Chapter 170: Chapter 170: 170: It Turns Out The "Ah Yan" She's Been Referring To Has Never Been Me

Xie Changyan’s lips curved in a smile as he looked down at the person in his arms. “What son?”

“It’s Ji Tingyang, how could you forget your own son?” Lin Xu’s head lifted from his embrace, her drunken eyes glaring at him.

The amusement in Xie Changyan’s eyes grew. “If he is my son, what are you to me, my daughter?”

“Me? I’m obviously your wife.” Lin Xu’s body swayed, her head falling back onto his chest, her voice drunk and slurred, “You might forget your son, but how can you forget me… Jerk.”

“Hmm,” Xie Changyan’s smile tinged with a hint of helplessness, “I’m the one at fault, to have forgotten my wife.”

The head in his arms nodded vigorously. “It’s okay, I forgive you.”

...

“Little drunkard.” Xie Changyan curled his finger and tapped her on the head before bending over to pick her up. “I’ll take you back to your room.”

Lin Xu seemed to have endless things to say after drinking, babbling all the way.

“Why are you called Xie Changyan?”

“Do you know I have been looking for you, I miss you so much…”@@novelbin@@

“Was the car accident very serious, that’s why you forgot me?”

“If you hadn’t stood in front of me back then, would you not have gotten hurt?”

The haphazard words left Xie Changyan utterly confused. “What are you babbling about?”

Lin Xu didn’t respond, her head resting against his chest as she continued to mutter to herself.

It wasn’t until he had brought her back to her room and laid her on the bed that Xie Changyan noticed the redness at the corners of her eyes and the tear that was about to fall.

He frowned slightly, his fingertips wiping away the tear at the corner of her eye. “Why are you crying?”

Lin Xu rubbed her cheek against his palm, seemingly comforted, and slowly closed her eyes to sleep.

“Falling asleep so quickly, you really are not at all worried about what I might do.” Xie Changyan shook his head, murmuring with a low chuckle.

As if sensing that he was about to leave, Lin Xu suddenly grabbed his hand.

“Don’t go.” Her tipsy cheeks were flushed, her slightly open eyes misty, carrying a hint of grievance, “It took me so long to find you, don’t go…”

There was a carefree laugh in Xie Changyan’s voice. “You know who I am, yet you ask me not to leave.”

“Ah Yan.”

“It seems you’re not completely drunk.”

He leaned down, one hand propped next to Lin Xu’s head, the other hand’s fingertips gently grazing her face, from her forehead to her cheek, finally resting on her lips, his husky voice clearly seductive, “Then… tell me again, who is the person you like?”

Lin Xu’s long hair was spread out on the bed, the flush on her cheeks deepening, her beautiful eyes staring straight at him, “It’s you…”

Joy filled Xie Changyan’s brown eyes as he bent down and kissed her red lips.

He encircled her neck, pulling her close to him, lips and teeth intertwined, their breaths growing hot and fervent.

Her scent mingled with the smell of alcohol, invading his nostrils, even he felt a touch of intoxication.

His muffled voice came between their rolling lips, “Who am I?”

“Ah Yan,” Lin Xu’s cheeks blushed with a captivating allure.

As their hot breaths and panting intertwined passionately and the temperature in the room rose gradually, she uttered a name amidst her gasps.

“Ji Yanli…”

The atmosphere of teasing flirtation that filled the room a second ago suddenly dissipated, and the room felt as if it had been placed in an ice cellar, a piercing coldness rampaging through the body.

A thunderclap seemed to explode in Xie Changyan’s mind, his thoughts were emptied as if vacuumed out, leaving a blank space, and even his ears rang, hearing nothing.

Time appeared to freeze in that moment, leaving him unable to react.

After a long while, he opened his mouth, straightened his stiff body, and looked into her eyes with a complex expression, “What did you just call me?”

“Ji Yanli.”

“Ah Yan.”

Lin Xu clutched his hand and pressed it against her cheek, calling out his name over and over again.

His expression solidified, and his body seemed nailed to the spot, unable to move.

At that moment, Ji Tingyang’s words echoed in his mind—”You are nothing but a substitute.”

So, the Ah Yan she had been referring to had never been him…

Xie Changyan let out a hollow laugh, as if mocking his own previous confidence and indifference. The bitter smile didn’t reach his eyes.

He had always thought that Ji Tingyang’s words were nonsense, disdainfully dismissing them, but he hadn’t expected them to be true.

A sharp pain spread from his chest throughout his body, as if he had been pricked by needles, bringing on a dense and continuous ache that also made him feel suffocated, with each second of breathing becoming painful and difficult.

He withdrew his hand, covered Lin Xu with the blanket, then turned and left the room.

…

When Lin Xu woke up, the sky outside the cabin had already turned pitch black.

A post-drunk headache throbbing at her temple, she rubbed her forehead and sat up from the bed, a flicker of annoyance in her eyes.

Drinking indeed leads to trouble.

She hadn’t even finished visiting half of the cruise ship before it had gotten dark outside.

Thinking of Xie Changyan, with whom she had been eating at the buffet before she passed out drunk, Lin Xu took out her phone and gave him a call.

“The number you have dialed is currently unavailable…”

She continued to make two or three more calls, still no one answered.

Maybe he’s busy and not looking at his phone?

She muttered to herself and reluctantly decided to call Ji Tingyang’s number instead.

He answered almost instantly.

“You’re awake? Do you have a headache? Do you want me to bring you some sobering tea?” Ji Tingyang’s concerned voice urgently rang out.

“No need, no need. Where are you guys now? I’ll come find you.”

“I am on the deck.”

It seemed there was some performance going on at the stage in the middle of the deck; when Lin Xu arrived, the area was crowded with people.

She didn’t find Ji Tingyang amidst the crowd, but she did see Xie Changyan leaning on the railing, gazing at the sea.

Lin Xu’s eyes suddenly lit up, and she walked over in her high heels. “Ah Yan!”

Xie Changyan’s body imperceptibly paused for a moment, then turned to look at Lin Xu.

His gaze seemed complex for a brief moment, and by the time Lin Xu tried to take a closer look, he had already concealed his emotions, presenting an indifferent facade.

“So, you were also invited by the organizers to come to the cruise? Didn’t Young Master Su come with you? If you’re alone, let’s hang out together tomorrow? I saw they have…” Lin Xu’s eyes curved as she happily talked about many things with him.

However, no matter what she said, she couldn’t get a response.

He leaned back against the railing, his demeanor remaining indifferent and silent.

“What’s wrong with you?” Lin Xu’s voice suddenly stopped, her eyes showing a hint of concern as she looked at him. “Are you in a bad mood?”

Xie Changyan’s eyes darkened, staring into hers, he opened his mouth, “Who are you concerned about?”

Is it him?

Or the Ji Yanli in her heart?