Luring Her into His Embrace: The CEO's Deep Devotion

Chapter 5: A Bit of Family Connection

As soon as Pan Shui stepped out, two men burst into hearty laughter outside the door.

With a fierce glare, Pan Shui shot a look at his two companions—men who had grown up with him, taken in from the orphanage by the Yan family, just like himself. He said nothing, though he felt betrayed. They had agreed to barge in together to “rescue the boss,” but they’d stayed back, only to laugh at his expense.

Still, Pan Shui had every reason to be on edge. He had heard a scream, followed by a muffled groan from his young master, and the previous incident was still fresh enough in his mind to make him wary.

“Maybe everyone’s had a bit too much free time lately,” Yan Chenye’s cool, unhurried voice drifted through the open doorway.

The laughter outside stopped abruptly. Pan Shui’s gaze remained fixed on the two men who had mocked him.

Inside the room, Ye Weixi tilted her head up, catching sight of the faint trace of annoyance on Yan Chenye’s handsome face. She wanted to laugh but dared not, so she bit her lip, trying to stifle her smile.

Having addressed the men outside, Yan Chenye looked down to see Ye Weixi’s charming, slightly mischievous expression.

Gently, he reached out, placing a tender hand on the top of her head. “Get dressed. We’re going home.”

With that, Yan Chenye turned and strode toward the dressing room’s kicked-in door.

Ye Weixi sat in stunned silence at the vanity, only snapping back to reality when Yan Chenye reached the door and looked back at her. She quickly hopped down, darting behind the clothing rack.

*Oh my God,* she thought, *that tender tone, that indulgent gaze—and was he actually guarding the door for me?*

She was certain she hadn’t imagined it.

*Damn it, this man really is something else!*

Poisonous or not, he wasn’t hers. *Stay rational… stay calm…*

Exhaling, Ye Weixi grabbed a red dress from the rack and slipped it on.

Once she was dressed, Yan Chenye exited the dressing room and addressed Pan Shui, who was now standing outside with a rather glum expression. “Get the car.”

Relieved to see Yan Chenye’s anger had cooled, Pan Shui smoothed his mustache and scampered off to the elevator.

Yan Chenye cast a glance at Bai Zhou and Xie Yu, who were standing nearby. “You two head back. Focus on the company affairs and pay extra attention these days.”

Bai Zhou and Xie Yu exchanged glances, hesitated for a moment, and, recognizing Yan Chenye’s expression, wisely departed.

As they left, Ye Weixi finished adjusting her outfit and gathered her things, stepping out of the dressing room. Not that there was much for her to gather; she’d simply lingered a bit longer, trying to think of how to reject the idea of sharing a room with Yan Chenye.

Given the close call they’d had in the dressing room, Ye Weixi couldn’t shake the feeling that Yan Chenye actually had feelings for Fang Wanru. If not, why would he need to put on such an affectionate display in a place where no one else could see?

Thinking about it, she felt a slight, inexplicable heaviness in her chest. It wasn’t intense, but it was definitely there.

After pondering it for a while, she chalked up her frustration to the fact that he had stolen her first kiss, which left her feeling a bit annoyed.

Clearing her unsettled emotions, Ye Weixi seamlessly slipped back into her role as Fang Wanru, adopting her usual coquettish tone. “Master Yan, I’m ready now. Where are we off to tonight?”

Yan Chenye’s lips curled into a faint smile. Lifting his arm, he placed it over Ye Weixi’s shoulder, leading her toward the elevator. “To our bridal suite.”

Not sure how Fang Wanru usually acted alone with Yan Chenye, Ye Weixi decided it was safest to keep quiet. Smiling sweetly up at him, she leaned closer, matching her steps to his unhurried pace.

Yan Chenye’s eyes gleamed with a trace of satisfaction, and the smile on his lips deepened. He hadn’t expected things to progress so smoothly.

By the time they exited the Crown Hotel, night had fallen. A custom black Rolls-Royce awaited them outside.

For the first time, Yan Chenye opened the car door for a woman, helping Ye Weixi in with an unexpected gentleness, before moving to the other side where Pan Shui already held the door.

Once they were all in, Pan Shui turned and politely greeted her, “Sister-in-law.”

Ye Weixi quickly ran through the mental images Fang Wei had provided, recognizing the man with the mustache as Pan Shui, one of Yan Chenye’s bodyguards.

She returned his greeting with a polite, sweet smile.

Pan Shui swallowed, quickly facing forward as he started the car, feeling an icy chill pass over his neck.

And wasn’t Fang Wanru different? When she was dating Master Yan, her haughty demeanor hadn’t spared him a single glance.

Was she purposely trying to sweeten her smile to make him pay for interrupting her moment with his young master?

As he drove, Pan Shui wondered why on earth Master Yan liked someone like Fang Wanru, whose past was anything but clean. Bai Zhou had thoroughly investigated her; at eighteen, she had been dating men of higher status than the Ye family, and before meeting Master Yan, she had even been seeing the second son of the Yin family, a smaller, local family in B City.

Yet, somehow, she had managed to charm the second son of the Yin family, who even attended the wedding, while the eldest daughter served as her maid of honor. The whole twisted web of relationships was enough to leave someone as straightforward as Pan Shui puzzled.

Meanwhile, after smiling at Pan Shui, Ye Weixi also sensed something odd in the car’s atmosphere but couldn’t quite place what.

She stole a glance at the man seated beside her, only to find his deep, dark eyes fixed on her with a chilling intensity that made her shiver.

Ye Weixi had no idea what had set him off, her facial muscles twitching in nervousness as she struggled to smile, but it was useless.

A feeling of dread crept over her—had Yan Chenye discovered that she wasn’t Fang Wanru? Realized she was a mere imposter?

*Oh no,* she thought in a panic. *Could it be as scary as Fang Wei and Yin Ying warned? If he’s as ruthless as they say, cutting off even family…*

Then she reminded herself: she was now his sister-in-law, which gave her a *bit* of a family connection…