"Why change pants? I think this outfit looks great on you," Li Yang asked, puzzled.
Shui Xiang blushed and shot him another glare. "You know why."
"Know what?"
"You can go out now."
"Alright, alright, I'll wait for you outside." Li Yang walked out of the office, still a bit confused. Suddenly, he seemed to recall something and turned back sharply to Shui Xiang, saying, "Sister Shui, you didn't get wet, did you?"
"Ah, get out!" Shui Xiang shyly covered her pretty face.
Li Yang walked out with a smile.
About ten minutes later, Shui Xiang had not only changed her pants but also her clothes and tidied her hair. She walked out and saw Li Yang, her expression a little unnatural as she said, "Shall we go?"
"Okay, get in my car," Li Yang nodded.
It was Shui Xiang's first time visiting the old Li family residence. Seeing the traces of time on the door and threshold, she couldn't help but sigh, "This old house has been here for many years, hasn't it?"
"Yes, it's several hundred years old. My family told me that my great-grandfather's generation lived here," Li Yang said, holding her hand. "Be careful of the threshold."
"Ah." Shui Xiang lifted her leg and felt a sharp pain, letting out a low cry.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Shui Xiang said, blushing.
Li Yang looked at her. "It's because I was too rough before, isn't it? It still hurts?"
"It's really nothing, it's not your fault." Shui Xiang's cheeks became even more flushed.
Seeing her like this, Li Yang knew it was indeed the case. "I really deserve to die. How could I not control myself?"
"Hey, why are you saying such unlucky things? Stop talking," Shui Xiang quickly raised her hand to cover his mouth.
Li Yang held her jade-like hand, then put his arm around her slender waist and lifted her entire body.
"Li Yang?"
"Don't be afraid, I'll carry you in."
"No, I want to walk in myself," Shui Xiang quickly said. "I heard that in the past, people had high thresholds. Stepping over it represented overcoming an obstacle, and everything would go smoothly afterward."
"Can you let me step over it myself?"
"What's our relationship? If I step over it, you step over it. If I go smoothly, you'll go smoothly too." Li Yang didn't care about old customs. His woman was in pain, and he was still concerned about old rules? Making his woman suffer was foolish!
"Besides, you'll be coming to my house often in the future. When can't you step over it? There are plenty of opportunities."
"Alright then." Seeing how he protected her, Shui Xiang's body felt a little weak. She rested her face on his shoulder, feeling exceptionally secure.
Li Yang carried her to a chair and sat her down. He then removed the cover. The dishes he had made earlier were still warm. "Wait a moment, I'll serve you rice."
"Thank you for your trouble."
"Hey, what are you being so polite about?" Li Yang smiled.
The food was served, and the two picked up their chopsticks and began to eat.
Shui Xiang took a bite and exclaimed in surprise, "Did you really cook this?"
"I didn't cook it, the Snail Girl cooked it for me," Li Yang said with a smile.
Shui Xiang chuckled, almost spitting out her rice, and choked out, "You're always joking. I'm asking, did you really cook this?"
"Of course, my cooking skills have always been good. You'll know if you come to taste more in the future. This is just a small demonstration today," Li Yang said.
Shui Xiang smiled. "Look at you praising yourself. Eat more meat, no, you should eat more vegetables."
Thinking of how vigorous he had been earlier, Shui Xiang felt a little worried. Eating more meat might increase his strength, so eating vegetables seemed safer. She immediately filled his bowl with tofu, greens, potatoes, and carrots.
Li Yang was speechless. Was it really that necessary?
After dinner, Li Yang cleared the dishes and then lay on the sofa to watch television. A treasure appraisal program was being broadcast live, and it was just reaching its climax.
"Huh?" A flicker of surprise crossed Li Yang's eyes. He saw a thin, middle-aged man on the TV screen with the caption "Beijing Treasure Appraising Master, Mr. Wang Dongsheng." The man, with a stern face, said to the camera, "To everyone watching at home, I shouldn't be saying this on this program. But there's someone in Jiangcheng who has bullied my sworn brother too much, and even dug out my sworn brother's eyes!"
"It's a heinous crime, an unforgivable sin!"
"So today, I want to say one thing to all the friends watching across the country: you kid in Jiangcheng, if you have the guts, don't run away. I, Wang Dongsheng, will be going to Jiangcheng soon to seek justice for my brother!"
"Hey, hey, Master Wang, you can't say that on our program!" The host's face turned pale with fright. He hurriedly blocked the camera, waving his hands, clearly signaling the director to cut the live broadcast.
But it was too late. This treasure appraisal program was planned and organized by Beijing Television, and its viewership was quite high. It was prime time in the evening, and there were at least several million viewers, if not hundreds of millions.
As soon as Wang Dongsheng made his threats, people in the Jiangcheng antique circle immediately understood who he was talking about.
Li Yang naturally knew he was the one being referred to. "What a coincidence."
"What?" Shui Xiang, nestled in his arms, looked up at his face when she heard him speak.
Li Yang smiled and said, "Nothing, I just meant that Master Wang is really quite something, speaking like that on the program without considering the consequences."
"That host is probably going to have terrible luck."
"Yes, it's hard to believe that a master would openly say such things on a formal program," Shui Xiang nodded.
As a master, Wang Dongsheng would naturally not have any trouble. But if the host didn't have a strong backing, her future at Beijing Television would likely end here.
"The host looks quite pretty and has a good figure. Even if Wang Dongsheng said that, she still tried to persuade him gently. Perhaps she has a good temper. Why is her fate so bitter?"
Hmm?
Li Yang looked down at her, feeling a sense of shared misfortune. He couldn't help but ask, "Sister Shui, there's something I've been particularly wanting to ask you."
"What is it?" Shui Xiang asked suspiciously.
Li Yang thought for a moment and was about to ask, but then he smiled and said, "Nothing, I just wanted to ask if it still hurts?"
"Ah, you want to again?" Shui Xiang's pretty face immediately turned crimson. She whispered, "That can't be helped, but if you really want to, shall I help you with my hand?"
"I'm just kidding, you should rest well. Will you sleep here tonight?" Li Yang shook his head with a smile.
But Shui Xiang took him seriously, thinking he really wanted it and not wanting to disappoint him, she extended a jade hand and gently grasped him.
"It's okay, my hand doesn't hurt."
"Sister Shui, hiss!"