Ning Nan realized the other party was actually a young woman, and instantly felt it was a tremendous humiliation. Sitting in the car, he mulled over the events of the past few days. If Ning Nan hadn't come to him for help, how would he have run into all this rotten luck?
The more Ning Xi thought about it, the angrier he got, and the more he couldn't let it go. If he was unhappy, Ning Nan wasn't getting off easy either. He picked up the phone he'd tossed aside and dialed Ning Nan's number.
"Second brother, did you dig a pit and push me into it?"
"What's wrong, third brother? Who dug a pit for you?"
"Don't play dumb with me."
"My dear brother, are you talking about that woman? I only asked for your help because I trusted your abilities."
"Don't think I don't know what you're scheming."
"Third brother, I'm in the middle of filming right now. Gotta hang up."
Ning Xi couldn't believe the guy just hung up on him like that. He paused, thought about calling Ning Dong, but then remembered how dense the eldest brother was and changed his mind. He considered calling Lu Zhengting, but then recalled that guy had no loyalty when it came to women. When he saw the youngest brother's number in his contacts, a twisted smile mixed with a bitter grimace spread across his face.
"Third brother, what's up?"
"Youngest brother..."
Ning Xi held the phone, speaking little. The voice on the other end revealed Ning Bei was in a meeting. Before he could say another word, the youngest brother, who he'd always thought was the easiest to push around, ignored him too. It stung instantly, blood gushing from his heart.
But that wasn't the worst part. The worst part was when his phone rang again with that relentless ringtone.
Listening to the woman's gentle voice on the phone, he could almost picture a graceful figure, a beautiful face, a sweet voice—but for Ning Xi, it was all just imagination.
He sighed, looked at the text on his screen, and now wished he could drag Ning Nan out and beat him senseless. He'd seen scammers before, but never one who'd screw over his own brother like this.
Ning Xi bought everything the text instructed and drove toward the address given.
...
With both hands full, Ning Xi's knock was a bit faint. Zhan Meng opened the door and immediately saw Ning Xi holding bags, his forehead covered in fine sweat. She froze for a moment. "Why are you so late? I'm starving to death."
"If I hadn't come, would you really starve yourself?" Ning Xi walked into the living room, set the things down, and turned to look at Zhan Meng.
"Maybe I would. I scare even myself when I'm lazy." Zhan Meng made a throat-slitting gesture at Ning Xi and said gloomily.
"Alright, I brought what you wanted. Now give me what I need."
"Why so impatient? I'm still hungry. Let's talk after I eat."
"Give it to me now, and I'll leave immediately."
"No way. You still have to clean up."
"..."
"Zhan Meng, don't push it. Don't make me get physical with you."
"Fine, go ahead. But wait until I've eaten. Oh, by the way, I got bored and organized the video just now. I was about to send it to our editor."
"Zhan Meng, you!" Ning Xi stared at her calm demeanor as she kept eating, a million curses racing through his mind. He was so furious he wanted to strangle her, but then he thought, don't argue with a woman—it only leads to endless trouble.
Zhan Meng ate her fill, patted her round belly, and burped. Catching Ning Xi's look of disgust, she frowned, clearly annoyed.
"That disgusted look of yours really bothers me."
"I didn't come here to make you happy."
"Hmph, loser! So arrogant."
At that, Ning Xi exploded. As a hacker, he was practically unbeatable—until one dark, windy night years ago when he received a challenge. He never turned those down, so he accepted and set a time to settle it.
But on the agreed day, he was assigned a last-minute mission and didn't show up, which meant he automatically forfeited. When he got back and tried to find the challenger for a rematch, the person had vanished without a trace. That ruined his perfect record and made him a joke among his brothers.
If Ning Nan hadn't recently asked him to delete all the files and videos involving him and Xu Su from Zhan Meng's computer, he'd never have known that his old challenger was a woman—a cat-like one at that.
Zhan Meng's eyes widened as she stared straight at Ning Xi. "What are you thinking? Why are you staring at me?"
"Guess what I'm thinking."
"I'm not a worm in your stomach. How would I know? Boring."
"..."
"My stomach's a bit full. I don't feel like moving. Ning Xi, can you clean up for me? Thanks."
"You actually know how to say thank you?"
"Yep, thanks. So you agree to clean up for me. Great." Zhan Meng slowly walked over to the sofa piled with pillows, glanced at Ning Xi's forced smile, shrugged it off, plopped down, hugged a pillow, half-leaned back, and squinted contentedly.
Ning Xi watched her—eyes half-closed, lips slightly curled, as lazy as a cat. The orange light spilled over her, enveloping her entirely. She seemed to sense his gaze on her, suddenly snapped her eyes open, and stared sharply at the dazed man. "What are you looking at? What's so interesting?"
"Nothing interesting, indeed." Ning Xi said slowly, but in that moment, he felt his heart race as she opened her eyes.
"Tch, you might as well tidy up here too while you're at it."
"And what will you do?"
"Me? I'll take a nap first. I haven't slept in a day and a night." Zhan Meng closed her eyes again and added, "It's all because of the manuscript. The editor's been bugging me nonstop."
Hearing that, Ning Xi's movements quickened. This woman really knew how to seize an opportunity.
******
At the Lu residence, whenever Lu Zhengting left for the company, Xia Yan's life instantly took on a different tone. She woke up ten minutes after he left. The burn on her hand had stopped swelling and inflammation had subsided, but full recovery would take a while.
With Lu Zhengting gone, Jiang Mingxiu was the top authority at home. Besides the servants, even Xia Yan was at her beck and call. Over the past few days, Xia Yan had been cautious and careful, roughly figuring out Jiang Mingxiu's habits. Luckily, work kept Ke Yaru busy, so she rarely visited the Lu house.
Jiang Mingxiu sat in the living room like a noble swan, exuding an air of elegance. She glanced briefly at Xia Yan coming down the stairs, then lightly pushed away the fruit plate Chen Ma had brought her. "These fruits aren't fresh. Make a new one."
"Madam, these were air-shipped from abroad this morning by the young master. How could they not be fresh?"
"Chen Ma, are you questioning me?"
"Well... I'll make a new one right away."
"Chen Ma, let Xia Yan do it. You go fetch my clothes."
"Fetching clothes has always been... Yes, I'll go now."
Xia Yan saw Chen Ma's hesitation and knew Jiang Mingxiu was just finding an excuse to make things hard for her. She lowered her eyes and walked calmly toward the kitchen. When Chen Ma followed her in and saw Xia Yan's submissive demeanor, thinking of her injured hand, she couldn't help saying, "Miss Xia, if the young master knew, he'd be heartbroken."
"So don't let him know." Some fruits had indeed just been air-shipped to the Lu residence, so they hadn't been stored in the cold room yet. Xia Yan tried to use her uninjured hand as she worked, smiling.
"Miss Xia, you really care about the young master." Chen Ma looked at her affectionately as she focused on her task and added, "If the young master knew how thoughtful you are, he'd be overjoyed."
Xia Yan smiled but said nothing. She knew Lu Zhengting was a filial son, and she knew that if he were caught between her and Jiang Mingxiu, he'd choose to protect her—but it would still hurt him deeply...
Thinking that way, Jiang Mingxiu's petty torments were frustrating, but when she thought of Lu Zhengting, they didn't seem so bad.
"Chen Ma, aren't you going?"
"Madam, I'm on my way."
Xia Yan rinsed the fruit under the faucet, and hearing Jiang Mingxiu's voice, she lowered hers. "Chen Ma, go ahead. I can handle this."
When Xia Yan brought the fruit plate to Jiang Mingxiu, she saw the woman's look of disgust before she'd even tasted it. Her mood soured, but she kept a smile on her face.
Jiang Mingxiu glanced at it. "Fruit is all about freshness. Did your medicine get on it?"
"Auntie, rest assured. I didn't use this hand."
"You didn't? Then why do I smell medicine?" Jiang Mingxiu pushed the fruit plate aside again, lifted her chin, and looked down at Xia Yan. "Go help out in the backyard. Those plants need trimming."
Xia Yan frowned, nodded silently, and turned toward the back garden.
The gardener saw her coming and hesitated to hand over the tools, but Xia Yan reached out to take them. The pruning shears were heavier than she expected, and she nearly dropped them on her foot.
Before Jiang Mingxiu returned, Xia Yan had always held the title of young mistress at the Lu house, and everyone knew how much Lu Zhengting cared for her. But now, with Jiang Mingxiu back, things were changing.
Xia Yan struggled to grip the tools and slowly began trimming the plants. The gardener beside her was on edge until she finally finished.