15 | Fifteen Roses
Xiao Weixi had been in poor health since childhood, and having settled down abroad for a long time, he rarely made an appearance.
Tang You had never met Xiao Weixi before.
The Xiao Zexing before her was very similar to Xiao Weijing, be it in terms of his figure or his eyes.
The only difference was in their temperaments.
Seeing that he was unperturbed, and neither admitted nor denied, Tang You couldn’t help but ask, “Isn't it said that Xiao Weixi has a sickly constitution? You don't look like you're in poor health at all.”
Xiao Zexing said simply, “The medical field is continually progressing—unless it’s a terminal illness, what can’t be treated?”
“Then, you have long since known that I am Tang You, but didn’t say anything… what’s the meaning of that?”
“I wanted to see why you don't want to marry Xiao Weijing.”
Tang You’s face flushed instantly, “Nonsense, who says I don’t want to marry him?”
At this very moment, those words were not convincing at all.
——If she really liked Xiao Weijing, how could she have not recognised him?
She felt instinctively that this man could see through her entire being, and such a feeling was extremely unpleasant.
Tang You muttered, “In any case, you shouldn't have lied to me.”
Xiao Zexing froze momentarily. He carefully observed Tang You's expression, pondered for a moment, and asked, “Do you hate people who’ve lied to you very much?”
“Won’t you hate them too?” asked Tang You in return. “Do you like being deceived?”
Xiao Zexing sat lazily, his chin resting atop his fingers; after two seconds of silence, he suddenly smiled. “What if I tell you that I am not Xiao Weixi?”
Tang You's head buzzed.
Not Xiao Weixi?
Then, who was he?
“Youyou, let's play a game.” Xiao Zexing stood up. “Don't you want to break off your engagement to Xiao Weijing? I'll help you.”
Because of this sentence, Tang You's eyes suddenly brightened.
It couldn’t be concealed.
“How can you help me?”
“You don't have to worry about that, I have the means to do it.”
Tang You looked straight at him, “What game?”
The man was too tall, she had to tilt her face upwards.
“It's very simple. Before we leave this island, guess my real identity.” Xiao Zexing rubbed his watch as his dimples flashed. “If you’re able to get it right, I will help to break off your engagement.”
Tang You followed his train of thought and said without thinking, “Then, what if I can't guess it?”
Xiao Zexing smiled deepened, “You’re so smart, you’ll definitely be able to guess correctly.”
Tang You stood directly under the ceiling light; the gentle light gilded the tips of her hair, layering a soft and delicate glow.
She saw Xiao Zexing out. Before leaving, he rested his gaze on her waist and smiled. “I’ll teach you on more thing. Be a little more guarded. Next time, don't open the door for a man dressed like this. Since you felt that there might be danger, don’t let the other party in.”
Tang You stupefied.
What does he mean by “dressed like this”?
Was there something inappropriate about her attire?
She looked down at the dress she was wearing; it was just a regular nightgown, there wasn’t anything out of the ordinary about it.
I don’t know what kind of filthy thoughts this man is having.
That goes to show that a sage sees wisdom, and a lecher only sees indecencies.
Zhao Manlan, who was extremely anxious because her phone call with Tang You had been suddenly cut off, finally received a call from Xiao Zexing in the evening.
After listening to him, she heaved a sigh of relief.
“Ah, I see, her phone’s spoilt,” Zhao Manlan rubbed her chest and took deep breaths. “Then it's alright. I’d thought Youyou was angry.”
Xiao Zexing smiled. “How can that be? Youyou is rather good-tempered.”
Zhao Manlan was in strong agreement with him on this point.
Despite Xiao Weijing’s vile behaviour, Youyou had always been well-behaved and quiet.
She sighed somewhat sadly, “Weijing didn’t come back tonight. Sigh… He went to Wen Ling again….”
At the mention of this matter, Zhao Manlan’s heart squeezed.
Although Xiao Weijing had said woodenly that he and Wen Ling were only friends, but would an ordinary friend do so much? It was only a small case of appendicitis, what’s with all the fuss?
If others didn’t know any better, they would think Xiao Weijing had gotten her pregnant and she’d gone for an abortion!
However, Xiao Weijing believed in the saying that a clean hand wants no washing1, so he had never bothered to clarify.
After being beaten up by the old man, he applied medicine to his wounds. Before he had the chance to rest, he rushed back to the hospital after receiving a phone call.
He couldn’t be persuaded back.
What a headache he was.
In the past, even when Elder Tang was seriously ill, Xiao Weijing never visited him even once.
Zhao Manlan didn’t believe that such horrible information would not find its way to Tang You’s ears.
At the thought of this, she felt depressed.
Zhao Manlan said softly to Xiao Zexing, “Regarding Youyou, I'm counting on you as their Second Uncle to take care of things.”
“Don't worry.” Xiao Zexing lit a cigarette, gazed at the newly replaced roses in the vase, and said unhurriedly, “Since Weijing doesn't like her, why not just go along with his wishes and break off the engagement? As for Youyou, if the old man really loves her, he wouldn’t continue to force her to be with Weijing anymore.”
“I think so too,” Zhao Manlan looked woeful, and even her voice carried a deep sense of tiredness. “But the old man made a vow in front of Elder Tang’s sickbed, that he would definitely marry Youyou into the Xiao family. The old man’s temper… you know it too.”
At this point, she felt a pang of gloom. “It’s just a pity for that child, Youyou.”
To date, not one of any decision made by the old man had ever been successfully changed or revoked.
Even if Tang You did not like Xiao Weijing, the old man would still force the two to get married.
Even if Xiao Weijing continues to be entangled with Wen Ling after the marriage, the old man would not let them break off the marriage. In the old man's eyes, as long as there was no illegitimate child, nor any scandals for others to take advantage of, it was all fine.
In spite of the fact that Xiao Weijing and Tang You had not managed to meet properly for even a meal till now, Elder Xiao had already started getting people to hire the relevant wedding planners.
It was not so much Xiao Weijing and Tang You’s wedding, but rather, the wedding that Elder Xiao wanted.
On this note, both Xiao Weijing and Tang You were sacrifices to satisfy the old man’s wishes.
Tang You thought about it carefully; she didn't seem to be Xiao Zexing's opponent.
In all their encounters, she was always the one who came out completely defeated.
On the issue of Xiao Zexing's identity, Tang You had initially planned on getting the hotel’s guest list.
This was the easiest method; she only had to check against that person’s room number. However, even though Tang You had no choice but to throw out her status as “Xiao Weijing's fiancée”, the service staff only bowed repeatedly and apologised profusely.
It was probably because Xiao Zexing had instructed them about this long ago.
The party was tired out from an afternoon of fishing, cards, and swimming, so although there were entertainment activities scheduled for the evening, not many people turned up.
Deng Jue smiled happily as he knocked on Tang You’s door and invited her for dinner.
“Brother caught two tuna; one was used for sashimi and the other, pan-fried.” Deng Jue smiled, “It’s prepared by a sashimi chef who had been specially invited from Japan. Sis-in-law, please come try it.”
Tang You listened distractedly as he jabbered on, but she finally she couldn't help herself and asked, “The man you keep calling 'Brother', who is he?”
Tang You realised belatedly that she had been tricked.
The “Ah Jue” before her was in the know.
When they were playing cards, he had deliberately called out “Brother Xi”, then stopped halfway to look at her before immediately changing his term of address.
That was all deliberately done to attract her attention.
It was all an act.
They were in cahoots.
In the face of Tang You's pressing question, Deng Jue smiled. “Sis-in-law, this is a matter between you and Brother. I’m an outsider, so don’t ask me anymore. If I interfere, Brother will skin me alive.”
Tang You harumphed. “I’m not your sister-in-law.”
Have you gotten addicted to acting?!
Do you really think you are Xiao Weijing?
Tang You thought there would be a lot of people eating together, but when she followed Deng Jue to the location, she realised that it was the compartment of Xiao Zexing’s suite.
Unlike Tang You's suite, this one was furnished extremely simply; there were no superfluous decorations—it was simple and elegant.
There was a square table in the centre; Xiao Zexing was in the main seat, and there was no one else around him.
Next to it was a small stove of peculiar shape, gurgling and warming the wine.
Xiao Zexing motioned for her to sit across from him. Tang You sat down cautiously and thanked him.
When she noticed that Deng Jue was about to leave, Tang You was dumbfounded and immediately called out to him, “Where are you going?”
Deng Jue smiled innocently, “You don’t need a lightbulb around for your candlelight dinner, right?”
Without waiting for them to answer, he stepped out thoughtfully and closed the door.
Tang You was just about to stand up when Xiao Zexing raised his eyes at her and smiled. “You don’t want to play our game anymore?”
After a pause, Tang You sat back down again.
Tang You had quite a fair bit of pent-up anger, and she complained, “You can't do this. You won't give any hints, and those outside are all your people, in cahoots with you. Now that you’re all in collusion, how can I get any answers?”
“Instead of asking them, isn’t it better to ask me directly?”
“But you won't say anything either.”
“So now I'll give you a chance.” Xiao Zexing poured the brewed tea into the tea draining tray, then poured a cup for Tang You as she watched. “Let's play a game of five rounds; the winner can ask the loser a question, with a limit of three. How’s that?”
Tang You's eyes lit up, “Then, can I ask you directly for your name?”
“Of course not.”
“What about your job, position, or familial relations?”
“What's the difference between answering these and directly telling you my name?”
Tang You was a little frustrated and dissatisfied, “Then what else can I ask?”
The wine on the small stove was warmed up, and the rich smell of alcohol was intoxicating.
“For example, preferences, habits, past experiences, and so on.” Xiao Zexing did not drink the tea; he poured himself a glass of wine, smiling, “Such information is also very important, is it not?”
Indeed.
One question may result in anything much, but the combined answers to three questions could rule out a lot of people.
Tang You was a little tempted, “What’s the game?”
Xiao Zexing took a shallow sip and said casually, “We’ll just play the simplest game—comparing whose digits are bigger. Dice or cards, you decide.”
He was putting the choice in her hands.
Tang You subconsciously ruled cards out.
Xiao Zexing played poker too well; she had witnessed it this afternoon, and she didn't dare to have anything to do with cards with this person again.
She said, “Let's play dice then.”
The room was equipped with various small items for entertainment. Xiao Zexing put down his glass, stood up, and took them off the shelf.
Six dice, two dice cups.
She couldn’t tell what material the dice were made of; the dice cups were of some kind of wood she couldn’t identify, and had a faint fragrance.
Tang You continued to remain vigilant, “Let me take a look at them first.”
She was worried that this person would cheat. She checked everything carefully, including the dice. After ascertaining that nothing was amiss, she placed the dice back and covered it herself with the dice cups, pushed one set to Xiao Zexing and pulled one towards herself.
Before starting the game, Tang You recited lines she learned from watching Hong Kong films, “You won’t pull any tricks, right?”
Xiao Zexing chuckled, “You’ve checked everything, how can I cheat you?”
That's true.
She was the one who placed the dice, and the one who chose the dice cup.
Tang You didn't wasn’t familiar with dice games, so she just clumsily shook it a few times. She secretly snuck a peek at Xiao Zexing and found that his gestures when shaking the dice were no better.
He didn't look like an expert.
It seems like Xiao Zexing was also not good at such games.
Tang You suddenly felt relieved.
She confidently lifted her dice cup first, and her eyes lit up.
14 points!
Tang You looked at Xiao Zexing triumphantly. He smiled and lifted his dice cup.
Two dice with 3 points, and one die with 1 point.
How pitiful.
“I won!”
Tang You's eyes shone brightly as she pressed on the table, shaking the cup of tea and setting off light ripples.
Xiao Zexing smiled and covered his dice cup. “I accept defeat.”
Tang You’s hands were still pressed on the table; after all, there were only three questions. She thought about it carefully, and asked, “Have you always been in Xijing for the past few years?”
“No.”
“Then when did you come?”
“You won one round; I can only answer one question,” Xiao Zexing reminded with a smile. “It's time for the next round.”
Winning right at the beginning—Tang You was very satisfied with her luck.
Ever since she was little, her luck had always been explosively good, she wasn't afraid of him at all!
Second round.
They lifted their dice cups.
Tang You: 6 points; Xiao Zexing: 7 points.
There was only a small difference.
Tang You bit her lip, a little unwilling to admit defeat.
“Now it's my turn,” Xiao Zexing looked at Tang You with an undiminished smile. “Tell me honestly, do you want to get married to Xiao Weijing?”
Tang You was silent for two seconds.
Actually, it didn’t matter whether she answered or not. Tang You looked back on her recent performance, and it didn’t look like she was deeply in love with Xiao Weijing at all.
He was well aware of it, but just wanted her to say it herself.
Tang You said softly, “I don't want to.”
Xiao Zexing smiled.
Tang You froze.
In all honesty, he was very good-looking when he smiled; even though his eyes were similar to Xiao Weijing's, Tang You had never seen Xiao Weijing smile like this.
To be more precise, Xiao Weijing had never smiled at her.
Since she lost by only a small difference, Tang You collected herself and shook the dice with all her might.
After stopping, she said warily, “This time, you lift your cup first.”
Xiao Zexing lifted it without any hesitation.
4 points.
Tang You breathed a sigh of relief.
She can’t possibly keep rolling anything lower than 7 points…
She lifted the dice cup triumphantly.
The three lonely red dots nearly blinded Tang You's eyes.
How unlucky did she have to be able to get such a number!
Before Tang You could recover from the huge shock, Xiao Zexing brought out the second question leisurely, “Why don't you want to marry him?”
They had already come to this, there was no point in hiding anything from him.
Tang You swallowed a cup of tea, settled her emotions, and answered, “Because Xiao Weijing has Wen Ling in his heart. I can't accept that my future husband has another woman in his heart.”
Xiao Zexing wasn't surprised by this answer, “Again.”
If Tang You lost one more time, the game would be over.
She felt a rare jolt of nervousness. Noticing the wine beside Xiao Zexing, she asked, “Can I have a sip?”
Xiao Zexing did not stop her this time. He poured out a tiny bit, handed her the wineglass, and reminded her, “This is white wine. It has a high alcoholic percentage. You can taste it, but you can’t drink too much.”
Tang You didn’t think much of his words; it was only after she had taken a small sip, that she understood what he meant.
The wine was very strong; it left a burning sensation from the tip of her tongue to her throat.
The tip of her tongue was rendered numb, and there is no way for her to perceive the sweet aftertaste of the wine.
Frowning, she drank another cup of tea before she managed to suppress the burning sensation.
Tang You couldn't figure out why the person in front of her liked drinking this kind of thing.
In the third round, Tang You didn't dare to shake the dice cup in such a showy manner anymore; she just shook it carefully.
Before revealing it, she secretly lifted it a crack and snuck a look.
16 points.
So far, Xiao Zexing had not gotten such a big number.
It's a sure win.
Tang You breathed a sigh of relief and pursed her lips. “I’ll count to three, and we’ll reveal it at the same time.”
She was still afraid that Xiao Zexing would cheat.
Xiao Zexing smiled and yielded, “Alright.”
“One.”
“Two.”
“Three!!!”
They lifted the cups at the same time.
Tang You looked at his points and was instantly stupefied.
Xiao Zexing had 18 points.
Three sixes!
This probability was simply amazing!
“One last question,” Xiao Zexing looked at her calmly. “If Xiao Weijing did not have Wen Ling in his heart, would you marry him?”
Tang You was slightly stunned.
She had never thought about it.
When she was engaged to Xiao Weijing, she was still young and ignorant, and didn’t yet understand what marriage was. Elder Xiao was very powerful, and before his death, Grandpa Tang had entrusted Tang You with living well after marrying into the Xiao family, and to remember to support the Tang family.
Tang You never had much expectations towards marriage; Tang Xiao had always treated her like a commodity and had strived to sell her off for a good price.
They would never bother to consider the opinions of a commodity.
Tang You was trying to resist.
From her silence, Xiao Zexing had already gotten the answer.
He smiled and casually knocked his knuckles on the table. “Since this question is difficult for you to answer, let's change it. After successfully breaking off the engagement, do you have someone you want to marry?”
Tang You shook her head. “No.”
Although she had lost three rounds in a row, the three questions Xiao Zexing had asked were not particularly intrusive.
Compared to that, Tang You was more frustrated that she hadn't been able to ask for more information.
She stood up shakily and was just about to leave when she suddenly remembered something.
Turning around, Tang You told Xiao Zexing solemnly, “I don't care what your identity is. Anyway, don't tell these things… that is, the misunderstanding during this period, do not reveal a word of it.”
Xiao Zexing had already closed his eyes slightly, but at her words, he lifted his eyes at her, and smiled. “If you want me to keep your secret, you should give me some hush money, right?”
Tang You was confused, “What hush money?”
She stared blankly at Xiao Zexing, then suddenly understood.
What could a man of his status not be able to obtain? Tang You had nothing to her name; even Qixing, the only thing she had, was still in the hands of her father for the time being.
The only thing that could entice this man was probably her body.
Tang You asked, “Do you have a fiancée or a wife? A girlfriend or a boyfriend? Or a sweetheart?”
“No.”
She analysed the situation calmly.
Breaking off the engagement to Xiao Weijing was going to be a protracted battle. The battle had just begun, and Elder Xiao was already setting up opportunities for them to live together—there was no telling what else would happen in the future. It was said that the first time was usually not very good, and Xiao Weijing detests her so much—what if they really couldn’t avoid it, and he deliberately tortured her instead? Rather than randomly giving her first time to Xiao Weijing, the man in front of her seemed to be a better candidate.
At least he was good-looking, and his figure wasn’t bad too.
Tang You pursed her lips and did not speak; she silently began to unbutton her shirt.
Xiao Zexing's smile gradually faded and was replaced by a slight frown.
He stood up and clasped her hand before the third button was undone. “Not this.”
Tang You froze.
Xiao Zexing took her hand away and carefully fastened the undone buttons one by one, his eyes cast down at her. “Since you think it is very precious, you shouldn’t hand it over so carelessly.”
Tang You tilted her face upwards.
Her alcohol-paralysed nerves made her a little confused.
Although it was indeed very precious, but she also had the right to choose.
It might not be particularly unbearable if it really had to be given to the person in front of her.
In her daze, Xiao Zexing reached out and pressed her lips. “This is enough.”
The fingers were slightly calloused; they carefully traced the outline of her lips.
He asked, "Can I?”
Xiao Zexing was very handsome, with naturally deep eyebrows, a high nose and thin lips.
Looking at it up close, she stared blankly for a split second.
Tang You was bewitched by his beauty, and as if controlled by another force, nodded her head.
Xiao Zexing leaned down and gently pressed his fingers to her cheek; the height difference between the two was so large that they could only rely on this to kiss.
It was different from the last time.
It was gentler, softer, and more lingering.
Not predatory in the least, and more in line with Tang You's ideal of a careful, precious, and tender kiss.
Tang You didn’t have any experience; she panicked, forgot to breathe, and her face flushed. Xiao Zexing noticed her abnormality, smiled, let go of her, leaned in her ear, “Good girl, breathe.”
Tang You didn’t know how to breathe while kissing.
She was so nervous and anxious that she almost forgot her own name.
“Jiang Chenting calls you Tangtang2? Is that your nickname?” Xiao Zexing cupped her cheek with one hand and gently touched the inconspicuous little tear-shaped mole; his other hand resumed tracing her lips. He gave a low chuckle, “As expected, it’s really sweet.”
————-
The author has something to say:
Everyone, don’t stand from a third-person omniscient point-of-view and blame Youyou. In her mind, Second Uncle is an elder, and is someone of the same status as Xiao Weijing’s father. =v=
Xiao Weijing is the only tsundere in this story; Second Uncle will only pamper and deliberately seduce her.
Footnotes:
1 a clean hand wants no washing: An idiom; The honest and moral man, who has not committed anything wrong and has nothing to fear. It implies that an honest life, needs no purging.
2 Tangtang: Jiang Chenting repeats her surname instead of her name (e.g. Youyou). Her surname Tang 棠 is a homonym for the word candy, 糖 (tang).