I See Roses

I See Roses – Chapter 37

“…”

His tone was a bit cold, and somehow, it seemed like he was targeting both Ming Si and Cheng Yu.

Ming Si didn’t know why he suddenly had a problem with Cheng Yu, and for a moment, she couldn’t decide whether to intervene or not.

Cheng Yu, feeling wronged, pouted and resisted while hugging the pillow.

Liang Xian glanced at both of them and remained indifferent, still leaning against the sofa, showing no sign of changing his mind.

“Exactly, why do you have to interfere in their married life,” Ke Lijie had already walked to the hallway and found that Cheng Yu really wanted to stay. He came back with a headache, pulled Cheng Yu off the sofa, and said, “Ming Si, why are you still letting him stay? He’s so drunk, what if he throws up here? Will you clean up after him?”

Ming Si: “…”

Forget it, forget it.

Cheng Yu, who was dragged up, swayed unsteadily, and followed Ke Lijie outside. When they reached the hallway, he suddenly realized what was going on and hugged the antique vase again, refusing to budge, “Yu Yu won’t leave!”

Although he was heavily drunk, Cheng Yu was still a full-grown adult male. Ke Lijie couldn’t pull him alone. He also had to be cautious about the expensive vase. So, he could only try to persuade Cheng Yu, “Ming Si is just teasing you. They haven’t lived here since they got married half a year ago, they probably won’t stay here tonight either.”

“Then Yu Yu will stay alone,” Cheng Yu said, turning back to seek opinions. However, Yu Chan and Lin Xijia, who were waiting at the door, couldn’t stand it any longer. They each reached out to help, one on the left and one on the right, pulling him away from the vase. Together with Ke Lijie, they pushed him out of the door.

Ming Si watched as Cheng Yu struggled against the three of them, like a little chick flapping its wings, and suddenly felt a bit sorry for him.

The front door closed automatically and made a soft beep sound when locked.

A few seconds later, the light in the entrance also automatically turned off, and the room fell into silence without Cheng Yu’s commotion.

Liang Xian, who had been watching the hallway, shifted his gaze, “Do you really want to stay here?”

When they got their marriage certificate, Cen Xinyan had tried to persuade them to move into their marital home. Ming Si flatly refused and even specifically called to tell Liang Xian not to give in.

He didn’t know when she changed her mind.

“Yeah,” Ming Si leaned back, closing her eyes, “I don’t want to bother anymore.”

The day had been chaotic, running back and forth several places. Even though they spent most of the time in the car, her feet were already sore.

Once Cheng Yu and the others left, all she wanted to do was relax and take a nap. At this point, she didn’t even have the strength to get up.

Liang Xian replied with a simple En and dimmed the lights in the living room.

Ming Si laid back on the sofa, covering her forehead with one hand. The soft light cast long shadows of her fingers, perfectly falling on the fair corners of her eyes.

From this angle, her silver-gray gown wrapped around her graceful figure. Her waist seemed slender and easy to hold, and the skirt flowed smoothly along the curves of her body, revealing her slender, jade-like legs and fair, slender ankles.

That familiar restlessness surged up again.

Liang Xian loosened his tie and stood up.

“Where are you going?” Ming Si, who was resting with her eyes closed, seemed quite alert and caught his subtle movements. She immediately opened her eyes.

She sat up quickly and saw Liang Xian holding a black lighter and a cigarette.

The dim light fell from above, casting the tall and straight figure of the man, and his faint shadow covered her just right.

“Smoking a cigarette,” Liang Xian toyed with the lighter in his hand, “What’s the matter?”

When she realized that he wasn’t going to leave, Ming Si felt like a heavy stone had been lifted off her heart.

She felt both confused and relieved, to the point where she didn’t know what to do.

Before she could sort out her emotions, Ming Si grabbed the nearby pillow and hugged it in her arms, looking away and casually making up an excuse, “I’m scared of ghosts.”

Liang Xian didn’t know what was going on in her mind and chuckled softly, “What are you thinking in that little head of yours?”

“Just, in such a big villa,” Ming Si continued to support her excuse, “I will naturally be scared if I’m alone.”

With the lighter in his hand hanging down, Liang Xian stood still for a moment, unsure whether to believe her or not.

“Weren’t you going to smoke?” Ming Si felt a little uneasy, tugging on the corner of the pillow and raising her gaze, “Go ahead.”

“I’m not going to smoke,” Liang Xian sat down, casually placing the lighter and cigarette box on the coffee table, and looked at her with a sideways glance, “If you’re tired, take a bath and rest early.”

Just as Ming Si was about to ask if he was leaving or not, she heard him speak again, his voice relaxed and with a hint of a smile, “I’m here, so ghosts won’t dare to come.”

Although this villa had been neglected, it was meticulously taken care of every day by dedicated staff. The interior was decorated with fresh flower bouquets that were flown in daily. The furniture and furnishings were kept dust-free, ensuring that Ming Si and Liang Xian could come and stay at any time.

Passing through the wardrobe on the first floor, to the right was a spacious and bright bathroom. Natural hot spring water was directly channeled into the large bathtub, and the room was filled with a faint aroma of camellia flowers.

As the water filled the tub, Ming Si stood in front of the mirror in the walk-in closet and let down her updo, but her hand suddenly paused when she tried to reach behind her.

This evening gown was a high-end design from Valentino, and the highlight was the silver-gray ribbon at the back, intricately tied in a winding manner, with a hint of subtle sensuality hidden in its elegance.

The only downside was that she needed someone’s help to put it on.

And, of course, she couldn’t take it off by herself either.

She stared at the mirror for a few seconds, closed her eyes with a sense of resignation, and eventually turned around to open the door of the walk-in closet, carefully calling out, “Liang Xian?”

On this evening, Ming Si slept in the master bedroom on the second floor, while Liang Xian slept in the guest room diagonally across the hall.

Before going to bed, Liang Xian took a cold shower, but the inexplicable irritability still lingered. He leaned against the sofa and absentmindedly checked his messages.

In the group chat, Ke Lijie sent several videos of a drunk Cheng Yu.

In the past, Liang Xian might not have been interested in clicking on them, but this time he surprisingly watched every one of them in its entirety.

Cheng Yu was usually a comedic character, and when drunk, he became even more wild and funny, stumbling around, attempting to walk in a straight line one moment and hugging the trash bin as if it were his best buddy the next.

Ke Lijie’s camera was shaking throughout, and his laughter could be heard off-screen.

After watching, Liang Xian only sneered lightly, without leaving much of an impression in his mind, but his thoughts were distracted for a moment.

Earlier, when Ming Si came to find him, he had unbuttoned his shirt halfway through, preparing to take a bath.

She called his name and pushed the door open, while he subconsciously turned around. Their eyes met in mid-air unexpectedly. Ming Si was stunned for a moment and immediately covered her eyes with her hand, stuttering, “You, why haven’t you undressed?”

She looked like a cat that had its tail stepped on, and in her panic, she even misspoke. Liang Xian found it funny and decided to tease her, “Make it clear, do you want me to undress?”

“…”

Ming Si was now both embarrassed and angry. She turned to glare at him but ended up hurriedly covering her eyes again, “Hurry, button up your shirt.”

Liang Xian fastened the buttons of his shirt, “Done.”

But Ming Si didn’t seem to believe him, “Really?”

Did he appear that untrustworthy?

Liang Xian uttered, “En. Open your eyes.”

Ming Si cautiously put her hands down, tucking her hair, pretending to be composed. “I called for you, didn’t you hear?”

In other words, she didn’t intentionally want to look.

Her cheeks were flushed like a little peacock’s feathers, yet she tried to appear calm. Liang Xian leaned against the corner of the walk-in closet, smiling gently, “You didn’t see anything important, why are you so nervous?”

Ming Si’s feathers ruffled, “Liang Xian!”

Liang Xian stopped teasing her, “Next time, I’ll lock the door, okay?”

Ming Si was still a bit annoyed, and it took her a while before she spoke again, her voice showing a hint of reluctant coquettishness, “Can you do me a favor?”

Liang Xian raised an eyebrow, “En?”

Ming Si turned her back and lifted her long, black hair, “Help me untie the straps.”

Her long hair, as smooth as silk, was lifted to reveal the fair back which had a faint and hazy beauty under the light. The silver-gray thin straps exuded a cold and delicate luster, winding and crossing over the beautiful scapula.

Liang Xian had never dealt with such delicate straps before, and as he reached out, his fingers inevitably brushed against her smooth and tender skin, even distinctly feeling the contours of her smooth back.

His Adam’s apple rolled gently, unable to restrain himself, he murmured, “Damn.”

He got his comeuppance.

Ming Si was awakened by a series of phone messages.

She opened her eyes and looked at the ceiling, taking a few seconds to realize that she had forgotten to put her phone on silent mode before going to sleep.

The group chat with the five of them was exceptionally lively and the messages had already piled up to 99+. Ming Si glanced at the time displayed on her phone; it had just turned 10:00.

What were they talking about to send so many messages?

Curious, she sat up, brushed her long hair to the back, and began reading from the beginning.

There were a few short videos at the beginning, sent by Ke Lijie late at night, showing Cheng Yu’s drunk antics. At that time, she was already asleep.

When Cheng Yu woke up in the morning and saw the messages, he vigorously tagged Ke Lijie, challenging him to a face-to-face showdown. Ke Lijie quickly replied in a fancy style of Chinglish —— who pa who1.

Then, these two acted like immature elementary school students, repeatedly challenging each other with messages like come here if you dare, or if you have the guts, come over… They seemed to be ready for a real-life solo showdown.

In reality, they were probably still lying in bed, lazily, as they sent these messages.

This kind of playful banter had been a part of their lives since their school days. Ming Si found it funny and swiped down the screen. She then came across two rows of exclamation marks.

Next, there was a photo.

It was taken at the engagement banquet yesterday.

The front row journalists knew how to capture the right angle. In the photo, Liang Xian wore a sharp suit, maintaining his usual frivolous and carefree expression. Ming Si had her arm linked with his, slightly tilting her head, with her long black hair flowing down. Her red lips curved into a smile that was both gentle and charming.

The two stood on a dazzling stage, and their eyes seemed to be sparkling with stars, creating an indescribable sense of harmony.

Cheng Yu acted like a CP fan and tagged both of them:「Come out and see! Your photo!」

Perhaps because they hadn’t replied for a while, Cheng Yu indulged himself in self-admiration:「My two dads really match each other! The media says it’s a match made in heaven, a perfect couple. Be together, be together, be together!」

Ke Lijie poured cold water on his enthusiasm:「The media’s mouth is deceiving. If you pay them enough, there’s nothing they won’t say. As for their relationship, we could only pray to the gods for peace and harmony.」

Then he continued:「Take a closer look at this photo.」

Ming Si couldn’t help but carefully examine the photo, but just like Cheng Yu, she couldn’t see anything unusual.

Ke Lijie began his eloquent speech:「Haven’t you noticed the hidden dislike between these two? It doesn’t matter how well they match on the outside; if their personalities don’t get along, they’ll just go their separate ways.」

Cheng Yu was unwilling to give up:「Their personalities can be adjusted.」

Ke Lijie asked:「How to adjust? Put them on a relationship TV program, let the host and a bunch of relatives and friends advise them, and they’ll cry and swear to work on their marriage under the persuasion.」

Cheng Yu asked:「There’s such a program?」

Ke Lijie:「…」

Ming Si: “…”

Who would want to go on that program?

These two didn’t think there was anything wrong with discussing this matter in the group chat. They continued to chatter about the engagement.

Ke Lijie, being well-informed and eager to show off his knowledge, gave a lesson to naïve Cheng Yu and almost exhaustively listed all the superficial couples in the city. He elaborated on how there was also a term called plastic couple in the world.

Cheng Yu, who was still enthusiastic about his CP, felt disheartened:「…」

Ke Lijie probably didn’t want Cheng Yu to randomly ship CPs, so he made it clear:「In any case, don’t take it too seriously. Just remember this – no matter what they’re like, they’re still our good friends. Even if they live separately, as long as everyone is happy, that’s what matters.」

Cheng Yu thought it made sense and agreed:「Yeah! You’re right. I forgot. Brother Xian is too clueless. He doesn’t know how to take care of girls. Ming Si is like a delicate rose in a greenhouse, in need of pampering. They are not suitable for each other.」

Cheng Yu then added:「Brother Xian even threw her into the flower bushes. It could almost be considered as domestic violence.」

Ke Lijie echoed:「That’s right.」

Ming Si: “…”

In just a few sentences, Cheng Yu had a complete change of opinion and directly labeled Liang Xian as someone who doesn’t know how to pamper others.

She found it inexplicably amusing.

But after being labelled as someone who committed domestic violence, why did Liang Xian have no reaction at all?

Was he sleeping even more deeply than she was?

As Ming Si thought this, her gaze subconsciously glanced at the long bench at the end of the bed, where a red Hermès Birkin bag was placed.

This bag wasn’t part of her outfit for the engagement banquet; it was delivered from home last night, specifically containing the cufflinks she bought in Paris.

She intended to give them to Liang Xian last night but thought it was strange to give him a gift on the day of their engagement, so she gave up.

Since he was still asleep, it seemed like a good opportunity now?

Ming Si grabbed the edge of the blanket, pondered for a moment, and lifted the blanket to get out of bed.

The guest room on the second floor was diagonally across from the master bedroom, only a few steps away.

In the guestroom, blackout curtains were drawn, and the room was dimly lit. Ming Si adjusted to the light and walked in quietly. Liang Xian was indeed still asleep, showing no signs of waking up anytime soon.

Ming Si placed the cufflinks on the bedside table and turned to leave, but she couldn’t help glancing at him again.

When they weren’t getting along well before, Ming Si would criticize Liang Xian, but she couldn’t deny that his features were exceptional.

Now that they had reconciled, she seemed to have a reason to appreciate him seriously.

His facial features were perfect, from his brow bones, nose bridge, thin lips, and even down to his Adam’s apple, the lines were smooth and firm, giving off a very masculine and handsome aura.

Ming Si felt that her brain must have short-circuited. Not only was she moonstruck in Liang Xian’s room early in the morning, but when her gaze fell on his Adam’s apple, she even had the urge to touch it.

After all, when she touched it last time, she was drunk, and she had forgotten how it felt.

She unconsciously reached out her hand, her heart beating wildly, and full of nervousness as if doing something sneaky.

But just as her fingers were about to touch, they were unexpectedly caught and stopped in mid-air.

Ming Si’s heart skipped a beat, and her blood almost seemed to flow backward throughout her body.

In the dim light, Liang Xian had opened his eyes at some point and had fixed his gaze on her. His voice sounded slightly hoarse, just having woken up, “What mischief were you planning to do?”

 

 

“Who pa who” is an example of Chinglish, which might be an attempt to translate a Chinese phrase directly into English. In Chinese, the phrase “谁怕谁” (pronounced “shéi pà shéi”) means “who fears whom” or “who is afraid of whom”. When directly translated to English, it becomes “who pa who”, but this translation is not grammatically correct in English. ↩︎