Chapter 98 -98 Is It Too Late to Be Shy?
Yuan Xi looked at the blue Dior princess dress in front of her, “If the girl in the photo is actually me, then wouldn’t Huo Shiyuan be…”
Chen Yuan chimed in, “Brother Zhuangzhuang? But Huo Shiyuan doesn’t seem to look much like Brother Zhuangzhuang, does he?”
Yuan Xi also found it quite incredible. She had never once considered that Huo Shiyuan could be Brother Zhuangzhuang from her childhood.
Especially after Little Shihuo appeared, Yuan Xi had assumed Huo Shiyuan looked exactly like Little Shihuo when he was a child.
But actually, upon closer thought, Brother Zhuangzhuang was only chubby as a child, and his features had always been top-notch from a young age. In particular, Brother Zhuangzhuang’s peach-blossom eyes were always praised.
No wonder Little Huohuo always said his parents thought Huo Shiyuan wasn’t as good-looking as he was when they were children.
...
Indeed, Brother Zhuangzhuang was too chubby as a child to be as handsome as Little Shihuo…
Yuan Xi sorted out the clothes to be donated and placed the Dior blue dress in her car before returning to the Huo Mansion.
Inside the mansion, Huo Shiyuan was still in the study on a video conference, so Yuan Xi went to take a bath first.
After her bath, Yuan Xi sat on the bed looking at the photo, unable to remember when it was taken, and she couldn’t even recall wearing the dress…
Perhaps for her, it was just an ordinary day, long dissipated in her mundane daily memories, yet someone had captured that day for her.
Yuan Xi couldn’t understand why Huo Shiyuan wouldn’t tell her he was Brother Zhuangzhuang.
If she hadn’t discovered the dress that matched the photo today, how much longer did Huo Shiyuan plan to keep it from her?
He knew she misunderstood him to have another childhood sweetheart, yet he didn’t clarify?
Gu Hanchen had said Huo Shiyuan really liked his childhood sweetheart, so when did he start liking her?
Yuan Xi found it all the more unbelievable!
Huo Shiyuan entered the room and said, “We take off at four o’clock tomorrow afternoon, and it should be around noon in New York when we arrive.”
Yuan Xi replied, “I have already bought the plane tickets.”
“Business class is not as comfortable as a private jet. You’re pregnant; it might be better to fly directly on a private jet.”
Yuan Xi stared at Huo Shiyuan’s face. The first time she saw him a year ago, she thought he was very handsome, so handsome that she couldn’t bear to look into his eyes when he presented the company’s data.
Even after marriage, Yuan Xi seldom stared into Huo Shiyuan’s eyes like this.
Now, looking at his eyes, they really did resemble the beautiful eyes of Brother Zhuangzhuang when he was a child.
Huo Shiyuan asked, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Yuan Xi thought it might be better to wait until they got to New York to discuss it since Brother Zhuangzhuang had already mentioned meeting her; she could ask him then why he kept it a secret.
Upon reflection, many things made sense—Huo Shiyuan knew clearly about her allergy to roses.
He knew she tended to bite her lip when upset.
The food at Huo Mansion was almost exactly what Yuan Xi loved to eat as a child and matched her taste perfectly.
Yuan Xi said offhandedly, “I think you’re very handsome.”
Huo Shiyuan asked, “More handsome than Wu Zihong?”
Yuan Xi inquired, “Who is Wu Zihong?”
Huo Shiyuan: “You don’t know who Wu Zihong is?”
Yuan Xi thought hard, the name seemed familiar, like a top male celebrity in the entertainment industry, widely adored in her middle and high school years, with half of the girls in her class being fans of his looks.
But then, Wu Zihong completely left the industry for some reason, so when Huo Shiyuan mentioned the name, Yuan Xi didn’t immediately catch on.
“Mm, you’re more handsome than he is.”
Huo Shiyuan looked into Yuan Xi’s eyes, stepped closer, placed his hand on the side of her face, and leaned down to kiss her lips.
After realizing Huo Shiyuan was Brother Zhuangzhuang, Yuan Xi pushed him away slightly.
Huo Shiyuan was puzzled, “Hmm?”
Yuan Xi got up and said, “I feel sick, I’m going to the restroom to throw up for a bit.”
Yuan Xi made her way to the bathroom, but she didn’t vomit; her morning sickness had actually subsided, and nowadays, without any unpleasant odors, she wouldn’t throw up.
After turning on the faucet, Yuan Xi washed her face with the running water as she looked at herself in the mirror, belatedly reflecting on the events that had taken place at Shiyi Hotel that night…
Had she really taken the initiative to sleep with Brother Zhuangzhuang?!
Just thinking that Brother Zhuangzhuang was the one who had leaned down to kiss her, Yuan Xi felt an indescribable sense of shame.
It took Yuan Xi quite a while to compose herself before leaving the restroom.
Huo Shiyuan brought Yuan Xi a cup of warm water, “Is your morning sickness still pretty severe?”
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After drinking the warm water, Yuan Xi responded, “Hmm.”
Huo Shiyuan asked, “Do you want to eat some fruit?”
“No need, I’ll feel better after resting for a bit,” Yuan Xi replied.
Back on the bed, Yuan Xi thought back to that night nearly three months ago.
She indeed had been drunk, but the alcohol was just a tool that stoked her courage; she already harbored feelings for Huo Shiyuan.
The moment she saw Huo Shiyuan, she felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Now, thinking it over, if it had been Brother Zhuangzhuang, she wouldn’t have been so bold and proactive, even if she had been even more intoxicated…
Huo Shiyuan could clearly tell that Yuan Xi had been off ever since they returned from Chenyuan’s house; she seemed to distance herself from him.
The next morning, as they got ready to brush their teeth in the washroom together.
Yuan Xi didn’t join him; instead, she took a tooth cup into another room.
It wasn’t until they arrived in New York that Yuan Xi, probably feeling out of place on foreign soil, grew closer to Huo Shiyuan.
Huo Shiyuan had already arranged for a driver to pick them up from the airport.
Yuan Xi sat in the back seat of the Rolls-Royce and looked over at Huo Shiyuan, “Did you go to college in New York?”
“No, but I did attend high school here. I’ve spent several years in the city and have a place of my own.”
Once the car stopped, they were greeted by a wealthy neighborhood and stylishly designed homes.
Huo Shiyuan led Yuan Xi inside and said, “I haven’t lived here for many years. I had someone clean it up recently. Let’s stay here for the next few days while we’re in New York.”
As soon as Yuan Xi entered the house, she saw a portrait in the living room. It was a painting of her in her high school uniform, a likeness based on her ID photo. The lower right corner of the painting was inscribed with the Chinese character for ‘Xi’.
Huo Shiyuan had clearly forgotten about the portrait that hung in the house.
Yuan Xi was also shocked that Huo Shiyuan not only possessed the photo but had even hung her portrait in the living room.
Huo Shiyuan looked at Yuan Xi with some discomfort; he had found the photo on Yuan Xi’s high school website under the honors student section and had specifically commissioned an artist to paint her likeness.
Yuan Xi had forgotten about her photo in the blue dress, but she definitely remembered this painting of her in her high school uniform!
Yuan Xi gave Huo Shiyuan a faint smile, “Brother Zhuangzhuang.”
Seeing Yuan Xi’s faint smile, Huo Shiyuan let out a slight sigh of relief, “When did you find out?”
“While cleaning out things at Chenyuan’s house, I saw the Dior dress in a photo. I really didn’t expect you to be Brother Zhuangzhuang…”
A wave of desolation swept over Huo Shiyuan, “No wonder you’ve been acting strangely since returning from Chenyuan’s place. You still don’t like Zhuangzhuang, do you?”
Yuan Xi shook her head, “I have never disliked you.”
“Then why have you been rejecting my kisses these past couple of days?” Huo Shiyuan asked.
Huo Shiyuan was all too aware of whether Yuan Xi’s nausea was a real issue.
Yuan Xi bit her lip and said, “It’s not that I don’t like you, but I feel shy about being intimate with a childhood playmate.”
Huo Shiyuan chuckled softly, sat down on the sofa, and, pulling Yuan Xi into his embrace, he lowered his head and captured her lips in a kiss.
“Mrs. Huo, with a child already on the way, isn’t it a bit late to be shy?”
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