Not far away, the man caught every word, his heart struck as if by something—aching, yet instantly blooming with sweetness. His nose tingled slightly. This silly girl... just because he was good to her, she was willing to stake her whole life on it?
"In my eyes, he's perfect. He's my husband, my family, and I don't want to hear you hurt him."
Yun Li frowned deeply, his brown eyes veiled as if with mist, his expression strange, still unable to believe she could truly love such a Shen Xiaoxing.
"But he..."
An Ruo coldly cut him off: "Mr. Bryce, this is my family matter. Please refrain from casually judging my husband."
Seeing her resolute stance and her thorough defense of Shen Xiaoxing, Yun Li had nothing more to say, only feeling it was a pity she married him like this. His tightly knit brows relaxed slightly. "Then are we still friends?"
An Ruo blinked her clear, light eyes. "Of course."
She didn't have a bad impression of Yun Li; at least being with him didn't feel uncomfortable, and he was a decent person with a strong sense of justice. But what he'd just said... though it made her a bit angry, she couldn't deny that as a friend, he meant well.
Yun Li seemed to find some solace, offering a faint smile. He opened his mouth as if to say more, but a low male voice interrupted their conversation.
"I didn't expect the gentlemanly Mr. Bryce to be so fond of meddling in others' family affairs." Shen Xiaoxing wheeled himself over, his voice slightly deep, carrying an elusive chill. "It's not easy for someone like me, with my poor condition, to find a wife willing to marry me willingly. Don't go swaying my wife with a few words. If she regrets and runs off, will you compensate me?"
"..."
An Ruo pressed her lips together lightly. When this man started talking nonsense in a sarcastic tone, it meant he was holding back anger. Gradually, she'd learned to pick up on a few of his moods.
Getting caught gossiping behind someone's back by the person themselves—this kind of awkwardness... well, it was beyond words.
Yun Li's face flushed with embarrassment. His brown eyes flickered twice, darting around as he searched for the right words to respond. Only then did he realize how hard it was to salvage what he'd said.
An Ruo stepped forward to explain for him. "You've misunderstood. Mr. Bryce didn't mean it that way."
Besides, she was already his wife—how could she be swayed away by a few words?
The man's dark eyes lifted, gazing at her with a murky, deep intensity, as if reluctant to believe she would defend Yun Li.
"Are you thirsty? There's a nice coffee shop up ahead. Want to go in for some tea?"
Shen Xiaoxing glanced briefly at Yun Li, who stood frozen in place, his eyes hiding an unfathomable coldness. If not for their cooperation, he wouldn't tolerate this guy getting close to An Ruo. He withdrew his gaze calmly and smiled faintly at the girl. "If Mrs. Shen wants to drink, then let's go."
He deliberately called her "Mrs. Shen" in front of Yun Li, enunciating the words with an ambiguous tone, hoping he'd take the hint and back off. Don't force him to go on a rampage! He'd worked hard to win his bride; he couldn't let a Yun Li make her witness bloodshed, nor did he want to scare her.
An Ruo gave Yun Li a slight nod. "Mr. Bryce, we'll take our leave first."
Yun Li snapped back to reality and nodded back at her. "Talk later."
"Mm."
Under his gaze, An Ruo pushed the man out of the casino.
Old Mr. Ende stepped out of the elevator and, seeing his nephew staring fixedly at the couple, unable to snap out of it, cleared his throat heavily. "They're long gone. Even if you keep staring, she won't turn back."
Hearing his voice, Yun Li turned around. "Grandfather..."
"You, usually so gentle and refined, seeming so steady and mature—how could you fall for a woman like this?"
"Grandfather, what are you saying?" Yun Li defended himself vigorously. "I don't..."
Mr. Ende switched to German to speak with him. "Enough. I raised you as my heir since you were little. Do you think I don't know what's on your mind?"
"..."
"Though XE's prospects aren't what they used to be, as the heir, you're not reduced to settling for a married woman." Mr. Ende spoke with the tone of someone who'd been through it all. "You're the hope of our family. There are countless heiresses out there—any one of them is better than her."
"Grandfather, you know... I don't like them."
Mr. Ende raised an eyebrow. "Don't like them? So you prefer Chinese women?"
Yun Li's eyes dimmed. Perhaps because of his mixed heritage, he'd lived in China for a few years as a child, absorbing its conservative values, and always wanted a Chinese wife. When he first met An Ruo, he recognized her as Chinese at a glance and felt that spark of attraction. Just as he was about to make his move, he learned she was already married—to a disabled man who couldn't even take care of himself!
"Chinese women are even easier." Mr. Ende rubbed the head of his cane with his palm. "The Tang family, standing alongside the Yun family—Miss Tang is a few years older than you, but you grew up together as childhood friends, and she's Chinese. A perfect match."
"Grandfather." Yun Li's mind was in turmoil. Ever since learning of An Ruo's marriage, he'd felt like a wilted plant, not wanting to think about this issue. "I've always seen Sining as an older sister. I don't have those kinds of feelings for her. Please stop pushing me."
With that, afraid his grandfather would continue the topic, he quickly found an excuse and strode away.
...
Leaving the casino, they didn't go to the coffee shop but headed straight home.
Sitting in the car, An Ruo lightly clenched her hands on her knees, feeling the oppressive atmosphere. The man's intense gaze was fixed on her, making her afraid to turn her face to look at him.
His dark eyes heavy, he said in a low voice, "Mrs. Shen, aren't you going to explain to me what's going on with that Kane Bryce?"
Lost in thought, An Ruo's mind didn't catch up. "What?"
Her blatant distraction in front of him displeased Shen Xiaoxing. He reached out, and in an instant, the girl fell into his arms. His voice hoarse, he nibbled her earlobe. "What's your relationship with him? How did you meet?"
That guy clearly had ulterior motives toward this girl. As a man, he sensed the threat.
An Ruo hesitated. She didn't want the man to know she'd been hurt, but if she didn't bring it up, she couldn't explain everything. Under his repeated questioning, she pressed her lips together and laid out the whole story from start to finish.
Her voice grew softer as she spoke, because the man's handsome face grew darker, his eyes churning with cold anger. An Ruo's heart trembled; she didn't know what she'd said wrong.
He lifted her skirt, startling her into thinking he was up to no good. She instinctively tried to cover herself, but his hand intercepted hers.
The wound on her knee hadn't healed yet. She'd changed the bandage in the bathroom that morning, the gauze neatly applied.
His gaze turned heavy. Suddenly, he understood why she'd lied last night rather than let him touch her. This silly girl...
Shen Xiaoxing felt both pain and frustration, his deep eyes glaring at her. "Why didn't you tell me right away when you got hurt?"
She kept everything from him. When she was injured, she'd rather let someone else send her caring messages than tell him the truth. What was he as a husband—just decoration?