Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The two were only half a meter apart. He Wei stood at the doorway and could clearly smell the man’s scent — a faint trace of alcohol mixed with the fragrance of body wash, clean and cold.

He Wei was afraid he might develop the thought “Woman, you’ve successfully caught my attention,” so she quickly repeated, “Aunt Yun asked me to call you.”

The implication was that she hadn’t come on her own.

The reason she hadn’t told the truth earlier — that she had knocked on the wrong door — was precisely because she didn’t want Yan Huai to misunderstand.

Yan Chen and Yan Huai’s rooms were one to the south and one to the north. Knocking on the wrong one like this would inevitably make people misunderstand.

Although He Wei really had knocked on the wrong door.

While she inwardly despised her own sense of direction, she was also afraid Yan Huai might grow suspicious. She didn’t dare let her gaze waver and met his eyes in an extremely open and upright manner.

Yan Huai’s gaze was heavy, but his expression remained indifferent.

He had probably just finished showering. His hair was still half-wet, and the white bathrobe he wore hadn’t been changed.

He Wei’s gaze dropped a few inches, and she quietly swallowed.

She remembered the male body beneath the bathrobe — pale skin, cold and smooth muscle lines, a firm lower abdomen, long legs, a mature sexiness unique to adult men.

The image of Yan Huai without clothes uncontrollably flashed through He Wei’s mind. The tips of her ears heated, yet she restrained herself from looking away and said calmly, “Aunt Yun said the food will be ready soon.”

Yan Huai didn’t speak. His gaze swept over He Wei’s face. The little girl’s ears were slightly red, her lips rosy and teeth white. Although her collar had been pulled down a bit, nothing important was exposed.

For example, her chest, and the mole on her chest.

The man’s Adam’s apple rolled slightly. Whether He Wei meant it or not, he was indeed tempted by her.

Yan Huai wasn’t someone with particularly strong desires, but at this very second, he suddenly wanted to pull open her collar and take her.

Take her fiercely.

But reason returned the next moment. He felt he was sick — even harboring thoughts about his own younger brother’s woman.

Yan Huai shifted his gaze away, then moved it back to He Wei’s face.

He had seen He Wei three times, and each time felt like he was seeing a different person.

Quite interesting.

Yan Huai had a dinner engagement tonight. Although he hadn’t eaten much, he had drunk quite a bit, so his stomach felt uncomfortable now and he had no appetite at all.

He genuinely hadn’t planned to eat, but just now, facing this clean and pretty face in front of him, he suddenly changed his mind.

Yan Huai’s lips curved slightly. He responded with an “Mm.”

Having muddled through, He Wei let out a sigh of relief.

And looking at Yan Huai’s perpetually expressionless, frigid face, he really didn’t seem interested in her. The corners of He Wei’s lips unconsciously curved. Just as she was about to speak, the man had already turned around. “Help me close the door, thanks.”

Rare — he even said the word “thanks.”

He Wei froze for a moment. After reacting, she quickly grabbed the doorknob. As she closed the door, her eyelashes lifted, and she glimpsed him turning his back to her and undoing his bathrobe.

The robe slid down, revealing the man’s lean back.

Just for a second — with a “bang,” He Wei didn’t control her strength and shut the door with a loud crash.

Her heart raced wildly, not yet calmed, when Yan Chen’s voice suddenly came from beside her ear: “Hehe, why are you standing at my brother’s room door?”

He Wei touched her ear. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she had already adjusted her expression. She turned around and handed the clothes over. “Someone called you. I came up to bring you your phone.”

Yan Chen glanced again at Yan Huai’s room door, his brows knitting tightly.

He Wei could only follow his train of thought and explain, “Aunt Yun told me your room was at the very south side, but I…”

She lowered her head, looking shy and too embarrassed to continue.

Yan Chen knew her sense of direction was poor. Seeing her like this, his mood instantly cleared. When he took the clothes, he also pulled her hand along. “Come, let’s go downstairs to eat.”

This time He Wei didn’t keep her distance from him. She followed closely and obediently by his side. While going downstairs, Yan Chen took out his phone and glanced at the missed calls.

The number at the top, marked in red, had called more than ten times.

He Wei leaned slightly toward him, speaking in a gentle tone of concern for her boyfriend, “Whose call was it?”

Yan Chen turned his head and smiled at her. “A friend.”

“What kind of friend?” He Wei narrowed her eyes, her brows furrowing. “A male friend or a female friend?”

“A female friend.”

Heh. She didn’t believe Yan Chen could have a purely platonic female friend.

He Wei’s expression cooled.

Her appearance looked exactly like she was sulking with jealousy. The curve at the corner of Yan Chen’s lips deepened. He raised his hand and tapped the tip of He Wei’s nose. “Jealous?”

He Wei said nothing.

“Really just an ordinary friend.”

He Wei still didn’t speak.

“Don’t believe me? I can call her now and let her tell you?”

“No need…” He Wei finally spoke. Her voice paused slightly, and after a few seconds she asked again, “Who is it? Do I know her?”

Yan Chen didn’t hide it. “Song Zhenzhen. Know her?”

By sheer coincidence, He Wei curled her lips slightly and gave an “Mm.”

“She knows you’re my girlfriend.”

He Wei nodded and responded casually.

Of course Song Zhenzhen knew she was Yan Chen’s girlfriend. Otherwise, there’d have been no need for her to try every possible way to trip her up the first time they met.

He Wei pressed her lips together and took out her own phone to check.

Ten percent battery left.

Very good.

Only a few minutes after He Wei and Yan Chen went downstairs, the dining table was filled with dishes.

Seven dishes and two soups — sure enough, all of them were things He Wei liked.

If not for the memories from her previous life, He Wei might really have believed that Yan Chen, this playboy young master, had turned over a new leaf.

She sat to Yan Chen’s right. Aunt Yun filled a bowl of pork rib soup and handed it to her. “Miss He, eat more.”

He Wei curled her lips into a smile.

Aunt Yun had worked at the Yan family for more than twenty years and was basically considered half a member of the family, so she wasn’t too restrained. While serving rice to He Wei and Yan Chen, she casually chatted a few more sentences.

Yan Chen glanced at the chair opposite. “Where’s my brother?”

“The eldest young master said—”

Before she finished speaking, footsteps came from the restaurant entrance.

Yan Huai had already changed into a white set of home clothes. His sharp short hair was half-wet, resting against his forehead. Perhaps because he had just showered, the man’s brows and eyes looked even cleaner and colder.

Aunt Yun froze for a moment, then smiled as if relieved. “Just now you said you weren’t going to eat dinner. I was wondering whether I should bring some up for you.”

He Wei had originally been about to gnaw on a rib, but when she heard Aunt Yun’s words, the rib fell with a “pa” into the plate. She bit her chopsticks and lifted her eyes toward the opposite side, her eyelashes trembling.

That person didn’t look at her at all, just picked up the spoon and began drinking soup.

He drank slowly and methodically, his movements elegant, never once raising his eyes to look at He Wei.

Only then did the tension in He Wei’s nerves ease slightly.

Beside her, Yan Chen placed another rib into her bowl. “Eat more. You’re too thin.”

As he spoke, he leaned closer to He Wei and said softly, “You feel bony to hold.”

He Wei bit down harder on her chopsticks. She frowned, gave an “Mm,” and lowered her head to eat.

The Yan family’s dining table was as quiet as ever.

He Wei didn’t eat much, and facing two wolves and tigers at the table, she soon used the excuse of making a phone call and withdrew from the dining room early.

When she reached the living room, she used her last ten percent battery to send Cheng Nuo a message:

【Nuo Nuo, did you find out who Song Zhenzhen’s boyfriend is?】

【He’s one of the investors of the film you auditioned for.】

Cheng Nuo: 【What are you planning to do?】

【I’m planning to let the three of them confront each other face to face.】

Cheng Nuo: 【But aside from Yan Chen, we can’t contact the other two.】

【I have a way to contact Song Zhenzhen. As for her boyfriend, Nuo Nuo, can you ask your brother to contact him?】

As a director, Cheng Yan might not usually interact with investors, but arranging a meeting for a meal should be easy.

Sure enough, half a minute later a message came back:

【I’ll try to get my brother to give it a shot.】

【Okay, I’ll tell you the time and place in a bit.】

After sending that message, He Wei exited WeChat and played a round of Anipop. A few minutes later, when she exited again, the battery was down to four percent. The corners of her lips curved slightly as she heard movement behind her — the two men coming out of the dining room.

Although the brothers didn’t get along, it usually wasn’t obvious.

Yan Chen was talking about a piece of land up for bidding recently. His voice was bright, carrying a carefree nonchalance, while the other person was the exact opposite.

He Wei couldn’t hear him speaking at all.

For a few seconds, she even suspected Yan Chen was talking to himself, but when she really turned to look, it was indeed two people conversing.

He Wei pinched the hem of her sweater. As soon as Yan Chen walked over and sat on the sofa, she stood up and moved to sit on the sofa armrest beside him. Leaning forward, she rested her arm on his shoulder, her voice light and soft. “Yan Chen, my phone’s out of battery.”

Yan Chen raised an eyebrow.

“I have something to say to Nuo Nuo. Can I borrow your phone?”

She leaned a little closer.

The fragrance from the woman drifted over. Just as the thought of pushing her down arose in Yan Chen’s mind, the sound of a lighter clicking open came from across.

He exhaled, then rubbed He Wei’s hair. “Really out of battery?”

“Really,” He Wei took out her phone and showed him. “Or is there some secret in your phone?”

“Alright, alright,” Yan Chen had a straightforward temperament and really couldn’t stand He Wei taking the initiative to act coquettish toward him. Without another word, he handed the phone over. “Play as you like.”

He Wei’s lips curved, and even the corners of her eyes lifted. After taking the phone, she obediently sat to the side again.

She wasn’t far from Yan Huai. The smell of smoke quickly drifted over. He Wei held her breath slightly. After Yan Chen unlocked the password, she directly opened WeChat and tapped the top message inviting him to dinner on Saturday.

The note was three letters: szz.

After all, He Wei was doing something sneaky, so she felt somewhat guilty. Moreover, Yan Chen could turn his head to look at her at any time. She swallowed, then tapped into that person’s Moments to take a look.

The two men were still talking business. He Wei couldn’t understand it anyway. After confirming this person was Song Zhenzhen, she replied on Yan Chen’s behalf: 【Time and place.】

Song Zhenzhen seemed overly excited, not suspicious in the slightest, and directly sent the time and address.

Only then did He Wei let out a breath. After deleting the chat history, she glanced at the time.

9:14.

He Wei smiled faintly, turned off the screen, and handed the phone back. “I’m going back.”

The two men raised their eyes to look at her at the same time.

“Okay, I’ll have Uncle Liu send you—” Before he finished speaking, another call came in. He glanced at the caller ID, then stood up. “Hehe, put your coat on first.”

He went to the balcony to answer the call.

He Wei took the coat she had placed on the sofa earlier and draped it over herself. While fastening the buttons, she secretly glanced at Yan Huai.

He was probably smoking his second cigarette.

Gray-white smoke lingered, making even his expression hard to see clearly. He Wei buttoned her coat all the way to the top, then wrapped herself tightly with a scarf.

Yan Huai stubbed out the cigarette, his deep gaze falling over.

Right now she looked like she was guarding against a thief, completely unlike the person who, just now, had openly been intimate with Yan Chen in front of him.

She looked too pure now, nothing like a woman from the muddy pit of the entertainment industry.

Yan Huai glanced at the only small portion of He Wei’s face that wasn’t covered, the corner of his lips curling slightly without notice.

“Rising unstained from the mud, washed by clear ripples yet not enchanting…” — even that was insufficient to describe her now.

Yan Huai suddenly wanted to know.

Had this seemingly clean and beautiful He Wei slept with Yan Chen?