Meanwhile, Shen Xingrou was smugly preparing to watch He Su kneel and beg for mercy. But when she pushed open the door, she found the man lounging with his legs crossed, leisurely watching a sports channel!
"Didn't you say you needed my help? Where's the problem?"
She had been ready to show off her skills in front of this loser He Su, making him cry and beg to call her big sister.
"Already solved." He Su found a comfortable spot to lean back, cocktail in hand, and said casually, "Don't need you anymore."
"What do you mean?"
He Su took a sip of his drink: "The problem's solved. No need for you, the top student, to flaunt your brilliant mind. Is that clear enough?"
"Are you messing with me on purpose?" Shen Xingrou stood there, unable to believe her ears.
"So what if I am?"
Damn it, he'd already taken crap from her brother, gotten beaten up by her older brother, and now this younger one was pissing him off!
Had he dug up the Shen family's ancestral graves in a past life, or was fate just too bored with his smooth sailing and decided to throw this huge obstacle in his path?
"He Su, you're going too far!" Shen Xingrou's pride was trampled under his feet—summoned at will, dismissed at will. When he needed her, he was all sweet talk; when he didn't, he tossed her aside like trash. What gave him the right?!
"What, you gonna hit me or something?" He Su turned his head, revealing his bruised and swollen face.
Shen Xingrou had actually wanted to punch him, but when she saw his battered face, she couldn't hold back a snort and burst out laughing: "Did you piss someone off with that mouth again? Got yourself beaten into a pig face, hahaha."
"...Is it funny?" He Su's sinister smile lingered on his lips as he crushed the unfinished cocktail bottle in his hand.
For some reason, seeing him like this was just too hilarious.
Shen Xingrou whipped out her phone and snapped a few quick photos—tonight's trending Weibo post had its material now. She just needed to come up with an eye-catching title.
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" He Su snatched her phone, gritting his teeth, and slammed it to the ground in fury.
He had a short temper to begin with, and dealing with someone this infuriating made him explode on the spot!
Watching her new phone go black from the impact, Shen Xingrou was stunned by his raging anger. She'd always known he had a bad temper, but no matter how much she provoked him before, he'd never smashed things in front of her to scare her. But today...
Shen Xingrou's panicked eyes dared not look at him, as if she was terrified. Tears shimmered in her eyes, her nose reddened, and she looked utterly pitiful.
Seeing her on the verge of tears, He Su suddenly realized his actions might have scared her. But prideful as he was, how could he easily admit fault now?
After a dozen seconds of inner struggle, just as he was about to speak, the girl covered her face and ran out of the room, leaving He Su frozen in place.
...
The next day.
Han Chong took An Che out for morning exercise. With outdoor activities these past two days, the boy was full of positive energy, brimming with vitality every day...
By the time An Ruo pushed the man into the dining room, only the two of them were there. Breakfast sat untouched, as if they were waiting for others to join.
An Che looked at them, puzzled: "Sis, bro-in-law, aren't you two usually early risers? How come when we're on a trip, you both start sleeping in?"
"..."
An Ruo forced a smile. She should be asking Shen Xiaohang that question. He'd worn her out yesterday, from the hot spring pool to the room, the bathroom, the windowsill, the carpet...
Even with his mobility issues, he had so much energy. If she hadn't begged for mercy through tears, she'd probably be stuck in bed unable to move.
The man glanced at her and smirked: "Your sister's not feeling well."
"Huh? Sis, what's wrong? Did you catch a cold from sweating yesterday?" An Che stared at An Ruo seriously, looking like he was about to run off and find a doctor.
"I'm fine, don't listen to your brother-in-law's nonsense." An Ruo tugged at the man's sleeve under the table, signaling him not to talk dirty in front of the kid.
They'd just sat down, planning to wait for He Su and Shen Xingrou to join them for breakfast, when the ones who were supposed to come didn't, and the ones who weren't supposed to showed up one after another.
"Oh, such a lavish breakfast. Sorry I'm late, little sis-in-law." Huo Jinyan, acting like he'd never seen such a spread, rubbed his hands together and found a seat.
An Ruo could only smile.
Sheng Nanzhou, at least, was more considerate, ordering some extra Cantonese breakfast items and putting them all on his tab.
"Little sis-in-law, we met so briefly yesterday I didn't get to treat you to a meal. Breakfast works perfectly—let's all eat together?"
An Ruo glanced at the man first. His expression was indifferent, as if telling her to decide for herself. She managed a smile: "Sure, eating together makes it livelier."
No big deal—Sheng Nanzhou said it was all on him anyway.
Huo Jinyan, used to his spoiled ways, picked up his chopsticks and started eating without waiting for anyone.
Halfway through, he noticed no one else had touched their food. He looked around awkwardly: "You're all not eating?"
"Dr. He and Xingrou haven't arrived yet."
Just then, He Su walked into the dining room with a face covered in bruises, his expression dark and irritable.
An Ruo finally noticed that both he and Huo Jinyan had visible injuries.
"You two..."
Huo Jinyan wanted to tattle, but a glare from the man made him purse his lips. Sheng Nanzhou caught the warning look and explained with a laugh: "Ahaha, these two drank too much yesterday and insisted on going out for a snowball fight. They slipped and messed up their faces."
"Maybe drink less from now on." An Ruo knew better—those injuries were clearly from a fight. Who gets hurt only on the face from a fall?
But since they didn't want to say, it wasn't her place to pry.
They waited over twenty minutes, but Shen Xingrou still hadn't shown up. By this time, she should normally be awake.
"Is something wrong?" An Ruo frowned. "She left in such a hurry yesterday without even saying goodbye."
Shen Xiaohang's gaze slowly swept over to He Su, who looked slightly annoyed. He raised an eyebrow, silently asking about Shen Xingrou's situation.
He Su wasn't sure if he should mention what happened yesterday. If he did, it would make him look petty and blame Shen Xingrou, who knew nothing. If he didn't, her absence made him uneasy.
"I'll go check."
"I'll go instead." An Ruo stood up before him. It wouldn't look good for a man to barge into a young woman's room this early in the morning.
Once only the men were left in the dining room, an awkward silence hung in the air...
Sheng Nanzhou tried to find a topic, but yesterday's unpleasantness made it hard to know what to say.
Shen Xiaohang's handsome face darkened as he coldly stared at He Su, his voice harsh: "Did you hit her yesterday?"
It wasn't surprising that Shen Xiaohang asked. Knowing He Su's temper, he'd been holding a grudge yesterday, and Shen Xingrou was loud and a bit princessy—put them together, and it was a recipe for disaster.
He Su was annoyed: "Do I look like someone who hits women?"
Shen Xiaohang: "Yes."
Sheng Nanzhou: "Don't you?"
"Too damn much! You definitely laid hands on Xingrou, or why hasn't she come down for breakfast yet?" Huo Jinyan seized the chance for payback: "With his arrogant attitude and no sense of restraint, that girl's probably either crippled or paralyzed by now!"