I Only Want You chapter 54

Han Shen returned to the banquet hall from the outdoor balcony to get clothes for Yao Jinni. He found her warm and thick fur coat placed on the sofa she had just occupied.

As he returned with the clothes, he saw Xie Yun Zhi standing outside on the outdoor balcony. Perplexed, he walked over, “Mr. Xie?”

Xie Yun Zhi turned at the sound and, seeing Han Shen holding a coat, said, “Go give it to her first. It seems they want to discuss something not suitable for us to hear.”

“They?” Han Shen walked to the balcony door, and to his surprise, he saw someone inside—Yan Lan, who had spent the whole night with Xie Yun Zhi.

Though he didn’t know what Yan Lan wanted to say to Yao Jinni, He went inside and opened the fur coat, draping it over Yao Jinni’s shoulders. In a low voice, he said, “Take a breather; it’s cold outside. Don’t stay too long. I’ll be waiting for you inside.”

After Han Shen left, Yao Jinni adjusted the coat and, with a somewhat indifferent expression, turned to Yan Lan, “What is it?”

Yan Lan took out his phone from his pocket and started typing.

Observing this, Yao Jinni hesitated, thinking he might be playing a prank. Then she remembered the online rumors that he was mute.

Looking at the person in front of her, Yao Jinni found it somewhat unbelievable… He was actually mute?!

Yan Lan quickly typed several lines on his phone, adjusted the font size, and then handed the phone to her.

Yao Jinni didn’t reach out to take it, frowning as she looked at the phone screen. It read: “I’m sorry for the online incident before. There were moments when I suspected it might be related to you.”

Yao Jinni looked up at him, “Is that what you came to say?”

Yan Lan took back his phone and deleted the previous text, typing a new one: “Yes, even if you didn’t know, I felt it was better to apologize, considering the circumstances. Now that I’ve conveyed my apologies, I’ll take my leave. It’s quite cold here; don’t stay too long. Take care not to catch a cold.”

After reading the message, Yao Jinni remained silent for a few seconds. Suddenly, she smiled, showing no emotional fluctuations. “You don’t need to apologize specifically for this. If I had spoken up that day, you wouldn’t have been misunderstood and accused of being a male third party. I was just a bystander. You could even consider me an accomplice to those people. So now, you coming to apologize for doubting me makes me think you’re naive.”

Yao Jinni’s tone remained calm, almost cold, despite the somewhat harsh words.

Unfazed, Yan Lan continued typing: “I don’t mind how you see me. I’m just doing what I believe is the right thing. Apologies should be made directly to the person involved. Now that I’ve conveyed my apologies to you, I’ll take my leave.”

Yan Lan put away his phone after Yao Jinni read the message. He nodded slightly as a farewell gesture, then turned to leave. However, he heard Yao Jinni say something before he could walk away.

“So, he likes you this much?”

Yan Lan turned to look at her.

“You’re not what I imagined. Honestly, before today, just seeing your name made me uncomfortable, anxious even. I even handed over my Weibo to my manager to avoid seeing any news about you and Xie Yun Zhi. I didn’t even want to come tonight. After all, there won’t be any more cooperation between Venus and me.”

Yao Jinni tightened the fur coat around her, passing by Yan Lan, “I thought I would never regret not saying anything back then. Now, I slightly regret it. I wish you all the best with Xie Yun Zhi.”

Yao Jinni returned to the banquet hall from the balcony, not sparing a glance at Xie Yun Zhi, who passed by her. She affectionately took Han Shen’s wrist, “Shen, let’s go back.”

Xie Yun Zhi quickly walked to the balcony, bringing the cold figure back into the warm banquet hall. He was a bit annoyed, “Did you have to talk for so long? What if you catch a cold?”

As he brought Yan Lan back to the secluded sofa, he touched Yan Lan’s cold hand, getting even angrier with himself, “I should have given you gloves.”

Yan Lan just smiled, watching as Xie Yun Zhi went to the buffet area to bring back a steaming bowl of corn soup. “Drink something hot.”

Yan Lan was actually finding it hard to eat more, but he still accepted the soup and sipped it slowly with a spoon.

“Do you want a small bread roll?” Xie Yun Zhi asked.

Yan Lan declined the bread roll with a shake of his head. After finishing the corn soup, he placed the small bowl on the table. Soon, a waiter came by to collect the empty bowl.

Touching his warm stomach, Yan Lan looked at Xie Yun Zhi, “I’ve been eating since I got here.”

Xie Yun Zhi handed him a napkin, “What’s wrong with that? I was worried you might be hungry.”

Accepting the napkin, Yan Lan wiped his mouth and looked at him quietly, “Aren’t you going to ask what I talked about with her?”

“I can make a guess.”

Yan Lan raised an eyebrow at his response.

“Knowing you, it’s probably because you feel guilty,” Xie Yun Zhi took his somewhat cold hand, rubbing it in his own, “You doubted if she had something to do with it, and it bothered you enough to go and apologize. You’re that kind of person, earnest and a bit naive.”

Yan Lan lowered his head to watch him play with his own fingers. Suddenly, he grasped his thumb, and  Xie Yun Zhi struggled a bit but didn’t pull it out. He just let Yan Lan hold it.

“I actually didn’t want you to go and apologize to her. In my eyes, It should have been us apologizing to you. We didn’t handle the impact of our cooperation well initially, and she just stood by watching. I also didn’t protect you well.”

 Xie Yun Zhi’s emotions were difficult to calm when he brought up the recent incident. “…but I still let you go because I know you think it’s the right and necessary thing to do.”

Yan Lan couldn’t help but smile and nodded before retracting his hand. “It’s in the past. Let’s not mention it again.”

“So, let’s talk about the house. Shall we go take a look tomorrow? If everything is fine, we can buy it and start moving.”

Yan Lan was surprised by  Xie Yun Zhi’s eagerness. “So soon?”

“Because I want to spend the Spring Festival in the new house. Once you’re on vacation, we can go skiing—Changbai Mountain, Yulong Snow Mountain, wherever you want.”

Despite being afraid of the cold, Yan Lan was looking forward to trying skiing, especially since he had never done it before and would be doing it with Xie Yun Zhi and Tiantian. That anticipation increased several times.

In the past few days, he had been discussing the new house with  Xie Yun Zhi and Tiantian. There was one property that all three of them found very satisfying.

Tiantian liked the large yard and spacious rooms.  Xie Yun Zhi was pleased with the built-in plant room and the design with slanted roof windows. Yan Lan appreciated the house’s proximity to Liuxian Lake Park, just a twenty-minute walk away. He envisioned taking leisurely walks with Xie Yun Zhi and Tiantian by the lake on warm days or flying kites in the park.

With hopes for the future, the three of them went to see the house on Christmas Day—a two-story building with a red roof.

The original owners, a middle-aged couple, were selling the house as they planned to move abroad.

 Xie Yun Zhi was satisfied after inspecting the house and immediately decided to buy it. The property deed was written in Yan Lan’s name.

Yan Lan suggested putting Tiantian’s name on it, but Xie Yun Zhi said, “Trust me, Tiantian’s property deeds could stack up like building blocks. Moreover, this is my Christmas gift to you. It only makes sense with your name on it.”

After New Year’s Eve.

Yan Lan and Yang Xiaole finished their exams and started their winter vacation. The process of moving also officially began with the arrival of the winter break.

Upon hearing about their move, Yang Xiaole thought of offering help. However, when he arrived, he witnessed workers in moving company uniforms packing up Tiantian’s toys, loading them into the truck in boxes.

Yang Xiaole was stunned, “Wow, no wonder you guys are moving. Can he handle this many toys? He’s just a little kid with tiny hands and feet!”

Tiantian couldn’t hear Yang Xiaole’s comment; he was immersed in playing Mario Kart.

Helplessly watching the workers go up and down several times without finishing moving Tiantian’s toys, Yan Lan took out his phone to type: Xie Yun Zhi spoils Tiantian a lot.

“This shouldn’t be called spoiling. Tiantian’s toys alone could open a toy store.”

Yan Lan remained silent for a moment, nodding slowly. Indeed, they could open a store.

“So, what can I help you with?”

Yan Lan: Currently, there’s not much for me to do. The moving company Xie Yun Zhi hired is very professional. They even help with organizing things when they deliver them to the new house. We don’t seem to have anything to do.

“Well, in that case, can I come visit your new home?”

Yan Lan: Of course, you can. It’s perfect; you can even choose a room.

“I can choose a room?”

Yan Lan nodded, “You can stay overnight when you visit in the future. During the New Year, if your family isn’t around, you can come to my place. We’ll make dumplings together.”

After reading the message Yan Lan typed on his phone, Yang Xiaole stared at him for a while, then suddenly welled up with tears.

Yan Lan smiled at him, “Haven’t we been spending the New Year together? Let’s do it again this year, make dumplings together.”

Yang Xiaole pressed his lips, holding back the lump in his throat, “Is it okay? Won’t your Yun Zhi be upset?”

Yan Lan: Not at all. He’ll welcome you just like I do, and so will Tiantian.