Bai Baozhu imagined a grand drama of love and hate in her own mind.
Xie Chengxiao let out a laugh.
People really do laugh out loud when they are utterly speechless.
But who would have thought that in Bai Baozhu's eyes, this laugh only confirmed her suspicions.
Sure enough, Xie Chengxiao was using her cousin Bai Liuyue to get back at her. He was trying to provoke her; he hated her.
Where there is love, there is hate.
Since he hated her, it meant that he must still harbor love for her in his heart.
Bai Baozhu's tense emotions relaxed, and she felt somewhat reassured.
Her attitude was no longer as nervous as before, and she said in a gentle tone:
"Xiaoyue is very uncomfortable being held in this position. Chengxiao, put her down first."
Xie Chengxiao: "...???"
Xie Manyu: "...???"
"Sister-in-law, my brother is shameless, and your cousin is a vixen. Why are you being so nice to them?"
Instead, Bai Liuyue nodded her head and chimed in:
"That's right, brother-in-law, put me down, I need to put on my shoes."
Only then did Xie Chengxiao unhurriedly place her on a chair, turning around to pick up the pink embroidered shoe that had just been taken off and left on the floor.
The embroidered shoe was very small, and Xie Chengxiao's palm was very large.
He just blatantly half-squatted in front of everyone and said coldly, "Raise your foot."
Bai Liuyue widened her almond-shaped eyes in disbelief.
Her small mouth parted slightly in surprise.
Was it what she thought it was?
Young Marshal Xie was going to put her shoe on for her?
Before her inner question could be voiced, the impatient Xie Manyu over there cursed hotly:
"Brother, what on earth are you doing?"
"You are squatting down to put Bai Liuyue's shoe on? Has your brain been eaten by bugs? Sister-in-law and I are still here."
As Xie Manyu spoke, she patted Bai Baozhu's hand and grumbled in dissatisfaction:
"Sister-in-law, look at him!"
Unexpectedly, Bai Baozhu appeared very calm in the face of this scene.
She wasn't even angry.
Instead, she smiled and said, "Chengxiao is just taking care of my younger sister for me. It's nothing."
What?
She called this nothing?
Her brother's hand had already grasped Bai Liuyue's ankle, while his other hand held the embroidered shoe, slowly slipping it on.
Xie Manyu felt like either the world had gone mad or her brother had gone mad.
How come even her sister-in-law had gone mad now?
Such an intimate gesture, how could it be nothing!
Bai Liuyue pretended to be well-behaved and timid, quietly watching Xie Chengxiao's long, fair fingers put the embroidered shoe on for her.
Then, he looked up.
His dark eyes were deep and rippleless.
He spoke, "Next time, you are not allowed to walk barefoot. You will catch a cold."
Bai Liuyue answered perfunctorily, "Oh."
Xie Chengxiao slightly tightened his grip on her ankle and asked again:
"Did you remember?"
"Mhm."
Bearing the burning, murderous glare from Xie Manyu in the distance, Bai Liuyue quickly nodded her head.
Making sure her shoes were on properly, she hurriedly stood up from the chair.
She greeted the two people at the door.
"Cousin, Miss Xie, what a coincidence. You guys are here to eat too."
Looking at her acting like an innocent, ignorant little white rabbit again, Xie Manyu truly felt nauseated.
She turned her gaze to Xie Chengxiao and said:
"It is no coincidence, brother. Sister-in-law and I came specifically to find you."
"We heard there was a power outage at the department store, so we rushed over immediately. Sister-in-law was worried about you, and of course, so was I."
"Brother, were you alright during the blackout just now?"
Xie Chengxiao pursed his lips, slightly raising his jawline, his voice indifferent and devoid of emotion.
"I am fine."
How could that be?
Every time her brother encountered a pitch-black environment, his condition would act up; he would tremble and briefly lose his ability to think.
Xie Manyu's suspicious gaze darted back and forth between her brother and Bai Liuyue.
Finally, she raised a critical question.
"Weren't you two having a meal?"
"Why is it that after the lights went out, Bai Liuyue's shoe wasn't on her foot, but on the floor?"
"What exactly were you two doing?"
She was like a meticulous detective, sniffing out the suspicious details.
The smile on Bai Baozhu's face also stiffened slightly.
She reached out and patted Xie Manyu, wanting to stop her from asking further.
Unexpectedly, faced with such a tricky question,
Xie Chengxiao actually answered.
"The shoe was taken off."
Xie Manyu: "..."
Bai Baozhu: "..."
Of course they knew the shoe was taken off. Could it have grown legs and run away on its own?
Xie Manyu relentlessly pressed on, "Taken off by whom?"
In fact, the answer was obvious.
Xie Manyu felt that her brother had been bewitched and seduced by the vixen.
To her surprise, Bai Liuyue weakly raised her small hand, poked her head out, and interjected:
"Um... I took it off myself."
Xie Manyu was baffled: "Why would you take your shoe off for no reason?"
Bai Liuyue answered readily:
"It got dark in the room just now, so I wanted to go open the curtains, and then brother-in-law..."
She took a deep breath, pausing dramatically.
Xie Manyu excitedly widened her eyes, waiting for the next moment so she could burst into a furious scolding.
Bai Baozhu also focused her attention entirely.
As a result.
Bai Liuyue: "He stepped on my heel several times. In a fit of anger, I simply took the shoe off."
Xie Manyu's gaze still darted suspiciously between them.
"That is it?"
Bai Liuyue nodded: "That is it."
Xie Manyu's face was written all over with disbelief. How could it be so innocent?
Were they bullying her for having a low IQ?
She turned to look at Bai Baozhu and said, "Sister-in-law, do you believe this?"
Bai Baozhu nodded: "I believe it."
Xie Manyu fell silent: "..."
It was over. How had this world gone so crazy that she couldn't understand it anymore?
...
The group returned to the Marshal's Mansion from the department store.
Xie Chengxiao drove.
The passenger seat was commandeered by Xie Manyu, though this was tacitly approved by Bai Baozhu.
After all, she knew that with her current estranged relationship with Xie Chengxiao, even if she got into the passenger seat, she would be kicked out.
So it was better to let her foolish sister-in-law sit there, taking the opportunity to fend off any romantic rivals.
In the back seat,
Bai Baozhu's attention had just been entirely on Xie Chengxiao and that embroidered shoe, and she hadn't had the time to notice Bai Liuyue.
Now they were sitting side by side.
Only then did she see that the other woman was wearing a lotus-root pink qipao. The fit was perfect, slim where it should be slim, and full where it should be full.
She had never realized that her little cousin had grown up to be so graceful and curvy.
A hint of vigilance and danger rose in the depths of Bai Baozhu's heart.
On the surface, she still smiled gently and spoke:
"Xiaoyue, didn't you only like wearing old-fashioned short jackets and skirts before? Why did you suddenly think of buying a qipao?"
Bai Liuyue had been lowering her eyes, staring blankly in a daze.
After all, being tossed about all day was a bit tiring. Hearing Bai Baozhu's noisy voice in her ear was so annoying.
The corners of her lips curled up slightly.
Sorry.
You just walked right into the line of fire.
"Oh, does cousin think it looks good too? Brother-in-law picked it out."
