Showbiz Scandal: The Official Announcement of My Ex and Myself-Chapter 160: Do You Love Me?

To say the least, Xie Qingci is someone who can read the room well. As soon as Yue Ling looked at him, he politely smiled and greeted:

"Sister-in-law."

Yu Xia noticed her brother’s murderous gaze and was just about to remind him to ease up before striking heavily, but before she could, he turned to look at the little cube player.

"Are you Xiao Yue? You’re not supposed to play a 3x3 Rubik’s cube that way."

Yu Yue stopped his hands and looked up at him, "How do you know my name is Xiao Yue? Oh, aunt told you."

"Yes, she said there’s a nephew at home who isn’t particularly good in Chinese... but excels in other areas."

Yu Xia almost wanted to applaud him for that abrupt brake.

Yu Yue puffed up his cheeks, his eyes rolling around, and handed over the 3x3 Rubik’s Cube in his hand, "Brother, can you solve this?"

"I can. I’ve even solved an 8x8 before." His slender fingers twisted the cube a few times; after a few clicks, it was solved, all sides showing the same color.

"Here you go," Xie Qingci didn’t say much else, smiling gently, then looked up and spoke a couple of sentences with Yue Ling.

The group completely ignored the remark Yu Heng made earlier about not being allowed to live together.

Feeling upset, Yu Heng simply pulled Yu Xia aside.

"What’s on your mind? Don’t worry about anything else, just tell me the truth."

Yu Xia returned to her usual self and seriously said, "The truth is, I really like him and genuinely want to be with him. Brother, don’t worry about me being taken advantage of. Between us, it’s not certain who will suffer a loss. He dropped everything to come to me, and if it all gets exposed, he’s the one who’d be most affected."

After a pause, she added, "Besides, you know me. If anything happens, I’ll get out of it faster than he will."

Yu Heng: "So should I commend you for being shamelessly good?"

Well, at least he’s certain now that his son takes after his aunt.

"Alright then," he sighed, "as long as you’re happy. Since you have a boyfriend, make him cook for you when you have time. You can’t just get by drinking a bit of water all the time."

"... He’s a boyfriend, not a hired laborer."

"There’s no difference." He felt no qualms about his almost tyrannical way of thinking.

Yu Xia nodded, "Alright, whatever makes you happy."

After chatting for a while, the planned meal outing turned into an afternoon of discussions at her place. It was only when Yue Ling said it was time to leave that Yu Heng left with a sour face. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Before leaving, he gave Xie Qingci a warning that was half-genuine, half-joking, "Mind your limits. I don’t want to see rumors of you two living together everywhere tomorrow."

Yu Xia quickly nodded, smiling widely to send them off.

After closing the door, she slid down against the wall to sit on the floor, clutching her chest and gasping for air.

Xie Qingci crouched down before her and was the first to say, "I’m sorry."

"I shouldn’t have deliberately stirred things up, nor should I have brought up past matters."

His proactive confession and apology caught Yu Xia off guard, leaving her with no words to scold him.

Thinking it through, she understood why he acted that way. It seemed he lacked confidence in their relationship, and his occasional outbursts were within her tolerance. She dared not ask for too much.

She pursed her lips and reached out to him.

"Lift me up."

Xie Qingci watched her expression and, seeing she had nothing else to say, his face eased up.

This subtle change in his expression was so obvious that it made Yu Xia’s heart ache.

After he picked her up, she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried herself in the crook of his neck, appearing gentle and docile.

"I apologize on behalf of my brother; he didn’t mean to nitpick at you."

"I know." He tightened his grip, holding her as they sat on the sofa, their faces close, entwined like swans with intertwined necks.

He held her tightly, wrapping his arms like iron around her, inhaling deeply as though trying to draw reassurance from her.

In Yu Xia’s eyes, wasn’t that just him feeling anxious and distressed? She immediately patted his back, leaning into his ear to comfort him:

"I meant every word I said to my brother. I like you, I really like you. Xiao Yue also says he likes you, praising you for being good-looking, and my sister-in-law is a fan of your type. See, three out of four of us like you."

Xie Qingci’s voice came from beside her ear. With the way they were positioned, she couldn’t see his expression, but could only glean his emotions from his words.

"Really?"

Listen, listen, so pitiful, so lacking in confidence.

"Of course it’s true! Leaving aside my sister-in-law, isn’t it enough that I really like you? You always ask if I miss you, if I like you. I miss you, and I really like you, very much so."

"How do you like me?" His voice was so light it seemed it might dissipate into the air, "I can’t give you anything right now, do you still love me?"

She didn’t even have time to mind his wordplay, decisively saying, "I do, I love you very much. I love your good looks, love your all-in pursuit, love your earnest and strong-willed nature, love how you shine."

With every sentence, she gave him a gentle kiss, from his neck, earlobe, to his jawline, cheek, and brows, ending at his lips.

Xie Qingci naturally lowered his head to kiss her, moving gently, but his hands pulled hers over, pressing her hand against his chest under his shirt.

"I love you too, love you very much, so much that this heart races for you."

Yu Xia felt a tremor, as the heartbeats under her palm thudded in sync with his words, heat transmitting so intensely it almost burned her hand.

In her daze, Xie Qingci took the opportunity to deepen the kiss, breathing heavily as he pleaded by her ear.

"Since you love me, love me a little more."

"Love only me, don’t give any away to others."

"Okay?"

I told you, his breathy voice is a weapon against her, this level of temptation, she was defenseless, and when he let go of her lips, she just knew to nod along and say "okay."

Xie Qingci, kissing her earlobe, revealed an excessively gentle smile.

See, why hide insecurity and anxiety? Showing it makes her get lost in his presence.

Sometimes, pouring your heart out and deliberate vulnerability aren’t that different, are they?

"Sister, do you love me?"

Yu Xia, slightly dizzy, lost the ability to think.

"Yes."

"Only me?"

"Yes, only you, I love only you."

"So, does your promise still count? I want to stay until you leave."

"...Okay."

Xie Qingci let out a delighted sound, "I’m very happy, darling."

Yu Xia, however, wasn’t very happy, her eyes swollen from crying.

The next morning, staring at her puffy self in the mirror, she mentally repeated, "Sometimes people just temporarily get lost in tenderness; it’s normal," then gritted her teeth and pushed Xie Qingci into the kitchen.

"My brother said if you’ve nothing better to do, then go cook for me, consider it being a hired worker!"

Xie Qingci moved leisurely as she pushed him, his tone only filled with satisfaction, "Sure. What would you like to eat?"