Su Xingnuo acted as if she hadn’t heard and picked up her bag, preparing to leave.
Xie Zhi stepped forward and grabbed her arm.
“Where are you going? Do you really treat this house like a hotel—come and go as you please?”
Shen Qingya quickly stood up.
“Sister, I’ll help clean up. Sister Xingnuo must have something important to do.”
Xie Zhi turned to her.
“Qingya, you’re the Shen family’s eldest daughter and pregnant. How could I let you do the work?”
She looked at Xie Ran.
“Brother, help Qingya back to her room to rest.”
Xie Ran was momentarily stunned seeing Su Xingnuo come downstairs empty-handed.
She clearly couldn’t bear to show her face, so she had hidden the gift upstairs and intended to apologize on her own.
Shen Qingya looked at Xie Ran and saw him still sitting there, flipping through something on his phone.
She was irritated—what was wrong with him? Why had he been so absent-minded since earlier?
During dinner, he either looked upstairs or stared at his phone, paying her no attention at all.
Feeling Shen Qingya’s gaze, Xie Ran lifted his head, but spoke to Su Xingnuo instead.
“You went to Yida Mall today and ran into the Liu family heiress shopping. That’s why you came back late, right? Why didn’t you say anything?”
He had noticed the news about the Liu heiress appearing online and had glanced at it.
The heiress of that richest family going to Yida Mall probably cleared the place, which could have delayed Su Xingnuo in buying the gift.
Xie Zhi was stunned.
What?
The Liu family heiress?
Why would her brother suddenly care about news regarding the Liu family? Was he making an excuse for Su Xingnuo?
Being late is being late—what does shopping with the heiress have to do with it?
Xie Ran stared at Su Xingnuo. She remained calm.
“You think you’d believe me if I explained?”
She understood this family’s attitude completely.
Xie Ran felt a twinge of guilt, but it quickly faded. His tone hardened.
“Would it kill you to give an explanation in a situation like this?”
For some reason, he had the feeling Su Xingnuo didn’t care about him as much as before.
But thinking about the gift, he quickly dismissed the thought and steadied himself.
Before Su Xingnuo could respond, he prepared to take Shen Qingya to the guest room, but Su Xingnuo blocked him.
“This is my home. Let this woman leave.”
Shen Qingya immediately covered her face and cried.
“Xie Ran, please take me back. I really don’t belong here.”
Did she really want to live here? With a cruel mother-in-law and a foolish sister-in-law? She wouldn’t live under the same roof with them.
Feng Chunlan stood up.
“You don’t get to decide here. Qingya is of noble status and a great contributor to the Xie family. If she wants to stay, she stays. How can you compare? Get out!”
Su Xingnuo raised an eyebrow.
“Fine. She can stay and clean the table, and mop the floor while she’s at it.”
Xie Ran scolded,
“Su Xingnuo, that’s enough! I’ll take Qingya back now. I’ll be back tonight.”
With that, he left with Shen Qingya.
Xie Zhi saw Su Xingnuo still standing there and rushed over, dragging her to the dining table.
“Are you deaf? Hurry up and clean!”
Su Xingnuo shook off Xie Zhi’s hand, lightly curling her lips, and grabbed a tablecloth, giving it a forceful tug.
“Crash—”
The porcelain bowls and plates on the table smashed to the ground, shards scattering everywhere.
The direction of the toss was just where Xie Zhi and Feng Chunlan stood, and leftover food and soup splattered on their heads and faces.
“Ah!”
Xie Zhi screamed, jumping back instinctively. The spilled soup and oil made the floor slippery, and she fell.
The broken porcelain shards cut into her skin, blood instantly flowing.
Feng Chunlan’s face darkened. She wiped soup from her hair.
“Su Xingnuo, are you crazy? A little housework and you dare to flip the table? Don’t these bowls cost nothing? You truly are a jinx…”
Amid the cursing and Xie Zhi’s cries, Su Xingnuo turned gracefully.
Before leaving, she addressed Feng Chunlan:
“If you want me to divorce Xie Ran, fine. First, repay the eighty-million-yuan medical bill. Also, this house is mine. Letting you stay a few extra days was my kindness. If you dare ride over me, don’t blame me for kicking you all out.”
With that, Su Xingnuo left. Feng Chunlan shouted behind her:
“Eighty million? Dream on! You won’t take a single cent, and you won’t get the house back either!”
A dark glint appeared in Su Xingnuo’s eyes as she smiled.
They would be begging her on their knees to repay the eighty million, and reclaiming the house would be even easier.
Shortly after Su Xingnuo left, Xie Ran returned home after taking Shen Qingya back.
Xie Zhi and Feng Chunlan were on the floor cleaning. Seeing him return, Xie Zhi immediately wanted to complain.
Xie Ran glanced at the messy floor, frowned, and before Xie Zhi could speak:
“Mom, sister, don’t push Xingnuo too hard. I haven’t divorced her yet.”
He then turned and went upstairs.
Xie Zhi stood there, shocked, mouth agape.
What’s gotten into her brother today? Why is he defending Su Xingnuo at every turn?
Upstairs, Xie Ran returned to his room.
After marriage, he had told Su Xingnuo he wanted to focus on developing the company first. Once the company stabilized, they could discuss having a child.
Su Xingnuo had trusted him, actually sleeping in separate rooms for three years.
They were long used to sleeping separately.
As soon as Xie Ran entered, he scanned the room. Not seeing the gift, he felt a pang of disappointment.
Then he realized—since Su Xingnuo wanted to surprise him, she had probably hidden the gift somewhere in his room.
He opened cabinet doors one by one, checking drawer by drawer.
Forty minutes later, sweat beaded on his forehead. Sitting on the bed, his room was in total disarray, yet he still couldn’t find the gift Lushau Yuan had mentioned.
He checked through his ties—no new ones.
He hesitated to call Lushau Yuan on his phone.
Perhaps Su Xingnuo had taken the gift back to her room. She had come in with two bags but left with only one.
It had to be that.
Xie Ran went to Su Xingnuo’s room door and rested his hand on the handle.
After a few seconds, he withdrew it.
He couldn’t take it himself—he had to wait for Su Xingnuo to bring it to him.
After all, in three years of marriage, he rarely entered her room without permission, respecting her privacy.
The next day, Su Xingnuo had just gotten up when Xie Ran’s assistant called.
Yang An’s voice was urgent:
“Madam, the vice president of Shu Group is at the company to discuss a project. I can’t reach Mr. Xie. Can you come to the office quickly?”