“Try this, lemon-scented cola chicken wings,” Wang Congmeng said, using serving chopsticks to place a chicken wing onto Xu Yiwen’s plate. “Is it good?”
Xu Yiwen took a bite, satisfying his taste buds, and nodded vigorously. “Thank you, Mom and Dad. It’s delicious.”
The “chef,” He Jing, was very satisfied with Xu Yiwen’s response and also placed a piece on He Xihuan’s plate. “Xihuan, I’ll teach you later so you can make it for Xiao Wen.”
He Xihuan countered by using his chopsticks to help himself to some vegetable salad. “If you want to take on an apprentice, I’ll have Housekeeper Chang come and learn.”
He Jing was already used to He Xihuan’s attitude and stopped trying to persuade him, instead raising his wine glass to toast Ke Yijian. “I already have an apprentice. Look at your brother-in-law, how eager he is to learn.”
Lunch passed amidst casual chat and the clinking of glasses. Xu Yiwen enjoyed this atmosphere, consciously pacing his eating speed. Seeing Wang Congmeng put down her chopsticks, he put his down as well to conclude the meal.
After lunch, the parent-child bonding ritual of washing the dishes was left to the second elder sister’s family of three in the kitchen, while He Xihuan pestered He Jing, dragging him up to the second-floor study to have him explain the morning’s video conference contents.
That left only Wang Congmeng and Xu Yiwen chatting in the living room.
As they chatted, Xu Yiwen casually asked, “Mom, why did you choose to let me and Xihuan enter a political marriage back then?”
He Xihuan had worked at the He Corporation during his university years, from freshman to senior year, moving from the bottom to the upper echelons. After graduation, he shone brilliantly through multiple projects, drawing the attention of many Omegas who wanted to develop a relationship with him.
Even just having the chance to share a meal or go on a blind date would have been a prize.
A year ago, the He family suddenly sent out wedding invitations, and people only then learned that He Xihuan was going to marry a seemingly out-of-nowhere Xu Yiwen.
Later on, through Xu Yiwen, everyone realized that Chongcheng also had a beverage limited company like the Xu family.
Logically speaking, given the Xu family’s assets and status, they had no business latching onto the He family’s coattails, so everyone simply assumed that He Xihuan and Xu Yiwen’s pheromone compatibility rate was ridiculously high, which was why the two got married.
Yet Xu Yiwen knew that an 80% pheromone compatibility rate wasn’t the reason.
Wang Congmeng leisurely took a sip of tea, complex emotions surfacing in the depths of her eyes. After putting down her teacup, she only gave a vague answer: “You have high academic credentials and talent, we found you pleasing to the eye, you can keep Xihuan in check, and Xihuan must certainly like you too, so we settled on it.”
With that, Wang Congmeng stood up, paced back and forth twice on the spot, and headed toward the dining room. “I’ll go check on the kitchen. Why are your second sister and the others letting Xiaoli play with water for so long?”
“Xiyou, if Xiaoli wants to play with water, let her go to the children’s room. How can she play with water while washing dishes? What if she hurts herself?”
The more hurriedly Wang Congmeng fled, the more it proved she was covering something up.
And whatever she was covering was surely something she hoped to one day reveal to Xu Yiwen.
Otherwise, given Wang Congmeng’s years of business experience, if she truly wanted to keep something hidden, she wouldn’t have made it look so obvious.
Xu Yiwen and He Xihuan stayed for dinner at the He family home before returning.
On the return trip, the air between the two of them in the car was exceptionally quiet, carrying a palpable awkwardness.
“Mom mentioned the idea of a make-up honeymoon to me,” Xu Yiwen said, looking out the window to break the ice first. “She said you were willing.”
“I said whatever,” He Xihuan replied, his brow ridges twitching slightly and one corner of his mouth curving upward imperceptibly.
Xu Yiwen shifted his shoulders and shot He Xihuan a cold, disdainful side-eye.
If he didn’t want to go, he shouldn’t go. What was the point of saying whatever?
“Mom took your whatever as a yes,” Xu Yiwen shifted his shoulders back and continued looking out the car window. “The honeymoon has already been decided.”
Pausing for a few seconds without hearing He Xihuan’s response, Xu Yiwen continued, “The destination is Kunming. I want to take Grandmother along.”
“Isn’t Grandmother in poor health?” He Xihuan asked, his tone laced with genuine worry. “Kunming? I’ve been there on business. It takes four or five hours by plane. Can Grandmother handle it?”
That was a valid point; bringing Qiu Yao required factoring in her physical condition.
Still, a trip to Kunming might just work psychological wonders to improve Qiu Yao’s fragile, failing health.
“Kunming is spring-like all year round, and they have a flower festival. Grandmother loves flowers.” In Xu Yiwen’s mind, a picture of Qiu Yao immersed in a sea of flowers seemed to unfold, and his eyes softened.
As the scenery outside the window zipped past, Xu Yiwen blinked, lowered his voice, and said, “When we’re there, I’ll accompany Grandmother on tours. You can do whatever you want and go wherever you please. I’ll help cover for you, and we won’t interfere with each other.”
At that instant, He Xihuan suspected his ears were broken.
Turmoil churning inside his chest, his hands tightening their grip on the steering wheel, He Xihuan forced himself to maintain an expression of outward calm. “Xu Yiwen, draw the line somewhere.”
The words he forced out through clenched teeth reached Xu Yiwen’s ears without causing much of a ripple.
Xu Yiwen added completely unfazed, “If you want to go abroad, that’s fine too. Just make sure to manage your return timing so we can travel back together around the same time.”
“Who said anything about going abroad?” He Xihuan’s voice couldn’t help but brim with indignation. “I’ll be right in Kunming. A whole bunch of my friends in Kunming are waiting for me to hang out with them anyway.”
Fine, this practically counted as He Xihuan agreeing to his proposal. This meant he could take Qiu Yao out to celebrate the Lunar New Year and avoid spending it at the Xu family home.
Xu Yiwen quietly breathed out a sigh of relief in his heart, closed his eyes slightly, and a faint smile touched his face.
He Xihuan, on the other hand, wore a dark expression the entire way back.
As they reached the security checkpoint of the villa complex, the headlights illuminated three figures scuffling with one another.
Leaving the car engine running, He Xihuan stopped in place, rolled down the window to signal the security guard to let them pass and clear the way, but then caught sight of a familiar face.
Frowning slightly and confirming the person’s identity, he rolled the window back up, killed the engine, and woke Xu Yiwen, who had been resting his eyes. “People from your Xu family are here.”
Hearing this, Xu Yiwen, who had fallen into a light sleep, instantly snapped awake and stepped out of the car right after He Xihuan.
Walking over to the checkpoint, Xu Baoning was still arguing with the security guard, chattering away about how rigid and old-fashioned the guard was, while Xu Baoan stood off to the side with his head down, tugging at Xu Baoning’s sleeve.
“Baoning.”
“Xu Yiwen!” Hearing Xu Yiwen’s voice, Xu Baoning’s volume exploded outward. “What is wrong with the security here! They’ve been refusing to let us in!”
“Mr. He, Mr. Xu,” the security guard, whose ears were sharp, recognized the name Xu Yiwen called out and immediately stepped back a short distance from Xu Baoning, hurriedly explaining, “These two gentlemen said they are your younger brothers, but they wouldn’t even make a phone call. I thought they were some sort of scoundrels or freeloaders. Mr. Xu, do you know them?”
Security guards here were intimately familiar with the faces of homeowners and their visiting relatives and friends within the villa complex, allowing them to pass directly.
Anyone coming as a guest or making a drop-in visit needed to make a phone call and get the homeowner’s consent before being permitted entry.
Xu Baoan didn’t have Xu Yiwen’s contact information, and Xu Baoning had never saved Xu Yiwen’s number in the first place, and was too foolish to ask the Xu family members for it. No wonder they got stopped at the gate.
As for He Xihuan’s contact information, Xu Baoning didn’t dare save it.
Seeing He Xihuan now, he still looked terrified, his footsteps retreating a bit.
“I know them. Sorry,” Xu Yiwen guided the two of them outward by a few steps. “What are you two doing here so late at night?”
“We,” Xu Baoan started with a weak voice, lifting his eyes to give Xu Yiwen a shy glance, then looking over at He Xihuan, who was standing behind Xu Yiwen with the look of a spectator. He tugged at Xu Baoning’s sleeve and said, “Baoning, let’s just go home.”
“What is there to be afraid of!” Xu Baoning put up a bold front and stated their purpose directly. “Brother Baoan and I were hanging out nearby until now, and we haven’t even had a hot meal.”
“Uncle and Auntie said it’s too late, and since we’re close to your place, we should just stay over at your house for the night.”
This remark caused Xu Yiwen to frown slightly, and He Xihuan also reined in his expression, putting his guard up.
Xu Yiwen found it bizarre.
Xu Baoning had always detested coming here. When Xu Xiangchuan and Jiao Qin had visited once or twice and suggested Xu Baoning tag along, Xu Baoning would conveniently fall sick.
If he used to fake illnesses just to avoid coming here, how could he possibly take the initiative to ask for lodging this time simply because it was close?
He Xihuan, meanwhile, recalled what He Jing had told him in the study about the Xu family plotting to have him divorce Xu Yiwen and remarry Xu Baoan.
How laughable. Did the Xu family really think that anyone they sent over was someone he, He Xihuan, would blindly accept?
He Xihuan didn’t just take anyone.