Chapter 9 - Future Wife, Future Husband?

"You knew?" Ye Jie asked quizzically. She stood up to pick up the clothes and replied:

"If you have ways of knowing that I pried into your past then naturally, I have my ways of knowing who’s trying to play with me."

"But it’s not fair." He said with a sullen face. She gave him a languid indifferent look. "You must have found everything about me but all I found was bullsh*t. I don’t even believe that you have an Arts degree."

"Let me be honest with you, I do have an Arts degree as well," He heard her gentle voice as she walked to the kitchen.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

He followed her back to the kitchen to find it in a worse condition than the living room. There was a pile of unwashed plates scattered around on the counters. She put on the gloves and collected the dishes to wash. Ye Jie didn’t know at first why he didn’t stop her from doing his house chores but later he realized that he was enjoying watching her treat his house as her own.

He sat on the stool and propped his elbows on the counter while placing his head on it. Her ponytail swayed as she washed the dishes and his eyes didn’t leave her even for a second. "Do you like silence?"

"Because ’Silence is the most powerful scream.*’" With this reply, Xu Mey filled a pot with water placing it on the stove, she added Garlic, and Ginger in it bringing it to boil for about 20 minutes. Then steeped it and added the cayenne along with honey. She pushed the cup of herbal tea towards Ye Jie who was gaping with an open mouth. "It’ll help your flu."

"I didn’t take you for an observant person." He really didn’t think of her as an observing person. And he definitely didn’t take her for a caring one. Yet, once again, she surprised him and he thought that maybe life with her will be a surprising one.

"I’m a silent person, don’t take me for a blind person." Ye Jie drank the herbal tea in silence and Xu Mey made coffee for herself. "Do you mind me looking around the house?"

Ye Jie shook his head and offered, "Let me give you a tour."

"Refrain yourself from moving around so much. I’m not a kid. I’ll find my way around," She left his half standing-sitting self in the kitchen and walked around by herself.

There were 5 rooms downstairs including a Home Theatre, Gym, Study, Game room, and a vacant room. There were about three bedrooms upstairs with huge closets and attached bathrooms.

Xu Mey was roaming upstairs and Ye Jie was drinking his tea in the living room when the front door opened and walked in Ye Jun with a bento box in his hand. Ye Jie looked at his younger brother who had a cheeky grin plastered on his face. "Brother, mom sent some side dishes for you. She said you’ll feel be-" His words got stuck in his throat when he saw a delicate beauty descending the stairs with her eyes on the phone in her hand.

"Woah, Big Brother, you’re not even married yet and already cheating on your fiance with this beautiful fairy." He walked towards Xu Mey and extended his hand as he introduced himself, "Hi! I’m Ye Jun. And may I know this beautiful person’s name?" He had a wolfish expression not hiding his intentions even for a second.

Xu Mey looked at his extended hand and then back at his face which didn’t look similar to Ye Jie at all. "I’m Ms. Useless Wretch." Her introduction made Ye Jie choke on his tea as he sprayed the tea out. Ye Jun stood there wide-eyed looking at her with an ugly expression.

"Brother, she’s your fiance?" He wanted his brother to say no so badly but receiving a nod from Ye Jie. "Sh*t!" He cursed loudly. As if remembering something, he turned to his brother who was enjoying his expression he asked, "You told her that?"

Before Ye Jie could open his mouth, Xu Mey made a gesture with her hand to shut him and said, "I have my ways of knowing. Mr. I can’t spend my life with someone like that. This time, I’ll ’Replace weapons with jade and silk.’ But if there is a next time, remember ’If you don’t do stupid things you won’t end up in tragedy.’" She patted his cheek like an elder giving lessons to a kid and sat beside Ye Jie on the couch.

Ye Jie still held the amusing expression and when she sat down beside him, he couldn’t help himself as he caressed her head and said in a low murmur, "You were awesome just now, Future Wife."

Xu Mey was having the laugh of the day, inwardly but her outer expression was like a serene illustration. When Ye Jun’s embarrassment wore off, he looked behind at his brother caressing the girl beside him with a pleasant smile. It had been months for Ye Jun to see his brother’s real smile and not the forced one. His pleasant smile brought an involuntary smile to linger on his own lips.

"Future husband," Ye Jie gave all his attention to Xu Mey when she called, "There is a vacant room, I want that." Her demanding tone made his already pleasant mode to sore through the roof for an unknown reason.

"All yours."

"I can bring someone to decorate it?"

"If it’s already yours, do whatever you want to."

"Okay, thanks." She said with a broad smile showing her cute dimple to him. In her excitement, she even granted him with a peck on his cheek before picking her coat and walking out briskly leaving the two dumbfounded brothers behind.

If the kiss was unexpected for Ye Jie, it was a lot more shocking to Xu Mey herself. She was a devil who was a naive little girl when it came to relationships or romantic involvements with the opposite gender. Inside the house, Ye Jie touched his cheek where her cherry like delicate lips stroked like a fleeting feather. While outside the house, Xu Mey skimmed her slim fingers on her lips which stroked his cheek.

*(Dialogue from ’Black Butler’)