Rebirth: Pampered by My Children and Husband Chapter 175

Chapter 175: Chapter 175 “Who is Ji Yanli?

Xie Changyan couldn't deny it. Ji Tingyang's words pierced his chest like a thorn, leaving behind a scar.

Every time he thought of the man in the photo, the thorn in his chest plunged deeper.

A cold aura enveloped Xie Changyan, setting off alarms among the employees in the company. Everyone tensed up, and no one dared to bother him during such a time.

Except for one person.

“Is Ah Yan inside?” Lin Xu asked as she arrived.

The assistant saw her and reacted as if he had seen light, nodding frantically, “Yes, yes, yes, Miss Lin, please go in.”

He knew President Xie was dating Miss Lin and that President Xie's mood always brightened when he saw her.

He had been eagerly awaiting Lin Xu's arrival.

“Oh, if it's convenient for you, could you also take this document to President Xie?” The assistant handed the file to Lin Xu.

Lin Xu smiled, it seemed that not only at Ji's was she asked to deliver documents, but now at Xie's too, “Sure.”

She pushed the door open and was greeted by a piercing cold so intense it made her shiver.

Xie Changyan looked up when he heard the door, a complex emotion briefly flitting across his eyes when he saw Lin Xu.

The next instant, he retracted the chill around him.

“What brings you here?” Xie Changyan set down his pen.

“Maybe because someone called me, saying there was a severe fire here and asked me to come put it out,” Lin Xu said with a chuckle.

She stepped forward, concern showing in her eyes as she gazed into his clear ones, “Did Ji Tingyang say something to you last night?”

Lin Xu didn't understand. Ji Tingyang had been so sweet and cute as a child; how could he have turned out so twisted?

Not only was his personality venomous, but Ji Zeqiu often couldn't argue with him and ended up frustrated under his dominance, getting angry most of the times.

She had listened at the window for a while last night and hadn't heard anything, so she had no idea what Ji Tingyang had said to Xie Changyan.

“Indeed, he said quite a bit,” Xie Changyan replied.

“Don't take his words seriously, he often talks nonsense,” Lin Xu soothed.

“Even the 'substitute' part?” Xie Changyan suddenly looked up at her.

Lin Xu puzzled, “What substitute?”

“He said you don't like me, that I'm just someone's substitute,” Xie Changyan stood, backed her against the wall with no escape.

He looked down at her from above, his imposing aura radiating around, his fingertips lightly lifting her chin, his deep eyes gradually darkening, “Is that also false?”

Substitute?

Lin Xu was stunned for a moment.

She recalled what Ji Tingyang had told her earlier – “Just play with him as a substitute…”

It was no wonder Xie Changyan had been acting so oddly recently; perhaps that phrase had been festering in his mind for a long time.

Lin Xu found herself torn between laughter and tears for a moment.

“Why aren't you speaking?” Xie Changyan's presence grew even more chilling.

“If I say it's not true, would you believe me?”

“Yes,” Xie Changyan's fingertips gently caressed her chin, his earnest eyes close at hand, “I'll believe anything you say.”

“You are not a substitute.”

“Then who is Ji Yanli?”

“How did you know?” Lin Xu was startled.

Had Ji Tingyang told him?

“… When you're drunk, you call that name at me.” As he said this, Xie Changyan's grip tightened, momentarily marking her fair skin with a red imprint.

Lin Xu's brows furrowed lightly in pain, and a wave of astonishment surged through her heart.

Was it really her fault?

“He, I…” Lin Xu stammered, her gaze flickering, her mind racing.

Telling Xie Changyan that Ji Yanli was him?

Not only was there no evidence, but there was also the possibility of being regarded as insane.

Just make up an excuse?

But what would be a good lie? A friend? A relative?

Lin Xu furrowed her brows and thought for a long time. Perhaps Xie Changyan had grown impatient. He lifted her chin and took the initiative to ask, “First love?”

“…Close, almost.”

“How did you break up, and where is he now?” With each question Xie Changyan asked, the gloom in his heart intensified.

“He… died,” Lin Xu paused.

He had become a different person, and had forgotten himself.

That situation might as well be considered almost like being dead.

Xie Changyan was startled for a moment. This answer was somewhat unexpected.

He seemed to understand why she always thought of that man.

It was for the best that he was dead.

Now, she only had him by her side.

Yet inexplicably, he suddenly recalled a phrase Su Linzhou had teased him with, “No matter how you compare, the living can't outshine the dead.”

The living would wear away the passion and edges in day-to-day life, whereas the dead would become increasingly perfect through the filter of memories.

A hint of irritability flickered through Xie Changyan's eyes, and a dark cloud seemed to hover between his brows, “So, are you using me as his substitute?”

“I've said he's not a substitute,” Lin Xu glared at him.

She knew it; his claims of believing her were all false.

“You…” As Xie Changyan was about to speak, Lin Xu suddenly pulled on his tie, tiptoed, and kissed him, sealing his lips from continuing.

Xie Changyan froze, then closed his eyes the next instant, his hold on her waist tightening, almost melding her into his embrace.

The irritability and unrest in his heart receded with this intense kiss.

It was unclear how much time had passed.

Xie Changyan, having shed his earlier stormy gloom, resumed his usual relaxed demeanor, sitting in the office chair looking at the files on his computer.

Occasionally, he would absent-mindedly glance at Lin Xu on the sofa.

After intermittently finishing a document, Xie Changyan looked toward the sofa again.

Meeting her eyes brimming with laughter, she was clearly looking at him, but deep in her eyes, there was a sense of reminiscence, as if looking through her at someone else.

The stab in his chest seemed to grow again, inflicting more pain.

Xie Changyan's expression suddenly turned cold, and he strode over to Lin Xu, seizing her chin, “Who are you looking at?”

Was she looking at him?

Or was she missing Ji Yanli?

“Of course, I'm looking at you. What's up?” Lin Xu reached up, smoothed a stray hair on his head, and said with a smile, “There's a hair sticking up here.”

Xie Changyan's hand stiffened. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, seemingly suppressing the emotions inside him.

“…You can only look at me.” He pressed his forehead against hers, his deep voice rising beside her ear, sounding more like a threat, “If you dare treat me as a substitute, I'll never forgive you.”

Lin Xu appeared amused, “How exactly will you not forgive me?”

He was obviously someone who would only feel miserable on the inside, never daring to question her, and was even willing to make sacrifices for love. How could he not forgive her?

Chapter end

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