Chapter 385: I Can Never Go Back to Being Who I Used to Be

The guy was dancing energetically when someone pulled him out of the dance floor; he couldn't see who it was, angrily twisting his neck and shouting, "Let go! Who are you? Do I know you?"

He met a pair of cold, sharp eyes.

Xu Yanfeng pulled the guy to in front of Xia Xi and let go.

The guy shook his askew vest, glanced at Xu Yanfeng then Xia Xi, neither of whom he knew, frowned, and asked, "Who are you? What do you want?"

Xia Xi stared at his face; the surveillance footage lacked clarity, but here the lighting was bright and facial details were clear, allowing Xia Xi to see that this guy's brows and eyes resembled Chen Songbai's somewhat.

Do you know Miao Yijia?

"What Miao..." the guy instinctively denied, then belatedly recalled who she was, his expression unnatural as he looked away.

He turned to leave, but Xu Yanfeng blocked him: "Speak properly."

The guy had no choice but to stop.

Xia Xi pulled up the surveillance video on her phone, turned it toward him, and said, "Don't think you can deny it."

The guy stared at the phone screen, seeing him and Miao Yijia clumsily entering a private room together and never coming out; his eyelids twitched twice, he rubbed the area under his nose with his knuckle, and asked, "What does this have to do with you?"

"Hand the video over to the police, and you'll find out what it has to do with us." Xu Yanfeng said in a cool tone.

The guy wasn't very old; hearing this, he clearly panicked, speaking incoherently: "How... how did the police get involved? I had relations with that girl, it was consensual, right? Besides, she was the one who kissed me that night! I asked if she wanted to go upstairs to a private room, and she didn't refuse. We'd both had a lot to drink, but weren't drunk. It's been a while since then, and she never came to me about anything."

Hearing the answer she wanted, Xia Xi slightly lifted her chin: "Alright, you can go."

The guy stared, somewhat incredulous, but after only a second's hesitation he bolted like he was fleeing, stopped dancing, and left the bar directly.

Away from the bar's clamor, a fresh breeze blowing, Xia Xi exhaled, linked her arm with Xu Yanfeng's, and said, "I feel like things are getting more and more complicated."

Xu Yanfeng: "Where is it complicated?"

"We know Miao Yijia and this guy indeed had a physical relationship, but how can we prove the baby in her belly is his and not Chen Songbai's?" Xia Xi had no idea, "Miao Yijia now insists the child is Chen Songbai's."

Xu Yanfeng could tell from her expression how stressed she was, he tapped her temple: "Let your brain rest a bit."

Xia Xi glanced at him, unable to rest: "Do we have to wait until the baby is born for a paternity test? Before that, we don't know what trouble she'll stir up. Not resolving her for a day leaves a constant hidden danger."

Xu Yanfeng opened the passenger door, shoved her inside, and said, "We'll talk about it at home."

Arriving home, Xia Xi was still pondering; hearing Zhangyi say Zi Heng had already slept, she rubbed her forehead, briefly cleared her mind, went to the children's room to look, the little one was sound asleep, the blanket neatly tucked.

Xia Xi slipped out quietly, Xu Yanfeng handed her a cup of warm water; after a few sips, she looked at Xu Yanfeng and said, "You say if I take this evidence to trick Miao Yijia, could it possibly get her to tell the truth?"

Xu Yanfeng sighed, took the water cup from her hand and put it on the table, bent slightly to lift her up, walked toward the room: "What you need to do now is bathe and sleep; we'll think about the rest tomorrow."

"I don't feel at ease." Xia Xi wrapped her arms around his neck, "This concerns Xuanxuan; she's very pure, having been protected all her life, never exposed to the wickedness of people, and after marrying Chen Songbai, he treats her well too."

"Mm."

"I'm her sister; with this happening, if I don't help her, who will? My mom and older sister don't understand anything."

"Mm."

"Relying on Chen Songbai alone won't work; he's no match for Miao Yijia."

"Mm."

"..."

Xia Xi glanced at him; he curled his lip: "How so?"

"Have you been listening to what I'm saying?"

"I heard."

"Say it again."

The room fell silent for a few seconds; Xu Yanfeng didn't pause his steps, holding her as he walked to the bathroom, he lowered his head to gaze at her slightly doubtful eyes, resignedly said, "No matter what you want to do, I'll accompany you."

Xia Xi felt soothed, she moved in to kiss him lightly: "I understand."

Xu Yanfeng set her down, stepped forward, pressed her against the tiled wall, his broad warm palm supporting her back: "If you're going to kiss, do it properly, not half-heartedly like you."

As soon as he finished speaking, his lips met hers, demonstrating what a proper kiss was. As they kissed, the flavor shifted; in her dazed state, his hand followed the edge of her clothing inward, firmly resting on her waist.

Taking advantage of his lips moving from hers to elsewhere, Xia Xi protested intermittently: "You... can't... like this..."

He found a moment to reply, his voice muffled: "Which way?"

"Already this afternoon... how come again tonight..."

Her thoughts were jumbled by his kisses, naturally her words came out slurred, but Xu Yanfeng understood her meaning; he unbuttoned his shirt one by one, his voice mingling with breathless panting, unable to hold back: "Noon is noon, night is night—can they be compared?"

Xia Xi: "..."

How can there be so many twisted arguments; he wasn't like this before.

She spoke her heartfelt words; he tossed aside his shirt, nibbling at her collarbone, his voice low and hoarse asking: "Then, do you like the present me, or the past me?"

Resolved to treat him well, Xia Xi couldn't bring herself to say something contrary to her feelings; her eyes' corners flushed, her lips opened and closed, she whispered softly: "I like both."

Xu Yanfeng: "Speak more clearly."

Xia Xi struggled to gather her fragmented thoughts, as he wished, she expressed clearly: "Whether it's the present you or the past you, I like you."

"Mm." Xu Yanfeng's eyes welled with desire, "Me too."

"What's the same?"

"You tell me."

"You mean you feel the same way, liking both the past me and the present me?" Xia Xi's remaining lucid consciousness was scant; he had turned on the hot water, steam filled the room, her eyes looked as if soaked in water, glossy and moist, "But I feel my personality has changed a lot compared to before. Do you perhaps prefer the old me?"

Although both are liked, there will always be degrees. Formerly she was bold and fearless, liking what she liked and disliking what she disliked, her emotions fervent; unlike now, where she habitually weighs pros and cons for many things, overthinking, she has become steady and calm—in some situations this trait is good, in others not necessarily.

Xu Yanfeng frowned, paused.

Meeting his gaze, Xia Xi felt a tinge of regret: "Too bad, unless time rewinds, I can never go back to being who I once was."

"You're wrong." Xu Yanfeng's voice low and husky from desire, "It's not liking, it's love."

He was certain he would never love another person the way he loves her in this lifetime.

Everything related to love, he learned from her.

Only with her as the object would he willingly submit to her direction.

Does she actually understand?

She still asks such a stupid question.

Originally it was quite affectionate, but Xu Yanfeng suddenly felt her words were like slandering him, saying he didn't love her enough. How could he accept such a conclusion? He kissed her lips again, with an attitude of not intending to let her go.

Xia Xi begged for mercy.

Xu Yanfeng's heart softened; he went around her, ended up doing nothing, and attentively attended to her bath in every way.

Of course, he inevitably took some advantage in the process.

Miao Yijia spent another whole night unable to sleep; since the pregnancy went from suspicion to fact, she couldn't stop panicking—the child in her belly was the offspring of a man she had only met once, equivalent to a stranger.

How could she not panic?

Only a moment of bewilderment would make her be swayed by Miao Cuixia's words, admitting she was pregnant, admitting the child was Chen Songbai's, just to force him to divorce quickly.

Miao Yijia wished she could slap her past self to death.

She still needed to get rid of the child as soon as possible; each extra day she carried it made her more anxious.

Miao Yijia was forcibly kept at home by Miao Cuixia, not returning to her rented apartment; tomorrow her parents would come over, and just thinking about what she would face gave her a headache, making her even less able to sleep.