Chapter 165 Bad Intentions

Xie Qingcen chuckled twice, and a hint of doting appeared on his handsome face. "There's no need for privacy between husband and wife. Let's go."

He stepped forward, took Ruan Liuzheng's hand, and walked upstairs with her side by side.

Ruan Liuzheng raised her eyes and smiled unconsciously.

She didn't bother to be polite with Xie Qingcen, and just followed him, her pace even a little hurried.

The layout of the Xie family is not a villa, but a real antique Chinese garden building, and the master's room is usually in the yard behind the living room.

Xie Qingcen led her out of the living room, turned left and right, and came to a door with red lacquer carvings.

Ruan Liuzheng raised her eyebrows, she glanced at the room in front of her, then looked back at the evergreen plants in the yard, and couldn't help but marvel at the Xie family's wealth again.

"Originally, the Xie family's old house wasn't here. In the early years of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the ancestors of the Xie family realized the changes in the country and disliked the personal connections in the officialdom, so they invested in buying this mountain and built the old house here."

Xie Qingcen saw the amazement in Ruan Liuzheng's eyes, and he explained calmly as he pushed the door open.

There was an indescribable tenderness between his clear and elegant eyebrows.

It was a pity that it didn't rain. If it had, Xie Qingcen would have looked even more beautiful in the misty rain.

Ruan Liuzheng looked at Xie Qingcen quietly, and couldn't help but raise his hand to gently stroke his brow, thinking so in his heart.

Xie Qingcen's eyes were suspicious for a moment, but after all, he was quick-witted and quickly reacted.

When Ruan Liuzheng belatedly wanted to withdraw his hand, pretending nothing had happened, he grasped Ruan Liuzheng's palm, his dark phoenix eyes staring at Ruan Liuzheng in front of him without hesitation, and a faint light shone in his eyes.

"Let Fu Jingcheng stay here for a few days, just in time to keep the old lady company?"

Ruan Liuzheng chuckled softly. Her soft palm gently patted Xie Qingcen's cheek, her tone playful. "You're not trying to hide it at all. Are you that anxious?"

Xie Qingcen couldn't deny it. He put one hand around Ruan Liuzheng's waist and led them into the room.

He said frankly, "Anxious, of course I wouldn't be anxious. You have your wife right in front of you, but you can see her every day but can't eat her. You certainly don't understand that feeling."

Ruan Liuzheng paused slightly at this.

She pursed her lips, her cold almond eyes fixed on Xie Qingcen, the expression on her face a little difficult to describe.

Xie Qingcen curled her lips, her eyebrows and eyes charming. "What's wrong? What are you thinking about?"

Ruan Liuzheng pondered. "I always thought you were a refined gentleman, someone who would never cross the line of etiquette, but... I didn't expect to hear you say..."

Her eyes shifted, becoming slightly more meaningful. It wasn't that it sounded harsh.

After all, given the environment Xie Qingcen had grown up in, no matter what he said, it would at most be a little out of place, but it wouldn't seem vulgar. It was just very... down-to-earth. 

Ruan Liuzheng pursed her lips. She followed Xie Qingcen into the room, but she didn't immediately observe the furnishings as expected. 

Instead, her attention was focused on certain things. 

Xie Qingcen turned, his dark, inky eyes fixed on Ruan Liuzheng. He crossed his arms, his elegant features now appearing somewhat careless. 

He said casually, "Is it hard to hear? But I remember I told you a long time ago that I'm not as selfless as you think." 

"I'm human too. I have desires, sadness, and anxiety." 

As he spoke, he suddenly leaned forward, his gaze gradually level with Ruan Liuzheng's. His eyes were deep and sticky, with a hint of temptation. 

He opened his thin lips, "If the man you consider a gentleman now wants to do something immoral with you, how would you feel?" 

Ruan Liuzheng swallowed subconsciously. She knew Xie Qingcen was using a honey trap, but she couldn't bear to look away. 

It was a sunny day, and Xie Qingcen's room was well-lit. He was standing in the sun, his dark, phoenix-colored eyes, illuminated by the bright sunlight, like shimmering black glass. They were incredibly captivating, truly hard to resist. 

She slowly clenched her palms, a flicker of nervousness in her eyes. After a long silence, she bit her lip and said, "I..." 

However, before Ruan Liuzheng could finish, beautiful piano music emanated from Xie Qingcen's suit pocket. 

The melodious sound tickled their eardrums and broke the charming atmosphere in the room. 

Xie Qingcen was the first to regain consciousness. He said something in frustration, but when his eyes caught the name on his phone screen, he whispered a few words to Ruan Liuzheng and walked to the window. He was speaking quietly to the person on the other end of the phone. 

He wasn't speaking Chinese, and it didn't seem like they were talking to the same person. In just a few minutes, Ruan Liuzheng heard him speak in at least two foreign languages. 

Ruan Liuzheng had studied foreign languages in college, and after Bao Kua married Fu Yanci, but for so many years, she'd only mastered English and her native tongue. Everything else sounded a bit like incomprehensible to her. 

Ruan Liuzheng listened carefully, but ultimately couldn't understand. It felt like incomprehensible, so she gave up and turned to wander around Xie Qingcen's room. 

Her cool, almond-shaped eyes scanned the room, quietly examining the layout, even the smallest details. 

After all, they were married, and they might very well be spending the rest of their lives together. 

Ruan Liuzheng was curious about Xie Qingcen's childhood, hoping to take the opportunity to learn more about him. 

After a thorough tour, Ruan Liuzheng realized that Xie Qingcen's room mirrored him: a gentleman with a conventional exterior, yet a bohemian and uninhibited spirit. 

This was evident simply by the ornaments on his desk. 

She smiled softly, surveying the room. Seeing Xie Qingcen still talking, she strolled over. 

Her cool, almond-shaped eyes fixed on his profile, a direct and honest look, devoid of any impurities. 

Xie Qingcen chuckled at this, and he lifted his arm and pulled her into a hug. 

Work matters were over, and now on the other side of the phone sat Jiang Yubai and his group. Their childhood friends were pestering Xie Qingcen to introduce Ruan Liuzheng to them. Xie Qingcen, even with their dispositions, held Ruan Liuzheng in one arm, his brows deep as he casually gazed out the window at the distant courtyard. His expression  remained unmoved. 

... 

Elsewhere, Jiang Yubai sat in a luxurious private room in Yuncheng's largest private club. He clutched his phone, his eyes flickering from time to time to the two men beside him, each with a very different temperament but each possessing a unique appearance. 

At this point, he was truly exasperated. 

He had been calling Xie Qingcen until now, and his lips were almost worn out, but Xie Qingcen was like a gourd with its mouth sawed off, completely unmoved. 

He didn't even make a sound.

Jiang Yubai glanced at the two people beside him who were obviously enjoying the show. He snorted and continued to persuade Xie Qingcen on the other end of the phone, "No, you are married to your sister-in-law, why don't you bring her out for us to see? Besides, Gu Qingran is back just in time, and we brothers haven't gathered for a long time."

"Take this opportunity to get to know each other!"