Hearing her speak that way, Hua Xian also had a vague suspicion regarding the identity of the visitor. She said, “You continue to sleep. I will go down and send him away.”
Chi Meng lifted the blanket, her movement to get out of bed pausing. She cast a long, resentful look at Hua Xian, glaring fiercely.
Hua Xian scratched her cheek and quickly replied, “I am sorry, my mistake. I promise to be gentler next time.”
“There will be no next time!” Chi Meng gritted her teeth, supporting her waist as she walked to the wardrobe to choose her clothes.
I told her to stop, but she still didn’t spare me. This woman truly needs to be disciplined. Chi Meng subconsciously glanced at the small bell on Hua Xian’s ankle, her eyes narrowing slightly.
Sensing her gaze, Hua Xian quietly backed out.
“You take your time changing. I will go open the door.”
Since Chi Meng had decided to see him, they could not keep the man waiting outside forever. Although Hua Xian truly wanted to send that selfish and heartless man away empty-handed.
The door opened, and the sight that greeted her was the repulsive face of Chi Xiaohai. He was obviously surprised that Hua Xian was the one who answered the door; the prepared speech he had was rendered useless. After a long moment, he finally spoke, “Why are you here? Are you harassing my daughter again?”
Hua Xian knew that being polite was useless when dealing with a scoundrel like him, so she immediately snapped back.
“Harassing? Mr. Chi, I am afraid you have misunderstood something. It is not I who am harassing Mengmeng, but rather Mengmeng who cannot bear to be without me.”
Chi Xiaohai’s face darkened a few shades. He shoved Hua Xian aside and strode quickly inside.
“Nonsense! My daughter is a goddess among women. What kind of woman couldn’t she have? And you, of all people?”
Hua Xian rubbed her shoulder where he had bumped her and followed his steps, adopting the posture of the lady of the house.
“Mengmeng is changing clothes. What would you like to drink, Mr. Chi?”
Chi Xiaohai scoffed and was about to head up to the second floor. Hua Xian stepped forward, blocking his path, and offered a polite smile: “Mr. Chi, please wait in the living room.”
Although she was smiling, the expression did not reach her eyes. Chi Xiaohai was momentarily intimidated by the powerful aura Hua Xian exuded. It took him several seconds to recover. Just as he was about to erupt in anger, Chi Meng’s voice drifted down from upstairs.
“What are you here for?”
Chi Meng stood at the top of the stairs, looking down at him. Her eyes seemed to be laced with frost, and the silent stare alone put Chi Xiaohai under immense pressure.
He glanced back at Hua Xian next to him, sneered, and walked over to the sofa to sit down.
“Naturally, I have business with you. Why else would I go to so much trouble to make myself miserable by coming here?”
Chi Meng was wearing a light purple, ankle-length dress and a white shawl, which mostly covered the marks on her neck. There were a few marks that were too high to hide, which she simply left exposed.
Anyway, Chi Xiaohai had known about her relationship with Hua Xian for a long time, so there was nothing to conceal.
Chi Xiaohai was very annoyed that Hua Xian was acting like the owner of the house. Of course, Hua Xian was equally displeased with his uninvited visit, so she added a little something extra to his coffee.
Chi Xiaohai took a sip and immediately choked several times. Chi Meng turned to look at Hua Xian, who was sitting beside her. The woman, acting as if nothing was wrong, simply blinked at her. Chi Meng withdrew her gaze, the coldness in her eyes slightly lessening.
Chi Xiaohai’s face was flushed from coughing. He glared fiercely at Hua Xian. Hua Xian took a light sip of her own coffee and looked utterly innocent: “Mr. Chi, why aren’t you drinking? Is it not to your taste?”
“How could this sort of thing be to my taste!” Chi Xiaohai was beside himself with fury.
Hua Xian placed her cup on the table, her expression unchanged, but her voice cooled slightly.
“Since it is not to your taste, then perhaps Mr. Chi should not come again in the future. After all, we do not have an ayi or a maid here to cater to your palate.”
Chi Xiaohai’s face became even uglier. He roared, “This is my daughter’s house! Who do you think you are to talk to me like that?!”
Chi Meng suddenly opened her eyes wide, staring at Chi Xiaohai. She said, word by word, “You may not know this, but I transferred this house to Hua Xian a long time ago. She is the owner here. Since she does not welcome you, do not come back again.”
“You!” Chi Xiaohai’s expression darkened further. He sprang up to his feet like a clown jumping on a stage.
He scanned Chi Meng and Hua Xian with his eyes, then gave a cold laugh.
“It seems you do not want your grandmother’s belongings anymore. If that is the case, then I will just burn them to ashes!”
Chi Meng’s face instantly became sullen. She slowly stood up, staring at Chi Xiaohai, and said clearly, word by word, “I have already given you everything you wanted. Give me Grandmother’s belongings, and from then on, we will have no further relationship.”
Chi Xiaohai knew he had Chi Meng completely under his control, and his expression became arrogant.
“You were indeed very obedient before. I hope you can continue to be as obedient as you were. Do I need to repeat what I said yesterday?”
Chi Meng glanced at Hua Xian and took a deep breath: “You go back first. I will come to find you tomorrow.” She was clenching her back molars, making it clear how angry she was.
As Chi Xiaohai was leaving, he did not forget to mock Hua Xian: “Not even a dog would drink this coffee. I truly do not know how you tolerate such an arrogant woman. The fiancé your father found for you is clearly a better match.”
Hua Xian caught the three words “the fiancé” and had a premonition that the matter was far from simple. But Chi Meng did not seem to intend to let her know, so she decided it was better not to ask anything.
Chi Xiaohai left with a look of triumph. Hua Xian felt like punching him twice. Once the door closed, Hua Xian turned back and saw that Chi Meng’s face was pale, and her entire body was trembling.
“Mengmeng! Mengmeng, what is wrong?!” Hua Xian quickly pulled her into a hug, placing a hand on her back to soothe her breathing.
Chi Meng said nothing, docilely nestling in Hua Xian’s embrace. After a while, she began to struggle desperately.
“Let go of me!”
Seeing her struggle so violently, Hua Xian had no choice but to release her. Just as she was about to patiently comfort her, Chi Meng turned and rushed upstairs. She was incredibly fast, and by the time Hua Xian chased after her, she had already entered the master bedroom and locked the door.
“Mengmeng, did Chi Xiaohai threaten you? You can tell me anything; do not bear this burden alone.”
Truthfully, given Chi Meng’s mental state, Hua Xian was genuinely worried that she would hurt herself.
“By what right do you care about me? Do not forget, you are the one who hurt me the most!”
Chi Meng’s voice came from inside, seemingly tinged with a nasal sound. Hua Xian was choked into silence. After a long pause, she finally said, “You look very distressed. I just want to stay by your side…”
“I do not need you! Staying far away from me is the best thing you can do for me.” Chi Meng’s voice was utterly devoid of warmth.
[Congratulations, Host! The Target’s Blackening Value has decreased by thirty-five, for a current total Blackening Value of one thousand one hundred forty.] Perhaps because the decrease was quite large, Xiao Jiu’s voice sounded slightly excited.
She says she does not need me, but the Blackening Value is decreasing. She is still as contradictory as before, and just as soft-hearted.
Hua Xian went downstairs to retrieve the backpack Nanzhi had given her. She took out the items one by one and placed them on the bed, keeping what was useful and putting the temporarily unneeded items back inside.
“A tablet, a wallet… what is this?” A small, black velvet pouch lay at the very bottom of the backpack. Hua Xian pulled the drawstring open, and the contents began to emerge.
… Finger cots.
Hua Xian’s face flushed a little. She had not expected Nanzhi to bring this particular item along.
Hua Xian was about to toss it back into the backpack, but then she thought better of it and instead placed it in the very bottom of a drawer.
The tablet was fitted with a SIM card, meaning she could contact people. Nanzhi was the first person Hua Xian thought of. Since she was the one who went to find Li Jincheng, she would likely know something about the transaction between Li Jincheng and Chi Xiaohai.
Just as the call connected, the sound of a heavy object crashing to the floor came from the room next door. Hua Xian immediately dropped the tablet and rushed out to check the situation, but the master bedroom door would not open.
“Mengmeng, what is wrong? Are you all right?”
There was no answer. Aside from Hua Xian’s anxious breathing, the air around seemed to have solidified.