearly still not entirely satisfied.

She used to call him "hubby" in that sweet, playful tone...

He slowly blinked, then leaned in to peck her on the lips.

"Now, call me."

Emily narrowed her eyes, her lips pursed in a slight pout. She studied him for a few seconds before batting her lashes and smiling playfully, her delicate features glowing with mischief.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and cupped his face, her voice turning soft and teasing as she cooed, "Ethan, Ethan力~"

Ethan chuckled, catching her hand and pressing a kiss to her fingers.

"One more thing."

He leaned close to her ear, his voice almost a whisper, "What did you mean when you wrote 'oppa, please give me some front page love'?"

Emily: "!"

Emily shook her head, her face, which had just cooled down, heating up again. "It's not what you're thinking…"

Ethan cupped her chin, making her fluttering lashes meet his gaze.

"And what exactly am I thinking?"

"I don't want the front page," he leaned closer, his voice dropping even lower, "I want the back."

Emily: "!"

Emily: "You—"

Before she could finish, Ethan popped a big, juicy cherry into her mouth.

And before she could even react, his lips followed, closing in over hers with the taste of the cherry between them.

She heard the sound of the cherry being bitten into, the soft crunch, and the slightly hurried swallowing—somehow, the shared fruit tasted sweeter than when she'd had it earlier.

After removing the pit, Ethan carried her over to the large floor-to-ceiling window beside his desk. He pulled the phone line from its socket and pressed the red "Do Not Disturb" button on the control panel.

Despite knowing it was one-way glass, Emily couldn't help but feel a mix of nervousness and excitement as she watched the foggy handprints smudge the glass and then fade away.

Outside was a night view that only they could see. She looked down at the hundred-meter drop, her back pressed against the heat of a volcano.

His hoarse voice whispered in her ear, "Darling, isn't your husband A-worthy now?"

…

Maybe it was the height, but at a certain moment, Emily felt like she was close to heaven.

**

For several consecutive days, Ethan treated Emily to his "three-course meal of bird's nest soup." By the time he left on a business trip, she was exhausted, her legs weak and sore.

With a sigh of relief, she wrapped up several projects at her studio just before the New Year's Eve, marking the end of another year.

Ethan didn't return until the morning of New Year's Eve. He had always been rather indifferent to holidays and was naturally not very interested in these kinds of celebrations. However, New Year's Eve was one of those days when a visit to the old family home was mandatory.

Early that morning, before Emily had even opened her eyes, her

WeChat buzzed with several sixty-second voice messages—all from the supposedly "critically ill" Mr. Harrison, the elder of the Harrison family.

Ever since he started using the internet to feed his cp addiction, the old man had become quite the online addict. He even mastered WeChat and Weibo and forced his grandson and granddaughter-in-law to follow him back.

Since Emily added him as a friend, she'd received daily push notifications from the elderly gentleman:

[Essential Pregnancy Tips You Need to Know in Advance]

[The Sooner You Have a Baby, the Better Mom Will Recover~]

[Embarrassing Ailments? Don't Worry, XXX Kidney Tonic Is Here to Help!]

…

After receiving the kidney tonic message, Ethan had immediately blocked his grandfather on both his and Emily's phones, and then went out of his way to prove that he definitely didn't need any of that…

The early morning voice messages from the elder were all urging Emily to hurry over to the old mansion for the New Year, adding that a car had already been sent to pick her up.

At the same time, Ethan also sent her a message, telling her that if she didn't want to go, she didn't have to, and they could go together when he arrived that evening.

After giving it some thought, Emily replied:

[It's fine, I'll head over first. You can come straight there when you arrive.]

She knew what he was concerned about.

It was New Year's Eve, and the old house wasn't just for the elderly couple.

But that was fine—if Daniel and the others were there, she wouldn't mind settling the score from the last photography exhibition.

When she arrived at the old mansion, she coincidentally ran into Susan Manley, who was just getting out of her car.

Susan Manley was Daniel's wife, making her the eldest sister-in-law of this generation in name.

What surprised Emily was that Susan was also arriving alone.

Susan Manley noticed Emily stepping out of her car and silently took a moment to assess her from head to toe.

Youth really was a blessing. The Harrison family's youngest daughter-in-law was flawless, from her figure to her face.

Her long black hair cascaded down her back like silk, paired with a coat that reached her calves, giving her an aura of elegance and poise. With her slender figure and high-heeled boots, she exuded confidence and beauty.

Despite not seeing her for nearly a year, this young lady was still as stunning as ever. But Susan noticed something different in her eyes and expression…

Emily nodded slightly in greeting as she saw Susan approach.

"Why are you here alone?" Susan asked.

In previous years, this young lady had always arrived arm-in-arm with her billionaire husband, gazing up at him with adoring eyes, playing the role of the perfect, pampered wife.

Emily looked at her briefly, her tone calm, "Ethan is busy. I came over first."

Susan smiled lightly. "I thought we wouldn't see you this year."

Her words carried a hidden meaning. Emily could detect the subtle undertone, as if she were implying, "Too bad you didn't get divorced."

Emily barely noticed a slight furrow in her brow, choosing not to engage.

Susan covered her mouth, feigning a slip of the tongue, "Oh, don't get me wrong."

"I meant, I thought you might not have time to come this year."

She deliberately paused, "I see you've been busier than Ethan. Collaborating with a movie star one minute, then making headlines with a young idol the next… It's quite the interesting news. I even mentioned to your brother that being beautiful sure helps, huh? Getting on the trending lists all the time."

Emily: "..."

Really?

Not a single word from the moment she walked in was without barbs or sarcasm. What was the point?

New year, new beginnings—why not speak nicely? :)

"Actually, making headlines is easy," Emily replied, her tone calm and collected, her smile only growing wider.

"If you want to be in the news, sister-in-law, I can help with that. It doesn't have to be just for being beautiful."

Susan's smile froze.

"I have a few friends in the industry who could help get you on the front page. Want me to make a call? I can set it up in no time."

"So, which headline do you prefer—'Big Brother Manley Caught Cuddling a Barmaid' or 'Your Son Caught Beating Someone While Driving His Luxury Car'?"