Ye Yanxi had made this decision after much deliberation.
Previously, she didn't want to make her relationship with Xiao Yu public because she hoped to develop herself in society entirely on her own capabilities after graduation. She didn't want to be restricted by the title of Mrs. Xiao from the very beginning and thus be treated specially by others.
However, she never expected such a thing to happen midway, and it was extremely urgent. She couldn't remain silent any longer.
If she didn't solve it quickly, she might not even be able to go to school.
While waiting for Xiao Yu in the coffee shop, she thought a lot and found that the method proposed by He Chuyan was the only option.
As long as she made her relationship with Xiao Yu public, those rumors would naturally be self - refuted.
On second thought, it was really unfair to Xiao Yu. Back then, it was her own selfishness for her future development that she asked Xiao Yu to keep their marriage a secret. Now that something had happened... she was the first to go back on her word and wanted to make their relationship public.
So at this moment, Ye Yanxi carefully gauged Xiao Yu's expression before timidly asking for his opinion.
Maybe Xiao Yu wouldn't agree. After all, it was she who had made the request before, and now it was she who was going back on it.
If he didn't agree, she wouldn't blame Xiao Yu. It was all because of her own selfishness, and Xiao Yu didn't have to keep indulging her.
Since this method didn't work, she could think of other ways. Whether it was to let the storm of this incident subside or not, she would never force Xiao Yu.
After asking, Ye Yanxi nervously pinched her palms. Her small face was full of expectation as she looked at Xiao Yu, wondering what his answer would be.
Xiao Yu still looked at her calmly as before, with no change in his expression.
Immediately, Ye Yanxi knew that it might be a no - go.
"It's okay if you don't agree. I'm just asking for your opinion."
But Xiao Yu frowned and asked an unrelated question, "Xiaoxi, what kind of existence am I in your heart?"
"Ah... Of course you're my husband."
Xiao Yu's face darkened. He questioned word by word, "In your eyes, is your husband just a decoration? It seems you still don't understand this."
"I just don't want to always make things difficult for you and cause you trouble." Ye Yanxi lowered her head in shame.
"Since we're husband and wife, shouldn't we share weal and woe? How can you call it trouble?" Xiao Yu's voice was cold and stern. "I'll handle this matter. You don't need to worry anymore. Just go to class as usual tomorrow."
Ye Yanxi weakly said, "I'm sorry."
Xiao Yu forcefully pinched her chin, forcing Ye Yanxi to raise her head and meet his deep eyes, which seemed to be burning with flames. He was clearly angry. "Xiaoxi, don't bear such things alone in the future. Tell me in time. Also, you don't need to apologize to me."
Xiao Yu's slightly cool fingertips were pinching Ye Yanxi's chin a bit painfully. At the moment their eyes met, Ye Yanxi's eyes turned red, and her eyes were filled with tears, looking extremely pitiful. "But... you're angry."
There was a hint of doting in Xiao Yu's deep eyes. "I am angry. I'm angry that you didn't tell me about this as soon as it happened. You always want to bear everything alone. So... do you really regard me as your husband in your heart?"
As he finished speaking, Ye Yanxi suddenly threw herself into Xiao Yu's arms, burying her head in his chest and secretly shedding a few tears.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's my fault." Her voice came out muffled, seemingly mixed with sobs. "Husband, I really love you."
At this moment, the emotions that had been suppressed for the whole morning collapsed and overflowed. Soon, Ye Yanxi was crying so hard that she could hardly catch her breath.
Xiao Yu stared at her little head. His eyes softened, and he gently patted her back to help her catch her breath.
"That's right." Xiao Yu whispered in her ear. "I don't expect you to be a very strong woman. You're my wife, a woman I should dote on and protect. When you encounter something sad outside, you can cry, act coquettishly, and be petty in front of me without any scruples. Don't always swallow your grievances silently."
Ye Yanxi finally stopped sobbing. As soon as she heard this, her tears welled up again, and she nodded.
After crying for a while, Ye Yanxi finally felt much better.
When Xiao Yu saw that her crying had subsided, he pulled her out of his arms, took out a tissue, and wiped the snot and tears off her face.
At this moment, Ye Yanxi's eyes were a bit swollen, her nose was red, and the tear stains on her face had even wet the hair on her temples.
"Look at your snot - and - tear - covered face. It's dirty." Xiao Yu teased her while wiping.
Ye Yanxi pouted. Her spirits immediately perked up again. "Even if I'm dirty, I'm still your wife. It's too late to dislike me now!"
There was a hint of a smile on Xiao Yu's lips. He lovingly pinched the tip of her nose. "Have you cried enough? Are you still sad?"
"Who said I'm sad?"
She had just had a good cry, but now she quickly denied it.
"Then who was crying so sadly just now?" Xiao Yu pointed at his chest. The suit was wet with tears, and the color had darkened a bit. "Whose tears are these on it, huh?"
Ye Yanxi glanced at it and felt embarrassed. The suit on Xiao Yu was all custom - made and worth millions. Now it was completely ruined by her.
She took a few tissues and immediately wiped his chest, hoping to salvage it so that the suit wouldn't look so badly damaged.
"Um..." Ye Yanxi blushed. No matter how much she wiped, it seemed like she couldn't clean it up. "You'd better go home and change into another suit later."
Looking at Ye Yanxi's flustered appearance, Xiao Yu rarely laughed.
"Okay, the food is getting cold. Don't worry about the suit for now. Let's talk after dinner."
All the unpleasantness and haze from the morning had disappeared. Ye Yanxi suddenly felt that her sense of taste and smell had returned. Maybe the crying just now had consumed a lot of her energy, and now her stomach was growling with hunger.
So, Ye Yanxi picked up her chopsticks and happily ate again.
During the break, Ye Yanxi went to visit Ye Junze.
The situation of the Ye family's company was much better than before. It was said that after the losses, Ye Junze had taken on a large project and managed to fill the gap.
It was only later that Ye Yanxi found out that Ye Junze was able to get this project because it had been designated by the Xiao Group.
After visiting Ye Junze, she also had time to go to the Jiang family to see Jiang Pinzhen.
But at the gate of the Jiang family's mansion, Ye Yanxi saw someone she didn't want to see.
He Zhenhua was just coming out of the Jiang family's villa. He looked haggard and dejected. It seemed that Jiang Pinzhen still hadn't forgiven him, or maybe she didn't even want to see him.
Her biological father was now all alone, looking extremely lonely, and his face looked much older.
Suddenly, He Zhenhua seemed to trip over something. His body swayed and he was about to fall. Fortunately, someone beside him quickly caught him. Then the two got into the car and quickly drove away.
Ye Yanxi frowned and watched the direction in which the car drove away. What was wrong with He Zhenhua? Why did he look like he was about to faint?
Just as she was feeling puzzled, the guard at the Jiang family's gate saw her and immediately greeted her warmly. "Miss, you're back. The old master, the madam, and the young lady are all at home."
"Okay, I see." Ye Yanxi replied and walked into the gate, no longer dwelling on He Zhenhua's matter.
After being discharged from the hospital, Jiang Pinzhen's health had recovered well. Coupled with the fact that she and Ye Yanxi had resolved their differences, her complexion was obviously much better than before, and she looked several years younger.
When she saw Ye Yanxi coming, she busied herself around to entertain her and even went into the kitchen herself.
There were many servants in the Jiang family, and she didn't really need to do it herself. But Jiang Pinzhen was happy to see her daughter and wanted to make up for Ye Yanxi, so she went into the kitchen and wanted to cook a delicious meal for her.
Ye Yanxi then went into the study and saw Jiang Huaiming and Jiang Ye playing chess. Yan Zhen was also sitting beside them, smiling and accompanying them.
Jiang Huaiming was old and obviously a bit overwhelmed, but his chess skills were still a bit better than Jiang Ye's.
But Jiang Huaiming liked to cheat. When he was winning, he would play the game properly. But once the situation was unfavorable, he would start shouting to take back his move.
It had just started not long ago when Jiang Huaiming quickly picked up a chess piece on the chessboard. "No, I take back my move. I misread this step. I should have placed it here."
Jiang Ye was so angry that he grunted. He blocked his hand. "Dad, you've taken back your move for the fifth time in this game. That's too much."
But Jiang Huaiming looked innocent. "Was it that many times? I can't remember. Don't lie to me."
"There's no one like you. Every time you place a piece, you say you misread the position. How many times have you misread?" Jiang Ye didn't hesitate to point out his mistake. "You've ruined so many steps in this game. How can I play?"
"Come on, Xiaoxi, you come and judge. Let her say whether this move can be taken back." Jiang Huaiming wanted to draw Ye Yanxi over and winked at her, smiling.
But Jiang Ye wasn't willing to give in. "Xiaoxi, you also think my dad is going too far, right?"
Ye Yanxi was completely confused. How did she get involved? She was clearly just a spectator. She smiled awkwardly. "Actually, I think playing chess is also for entertainment. We shouldn't be too serious. It's understandable to take back a move."
"See, see!" Jiang Huaiming looked proud and pointed at Jiang Ye. "Look, Xiaoxi said so. I'll play this move again."
Ye Yanxi twitched the corner of her mouth and looked at him. "Grandpa, three strikes and you're out. Taking back moves should also be limited. It seems... this is already your sixth time, right?"
She said this completely from a fair and just perspective, telling the truth.
As soon as Jiang Ye heard this, he immediately became proud, as if he had gained confidence. He blocked Jiang Huaiming's hand and didn't let him place the piece. "Dad, you heard it. You've taken back your move more than six times. Three strikes and you're out. I think you should put the piece back in its original position."
Jiang Huaiming immediately pulled a long face.
"Who saw me take back my move six times? I said three times, so it's three times. This is the last time. I'll place my piece here. It's your turn to play!"
"..."
Ye Yanxi turned around and secretly laughed. Jiang Ye's face was really a mix of emotions.
Thinking that she hadn't turned on her phone all afternoon, Ye Yanxi turned it on and immediately saw many text messages. However, all the text messages were sent before 2 p.m.
There were no strange missed calls or text messages after that.