DMBM Chapter 3

After that night, there was a subtle change in their relationship.

It wasn’t getting better, nor was it getting worse—it was just getting colder and more distant. Both of them were quite polite to each other; not like husband and wife, but like tourists temporarily living under the same roof.

She held a grudge against him, even if she no longer showed it. If he could be indifferent, she would be even more indifferent than him. If he didn’t care, why should she?

They were like opponents playing chess, divided on opposite sides of the board—unpredictable and profound—preferring to attack and seize territory without making progress, rather than engage in direct confrontation.

He was the king; she was the queen. In terms of momentum, she would never lose to him—and she could not afford to lose...

Thinking of this, Xia Xue sighed faintly. She sat at the breakfast table, facing a spread of sumptuous dishes, but the seat opposite her was empty.

He’s skipping breakfast again. Is he not home? Or did he go to bed late and wake up late?

Realizing she didn’t want to dwell on it, she simply focused on finishing her breakfast quietly. She picked up the coffee pot and poured herself a cup of coffee.

No sugar, no milk—she just sipped the bitterness of black coffee.

The iPhone resting on the dining table chimed with a crisp ringtone. She glanced at the caller ID and answered the phone with a smile.

"Tinghan, what’s the matter?"

"I’m going to sea this afternoon, just calling to remind you not to forget." A clear male voice came through the receiver—full of vitality and refreshingly bright.

Jiang Tinghan, currently serving as the company’s business manager, was the son of a veteran employee who had been with Xia Xue’s father since the company’s rough founding days. The children of the two families had grown up together—it could be said they were childhood sweethearts.

Xia Xue, who has studied ships and yachts since she was a child, has few friends. Jiang Tinghan is her only confidant, and she relies more or less on him in some matters.

"…… Remember to bring swimwear," Jiang Tinghan said pointedly.

"Heh, Do you want me to seduce that Arabian prince with my beauty?"

"It's a good idea! You don’t have much body to show off……"

"Jiang! Ting! Han!!"

"Oh, in short, don’t forget—the prince is a valuable customer of our company, and we’ll have to rely on him to do business in the future. To make him happy, we’ll just send in our smart and beautiful CEO!"

Before she could express her annoyance, Jiang Tinghan cleverly and quickly hung up the phone—and didn’t forget to add the finishing touch at the end.

Xia Xue shook her head amusedly, her depression vanished thanks to the phone call, and she picked up a slice of half-burnt toast and spread jam on it briskly.

"You seem to be in a good mood?" a cold voice interrupted.

She was stunned, raised her eyes, and met a man with no expression—her husband, Yan Yongxuan.

He was dressed in casual home clothes, his dark hair slightly tousled, and even just after waking up, he was still handsome. His proportionally slender figure could easily captivate any woman at a glance.

But Xia Xue was not just any woman. She was determined to ignore him and took a bite of her crispy toast without looking his way.

He stared at her quietly for a while, then walked over idly and reached out to lift her chin.

"You…… y..ou?" She was slightly startled.

He pinned her down with a fierce gaze. "Do you have any other men out there?"

She gasped. "What?"

"You’d better remember that you’re married—‘Madame Yan’," he said with sarcastic emphasis.

What did he mean by that? Was he accusing her of having an affair? She glared at him coldly. "He is Jiang Tinghan, the business manager of our company and a friend I’ve known since childhood. The relationship between us is not what you think."

He tilted his lips slightly, clearly not believing her explanation, and rubbed his thumb lightly against the corner of her lips. "It’d better not be. You should understand that your company still needs me to invest several funds in installments next. If you breach the contract, I have the right to terminate this marriage at any time."

"I'm not going to break the contract!" She clenched her fists secretly, her heart rolling fiercely. "Don’t be so unreasonable, Yongxuan, or I’ll start to suspect you’re jealous."

"Am I jealous?" His eyes went blank for a moment—a very brief moment—so short that she almost believed she had imagined it. "I'm not jealous, Xia Xue."

She thought so too. He wasn’t jealous. He was just declaring ownership over her. This man was too arrogant and selfish. He allowed himself to be suave and admired, but never allowed his wife to make him look like a cuckold.

"You let me go." She slapped his hand away.

He wasn’t angry. He stared at her meaningfully for a few seconds, then turned and left the restaurant.

"Young Master!" The housekeeper of the Yan Mansion, Aunt Fang fretted and asked with concern, "Have you had breakfast?"

"I'm not eating, Aunt Fang."

"How's that going to work? If you don't eat something in the morning, you'll lose your energy all day."

"I have an appointment, and I'm going out soon."

Xia Xue listened to the conversation between the two, and somehow, she began to feel a little anxious again. Blame him! Why does he have to skip breakfast and come to the restaurant? Deliberately trying to spoil her appetite?

She snorted softly and took another bite of toast.

"Ma'am." The housekeeper walked in and saw that she was a little displeased, so she asked cautiously, "Did you quarrel with the young master?"

She quarreled with him? How could that be? They have difficulty communicating even the most basic things—how could they have a proper argument?

Xia Xue sneered. "Your noble young master—I can't afford to offend him."

When the housekeeper heard this, she was stunned.

Xia Xue also immediately regretted it. What is she saying? Hadn't she already decided not to let that man affect her ?

She took a deep breath and smiled lightly. "I'm sorry, Aunt Fang. I'm not targeting you."

"I know." The housekeeper, who was over half a hundred years old, also smiled back at her and frowned slightly when she saw that Xia Xue was eating only toast. "Breakfast isn't to your taste? Madame, should I tell the kitchen to prepare something else?"

"No, that's fine." Xia Xue smiled and stopped. In fact, she didn't have a good appetite herself. She looked at Aunt Fang quietly, wondering how the maid of this family could stand the yīn yáng strange male host. "Aunt Fang, can you please sit down? I have something to ask you."

"What's the matter?" Aunt Fang asked, still standing very reservedly. "Is it about the family? I’ve already prepared the accounts for the past few years, just waiting for Madam to check them."

"It's not that. Please, sit down." She gestured again.

Aunt Fang reluctantly pulled out a chair and sat down. "What does Madame command?"

"I mean, didn’t you say you’ve been working in this house for decades, right?"

"Yes, it’s been almost thirty years. My father used to be the housekeeper of the Yan Mansion."

"So, you know everything about this family, right?"

"Ma'am..." Guessing what she wanted to ask, Aunt Fang hurriedly got up in embarrassment. "I’ve already said that as a subordinate, I can't talk too much about the master's affairs, or the young master will be unhappy."

"If you don't answer my question, I'll be upset too!" Xia Xue said with a smile.

Aunt Fang was stunned, unsure whether her words were a threat.

"Don’t worry, I won’t ask anything too private," Xia Xue comforted her. "I just want to know—has your young master been like that since he was a child?"

"I don’t understand what Madame means." Aunt Fang was cautious.

Looks like she’s decided to dodge the question to the end. Xia Xue sighed. Maybe she shouldn’t expect to find out any key information from the mouth of this senior old housekeeper.

"Otherwise, you can just tell me a little more simply—has your young master ever cried or laughed? He couldn’t have had the same expression on his face since he was born, right?"

"He..." Aunt Fang hesitated, her eyes brightened slightly, and she whispered after a moment, "When he was very young, the young master actually loved to cry."

"He loved to cry?" God, that amazed her. Xia Xue's eyes widened.

"But since that incident, he hasn’t cried anymore." Aunt Fang muttered the sentence as an addition.

"Which incident?" she asked curiously.

Aunt Fang did not answer

---

Later, at the yacht party...

---

Originally from the Middle East, Prince Mohammed is a quick and generous customer.

At the Miami International Boat Show last year, he fell in love with Xia Xue's work at a glance—that is, the yacht that Yan Yongxuan won. The company's employees had made a video of the launching ceremony and played it at the exhibition venue, attracting the prince's attention.

He specifically requested Xia Xue to design the yacht, and it was to be bigger, more beautiful, more luxurious, and more functional than the one in the film. He paid for it no matter the cost and never bargained.

It took the company almost a year from design to manufacturing, and just today, the prince's yacht officially went to sea.

The ostentatious prince named the yacht "Muhammad," the famous prophet in the history of Islam—that is, his own name.

The all-white yacht moored at the harborside, like a swan, noble and elegant, with fragrant sideburns on the deck, and a constant stream of people, all invited by the prince.

It seems that he has a wide range of contacts in Taiwan. Xia Xue was secretly speechless.

"Xue, you're here—welcome!" When Prince Mohammed saw her, he was overjoyed and stretched out his hand to pull her. "This yacht is truly fantastic! I love it, thank you."

"Your Highness likes it." She smiled and saluted, assuming a ladylike gesture.

The prince smiled. "Xue, your hair has grown longer and become more feminine. The last time I saw you, you didn’t seem like this—seeing you wearing a cap and jeans to supervise the work, I almost mistook you for a boy!"

"As Your Highness can see, I am a woman—and a real lady." She playfully lifted her eyelashes.

The prince is cheerful and a little naïve, and in front of him, Xia Xue had also learned to be naughty.

"Are Taiwanese girls as likable as you? Like the wife of my good friend Stone, and the beautiful girl who made me fall in love at first sight—alas, it's a pity she won’t agree to my proposal, or I would definitely take her back to be my fourth princess..." The prince muttered words that no one could understand and inspected Xia Xue from head to toe. "Josh told me you got a swimsuit for today. I wanted to see how ladylike you look in a bikini."

That dead Jiang Tinghan actually talked nonsense in front of the prince! Xia Xue squinted her eyes and decided to settle accounts with this childhood sweetheart later. She smiled at the prince, Yingying.

"Have all Your Highness's friends arrived? Can we start the launching ceremony?"

"Not yet. There’s a guy who said he wants to introduce beautiful women to me, but he hasn’t shown up yet..." The prince looked left and right, and his eyes lit up. "Ah, here he is!"

Xia Xue looked in the direction of his gaze, and her smile suddenly froze.

It turned out that the friend the prince was waiting for was her husband, Yan Yongxuan—and he was holding a beautiful mixed-race woman with a stunning face.

He had openly brought a woman to this high-society event, which was also the launching ceremony of the yacht produced by their company. This hateful man! Did he mean to humiliate her?

After the lively ceremony, the prince's yacht set off on its maiden voyage, cruising through the blue sea with its hull cutting through the wind.

---

Half an hour later, the boat stopped in the open sea. Guests changed into swimsuits—some went into the sea to swim, some chatted with champagne, and some sunbathed on the lounge chairs on the deck.

As for the owner of the yacht, Prince Mohammed was surrounded by all kinds of beautiful women, who hugged him from both sides, like an ancient Roman king, and had a great time playing with them.

Among them was also the mixed-race beauty introduced to him by Yan Yongxuan—Lily.

What was the man thinking, that he could push his woman so nonchalantly to his friend?

Xia Xue couldn't understand it. She had thought that her husband was a man who was very possessive, but it didn't seem to be the case—at least, he didn’t regard the women he played with as his own property.

"Wow—I didn’t expect our CEO to actually change into a swimsuit!" Seeing her hiding in a corner of the deck, Jiang Tinghan came over with two glasses of champagne and looked at her playfully. "Yes, although a certain part is a little smaller, the legs are quite slim and well-proportioned."

"What are you looking at?" Xia Xue glared at him, reaching out to pull the long white shirt tighter over her swimsuit.

"Why do you care so much?" Jiang Tinghan teased her unceremoniously. "Are you afraid that people will compare you to the group of plump beauties around the prince?"

"Shut up!" She rolled her eyes, snatched a glass of champange and took a sip. "Do you have time to keep bothering me? Weren't you clamoring for the prince to introduce you those beautiful girls?"

"Eh, you know that I have a lustful heart but not enough guts. I need liquid courage first." He is very good at self depriciation.

When Xia Xue heard this, she couldn't help but laugh softly, raised her hand to tie her hair that had been messed up by the wind, and admired her friend's white eyes in passing. She was unintentional, but in the eyes of those with intent, such a move seemed too charming and coquettish.

Jiang Tinghan looked at her for a few seconds before he settled down and asked casually, "By the way, isn't Yan Yongxuan also here? Where is he?"

Xia Xue could tell from his unfamiliar tone that he was dissatisfied with her husband. When she decided to marry into the Yan family, Tinghan had always had reservations, and she understood that it was for the future of the company, so she reluctantly accepted his blessings.

Or, given his reckless temper, he might have even run to the auditorium to publicly stop the wedding.

"It doesn't matter where he is—we didn't come together anyway," she replied stubbornly, and continued drinking champagne.

Jiang Tinghan looked at her thoughtfully. "Do you still look like a couple?"

"You know what we're doing," she said with a wry smile.

He frowned and was about to speak when an excited warble came from the distance.

"…… Okay, let's race! Whoever wins gets the bet!"

What's going on? Xia Xue and Jiang Tinghan glanced at each other curiously, then walked toward the source of the sound. A group of men and women were surrounding the prince and Yan Yongxuan, all looking elated.

"Xue, you came just in time!" the prince called out to Xia Xue. "Your husband said he was going to make a bet with me."

"Bet on what?" She looked at her husband in amazement. He stood there indifferently, one hand in his trouser pocket, and she noticed that many women were unconsciously drifting their infatuated eyes toward him.

"A painting!" the prince explained. "I own a painting from Rembrandt. Yongxuan’s been begging me to sell it—so we’re racing jet skis. Winner takes all!"

"Jet skis?"

"Yes, we are going to ride with a beautiful girl and see who comes back first after making a round. Xue, you’ll ride with your husband Yongxuan. Lily beauty, would you like to accompany me to the end of the world?"

Xia Xue hesitated. Although the prince proposal is very reasonable but they themselves know "how close" their relationship is as a husband and wife? She wasn't sure if her so called husband want her to join in as the same group.

"Can you even handle a jet ski?" Before he could find any fault with her, she preemptively picked on Yongxuan.

"How different can it be from a motorcycle?" He said.

"Yeah, it's no different" she shrugged. "Just one’s on land, the other’s on water."

"I’ve ridden bikes since I was seventeen. Don’t worry about my skills."

I’m not worried about YOU! She bit her lip, frustrated by her own tangled emotions.

"Then it’s settled!" the prince cheered.

"Wait." Xia Xue crossed her arms. "You haven't said yet, what happens if he loses?"

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