After Teasing the Crazy Mermaid, He Actually Deceived Me into Marriage - Chapter 53

Si Tang pressed the back of her hand to the tip of her nose, wanting to say something to ease the awkwardness. She cleared her throat lightly and said, “Do you really enjoy watching idol dramas? Actually, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Fan Yi turned his head to look at her seriously. “Really?”

His expression was so earnest, as if he needed her repeated assurance.

Could it be that he, cared deeply about her opinion?

This demeanor, was incredibly childlike.

Si Tang nodded gently, a trace of amusement flickering in her eyes. “Really.”

Seeing that she showed no signs of discomfort or disgust toward him, Fan Yi finally felt relieved. He picked up the remote control and switched from Animal World to the financial channel.

Still trying to salvage his image, he repeated, “I was really just watching it casually.”

“Mhm, mhm.” Si Tang nodded in agreement.

“…”

Fan Yi was left speechless and could only turn his head to face the TV screen. Watching the impeccably dressed host explain international economic trends, he found it as dull as the prayers humans had offered him for three thousand years.

It wasn’t as interesting as those two humans kissing earlier.

Fan Yi truly couldn’t understand how someone like Si Tang, with her refined tastes, could enjoy watching such things?

Si Tang, however, sat down and listened attentively for a while.

Fan Yi’s gaze was fixed on the TV, but his mind had long drifted away. In reality, all his attention was focused on Si Tang.

Had she suffered from insomnia again? Had she had another nightmare? What had she dreamed about?

Fan Yi decided that after they became partners, he would definitely enter her dreams to take a closer look.

“Your sleep doesn’t seem very restful?” Fan Yi suddenly spoke.

Si Tang was taken aback for a moment, then nodded lightly. Some things weren’t secrets, so she replied, “Three years ago, I was stranded on a deserted island after a shipwreck. I was later rescued, but I lost all memory of the three months I spent on the island. Since then, I’ve been having strange dreams every night.”

“Strange dreams?”

Of course, Si Tang couldn’t bring herself to describe those embarrassing scenes. She hesitated and said, “Mhm, dreams that disturb my sleep. But it’s okay, I’m already seeing a psychologist. He says it’s all just my imagination.”

Fan Yi frowned deeply. It was rare to see such a sharp expression on the face of the usually gentle and refined Mr. Fan Yi.

Dreams that jolted her awake. Fan Yi naturally understood they were nightmares.

He became even more determined to enter her dreams someday and see for himself.

“Come here,” Fan Yi suddenly said softly, his brows relaxing as he resumed his gentle expression.

Curious, Si Tang moved a few steps closer to him.

Fan Yi retrieved the ice-blue prismatic star crystal from his spatial storage, silently recited the incantation, and a shimmering ice-blue healing spell condensed at his fingertip. He lightly tapped Si Tang’s forehead, then pretended to massage her temples.

As a fragment of the Primordial God’s artifact, the Cosmic Scepter, he wielded it with effortless familiarity.

“Feeling better?” he asked softly, reluctantly withdrawing his hand.

Si Tang stared at him in a daze.

At such close proximity, his face resembled a snow lotus atop an icy mountain, his eyes gentle and captivating.

Belatedly, Si Tang realized that the fatigue she had been carrying had suddenly vanished. Her body and mind felt remarkably light and relaxed.

“I really do feel much better,” Si Tang said, her almond-shaped eyes curving in surprise.

“Go on, have sweet dreams,” Fan Yi said with a smile.

Si Tang nodded. “You should get some rest too. Goodnight, Fan Yi.”

She rose lightly, the hem of her nightgown brushing against the man’s wrist, igniting a scorching tremor.

Fan Yi silently watched the girl’s carefree figure ascend the stairs. Si Tang, of course, couldn’t see that his gaze had shed its gentleness, turning fervent, obsessive, and determined as if he wanted to devour her whole.

The next day, as it was the scheduled day for her meeting with the He Corporation, Si Tang dressed more formally and solemnly.

A simple, tailored wrap dress was paired with a white blazer, revealing her straight, pale calves. Her high heels hinted at a uniquely feminine blend of languor and elegance.

Her dark, long hair was tied up, exposing a pair of delicate earrings. Her makeup was subtle, but her natural beauty shone through, with rose matte lipstick making her lips particularly captivating.

The moment she descended the stairs, Fan Yi’s gaze covertly remained fixed on her.

An intense, wary intuition unsettled him, leaving his mind restless.

Before he could even call Si Tang for breakfast, he caught a faint, cool whiff of woody fragrance, followed by the sound of the front door opening and closing. The empty living room was left with only the lingering, cheerful echo of Siting’s voice.

“You all go ahead and eat. There’s no need to drop me off at Xing Nian today I have other plans.”

The living room fell into a palpable silence.

8856 stiffened, not daring to look at the man at the head of the table. He clutched his sandwich, too afraid to take another bite, and simply chewed the food in his mouth twice before swallowing.

The next moment, a cold voice cut through the silence.

“Eat. Keep eating.”

Fan Yi turned to 8856 with an expressionless face.

8856: What crime have I committed to deserve this?

He tearfully set down his sandwich. However, he had a rough idea why Fan Yi was angry, this was the first breakfast Lord Fan Yi had made with his own hands, having spent the entire night experimenting in the kitchen, unlike before when he would simply use his divine power to whip something up.

8856 felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles, wishing he could be as inanimate as a trident.

As he pondered how to discreetly escape the scene, Lord Fan Yi suddenly spoke in a cold, inexplicable tone.

“She actually wore perfume.According to research in books, in human social interactions, wearing perfume is a useful detail to enhance the other party’s favor and boost personal charm.

8856: “…”

Still bewildered, he watched as Lord Fan Yi abruptly sprang up from his chair, his tone turning grim.

“Follow her.”

At Shuiyunjian.

The light was hazy like mist, with a few Xuan paper lanterns casting a warm, soft glow onto the ink-wash patterned floor tiles, evoking the faint silhouette of distant mountains. A subtle scent of agarwood drifted in the air, making one unconsciously soften their breath.

Behind a half-concealed carved screen, Si Tang waited by the window seat.

When He Chenzhou arrived, he saw the woman pouring tea with her head lowered. A thin stream flowed from the spout of the purple clay teapot, and the steam curled upward, blurring her delicate, picturesque features.

As he took his seat, Si Tang looked up with a smile, stood, and greeted him in a tone as gentle as pearls falling into a bowl.

“President He, I’ve long admired your reputation. Please, have a seat.”

He Chenzhou curved his lips slightly and sat down without a word, his calm yet sharp gaze resting lightly on Si Tang.

While he observed her, Si Tang was also discreetly sizing up this influential figure rumored to hold sway over both business and politics in the capital.

The man was strikingly handsome, with sharp, aggressive features and pitch-black eyes so deep they seemed bottomless. His gaze was calm as still water, yet carried an intensity that made others wary of meeting it directly.

Beneath his tailored suit lay a wild, untamed tension, and the plain band on his left ring finger signaled a clear boundary stay away. The faint, almost imperceptible curve of his lips held a danger as lethal as a poisoned blade.

“This year’s pre-Qingming Biluochun,” Si Tang said calmly, her expression unreadable as she pushed a white porcelain teacup toward him. “For you, President He.”

He Chenzhou accepted it, taking an elegant, measured sip. Out of the corner of his eye, he noted the woman’s upright, dignified posture.