After accidentally learning the truth from a colleague, Zhang Xiyue followed Cheng Mingjiao as he paid visits to several other friends.
Sure enough, although they had never discussed it with one another, they all thought the same way.
Chen Mingjiao was especially blunt about it. “I’m not pressing him for answers because I don’t want to expose him. I show up at his place out of nowhere from time to time just to make sure you’ve come back and that he hasn’t locked you up. Otherwise, I couldn’t be bothered with him.”
Zhang Xiyue raised her eyebrows and decided that, for the time being, she would spare Cheng Mingjiao this particularly cruel truth.
After making the rounds and seeing all his friends, the next step was to visit Cheng Mingjiao’s family.
When Zhang Xiyue told him about it, Cheng Mingjiao immediately became wary. “The last time you went to my house, you disappeared the very next day.”
“Mm. That afternoon, I learned a few things from Grandma Zhao, so I ran away,” Zhang Xiyue replied calmly.
Seeing how composed she looked, Cheng Mingjiao was displeased. “Why don’t you feel guilty at all?”
Zhang Xiyue rose onto her toes and kissed the corner of his lips. “I feel very guilty. Isn’t that why I’m repaying you by giving myself to you?”
Cheng Mingjiao put on a serious face. “Zhang Xiyue, you were mine to begin with.”
Zhang Xiyue suppressed the urge to roll her eyes and nodded. “Yes, yes, of course… So are you still going to let me visit your family?”
The corners of Cheng Mingjiao’s lips suddenly lifted.
Zhang Xiyue: “?”
What was this? She hadn’t even said anything strange. Why had he suddenly started smiling?
The moment Cheng Mingjiao saw her expression, he knew she didn’t understand.
She didn’t realize that the way she had just solemnly asked whether she could go to his house made her look exactly like a second-grader who hadn’t reached the age of enlightenment yet, but understood enough about manners to know that she couldn’t simply invite herself over to a classmate’s house. All she could do was earnestly ask for permission first.
She was adorable.
Back when Cheng Mingjiao had been in school, he had never understood why Guo Fengnian always invited a bunch of classmates over to his house just a few days after the start of every term. Now he understood.
Though he didn’t want to invite a bunch of people.
He only wanted to invite one.
Zhang Xiyue.
One adorable Zhang Xiyue.
The most dangerous part was that Zhang Xiyue seemed completely unaware of how cute she was.
Cheng Mingjiao’s love for her was about to overflow. If he hadn’t known that the results of his physical examination a few days ago had been perfectly normal, he would have seriously suspected that his heart was melting.
“…What are you doing?” Zhang Xiyue had the distinct feeling that something was off about him.
Cheng Mingjiao cleared his throat. “Since you want to go so badly, I’ll officially invite you.”
Zhang Xiyue laughed. “Thank you.”
Three days later, the two of them arrived at the Cheng residence, loaded down with bags.
Her aunt and uncle were still away on a business trip and couldn’t make it back, so Lu Xue and Lu Shuang came to the house first thing in the morning to represent them. Feng Shan, Cheng Hanting, and Qian Xiulan were waiting there as well.
Compared with their hurried meeting the previous time, both sides were fully prepared this time. Zhang Xiyue had bought gifts for everyone, while the Cheng family…
When she saw the enormous photographs of herself hanging above every villa, Zhang Xiyue’s expression stiffened. She silently turned to Cheng Mingjiao.
“You think this is inappropriate too, don’t you?” Cheng Mingjiao asked, being unusually considerate.
Zhang Xiyue: “…If you think it’s inappropriate, why did you give them my photos?”
“It’s the way they’re displaying them that’s inappropriate, not the photos themselves.” Cheng Mingjiao looked up at the pictures, clearly pleased. “These photos are all beautiful. If they listened to me and installed electronic screens to play them on a loop, I’m sure the effect would be even better.”
Feng Shan happened to walk over and, upon hearing this, rolled her eyes at him. “I asked about it. It would take at least a week to install the screens. There wasn’t enough time.”
“But it’s still a good idea,” Cheng Hanting said as he came over. “In a couple of days, we can have them start work. Then, the next time Xiyue comes back, she’ll be able to see even clearer pictures of herself.”
Feng Shan thought this made sense. “They don’t necessarily have to show photos. They could play videos too.”
“They could even show our wedding photos,” Cheng Mingjiao added.
The three members of the family grew more and more enthusiastic as they talked. Just imagining the scene made Zhang Xiyue’s scalp prickle, and she hurriedly tried to stop them.
“Maybe we shouldn’t… It’s a little too grand.”
“If we can make you feel that it’s grand, then that’s wonderful,” Feng Shan said, deeply moved. “We were really worried you’d think we hadn’t put in enough effort.”
Cheng Hanting said, “Since Xiyue likes it, we should make the screens even bigger.”
“I didn’t—”
“Xiyue definitely likes it,” Cheng Mingjiao cut in.
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
The three of them kept chiming in, seemingly ready to call someone over and have the screens made on the spot. Zhang Xiyue couldn’t get a word in edgewise and was just beginning to panic when Qian Xiulan suddenly appeared, saving her from the inferno.
“What screens? They’d be hideous. None of you have any taste. No one’s allowed to make them, and from now on, no one’s allowed to hang such enormous photos either. What if Xiyue wants to go out for a walk at night? Aren’t you afraid you’ll scare her half to death?”
When the oldest member of the household spoke, the others might have been unhappy, but none of them dared say another word.
Zhang Xiyue silently let out a sigh of relief. As she linked arms with Qian Xiulan and walked inside, she sincerely thanked her.
“If you want to thank someone, thank Sis Xue. She asked me to come out and rescue you,” Qian Xiulan whispered.
Zhang Xiyue paused. When she looked up, she saw Lu Xue sitting on the sofa.
Their eyes met. Lu Xue raised her glass, and Zhang Xiyue smiled back.
The next second, Cheng Mingjiao switched into battle mode.
“Wasn’t she supposed to be going out of town today to sign a contract? Why is she back again? Lu Xue, why are you always haunting me?”
“You even know that I’m going to sign a contract,” Lu Xue replied with a raised eyebrow. “Zhuangzhuang, you really did plant a spy beside me.”
“Don’t call me Zhuangzhuang!” Cheng Mingjiao roared furiously.
Whenever the two of them met, an intense exchange was unavoidable. The rest of the Cheng family scattered wherever they could, and Qian Xiulan dragged Zhang Xiyue toward the outside as well.
Zhang Xiyue kept glancing back. At last, she spotted Lu Shuang in a corner and hurriedly brought her along too.
Qian Xiulan was so focused on getting Zhang Xiyue to safety that she failed to notice Lu Shuang following them. She was startled when she closed the door.
“Why did you bring her along too?”
Zhang Xiyue’s heart tightened. “W-What’s wrong?”
Could Grandma not stand Lu Shuang?
Qian Xiulan’s expression became complicated. She had just opened her mouth to speak when Lu Shuang suddenly let out a choked sob, covered her face, and threw herself onto the only sofa in the lounge.
Then she began to cry hysterically.
“All right. Now we can only sit on the floor,” Qian Xiulan said, spreading her hands.
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
The lounge wasn’t very large. Lu Shuang had taken over the entire sofa, crying so hard that the shrill sound pierced straight through their eardrums.
Zhang Xiyue wanted to leave, but the moment she opened the door, she heard the heated argument outside and promptly closed it again.
There was arguing inside and arguing outside…
The Cheng family really was lively.
Zhang Xiyue and Qian Xiulan stared at each other for quite some time. In the end, Zhang Xiyue broke the silence.
“Sh-Should we really just let her cry like this? Shouldn’t we at least try to comfort her?”
“She’ll be fine after she cries for a while. There’s no need to comfort her.” Qian Xiulan had clearly witnessed scenes like this far too many times and was already used to them.
Zhang Xiyue wasn’t.
After struggling with herself for a moment, she finally took the initiative to walk over to Lu Shuang.
Although Zhang Xiyue had met Cheng Mingjiao’s younger cousin the last time she visited, they had barely exchanged a few words, making her the Cheng family member she knew least.
After agonizing over it for a while, Zhang Xiyue cleared her throat. “Um…”
Lu Shuang, at least willing to give her future sister-in-law some face, raised her tearful eyes as soon as she heard Zhang Xiyue’s voice.
She was fair, delicate, and pretty. Zhang Xiyue’s heart softened at the sight of her. “It’s been so long. You still haven’t gotten over it?”
Lu Shuang blinked in confusion. “I only got dumped three days ago.”
Zhang Xiyue: “?”
“Ah…” Lu Shuang realized what she meant. “You mean that one? That was already five relationships ago.”
Zhang Xiyue: “…I see.”
Lu Shuang sniffed and looked like she was about to cry again.
Qian Xiulan cut in. “What happened this time?”
Lu Shuang let out a wail and burst into tears. “I don’t even know! When we were together, he kept saying that he was too poor to give me a good life. I told him it didn’t matter and that I was willing to tough it out with him. I loved him so much that when my parents offered to give him a few contracts so they wouldn’t look down on him, I rejected them for him. I stayed by his side while he built everything from nothing, and then he said meeting me was the worst luck of his life. Boo-hoo-hoo…”
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
The more Lu Shuang cried, the more heartbroken she became. After a long silence, Qian Xiulan said, “You shouldn’t have turned down your parents’ contracts.”
“…Huh?” Lu Shuang looked puzzled.
Qian Xiulan sighed. “When a man acts pitiful in front of his girlfriend, isn’t it because he wants her to feel sorry for him?”
“But I did feel sorry for him!” Lu Shuang protested. “I felt terribly sorry for him.”
“Feeling sorry for him was all you did? You didn’t take any practical action? If you’d given him those contracts from your parents, he probably wouldn’t have broken up with you.”
Lu Shuang became calm in an instant. “Then breaking up was the right choice. Even the tiniest bit of meat is still meat. Why should I give my parents’ contracts to him?”
Zhang Xiyue: “Ah…”
“I can be deceived physically and emotionally, but absolutely not financially!” Lu Shuang began crying again.
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
She certainly had her principles.
After listening to Lu Shuang cry for a long while, they finally made it to lunchtime. Zhang Xiyue let out a long sigh of relief. Even after sitting down at the dining table, she still felt as if her ears were buzzing.
Cheng Mingjiao, seated beside her, looked thoroughly disgruntled. Clearly, her attempt at arguing hadn’t gone well. Lu Xue, sitting across from them, was perfectly pleased with herself and even had the mood to hum a tune.
“You’re so noisy. And you sound awful,” Cheng Mingjiao said bluntly.
Lu Xue flashed Zhang Xiyue a radiant smile. “Xiyue, come work for my company. I’ll give you the best benefits.”
“She’s mine!” Cheng Mingjiao immediately became possessive.
Lu Xue looked disdainful. “As far as I know, she doesn’t have a job right now.”
“I’ll arrange her employment tomorrow,” Cheng Mingjiao said with a cold laugh. “Stop trying to poach my people.”
Lu Xue ignored him and asked Zhang Xiyue directly, “Are you sure you want to work for him? Let me remind you: given your current relationship, becoming superior and subordinate again could easily lead to confusion between your personal and professional roles. Over time, that may wear down your feelings for each other. For the sake of your long-term relationship, it would be best to avoid an office romance.”
“Stop trying to drive a wedge between us. We’re doing perfectly fine, and what you’re talking about will never happen,” Cheng Mingjiao retorted. Then he turned to Zhang Xiyue for confirmation. “Right, Zhang Xiyue?”
Zhang Xiyue had been distracted. It took her several seconds to answer. “Yes.”
Cheng Mingjiao fixed her with a death stare, his face stiff.
Zhang Xiyue silently straightened her back a little.
Oh no. She’d taken too long to answer and offended the Emperor.
