"I’m not asleep yet."
Bai Yan got up and opened the door, only to see An Xiaowan standing in front of his room wearing a cute HelloKitty pink pajama set, her tender arms wrapped around a life-sized grey teddy bear.
"What’s the matter, Xiao Wan?"
Bai Yan looked at An Xiaowan with a gentle smile.
"Jing Jing... Jing Jing is hogging the blanket when she sleeps."
An Xiaowan pouted, her little face brimming with a look of grievance, her big eyes blinking innocently at Bai Yan, appearing extremely aggrieved.
"Oh, that... You could just snatch the blanket back."
Bai Yan touched his head and smiled wryly.
"Then Brother Yan will get you another blanket to sleep with, so you won’t have to fight with Jing Jing for it, okay?"
"That... What do you want to do then?"
Bai Yan looked helpless. He sighed lightly at the sight of An Xiaowan with her lips pursed so high, this girl really knew how to wear someone down.
"Brother Yan, will you watch TV with me, please?"
An Xiaowan gazed at Bai Yan with hopeful, watery eyes.
"The sky’s almost bright, and you have school tomorrow..."
Bai Yan felt a bit of a headache brewing.
Young lady, in the middle of the night asking your boyfriend to stay up and watch TV with you?
Didn’t you consider your boyfriend’s feelings?
"It’s almost summer break anyway, just watch TV with me for a little bit."
An Xiaowan pleaded with Bai Yan.
She wanted to watch TV, but more than that, she longed for Bai Yan to be by her side.
The shy girl didn’t know how else to cling to her beloved; though her request was somewhat unreasonable, she didn’t want to be away from Bai Yan for a second.
A woman... if she doesn’t act a bit unreasonable with you, how would you have the chance to show your affection for her?
You can’t expect a girl who has never even had a first love to boldly climb into your bed, can you?
She could only stick to Bai Yan in such an inappropriate way, clumsily and timidly expressing her deep affection for him.
"Fine, fine, fine, I’ll watch with you. What do you want to watch?"
Who’s the writer behind these Xiyangyang cartoons? Why don’t they wrap up the series already?
Bai Yan felt a bit resentful.
With a look of helplessness, Bai Yan followed Miss An obediently to the living room, turned on the LCD TV, and started playing Xiyangyang.
"Your sister and the others are asleep, shall we turn down the volume a bit?"
An Xiaowan smiled sweetly, feeling incredibly comfortable and secure next to Bai Yan.
On the TV, the repetitive scenes of Yang Village and the wolf couple played on, making Bai Yan nod off frequently as he just couldn’t get into it.
He really didn’t understand what magic this cartoon had that made An Xiaowan love it so much.
As Bai Yan was dozing off, a soft singing voice reached his ears.
It was An Xiaowan’s singing, delicate, crisp, and sweet.
It was that song "Destiny" she sang at the party.
Bai Yan was briefly taken aback, turning his head to look at An Xiaowan, who had at some point leaned against his shoulder. Her face that still held traces of youthful naivety now radiated a saint-like purity.
Was she singing for Bai Yan, or for herself? Bai Yan didn’t know, and at this moment, he felt somewhat silent.
Bai Yan quietly turned his gaze to An Xiaowan, who was engrossed in watching the animation, her beautiful eyes never leaving the screen, humming the song unconsciously.
The song carried a slight melancholy and deep adoration for Bai Yan.
Even Bai Yan’s heart, long-forged into steel, began to quiver.
The cracks in Bai Yan’s defenses, pried open by An Xiaowan, were growing ever wider.
"What a silly girl," Bai Yan thought, smiling helplessly yet tenderly.
An Xiaowan’s melodious singing gently echoed in the living room, with cute cartoon characters playing on the screen. They sat cross-legged on the sofa, leaning on each other.
A warm atmosphere faintly spread out, tangible as if it were, bringing peace to the soul.
Time slipped by incrementally, and An Xiaowan didn’t realize when she had fallen asleep on the sofa.
Like a child, silly girl looked especially innocent while sleeping. Bai Yan gently picked her up, carried her to his room, covered her gently with a blanket, then turned around and left the room, returning alone to the living room.
An Xiaowan’s purity, her obsession with Bai Yan, and her devoted company every second were truly shaking Bai Yan’s soul to its core.
She wasn’t a perfect girl, but she indeed was the woman who loved Bai Yan the most.
Truth be told, An Xiaowan was not unaware of An Yan and Chen Jing’s infatuation and love for Bai Yan. It’s just that she was gentle and not competitive. An Xiaowan could only follow Bai Yan in her own way, silently conveying her love without ever asking Bai Yan for anything in return.
That was An Xiaowan, a silly and adorable girl that evoked an uncontrollable sense of tenderness from deep within the heart.
It wasn’t that Bai Yan didn’t want to have An Xiaowan, but rather he respected this silly girl and genuinely cared for her.
Bai Yan sat alone in the living room, quietly sitting until dawn broke.
The next morning, warm sunlight poured in through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Bai Yan’s room had been carefully decorated by the An sisters, with top-notch natural lighting and furniture style.
The warm sun shone on An Xiaowan’s pretty face, and as her eyelashes fluttered, the silly girl woke up vaguely.
"Mmm, I can smell Brother Yan."
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, An Xiaowan found herself waking up in Bai Yan’s room, while Bai Yan was in the kitchen, preparing breakfast? Or lunch?
The three ladies had all slept in, so they could only have a combination of breakfast and lunch.
An Xiaowan tiptoed downstairs, and could faintly hear Bai Yan’s murmurs coming from the kitchen.
"Am I not a man? Strange, how did I manage to hold back last night?"
"Jeez, Bai Yan, oh Bai Yan, why insist on being such a good man? With such delicious fare right in front of you and not partaking, truly foolish!"
While grumbling, Bai Yan continued with his cooking.
Outside the door, An Xiaowan covered her small mouth and giggled secretly.
Brother Yan is so silly! But indeed, Brother Yan is also a good man!
She thought, feeling sweet inside.
The respect Bai Yan showed her last night made her feel deeply happy.
Over the next three days, as academic studies drew to a close, the school officially began summer vacation.
Bai Yan and An Xiaowan could enjoy a rare summer holiday, but after the evening banquet that night, President An still needed to work the next day. Thus, Bai Yan temporarily went from being An Xiaowan’s boyfriend to An Yan’s personal chauffeur.
No choice there, after all, Bai Yan also had the guise of Miss An’s private tutor and, strictly speaking, was an employee of the Shen Zhou Group.
Although the relationship between the three had moved beyond that of mere superiors and subordinates, both Bai Yan and An Yan enjoyed this arrangement. In tune with each other’s needs, neither wanted to break this shared dependency, and Bai Yan was more than happy to drive Goddess An to and from work every day.
It was worth noting that Chen Jing had somehow convinced Mayor Chen and his wife to grant special permission for her to stay in the An Family Mansion during the summer break.
This made for a full house, with three ladies in residence.
One big and two small beauties, they spent entire days together discussing cosmetics and celebrity gossip, as if a drama solely about three women was playing out in the An Family Mansion.
However, Bai Yan’s mind was clearly not at home recently. The troubling progress of poultry procurement weighed heavily on him.
Because of the booming domestic food industry, Wanyan Company was finding it difficult to break into the established industry chains and procure sufficient poultry - clearly, fate didn’t want everything to go smoothly for Bai Yan.
Bai Yan knew that business matters couldn’t be rushed, and was prepared to wait for the rise of Wanyan Company. He could afford the wait.
With nothing much to do, he practiced his Gang Qi, accompanied An Xiaowan and the stunning Chen Jing on shopping trips, reveling in the envy of onlookers while out with two beauties.
Despite appearing somewhat aimless, Bai Yan was quite content with his life.
On this day, Bai Yan enjoyed a rare moment of leisure at home, cultivating Gang Qi while planning a trip to the company to discuss some recent affairs and development directions with Li Xiaoman.
Just then, his phone on the table rang.
It was a call from Boss Wang.
Bai Yan stopped his cultivation, flipped out of bed.
Today was the three-day deadline, and presumably Boss Wang called about the assessment of abilities at the Abnormal People Organization in HZ city.
Seems like the company’s development and poultry procurement will have to be put on hold, as he heads to the Abnormal People Organization to get a number first.
Well, what can I do, if not be a good citizen?