Chapter 66: Beauty VS Character
Xie Rong remained silent.
Although his expression betrayed nothing, his thoughts had already become unusually chaotic.
’Have you... liked me from the very beginning?’
It was a simple question. At least... it should have been.
But the moment he recalled the sudden drop in favorability earlier, he found himself unable to answer immediately.
Xie Rong unconsciously pressed his lips together.
’If I answer incorrectly again... will it continue to decrease?’
For the first time, he realized that telling the truth did not necessarily produce the desired outcome.
He wanted to answer her. Yet he also feared another honest answer would only push her farther away.
"Mm..." He finally broke the silence. "If Furen wishes to hear the truth..." He paused briefly before continuing, "I had heard of Furen long before our wedding."
Wang Gege quietly listened.
"Most of what I heard..." A faint smile appeared on his lips. "were praised for Furen’s appearance."
He fell silent once more. His brows unconsciously drew together, as though carefully considering whether he should continue.
"However..." He paused briefly. "This husband wishes to apologize first."
Wang Gege’s eyes immediately widened. "Apologize?"
Xie Rong gave a slight nod.
"When Furen asked whether I had liked you from the very beginning..." He fell silent once more before answering honestly. "The answer is... not entirely."
His voice remained calm, yet every word was spoken with unusual care, as though he was afraid another careless answer would disappoint her again.
"At first..." He looked toward her. "What caught my attention was not who Furen was, but the way Furen carried yourself that day... Most people, when faced with such a situation, would have panicked."
"Furen did not." The corners of his lips lifted into a faint smile, "From that moment onward... I found myself wanting to know Furen better."
Wang Gege’s eyebrows unconsciously knitted together in surprise. That was not the answer she had expected.
She had thought Xie Rong would simply admit that he had been captivated by Shen Taotao’s beauty from the very beginning.
Instead, his answer had nothing to do with appearance.
"Then..." She looked at him in bewilderment, unable to hide the confusion in her voice. "Husband didn’t fall for me at first sight?"
The question caught Xie Rong slightly off guard.
After a brief moment of silence, he let out a soft chuckle. "Does Furen believe affection is something that should be decided with a single glance?"
Wang Gege blinked and her head tilted a bit.
Xie Rong slowly shook his head.
"To admire one’s appearance is easy..." He paused briefly before continuing, "but to admire a person’s character requires time."
As he spoke, he leaned forward ever so slightly. Having seen the surprise on Wang Gege’s face, he seemed to have gained a little more confidence in his answer.
"This husband has never believed the two should be confused. Beauty may catch one’s attention..." His lips curved into a faint smile. "But...character is what makes a person unwilling to look away."
Wang Gege’s knitted brows gradually relaxed. Her eyes remained fixed on Xie Rong, as though trying to determine whether she had misunderstood his words.
A faint glimmer of surprise quietly flickered across her eyes before disappearing just as quickly.
She pressed her lips together, suppressing whatever thoughts had begun to form in her heart, then slowly turned away. "I see..."
With that, she resumed walking toward their courtyard.
Xie Rong remained standing where he was.
His brows slowly knitted together once more as he watched her slender figure gradually move farther away.
He could not understand. Her expression had changed again. Yet this time, no familiar notification echoed within his mind.
A few moments passed.
Still nothing.
Xie Rong unconsciously called inwardly, ’Gemi.’
Silence.
Just as he was about to call a second time a familiar sound appeared.
’DING!’
The familiar mechanical voice echoed inside his mind.
[CONGRATULATIONS, HOST.]
[TARGET FAVORABILITY HAS INCREASED.]
[CURRENT FAVORABILITY: 30]
Xie Rong’s eyes widened almost imperceptibly. "It returned?"
His gaze instinctively landed on Wang Gege once again. She was still walking ahead of him with the same calm steps as before, giving no indication that anything had changed.
Xie Rong remained standing there in silence.
’Could it be... she dislikes being admired solely for her appearance?’
The thought quietly surfaced in his mind.
After all, her favorability had fallen the moment he mentioned her beauty. Yet it had gradually returned after he explained that beauty alone had never been the reason.
The more he thought about it, the more convinced he became that he had finally understood.
Xie Rong gave a firm nod before immediately lengthening his strides, quickly catching up to Wang Gege once again.
Not long afterward, the two of them finally returned to their courtyard.
The room had already been tidied by the servants while they were away. The candles burned quietly, casting a warm glow across the familiar furnishings.
Wang Gege stepped inside first. Her footsteps gradually slowed until she stopped before bed. She stared at it for quite a while without saying a word.
Only after several moments did she turn around to look at Xie Rong, "Husband."
"Mm?"
"Since I apparently have no sleeping manners..." She scratched her cheek awkwardly before pointing toward the wooden chair by the window. "Should I sleep there tonight?"
Her finger stopped precisely at the same wooden chair she had spent the previous night on after arriving at the Xie Residence.
Xie Rong’s brows immediately drew together. "Why should Furen do that?"
Wang Gege blinked. "Huh?"
"If Furen is still bothered by what happened that night..." He paused briefly before lowering his head slightly. "This husband apologizes once again."
His sudden apology caught Wang Gege completely off guard.
"It was never this husband’s intention to make Furen sleep there."
He looked toward the wooden chair before continuing in an unusually patient tone. "That night, I intended to carry Furen back to the bed after you had fallen asleep."
Wang Gege’s eyes widened. "Carry me?"
Xie Rong nodded.
"However..." A trace of helplessness quietly appeared on his usually composed face. "The moment this husband tried to lift Furen..."
He paused, as though the memory was still vivid in his mind. "Furen held onto the chair as though your life depended on it."
Xie Rong continued honestly, "You even muttered something in your sleep. I was afraid waking Furen would disturb your rest. So... this husband simply let Furen continue sleeping there for the night."
Wang Gege’s lips slowly formed a small "O" without a sound.
"Then..." She glanced toward the wooden chair before looking back at him. "Would Husband sleep there tonight?"
Xie Rong immediately frowned, "Why would this husband sleep there?"