Chapter 330: They Are Husband and Wife, Yet Strangers

The space inside the villa was very spacious; more than half of the first floor was used as a living room, while the remaining small portion was an open-style kitchen.

The second floor contained all the bedrooms and a large media room.

Watching Qin Yiyan head to the master bedroom on the left, Liu Xin'ai chose the room on the right side of the hallway, the one furthest from him, without a moment's hesitation.

Closing the bedroom door, Liu Xin'ai finally found a sense of security and let out a sharp sigh of relief; the enclosed environment, where she was all alone, made her feel much more relaxed.

Liu Xin'ai did not delay for a moment, however; she took off the pearl necklace from her neck and tossed it onto the table.

The next second, she quickly retrieved a small, square velvet box from her handbag.

"Click," the lid of the box opened gently.

A diamond ring with a simple design, threaded onto a silver chain, lay quietly inside.

Liu Xin'ai carefully picked up the necklace, turned, and went to the mirror to put it back on around her neck.

"Cheng Hao..."

She whispered softly, looking at the ring hanging against her chest, her eyes filled with nothing but endless sorrow.

Suddenly thinking of something, she took off the other ring from her finger.

That was also an engagement ring.

It was the one Qin Yiyan had placed on her hand just a few hours ago.

Two rings: one cherished years of affection, while the other was merely a formality.

Liu Xin'ai touched the ring on her chest, unable to help but drift into a daze.

She did not know how long she had been staring at herself in the mirror when she suddenly heard the sound of waves crashing against the shore outside the window.

Liu Xin'ai snapped back to reality and instinctively looked toward the window, only then seeing that the outdoors, separated by sheer curtains, was actually facing the beach.

At this moment, quite a few people were playing on the sand, looking incredibly lively.

Liu Xin'ai was slightly stunned, suddenly feeling a desire to go for a walk on the beach.

She changed into comfortable clothes and opened the bedroom door.

The hallway was completely quiet.

Liu Xin'ai glanced in the direction of Qin Yiyan's bedroom, instinctively lightened her footsteps, and walked toward the entrance.

After exiting the villa's front door, the beach was just a short distance away.

Liu Xin'ai, somewhat distracted, instinctively moved closer toward the seaside; only then did she see that under a sun umbrella not far away, Qin Yiyan had already changed his clothes and was sitting there, holding a wine glass and chatting with two foreign women nearby.

Liu Xin'ai's footsteps faltered, a flash of confusion crossing her eyes.

When did he come out?

This question suddenly surfaced in her mind, but she was too lazy to think about it and decided to change direction.

But just as she intended to leave, she saw Qin Yiyan suddenly look in her direction and raise the wine glass in his hand.

Liu Xin'ai was slightly stunned.

Immediately after, she heard the two women beside him ask in English, "Oh, sir, is that Oriental beauty over there your lover?"

Liu Xin'ai's brow furrowed sharply; she felt somewhat uncomfortable with the word "lover."

Then she saw Qin Yiyan raise an eyebrow, shake his head, and reply, "No, she is my... fiancée, but... she is a very boring person."

Liu Xin'ai was taken aback again, feeling a strange flare of anger in her heart, so she simply strode over.

Qin Yiyan did not expect her to come over directly; he couldn't help but show a flash of surprise, but immediately returned to his usual expression and asked in a casual tone, "Would you like a drink?"

Liu Xin'ai did not speak; without a word, she picked up the other glass filled with wine in front of him and downed it in one gulp.

Qin Yiyan's gaze instinctively fell upon the neck she had arched while drinking, and a dark light flashed through his eyes.

A ring?

Did she specifically take off the pearl necklace when she went back to her room just now?

Qin Yiyan suddenly thought of something, his eyes slowly shifting to Liu Xin'ai's bare finger, and a flash of annoyance crossed his eyes.

Then he heard her suddenly say, "I am boring, that's true; of course, I can't compare to your skill of saying one thing to someone's face and another behind their back."

Liu Xin'ai dropped the cold remark and turned to leave.

She had spoken in Chinese, so the two foreign women did not know what had happened and looked at each other in confusion for a moment.

Seeing Qin Yiyan's expression change sharply the moment Liu Xin'ai finished speaking, he suddenly stood up!

"Hey, sir..."

The two women instinctively wanted to stop him, but Qin Yiyan didn't give them a chance and strode off in pursuit of Liu Xin'ai.

Liu Xin'ai, however, had already walked far away.

Not until he caught up to the entrance did Qin Yiyan grab Liu Xin'ai by the wrist.

"Stop!"

He barked in a low tone, his face no longer wearing that harmonious expression, but instead looking at the person before him with a certain coldness.

Liu Xin'ai's words just now had truly surprised him.

He had originally thought she was like a little lamb that was easy to bully, both docile and obedient, but...

It seemed he had already seen her unsheathe her claws twice...

Qin Yiyan's gaze flickered for a moment, and just as he was about to speak, he felt his hand being violently shaken off!

Liu Xin'ai did not look back; she pulled open the villa door and walked inside.

Qin Yiyan couldn't help but feel even more furious; realizing they were still standing at the door, he followed her in, slammed the door shut with a "bang," and grabbed Liu Xin'ai once again.

"I told you to wait, didn't you hear me?"

His tone was laced with a hint of impatience.

Liu Xin'ai's footsteps finally came to a sharp halt.

She turned her head, looking at the man before her with an expressionless face, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Qin Yiyan did not expect her to be like this, and he couldn't help but be stunned.

She had only drunk one glass of wine, yet she was already blushing?

How could her alcohol tolerance be so poor?

Just as Qin Yiyan was thinking this, he heard the person in front of him ask, word by word: "This is your true face, isn't it?"

"What?"

Qin Yiyan was stunned upon hearing this, his expression somewhat puzzled.

Because the alcohol had gone to her head, Liu Xin'ai suddenly wanted to say everything she had been hiding in her heart all along the way.

"You were never a person with a good temper to begin with, yet you pretend to be easy to talk to; isn't that being two-faced? I've wanted to ask you since the first time we met: for a person like you, isn't it tiring to live like this every day?"

Liu Xin'ai spoke without any courtesy, and the flush on her face grew deeper and deeper.

She was not good with alcohol to begin with, which was why she had wanted to return to rest immediately after recklessly drinking that glass of wine just now.

Qin Yiyan, however, did not speak, his expression turning completely cold.

He had always been this way; he spoke to each person according to who they were.

Whether in the business world or within the family, doing this could always save some trouble; why bother having a cold face and clashing head-on?

Although he had the ability to do so, there was no real need.

Unless the matter touched upon his interests.

Just like when the family first proposed the marriage.

Since having or not having this marriage would not affect him, why make a scene at home? It was better to just agree to it and choose the most worry-free and obedient woman.

But now...

Liu Xin'ai was clearly deviating somewhat from his original expectations.