Chapter 1620

Throughout the journey, Ye Heng'an remained stone-faced and silent. No matter how Mu Nuan tried—offering him water at a red light, massaging his arm, deploying every trick in her playbook—nothing could coax a single word from him. As they arrived at their apartment building, Mu Nuan looped her arm through his with a playful grin. "Have you eaten yet? How about I cook for you tonight?" Ye Heng'an shot her a glance but still refused to speak. She had resigned herself to being ignored for the rest of the evening—until the moment they stepped inside. Without warning, he pinned her against the wall and kissed her fiercely. Mu Nuan nearly laughed. *If I’d known this was all it took, I would’ve kissed him in the car.* Just as she wrapped her arms around his neck to kiss him back, he abruptly pulled away, his expression dark. "So the gigolo was better than me?" Mu Nuan frowned, exasperated. "Hannah, you’ve got it all wrong. I *swear* I didn’t hire—ugh, fine, if I’m lying, I’m a dog." Ye Heng'an scoffed and turned toward the bathroom. But before he could take a step, Mu Nuan suddenly darted in front of him, leaped up, and clung to him like a koala. Instinctively, he caught her, lifting her until she towered over him. Without hesitation, she cupped his face and kissed him hard. *She’s definitely getting bolder,* Ye Heng'an thought. Abandoning the bathroom altogether, he carried her straight to the bedroom. At first, fueled by guilt, Mu Nuan stayed on top, taking the lead. But in the end, her stamina gave out, and the young man ended up turning the tables on her. They tangled until midnight. After her shower, Mu Nuan burrowed under the covers and looked up at him, her eyes brimming with mischief. "So, tell me, big sis took good care of you, didn’t she? You’re not mad anymore, right?" Ye Heng'an cleared his throat. *Who took care of whom?* But he didn’t call her out. Instead, he said bluntly, "I can let today’s incident slide, but… in a few days, your parents and mine are coming over. We’ll have dinner together and officially announce our engagement." Mu Nuan bolted upright. "You invited my parents?!" Ye Heng'an arched a brow. He had been worried she might refuse, so he’d only told her uncle. Who knew her little stunt tonight would give him the perfect opening? "If I don’t make you my fiancée in the most proper way, should I just wait around for you to go wild in places like that again? I already spoke to your parents. They were thrilled and said they’d set a date with mine to come together." "Ugh…" Mu Nuan pouted in frustration. Ye Heng'an’s expression darkened. "What, you don’t want to get engaged?" "Of course not! It’s just… there’s no rush, right? You know how my mom is—she adores you. The second we’re engaged, they’ll start pushing for the wedding." "And what’s wrong with that? I’m only ever going to be with you, so I’d actually prefer we get married sooner." "Then after the wedding, they’ll start nagging us about kids!" "So we’ll have kids. My mom was your age when she had me. The sooner we marry, the sooner we can get the whole parenthood thing out of the way. Once we have a child, you won’t even think about running off to places like that again. It’s settled—unless you want me to stay mad." "I really didn’t—oh, whatever! I’m not explaining anymore. I didn’t do anything to betray you, and fine, we’ll get engaged if you insist." Mu Nuan rested her head casually against Ye Heng'an's chest. She had originally thought that with Hannah juggling their relationship, company responsibilities, and studies lately, he must be exhausted. That's why she wanted to postpone discussing engagement and marriage plans. But if Hannah needed reassurance, what harm was there in getting engaged sooner? After all, she knew in her heart that she would never be parted from him in this lifetime. Seeing her acquiescence, a satisfied smile curled at the corners of Ye Heng'an's lips. He raised his hand, gently stroking her hair as they embraced and drifted into sleep. The future, he was certain, would only grow brighter. Meanwhile, in the presidential suite of a luxury hotel... After an utterly exhausting night, Xiao Qingqing awoke with a throbbing headache, her mind still foggy from sleep. As her eyes fluttered open, the first thing she saw was the godlike figure of Samuel—his chiseled features and striking presence—sitting upright beside her, leaning against the headboard. Noticing her slight movement, he set down his phone and turned his gaze toward her. Xiao Qingqing's mind went blank as fragments of the previous night flooded back. In a panic, she bolted upright—only for a sharp, all-consuming ache to shoot through her body, a visceral reminder of just how reckless they had been. Her cheeks burned with humiliation as she clutched the sheets tightly around herself, scooting backward in frantic retreat. Too consumed by the urge to escape, she failed to realize she was already at the edge of the bed. One more shift—and she was plummeting backward into empty air. A startled gasp escaped her lips, but the expected crash never came. Instead, a powerful arm wrapped securely around her waist, yanking her back onto the mattress. In her panic, she had loosened her grip on the sheets, and now they slipped down to her waist—revealing swathes of fair skin, marred with telltale red marks, right before Samuel's eyes. Xiao Qingqing's heart raced in panic as she hastily pushed him away. Turning her back, she yanked the blanket up to cover herself before scrambling off the bed in one swift motion. With the only blanket now wrapped around her, the bed was left with nothing but Samuel's completely exposed form. Xiao Qingqing's pupils dilated involuntarily, her ears burning so red they might as well have been dripping blood. The image of the striking man before her seared into her vision like a brand, leaving her dizzy. Never in her life had she been so utterly flustered. Back still turned to the man on the bed, she stammered, her voice trembling, "U-uncle... I-I'm s-s-sorry!" The corner of Samuel's lips lifted almost imperceptibly. He rose from the bed, dressing with deliberate calm as he remarked evenly, "You really don’t like to lose out, do you? Someone glances at you, and you take in the whole view." Xiao Qingqing felt like she was losing her mind. She had actually... slept with the uncle of her classmate Ye! From the few dinners she had attended with Mu Nuan and Samuel before, her impression of him had always been one of stern composure—a man whose serious demeanor made people tense just by looking at him. She swore to heaven she had never, in her wildest dreams, imagined anything happening between them. Yet last night... Behind her, Samuel finished dressing neatly, showing no intention of leaving. Instead, he settled gracefully into the armchair by the floor-to-ceiling window, crossing his legs with an air of effortless sophistication. "About last night—" "I know! It was... an accident," Xiao Qingqing blurted out, cutting him off in her panic. After a long, hesitant pause, she finally turned to face him, her expression fraught with embarrassment. "Uncle... could we just... pretend last night never happened?"