Engagement Annulled? Now The Husbands Kneel and Beg for Her Favor

Chapter 236: Chapter 236: I Promise You

Dragons have high body temperatures, and their fingers are warm, too.

When their fingertips touched, Jiang Youchen’s body clearly stiffened.

Being this close, Jiang Qingli could clearly see his long, lowered eyelashes tremble.

Her initial feeling of being touched turned into a slight unease.

’Why isn’t he saying anything? What’s with that expression?’

’Does he think I’m too childish?’

Jiang Qingli thought about it and felt a little childish herself, so she tried to pull her hand back.

But just as her fingers created a little distance, her hand was caught in his. A familiar warmth enveloped the back of her hand and fingers.

He squeezed gently, but he didn’t lock their fingers together, just held her hand loosely.

It was like holding a butterfly—if he held too tight, he was afraid he’d crush it, but if he held too loose, he was afraid it would fly away.

Jiang Youchen didn’t look at her, only saying in a deep voice, "Let’s go."

The path from the backstage dressing room to the main stage was a long corridor.

Maybe it was because of the fight that had just broken out, or maybe because most people had gone to the front of the stage to wait for the curtain call, but the hallway was completely empty.

The motion-activated lights turned on as they approached and off as they walked away.

Jiang Qingli looked down at the hand holding hers.

Jiang Youchen’s hands were long and beautiful, with well-defined knuckles. Faint blue veins ran across the back, giving them a refined, elegant look.

Back when Jiang Youchen used to pick her up, he’d carry her schoolbag and bring her ice cream. The other girls in her class always said his hands were gorgeous, but she never thought they were anything special back then, having gotten used to seeing them every day.

Now, not having seen him for a long time, she deeply agreed.

But things were different now. Jiang Youchen was battle-hardened, and his once-pampered hands now had thin calluses from combat, which felt unfamiliar to the touch.

Sensing her gaze, Jiang Youchen asked, "What are you looking at?"

"Your hands." A nostalgic look appeared on Jiang Qingli’s face. "It reminds me of how so many of my classmates used to ask me for your contact information... You were super popular, Brother."

Jiang Youchen’s gaze paused for a moment on the curve of her lips, and his own lips parted slightly.

He seemed to want to ask something, but he just grunted in acknowledgment and said, "And *someone* gave it to them every time."

"That’s because you agreed to it!"

"They were your classmates, after all."

"If you had said no, I wouldn’t have given it to them. Besides, you’d add them and then never talk to them. They started to suspect I’d given them my own alternate account. You were ignoring me around that time too, so I even wondered if you were secretly dating someone behind my back..."

Jiang Qingli found the memory amusing as she spoke, but the young man beside her suddenly stopped walking.

Jiang Youchen looked down at her, his expression unreadable in the dim light.

She couldn’t see his face clearly, but his intense gaze made her heart beat faster. It was as if she had stumbled to the edge of a cliff in the dark; she had the dangerous feeling that one wrong step would send her plummeting.

The few seconds felt stretched out. Just as Jiang Qingli was about to ask what was wrong, he suddenly turned to look into the distance.

Following his gaze, Jiang Qingli saw the gentle-faced young man standing at the stage entrance at the end of the hall, smiling at them.

She had no idea how long he’d been standing there.

Someone next to him poked their head out, said something to Baili Jing, and then looked over. They made a pleading gesture at Jiang Qingli and said loudly, "Chairman Jiang, could you please wait five more minutes before going on stage? Chairman Xie has been held up by something, but he’ll be here right away."

Jiang Qingli nodded.

By now, she and Jiang Youchen had reached the entrance.

The person who had spoken to them had already left to notify the others.

This area, just a few meters from the stage, was sectioned off by a heavy curtain. In the dim, narrow waiting area, only the three of them remained.

"Thank you for bringing Xiao Li over for me, Youchen." Baili Jing was the first to break the silence. He looked up at Jiang Youchen with a gentle smile. "It’s been so long, and you’re still such a good brother."

Jiang Youchen met his gaze. "No need to thank me. After all, when Baili Actor gets busy, he tends to forget the details."

He was mocking Baili Jing, implying that as the executive producer, and more importantly, as Jiang Qingli’s Beast Husband, he had been derelict in his duty, which led to the incident with her shoes.

How could Baili Jing not understand the jab? But he did feel guilty about the matter. In his head, he was cursing this Dragon to death by a thousand cuts, but on the surface, he could only smile. "Thank you for the reminder. I’ll be more careful next time and not give anyone with ulterior motives an opportunity."

As he spoke, his gaze fell on their joined hands.

A cold snort escaped Jiang Youchen’s throat. He tightened his grip on her fingers, as if afraid a slippery loach would get away.

Jiang Qingli, completely oblivious, unconsciously swung her brother’s hand.

Seeing this, Baili Jing felt even more strongly that he had gone too easy on him during their last fight.

Otherwise, how could such an infuriating scene be happening right now?

Someone behind them called out softly to "Mr. Baili," their tone slightly anxious. It seemed the earlier problem hadn’t been resolved.

Jiang Qingli reassured him, "You should go. Don’t worry about me. I’ve memorized the whole procedure. Everything will go smoothly!"

"I know. My baby is the most amazing."

Baili Jing’s lips curved into a smile.

Then he cupped the girl’s face, leaned down, and his lips lightly brushed her ear. His low, magnetic voice chuckled next to it. "The gift is ready. I’ll be waiting for Chairman Jiang’s good news."

Caught completely off guard, Jiang Qingli quickly pulled her hand from Jiang Youchen’s to cover her ear, shooting a glare at Baili Jing at the same time.

In the past, she had been terrified of Baili Jing slipping up in front of Jiang Youchen and revealing their secret first-love relationship.

Even now that they were a legally married couple, she was still a coward about it.

Baili Jing’s lips curled. He straightened up and gave Jiang Youchen a very proper nod. "I’ll head over first, then. See you at the banquet."

A cold sneer played on Jiang Youchen’s lips. He couldn’t even be bothered to glance at him.

His displeasure clearly pleased Baili Jing. As he left, his steps were light, a complete reversal from his mood when he saw the two of them holding hands.

After Baili Jing left, Jiang Qingli felt a little awkward. She stared at her feet and rubbed her ear, pretending to be busy while silently praying that someone would come get her soon, lest Jiang Youchen get upset.

She didn’t know why, but even though it was a perfectly normal interaction, Jiang Qingli had a vague feeling that Jiang Youchen would be angry.

Once, he had seen someone give her a love letter, and he’d worn a grim expression and refused to speak the entire way home. After she pestered him for ages, he finally said with a straight face, "You’re still too young."

’Well, I’m not too young anymore.’

Jiang Qingli silently retorted in her head.

She had rubbed her ear red by the time Jiang Youchen finally spoke. "Ah Li."

"Hm?"

Jiang Qingli stopped what she was doing. Seeing someone approach through a gap in the curtain, she raised her hand to pull it aside.

Light fell on her face, and her eyes, which had adjusted to the gloom, squinted against the sudden glare.

His low, magnetic voice spoke, enunciating every word. "I have never dated anyone behind your back."

"A promise I make to you will always be kept."

Jiang Qingli glanced to the side, meeting his dark eyes.

Something seemed to flash within them, but someone up ahead was urging her on. With no time to think it over, she composed herself and walked onto the stage.

Under the bright, dazzling lights, Jiang Qingli took her position and began her speech.

It wasn’t until she had successfully finished and the stage was filled with thunderous applause that it hit her. As she bowed, she caught a glimpse of the young man standing below, applauding, and she was a beat too slow in realizing what promise he had been talking about.

A few years ago, a very cute cat-like male had given her a love letter, and Jiang Youchen had seen it.

Jiang Youchen told her to reject him. She didn’t actually like the guy that much, but she was in her rebellious phase and hated being told what to do. She retorted immediately, "Why can’t I date anyone? Just because you’re old enough, you think you can order me around? That’s not fair!"

"You’re still young, and he’s not a good match for you." The younger Jiang Youchen squatted beside her then, his posture almost humble as he looked up at her. "If you absolutely have to date someone, how about I help you pick a better male, okay?"

Seeing the girl’s eyes light up, he added, "But... only after you’re grown up."

Her eyes went wide. She was so angry she got up and paced around the room several times before suddenly declaring, "I can’t be the only one who stays single!"

"You’re not allowed to date anyone without my permission!"

In her memory, she had said it just to vent her anger and hadn’t taken it seriously at all.

But Jiang Youchen had looked at her, and his dim eyes had slowly brightened. In the end, he had actually smiled and said, "Okay. I promise."