She Cried

Caleb hadn't wanted to kiss her in the first place.

So when Xiao Yan took the initiative to kiss him, he froze at first, and only parted his lips passively a few seconds later.

In everything that happened next, every move Caleb made was like a robot obeying commands.

Even when instinct overcame reason, and a noticeable flush colored Caleb's cheeks and ears, his face remained expressionless.

After dark.

Caleb got dressed again. Before leaving, he said only, "I heard your stomach growling, so I asked Uncle Sang to prepare something to eat. Have some once you've rested. I still have things to take care of with my fleet, so I'll head out."

Xiao Yan lay there a while longer, waiting for the soreness and discomfort in her body to ease a little.

She went to take a shower on her own, washing away every trace Caleb had left.

She put on a warm, fluffy bathrobe and went downstairs.

Uncle Sang waited at the foot of the stairs, his face full of concern. "Young miss..."

Though the old man always knew his place, he was also the person in this household who cared most about Xiao Yan.

From Mr. Caleb's arrival, to the young miss coming home from school, to her spending several hours in her room with him.

When Uncle Sang saw the young miss again, he could clearly tell that she was feeling very low.

Naturally, Uncle Sang understood what had happened in the room.

He didn't understand why the young miss's approach and attitude toward Mr. Caleb were so different from how she treated the other gentlemen.

But Uncle Sang could still see that the young miss wasn't as calculating and cold toward Mr. Caleb as she claimed to be.

But these weren't things a butler should, or could, ask about.

All Uncle Sang could do was prepare the most appetizing food for the young miss.

On his drive down the mountain, Caleb received a call from Zayne.

It felt very much like he was checking up on him.

So he teased Zayne. "What are you worried about? Afraid I'll stay here overnight?"

"Even if you did stay overnight, it would be perfectly reasonable." Zayne sighed softly. "I wanted to ask whether you got those documents signed without any trouble."

"You gave me your word she definitely wouldn't make things difficult for me. Could your judgment possibly be wrong?" In a departure from his cold attitude toward Xiao Yan, Caleb smiled warmly. "It went smoothly. Like you said, she's a good wife."

"Want to come over and catch up? We saw each other briefly at the husband-selection banquet last time, but it's actually been years since we sat down together for a proper chat," Zayne said.

Caleb thought for a moment.

The image of Xiao Yan turning her face away, looking humiliated and refusing to look at him as he left that large bed, kept circling in his mind.

He had already been as careful as possible not to leave any love bites.

If something was upsetting Xiao Yan, she would probably need someone to keep her company.

"Our wife seemed a little off today. You finally have some free time, but instead of keeping her company, you want to catch up with me?"

Sure enough, Zayne grew concerned. "What's... wrong with her?"

Caleb tapped his fingers against the steering wheel a few times. "She and I aren't close enough for that. If you want to know, why not ask her yourself?"

"But my original plan was... I thought you'd be free today, and wanted to..."

"We can get together anytime. Aren't we all family now?" Caleb's tone was light. "Besides, I have another mission early tomorrow morning. I'd have to leave after barely an hour or two at your place. Why put me through all that back and forth?"

"All right, then." Zayne was finally persuaded. "Take care of your business first. We can talk when you're free."

"Keep..." Caleb hesitated, then thought better of it and finished. "Keep her company. She really doesn't seem right."

Zayne murmured an acknowledgment. "Thank you for telling me."

After hanging up, Caleb's smile faded, and his brows drew into a deep furrow.

Why did Xiao Yan want to be intimate with him, only to look so unwilling afterward?

And why, after she called him "big brother" twice, did something keep knotting inside him, leaving him unable to make sense of it or feel at ease?

Even now, he was the one who had chosen to leave the villa, and he was also the one who had wanted Zayne to check on Xiao Yan.

Yet why was he growing more and more agitated?

Caleb really couldn't untangle the reasons, and shook his head a couple of times.

Unable to taste much of anything, Xiao Yan slowly ate the sweet Meiling congee and plump custard buns.

Her phone vibrated. Zayne had actually sent her a selfie from home. [I really do have both days off this week. I've already switched to weekend mode.]

In the photo, Zayne wore soft pajamas, with even the top button at his collar meticulously fastened.

Some of the gloom in Xiao Yan's heart lifted. She took a photo of a kitten-head-shaped custard bun and sent it over. [I'm in weekend mode too~]

There was no sign of anything unusual about Xiao Yan's mood.

Zayne looked at the cute photo again and again. [That looks delicious.]

Xiao Yan teased him. [Want some? If you come now, I can save you two. But if you don't come until tomorrow, I'll have eaten them all~]

She really was only joking. She knew Zayne wasn't someone who casually disrupted his plans.

If he said tomorrow morning, he would definitely wait until tomorrow morning to...

[All right.] Yet that was Zayne's reply. [Please be sure to save two for me to try. I'll get changed now and get ready to leave.]

How...

Xiao Yan could hardly believe it. She read the message several times before confirming that Zayne hadn't made a typo, and that she hadn't misread it.

Her eyes suddenly burned, and she could barely hold back the hurt inside.

It seemed she couldn't even wait for Zayne to arrive before desperately wanting to hear his gentle voice.

So she indulged herself and made a voice call.

Zayne answered quickly. Accompanied by the rustle of changing clothes, he said, "I'll drive safely. There's nothing you need to worry about, even with the mountain roads at night."

"Zayne," Xiao Yan called softly.

Her voice couldn't help trembling a little.

Zayne fell silent for a few seconds. "Are you crying? Did something happen?"

Crying was a word she couldn't bear to hear right now.

Xiao Yan sniffed. "I'm not crying. Nothing happened."

But tears were already streaming down her face.

Zayne immediately grew anxious. "I'll... get there as soon as I can. Try taking some deep breaths first. Whatever happened, whatever you're feeling, I'll listen carefully when I get there. Don't sit there overthinking on your own, all right?"

"All right..." Xiao Yan wiped away her tears. "Don't rush. Drive carefully. I'll wait for you."

"I'm leaving right now," Zayne said. "Wait for me."

After Zayne set off, he received another message from Caleb. [How is she?]

He had to drive and had no time to explain, so Zayne only replied with a few words. [She's crying. I'm on my way to check on her.]

Caleb was already nearing the city. At that, he made a sharp turn toward a marked temporary parking space by the roadside and slammed on the brakes as he pulled in.

His brows knitted deeply. She was crying?

He hadn't been rough, hadn't said anything he shouldn't have during it, and certainly hadn't deliberately mistreated her.

He immediately wanted to turn the car around and go back to the villa.

But Zayne was already on his way, wasn't he?

He was the one who had pushed Zayne to go. If he joined them now, wouldn't it just be awkward for all three of them?

It took over an hour for Zayne to reach the villa.

He quickly got out of the car and all but jogged into the house.