Chapter 55

After making her suggestion, the man merely raised an eyebrow ever so slightly and took the half-eaten burger from her hand as if it were nothing, and Ning Yuxuan immediately began to regret it.

She might have truly underestimated Xie Zhiyan.

Ning Yuxuan realized she had probably been influenced by Tao You, projecting onto Xie Zhiyan the image of the typical “domineering CEO” from novels.

Wasn’t it said that such CEOs always have a cleanliness obsession?

Then why did Xie Zhiyan seem entirely free of it? Not only did he drink from her soda without a second thought, but he also didn’t mind biting into the half-eaten burger she’d left behind.

Ning Yuxuan silently observed Xie Zhiyan, struggling over whether she should retract her earlier statement before he took a bite.

Of course, it would be even better if Xie Zhiyan voluntarily changed his mind.

Perhaps her expectant look was too obvious.

Xie Zhiyan glanced at the burger in his hand and asked, “Are you really full?”

Ning Yuxuan: “…”

Clearly, she was not.

She wasn’t on a diet; as an adult woman with a decent appetite, having only eaten a small piece of matcha pastry and a macaron since lunch, half a burger was hardly enough.

Her offering the burger to Xie Zhiyan was purely out of spite.

If he actually ate it, what would she eat?

She certainly wasn’t going to buy another one.

Ning Yuxuan was starting to want to back down, her voice hesitant: “Well... it’s okay. I was a bit full earlier, but now that I think about it, I feel better.”

She figured her hint was pretty clear by now.

Having said that much, if Xie Zhiyan had any sense, he would return the burger to her.

That way, she could continue to fill her stomach, and he wouldn’t have to eat her leftovers. They’d both have a bright future.

Ning Yuxuan quietly watched Xie Zhiyan, trying to intensify her silent plea.

He met her gaze with ease and calm: “Is that so? Then I’ll try a couple of bites first. If you’re still hungry, you can have the rest.”

Ning Yuxuan: “...?”

Xie Zhiyan lowered his head slightly and deliberately took a bite from the burger.

To be fair, his manner was rather refined.

Ning Yuxuan even suspected that people like them, who’d grown up in wealthy families, might have undergone some sort of “professional dining training.”

Otherwise, how could he eat a burger with such measured ease and nonchalance, as if savoring a gourmet delicacy?

Unlike her, who would take a big bite only to have salad dressing smear at the corner of her mouth, requiring a napkin to clean up.

But Ning Yuxuan had no mood to appreciate his dining etiquette; outwardly calm, inside she was screaming: That’s my burger!

After tasting the burger, Xie Zhiyan calmly took a sip from the cup of cola she had left on the table.

Ning Yuxuan thought: Great, he’s now "contaminated" both my food and drink.

Xie Zhiyan leisurely commented, “Not bad.”

After a pause, he added, “But I wasn’t lying; I really was full when I came from the banquet. I have to pace myself if I’m to finish the whole burger.”

Ning Yuxuan could no longer hold back and snatched the burger from his hand.

A flicker of amusement crossed Xie Zhiyan’s eyes. “What’s wrong?”

Ning Yuxuan, expressionless, defended herself: “My stomach digested some food in the last minute, so I’m hungry again. I’ve decided to take back my burger.”

She wasn’t picky about food; she often shared bites with close people.

For example, in college, she and Tao You would buy two milk teas and swap sips. At home, she’d let Ning Fei, who wasn’t fond of sweets, take a bite of her popsicle before continuing to eat it herself.

Now, she could barely count Xie Zhiyan among the close ones.

After all, they were husband and wife.

Ning Yuxuan glanced down at the small bite mark on the burger and took a deep breath, silently reminding herself twice: wasting food is shameful!

She bit into the remaining burger heartily.

A low, delighted chuckle came from the man beside her. Ning Yuxuan looked up to find his chest gently vibrating with laughter, clearly in a good mood.

She was just eating a burger—was it really that amusing?

She ate while shooting him a glare.

In less than five minutes, the double beef burger was completely gone.

Ning Yuxuan felt about eighty percent full, enough to rest for a while at home before going to sleep.

She drank three-quarters of the cola, leaving the last quarter for Xie Zhiyan.

Since he didn’t mind drinking her leftover soda, she might as well let him help finish it.

Satisfied, Ning Yuxuan checked the time. “It’s about time. Shall we head back?”

If they left now, they would get home around ten o’clock, half an hour earlier than the time she had told her mother.

Xie Zhiyan said, “Wait.”

Ning Yuxuan gave him a puzzled look.

He picked up a stack of napkins from the table and pulled one from the middle.

She thought he was quite particular, even choosing a relatively clean napkin from the center.

The next second, he gently placed the napkin under her chin.

His movements were tender yet efficient, wiping away a bit of salad dressing from her chin.

Ning Yuxuan’s breath caught slightly; she felt a twinge of annoyance.

She’d been so focused on wiping the corner of her mouth that she’d forgotten about her chin—it must have gotten smudged while she was looking down at the burger.

She wished she had brought a mirror to check her face carefully.

Xie Zhiyan wiped the small spot of dressing off her face and, seeing her still dazed, asked, “What are you thinking about?”

Snapping back to reality, she replied honestly, “I’m thinking it’s a good thing the foundation I used tonight is quite long-lasting. I even set it carefully with setting spray. Otherwise, with all this fussing, my makeup would have worn off.”

She’d glanced at the white napkin earlier; the good news was that other than the salad dressing, there was no trace of foundation.

If Xie Zhiyan had wiped too hard, a patch of her makeup might have come off—an awkward scene indeed.

He chuckled softly.

After a moment, he looked into her eyes: “You look very beautiful today.”

He had noticed at first glance that her makeup today was different, more radiant in combination with the gown and jewelry.

Ning Yuxuan gave him a sidelong glance. “Did I not look pretty before?”

Despite her teasing, Xie Zhiyan remained composed: “Today’s makeup is special—beautiful in a way different from before.”

Ning Yuxuan was momentarily speechless.

She hadn’t expected him to be quite good at sweet talk.

Recalling quickly, this was probably the first time Xie Zhiyan had seen her dressed so formally and exquisitely.

Their reunion had been at Mr. Gu’s birthday banquet, which she had attended on short notice without trying to upstage anyone, so her makeup was very light.

During the filming, she disliked having a heavy foundation on all day, so the makeup artist always kept it light for her.

With her good complexion, the makeup artist had no objections.

When going out with close friends like Tao You, she was even used to going bare-faced.

Ning Yuxuan rolled her eyes and, on a whim, decided to push her luck a little further.

She asked Xie Zhiyan, “So, do you prefer me with light makeup or like this heavier look today? You can’t say you like both.”

That was a question as perilous as the classic “If you fell into the water, who would you save first?”—no matter the answer, fault could be found.

Xie Zhiyan’s lips curved slightly, his tone calm: “You take the time to dress up; who am I to criticize?”

Ning Yuxuan: “...”

He raised an eyebrow at her expression, silently questioning it.

She muttered, “I’m starting to suspect you’ve taken some kind of love advice class.”

He replied, “If I had, I wouldn’t be turning thirty soon and have only ever dated you.”

Ning Yuxuan’s cheeks flushed.

“I told you,” she forced, “we’re still just pretending to be a couple. It doesn’t count as dating…”

She hadn’t even received a proper confession yet.

Xie Zhiyan took over the conversation: “I came to pick you up on short notice today, didn’t have time to prepare properly.”

Ning Yuxuan told him, “Tomorrow won’t work either. My mom and I have a flight to Jiangcheng to visit Ning Shiyue’s filming set. Oh, and after that, I’ll probably be filming again, so I won’t be free.”

Judging by that, she was quite busy lately, her schedule nearly as packed as Xie Zhiyan’s.

He said gently, “Then I’ll wait until you have time to spare for me.”

Ning Yuxuan deliberately teased, “You don’t seem in any hurry at all.”

His tone was steady: “I’ve waited this long; there’s no rush for a moment or two.”

She grumbled, “It’s not that long—just a few days.”

Checking her watch, she said, “No more idle talk. Let’s get in the car and go home before my mother starts worrying.”

…

While Ning Yuxuan and Xie Zhiyan enjoyed their quiet moment eating the burger, the stir caused by Xie Zhiyan’s appearance at the banquet had yet to settle.

He had stayed only ten minutes in total, including the time spent toasting and chatting with Wu Shangdong, finding Ning Yuxuan, and then leaving.

The banquet hall was large, and many attendees only learned after Xie Zhiyan had left that the head of the Xie family had actually been there.

“Wasn’t it said that Mr. Xie wouldn’t come today? Mr. Wu even explained before that Mr. Xie had a business meeting at another banquet. How did he suddenly show up?”

“I heard he wasn’t there for Mr. Wu, but to pick up his girlfriend.”

“Girlfriend? Which girlfriend?”

“Which other? The one who was photographed being picked up by Xie Zhiyan’s chauffeur.”

Over the past month, rumors about Xie Zhiyan and Ning Yuxuan had been rampant, especially among the wives’ circles.

But apart from the old master Gu’s birthday banquet a month ago, this was their first time appearing together publicly.

Seeing them side by side in person was far more convincing than photos or hearsay.

Although they only appeared together for a few minutes, witnessed by only a dozen or so people, the significance was undeniable.

The image of them leaving the banquet hall together had been exaggerated with every retelling.

Another man was involved in the story.

The fact that Gu Yunhao and Ning Yuxuan had once been together was known by only a few.