As soon as Qin Fan's words fell, the air in the vast private room seemed to freeze.

A female warrior?

No, not a female warrior, but more like a seductive demoness in a bewitching red dress, tempting the Bodhisattva to break his vows.

Is this something they're allowed to watch!

The calmest person in the room was probably the Bodhisattva himself.

Xie Yanli didn't even move. The knuckles of the hand holding the cards were distinct and clean. He slowly and deliberately tossed a card onto the table before extending two slender fingers to push away the mask pressed against his face.

He didn't mind the crowd staring at them. He turned his gaze to meet the peach blossom eyes behind the mask, which were just inches away, and his voice was light and calm: "You want to play?"

As he spoke, he handed the remaining cards in his hand to Qin Fan.

He even prepared to give up his seat for her.

Qin Fan didn't expect Xie Yanli to react this way. She paused for a moment, but she wasn't flustered.

"No need to move, I have a seat."

With that, she very unceremoniously sat down on Xie Yanli's lap. "You don't mind, do you?"

Xie Yanli was noncommittal. He leaned back indolently against the chair. "As you wish."

Although his tone was devoid of emotion, this indulgence alone was eye-opening!

This was Xie Yanli, who showed no mercy to anyone or anything!

Getting him to be pleasant to the opposite sex was harder than climbing to the heavens.

Now, a woman had actually climbed onto his lap and was acting wild, yet he hadn't said a word.

Everyone opened their mouths, but no one dared to speak.

It wasn't until Pei Yanyan walked over, pointed at Qin Fan, and said in shock, "You... you... you said that possessive, jealous husband who won't let you show your face is Brother Xie?!"

Oho!

That's a lot of information to unpack.

Everyone turned to look at Xie Yanli in unison.

Xie Yanli casually toyed with the bell hanging from the tip of Qin Fan's cat ear. The only sounds in the room were Pei Yanyan's gasps and the chaotic ringing of the bell.

Qin Fan looked at the cards in her hand. She was about to lose. No wonder Xie Yanli had simply handed the mess over to her.

She placed the cards face down on the table. Who would want to play such a bad hand!

She tilted her head and asked Xie Yanli innocently, "Are we not playing anymore? Then let's go home?"

Jealous? Possessive?

Xie Yanli's thin lips were slightly cool. He gave an imperceptible nod. "Then let's call it a night."

With that, he prepared to stand up with Qin Fan.

"Aren't... aren't you going to introduce her?" Jiang Aozhou, who was sitting opposite Xie Yanli, finally spoke up.

"My wife," Xie Yanli said succinctly.

When he wore a suit, the faint sound of the black Buddhist beads tapping against his pale wrist bones was chilling.

Everyone immediately fell silent. Although they were dying to gossip, they could only hold it in, not daring to push their luck.

They watched as Xie Yanli was led away from the private room, his arm held by a pair of slender, fair arms that seemed to glow.

As the woman walked, the hem of her vibrant skirt swayed like a blooming red lotus. Her equally fair, long legs were partially visible, as if she was proud of having lured the Bodhisattva down to the mortal realm.

Pei Yanyan's fingers trembled as if she had Parkinson's.

When Pei Feng returned from a smoke break in the restroom, he saw that Xie Yanli was gone. Only a discarded hand of cards remained by the table where he had sat.

He casually picked up the cards and asked, "Where's the birthday boy?"

"We have to clean out the birthday boy today!"

He flipped the cards over.

All three were low cards, under ten.

Pei Yanyan suddenly covered her ears. "Ahhh, why does Brother Xie have a wife? I don't believe it!"

Pei Feng frowned. "..."

What's wrong with this stupid sister now?

Jiang Aozhou shrugged and explained, "Brother Xie was just picked up by his wife. This admirer of his can't accept it."

Now it was Pei Feng's turn to not accept it. "Sister-in-law was here?"

He had missed a chance to apologize to his sister-in-law.

Jiang Aozhou looked at the siblings. "..."

Going crazy together? Truly blood siblings.

The moment they stepped out of the private room, Qin Fan let go of his arm. Her beautiful little face was devoid of any smile, as if her earlier pouts and laughs had been an illusion.

The couple returned home in silence.

Xie Yanli saw a white gift box in the most conspicuous spot on the living room sofa.

Qin Fan casually shoved the cat mask from her face into Xie Yanli's hands, entered the living room first, bent down to pick up the gift box, and said expressionlessly, "You're sleeping in the study tonight!"

Xie Yanli didn't put down the mask. He loosened his tie with one hand. "Mrs. Xie, are you angry?"

With the mask off, Qin Fan's natural fair-skinned beauty was even more enchanting against the vibrant red dress.

Under the light, she was in a bad mood, but her dark pupils were clear and glistening. Even when angry, she was beautiful.

Xie Yanli had been looking at his wife's face for about two years, but he was still occasionally stunned by her.

For instance, right now.

He rarely offered an explanation, but he did so patiently, "I just saw the message on my phone. Pei Feng turned it off after work."

He slowly extended the hand wearing the Buddhist beads, palm up. "So, would I have the honor of spending a pleasant evening with Mrs. Xie in the study?"

Qin Fan's gaze shifted from his fingertips to his handsome and refined face. A few seconds later.

She reached out—

And suddenly slapped the palm wearing the Buddhist beads, cold and ruthless. "No thanks. A dog of a man who doesn't come home at night doesn't get that honor."

After saying that, Qin Fan turned and ran upstairs with quick steps, as if afraid Xie Yanli would chase her down and retaliate.

Xie Yanli's eyes watched her retreating back deeply.

He had no intention of chasing her. His slender fingertips slowly and deliberately flicked the small golden bell on the cat mask's ear again.

When Qin Fan came out after showering and drying her hair, Xie Yanli, for once, was not working in the study but was waiting for her in bed.

This was the first time Xie Yanli had waited for Qin Fan to shower, but he hadn't expected Mrs. Xie to spend over an hour in the bathroom.

The moment she pushed open the bathroom door, curling steam and a roomful of subtle fragrance wafted out.

Qin Fan ignored his gaze, smoothed her fluffy and naturally styled long hair, and slowly walked towards the bed.

Instead of her usual silk or thin satin nightgown, Qin Fan was wearing nothing but a black men's shirt. The sleeves and collar had exquisite dark-patterned embroidery, understated and elegant. On her slender and graceful figure, it exuded a lazy charm as she moved, even more captivating than the red dress she had worn that night.

Two buttons at the collar were undone, revealing a stretch of fair, delicate neck and collarbone. The hem reached her upper thigh, and a pair of alluring long legs blatantly entered his line of sight. The black shirt, snowy skin, and the burgundy red toenails unintentionally blended into a bewitching, cold sensuality that was dizzying.

As if unaware of how alluring she looked, Qin Fan gave the man sitting up in bed a cold, indifferent glance, then pulled up the covers, ready to sleep.

"What are you looking at? Turn off the lights!"

Xie Yanli chuckled lightly and obediently turned off the wall lamp. He also closed the curtains of the floor-to-ceiling window.

In the quiet space, Qin Fan heard the sound of the curtains being drawn, followed by the faint sound of a man's footsteps on the carpet.

Qin Fan's fingertips subconsciously tightened on the edge of the blanket. She only let out a long sigh of relief after Xie Yanli walked around to her side and lay back down on the bed.

"Is the shirt for me?"

In the darkness, the man's deep, magnetic voice was clear in her ears.

Mrs. Xie's voice was tinged with dissatisfaction. "This is mine! Don't you try to claim it."

"Of course, if a certain someone had come home on time tonight, this shirt might have been surnamed Xie."

After a slight pause, she said deliberately, "And it might have come with a sweet kiss from his fairy wife."

After a moment of silence, just as Qin Fan was beginning to suspect that Xie Yanli had fallen asleep, she suddenly heard him respond, "Okay."

Okay what?

Qin Fan didn't react for a moment, waiting for him to continue.

......

A few minutes later, Qin Fan turned her head to look. Her eyes, now adjusted to the darkness, saw that Xie Yanli was lying properly with even breathing, clearly asleep.

Qin Fan: "???"

That's it?