Chapter 163: Chapter 163: 163 You Are Just a Substitute

The Aquarium had an event today, and most of the visitors had come specifically for that.

Xie Changyan guarded Lin Xu as he led her to the front row.

“What exactly is this event, you didn’t reveal a single word, it’s so mysterious.” Lin Xu muttered dissatisfactorily.

Xie Changyan’s fingers caressed her cheek a few times, and a light laugh escaped his throat, “It’s almost time, don’t worry.”

As soon as his voice faded.

In the huge observation glass in front of Lin Xu, suddenly there was a mermaid with a graceful and elegant posture.

She swam freely among the crystal-clear jellyfish, accompanied by ethereal and melodious music, occasionally dancing with the beluga beside her, displaying a dreamlike beauty.

Not far away, the figure of a Prince emerged. At the moment the music was about to end, the mermaid leapt into his arms, and with a kiss, both disappeared into the water.

The somewhat familiar scene made Lin Xu involuntarily think of Ji Yanli…

It was their second big argument, Lin Xu crossed her arms and turned her back to him, unwilling to forgive him easily.

“I clearly told you I needed to go out today, how am I supposed to leave looking like this!” she was infuriated.

Her lips were swollen, with broken skin in the middle oozing a vague pain, and she could even smell the metallic scent of blood.

He embraced her from behind, his chin resting on her shoulder and his warm breath against her ear, “It’s my fault, I lost control. I know I was wrong, forgive me, please~”

His slightly magnetic voice carried a hint of coaxing, but she couldn’t sense any remorse in it.

She became even angrier.

“Don’t talk to me.”

“What can I do to be forgiven? Should I pluck stars or the moon for you?” Ji Yanli’s deep voice carried a playful tone by her ears.

“I don’t want those.” Lin Xu turned her head away.

With his capabilities, buying the naming rights for a small planet was easy, so it wouldn’t be too easy for him.

His lips slightly parted, and the tip of his teeth gently grazed her earlobe, “Then tell me, what should I do?”

It felt like electricity flowing through her ears, causing Lin Xu’s body to shiver involuntarily.

She turned around and pushed Ji Yanli away, glaring at his mischievous mouth, “Unless you get the director to change the script, making the Mermaid Princess and the Prince end up together in the movie!”

She had watched a romance movie two days prior where the mermaid died under the villain’s sword to save the Prince.

Lin Xu was devastated, crying until she had used up a whole box of tissues, yet he showed no reaction, even going as far as to bluntly state that everything in the movie was fake.

On hearing this, Ji Yanli laughed softly, “The mermaid in the movie couldn’t survive, but what about this mermaid of mine?”

He laughed as he pinned Lin Xu down on the sofa, which meant she ultimately couldn’t make it out of the house.

The cheers of the nearby visitors pulled Lin Xu out of her memories.

Her eyes brightened, and she turned to Xie Changyan in astonishment, “Where did they disappear to at the end? I didn’t see them come up, and their breath-holding is too incredible!”

Not only was the mermaid’s tail impressively realistic, but their breath-holding skill too, as she didn’t see them come to the surface to breathe throughout the performance.

Xie Changyan’s eyes held a faint smile, “All of these are 3D projection technology, they don’t need to hold their breath, and it’s more visually appealing too.”

“So that’s what it was.” Lin Xu was shocked.

The technology 20 years later is truly impressive.

Last time in the Aquarium, these marine creatures seemed just within reach, and this time, even a mermaid indistinguishable from a real one was created.

The event ended.

The crowded visitors had already dispersed, and the air became much clearer.

“As long as you like it, this technology hasn’t been wasted.” Xie Changyan smiled.

“Is this technology done by your company?” Lin Xu’s eyes widened slightly.

“Mm.”

“Was this specifically for me to see today, why did you make this short film, and why did you end with the mermaid and the prince?” Her eyes shone brightly, harboring barely noticeable expectations.

“It was just a random plot idea.”

“…Oh.”

Xie Changyan caught a fleeting hint of disappointment in her eyes, and that strange feeling surged up from the bottom of his heart again.

And this odd feeling became even more pronounced when Lin Xu took him to buy ice cream on the roadside.

She ordered one scoop of each flavor at the display, cradling a big bowl full of them.

“What flavor would the gentleman like?” the clerk asked Xie Changyan.

Xie Changyan looked at Lin Xu holding a big bowl full of ice cream scoops, a faint smile playing on his lips.

The words “the same as hers” had not yet left his mouth when Lin Xu answered for him.

“No need, he doesn’t like ice cream.”

“Okay,” the clerk nodded.

Xie Changyan narrowed his eyes, pinched her cheek narrowly, “Who said I don’t like ice cream?”

“Ah, you like it?” Lin Xu stared briefly, “I… I might have remembered wrong. What flavor would you like? I have a lot in my bowl, we could share.”

She apologetically held up her bowl of ice cream toward him.

Misremembered…

Misremembered who?

Xie Changyan’s gaze lowered, a myriad of doubts and irritations churning in his chest.@@novelbin@@

The night grew dark.

Lin Xu was tired from the day’s activities, sitting drowsily in the car, her head bobbing like a pecking chicken.

Xie Changyan leaned her head against his shoulder, his fingertips lightly brushing her cheek while he cautioned the driver to drive slower.

But even the slowest speed eventually reaches its destination.

“We’re home now, time to wake up.”

Perhaps Xie Changyan’s voice was too gentle, for Lin Xu continued to sleep soundly in her dreams.

Just as he hesitated about whether to wake her up, Ji Tingyang, noticing the car at the door, came straight over.

Without a greeting, Ji Tingyang abruptly opened the car door, and his cheeks seemed to be enveloped in a layer of cold frost when he saw Lin Xu leaning on Xie Changyan’s shoulder.

“Thanks for bringing her back, Young Master Xie.”

He leaned into the car, reaching to lift Lin Xu out.

“No trouble, I’ve got it.” Xie Changyan swiftly took Lin Xu down from the car, intending to walk towards the villa.

Ji Tingyang naturally blocked him, his gaze as sharp as a blade on Xie Changyan, “No need, this is our home.”

Xie Changyan’s relaxed tone carried a smile, “Maybe we’ll be family in the future.”

Ji Tingyang’s hand at his side clenched and then loosened, unable to contain the anger that had been suppressed in his heart for days, suddenly surging forth.

“Family?” he scoffed: “You’re too full of yourself. In her heart, you’re nothing but a substitute.”

Ji Tingyang ignored Xie Changyan’s stunned expression, took Lin Xu from his arms, and carried her into the house.