The Overnight Chosen Wife: darling, kiss me deeper

When Lanni got home, it was just as expected. Li Yuming was upset or worried. Whatever it was, she was not happy. She paced the living room in distress, looking like she would detonate at the slightest provocation. Lanni proceeded with caution. "Good morning mom."

"What’s so good about Xiehan being all over the news over a scandal with another woman? If that is happy news, then this morning is very good."

Lanni let out a small sigh and pulled her mother to sit on the couch, sitting beside her. "Mom, you know Xiehan better than anyone. He would never betray me."

Li Yuming took a deep breath so she wouldn’t scare her daughter. "I know, Lanni. I know him both from his childhood and in his adulthood. Xiehan has never been one to play around with women. He would never do anything to hurt you." She paused, knowing that what she was saying might not make sense. "Even if... even if there are photos of him with another woman, I still want to believe that there is more to it."

Lanni held her mother’s hand. "You know, one thing I like about our relationship is that you like and trust Xiehan so much. It’s not easy for a misunderstanding to creep in between our two families."

After saying this, she went ahead to explain what had happened in Berlin.

"I knew Xiehan wouldn’t do anything to betray your relationship. Just as I expected, that girl was the one playing tricks." Li Yuming rubbed Lanni’s hand. "But that is just as bad. Does it always have to end like this?"

’End like how?’ Lanni thought but swallowed the question before she asked it because Li Yuming continued with a tone filled with pain. "What I’m worried about is not Xiehan betraying you. That would never happen. I’m just worried that your relationship will be destroyed by a third party just like..."

"Just like what?" Lanni probed when Li Yuming didn’t say anything.

As a response, Li Yuming stood up, mumbled something about not meaning to have spoken too much, and left for her room. Lanni watched her leave with confusion written all over her face. Why did it feel like, in the last statement, Li Yuming was no longer talking about her relationship with Ji Xiehan but about something else instead?

She checked the gossip news once again. As expected, the news was exploding. There were even more versions erupting. There was even one that claimed that Feng Ci was Ji Xiehan’s true love and that they had been separated by Lanni who seduced Ji Xiehan and sowed discord between him and his true love.

Lanni merely rolled her eyes to it and went on with her life. When she was swarmed by gossip-seekers on social media and confronted about it, she ignored all the questions. Most of them were Feng Ci’s shills and would only find loopholes in her answers and use them against her and Ji Xiehan anyway.

Days passed. The following week, Lanni went to Star Art International.

As expected, she was the topic of gossip once again. She cared about none of it, so she simply brushed it off when a few of the other students would gather and speak while looking in her direction then look away as soon as she looked at them.

Unlike the others who kept blaming her for seducing another woman’s boyfriend, Cheng Yu approached her with a disgusted face. "I knew that bastard was up to no good. How dare he go after you when he knows that he is still involved with another woman? How dare he mess around with her right under your nose? Urgh... I’m so angry. Someone kill him already."

Lanni smiled even though her boyfriend was being scolded. That was because she knew that Cheng Yu meant no harm. She held the latter’s hand with a small smile. "Xiao Yu, I’m so glad you care about me, but I trust Xiehan."

To that, Cheng Yu shoved her painting tools aside and stuck out a hand to touch Lanni’s forehead. "Are you okay? Did you hit your head against the door or something?"

Lanni laughed at her antics. "I’m perfectly fine. Why wouldn’t I be?"

"Then why do you explain the fact that you are defending a man who cheated on you? There is evidence right before you, Lanni. Look at that picture, did you? You don’t know how angry I am. I want to pull his hair off right now."

Lanni chuckled lightly. Having such a friend, Ji Xiehan would never bully her, not that she thought he could.

After explaining to Cheng Yu what had happened in Berlin, the latter no longer had doubts although it sounded far-fetched. "Fine, I will only believe this because I trust you. Even so, I can’t say the same about Luna. She has been so angry these few days that I would have sworn she went to cause trouble in Feng Ji International."

"She didn’t really, right?" Lanni was dazed. "How is she anyway?"

___ 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

At the same time.

Xia Luna glared at Jiang Xingyu. "Let me go!"

"No can do, Luna. Xiehan needs to concentrate on his work right now and you going to the company will only distract him." Jiang Xingyu had pulled her away from Feng Ji International building and dragged her all the way to his home. Xia Luna may be strong, but she definitely couldn’t beat a man who had trained all his life. They had been tangled in what almost looked like a fight until he cuffed her down to a chair.

"You have no idea what you’re doing." Xia Luna hissed. "I need to go to Feng Ji International right this instant."

"I just said no can do. Deal with it."

Xia Luna took deep breaths to prevent herself from exploding. Jiang Xingyu was driving her to the limit of insanity. "And I said it for the last seven hundred and thirty times that I am not going to cause any trouble. Do I look like a troublemaker to you?"

"You haven’t spoken that many times and yes, you look like a troublemaker." Jiang Xingyu shrugged.

"Xia Luna tried to find something to pick the handcuffs but found none. If only she wore pins in her hair... "Why do you walk around with such stuff anyway? Were you on your way to get a girl and play bondage with her?"

"What nonsense are you saying?" Jiang Xingyu frowned at her. "I knew that you would try to go to Feng Ji International. I was waiting for you to show up so I could stop you."

"You’re crazy." Xia Luna huffed and remained silent. Talking with this idiot would only exhaust her strength.

Jiang Xingyu circled her and stopped behind her, leaning over to cover the height difference that was a result of her sitting. "Listen, why don’t I take the day off work and spend time with you? It will keep you busy at the same time."

Xia Luna tilted her head to meet his gaze. Surprisingly, she said, "Sure."

Jiang Xingyu was taken aback and stopped to stare at her. He even circled her so he was facing her and looking at her lips clearly. "It’s alright?"

"It’s not? But you asked..."

"Yes, yes it is. Of course, it’s alright. It’s just that I was surprised. You have always found excuses to stay away from me. It’s surprising that you would agree for me to take the day off and spend it with you.." He realized he was not making any sense and her smile seemed to be mocking him so he shut up.

"Right, right. I should have done so already. Hold on, I’ll just give my secretary a call." Which he did right away, and let his secretary handle most of the matters and only call him if there was anything that specifically needed his attention. When he was done, he sent Ji Xiehan a message to inform him that he had taken care of Xia Luna. He was just about to call Lin Jian when he felt a tug on the sleeve of his shirt.

He looked down at her, slid his phone into his pocket, and went to sit next to her. "What happened?"

Xia Luna pulled the collar of his shirt and flirtatiously looked into his eyes. Her gaze sent him into confusion and her words were just enough to make him believe he was dreaming. "You are such a handsome man, Xingyu. Why wouldn’t I want to spend time with you?"

He gulped and stuck out a hand to feel her forehead. She didn’t react to it and he felt it again, then again. The fifth time he did the same thing, she held his hand with a hearty laugh. "I don���t have a fever, Xingyu. I’m not crazy either. I...Well, I was crazy before. I mean, how can any sane person reject a man like you?"

Jiang Xingyu paled in surprise. He had always wanted to hear even one of such words from his Xia. But why was it so spooky now that she was saying them?

"Xingyu..." Her voice brought him back to the real world, but she suddenly pressed her lips on his.