Chapter 521: Xie Youchen: A Dream Come True (4)

The rooftop pool.

A slender yet powerful figure swam two laps in the pool before breaking the surface.

Jiang Qingli shook the water from her face and hair, then lifted her chin at the young man waiting on the edge. “See? I told you… I’m not drunk!”

Xie Youchen knelt by the edge of the pool and reached out to her. “I believe you. Let’s go back now.”

After a few rounds of drinks earlier, Jiang Qingli had felt hot and wanted to swim in the sea.

Xie Youchen knew she was a good swimmer, but it was late and quiet. The sea was deep and dark, and he was still worried about the potential danger. After a long negotiation, the two ended up at the rooftop infinity pool instead.

Jiang Qingli wasn’t ready to stop. She spun around in the water, evading his hand. “No, I want to play a little longer.”

Before he could refuse, Jiang Qingli grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the pool as well.

SPLASH.

Xie Youchen stood up and wiped the water from his face. He looked up just in time to see the culprit laughing as she swam away, even throwing down a challenge for a race.

“A race?” Xie Youchen reminded her, “I was the one who taught you how to swim.”

“You only taught me how to breathe, and now you’re pulling rank as my teacher?” Jiang Qingli swam over, her drunken eyes narrowing in dissatisfaction. “Third Uncle always says girls have more potential for growth. I’ve probably surpassed you by now… I know! Are you scared you’ll lose to me?”

Xie Youchen paused. “…Ah Li, we should go back.”

Fueled by the alcohol, Jiang Qingli was in high spirits. Convinced that Xie Youchen was scared, she grew even bolder. “No way! Let’s race! If you can catch me, you win!”

With that, she took a deep breath and dove into the water.

From the edge of the pool, you could see the entire manor’s night scenery spread out below.

Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, one could vaguely see Qiao Lan and Lin Xiyue standing up again in the banquet hall, toasting each other.

No one would have guessed that the two newlyweds were currently in the pool, racing like children.

As the water flowed over his skin, Xie Youchen opened his eyes underwater. He saw Jiang Qingli’s figure glide past him like a fish, triumphantly blowing a string of bubbles.

The view distorted through the bubbles.

It seemed to take him back many years.

He reached out, grasped her fingertips, and they broke the surface together.

It took a moment for Jiang Qingli to realize. “Did you set me up on purpose?”

Xie Youchen avoided the question. “It’s time to fulfill the terms of our bet. Come with me, take a bath, and get some rest.”

“Such a boring condition.”

Jiang Qingli pouted, but she was a good sport. Begrudgingly, she followed him back.

The bathtub was already filled with water. Xie Youchen took off his soaked clothes, changed into a dry bathrobe, and began to bathe her by the side of the tub.

Jiang Qingli lay there limply, like she had no bones, feeling his fingers and the stream of water gently caress her skin.

Her dulled senses slowly began to awaken, and her breathing deepened.

Jiang Qingli looked at his handsome face and frowned. “Don’t you dare try to seduce me.”

“I’m not right now.” Xie Youchen rinsed off the foam and kissed the corner of her eye. “Lift your arms. I’ll carry you to bed.”

“See! See!” Jiang Qingli’s voice rose as if she’d uncovered some grand conspiracy. “And you say you’re not seducing me! You’re about to sleep with me!”

Xie Youchen understood Jiang Qingli. When she drank too much, she became a bit like a child, and you had to play along with her.

This was the moment he should have just admitted it.

But he opened his mouth and closed it, unable to bring himself to say such direct words.

In the time it took him to hesitate, Jiang Qingli had sobered up a little. Wanting to prove she wasn’t drunk, she braced her hands on the sides of the tub and tried to climb out.

Xie Youchen hurried to support her, but Jiang Qingli twisted and turned, trying to shake him off while yelling that she wasn’t drunk, splashing water all over him in the process.

A drunk person acts without restraint; a sober person has much more to consider.

At the military base, Xie Youchen was known for being strict, almost to the point of harshness.

But with Jiang Qingli, Xie Youchen had extraordinary patience. He gently played along with her antics until she ran out of energy, then wrapped her in a towel, sat her on his lap, and dried her hair.

The two of them got back into bed.

The girl wrapped in the towel was fresh and clean, while Xie Youchen was in a much sorrier state.

His bathrobe was soaked, his hair had been messed up during Jiang Qingli’s struggles, and his lip was even cut—while he was drying her hair, she had stared at him for a moment, then leaned in for a kiss and, not paying attention to her strength, had bitten him hard enough to draw blood.

Xie Youchen, however, was in a great mood. After washing up, he tidied the room, went to the kitchen to brew a cup of sobriety tea, and helped Jiang Qingli drink it.

Her bout of rowdiness over, Jiang Qingli was now nestled beside him, her profile quiet and still.

It was now the wee hours of the morning.

The lights went out, and the world fell silent.

In the quiet of the night, Xie Youchen lay on his side next to his wife, propping his head up with one hand as his eyes traced the lines of her profile.

At some point, Jiang Qingli, still with her eyes closed, began to grope beside her. Her brow furrowed when she felt the empty mattress, but it wasn’t until Xie Youchen took her hand and tucked it inside his pajama top that she broke into a satisfied smile, snuggled into his embrace, and fell sound asleep again.

Xie Youchen leaned down and kissed her forehead, receiving no response.

“Sleeping so soundly.” Xie Youchen’s arm around her tightened slightly as he let out a soft sigh. ‘Even if I wanted to seduce you, I wouldn’t get the chance.’

He gazed at her for a while before lowering his head again, his lips gently brushing against her cheek, the tip of her ear, her lips.

…

「The next day.」

The moment Jiang Qingli opened her eyes, she met Xie Youchen’s gaze.

He was leaning against the pillows, and there was no telling how long he had been watching her.

“Morning.” He smiled, looking full of energy.

“Morning…” Jiang Qingli scooted closer, burying her face in his chest. “My head’s a little fuzzy…”

“Are you not feeling well?” Xie Youchen started to get up. “Doctor Meng is downstairs.”

“No,” Jiang Qingli said. “I was dreaming.”

“About what?”

“About the past…” Jiang Qingli still wasn’t fully awake from her dream, and she spoke slowly. “It was about that one time, two days before your birthday. I asked you what you wanted for a gift, and you said you’d tell me later, but you never did… What was it you wanted?”

This had happened on the eve of Xie Youchen’s twenty-first birthday.

Back then, Jiang Qingli had just started dating Baili Jing. She was in high spirits, and everything seemed bright and wonderful.

Xie Youchen, in contrast, had grown increasingly silent—though, of course, they hadn’t chatted much on their terminals to begin with. Half their conversations consisted of him asking if she had eaten, if she had slept, or if there was anything she wanted. So, his so-called silence was really just a drop in the frequency of his messages.

Jiang Qingli remembered it clearly because after Xie Youchen went to the military base, he only came home once a year for the Moon Festival.

That year, he happened to have a mission that brought him back to the First District just before his birthday, so Jiang Qingli wanted to celebrate properly and specifically asked him what gift he wanted.

At the time, Xie Youchen had stared at her for a long time before finally saying, “I’ll tell you later.”

However, not long after that, a soul from another world took her place.

It wasn’t a major issue, so no one had thought to bring it up again.

Having dreamt about it last night, Jiang Qingli was suddenly desperate to know. “Come on, tell me. I’ll make it happen for you this year!”