Chapter 46: The Husband’s Charm (Part 2)

Xia Yanxi landed on the leather sofa. She took out her phone to call the hired nurse taking care of her Mumu.

Tired and mildly exhausted, Xia Yanxi leaned back against the cold of the leather sofa, allowing herself to take a breather. And then, it came. The events, especially the ones that involved Bai Wenxan, surfaced in her mind.

Ever since that day, the man whom she had truly loved, truly trusted had hurt and humiliated her. He was officially together with Huo Shiyu, why would he come after her? Was being happy not enough for him? Must he sh*t all over her despair?

Never could she understand how she had fallen in love with such a man. She could not just forget about all the memories they had together, the feelings that had been developed and nurtured over the years. However, as of now, she would never forgive the man. No matter what he did, she would never be with him ever again.

With the thought of Bai Wenxuan, her mind then slowly drifted to the three Huo family members squandering in the house she grew up in. That, and her own brother’s hospital bills. She wanted to remain calm but her consciousness conflicted with her mind, making her all the more stressful.

There were bottles of red wine resting unclaimed on a stand in front of the sofa. Seeing as she really needed a way to momentarily forget about her problems, she helped herself to them.

She poured a glass, and then another, and after the third one, a familiar pair of hands came swooping in like an eagle. His hands, like claws, seized her wrist, stopping her from reaching for another bottle of wine.

Drowsily, she gazed at the man whose presence was only felt when his hands came in to stop her. A hazy smile formed on her reddish face as she drunkenly said, “Yanli, could you please let me drink a little more. Just for tonight…”

“No,” the man replied with a voice so clear and crisp. He swooped in and lifted her up. His movement was fast and smooth, so much so that before she could react, he was already back to his seat at one of the four sides of the Mahjong table. She was then placed on one of his rigid, firm, and muscular thighs.

His left arm wrapped around her waist and his lips pressed to the side of her ears.

“I’m a little tired. Do me a favor and take over my game,” he whispered.

Xia Yanxi wanted to slide her hands in between them, to pry herself away. However, before she could, the man came in again, as if he knew what she was going to do and had prepared a speech for it.

“You can do whatever you want at home. But please give me some face when we’re outside.”

Men… always wanting to save face when they’re outside…

That being said, Xia Yanxi understood that aspect of a man. Be that as it may, going as far as to have her sit on his lap, playing Mahjong in the middle of a borderline-illicit establishment, in front of three other men and their women, was going too far.

Chu Muzhi and the others witnessed what Qiao Yanli did, how he had his wife sit on his lap and had even gone as far as to breathe beside her ear! That was considered a move that was very intimate, a move that went against everything they knew about their very own second brother. The same man that had never, under any circumstances, touched or be touched by a woman, was playing lovey-dovey in public! It was so surreal!

“Don’t trip. Play the game for me. Your husband has just lost several hundreds of thousands. Do your best and win my money back.”

Xia Yanxi, upon hearing his losses, was taken aback.

They had only been playing for a while and Qiao Yanli had already lost several hundreds of thousands? How was it possible? Unless they were placing large bets to begin with…

“Yanli, this is a large bet… I–”

Before she could finish her sentence, the man leaned back on his chair, saying, “Do not worry about it. I’ll cover the losses. You can keep the winnings.”

Still stunned, Chu Muzhi and Qiu Shaoze chimed in.

“Play as if nothing has been put on the line. The man is already used to this. He had lost more than a million to us before!”

Xia Yanxi remained speechless. She “knew” the infamous Prince Qiao was an assistant CEO. How could they bully him that way, and with him allowing them to continue doing so!

She steeled her heart, even though it was hard as she was shrouded by the scent and aura of her husband. She was going to help her husband to win, to stop this group of brothers from bullying him!

That face she was wearing then, a face of determination, to protect the man she had married, made the man smile. His face that was so used to being still, never smiling, never frowning, moved an obvious muscle around his jaw, making him form a smile he himself was unaware of.