When Xie Jingyu finally gathered his thoughts, he looked at Yu Huiyin in his embrace. She was obediently nestling against his chest, relaxing and doing nothing but allowing him to hold her.
He knew that she had to be worried about him, and he was aware that he had promised to tell her everything in the future, but what Bai Lian had said was something he was unsure of how to tell her.
He sighed and caressed her head, his hands gently combing through her soft hair, which was still warm from when she dried it after finishing her bath.
The soft touch on his hand made him even more reluctant to tell her, but he also knew that his reaction was very strange in her eyes. Even if he did not want to tell her, would she not ask any questions?
He needed to find the right way of explaining what had happened, but he was unsure of how to do so.
That woman had just called him, but why was it that she had returned to the country. Was she really out to cause problems?
"Huiyin," he called out as he buried his face at the crook of her neck, greedily taking in the scent of flowers alongside her own natural scent.
No matter how much he touched her it was never enough, but now was not the time to give in to his lust. He had to figure out a way to tell her what was going on, but he was scared.
He had been scared when she had suddenly vanished before, and even more scared when he found out that she had been involved in a shootout, but that was different.
This time, he had done something wrong, and she might blame him for it. He could not bear for her to be disappointed in him, for her to look at him with hurt in her eyes.
Still, this was something he had to face sooner rather than later, and he took her hand and led her towards the bed, where they sat down and looked at one another.
"Huiyin, there is something I ought to tell you," he said seriously, and Yu Huiyin just nodded her head. She could see that his eyes were full of pain, and he wondered what could be so serious that he was in such agony. Her heart ached for him.
"When I was younger I never paid attention to women," Xie Jingyu began, his heart beating rapidly in fear. "I only had a few good friends who I hung out with, and one of them happened to have a little sister.
"This little sister always used every trick in her book to get close to me. At first, I thought she was just curious about her brother's friend, but when we began in high school, she confessed to me.
"After then, she confessed to me every single year on the exact same day. My friend, her brother, was never happy with the fact that I turned her down, but he was not willing to pressure me into accepting her either. He valued our friendship, but he could not handle seeing his sister sad.
"So we made a decision, that if I were not married when I turned thirty, then I would have to marry her. She has been waiting for me for all these years; she is merely one year younger than me.
"Her name is Lu Changying. You should be able to remember the name, since it is the same as your half-brother, and it seems that they have the same personality too.
"She called me to hear whether or not I was truly married, and when I told her, she rushed back from overseas.
"I am afraid that she might try to cause you problems. I have already made it clear to her that I love you, and that you are my wife, but she is stubborn and quite prideful.
"Since I never found a woman through all these years, she seemed to have a lot of hope in being able to become Mrs. Xie, but now she suddenly found out that I am married and the blow is not light.
"I have already told her brother about our wedding, and I think it is from him that she has been given the news. He is not going to get involved, but even if he is not involved, I do not know what she will do.
"Please don't go anywhere without your bodyguard in the future, and make sure to stay with me as much as possible.
"Bai Lian contacted me to tell me about her return, and I am having a bad feeling about it. I don't think she is able to let go of the past as easily as I am, but then again, I never loved her."
Yu Huiyin stared at him with a blank look on her face. Her thoughts were in turmoil. One part of her felt sour because he had made such a casual promise about marriage to a woman he did not love, but a part of her was also feeling sweet. He was so scared of her misunderstanding him that she did not know what to do.
The longer she stood there, saying nothing, the longer Xie Jingyu felt horrible, but then he saw a smile tugging on her lips. "You never married her, and as you said, you never loved her either. I understand your worry, and I will make sure to always bring a bodyguard with me whenever I leave the mansion in the future."
Seeing that she was so calm about it all, Xie Jingyu heaved a heavy sigh of relief. He understood her well; if he did not treat her properly, she would not hesitate to leave him.