As Xiao Man had anticipated, Xu Yan didn’t mention his fear of dogs at all, pretending to be natural as he said, “Let’s eat first, it won’t taste good if it gets cold.”
Xiao Man watched Xu Yan’s composed back.
If she hadn’t personally teased him in the form of a dog, she might have been fooled by his act.
She wouldn’t expose him, though.
His dignity still needed to be preserved.
The two had dinner together, during which Xiao Man sincerely expressed her love for the food and heartfelt praise for the chef.
Xu Yan didn’t hold back, curling his lips and telling her to eat more if she liked it.
For the next period of time, Xu Yan would take Xiao Man to work every day and pick her up after work.
It didn’t take long for everyone at Shu Tu Media to know about it.
The timid ones discussed it privately, while the bold ones directly asked Xiao Man.
She didn’t hide it, saying that she and Xu Yan were dating.
With the parties involved admitting it, the gossip lovers naturally got even more excited.
However, there wasn’t much juicy news about the two, at most just marveling at how amazing Xiao Man was, managing to win the heart of a rich second-generation like Xu Yan even while in a vegetative state.
There was definitely something special about her.
Over time, everyone got used to it, and when they saw Xu Yan, they could even tease him with a line:
“Mr. Xu, here to pick up Sister Man again?”
Xu Yan usually just nodded in response.
In front of outsiders, he didn’t show much emotion.
Feng Qing didn’t come to the company often, and Xu Yan had recently turned down all of Feng Qing’s invitations to take care of Xiao Man.
He also didn’t like to talk about his own affairs with Feng Qing, so Feng Qing was the last to know that Xu Yan had a girlfriend.
Feng Qing didn’t dare to act shamelessly in front of Xiao Man, but when he pulled Xu Yan aside alone, he stared at Xu Yan with an indescribable look:
“Come clean, did you do something while she was unconscious and got caught?”
Otherwise, why hadn’t he seen him date for so many years, not even the beautiful girls from similar family backgrounds, but instead chose a complete outsider?
He then thought again: “I get it, this is a rich family power struggle! Your sister deliberately made you date a girl from an ordinary family so you’d lose the qualification to compete with her for the family fortune!”
Xu Yan:”….”
He slapped Feng Qing on the back of the head: “Would you dare say that in front of my sister?”
Feng Qing: “……………… Hahaha, don’t say such scary things!”
Xu Yan said: “You’d better change your capitalist ways. You and I are just ordinary people, it’s just that our families have some money. If you keep this up, someone might end up driving a car into you.”
Feng Qing immediately wilted.
He waved his hand: “Alright, alright, you’re right. When are you bringing your wife out for a meal?”
Xu Yan said: “No rush, when she’s better and willing to see you, then we’ll talk.”
Feng Qing chuckled: “You haven’t forgotten that I’m her boss, have you? If I call her, can she really refuse to see me?”
Xu Yan smiled: “You want to try?”
Feng Qing shivered: “No, no, why are you so protective already? It’s not like I’d do anything to her… Alright, alright, I won’t see her, is that okay?”
After Xiao Man’s health improved significantly, Xu Yan got busy with his own work and stopped taking her to and from work every day.
Xiao Man herself felt embarrassed to trouble him so much, even if he was her boyfriend.
She didn’t fully feel the reality of this change in status yet, just like when she first became a dog, she had to slowly learn how to be a dog.
Now…
She was also slowly figuring out how to be a good girlfriend.
They met about three or four times a week.
Fortunately, although they were busy with work on weekdays, they usually had time on weekends.
Sometimes they went out on dates, and other times they stayed home to watch movies.
Occasionally, they even worked overtime together.
After officially becoming a couple, Xiao Man realized that Xu Yan, who seemed difficult to get along with on the surface, wasn’t actually like that.
He wasn’t picky about food and didn’t have the typical “rich second-generation” flaws.
Although he privately complained to her about how stupid some people he encountered at work were, to the point where he felt like killing them, he still maintained proper courtesy when facing them directly.
One time, when they were at home, Xu Yan was peeling a pomegranate when his phone rang.
He asked Xiao Man to answer it on speakerphone.
What followed was a masterclass in saying the most mundane things with the fiercest expression.
The caller was a woman who was tearfully apologizing because a mistake she made was about to lose an important client.
Xiao Man watched as Xu Yan listened impatiently to the woman’s illogical and repetitive explanation.
He then asked her what the client’s current demands were.
The woman sobbed a few times, claiming she didn’t mean to mess up, and finally explained the situation.
Xu Yan suggested some measures and asked her to repeat them back.
She stumbled through the instructions.
Xu Yan didn’t push her further, sparing both of them the frustration.
He gave Xiao Man a look, signaling her to hang up.
As soon as the call ended, he rolled his eyes and said, “How can someone be so stupid? They can’t even handle such a small thing. And then she tries to act cute with me, like I’m some cliché domineering CEO from a cheesy novel. She even changed her voice, as if I don’t know how she normally talks!”
Xiao Man burst into laughter, leaning on Xu Yan’s shoulder.
She scooped a spoonful of the soft-seed pomegranate he had just peeled and fed it to him.
“Eat something sweet to calm down.”
She had no idea how hard she had been holding back her laughter earlier.
She thought that kind of tone and voice only existed in short videos!
She gently patted Xu Yan’s back to soothe him. “You’ve really had a tough time.”
Xu Yan, feeling better after his girlfriend’s sweet gesture, chewed the pomegranate seeds and spat out the pulp before saying, “I’m firing her tomorrow.”
Xiao Man knew Xu Yan’s way of doing things.
Whenever he took over a new company, he would first observe and gather enough information before starting to make cuts.
He could tolerate occasional laziness-he himself slacked off sometimes but he couldn’t stand incompetent fools who wasted his money!
Xiao Man lightly traced her fingers over Xu Yan’s chest and deliberately said in a coquettish tone, “CEO Xu is so domineering!”
Xu Yan’s expression twisted for a moment before he grabbed her fingers and smirked. “Do you like it?”
Xiao Man squealed, “Ew, your hands are so sticky! Don’t touch me!”
Xu Yan’s hands were still covered in red pomegranate juice from peeling, and he hadn’t washed them yet.
He smeared it all over the back of Xiao Man’s hand.
Xu Yan said, “Not only am I going to touch your hand, but I’m also going to touch your…”
Before he could finish, Xiao Man broke free from his grip and ran away.
The sticky, half-dry feeling was unbearable.
Xiao Man rushed to the kitchen to wash her hands.
Just as she turned on the faucet, Xu Yan wrapped his arms around her from behind and started washing her hands with her.
Under the running water, their hands intertwined, like animals instinctively clinging to each other.
After washing for who knows how long, Xiao Man suddenly said, “When I used to watch American TV shows, the thing that annoyed me the most was how people never turned off the faucet.”
Xu Yan reached over and turned off the faucet, casually flicking the water droplets from his hand.
He gently cupped Xiao Man’s cheek, turning her face slightly toward him, and lightly pressed his lips to hers, letting out a soft chuckle.
“Do you have some kind of allergy to romance or something?”
Xiao Man replied, “I was just about to mention that famous scene from Ghost.”
Xu Yan immediately kissed her again, not letting her finish.
Xiao Man turned around in his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck, responding to him with equal passion.
Xu Yan lifted her slightly, and she found herself sitting on the edge of the sink, making it easier for him to deepen the kiss.
When the kiss finally ended, Xiao Man was breathing lightly and said, “My dress is all wet!”
Xu Yan paused, his gaze darkening.
Xiao Man lightly slapped his arm and rolled her eyes.
“It’s just water splashed from washing my hands at the sink!”
Realizing he had misunderstood her words, Xu Yan wasn’t embarrassed at all.
He picked her up like a child and carried her out, saying casually, “Oh, your dress is wet? Let’s go change it then.”
Xiao Man: “…”
Don’t think I don’t know what you’re planning!
She bit down on his earlobe, which was right in front of her.
Xu Yan’s steps faltered, his voice hoarse.
“If I don’t make it to the bedroom, you can’t blame me.”
Ignoring his threat, Xiao Man’s hands gently stroked his waist.
Xu Yan immediately quickened his pace.
Just then, the phone rang abruptly.
Both of them glanced toward the coffee table-it was Xu Yan’s phone.
Their eyes were sharp enough to see that it was the same girl from earlier calling.
Xiao Man laughed. “Mr. Xu, your little white flower heroine is here.”
Xu Yan looked offended. “That client isn’t important at all. Let her do whatever she wants. I don’t have time for her.”
He carried Xiao Man into the bedroom and slammed the door shut.
A soft thud echoed against the door, followed by a faint, complaining female voice.
Then came the low, soothing murmurs of a man, and the woman’s voice gradually changed in tone.
Soon, the sounds seemed to move away from the door, replaced by faint, suppressed breaths.
Outside the bedroom, the phone rang over a dozen times before hanging up on its own.
It rang again shortly after, only to hang up once more.
After that, it remained silent.
On the coffee table, the pomegranate’s ruby-red flesh looked fresh and juicy, with a silver fork embedded in it, completely enveloped by the red fruit.
Drops of pale red juice dotted the surface.
Time flew by, and summer was in full swing.
Xiao Man’s birthday was approaching.
One day, Xu Yan asked her, “On your birthday, can I invite a few friends over to celebrate?”
Xiao Man hadn’t really celebrated her birthday since she became an adult.
Back when she and Zhou Jiang were still in college, they would go out for a big meal on her birthday.
But after Zhou Jiang returned to her hometown, Xiao Man found it pointless to celebrate alone and stopped.
This year, however, Han Shuangshuang had brought it up early, saying she wanted to make it special.
Xiao Man also felt that this year was different for her.
Most of her days were filled with happiness, surrounded by friends and accompanied by her boyfriend.
It felt right to celebrate more lively.
Xu Yan and Xiao Man had been together for a few months now, and Xu Yan was thoroughly enjoying it.
He didn’t care what others thought, but Feng Qing was anxious, always urging him to introduce Xiao Man to everyone properly.
That’s why Xu Yan thought it would be a good idea to gather everyone together for Xiao Man’s birthday.
Upon hearing Xu Yan’s words, Xiao Man nodded, “Of course.”
She paused and added, “No one should bring gifts. I’ve already told everyone else. It’s just about getting together and having fun, so no need to prepare anything.”
Just as Xu Yan was about to speak, Xiao Man raised her chin and said, “But I’ll make an exception and allow you to bring me a gift.”
Xu Yan chuckled, “As you wish, Your Majesty.”