Xia Nanfeng had been speaking entirely on his own and had not carefully processed Xia Nanye’s words.
“Nan Yan isn’t some obedient, well-behaved girl at all. She’s all an act—she’s been acting for over twenty years and fooled all of us. Don’t you know? She’s extremely ruthless when she hits people.”
The “Buddha Son” withdrew his gaze and said nothing.
Xia Nanfeng felt a long-hidden secret finally being shared, speaking freely and without restraint.
“She’s actually ninth-dan in Sanda, ninth dan! Do you understand what that means? She beats me like I’m a rookie. Luckily, you spent three years cultivating at Shaolin Temple. Go fight her and help your big brother vent his anger.”
As he spoke, he even shot Nan Yan a smug look. “Taekwondo? Hmph. It’s just fancy tricks in front of real martial arts.”
Nan Yan looked at Xia Nanfeng, who was spitting everywhere while complaining, and her fists tightened.
How did this guy even learn to complain now? When they were children, who was it that said whoever could fight should just fight, and if they couldn’t, they should endure it—reporting was something only cowards did?
“Why aren’t you saying anything? Buddha Son.”
Xia Nanfeng kicked him lightly. “Are you shocked? Are you surprised? Do you feel betrayed and angry? Go—beat her up.”
The Buddha Son closed his eyes briefly.
What exactly gave him the right to act like an older brother? Just because he was older?
A useless, annoying idiot.
“Xia Nanfeng, guess why I went to Shaolin Temple?”
Xia Nanfeng froze for a moment at the sudden question. “Didn’t you go because you saw through worldly desires and wanted to become the capital’s Buddhist prodigy? Back then, Nan Yan told Mom and Dad that Shaolin Temple was a good place, so you went.”
Even someone who had cultivated calmness for three years, Xia Nanye, could not resist the urge to kick him.
He twirled the prayer beads in his hand. “Xia Nanfeng, you can leave now. This is a high-level game—you can’t handle it. Go play by yourself.”
“Pfft!” Nan Yan could not hold back her laughter. This guy still had that arrogant, tsundere, slightly melodramatic attitude even after three years away.
Once she started laughing, Shen Xixi, Lu Youyou, and Tang Can also could not help but laugh out loud.
“You all…” Xia Nanfeng suddenly sensed something.
He looked at his younger brother, who had become even colder after three years, and narrowed his eyes. “You… you didn’t already know Nan Yan was a black sesame bun, did you?”
“Why did you go to Shaolin Temple?”
“You all hid this from me alone?”
“No, Nan Yan, why is it that even my younger brother knew, but I, as the older brother, was kept in the dark?”
Xia Nanfeng nearly broke down, firing question after question.
Everyone else had been kept in the dark—that was still fine. But why did even the younger brother know while he didn’t?
Xia Nanye finally could not hold back and kicked him again, his tone no longer steady. “Isn’t it because you bullied her, and she bullied me? I’ve been the one getting beaten since childhood—I wouldn’t know?”
“……” Xia Nanfeng was speechless. He had not expected the matter to extend like this.
“But… wasn’t she always very good to you? No—extremely good. All the tasty food and fun things were given to you.”
Because of this, Xia Nanfeng had once been jealous and angry, and had beaten Nan Yan a few more times.
Xia Nanye no longer wished to talk to him. “That’s because all of you kept saying she was a well-behaved girl. Of course she had to act the part for you.”
Xia Nanfeng was four years older than Nan Yan, so he used to treat her like a ball to kick around. Nan Yan, six years older than Xia Nanye, treated him like a ball instead.
When Nan Yan trained in Sanda, he became her sparring sandbag.
And afterward, he was not allowed to tell anyone, or he would be beaten twice over.
Nan Yan suppressed the curve of her lips and patted Xia Nanye’s shoulder, comforting him. “Buddha Son, don’t be angry. Recite the Heart-Purifying Mantra. All four elements are empty.”
Shen Xixi and Tang Can were already laughing so hard they were almost choking. The two young masters of the Xia family were far too entertaining.
Xia Nanfeng finally processed everything after a long moment. He glanced at the three-person group laughing without restraint. “You three were also in on it?”
Xia Nanye replied irritably: “They were just spectators.”
“That’s not fair, little brother.” Shen Xixi laughed and objected.
“We even tried to stop you back then. You were the one being tsundere, stubborn, even a bit obsessive—you got beaten and still provoked her again. Every time you insisted on getting beaten twice. We couldn’t stop you, so we just watched.”
Xia Nanye had been arrogant since childhood. He always held prayer beads in his hand and would clasp his palms together to pray before provoking Nan Yan into another fight.
He was half a head shorter than Nan Yan, yet still stood on tiptoe to provoke her.
Every time he got beaten into submission, he finally stopped.
Later, in a fit of anger, he went to Shaolin Temple.
Xia Nanye twirled his prayer beads again, calmly saying: “I don’t argue with women like you.”
Xia Nanfeng looked at the naturally familiar interaction between the Buddha Son, his sister, and her friends, and could not help feeling a bit down.
He suddenly realized he might have been missing out on something.
Then it struck him—Xia Nanye was also a sly one. That so-called “provoking” was not provocation at all; it was enjoyment.
Every time Nan Yan gave him food or gifts, Xia Nanye would show off in front of him.
Tang Can sharply caught the faint envy and disappointment in Xia Nanfeng’s eyes and glanced at the three of them.
Three lonely people, each awkwardly interacting.
Ridiculous, yet pitiful.
Mo Corporation President’s Office.
The head of the marketing department had already finished reporting for half an hour.
He quietly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and looked toward Special Assistant Dong for help, his eyes pleading: Has the CEO been looking at it for half an hour? Is this proposal acceptable or not? Why isn’t he saying anything?
Special Assistant Dong blinked back: What did you write in it? Why is it so absorbing?
Manager: Just the revised proposal.
After some hesitation, Special Assistant Dong still spoke up. “President Mo, are there still any areas in the proposal that need revision?”
Mo Jinchuan withdrew his wandering thoughts and threw the proposal onto the desk. “It’s not as good as yesterday’s version. The more you change it, the worse it gets.”
“……” The manager finally breathed a sigh of relief. After half an hour of mental torture, being rejected actually felt quite good.
“I’ll revise it immediately.”
He took the document and left without hesitation.
After the door closed, Mo Jinchuan glanced again at the phone that had shown no movement, then suddenly looked at Special Assistant Dong.
Special Assistant Dong immediately stood straight, quickly reviewing everything he had done that day, even what he was wearing.
Nothing seemed wrong.
“About what’s trending online… you didn’t inform her?”
Special Assistant Dong froze for a moment. What trending topic? Inform who?
He had not committed such a basic work error, had he?
His mind quickly turned—online matters could only refer to Madam.
But earlier, hadn’t he been told not to inform Madam? Wasn’t she supposed to see it herself?
Special Assistant Dong thought this, but did not dare say it aloud.
“I made a mistake at work. I forgot. Madam probably hasn’t seen it yet. I’ll notify her right now.”
As he spoke, he prepared to leave to make a call.
“Who said you have to go behind my back to call her? Is there something I’m not allowed to hear?”
Special Assistant Dong: “……”
If you wanted to hear it, you could have just said so directly. Why is it always so roundabout when it comes to Madam’s affairs?