Only when Yun Mo was completely out of sight did Qiao Xiaon'an look down under the brightly lit chandelier, adjusting her shoes in a daze and mumbling thoughts to herself:
"What does he mean by having a shower then going into Yun Mo's room?"
"What's his intention?"
"Does he mean that I need to have a shower before getting into his room?"
"Or that he specifically wants me to go into his room?"
After contemplating, Qiao Xiaon'an found herself becoming shade colder, would his instructions mean that marriage is... consummated?
She had no such feelings for Yun Mo after all.
In fact, Qiao Xiaon'an was overthinking.
An hour had passed by the time she showered, blow-dried her hair and got bored watching the night view from her room. Yun Mo has not appeared yet so she wandered through the room talking to herself:
"This room is too spacious, both sides are fitted with floor-to-ceiling windows."
"Did Yun Mo say this was his room? Wasn't I asleep here the day before yesterday?"
"He let me sleep here even when I was drunk? Surely there would be other rooms available?"
"Yun Mutou, you are not as cold as I thought before. Ha ha... could you be sympathetic towards the weaker sex?"
"No way, definitely not."
From the floor-to-ceiling window in the left side of her room, she walked to the right side, leaning against the balcony to look at D City's shimmering night view, the bustling cityscape floating beneath her like a cloud. Whoever lived here must belong to the societal elite.
Qiao Xiaon'an sighed deeply.
"Oh, Yun Mutou, why did it have to be you who holds my destiny?"
"And yet, you're from an elite family, and I was born as a commoner. This...marriage...sigh..."
At that moment, her phone rang, waking her from her reverie. She looked at the incoming call—it was her mother. She sluggishly answered but before she could speak, a wave of excitement washed over from the other side, "Xiao'an, have you arrived at the Yun Family residence? Have you met your father-in-law and mother-in-law yet? You must be respectful, you understand?"
Qiao Xiaon'an heaved a long sigh, "Mother, Yun Mo doesn't live with his parents, he has a villa of his own."
Her mother exclaimed, "Wow, a villa... Well, that's good. At least you don't have to live with your in-laws, and you won't have to flatter them every day. You and Yun Mo are free."
Qiao Xiaon'an retorted, "Why should I flatter them? Respect is surely enough."
Her mother scoffed, "That's naive. If you don't flatter them, how can they possibly like you? How can they pass their assets on to you in the future?"
Qiao Xiaon'an protested, "Yuan Meili! What immoral ideas are you teaching your daughter? I'm hanging up."
Her mother cried out, "Hey, hey, hey, don't hang up, the most important thing hasn't been said yet."
Qiao Xiaon'an warned, "Keep it concise, and don't mention money nor status, or I'll hang up."
Her mother on the other end pondered. How could she possibly summarize everything in a single sentence when there were countless concerns and reminders? "Xiao'an, since you are not living with your in-laws, you should get pregnant with Yun Mo's child as soon as possible. That will secure your position in the Yun Family. People who mocked you when you broke up with Chu Nantian will regret their jibes. Especially that Yuan Yifan and her mother. I'd like to see how they will flaunt in front of you."
As she was mindlessly kicking the balcony glass while on the phone, Qiao Xiaon'an started to see why her mother was so desperate to marry her into a wealthy family. When she broke up with Chu Nantian, and after her cousin Yuan Yifan officially got together with him, many relatives switched sides instantly, talking about how it was inevitable that her cousin would marry into a wealthy family while she deserved to be dumped.
In particular, Yuan Yifan's mother, who was also Qiao Xiaon'an's aunt, bragged constantly in front of relatives. She implied that Qiao Xiaon'an and her family were of lowly status and didn't deserve Chu Nantian.
She admitted that her mother might have been inclined toward material gains, but those words did hurt her self-esteem severely.
If she hadn't split with Chu Nantian, her mother wouldn't have been taunted.
Unfortunately, her mother tended to be extreme.
Qiao Xiaon'an sighed deeply into the phone, feeling a bit helpless but also sympathizing a bit. Her previously impatient tone became a bit softer, "Mother, I understand. I will have a good life with Yun Mo, but let's just go with the flow when it comes to having children."
She and Yun Mo were probably not at that stage yet, but she would take this marriage seriously anyway.
Her mother advised, "Xiao'an, since you lost your virginity the night before last, I no longer see you as a girl. You can't let a man be too satisfied, or he will lose interest in you. In that respect, you shouldn't be too obedient to Yun Mo, okay?"
Qiao Xiaon'an remained silent.
Her mother repeated, "It's about that aspect, do you understand?"
Upon hearing this, Qiao Xiaon'an, who was still fiddling with the glass window, stopped, looking at the endless night scenery in the distance with a sudden sense of panic.
That aspect?
How could she understand?
Qiao Xiaon'an confessed, "Actually, nothing happened between me and Yun Mo that night."
Her mother exclaimed, "What? Nothing happened? Why is the Yun Family taking responsibility then?"
Qiao Xiaon'an replied, "I'm not sure either. Maybe Yun Mo was also forced into this marriage, and the Yun Family just assumed that something had happened between us."
Her mother urged, "Tonight's a good opportunity, act fast and make Yun Mo yours."
Qiao Xiaon'an argued, "Mother, you just said not to be too compliant with men, so why should I be the one to make the move on Yun Mo?"
Her mother explained, "First, make it a real marriage, then your position will be solid."
Qiao Xiaon'an didn't respond.
Her mother probed, "Did you hear me?"
Qiao Xiaon'an replied, "Alright, alright, hanging up, hanging up..."
Irritated, Qiao Xiaon'an finally understood why everyone said that women were changeable creatures. One moment her mother warned her against being too obedient to Yun Mo, the next she pushed her to make a move on him. What kind of logic was that?
Feeling helpless, Qiao Xiaon'an shook her head as she walked back into her bedroom. As soon as she stepped in, she saw Yun Mo wearing his pajamas, entering from outside. He only stood at the doorstep, his cold gaze as always, fixed on her.
"Where...where did you take your shower?" She was sure Yun Mo must have taken a shower since he changed into pajamas. She had been in the room all along though, and never saw him coming in to shower. Surprised, she asked, "Were you listening to my phone call with my mother?"
Yun Mo, with his usual cool gaze fixated on her, replied, disjointedly, "You go to sleep first."
By the time Qiao Xiaon'an was trying to make sense of that, Yun Mo, tall and handsome in his pajamas, had already turned and disappeared around the door corner. Over his shoulder, his cold voice echoed, "Don't wait up for me."