After Teasing the Crazy Mermaid, He Actually Deceived Me into Marriage - Chapter 76

His deep, mellow voice carried no emotion, and Si Tang couldn’t discern his true intentions behind those words.

“You investigated me?” Si Tang instinctively retorted.

The shock and suspicion in her eyes didn’t anger him; instead, he even smiled faintly.

“I meant no harm.”

From Si Tang’s reaction, He Chenzhou confirmed his suspicion their marriage was merely a contractual arrangement, solely for the sake of those shares.

Si Tang’s unsettled gaze remained fixed on him.

Gradually, a startling conjecture began to form in her mind.

“President He, you wouldn’t, have feelings for me, would you?” Si Tang couldn’t finish her sentence, pausing briefly before adding in a cautionary tone, “You have a fiancee.”

Hearing this, He Chenzhou finally lowered his gaze slightly, raising his left hand to idly twist the simple silver ring on his finger, replying calmly, “It’s fake.”

“Fake?” Si Tang’s voice rose in disbelief.

“I don’t have a fiancée. It was just to prevent business partners from pushing women onto me.”

“…”

Si Tang was at a loss for words.

She could only say, “I’m married.” Feeling it wasn’t enough, she added earnestly, “Even though it’s a contractual marriage, I have a lot of affection for my current husband.”

He Chenzhou’s expression remained unchanged, leaving no clue as to his thoughts. He even pressed on calmly, “What kind of affection?”

Si Tang replied instinctively, “He’s gentle, polite, chivalrous, respects me, cherishes me, and stays by my side.”

Gentle and chivalrous? He Chenzhou couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly.

If the man staring at him like a madman from a distance could be described that way.

“Si Tang.” It was the first time he had called her by her full name.

Si Tang was taken aback, only to hear him say meaningfully, “Some people, you need to see clearly for yourself.”

Si Tang: “…”

What is he talking about? It’s so hard to understand.

After saying this, He Chenzhou showed no intention of continuing the conversation. Before leaving, he instinctively glanced toward Fan Yi in the distance, his expression thoughtful.

The intense possessiveness in that man’s eyes when he looked at Si Tang was far from normal.

During his investigation, he hadn’t uncovered much about him it was as if this man had appeared out of thin air from abroad.

After getting into a Rolls-Royce, He Chenzhou made a call and instructed, “Keep Si Tang safe discreetly.”

“Especially that man named Fan Yi by her side. Keep an eye on him for me.”

…

After He Chenzhou left, Si Tang turned and walked back toward Fan Yi, noticing that he was watching her with an unusual look in his eyes.

“What’s wrong?” she asked instinctively.

Fan Yi’s gaze fell on the suit jacket draped over her shoulder.

Si Tang removed the jacket and draped it over her arm. Lost in thought earlier, she had forgotten to return it to He Chenzhou. She would have to dry-clean it and find an opportunity to return it later.

“What did you two talk about?” Fan Yi asked quietly.

Si Tang paused briefly before casually replying, “Nothing much, just some work-related matters.”

She thought it best to avoid unnecessary trouble, having already made things clear with He Chenzhou.

After speaking, she prepared to walk away nonchalantly, but her wrist was abruptly grabbed. Startled, Si Tang turned back in surprise.

She met a pair of narrow, complex eyes, the corners tinged with an eerie blue. They were like a vortex, threatening to pull her in.

Fan Yi lowered his head slightly. He wanted to ask, why did she lie to him?

He also thought, if they were to become mates, Tangtang would never be able to deceive him again.

“Fan Yi?” she murmured softly, watching the silent Fan Yi with a doubtful gaze.

The cold grip on her wrist felt restraining, completely unlike his usual demeanor.

It seemed that her nominal husband had another side she knew nothing about.

Time ticked by. Fan Yi remembered that Si Tang had only just begun to warm up to him. Was he really going to ruin everything at this critical moment?

He lowered his gaze, concealing the deep blue in his eyes, released her wrist, and instead took her hand in his. Then he looked up and gave her a gentle smile.

His eyes, now restored to their usual dark hue, shimmered softly.

“Nothing, I just wanted to hold your hand.”

Si Tang’s ears flushed slightly, her doubts temporarily eased as he led her out of the banquet hall.

Outside, a sudden gust of wind from nowhere blew the coat draped over her arm straight into a trash can.

Si Tang: “…”

It seemed she’d have to buy a new one another day.

Behind them, 8856 followed silently, thinking to himself that today had been a rollercoaster of close calls.

Back at Haiyuan, Si Tang seemed preoccupied.

She kept replaying the moment when the video exposing Si Xi had suddenly turned into garbled code.

Even as she lay in bed that night, her mind wandered through strange and disjointed thoughts, inexplicably recalling He Chenzhou’s words.

“Some people, you still need to see clearly for yourself.”

See who clearly? Fan Yi?

Frustrated, Si Tang buried herself under the covers. By 3 a.m., she still hadn’t fallen asleep.

Suddenly, amid her restless thoughts, she heard a faint sound from the bedroom door. Startled, she strained to listen, but for some reason, a wave of drowsiness washed over her as if it had a will of its own, forcibly pulling her into sleep.

It was utterly bizarre.

That was the last thought that crossed Si Tang’s mind before she drifted off.

In the moonlit bedroom, Fan Yi approached the bed, deftly pulled back the tightly clutched covers, and lay down beside her.

Noticing her flushed face from being buried under the blanket unusual for her he chuckled softly.

His fingers traced her cheek freely, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

Unable to resist, he leaned closer, inhaling the scent of her hair, nuzzling the side of her neck. His arms wrapped tightly around her, and his lips instinctively found their way to Si Tang’s rosy mouth, kissing and teasing.

His hands seemed to move on their own, settling over her chest.

Tangtang is so soft, everywhere is soft, he thought quietly.

The next morning, Si Tang woke up groggily, no longer buried under the covers.

When she entered the bathroom, she noticed her lips were swollen again.

“…”

She stared at her reflection in stunned silence for a few seconds, then began to question the noise she’d heard before falling asleep.

She checked the bedroom door it was securely locked. Pulling back the curtains, she saw the window was a sliding type, making it impossible for a thief to enter.

Returning to the bedroom, she sat on the bed in a daze until her phone buzzed. Picking it up, she was surprised to see a message from Ling Xubai.

“Miss Si Tang, have you ever felt that your husband is. unusual?”

Si Tang’s eyes widened as she read the message.

Why would Ling Xubai say something like that?

Another message followed.

“In the past few months, have you noticed anything strange or unexplainable happening around you?”

Staring at the two texts, Si Tang furrowed her brows, lost in thought for a long time.

A few seconds later, the other person spoke again.

“Let’s meet up when you’re free.”

Si Tang pressed her lips together and turned off her phone. The next moment, her room door suddenly knocked.

“Tangtang, are you awake? It’s time to eat.”

At that moment, a strange and terrifying suspicion flashed through Si Tang’s mind.

Ever since she moved to Haiyuan, whether she woke up at seven or nine in the morning, Fan Yi would always knock on her door without fail, calling her to eat, with the timing never off by more than a few minutes.

It was as if he knew exactly when she woke up as if she had been living under his surveillance all along.