At lunchtime, Lord Xie hadn’t returned yet, and Qin Li didn’t wait for him, starting the meal immediately.
Xie Wan Ning was already used to it; it didn’t matter that she wasn’t valued by her father, since she was going to die anyway. All she needed was her stepmother’s favor.
Her return home today was to tell her stepmother not to show mercy to Concubine Yun.
Lord Xie was old, his vision had narrowed, and he was quite selfish. Relying on him would only lead to her own demise. It was better to take control of the Xie family herself; after all, Xie Bei Xuan had grown up and could manage on his own.
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The time spent at Xie Beixuan’s maternal home passed exceptionally quickly. In the afternoon, Xie Beixuan wanted to personally escort Xie Wanning back to the Xiao family, but Xie Wanning refused. She patted his shoulder and said softly, “Ah Xuan, no matter what, your second sister just wants you to be well.”
Xie Beixuan nodded, “Second sister, I understand.”
Xie Wanning took a step closer to him and whispered, “I won’t let Xie Beiming off the hook. You’re not allowed to be stubborn. If you encounter any difficulties, immediately send someone to find me, understand?”
Xie Beixuan hadn’t expected his second sister to see through his little scheme, and even more so, he hadn’t expected her to not only not stop him but also support him so much. His expression changed slightly, and he whispered, “Okay.”
“Go back, no need to see me off.”
Although Xie Wanning said this, Xie Beixuan still saw her onto the carriage and watched her leave before turning to enter the mansion.
On the way back, Chunhuan patted her bulging belly and exclaimed, “Zhang Mama is so kind! She prepared extra food and snacks for us; they were really delicious.”
Hongye nodded in agreement, “They were indeed delicious.”
Chunhuan was already stuffed,
but Hongye was a little more restrained. Although Hongye was a servant assigned to Xie Wanning by the Xiao family, Zhang Mama treated them all equally, without distinguishing between them.
Not only that, seeing that they enjoyed the food, she even packed two food boxes full of snacks for them to take home.
Xie Wanning smiled, “Eat as much as you like, you won’t have to worry about not being able to eat it later. Mother said that if you want to eat the pastries from the manor, she will send someone to deliver them.”
Chunhuan immediately said, “These are for Miss, how can this servant be greedy?”
Xie Wanning pretended to be relieved, “Alright then, you are not allowed to eat them when Mother sends them.”
Chunhuan immediately tugged at her clothes, pitifully saying, “Miss, I want to eat them, please, please give me some later.”
Xie Wanning smiled and agreed, then added, “It’s still early, let’s go take a look at the shops.”
When she got married, her stepmother was afraid that she would have a hard time in the Xiao family, so she prepared a generous dowry and even gave her two profitable shops.
Since the name was changed, she hadn’t been to see them yet, so today was a good day to take a look.
The two shops, one selling rouge and powder, and the other a silk shop, were not large, but they were small and exquisite, and had a stable customer base.
Xie Wanning looked around and checked the accounts, and seeing that there was nothing amiss, she prepared to leave.
Just as she was about to board the carriage, Hongye suddenly approached and said, “Young Madam, the Second Young Master’s carriage is behind us.”
Xiao Che ngyan?
Xie Wanning took two steps back and saw a carriage.
The carriage was simple, without any Xie family markings.
Xie Wanning looked at Hongye and asked suspiciously, “How do you know that’s the Second Young Master’s carriage?”
Hongye pointed to the person standing next to the carriage and whispered, “That servant is the Second Young Master’s attendant.”
Xie Wanning had never seen that servant before and naturally had no recollection of him, but with the carriage blocking the way, she couldn’t pretend she didn’t see him.
Thinking of what happened that morning, Xie Wanning whispered, “Hongye, please invite the Second Young Master to Juxiang Restaurant for tea.”
This person couldn’t have appeared without reason, and the word ‘coincidence’ simply didn’t exist.
But what exactly was his intention? Xie Wanning had to find out.
If… if he still had his memory from last night, then she would never admit it.
Having made up her mind, Xie Wanning boarded the carriage and headed towards Juxiang Restaurant.
Moreover, she wore a bamboo hat when she alighted from the carriage and entered through a side door, so no one saw her.
As for where Xiao Chengyan went, that was none of her business; as long as they didn’t bump into each other, that was fine.
After reserving a private room, Hongye waited downstairs, and soon Xiao Chengyan came up.
He was dressed in black, with matching wristbands and a dark belt around his waist. Unlike Xiao Chengli, who was refined and polite, he exuded a sharp and oppressive aura from the moment he appeared.
Xie Wanning couldn’t see the sharpness in his eyes at night, but today, whether out of guilt or something else, she felt that he was full of hostility, especially in the private room, which made the room feel somewhat cramped.
Xie Wanning stood, suppressing her surging fear, and said in a low voice, “Second brother has arrived. Please sit down.”
Xiao Chengyan hummed in acknowledgment, lifted his robe and sat down, looking at her quietly.
Xie Wanning tried her best t o appear calm, but her composure crumbled the moment she met Xiao Chengyan’s gaze. Her heart pounded like a drum, and her palms were sweating.
Just as she was about to speak, Xiao Chengyan spoke first, “Don’t worry, I didn’t see anything this morning.”
Hearing this, Xie Wanning’s face showed slight surprise.
Xiao Chengyan toyed with the teacup beside him, a slight smile appearing on his lips. “I’ll send someone to say something more. For both reason and duty, this matter cannot be taken lightly.”
Xie Wanning suppressed the surging emotions within her and said softly, “Thank you, Second Brother.”
Xiao Chengyan saw through her suppressed panic and reassured her, “It’s not to help you, I just wanted to watch the show. Sister-in-law, don’t worry that I’ll harm you. I’ve never targeted you.” She was
quite bold last night, but he didn’t expect her to be afraid during the day. However, when she pushed that poisonous woman into the water, her methods were quite swift.
It was clear that she had taken his words to heart.
As for anything else, he didn’t want to probe too much for the time being. He deliberately came looking for her, afraid that his actions that morning might have frightened her. However, his biggest selfish motive was still to see her.
He had estimated the dosage of Old Jiang’s medicine, but he hadn’t anticipated losing control and almost completely forgot about last night.
Last night, she had gritted her teeth and kept silent, occasionally letting out a sound, but it was as weak as it was now, tinged with fear.
“I don’t know what grudge my second brother and Xie Wanrou have, and I don’t want to get involved. Please don’t drag me into this in the future.”
Seeing that he was so straightforward, admitting that he just wanted to watch the show, Xie Wanning didn’t hold back and truthfully stated her thoughts.
If he could kick Xie Wanrou today, what if he kicked her one day when he was unhappy? Wouldn’t she be attacked from both sides?
Xiao Chengyan stared intently at her, “Are you afraid of me?”
“No.”
Xie Wanning shook her head, stood up and stood aside, her back to him, saying, “In the inner quarters, it is proper for men and women not to touch each other, especially since I am your elder brother’s wife, your sister-in-law. If you always speak up for me regardless of the occasion, wouldn’t that invite criticism?”
Mor eover, Xiao Chengyan was not Xiao Chengli’s biological brother from the same household; he was a half-brother, which added another layer to the relationship.
Hearing this, Xiao Chengyan frowned slightly, realizing that these words were an attempt to completely sever ties with him publicly.