Cao Xinrou had said that Ning Xi had a childhood sweetheart back in the city someone she had grown up with. Not long ago, that man had even sent Ning Xi a letter.
At the time, Ning Xi had clutched the letter, crying and laughing at the same time. And now she had changed her heart and hooked up with her own second brother.
If she exposed this matter…
Would Ning Xi be so afraid of it coming to light that she would agree to any demand?
The next day, Jiang Yanyan went straight to find Ning Xi.
She got straight to the point.
“Ning Xi, give me fifty yuan. Otherwise, I’ll tell my second brother about you secretly writing letters to some wild man. Just guess when that happens, do you think my second brother would still want you, you fickle, shameless slut?”
“Are you threatening me?” Ning Xi narrowed her eyes.
Jiang Yanyan shrugged smugly.
“Think whatever you want. You’re the one who did something shameful anyway. If you still want to marry my second brother smoothly, hand over the money obediently. It’s only fifty yuan for a rich city miss like you, that’s nothing, right?”
What nerve.
Ning Xi was so angry she laughed. “No. If you want to tell on me, go ahead.”
That so-called childhood sweetheart belonged to the original owner of this body it had nothing to do with her.
As for the letters, she had burned them long ago. With no evidence left, what was there to be afraid of?
On the other hand, Jiang Yanyan’s filthy mouth, calling her a slut over and over if she let her off easily today, she’d only push her luck tomorrow.
Thinking of this, Ning Xi suddenly changed her tune, smiling sweetly with curved brows.
“Forget it. We’re family after all. I can give you the money but you have to tell me what you want it for. After all, fifty yuan isn’t a small sum.”
Trying to curry favor with her future in-laws was embarrassing even to Jiang Yanyan, so she naturally couldn’t bring herself to say it outright.
She stammered for a long time, unable to come up with a proper excuse. Finally, she stiffened her neck and snapped angrily, “Why are you asking so many questions? Don’t think that marrying my second brother gives you the right to meddle in my affairs you’re not qualified.”
That bluffing toughness made it obvious she was guilty.
Ning Xi’s watery eyes flicked sideways, and she let out a snort of laughter.
“I get it you’re using money to please that city boyfriend of yours, aren’t you? Tsk tsk, Jiang Yanyan, didn’t you say you were about to soar to the top, like a carp leaping over the dragon gate? So why are you still paying out of pocket? And asking for fifty right off the bat? Not only are you ugly, your skin is thick too!”
“You—!”
Jiang Yanyan had thought she’d get money, only to be insulted instead.
In front of Qiao An, she was actually very insecure that was why she wanted to use money to win favor, so his family wouldn’t look down on her. Now that little hidden insecurity had been exposed, and she completely lost it.
“I’ll shut your mouth!”
As she spoke, she charged toward Ning Xi without thinking, raising her hand high.
Ning Xi cried out in alarm. From the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a tall figure at the doorway. The corner of her lips curved slightly as she deliberately staggered backward in panic. In the chaos, her body fell straight into a firm, solid chest.
She turned around, her eyes instantly reddening.
“Jiang Chengbei.”
The girl looked frightened, her voice trembling with sobs. Jiang Chengbei felt both heartache and anger surge up inside him. If he hadn’t come back in time, would that slap have landed on her face?
He wrapped an arm around her. “Don’t be afraid.”
Jiang Yanyan’s mouth fell open, panic flashing across her face.
When did her second brother come back? Hadn’t he gone up the mountain?
She hurriedly explained, speaking very fast.
“Second brother, it’s not what you think! Ning Xi insulted me first that’s why I lost my temper for a moment… but didn’t I fail to touch even a single hair on her? I”
Her voice grew smaller and smaller. When she met Jiang Chengbei’s dark, cold gaze, she completely fell silent.
“Second brother…”
Jiang Chengbei shot her a cold glance. “Don’t call me that.”
With that, he directly took Ning Xi and walked out.
Not long after, Tian Guilan came storming over. As soon as she entered, she raised her hand in fury and slapped Jiang Yanyan hard across the face.
“Smack!”
The sound was crisp. No one knew how much force she used, but half of Jiang Yanyan’s face swelled visibly.
Her eyes cleared for a moment from the blow, followed immediately by overwhelming grievance and rage.
“Mom, you hit me?”
From childhood to adulthood, as the youngest daughter in the family, her parents had never been willing to lay a finger on her. Among her three brothers, aside from her second brother Jiang Chengbei, the other two had also indulged her endlessly.
Though she was a country girl, she had been raised like a precious treasure.
And now she had been slapped?
Tian Guilan was breathing heavily, her fingers trembling.
Ning Xi had already explained everything clearly. Tian Guilan never would have imagined that the daughter she cherished so dearly would be so worthless extorting money just to curry favor with her boyfriend’s family.
When the extortion failed, she even tried to hit someone.
And the person she tried to hit was Ning Xi whom her second son cherished like the apple of his eye.
This time, she had completely offended them.
She had originally hoped that her second son would help Yanyan out, but now his not-yet-married fiancée had almost been slapped. Any man with even a shred of backbone wouldn’t be able to swallow this humiliation.
“Yanyan, you’re truly muddleheaded!”
“If you had something to say, why couldn’t you say it properly? Why resort to violence? Didn’t you see your second brother’s expression so dark it was frightening. I was even thinking of asking him to help you find a military officer as a match. Now that’s probably hopeless.”
“Hurry and come with me to apologize to your second brother and Ning Xi.”
She got beaten and still had to apologize?
Jiang Yanyan was unwilling in a thousand, ten thousand ways. Red-eyed, she stomped her foot.
“I won’t! Why should I apologize? Ning Xi did it on purpose she was pretending to be pitiful! She’s scheming and deliberately trying to drive a wedge between me and my second brother. She just can’t stand seeing me do well this is revenge for how I treated her before!”
“And I don’t want a military officer anyway! I already have someone I like!”
“Waaah—!”
Jiang Yanyan cried loudly, tears and snot smearing her face.
She hated Ning Xi.
Hated her to death.
If she ever got the chance, she would never let Ning Xi off.
Refusing to apologize, Jiang Yanyan ran out crying.
Tian Guilan was utterly worried none of them gave her any peace of mind.
Over here, Jiang Chengbei didn’t even spare a glance for Jiang Yanyan, who was crying like a blotchy-faced kitten. He focused entirely on comforting his future wife.
“Xixi, did she scare you?”
Ning Xi lowered her eyes and didn’t speak. Her palm-sized face was full of lingering fear.
In reality, she was already laughing with glee inside.
From the first day the original owner came to the Jiang family, Jiang Yanyan had been openly and secretly bullying her. Now she had gone even further, resorting to threats.
So Ning Xi decided to give her a taste of “killing with a borrowed knife.”
And thoroughly knock down her arrogance.
Not hearing a response, Jiang Chengbei began to panic.
He knew Ning Xi’s temper she was a pampered city girl, spoiled and temperamental. Though she had changed a lot these past few days, she had almost been slapped just now.
She must be both wronged and furious.
If she was really angry, how was he supposed to comfort her?
Give her money? No that was already handed over.
Let her hit him to vent her anger? That didn’t seem right either.
His body was too hard he might hurt her soft, delicate hands.
Then… let her bite him?
With that thought, he suddenly rolled up his right sleeve, revealing his forearm. His voice was low and hoarse.
“It’s my fault, Xixi. Come bite me. Bite as hard as you want. Vent your anger. Don’t make yourself sick with it.”
The man’s forearm was firm and powerful, veins faintly raised, bearing the marks of years of training brimming with restrained sexual tension. These arms had held guns and charged into battle, yet now he offered them obediently, waiting for her to take out her feelings.
Ning Xi looked up at him in a daze.
“Jiang Chengbei… you really want me to bite?”
“Bite. Hard.”
The moment he finished speaking, Ning Xi really did lean in. But when her lips touched his warm skin, she changed her force, turning it into a light kiss instead soft as a feather, yet scratching irresistibly at one’s heart.
“Boom—”
Jiang Chengbei felt as if his entire being exploded…