Cheng Zi did not embarrass herself in front of outsiders. She kept a smile on her face, nodded, and swayed her way back into the room.
Seeing that Xie Ci didn’t treat Cheng Zi any better, the anger on Li Leilei’s face eased slightly.
“Ci, are you sick?”
“No.”
“This mission counts heavily toward performance points. Why didn’t you go? Do you even know I specifically transferred over there for you…”
Xie Ci sat down on the sofa and motioned for her to sit as well.
“Cheng Zi is sick.”
Li Leilei choked.
Cheng Zi had looked full of energy—she didn’t look sick at all!
Li Leilei had always known of Cheng Zi’s existence. Not only did she know her, but in her mind, Cheng Zi and Li Qianqian were equally detestable.
Two years ago, if she hadn’t been caught off guard by Li Qianqian’s appearance—and the shocking truth that she was the swapped fake heiress—how could Cheng Zi have taken advantage of the situation?
She had liked Xie Ci for so many years. If Xie Ci were to marry anyone, it should have been her…
Then Cheng Zi suddenly appeared from nowhere. Not only was she a mess in life, but she also had a chaotic relationship with her so-called brother-in-law. It was simply disgraceful.
In Li Leilei’s eyes, Cheng Zi was both Xie Ci’s stain and her own humiliation.
She had originally believed Xie Ci had no feelings for Cheng Zi.
But just now… the way they had been together… even holding each other…
It weighed on her heart like a thousand-pound stone.
No matter how she looked at it, they did not seem like a loveless couple.
After holding it in for a while, Li Leilei still asked, “Ci, why are you so close to her?”
Xie Ci replied flatly, without a trace of emotion, “Is there a problem?”
“Do you even know what you’re doing? She’s not a good person. She has a messy relationship with my so-called brother-in-law. A woman like that—”
“Comrade Li Leilei, mind your words.”
Behind the door, Cheng Zi perked up her ears.
The old house had poor soundproofing, and Li Leilei was speaking loudly—she couldn’t help but overhear.
So, so-called brother-in-law? Li Leilei?
Now she understood.
Li Leilei—the fake heiress carefully raised by a city mayor’s family…
Because she had deep emotional ties with her adoptive parents, even after the real daughter, Li Qianqian, was brought back, she was not sent away and instead remained in the Li family, very much favored.
Cheng Zi padded barefoot on the floor, quietly pacing back and forth.
Her mind was reconstructing the plot.
This was an important supporting female character in the novel—someone who fought fiercely with Li Qianqian.
She seemed to be a soldier…
Li Leilei’s voice grew heavier, tinged with sadness even through the door.
“Xie Ci, you know how I feel. I’ve been waiting for you all this time. Why did you choose her…”
Cheng Zi’s eyes widened slightly.
There was actually a romantic subplot between the fake heiress and Xie Ci?
She hadn’t finished reading the novel, only about half of it, but she remembered that Li Leilei never married, and later even had emotional entanglements with Gu Yecheng, saying he resembled her deceased love.
The more she thought, the more something felt wrong.
Resembled?
In the original owner’s memories, Gu Yecheng was seen through a filter—gentle, refined, elegant, flawless in every way.
But when she examined those memories carefully…
There really were similarities between Gu Yecheng and Xie Ci in facial features, though their temperaments were completely different. It was hard to connect them.
Cheng Zi fell silent.
This was… this messy?
Xie Ci’s voice came from outside.
“Don’t say things like that again. It violates discipline.”
That sentence displeased not only Li Leilei, but Cheng Zi as well.
So as long as it doesn’t violate discipline, it’s fine? What kind of logic is that?
The two outside continued their back-and-forth.
Then there was a sound of movement, followed by Li Leilei’s aggrieved voice: “Ci…”
Cheng Zi couldn’t hold back anymore and opened the door.
At the same moment, Li Leilei tripped over the coffee table and fell straight into Xie Ci’s arms. Xie Ci instinctively caught her.
From Cheng Zi’s angle, it looked exactly like Li Leilei was hugging him.
Her anger flared instantly.
“What are you doing? Why are you hugging her?!”
She rushed out barefoot.
Caught red-handed, Xie Ci stiffened and quickly pushed Li Leilei away.
He had only caught her for a moment—there was no actual embrace.
Li Leilei, already prideful, was both embarrassed and annoyed at being seen like this.
Cheng Zi frowned and walked closer, her pretty face full of displeasure.
Xie Ci’s gaze, however, dropped to her feet.
“Where are your shoes?”
“None of your business!!”
“Put them on first.”
Seeing she didn’t move, he turned as if to fetch them, but a slender finger pressed against his chest and pushed him back.
“Stand properly.”
He stopped, raising his brows helplessly.
Cheng Zi wasn’t even looking at Li Leilei. She poked his chest lightly.
“Flies don’t bite cracked eggs, you know that?”
Xie Ci: “……”
“A man’s best quality is having male virtue. You should keep distance from any woman other than your wife, or it will break trust.”
Male virtue? What was that supposed to mean?
Xie Ci grabbed her wandering finger. “Stop messing around.”
“Messing around? Who’s messing around? I’m serious. In a marriage, if something goes wrong, I won’t blame the ‘other woman’. The problem is always the man. It’s you who leaves ambiguity, you who give people hope. A man who doesn’t know how to refuse is the worst kind.”
Xie Ci listened carefully and broke down her strange phrases in his own way.
“Flies don’t bite cracked eggs?”
“Yes.”
“Keep distance?”
She nodded firmly.
“Leaving ambiguity and giving hope… a man who doesn’t know how to refuse is the worst?”
He repeated her key phrases seriously, then nodded.
“Got it. Remember what you said.”
Cheng Zi: ?
Li Leilei watched them openly flirting in front of her…
No feelings?
Xie Ci suddenly lifted Cheng Zi into his arms like she weighed nothing and carried her straight into the room.
“Ah—what are you doing?!”
Ignoring her, he looked at Li Leilei. “Comrade Li, wait a moment. My wife isn’t wearing shoes. She’s still sick and may catch a cold.”
Li Leilei: ??
He placed Cheng Zi on the bed, picked up the slippers, and set them neatly beside her.
“Stay here.”
Then he left again without even closing the door.
Cheng Zi tried to stop him—she wasn’t done arguing yet.
Xie Ci said calmly outside:
“Comrade Li, you heard it. My wife is very concerned about my contact with other women. Even if you’re my comrade, it’s not appropriate.”
The moment those words came out, Cheng Zi immediately stopped moving.
Good job, this guy is learning fast.
Xie Ci had completely left Li Leilei no face at all. Someone as proud as her couldn’t possibly take that.
“Fine. Fine. Fine!”
She turned and stormed out, slamming the door.