Chapter 88: The Lessening Distance

Xinyi slightly stiffened at that thought. In the initial years, Xinyi and Zhiyuan slept separately on the bed and couch before she couldn't see him uneasily sleep on the couch and insisted on sharing the bed. 

But ever since Siying was born, he would always sleep between them on the bed but now…

On Zhiyuan's side, he realized the same thing too just when Xinyi did. He slightly widened his eyes. He sneakily peeked at her.

Wait, will Xinyi be uncomfortable?

"Um…"

"Um…"

Xinyi and Zhiyuan spoke at the same time.

Zhiyuan seemed as if he wanted to say something but he couldn't.

Why am I feeling so nervous? It's just that Siying is not there tonight, Zhiyuan pondered.

To save further awkwardness, Zhiyuan quickly said, "I will go take a shower."

Xinyi also hurriedly nodded in response. Her chest was thudding the whole time, thinking of tonight. 

As Zhiyuan stood under the shower with the warm water glistening down his perfectly sculpted body, he still couldn't deal with the nervousness inside him. In fact, he felt that it was building more and more with each passing second.

Suddenly, the memories of cruises flashed past his mind.

The moment she fell in his embrace…

He dazedly raised his arm and lowered his head.

She felt really soft…

He stared at his arm as if there was still a lingering sensation of her warmth and presence. He felt as if he even remembered her smell that strangely put him at ease.

The image of her beautiful, long eyelashes was still imprinted in his mind that slightly trembled and fluttered as she had lowered them. He took a sharp breath as he leaned his hands on the wall.

"Zhiyuan?"

In his stupor, he didn't realize that Xinyi was calling out to him.

Outside, Xinyi waited for a moment. When she couldn't hear any response, she knocked again.

"Zhiyuan?"

This time, her voice reached his ears and he jolted from his daze. 

"Are you okay? You have been inside for a long time now…" she worriedly asked.

Zhiyuan widened his eyes.

Ah?

He shut his eyes, feeling stupid. 

What was I doing? I came here to calm down, but now I feel more anxious than ever.

"I am coming!"

He quickly dried himself up, wrapped the towel, and hastily opened the door only to surprise Xinyi by suddenly bumping into her.

"I-I am sorry!" He quickly held her face and checked on her.

For a moment, Xinyi felt disoriented and even more when Zhiyuan held her cheeks and leaned in. Her heart skipped a beat as he inched closer and closer.

"Are you alright? I-"

"I-I-" 

Both were stuttering and stammering as their hearts beat loudly in their chest. Zhiyuan froze on realizing that he leaned in too close than needed. At that small distance, he clearly heard her short breaths, saw her lips trembling, her irises glancing left and right and her cheeks slightly flushed in pink.

There was silence for a few beats. 

In a daze, as he was lost in her features, he slowly wrapped his arm around her waist, wanting to feel her presence again as if he wanted to rejuvenate her warmth.

Ah...she is indeed so soft. 

His penetrating gaze at her made Xinyi more nervous and panicked. Suddenly, the atmosphere between them felt different than before.

His right palm slowly inched backward towards her hair, wanting to firmly grasp her head, and he traced his thumb along her pink cheeks. Xinyi's eyelashes trembled the same way they did on cruise, making him slightly tilt his head in a trance. She raised her head and trembled to see his gaze strongly focused on her.

Their gazes met and he felt unable to tear it apart from her. Both felt their breaths stop as the invisible tension between them arose notch by notch.

Zhiyuan's gaze traveled from her eyes to her nose that settled on her lips. As if some force attracted him, he felt himself getting pulled towards her. The distance between them was lessening until his lips were hardly a few centimeters apart.

Xinyi felt her mind go blank. She felt as if her brainpower dangerously plummeted to a lower and lower value. 

W-what is happening? Is he going to...k-k-kiss…

Just as Zhiyuan could bridge the last gap, somebody started loudly knocking on their room's door.

"Xinyi! I want my tea!"

Han Huizhong was loudly banging as if he would break the door the next moment.

Zhiyuan and Xinyi suddenly froze. The trance and atmosphere shattered with his commanding voice. He rapidly blinked his eyes and realized what was just going to happen.

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"Xinyi!!!"

His thundering voice jolted them apart. They stood frozen for a moment and didn't know how to face each other, especially Zhiyuan since he initiated that moment.

He felt his voice choke, failing all the words. "I-I…"

The realization made him dumbstruck and shocked at himself.

What was I going to do?

Xinyi hid her face and rushed towards the door to open it. Han Huizhong's towering figure loomed upon her.

"How long does it take to open a damn door, granddaughter-in-law," he sneered.

"N-No...no...I-I was coming- I mean-"

"Why are you stuttering like a broken record?" As he said that, his gaze traveled across the room and squinted.

"Where is your lovely son?"

"He is sleeping with Zizi tonight…"

Han Huizhong slowly raised his brow as if thinking something hard. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

Xinyi nervously smiled. "I don't know. Maybe he felt like it…"

Han Huizhong glanced at Zhiyuan and narrowed his eyes. He seemed in a nervous daze. He looked back at Xinyi and noticed the same flustered expression on her face.

Han Huizhong seemed to realize something though he found that possibility too low and that made him go cold in fury.

"My tea! Get me my tea right now!"

Xinyi was taken aback. "At this time?"

"Can I not have tea whenever I wish?"

"That is not what I mean…"

"Then get going!"

Though he could have easily told a maid to bring his tea, he specifically asked for Xinyi as he heard noises coming from Zizi's room of her playing with Siying.

Xinyi quickly rushed away.

Han Huizhong stepped into the room and stood in front of Zhiyuan. Zhiyuan didn't know what to say. 

"Grandpa-"

"You don't dare try anything funny with her, got it?" He cut him off.

Zhiyuan widened his eyes. "What?"

"Don't take me as a fool! I understand what was going on! Han Zhiyuan. Don't think that you got the license to touch her just because you are her husband!"

Zhiyuan turned equally cold at his harsh words. "What do you mean? Do you think I will do something so disrespectful to her whenever I feel like it?"

"I don't care about your fucking principles!" He leaned his face and glowered at him threateningly. "Don't ever think of laying your hands on her or I will personally cut them off!"

---

Outside the Zhu villa.

Chyou sadly trotted with Xiaosi, holding his hand. She raised her head and pursed her lips in disappointment. "Dada...Why am I not going back to Aunty Xinyi?"

Chyou had been asking this same question during their whole ride back home, but Xiaosi didn't answer her. He was strangely silent the whole way.

She tugged him again. "Dada…"

Xiaosi still didn't respond. 

She lowered her head and kept walking. As they stepped inside the villa, he suddenly said, "Go to sleep Chyou."

Her eyes teared up. She really wanted to spend time with Xinyi but he suddenly took her away from the Han villa. And now he was refusing to say anything.

She sniffled and rubbed her eyes. "D-Dada is mean…I want to be with Aunty Xinyi...Take me back, no?"

Xiaosi pressed the space between his brows and shut his eyes. "Chyou, get back to your room. We will talk about this later."

"Dada…"

"Chyou please!"

He was rubbing his forehead in pain as he rapidly blinked his eyes.

Chyou jolted. She was taken aback by her father's outburst which never happened before. He had never once raised his voice against her. The warmth and gentleness in his voice, tonight, was replaced with coldness and harshness.

She burst into tears and ran away in her room. "I will not talk to Dada anymore…"

But the one who was even more shocked than Chyou was none other than Caihong, who heard their conversation. After the incident at the hospital, An Guoting naturally wanted her to keep staying at the An residence.

But Xiaosi already gave an ultimatum that Caihong would return with him and this time, she didn't object or argue. After all that happened with Siying, she wasn't in the mood to stay there anymore.

Caihong looked at him with an incredulous expression. She thought for a moment and walked up to him. She observed him but noticed that he didn't seem as if realized her presence.

"This is the first time I saw you yell at her. What changed this?"

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