Super Sweet, 100\% Honeymoon-Chapter 685: Smiling as She Cries

After returning to the city, the driver first took Xiyan back to the Xia Family.

As soon as she got home, Xiyan’s Weibo was bombarded with crazy mentions.

She clicked on it and saw that photos of Ou Jue carrying her back to the hotel after she drank too much at An Ran’s coming-of-age party yesterday had been taken by some of the guests and uploaded online.

And now it was everywhere.

Although the photos were taken with a phone and the image quality was less than stellar, some nosy netizens were still putting on a spectacular show of collective meltdown.

[Awww, this couple is just too sweet! Love them so much!]

[JueYan couple forever 99! Always stay happy!]

Wedged among the sea of CP fans was one highly offbeat comment: 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

[Am I the only one who remembers how Summer’s mom used Susan and Mr. Ling’s matter to stir up hype?]

This comment immediately got cursed out so badly it was a bloodbath...

It was undeniable that the show *Actor* had really helped Xiyan, who had been universally hated online before, turn things around.

In today’s entertainment industry, talent is capital.

Xiyan sat on the sofa eating an apple while scrolling through these Weibo posts, clicking open the photo that had been taken sneakily.

Then, feeling ridiculously narcissistic, she thought that it actually looked pretty good—totally wallpaper-worthy 23333.

But come to think of it, seeing how pissed Ou Jue was today, did she act all drunk-crazy when he carried her back to the guest room last night?

Xiyan began seriously piecing together her fragmented memories from last night.

It seems... after returning to the room, she had grabbed the remote control as a microphone and circled around Ou Jue howling like a banshee.

Now that she thought about it, Ou Jue’s face had nearly darkened to the shade of charcoal back then... yikes.

At first, Ou Jue had tried pinning her down to keep her from jumping around. Later, he simply indulged her antics.

In the end... as she caused a ruckus, sweating profusely and reeking of alcohol, Ou Jue grabbed her and threw her straight into the bathtub.

Wait, wait.

The bathtub!

Xiyan suddenly snapped back to reality. When she woke up this morning, she was wearing the bathrobe from the hotel’s guest room.

Who exactly gave her a bath last night? And who changed her into the bathrobe?

Xiyan, having just bitten into an apple and chewed on it noisily, froze completely as her mind raced through the implications, staring wide-eyed and dumbstruck.

The memories that had been stuck in limbo all morning seemed to flood her brain in an instant.

Aaaaaaaah.

The apple in her hand rolled to the floor, and she covered her blushing cheeks with both hands.

So embarrassing T_T

Xia Zhiyun walked out with the freshly prepared dinner and, seeing the abnormal flush on Xiyan’s face, rushed forward nervously. "Sweetie, why is your face so red?"

Clearing her throat, Xiyan quickly jumped up. "Mom, I’m fine."

Then she grabbed her phone and dashed into her room.

Meanwhile, at the Ou Mansion.

The room was dim, with the curtains drawn, as Ou Jue lay flat on the sofa in his bedroom, one hand propped under his head.

He had taken off his suit jacket, loosened his tie, and undone two or three buttons on his shirt collar.

The shadows partly obscured the deep contours of his face.

Those piercingly cold eyes, which seemed able to see through everything in the world, were closed, making him appear less alert and distant than usual.

Yet even in sleep, his thin, sensual lips remained pressed into a tightly drawn, icy line.

The bedroom door was quietly pushed open.

A figure tiptoed inside.

It was Qiao Qianmo.

Since Susan had twisted her ankle and had difficulty moving around, she’d been relocated to the Ou Mansion for easier care.

She had even insisted that Qianmo move in with her.

Mrs. Ou had no choice but to agree, considering Mr. Ling’s ties.

Now Qianmo was living under the same roof as Ou Jue, even if only temporarily.

Qianmo silently sat by Ou Jue, her gaze fixed on that unparalleled handsome face with undisguised yearning.

It was almost time for dinner, and she had come upstairs to call Ou Jue to eat.

"Ou Jue gege..." she called softly.

The young man’s breathing was steady.

Last night, he had been tormented almost the whole night by that heartless little girl.

Right now, he was utterly exhausted.

Seeing that Ou Jue didn’t respond, Qianmo cupped her chin in her hands and gazed at him, her eyes brimming with even deeper affection.

She tentatively reached out a hand toward his chiseled face, her fingertips tracing his features. "Ou Jue gege... you know what? I’ve never thought of you as my brother. I’ve always liked you so, so much..."

The young man remained asleep, and Qianmo unconsciously slowed her breathing as her heartbeat quickened. "Originally, I planned to confess to you after I won *Actor*, but... Xia Xiyan used some shady tricks to steal the championship from me. I’m no worse than her, but the production team, because of the scandal from the first episode, forced my glory into her hands to appease those netizens..."

Her tone became thick with grievance as she spoke. "I really wasn’t any worse than Xia Xiyan."

When mentioning Xiyan, a flicker of hatred flashed through Qianmo’s eyes.

If it weren’t for Xia Xiyan, Ou Jue gege would definitely still treat her the way he used to.

Back when Ou Jue gege hadn’t started dating, there was only her, the sole girl by his side.

Even though she had been there as his "younger sister," Qianmo had been perfectly content.

Because back then, Ou Jue gege didn’t belong to any woman—he belonged to her, Qiao Qianmo.

"I don’t share any blood ties with you. I’m just a child that Dad adopted..." Qianmo leaned closer, speaking in a voice so soft it was almost serpentine, continuing her confession. "If I didn’t have the label of being your cousin in your mind, would you feel even a tiny bit for me?"

Of course you would.

She wasn’t biologically related to the Ou Family; she was now Susan’s goddaughter.

Susan, who was Mr. Ling’s lover, had long arranged for an engagement between their families over ten years ago.

As soon as the timing was right, she would officially become known as Susan and Mr. Ling’s daughter, and she could marry Ou Jue gege openly and legitimately.

At that point, she’d snuggle in Ou Jue’s arms and watch Xia Xiyan cry with laughter in her eyes!

Fixing her gaze on the flawless face so close to her, Qianmo returned to her senses and, seizing the moment while the young man was still fast asleep, began inching her crimson lips tentatively toward his...