“A proposal?”
At these words, even Su Xingnuo, hiding upstairs and eavesdropping, froze.
She suddenly remembered—the Liu family had an adopted daughter, Liu Yueci, stunningly beautiful and the school’s dance program star.
Great. Xie Ruchen wasn’t after her—he wanted Liu Yueci.
Most likely, he knew that Su Xingnuo was now Liu family’s adopted daughter, the nominal younger sister of Liu Yueci, which was why he had sent her the ointment.
Downstairs:
Liu Dingyuan and Jiang Lan looked at Xie Ruchen in surprise.
Liu Dingyuan quickly regained composure, but Jiang Lan stared at Xie Ruchen, worried. Could this man really be here to propose to their Nuonu?
That couldn’t happen—Nuonu had just returned home; there was no way she would marry anyone so quickly.
Jiang Lan spoke, “President Xie, Yueci is out of town this month, participating in a dance competition. She won’t return until next week. Perhaps we can discuss this after she’s back?”
After Jiang Lan spoke, Liu Dingyuan quietly exhaled.
Upstairs, Su Xingnuo, realizing it didn’t concern her, lost interest and returned to her room.
Xie Ruchen’s expression remained unchanged. Jiang Lan’s words did not stir him. He calmly said:
“Not her.”
Now even Liu Dingyuan was unsettled. Jiang Lan quickly added:
“You must be joking, President Xie. Nuonu is our daughter. We just brought her home and want her to spend more time with us.”
Liu Dingyuan also supported this.
“Yes, Nuonu has just returned. How about we ask her opinion?”
If Nuonu didn’t mind Xie Ruchen, they would respect her choice.
If she disliked him, even offending Xie Ruchen, they would never force her into anything.
Xie Ruchen’s face darkened. He moved his fingers, staring at Liu Dingyuan.
“I can wait.”
Liu Dingyuan felt chills down his spine, sensing a threat in those words.
But for Su Xingnuo, he straightened his back.
Xie Ruchen instructed Qin Yue, “Bring in the gifts.”
Qin Yue immediately had his men carry them in.
Ten minutes later, Xie Ruchen and his entourage left.
Liu Dingyuan looked at the pile of gifts in the living room; even picking one at random was worth over a million.
He anxiously gestured to Jiang Lan.
“Perhaps we shouldn’t announce Nuonu’s identity too soon. Otherwise, those suitors will trample over the Liu family threshold.”
They decided not to tell Su Xingnuo about this.
Liu Yancheng, upon hearing the news, clenched his fists.
“My sister has barely escaped one fire; she mustn’t jump into another.”
Absolutely not.
“Parents, next time Xie Ruchen comes, let me talk to him,” Jiang Lan whispered to Liu Dingyuan.
“Keep it down—don’t let Nuonu hear. Let’s act like we don’t know for now. I trust Nuonu will handle her affairs. Just watch her secretly to ensure she stays safe.”
Su Xingnuo went downstairs. Her father, mother, and Liu Yancheng were seated on the sofa, chatting.
The moment she appeared, all three stopped and looked at her.
Su Xingnuo touched her face. Was there something on it?
Liu Dingyuan said, “Nuonu, I have a few documents for you.”
The servants handed over the papers, and Jiang Lan added,
“I also transferred several villas to your name. I found them meaningless, so I thought you might want them.”
Su Xingnuo took the documents: share transfer agreements and property gift deeds.
“Dad, Mom, what’s this…”
Liu Yancheng also handed her a paper.
“Sister, this is a trust I set up for you.”
Su Xingnuo returned to her room holding a pile of documents. She accepted the gifts, with one condition: she would also join the Liu family business to contribute.
Liu Yancheng, an action-oriented person, immediately called to arrange it.
Meanwhile, at the Xie family:
Feng Chunlan knew Shen Qingya was carrying Xie Ran’s child and had been urging that she be brought home.
Xie Ran, unable to endure his mother’s nagging, confirmed Su Xingnuo wasn’t home and brought Shen Qingya over.
Upon seeing Shen Qingya, Feng Chunlan hurried forward, beaming.
“Miss Shen, don’t just stand there, sit down.”
Thinking that this Shen family young lady carried her grandson, she was overjoyed.
Fearing any mishap, she guided Shen Qingya to the sofa and lightly patted her to sit.
Holding Shen Qingya’s hand, she said,
“Miss Shen…”
Shen Qingya smiled softly.
“Aunt, you can just call me Qingya.”
Feng Chunlan was thrilled. Shen Qingya, despite her status, was approachable. If she became her daughter-in-law, Feng Chunlan felt immensely fortunate.
She thought of Su Xingnuo, who was nothing, yet had dared to pressure her to repay money these past days.
Recalling this, she chatted with Shen Qingya a few more moments, then gestured subtly to Xie Ran.
In the kitchen, Feng Chunlan whispered to Xie Ran,
“What’s going on? You haven’t been home lately, fine. I asked you to dismiss that jinx Su Xingnuo, yet you’ve done nothing. Now Shen Qingya is our family’s true contributor. Why aren’t you marrying her yet? Why keep entangled with Su Xingnuo? When I opposed your marriage to her before, I was right. Now she not only wants our money but also our property!”
Xie Ran lowered his voice.
“Mom, you know why I married Su Xingnuo…”
Nearby, Shen Qingya pricked up her ears. She didn’t catch the last few words, but she frowned, realizing her suspicion was correct: Xie Ran had a purpose in marrying Su Xingnuo.
This was why he delayed divorcing her.
Feng Chunlan, impatient, said,
“Our company is about to go public. Don’t drag this out. Divorce Su Xingnuo immediately.”
Xie Ran, slightly annoyed, replied,
“Fine, I already had the assistant deliver the divorce agreement to her.”
“Make sure she leaves empty-handed. She didn’t give us a child; she won’t take a penny of the Xie family wealth.”
“Mm.”
Xie Ran and Feng Chunlan returned to the living room. Shen Qingya was already seated on the sofa.
Feng Chunlan, in high spirits, looked healthier and happier, and went to serve her daughter.
“Xie Zhi, some distinguished guests have arrived. Go wash some fruit for them.”
Xie Zhi had just returned home after sending her son off and resting. Frustrated that Su Xingnuo hadn’t helped with her son lately, she felt her anger bubbling.
Hearing her mother, she left the room and looked toward the living room.
She had also heard about the Shen family young lady’s relationship with her brother. Now that she had arrived, Xie Zhi was especially excited.
She approached Shen Qingya.
“Miss Shen, what would you like to eat? I’ll make it now. Pregnant women must keep changing what they eat.”
Shen Qingya gently touched her still-flat belly.
“I’m in early pregnancy. Even a slight smell of meat can make me nauseous. Something like Wagyu braised with leaves is manageable. But it’s okay, I can eat whatever you make, just in smaller portions.”
Xie Zhi paused. Her cooking wasn’t particularly skillful, and a complex dish like Wagyu braised with leaves intimidated her to present in front of a Shen family lady.
She suddenly remembered—when Su Xingnuo was around, this dish was unmatched. Even her picky husband had praised it endlessly, which had caused a long cold war between them.
Xie Zhi took out her phone.
“I’ll call Su Xingnuo now, so she can come home and cook.”