“It’s nothing.” After a significant pause, she mimicked his tone, retorting with cool indifference. She was lying, and he knew it.
Just as he was about to call out her deception, the door was abruptly pushed open by an uninvited guest.
“Taking so long to change? Did you two do something that’s not suitable for kids in there?” A raspy, roguish male voice shattered the thick tension between Yan Jun and Xia Jinqi.
Instinctively, Xia Jinqi turned her head, her eyes landing on Yan Jun’s close friend, Fang Shaoan. Clad in a brightly colored pink shirt and white shorts, he sauntered over with ease and plopped down onto the central sofa. Trailing behind him was a stylist, attempting futilely to dissuade him. “Mr. Fang, please, you can’t enter this area…” With a hurried bow to both Xia Jinqi and Yan Jun, the stylist apologized profusely, “My deepest apologies, Mr. and Mrs. Yan. I couldn’t prevent him…”
Yan Jun merely uttered a dismissive, “It’s fine. Help her with her makeup.” The pronoun ‘her’ clearly referred to Xia Jinqi, yet he didn’t even spare her a glance. He walked directly to the mirror, meticulously smoothing his slightly disheveled suit.
Xia Jinqi, still reeling from the unfamiliar address of ‘Mrs. Yan’ moments before, was suddenly summoned by Yan Jun. The stylist was already before her, guiding her to stand in front of the large vanity mirror. This was the VIP changing room, and the mirror was a substantial one, capable of reflecting two people side-by-side. As she stood next to Yan Jun, Xia Jinqi couldn’t help but look at him. A fleeting thought crossed her mind: if they were truly married, she would be Mrs. Yan for the rest of her life…
Just as the stylist produced a powder puff, a noticeable red mark was spotted on Xia Jinqi’s neck. The stylist paused, startled. “This…”
Xia Jinqi, glancing at herself in the mirror, also saw the distinct mark. As the makeup artist’s gaze grew increasingly suggestive, Xia Jinqi felt compelled to deny it reflexively. “No, it’s not what you’re thinking!” Perhaps Yan Jun had requested the makeup artist to touch up her makeup because of this… The unfortunate explanation, however, only seemed to deepen the makeup artist’s misunderstanding, like trying to hide something that was already obvious.
The makeup artist proceeded to cover the red mark with concealer, remarking with evident envy, “Mr. Yan, your relationship with Mrs. Yan truly is quite intimate!”
Xia Jinqi was speechless, feeling as though she had tripped over her own feet. Yan Jun offered no denial. He used the moment Xia Jinqi was covering her flushed face with her hand to steal a silent glance at her. Beside them, Fang Shaoan, never one to be quiet, seized upon the situation. He stood up from the sofa, his eyes flicking towards Xia Jinqi as he commented in a voice even more suggestive than the makeup artist’s, “Tsk tsk, even our cold-blooded King of Hell has succumbed to sister-in-law’s captivating charm…”
Yan Jun shot a disdainful look at the ostentatiously dressed Fang Shaoan. “What business do you have here?”
“Naturally, I’m here to see my future sister-in-law!” Fang Shaoan completely ignored Yan Jun’s cool demeanor and turned his attention to Xia Jinqi, who was still near the balcony. “Hello, sister-in-law. We’ve met before, do you recall me?”
“Hello,” Xia Jinqi replied, nodding. She certainly remembered Fang Shaoan. She recalled meeting him the first time Yan Jun was drunk at a bar with this known playboy. Back then, Fang Shaoan had even embellished his hair with a beautiful rose in a bid to win the admiration of a lady. Although she had initially intended to let the matter pass, given Fang Shaoan’s remark just now, she politely responded, “I certainly won’t forget Mr. Fang’s rather flamboyant appearance at the bar that night.”
Fang Shaoan was momentarily dumbfounded. Being described as ‘flamboyant’ by a man like him felt… unusual.