Faced with Qin Muyang’s indifference, the man surnamed Mao felt awkward. After Qin Muyang took the elevator upstairs, Mr. Mao took out his business card and fawned over Xie Wantang with a flattering smile. “Ma’am, hello, are you close with Lawyer Qin?”
“He’s the lawyer I hired to handle my divorce case. What do you think?” Xie Wantang replied with a smile.
Mr. Mao nodded eagerly. “If you can get Lawyer Qin to take your case, you must be quite impressive.”
Xie Wantang glanced at Xia Meng, who stood nearby with an unpleasant expression. “Not necessarily. Sir, the Miss Xia beside you is the truly impressive one. By the way, I’d advise you not to provoke Miss Xia—her backer’s surname is Lu.”
Mr. Mao: “…”
Xie Wantang wasn’t trying to help Xia Meng; she simply couldn’t stand these sleazy men who thought their modest wealth entitled them to treat women however they pleased.
Of course, she also couldn’t quite understand why Xia Meng, who had already latched onto Lu Yanshen, would still tolerate such humiliation.
She should have every reason to stand up to this handsy man.
But whether Xia Meng resisted or not had nothing to do with her.
After saying her piece, Xie Wantang turned and left.
A line of taxis waited outside the hotel for passengers. Seeing Xie Wantang emerge, the first taxi in line pulled up.
Just as Xie Wantang opened the rear door, Xia Meng hurried over. “Xie Wantang, why did you threaten Mr. Mao just now?”
“Miss Xia isn’t calling me Mrs. Lu anymore?” Xie Wantang raised an eyebrow.
Xia Meng was momentarily speechless. “Well, Mrs. Lu doesn’t have to worry about food or shelter—someone takes care of her. But I’m just a working woman. I have to earn money to support my family and raise my child.”
“Was I wrong earlier? Isn’t Miss Xia’s patron surnamed Lu? What, wasn’t the mountaintop fireworks display a few days ago enough to give Miss Xia a sense of security?”
“You saw my WeChat Moments?” Xia Meng covered her mouth, then asked as if suddenly realizing something, “Xie Wantang, did you divorce Yanshen because of the photos I accidentally posted that night?”
“Miss Xia’s acting skills are truly remarkable. However, such brilliant performances are better suited for an appreciative audience. Sorry, I’m in a hurry. Please step aside, Miss Xia.”
“Wantang, let me explain, okay? I can explain.”
“No need for explanations. I’ve already vacated the position of Mrs. Lu. Whether you can achieve your wish depends entirely on your own abilities. Driver, let’s go.”
Xia Meng stood in place, watching the taxi grow smaller and smaller until it disappeared from sight. Only then did she drop her pitiful demeanor, take out her phone, and make a call.
“It’s confirmed. She really did ask Lu Yanshen for a divorce because of the photos from that night’s WeChat Moments.”
“Also, she actually went to Haishi and brought Qin Muyang back.”
“Understood.”
The call ended there.
Xia Meng turned and re-entered the hotel. Mr. Mao, no longer acting sleazy, fawned over her with a flattering smile. “Mengmeng, how was my performance earlier?”
“Quite good. I’ll praise you to Yanshen.”
“Thank you, Mengmeng.” Mr. Mao was overjoyed.
“Keep an eye on things here. I need to go back and take care of my son.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
…
Xie Wantang took a taxi back to the Lu residence, where Lu Yanshen happened to be preparing to leave for the hospital to visit Lu Rourou.
“You’re back?” Seeing Xie Wantang, Lu Yanshen showed neither blame nor anger, acting as if nothing had happened.
“Where are you off to, Mr. Lu?”
“The hospital.”
“To see Lu Rourou?”
“Yes, want to come along?”
“Do you think she wants to see me? Mr. Lu, you should take Miss Xia instead. After all, they’re close friends, and at a time like this, your precious sister surely wants to see someone who can cheer her up.”
“Rourou just called and said she wants to eat the pineapple glutinous rice you make. I know you won’t make it for her. Any good recommendations for restaurants that make this dish with a skill level similar to yours?”
“This dessert tastes the same no matter who makes it. Your family sure knows how to make things difficult for me. How long do you plan to keep pretending to be clueless, Mr. Lu?”
With that, Xie Wantang turned and went inside.
Lu Yanshen frowned slightly, then finally got into Pei Xiao’s car and left first.
It had to be said, Lu Rourou knew how to pick her dishes. Hearing Lu Yanshen mention pineapple glutinous rice earlier, Xie Wantang was now genuinely craving that dessert.
Returning to her room, Xie Wantang lay down and called Xu Yanqiu, asking her to buy two pineapples and some glutinous rice and bring them to the Lu residence. Since Xu Yanqiu had treated her to noodles with gravy the other day, today she would make pineapple glutinous rice to return the favor.
Xu Yanqiu, knowing she had returned from Haishi, immediately agreed, changed her clothes, went out, and bought glutinous rice along with large, sweet pineapples.
Two hours later, the two friends were curled up on the sofa in the Lu family living room, each holding a pineapple rice and eating with great relish.
Xu Yanqiu even took a photo and deliberately posted it on Xie Wantang’s social media feed.
Then, as luck would have it, Lu Rourou, who was staying in the hospital, happened to scroll past this post.
She zoomed in on the photo Xie Wantang had posted and carefully compared the pineapple rice in the picture with the one in her own hands. After examining it for a while, she noticed a detail.
“Second Brother, are you sure this pineapple rice was made for me by Xie Wantang?” Lu Rourou asked in a sweet, coquettish voice.
“Xie Wantang?” Lu Yanshen frowned slightly, questioning in confusion.
He had always thought Lu Rourou addressed Xie Wantang as “Second Sister-in-Law.”
Wasn’t that the case?
Even if their mother didn’t like Xie Wantang, it was fine—after all, they only spent one day a month at the old residence with Mrs. Lu. Lu Yanshen felt it wasn’t a long time and could be endured.
But Lu Rourou was his sister. She shouldn’t show such disrespect toward Xie Wantang.
“Oh, I meant Second Sister-in-Law,” Lu Rourou said, slightly surprised, then quickly corrected herself.
Lu Yanshen’s frown eased slightly. “She made it herself. I even washed the glutinous rice.”
“Why doesn’t hers have goji berries, but mine does? I remember Second Sister-in-Law never added goji berries when she made it for me before,” Lu Rourou wondered.
Xie Wantang had said that pineapple rice tasted pretty much the same no matter who made it.
What she hadn’t mentioned was that even if the taste was similar, someone with a keen eye could still notice the subtle differences.
Lu Rourou wasn’t one with a keen eye, so Lu Yanshen could easily pass off any pineapple rice he bought from anywhere.
“Well, I just casually added a couple. You need to replenish your nutrients now, so eat up,” Lu Yanshen replied with earnest yet perfunctory sincerity.
Only then did Lu Rourou believe him. As if deliberately looking for fault, she ate only a small portion before refusing to continue. “Second Sister-in-Law added too much sugar today. It’s too sweet. I won’t eat any more.”
“If you don’t want it, forget it,” Lu Yanshen said, tossing the remainder directly into the trash.
“Why didn’t Second Sister-in-Law come with you to see me? Is she still a daughter-in-law of our Lu family or not?” Lu Rourou continued to pick at things.
“She just got back from Haishi and went through the trouble of making pineapple rice for you. I let her rest at home. What, can’t your second brother show some care for his wife?”
As soon as the words fell, Xia Meng came in with Xiao Dongdong, knocking on the door.
Seeing Xia Meng, Lu Rourou gave Lu Yanshen a meaningful look. “Second Brother, Sister Meng is still better.”
Lu Yanshen: “…”