Hidden Marriage

Lu Jingli was troubled when Lu Tingxiao did not react at all. He pressed the switch and the recording clip started playing.

Ning Xi: [Hey, you started drinking without me?]

Jiang Muye: [Didn't you say you want to stop? I'd just be drinking by myself anyway even if I waited for you!]

Ning Xi: [Fine! Please continue! Did you order juice for me?]

Jiang Muye: [Come on! This is a bar! How am I supposed to get you juice?!]

…

Lu Tingxiao's attention shifted to the recorder pen when he heard the ever-so-familiar voice of Ning Xi.

Lu Jingli let out a sigh of relief, then he wiped the sweat off his forehead and pressed the fast-forward button.

Ning Xi started asking some questions.

[Let me ask you. That day... Lu Tingxiao... he really... kissed me?]

Lu Jingli quickly explained, "Bro, do you still remember this pen? Muye just came back around that time and the crew of 'The World' invited him to dinner. Xiao Xi Xi was drunk when you went to pick her up. It was obvious that Jiang Muye was interested in Xiao Xi Xi and questioned you about your feelings towards her, then you kissed her right in front of him.

«Muye could not keep his feelings to himself and told Xiao Xi Xi. Then, she wanted to meet up with him.

"I wanted to eavesdrop since there'd surely be some big news, but you stopped me at that time. However, some paparazzi was eavesdropping as well, and out of their supervisor's respect for me, they sent the recorder pen over to me…

"You didn't want to pry into Xiao Xi Xi's privacy like this, so you didn't want to hear it, but I kept this pen in secret!».

Lu Tingxiao's eyes slowly came back to life. It seemed that he remembered the incident. Lu Jingli quickly skipped to the most important part.

Ning Xi: [Sure, since you asked me something, I'll ask you something back!]

Ning Xi: [If you walked into a room and saw your lover on aphrodisiac in a filmy sleeping gown, lying on a king-sized bed with flower petals all around, what would you do?]

Ning Xi: [Do you know what Lu Tingxiao did under those conditions?]

Ning Xi: [He didn't do anything. He comforted me so I wouldn't be afraid. He talked to me to distract me and never did anything to harass me. He just quietly spent my most helpless and agonizing night with me.]

Ning Xi: [What do you think are the possibilities? Is he not a man? Or does he not like me?]

Jiang Muye: [... I'm pretty sure he likes you!]

Ning Xi: [I wasn't sure before, but now I'm sure that he does. So, there's a third possibility.]

Jiang Muye: [What?]

…

At this point, Lu Tingxiao's reaction was similar to Jiang Muye's at that time. He held his breath.

Then came Ning Xi's sigh: [It's not that I'm stupid because his status is too high. It isn't weird for me to fall for him. I'm not disappointed…]

Lu Tingxiao's expression changed when he heard that line. A flurry of complicated feelings clashed within him.

Even Jiang Muye's voice trembled: [You've fallen for him?]

Ning Xi: [I don't want to admit it and I've been running away from it, but it's the truth.]

…

The man gripped onto the recorder pen, his face as he stared blankly at it…