Chapter 107: Fragrance Therapy

(Thanks to the reader [dongmin8061] for becoming a Sect Leader, and a special acknowledgment!)

Through Yue Yao, Li Yan learned that Yurong was very angry yesterday, thinking he deliberately upset her. He believed she still hadn’t calmed down, and although she was at her mother’s place and would pay attention to appearances, she was actually still displeased with him. So he didn’t expect their meeting to be particularly harmonious. His purpose here was just to prevent his father-in-law from spending money unnecessarily.

When he opened the door and saw Jiang Xueyin, he didn’t think much of it. It was quite normal for her to be here and with Yurong. Even if she had a slightly ambiguous smile, he just thought it was her way of letting the couple have some time alone together. But he never expected this!

"What’s wrong?" Yurong rested her arm on the pillow and laid her head on her arm, her eyes closed. She didn’t realize Li Yan had entered and thought it was just Jiang Xueyin opening the door, perhaps to bring something in. She figured it must be the maid bringing in some fruit or pastries, as her mother probably instructed.

Earlier, he hadn’t noticed anything from Jiang Xueyin, but now he could smell the fragrance and saw oil on Yurong’s back. He guessed Jiang Xueyin had been giving her a fragrance therapy and pressure point massage, so when he arrived, Jiang Xueyin left the task for him.

After asking, he didn’t get an answer, which made Zhang Yurong a bit curious. She turned her head to look, "Xueyin, you... ah—!"

She hadn’t expected to have a man so close to her bed in her own home without noticing, and it gave her quite a fright. But she saw it was Li Yan, not some stranger, so she only cried out instinctively and didn’t scream for help.

"I... didn’t mean to peek at you. I didn’t know you..." Seeing her panicked look, Li Yan quickly explained.

Zhang Yurong, on the bed, was very flustered and hurriedly wanted to sit up but felt that was inappropriate.

"How did you get in here? You’re so rude! This is too much!" Yurong busily wrapped herself in a towel and then grabbed the blanket, chastising him with indignation.

It had been the same time since she’d last seen Li Yan. Yesterday, she got mad, and today she didn’t expect him to come over at all. Faced with him suddenly, she was a bit lost, especially under such circumstances.

By this time, Li Yan had turned around and had his back to her.

"Get yourself together. I’m not looking at you. I just came in, and your mom told me you were in the room. I knocked on the door, and Jiang Xueyin opened it without saying anything and let me in..."

Seeing him actively turn his head away, Zhang Yurong felt a bit better, not as panicked. She quickly continued wrapping the towel around her and then got off the other side of the bed, looking for clothes to put on.

"You better not turn around!" After reprimanding, she felt there was something off about Li Yan’s explanation, "She was just giving me a massage to relieve fatigue!"

Her cold and aloof demeanor often made people jealous, wondering if she liked women.

Actually, Li Yan didn’t misunderstand. Jiang Xueyin was fully dressed, and he saw the situation clearly when he came in.

"I think... you should wash off the fragrance oil before dressing; otherwise, it’ll not only stain your clothes but also feel uncomfortable."

Li Yan gave her a suggestion while emphasizing again, "I didn’t turn around; I’m only guessing you’re probably getting dressed now."

Yurong, who was about to get dressed, kept a close watch on him and glanced ahead, suspicious if there was a mirror letting him see what was happening behind her. Fortunately, there was no mirror in front of him, which reassured her a little. But she still found changing in front of him inconvenient, and the fragrance oil was uncomfortable without washing it off. She made a soft humph sound and turned to rush into the ensuite bathroom, locking the door from inside.

Li Yan let out a breath and turned to sit by the bed. He had envisioned various scenarios for meeting Yurong again, but he never imagined it to be like this.

He couldn’t help but be amused, thinking she probably wouldn’t dare come out for a while, would she?

He lay down on the bed, recalling the time he spent the night here. That time, under her questioning, he’d revealed the situation with Qiao Huanxuan. Originally, the two of them were lying in the bed together, but afterward, she went to get another quilt. Later, he simply took a quilt and slept on the floor, choosing not to share the bed.

For a while, he reminisced about that night. At the time, he considered it a rare chance to be in the same room and bed with her. Still, due to the chat about Qiao Huanxuan, there was no mood for intimacy. But looking back, that evening’s conversation was one of the rare moments they talked a lot. In the future, they might never have such a conversation again. It was a calm and peaceful discussion about emotions...

Listening to the sound of water from the bathroom, Li Yan went over and knocked on the door.

"What do you want?" Yurong stopped the water and said vigilantly.

"You didn’t take your clothes. You might feel nervous with me here. I’ll leave first, and you can come out to get your clothes later." After saying this, Li Yan left the room.

Yurong listened carefully, seeming to hear the sound of the door closing as he left. But is he really such a gentleman? Could this be deliberate?

She decided, whether intentional or not, and regardless of whether he left or not, she’d go out wrapped in a towel!

...

Leaving Yurong’s room, Li Yan went to Zhang Tianyi’s collection room.

"Dad, what are you up to?" Li Yan went inside, casually handing over a cigarette.

Zhang Tianyi saw it was Li Yan, looked towards the door, and took the cigarette.

After they both lit up and took a few puffs, he sighed, "Tonight, there’s an antique auction. Some antiques from the Celestial Continent are on sale, and I plan to purchase some that I like for my collection. But your mom thinks I’ve collected too many already, wasting money and space, and that I should be careful with managing them since they can attract thieves. She insists I should auction off some of my collection before buying more."

Pointing around, he smiled wryly, "These are treasures I’ve collected over the years. I’m getting on in years, and my health isn’t great, so I just play around with collections. The space is wasted anyway, and as for the money, it’s an investment. These can be left to you in the future, and they will surely appreciate over time."

"Exactly!" Li Yan agreed. "No disrespect to Mom, but women don’t have the same eye for these things as men do. Besides, they criticize your hobbies, but they don’t think about how they spend money on clothes, jewelry, bags, and shoes, all of which are just as wasteful. And those things depreciate and become obsolete quickly, but women enjoy them without a care!"

Zhang Tianyi patted his shoulder, laughing, "You’ve hit the nail on the head! When they buy clothes and jewelry, they never think of selling the old ones, and besides, who would buy them? My collection can still go to auction, which is proof of their value and appreciation."

Seeing a few items that seemed like he’d picked them out, Li Yan pointed, "You weren’t really planning to auction these, were you? Are you so afraid of your wife?"

Zhang Tianyi felt a little awkward, "Afraid of my wife? No, I just don’t want to argue! I’m not that interested in these anymore anyway, and getting some new ones in isn’t a bad idea."

Li Yan scoffed, "You’re just afraid of your wife! Don’t worry, I’ll help you!"

"How will you help me?" Zhang Tianyi’s eyes lit up.

"Tonight, don’t take any of these out and just say you’re not taking them to auction! Earn some respect in front of Yurong and Xueyin. Later in private, you can tell Mom these are already selected, and I’ll help you contact buyers to sell them. This way, you won’t have to auction them publicly, which could make people think our family is liquidating assets."

Zhang Tianyi pondered for a moment. This was doable. It wasn’t unwillingness to sell; it was to maintain the Zhang Family’s face!

"Alright, you just tell them the buyers backed out and returned them to me. If there’s any issue, let your mom come to you. She’ll just scold you a bit. It has nothing to do with me, haha, this could work!"

Seeing his delighted expression, Li Yan smiled, thinking that later they’d all be grateful for this plan.

"Alright, my worries are gone. Now I can enjoy my collections, and tonight I can attend the event with peace of mind!" Zhang Tianyi waved his hand, "Don’t worry about me; go enjoy time with Yurong!"

"Want another cigarette?"

"Uh... better not."

"Heh..." Even though Li Yan mocked him for being afraid of his wife, he knew deep down it was not fear, but a form of respect and love. What about himself and Yurong? Would they become like this in the future? Would they have that chance?

Leaving again, he estimated that Yurong must have finished her shower and gotten dressed by now. He walked over and directly opened the door to go in.

"Ah..."

How could she believe it was unintentional? This guy must have been waiting by the door!

(Brothers, if you have votes, please cast them. I will work harder to try for five or even six Chapters to burst out! We’re at 94 now; can we aim for 120 votes? Monthly pass, monthly pass!) (To be continued. For more Chapters, please log in to www.qidian.com to support the author and original reading!)