Chapter 55: Chapter 55 - 55 Can you accept it even if the other person is married?

Rainwater trickled down her long, flowing hair, soaking her clothes and causing them to cling to Lin Xu’s body in an extremely uncomfortable manner, sticky and unpleasant.

The gauze on her cheek was also wet, allowing water to seep through and irritate her wound, which caused a bout of itchiness.

Lin Xu’s eyebrows knitted slightly as she subconsciously reached to scratch the gauze.

But in the next instant, a large hand grasped her wrist, halting her movement.

Lin Xu looked up in confusion.

Xie Changyan’s eyes and brows were relaxed with a smile as he reminded her, “Be careful with your wound.”

Realizing her reflex, Lin Xu exclaimed “Ah” and quickly withdrew her hand, standing awkwardly on the spot, fidgeting with her wet clothes, unsure of what to do.

She wanted to change into a fresh set of clothes, but she also didn’t want to let Xie Changyan leave, still harboring the thought of testing whether he was truly her husband or not.

As she hesitated on how to speak up, Xie Changyan, seeming to see through her discomfort, took the initiative to suggest, “Why not go change into a new outfit first?”

“Can you, perhaps, come with me?” Lin Xu hesitated, her clear eyes looking at him, brimming with a subtle hint of hope that was not easily noticed.

A ripple disturbed the calm surface of the lake as Xie Changyan paused, then lifted the corners of his mouth in response, “Sure.”

Lin Xu chose a women’s clothing store nearby and randomly picked out a set of clothes to change into in the dressing room.

Xie Changyan sat down inside the store, casting a glance toward the direction of the dressing room.

Although he had never accompanied a woman to buy clothes, he had heard from friends that it was a time-consuming and boring affair, unable to understand why they needed to purchase so many pieces of clothing that seemed indistinguishable to him.

This was clearly none of his concern, yet he had inexplicably agreed to it.

This was a bad signal for him.

“President Xie, please try our store’s coffee.” A store clerk interrupted his thoughts, bringing over a cup of coffee.

This luxury brand store held shares from the Xie Family, and Xie Changyan had once visited for inspection with an assistant, so the clerk recognized him as one of the executives, and hurriedly offered coffee as a gesture of goodwill.

“Thank you,” Xie Changyan replied with a light smile on his lips, his deep brown eyes briefly acknowledging her presence with a nod, every gesture exuding his nobility.

The clerk’s cheeks suddenly flushed with embarrassment, and she shyly returned to the counter.

Minutes later, Lin Xu appeared in a pale pink long dress, instinctively twirling in front of him and asking with a bright smile, “How does it look? Is it pretty?”

The form-fitting dress perfectly accentuated her slender waist, which one could scarcely grasp, and her shiny, smooth hair cascaded down her back, revealing her fair and slender neck and creamy, delicate skin—stunningly beautiful.

Only the bandage peeking out from her sleeve was an eyesore.

Xie Changyan’s eyes flashed, “It looks very good.”

“Then I’ll take this one,” Lin Xu said, happily hurrying to the counter to pay.

“This dress has already been paid for by President Xie,” the clerk informed her.

Lin Xu turned around in surprise to look at him, finding him sipping his coffee with an air of nonchalance as if the transaction that had just taken place was completely natural.

Of course, she didn’t mind having someone else pick up the tab, nor would she react with the same anxiousness as others, eager to return the money in fear of taking advantage of the situation.

Lin Xu walked over, her dress skirt swaying gracefully with each step, “Thank you for the dress, shall I treat you to a meal?”

“Another time, I have a little business to attend to later,” Xie Changyan stood up, taking the paper bag with her old clothes from the store clerk.

This motion was so natural that it left Lin Xu momentarily dazed.

“Miss Lin, where will you be heading next? Should I have my driver take you?” Xie Changyan asked.

“No need, I’ll just take a cab back,” Lin Xu shook her head.

Before he got into his car and left, Lin Xu bit her red lips, struggling to ask a question, “Can I add… your contact information?”

Xie Changyan’s hand, which was opening the car door, paused a moment, thousands of thoughts twirling in his head, trying to understand whether her words carried an ulterior motive.

But his hand was quicker than his brain and they exchanged WeChat contacts on their phones.

Back in the car, Xie Changyan looked at the new friend in his WeChat and tapped into her Moments.

Lin Xu rarely posted on Moments, and the few posts she had were all about her son, expressing her love for him in every possible way.

He skimmed through them briefly, then irritably snapped his phone shut, his usual smiling eyes and brows now furrowing as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

A while later, his phone rang.

It was a call from Xie Mingwang.

As soon as he answered, he heard his sonorous, excited voice, “What’s this about you not wanting to go on blind dates, turns out you’ve secretly got a girlfriend!”

“What?” Xie Changyan was puzzled.

“I heard it from the driver, today you took a woman shopping for clothes, you sneaky kid, keeping it from me!” Although Xie Mingwang was cursing, his tone was filled with joy, “When will you bring her home for me to see? Don’t worry, I’m an open-minded old man, I can accept anyone no matter what.”

Xie Changyan laughed, glancing at the driver sitting primly in the front row, not expecting he would go and snitch to Grandpa.

Listening to Xie Mingwang’s incessant urging on the phone, his long fingers tapping lightly on his thigh, his lips curved with amusement as he spoke in a nonchalant tone, “Even if she’s married, you could accept that?”

“Married?!” Xie Mingwang was taken aback, his loud voice getting even louder, “With all the women out there, you choose a married one! Absolutely not! Break up with her immediately!”

Xie Changyan was still laughing, “Didn’t you say you could accept anything?”

“I can’t accept this, I warn you, if you dare to break up a family and play the third wheel, get out of the Xie Family!” Xie Mingwang was so angry he was having trouble breathing, and the housekeeper beside him was advising him to take deep breaths and not to get too agitated.

The Xie Family was a famed, wealthy clan, renowned in society as nobility; if Xie Changyan were to do something so shameful and immoral, he couldn’t imagine how many people would laugh at him.

“Just kidding,” worried that Xie Mingwang might actually get enraged to death, Xie Changyan explained.

“Really?” Xie Mingwang was skeptical.

“Really.”

Xie Mingwang finally took a deep breath, relieved, “I won’t press you about it for a while, just find yourself a girlfriend and bring her home to me soon.”

He was afraid that if he urged Xie Changyan too fiercely, he might actually bring a married woman home just to spite him, as he was perfectly capable of doing something like that.

“Don’t worry about it, go out for more walks in your free time, you might find yourself a second spring,” Xie Changyan laughed.

“You rascal, aren’t you afraid your grandma will curse you from below!” Xie Mingwang cursed and chatted a bit more with him.

In the end, after making various assurances to Xie Mingwang that he “won’t find a married girlfriend,” he hung up the phone, feeling relieved.

On the screen, a message from Lin Xu popped up.

“Let me know when you’re free, and I’ll continue to treat you to a meal,” it read.

Xie Changyan stared at the message for a long while, his fingers moved slightly, and he deleted the conversation.

Grandpa was right, he really shouldn’t have too much contact with her.