Lost in thought, Nanzhi heard movement upstairs. She looked up, watching as Hua Xian slowly walked down the stairs, carrying Chi Meng. Chi Meng nestled in her arms, looking like a docile cub, utterly lacking her usual arrogance and aloofness.
If not for the deliberate provocation the woman gave her after their eyes met, Nanzhi would barely have recognized her.
Although Chi Meng was tall, she had lost a lot of weight in recent days. Such a large person curled up in Hua Xian’s arms looked surprisingly harmonious.
A scene popped into Nanzhi’s mind. Though it was unkind, it really suited the current situation:
Chi Meng was like a koala poisoned by eating eucalyptus leaves, and Hua Xian was the eucalyptus tree she clung to for refuge.
Yes, that truly fits.
Noticing her stare, Chi Meng turned to look at her and asked, “Miss Nan, why are you staring at me? Is there a problem?”
“N-no, no problem!” Nanzhi quickly withdrew her gaze, her sitting posture becoming much more constrained.
Hua Xian placed Chi Meng on the sofa and asked with concern, “Is it really fine?”
“What could possibly be wrong? Are you worried about me, or worried about her?” Chi Meng glanced at Nanzhi across from her.
Nanzhi: What does this have to do with me? I am getting shot while sitting down!
Hua Xian: “…” Whenever Chi Meng saw Nanzhi, her words became prickly. It seemed that using Nanzhi as an excuse to leave back then had left a considerable psychological shadow on her.
“Then you two sit for a while. I am going to cook.” Before leaving, Hua Xian gave Nanzhi a look, which Nanzhi pretended not to see.
She knew what Hua Xian meant: to be accommodating to Chi Meng. But if she accommodated Chi Meng, who would accommodate her?
I am still a baby, too!
Chi Meng glanced at her and said faintly, “Thank you for buying the medicine for me. As a token of gratitude, I allow you to stay for dinner.”
Nanzhi: “Thank you, I suppose.”
Chi Meng gave a soft hmph and did not reply again. An awkward silence flowed between the two women, which Hua Xian could sense even from the kitchen.
Perhaps leaving Nanzhi here was not a good idea, but she also could not disobey Chi Meng’s words.
This is tough.
After quite a while, Chi Meng finally spoke: “Was Li Jincheng the person you found to ‘besiege Wei to save Zhao’?”
The idiom she used was too advanced, and Nanzhi did not immediately understand it. When she finally realized, she figured this was likely an interrogation.
I should have checked the almanac before leaving the house.
“Emmm…” Nanzhi tried to gather her thoughts: “I only asked him if he had a way to get you out of the house for a few hours. I do not know the specific method he used.”
Chi Meng stared directly at her, her red lips parting slightly: “Oh? Is that so?”
If you do not believe me, why bother asking?! Nanzhi’s temper flared. She did not believe there was anything wrong with trying to rescue Sister Hua Xian, so why should she be treated like a criminal?
“Miss Chi, if you do not believe me, I can certainly call Li Jincheng, and we can confront him face-to-face. I merely wanted to help Sister Hua Xian escape. Whatever entanglement you have with him has nothing to do with me.”
Chi Meng’s expression was not pleasant either. Although she did not trust Nanzhi, the woman’s conviction made it seem as if she was not lying.
But—
“But your action caused me trouble. If you had not asked Li Jincheng for help, I would not have been injured, nor would I have been…” forced to marry him.
Chi Meng did not continue speaking. She did not have a habit of exposing her own scars for others to see, especially not for the person sitting opposite her, whom she disliked.
Hua Xian came out carrying two cups of coffee, which timely eased the awkward atmosphere.
“You have been talking for so long; you must be thirsty. Have a cup of coffee to moisten your throat.”
Chi Meng: “We were not talking about anything much.”
Nanzhi: “Not at all.”
This time, the two women spoke in unison, a synchronized reply that sounded rehearsed.
Hua Xian: “Then taste how the coffee I brewed is. You two chat… drink, and I will go make dinner.”
Nanzhi truly could not stand it any longer. She quickly said to Hua Xian, “Why don’t I go assist you?”
Hua Xian had not even responded before Chi Meng spoke up.
“She has her own hands. She does not need anyone’s help.”
Hua Xian was caught between the two women, not daring to breathe loudly. She quickly slipped into the kitchen, leaving the battleground… no, the space, to them.
She was adept at cooking, but not skilled in handling petty squabbles between women. Moreover, given Chi Meng’s temperament, if she intervened, she might be seen as taking Nanzhi’s side. Therefore, the best option was silence. Saying nothing was the most correct choice.
Nanzhi, I am sorry. Just act as a punching bag for a while. I will apologize to you once Mengmeng calms down.
Hua Xian felt a slight pang of guilt, but it was only a slight one and quickly disappeared.
After confronting Chi Meng, Nanzhi had unexpectedly found some courage. She held her cup, took a sip of coffee, and then said to Chi Meng, “I do not think Hua Xian can be happy with you, but since she chose to stay, I respect her choice. So, there is no need for you to treat me as an imaginary enemy. I have no relationship with Li Jincheng, and I only see Hua Xian as a slightly closer older sister, nothing more.”
These words were meant to make her position clear. If Chi Meng could not understand, Nanzhi felt she had nothing more to say.
Chi Meng was noncommittal about her statement. She only said faintly, “I remember Hua Xian said this morning that she did not want you to call her older sister, correct?”
Nanzhi: “…” Why does your focus have to deviate to this point?!
Chi Meng did not want to obsess over a title, but she simply did not want anyone else to call Hua Xian “older sister.” Hua Xian could only be her older sister.
“Fine. Then we are very good friends. Are you satisfied with that?” Nanzhi reluctantly changed her wording.
“I do not think your relationship is very good. You are barely more than strangers. A gentleman’s friendship is as light as water. Being overly friendly with someone else’s girlfriend is not a good thing.”
Chi Meng took a delicate sip of her coffee after saying this, not feeling that there was anything wrong with her words at all.
Nanzhi’s fists clenched. She suppressed her anger and gnashed her teeth: “Do not be so excessive!”
Chi Meng looked at her expressionlessly: “Where am I being excessive?”
Nanzhi raised her voice: “Everywhere!”
Hua Xian poked her head out from the kitchen and asked, “What is going on?”
Chi Meng turned to look at her, her eyes filled with innocence: “I do not know what I said wrong. Perhaps I was born to be disliked.”
Hua Xian: “Zhizhi, Mengmeng is currently injured. Please try to be accommodating to her.”
Nanzhi: “I @##￥％…………&!”
Chi Meng glanced at her and lightly shrugged. It was a perfectly normal movement, but Nanzhi watched it and immediately felt the urge to hit her.
“Truly worthy of being a Movie Queen. Your acting is superb!” Nanzhi was almost grinding her back molars to dust.
Chi Meng replied with cold arrogance: “You flatter me.”
Do you think I was genuinely complimenting you?! Nanzhi was so angry she felt faint, her breathing labored.
Hua Xian finished her preparations and finally managed to get dinner ready before the two women came to blows.
The three sat at the dining table, each lost in their own thoughts. Nanzhi just wanted to quickly end this treacherous feast; staying one second longer felt like it would shorten her life.
Hua Xian served the rice and naturally sat down next to Chi Meng. “Quickly taste it and see how it is. I have not cooked in a while, so my skills might be rusty.”
With that, she placed a piece of braised pork belly into both Nanzhi’s and Chi Meng’s bowls. However, Chi Meng’s eyes darkened at this action.
Seeing that the woman was not picking up her chopsticks, Hua Xian asked, “Why are you not eating? Is it not to your liking?”
Chi Meng stared at her without blinking: “I want to eat your piece.”
“But mine is already…” in my mouth.
Hua Xian did not have time to say the rest of the sentence because Chi Meng blocked her mouth.
Nanzhi stared, dumbfounded, and the chopsticks in her hand clattered to the floor. She felt like a dog by the side of the road, walking along fine until someone suddenly kicked her onto the ground.
What did I do wrong to deserve this?!