Marriage Seduction Addiction

The negotiations that evening did not actually go very smoothly.

As a result, a second round of negotiations lasting ten hours was held the following day.

Time involves many parties and various interests, and it is not easy to achieve everyone's expectations.

Tang Xu waited for ten hours at the Shao family manor the next day as well.

Yan Shiyu did not break his promise.

Although the flight was late at night, we eventually left Southeast Asia before midnight.

On that land that was gradually being moved away from, Shao Qingyun transferred most of the equity in three ports, sold most of his assets at a low price, and carried out a comprehensive overhaul of the gray industry chain. Finally, he was able to reunite with his family, which was the best possible outcome.

Tang Xu never spoke to Tang Lan in the end, but given the close relationship between Shao Chenxi and Tang Lan, she would definitely tell Tang Lan everything she had said.

In this way, it can be considered a conclusion.

On the flight back, Tang Xu slept the whole way and was only woken up when the plane was descending.

She slept soundly, her whole body limp, and continued to sleep nestled in Yan Shiyu's arms.

It was already 3 a.m. when I got back to Guiyu, but when I opened the door, Ji Yan was still awake and was sitting on the sofa in the living room with Lu Xingyan... playing Ludo.

"You're back?" Ji Yan immediately stood up and went to greet her.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?" Tang Xu, who had been listless, suddenly became wide awake. She first grabbed Ji Yan's hand to check on her recovery, and then continued, "What time is it? How can your injury heal quickly if you don't sleep properly?"

After saying that, she turned her head to look at Lu Xingyan behind her and asked, "Lu Xingyan, is this how you take care of me?"

“It was me who was waiting for you,” Ji Yan said. “We agreed to come back today, and I couldn’t sleep until you were home. He was just keeping me company while I waited for you.”

Lu Xingyan secretly glared at Tang Xu from behind before stepping forward and asking, "So, is everything resolved?"

"Anyway, it's not our business. Whether it's resolved or not, it's none of our concern from now on." Tang Xu said, glancing back at Yan Shiyu.

Yan Shiyu met her gaze with a slight smile before turning to Ji Yan, "Why aren't you asleep at this hour? What time do you plan to wake up tomorrow?"

"Since I have nothing to do anyway, I can sleep in as late as I want."

Yan Shiyu didn't say anything more, only saying, "Come here, let me take a look at your hands."

Ji Yan obediently followed him to where the medicine box was placed.

Tang Xu watched the two of them sitting there intently studying Ji Yan's injuries before turning to Lu Xingyan and lowering her voice, saying, "Are you kidding me? I've created such a great opportunity for you, letting you two be alone together for so many days, and at a time like this, you're actually playing Ludo with her?"

It would have been better if she hadn't said anything, because as soon as she did, Lu Xingyan's face fell.

"We've been walking for so many days, haven't you made any progress at all? Don't you know how to seize the opportunity to take a step forward?"

Lu Xingyan gritted her teeth slightly and said, "She has almost blocked all the paths. How do you expect me to take another step forward?"

"What do you mean?"

Lu Xingyan couldn't help but glance at where Yan Shiyu and Ji Yan were before speaking again, "I always feel... she's on guard against me."

"What are you trying to protect yourself from?"

"To prevent me from... getting closer to her."

"How could that be?" Tang Xu asked in surprise. "She even went to visit your house with you before, and took Kimi out to play with you, didn't she?"

“Yes, that’s how it is in front of you,” Lu Xingyan said. “But after you left… it’s a little different. It’s like there’s an invisible barrier around her. When you’re next to her, it seems like you’re very close, but you can’t actually get close. Do you know how much effort I had to put in to play Ludo with her tonight while waiting for you to come back?”

Tang Xu felt that he was being overly sensitive, so she said, "You love her so much that you are so critical of her, and you are always afraid that she will push you away, so you have this misconception, but it may not actually be like that."

Lu Xingyan still had a questioning look on her face and asked, "Really?"

"Luckily I'm back now, so I can keep an eye on things for you," Tang Xu said. "But let's make this clear first: if she really doesn't have those feelings for you, I won't force myself on her—"

Before she could finish speaking, Lu Xingyan became a little anxious, but Tang Xu ignored him and added, "Everything should be based on her wishes."

"When did we stop prioritizing her wishes?" After a while, Lu Xingyan muttered to herself, then looked at the two people who were still checking their wounds and said, "I'll go over first. You two should get some rest too."

"Mmm." Ji Yan looked up and responded, then smiled and said, "Thank you for keeping me company. Goodnight."

From a third-party perspective, Tang Xu really couldn't see any ambiguity or tenderness in her smile and words.

It seemed to confirm what Lu Xingyan had said.

Tang Xu quickly exchanged a glance with Lu Xingyan, and suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for him.

Lu Xingyan lowered her eyes slightly, her eyes filled with dejection and resentment.

Tang Xu gently patted his back and saw him out the door.

……

The next day, Yan Shiyu, who had been away from Huai City for several days, was inevitably busy. Tang Xu was supposed to go back to the company to visit, but since Yan Shiyu was absent and her business was not very important, she simply stayed to accompany Ji Yan.

The two were getting ready to go out for dinner and a movie. Tang Xu originally planned to drive herself, but after having the car keys in her hand, she suddenly remembered something, turned to Ji Yan, and said, "My sleep schedule has been all messed up lately, and I'm afraid I won't be able to drive safely if I'm not in good spirits... How about we have Lu Xingyan drive us?"

"No!" Ji Yan stopped her immediately, then said, "We can just take a taxi. There's no need to bother others with such a small matter."

"More trouble is already too much, why be afraid of this? Anyway, he's just staying home with nothing to do, so we can just take him out to eat and watch a movie!" Tang Xu said.

Ji Yan barely considered it, saying, "Let's just forget it. We've already troubled others a lot, so let's try to trouble them less in the future."

Since she had already spoken twice, Tang Xu didn't know what else to say. While hailing a taxi on his phone, he asked her, "What's wrong? Did you feel uncomfortable with him while we were away?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Yan gave a slightly embarrassed smile and said, "No, not really. I initially thought he had some kind of relationship with my brother, but it seems like he doesn't. We're not related, so even if he's very kind, it wouldn't be right for him to keep bothering others like this, would it?"

Upon hearing the words "not related by blood or marriage," Tang Xu felt a thousand sighs in her heart. The words she wanted to say were on the tip of her tongue, but she swallowed them back down.

Lu Xingyan didn't want to put pressure on her, and neither did she.

If she really resists like that, then there's nothing that can be done.

The two of them spent most of the day together.

Tang Xu used to dislike shopping, always finding it boring and a waste of time. But now that she's with Ji Yan and can help her rediscover the world, she's full of enthusiasm wherever she goes, often even more curious and excited than Ji Yan.

Ji Yan mostly seemed to be quietly accompanying her, which made it feel like they had returned to their teenage years together.

At that time, however, both of them were preoccupied with their own worries and troubles.

Now, everything around them is slowly getting better, and they can go back to how things were before.

There couldn't be a better thing.

On this day, Lu Xingyan was unable to see Ji Yan.

When Tang Xu and Ji Yan arrived home that evening, he did bring them two bowls of sweet soup. Unfortunately, Ji Yan was in the bathroom when he arrived and didn't come out until he left.

The next day, Lu Xingyan still couldn't see Ji Yan.

On the morning of the third day, Lu Xingyan waited in the hallway with Kimi in his hand. He didn't come over until Tang Xu's door opened, and looked at the two people who were also about to leave as if it were a chance encounter: "Going out shopping again?"

"Yes, you took Kimi out for a walk?" Upon seeing him, Ji Yan smiled calmly, then squatted down to play with Kimi.

Lu Xingyan looked up and met Tang Xu's gaze. Just as she was about to say something, Ji Yan suddenly seemed to remember something, stood up and said to Tang Xu, "Oh dear, I forgot something. Wait for me."

After saying that, she turned and went into the house.

Lu Xingyan stared blankly at her back for a moment, then looked at Tang Xu and asked, "What does this mean? Do you not want to come downstairs with me? Are you going to make excuses to avoid me even if we happen to run into each other?"

"How could that be?" Tang Xu replied somewhat guiltily, "She must have really forgotten something."

Lu Xingyan's face was very pale.

Before Tang Xu and the others came back, although she and he were already in a polite but distant relationship, they still had the opportunity to see each other every day.

But now that Tang Xu is back, he should at least have someone to help him, so why does it seem like he's getting further and further away from her?

Lu Xingyan couldn't understand it.

He looked at Tang Xu and asked, "Have you talked about anything? Tell me the truth."

Tang Xu paused, sighed softly, and said helplessly, "To be honest, she doesn't want to trouble you too much."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xingyan's eyes instantly dimmed. "Anything else?"

"What else?" Tang Xu couldn't bear to tell him the words "not related by blood," so she simply said, "She's still in the process of getting to know the world again. There are so many new things for her to absorb every day, so it's only natural that she doesn't have much energy to focus on you... Let nature take its course, okay? Isn't it because you don't want to put pressure on her that you haven't told her about the past?"

Lu Xingyan remained silent for a long time, and seeing that Ji Yan showed no sign of coming out, she finally turned and left with Kimi.

Tang Xu watched his retreating figure, wanting to say something, but then felt that saying anything more would be useless, so she could only sigh.

Not long after he left, Ji Yan came out of the house. Seeing that Lu Xingyan had already left, she didn't ask any questions, but just smiled and said to Tang Xu, "Let's go."

Tang Xu almost began to suspect that she was deliberately avoiding Lu Xingyan.

However, Tang Xu couldn't figure out why she did this.

To her, Lu Xingyan is now just an ordinary friend, so ordinary that she doesn't want to bother him too much, and Lu Xingyan doesn't dare to show too much affection in front of her—why would such an ordinary person deliberately hide from her?

Tang Xu wanted to ask some questions, but couldn't find a reason to do so, so she had to put them aside for the time being.

The two of them spent most of the day outside. Since Yan Shiyu had to work overtime that evening, they decided to have dinner out.

Tang Xu originally wanted to take Ji Yan to try some local specialties, but considering that her injury required her to avoid certain foods, she ultimately chose the most common cuisine.

I never expected that this dinner for two would turn into a gathering of acquaintances.

She first ran into a group of acquaintances from the logistics association when she arrived, and then halfway through the meal, Lu Xingyan knocked on the door of their private room, "What a coincidence, you're eating here too? I'm alone, can I share a table with you?"

Tang Xu was speechless at such a "coincidence"—clearly, Lu Xingyan had already given up and was in a state of complete despair.

Before she could answer, Ji Yan smiled and said, "Of course. Anyway, there are only two of us."

Lu Xingyan calmly entered and sat down, ordered two more dishes, and didn't make a point of talking, as if he was simply there to have a meal.

Seeing his lack of enthusiasm, Tang Xu knew that he was really disheartened, but he couldn't resist coming over to see her. Just as she was about to start a conversation between the two of them, the door to the private room was suddenly knocked on again.

They were acquaintances from the logistics association.

Under these circumstances, it should have been Tang Xu who went over to offer a toast, but instead, they took the initiative to come over first.

Tang Xu knew, of course, that this wasn't entirely because of him.

After her relationship with Yan Shiyu was exposed, the rumors and speculations were certainly one reason, but another reason might be because of Ji Yan.

After all, her identity caused such a sensation when it was revealed; they must have recognized her just now.

A former daughter-in-law of the Jiang family, Yan Shiyu's current girlfriend, and a Jiang family illegitimate daughter whose identity has just been made public—whether it's to build relationships or for gossip, this toast is definitely worth coming over to offer.

Most of the people in the logistics association are old-fashioned and drink baijiu (Chinese liquor). Tang Xu couldn't handle it and was about to decline when Lu Xingyan took over.

"Miss Tang is not in a good position to drink, so let me drink it for her."

Seeing that someone was helping them drink, the crowd became even more excited and shouted that if someone helped them drink, they would have to drink double.

Lu Xingyan accepts all comers.

He wasn't originally a drinker of baijiu, but seeing him chugging it down glass after glass was truly terrifying for Tang Xu. Even Ji Yan couldn't help but look worried and gently tugged at Tang Xu's clothes to signal her.

Seeing that Lu Xingyan really couldn't drink anymore, Tang Xu quickly did her best to get rid of the group of people.

When they returned to the private room, Lu Xingyan was indeed passed out drunk.

Ji Yan sat down beside him, looking at Lu Xingyan who was lying there, then at Tang Xu, and asked, "What should we do?"

Tang Xu sighed and said, "Let's ask the waiter to help him get into the car and take him home."

After finally getting Lu Xingyan into the back seat of the car with the help of a waiter, Tang Xu kept glancing at Lu Xingyan's condition in the rearview mirror while driving, muttering, "God help me, if you're going to throw up, go home and throw up, don't throw up in my car." Ji Yan, sitting in the passenger seat, couldn't help but look back frequently, probably because of Tang Xu's words.

Halfway through the journey, Ji Yan suddenly leaned back slightly and said to Tang Xu, "He seems to want to vomit, let's pull over."

Upon hearing this, Tang Xu immediately pulled the car to the side, went around to the back, opened the car door, and used all her strength to pull Lu Xingyan's head out of the car.

Lu Xingyan did look like she wanted to vomit, but it didn't seem like she could vomit right away; she looked extremely uncomfortable.

Seeing this, Tang Xu looked around the road and then said to Ji Yan, "There seems to be a pharmacy and a convenience store around that corner. I'll go buy some water and hangover medicine. You keep an eye on him for now."

Ji Yan nodded. "Okay."

Tang Xu, holding her phone, hurried towards the pharmacy.

Ji Yan stood there, seeing Lu Xingyan's discomfort, and wanted to help him up, but she couldn't touch anything heavy with her hands. After hesitating for a moment, Ji Yan finally stepped forward and tried to help Lu Xingyan sit up with her arm. Then she took out a wet wipe from her bag and gently wiped his face.

The slightly cool tissue must have stimulated Lu Xingyan, because he suddenly opened his eyes. His somewhat blurry vision struggled to focus for a long time before he finally saw the person in front of him clearly and found a point of reference.

The moment he saw her clearly, he suddenly laughed.

Ji Yan suddenly stopped, and for a moment forgot to withdraw her hand from his face.

But the smile vanished in an instant, quickly turning into confusion, helplessness, and sorrow in his eyes.

He looked at her and suddenly couldn't help but reach out, wanting to hold the hand that was still resting on his face.

But as soon as his hand reached out to the back of her hand, he seemed to suddenly remember that she had an injury on her hand, so he subconsciously changed his actions and only gently covered the back of her hand, not daring to touch her fingers even a little bit more.

Ji Yan seemed to freeze, and didn't pull her hand away.

So Lu Xingyan stared at her blankly for a long time, as if he had received some long-awaited treasure, and then suddenly laughed again.

His smile seemed to startle Ji Yan, and she suddenly came to her senses, immediately wanting to pull her hand back.

Lu Xingyan's smile vanished instantly. He frowned anxiously, holding her hand tightly as if he desperately wanted to say something, but because he was drunk, he couldn't utter a single word. So he could only look at her with a look of grievance.

Ji Yan finally realized that he was still drunk.

After a moment of silence, she finally gave up trying to forcefully pull her hand away and continued to gently wipe his face with the wet tissue in her hand.

This gesture seemed to soothe him, but he was still uneasy, as if afraid that she would leave again, and continued to gently hold her hand, unwilling to let go.

Ji Yan wiped his entire face in that state, then asked him in a low voice, "Are you feeling better? Do you still feel like throwing up?"

Lu Xingyan still didn't answer, but just looked at her with a dazed and infatuated gaze.

Ji Yan almost dared not look into those eyes, but in the end she took out a wet wipe and gently covered his eyes.

"Drinking is bad for your health, so please don't drink so much in the future."

Lu Xingyan seemed to hear her voice, even though he couldn't see anything in front of him. He still gently stroked her hand, could hear her voice, and could smell her scent...

enough.

That's enough.

……

Lu Xingyan finally woke up from his hangover the next day at noon.

When he woke up, he was lying on his big bed in his apartment. Kimi, who had missed his dog walk, was pawing at him and that's what woke him up.

Lu Xingyan felt a splitting headache and couldn't remember anything she had experienced. She struggled to her feet, staggered into the bathroom, and splashed cold water on her face before finally recalling some scenes from before she blacked out.

He went to find Tang Xu and her, and the three of them sat at the same table. However, she barely looked at her. When other people came to ask Tang Xu to drink, he directly helped Tang Xu avoid drinking...

What happened next?
Lu Xingyan couldn't remember anything at all.

He took off his clothes and stepped into the shower. The moment the cool water poured over his head, Ji Yan's face flashed through his mind—

But she looked different from how he remembered her looking at him every time.

In his mind, she gazed at him with concern, heartache, and guilt...

Lu Xingyan felt like she was going crazy and couldn't help but shake her head violently.

How could she possibly look at me like that?

He might never see her look at him like that again in his entire life...

Thinking this way, all that remained was a feeling of utter disheartening dissatisfaction and dejection.

However, when he finished showering and came to the living room, he saw a small pot of hangover soup on the dining table, and all his despondency and discouragement suddenly vanished. He then opened the door, went out, and rang the doorbell of the next room.

But no one responded, so no one must be home.

Lu Xingyan turned around and went home, then dialed Tang Xu's number.

The call connected quickly, and Tang Xu's voice came from the other end: "You're awake?"

Lu Xingyan immediately asked, "Who brought the hangover soup on the table?"

"It's me," Tang Xu said, "I made it for you myself because you helped me fend off the drinks yesterday."

Lu Xingyan instantly felt half disheartened again. "You made this? And you brought it over?"

"Otherwise what?" Tang Xu said, "Her hand is still injured, are you expecting her to bring it to you?"

Lu Xingyan paused for a moment before asking, "Did she... say anything?"

Tang Xu was silent for a moment before saying, "Of course she cares about you. We took you home together last night..."

During those two seconds of silence from Tang Xu, Lu Xingyan completely fell back into a state of despair.

Even such ordinary concern required Tang Xu to think before answering, which showed that it was just to put his mind at ease.

Perhaps in her eyes, he was just a crazy man who got drunk for no reason.

Thinking of this, Lu Xingyan lost all interest in listening to Tang Xu. After hanging up the phone, she collapsed onto the sofa, not wanting to move at all.

……

On the other end of the phone, Tang Xu, who was sitting on a sofa in the mall, was genuinely taken aback when the call was suddenly disconnected.

Lu Xingyan didn't even ask where they went before hanging up the phone?
Are you really that disheartened?

She was lost in thought when her phone suddenly rang again.

Tang Xu hesitated for a moment when she saw Jiang Beiheng's caller ID.

At the same time, Ji Yan, who had just gone to the restroom, was slowly walking towards her.

Tang Xu quickly came to his senses, gestured to her, and then got up and walked to the side to answer the phone.

On the other end of the phone, Jiang Beiheng's voice was as gentle and cheerful as ever, "Are you busy? Have you eaten yet?"

"No, I was just about to go eat," Tang Xu replied.

"That's perfect. I haven't eaten yet either. Would you like to have a meal with this old codger?"

Tang Xu was silent for a moment before saying, "You don't want to have dinner with me, so I can't answer you right now. Let me ask her for you and see what she says."

Jiang Beiheng was clearly pleased with the efficient communication. "Okay."

After hanging up the phone, Tang Xu turned around and walked back to where she had been sitting. Ji Yan asked her, "Have you made your choice? What are you going to eat later?"

Tang Xu paused for a moment before saying, "I have something to tell you, I hope it won't affect your appetite."

"How so?" Ji Yan asked.

Tang Xu truthfully replied, "The call just now was from Mr. Jiang. He wanted to invite us to have a meal together."

It seemed like it took Ji Yan a few seconds to realize who the Mr. Jiang she was talking about was, and she softly said "Oh".

“It’s okay if you don’t want to,” Tang Xu said. “If you don’t want to see him, we won’t. He’s a gentleman and won’t force you.”

Ji Yan suddenly smiled and then said, "Then let's meet."

Her frank attitude surprised Tang Xu for a moment. "Are you really willing to see him?"

“There’s nothing I can do even if I don’t want to. I can’t keep avoiding him, can I?” Ji Yan said. “It’s better to meet him than to have him call you every few days and bother you.”

Tang Xu had thought she had hidden it well. "You heard everything?"

"I've heard a thing or two," Ji Yan said, then laughed again. "So what are we having for lunch?"

Tang Xu quickly called Jiang Beiheng back and arranged to meet at a nearby restaurant.

They had thought it might take Jiang Beiheng some time to arrive, but before they could even sit down in the private room, Jiang Beiheng pushed the door open and entered, asking, "Am I late?"

Tang Xu was stunned for a moment before saying, "You're not just not late, you're incredibly fast."

She couldn't help but wonder where Jiang Beiheng had called her earlier. Maybe it was in that shopping mall, where he was sitting in some corner, watching them make the call.

Thinking of this, Tang Xu couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion. Then she turned to Ji Yan and said to her, "This is Mr. Jiang. You should have seen his photo before. This is the first time you've seen him in person, isn't it?"

Ji Yan nodded slightly, then looked at Jiang Beiheng and politely addressed him as "Mr. Jiang".

Although it was such an extremely distant form of address, for Jiang Beiheng, it was a completely different experience from before.

Even though they had lived under the same roof for so long, she had never called him by his name directly, let alone gazed at him with such gentle and calm eyes as she did now.

Jiang Beiheng smiled, his gaze falling on her hand. He quickly asked, "How's your hand? Is it recovering well? What did the doctor say? Will it leave any lasting effects?"

"It's good," Ji Yan said. "I'll be able to remove the bandages and live a normal life soon."

"Will it leave a scar?" Jiang Beiheng asked again. "I know a reputable dermatologist. If needed, I can accompany you to see him."

"No need," Ji Yan said. "My brother arranged a very good doctor for me. The doctor said the recovery is going very well and there won't be any scars."

Jiang Beiheng's gaze paused slightly before he nodded and said, "Okay, that's good..."

After saying that, he seemed to remember something and said, "Have you ordered yet? Order whatever you want. You used to like rose soy sauce chicken, I saw they have it too, want to try it and see how it is?"

Upon hearing this, Ji Yan turned and exchanged a glance with Tang Xu before replying, "I like poached chicken. The restaurant I went to with my brother before made it very well."

Tang Xu smiled and said, "Yes, that white-cut chicken restaurant is very famous, but this one is also good, so I brought you here to try it."

Ji Yan turned her head and smiled at her.

She kept mentioning Yan Shiyu in every other sentence, and Jiang Beiheng could easily tell what she meant, but he still maintained his smile and replied, "Hmm, poached chicken is not bad either."

As the dishes were served one by one, Ji Yan focused on eating and rarely spoke again.

Jiang Beiheng patiently saved the most important topic for last—

“You’ve been discharged from the hospital for so long now, wouldn’t you like to come home with me? After all, you don’t just have one home now, the Jiang family is your home too.”

Ji Yan sat upright in the chair, calmly gazing at him. After a long silence, she spoke softly, "I'm sorry, Mr. Jiang, I know we have some kind of blood connection. But I still have to be honest and say that to me, you are a stranger."

"I know, of course I know." Jiang Beiheng was pleased to receive her positive response, and coaxed her gently, "Then don't you want to get to know me, this stranger? Aren't you curious? Don't you want to know more about me?"

Ji Yan gently shook her head.

“To me, my brother is my only family, and he is the most important person. I want to make up for the time I lost with my brother. As for other people and things, frankly, they are not that important for the time being.”

Jiang Beiheng paused for a moment before continuing, "I don't want you to accept it all at once. We can take it slowly, try to get to know each other gradually, right? Give me some time, and give yourself some time too—"

"Perhaps," Ji Yan said. "No one can predict the future. But for now, I just want to live with my brother." (End of Chapter)