Before Su Qing came along, Xie Jianhua had never fallen victim to a "green tea" act and was completely unsuspecting.
Noticing Wang Cuifen's displeased expression, he couldn't help but ask, "Mom, what's wrong? Weren't you fine just a moment ago?"
"You're asking me what's wrong? I should be asking you that!" Wang Cuifen stepped closer, pinching his arm and lowering her voice. "Did you bully Su Qing again?"
"No," Xie Jianhua retracted his arm, looking baffled. "I’ve never bullied her."
Wang Cuifen stood firm, righteous indignation in her tone. "Still lying. Just seeing the two of you standing there, I could tell you must’ve done something. You’re a grown man—where’s your sense of responsibility?"
Her eyes were the embodiment of justice. Who was right or wrong? Did they really think they could hide it from her?
At first, Xie Jianhua tried to explain, but eventually, he gave up.
This was the second time. The first was when Wang Cuifen had outright scolded him upon hearing he might leave. This time, there wasn’t even a reason—just another inexplicable scolding.
Well, not entirely inexplicable.
Xie Jianhua’s gaze traveled past Wang Cuifen, locking onto Su Qing from a distance.
Before he could say anything, Su Qing quickly spat out her toothpaste, rinsed her mouth, and trotted over to stand behind Wang Cuifen.
"Mom, don’t scold him. I’m really fine…"
Her words only made things worse. Wang Cuifen immediately slapped Xie Jianhua’s shoulder. "Look at you!"
"Mom~ It’s really nothing." Su Qing took Wang Cuifen’s hand, her eyes full of concern. "Mom, did your hand hurt from hitting him?"
"No, no, I’m fine, sweetheart." Wang Cuifen pulled Su Qing away. "I bought your favorite brown sugar sponge cake. Let’s go have breakfast and ignore that brat Xie Jianhua."
Su Qing happily linked arms with Wang Cuifen as they headed to the table. "Mom, you’re so good to me. It’s been ages since I had brown sugar sponge cake…"
"Then I’ll buy it for you often from now on."
"Okay, thanks, Mom~ Mwah!"
Su Qing giggled, accepting Wang Cuifen’s kindness without hesitation. Wang Cuifen, who had been reborn once, still treated her so well—proof that their relationship in their past life must have been close.
Hadn’t Wang Cuifen even remembered her love for snacks? Clearly, she had cared deeply for Su Qing before.
As for the original host’s strained relationship with Wang Cuifen in her memories, Su Qing treated it like a parallel universe. One was habitually silent, the other prone to shouting—completely different from their current dynamic.
Left standing there after being inexplicably pinched and slapped, Xie Jianhua stared at Su Qing’s retreating figure for a long moment. His expression remained calm, but his eyes were filled with quiet despair.
Su Qing hadn’t tattled—she’d even defended him—yet Xie Jianhua couldn’t shake the feeling that she’d set him up.
No proof, just pure instinct.
When he finally sat down for breakfast, he suddenly heard Su Qing ask softly, "Mom, why hasn’t big brother come out for breakfast? Is he not hungry again?"
In less than a second, Wang Cuifen erupted. "Xie Jianzhong! You little brat, what are you doing?! Do I have to beg you to come eat? Are you my son or my ancestor?!"
If they’d all just eaten breakfast together, last night’s little conflict might have been glossed over.
But after Wang Cuifen’s outburst, Xie Jianzhong felt his pride wounded. "I’m not eating," he snapped before storming out of the courtyard.
"Big brother, he…?" Su Qing inwardly cheered but feigned shock, looking at Wang Cuifen with wide, confused eyes.
Wang Cuifen, furious, grabbed a nearby broom and hurled it at Xie Jianzhong’s retreating back. "Fine! That ungrateful wretch! His wings aren’t even fully grown, and he dares treat me like this! No wonder he wanted to starve me in my old age! After all I’ve done for him, he remembers nothing but grudges!"
Cripple Xie sighed, rubbing his forehead—still hung up on the past.
Meanwhile, Su Qing silently applauded Wang Cuifen.
When it came to outsiders like daughters-in-law or sons-in-law, Wang Cuifen’s attitude was questionable. But for her own four children, she had given everything.
Yet precisely because she gave too much, her children took it for granted.
If they’d had a mother like He Laidi, they’d have behaved much differently.
As Wang Cuifen’s best friend, Su Qing was determined to support her parenting efforts.
Just as she was about to say more, Xie Jianhua’s hand clamped down on her leg under the table, silently stopping her.
As satisfying as it was to see his older brother humiliated, Xie Jianhua was now certain—he’d married a troublemaker.
And not just any troublemaker, but a highly skilled one who could effortlessly take down his brother.
Su Qing tilted her head at Xie Jianhua, then reached under the table, lifting his hand with two fingers and flicking it away.
"What are you doing? Keep your hands to yourself!" She turned the tables on him.
Their eyes met, Xie Jianhua’s ears turning red first. "Just… say less," he muttered.
"Okay." Su Qing shrugged indifferently.
The idea that straight men couldn’t recognize a "green tea" act was nonsense.
If they benefited from it, they pretended not to see. But when they were the ones being played, even the most oblivious man would figure it out instantly.
After being toyed with two or three times, if Xie Jianhua still hadn’t caught on, he’d be downright naive.
But even if he had, it didn’t matter. This time, Su Qing wasn’t planning to fan the flames—she genuinely wanted to persuade Wang Cuifen to eat properly.
"Mom~ I’ve served your porridge. Let’s eat. Why didn’t you wake me up earlier to help cook? It must’ve been so tiring for you alone. It breaks my heart…"
Instantly, Wang Cuifen’s anger melted away. She smiled warmly at Su Qing. "Making porridge is nothing. You’re still growing—you need your sleep. I didn’t want to disturb you. If you care for me, I care for you too."
The two of them basked in their affectionate mother-daughter moment, while Xie Jianhua could barely swallow his food. He never imagined Wang Cuifen would fall for such tactics.
But even if that cloyingly sweet act were performed right in front of him, he’d never stoop to copying it.
Resigned, Xie Jianhua forced down a mouthful of porridge. When he looked up, he spotted a friend at the gate, signaling him.
"I’m done eating. I’ll step outside for a bit." He set down his chopsticks and hurried to the gate. "What’s up, Er Gou? Why the signals?"
"You know Ren Chao, right? Your future brother-in-law? Someone at his workplace posted a big-character poster accusing him of having a loose moral character and cheating. I saw it this morning and came straight to you." Er Gou grinned, clearly amused.
Even Xie Jianhua couldn’t help but remark, "That was fast."
At the same time, he felt a surge of relief in his heart—thankfully, he had settled his marriage that very day and held the wedding banquet the next morning to formalize the relationship. Though the midday banquet was modest, with only two tables and a handful of relatives in attendance, making it seem rushed and simple, at least the bond was now official.
Otherwise, he too would have faced accusations.
"In that big-character poster, apart from Su Xue being explicitly named, there were also veiled references to two married female colleagues from their workplace," Er Gou said indignantly. "Thank goodness you switched brides. Otherwise, with you away from home all the time, who knows if Su Xue and that Ren Chao would’ve kept sneaking around behind your back?"
What Su Xue and Ren Chao had done was truly underhanded—not only did they scheme to cuckold someone, but they also resorted to framing an innocent person.
But since neither family had taken the matter to court, there was no official ruling on right or wrong.
Onlookers were free to believe whichever side they preferred. Those close to the Xie family sided with their version of events, while those favoring the Su family accepted their excuses.
In two or three years, once the scandal blew over, the whole affair would fade into obscurity, becoming nothing more than a vague memory.
But if this matter were dragged into the open, who knew how far the repercussions might spread? Xie Jianhua’s brow furrowed unconsciously at the thought.
