After she left, An Qing angrily smashed the tea set on the table. "Dad, you just let her go like that?"
An Deyu's injuries hadn't healed yet, and the scars from the car accident on his face made him look like a villain from a TV drama. "What else do you want me to do?"
"She's lying to you. How could Young Master Shen, a cripple, possibly dote on her?" An Qing told him. "Dad, I saw her flirting ambiguously with a doctor today. She's only been married a few days and already brought shame to the An family, and under my name! How am I supposed to hold my head up in the future?"
An Deyu snapped harshly, "You still know she's using your name now? Rushing to the hospital to cause trouble without thinking—if the Shen family finds out about this, the An family is finished!"
"Alright, Qingqing, don't make your father angry." Madam An was also furious, but more puzzled. "I'll handle this kind of thing. Why did you have to receive her yourself?"
And treat her so respectfully!
"The company says our partnership with Lan Zhen has fallen through!" An Deyu said gloomily. "I don't know where President Gu heard about our family affairs, but he said the An family is untrustworthy—if we treat our own daughter like this, what business credibility do we have?"
He'd only swallowed his pride to fawn over that little girl after hearing the news, with no other choice!
"You mean the president of Lan Zhen?"
An Deyu nodded with a headache.
"What does he have to do with this?" Madam An frowned. "Could it be... that girl is spreading rumors?"
"Forget that for now. Just give her the money to avoid more trouble. The An family has partnerships with both the Shen family and Lan Zhen now—we can't afford to offend either side."
An Qing couldn't accept it. "That bitch must have seduced President Gu too!"
"Enough, say less. Stay away from her from now on. If her identity is exposed, the An family will suffer too. If you don't want to marry that cripple, behave yourself!"
An Qing had the worst luck today—bullied for no reason, then humiliated by An Ruo at home, and now cursed out by An Deyu!
Madam An patted her head. "How many times have I taught you? Control your temper, be smarter, and don't let others lead you by the nose."
"Mom, why are you scolding me too?"
"Don't you just want to vent?" Madam An tidied the stray hairs on her face. "What's the rush? There's plenty of time—we'll deal with her slowly."
-
Butler Xu noticed An Ruo had come home early today, a faint smile on her face that could stun anyone.
Something good must have happened, which might lift the young master's mood and keep him from being so withdrawn.
She greeted him lightly, "Butler Xu."
"Ah." He nodded with a smile. "Young Madam, you're in a good mood today. Something happy happen?"
"Secret." An Ruo put her finger to her lips with a playful smile. "Where's your young master?"
"Well... the young master is in his room." Butler Xu paused, then added, "Young Madam, please persuade the young master to come out and get some fresh air. Staying cooped up in his room isn't good for his recovery."
Thinking of that man's lonely silhouette, An Ruo felt his personality was unusually reclusive—locked in his own territory, letting no one in, unwilling to step out.
The man sat by the window, toying with a cigarette in his hand, his deep black eyes fixed on the frozen sea in the distance. The gray, heavy sky heralded the coming night.
"Young master, the young madam is back. She's in the kitchen downstairs..."
Shen Xiaoxing had a smoking habit; when lost in thought, he'd unconsciously pull out a cigarette. Remembering the woman would come in soon, he restrained himself and just held it.
"How did it go?"
"Young master, you'd never guess. The young madam charged into the An family alone, cleverly used her identity as the Shen family's eldest daughter-in-law, and made those mother-daughter pair hesitate to act. She even successfully got a fifty-thousand dowry."
"Playing on people's emotions?" A faint smile curled the man's thin lips. "A petty trick."
This time, Shen Xiaoxing saw An Ruo in a new light. Though the fifty thousand also involved Gu Chao stirring the pot on his orders, she still showed some wit, facing the Shen family's wolves alone without backing down.
He knew that girl had a certain boldness in her eyes—flexible, patient, and even a bit cunning.
"Sometimes, petty cleverness is a kind of wisdom." He brought the cigarette to his nose and inhaled deeply. "People's hearts can be the only winning move in a desperate situation."
An Ruo put on heat-resistant gloves and brought out her creation: "Smells great."
It looked pretty good too.
She picked one up, tossing it in her hand—it was so hot she nearly dropped it.
Taking a small bite, the creamy sweetness hit her tongue, rich but not cloying.
She placed the little cake on a tray. In a good mood today, she decided to win the man over.
Hugging the cake, An Ruo secretly thought: if the man angrily knocked it all to the floor, she'd never make him anything good again.
Passing the stairwell, she happened to run into Han Chong coming downstairs. Seeing her, he gave a slight nod. "Young Madam."
An Ruo had crossed paths with him a few times. He was Shen Xiaoxing's loyal dog—he'd handled everything for the man on their wedding day, and he was a decent person.
Though he didn't smile much, just like his young master, his face didn't look like a bad guy's.
She didn't know where she got the confidence to think that...
She knocked on the door. "Young Master Shen?"