Chapter 47: Tension

That gentle, faint smile was because Rong Xiu was sitting across from her.

Wen Lan Sheng bit his lip hard, his thin red lips trembling uncontrollably. He couldn’t believe that the woman who once loved him to the bone would one day flirt with another man under the table right in front of him.

It was all because of Rong Xiu, he had seduced his Fan Xia.

Wen Lan Sheng’s eyes welled up with tears of fury. He shot a resentful glare at Rong Xiu, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down.

He picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork and placed it in Fan Xia’s bowl. His arm pressed tightly against Fan Xia’s body, his cheek almost touching her shoulder, half of his body weight leaning on her. His voice was gentle, every bit the doting husband.

“Xia Xia, eat some meat. You’ve only been eating side dishes and haven’t touched the meat.” His hand subtly wrapped around her left arm, clinging to it like a vine on a tree, refusing to let go.

This closeness left no distance between them, making it easy for him to see the movements under the table. Fan Xia uncrossed her legs, preparing to sit up straight. But as soon as she put her feet down, Rong Xiu’s legs silently entwined with hers, his Chelsea boots trapping her legs, unwilling to yield even a bit.

If Wen Lan Sheng’s hand was like a vine, clinging to her recklessly, then Rong Xiu was like a giant python coiled in a dark corner. His long legs wrapped around hers, biting onto his prey and refusing to let go.

Rong Xiu’s pale fingertips tapped lightly on the table as he said, “Sweet and sour pork is Lan Sheng’s specialty. I often see it in the lunches he makes for Fan Xia. However, even the best dishes shouldn’t be eaten too often.”

As he spoke, his feet didn’t stop moving. The thin fabric of his suit pants rubbed against her calves, his warm body heat transmitted through the cloth.

Wen Lan Sheng heard the mockery in his words. Glimpsing that not only had he not stopped his actions under the table, but had become even more brazen, his anger grew. Indeed, Xia Xia still cared about his feelings. It was all this Rong Xiu, finding ways to seduce her.

Not willing to back down, he placed his hand on Fan Xia’s thigh, the soft folds of her skirt wrinkling under his tightening grip. “Xia Xia just loves the sweet and sour pork I make.”

Rong Xiu let out a light, contemptuous laugh, his narrow eyes half-closed, dangerous yet alluring. “But eating the same dish day after day for years, anyone would get tired of it. They’d want to try something new, taste dishes made by others. Don’t you think?”

Oblivious to the undercurrents beneath the table, Wen Ming Yue only knew to agree with the important figure before her. She nodded repeatedly, “Mr. Rong is right. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be big restaurants. No matter how good home cooking is, it can’t compare to the chefs at Michelin-starred restaurants.”

This backstab from his own mother left Wen Lan Sheng speechless with anger.

Rong Xiu smiled thinly.

Wen Lan Sheng looked hopefully towards Fan Xia, who had remained silent all this time. His eyes filled with intense expectation: “Xia Xia, do you want to eat more?”

Fan Xia looked at the sweet and sour pork in her bowl, then put down her chopsticks after a moment. “I’ll eat more later.”

Wen Lan Sheng’s face darkened.

A mocking smile played on Rong Xiu’s lips, but when Fan Xia looked up at him, his eyes softened, devoid of any aggression. The collar of his shirt, tightly bound by his tie, moved slightly as his Adam’s apple bobbed, silently enticing her.

The meal passed with this confrontation between Wen Lan Sheng and Rong Xiu. Because Fan Xia had argued with Wen Lan Sheng earlier, he was no longer as arrogant as before. Faced with Rong Xiu’s provocations, he could only swallow his anger, clenching his fists as he ate.

After the meal, Fan Xia saw Rong Xiu off.

In the elevator, the space was narrow and quiet. Fan Xia looked at his sharp profile, the gold-rimmed glasses perched on his high nose bridge, the dark gray suit hugging his toned, tall figure, cinching at his waist to create a slender curve. He looked every bit the elegant young master described in novels.

“How was my performance just now?” Rong Xiu’s eyes turned to her.

Remembering the intimate movements between their legs earlier, the surrounding temperature seemed to slowly rise. She smiled slightly, “Very good. Wen Lan Sheng must have seen it and was furious. But you shouldn’t have forcefully continued when I tried to withdraw my leg.”

“Is that so?” Rong Xiu leaned closer to her, his exquisite profile almost touching her face. His gold-rimmed glasses brushed against her cheek, initially cool like raindrops on skin, but after a brief chill came scorching heat. His low, husky voice caressed her ear, “Do you dislike me like this?”

Fan Xia’s ears grew warm, as if teased by flames.

Ding — The elevator doors opened.

A neighbor waiting for the elevator on the first floor was startled, because at that moment, their posture was as intimate as that of lovers in the heat of passion.

The neighbor was first shocked, then took a closer look. It was Fan Xia with another man. Their eyes widened immediately.

Fan Xia was famous in the neighborhood. Even if some residents didn’t know her name, they knew there was a beautiful, elegant woman living in the complex. Unfortunately, she had married young.

But now, the man intimately entangled with Fan Xia in the elevator wasn’t her husband who had just married a few days ago, but another unfamiliar man.

But it was quite normal.

For a young and beautiful woman like Fan Xia, it would be strange if she only had her husband around her. Young men should be flocking to her one after another. Moreover, the recent incident with Fan Xia’s husband’s parents had caused such a stir in the residents’ group chat, there must have been friction between the couple. It was quite normal for her to find a man outside to vent her frustrations.

Watching Fan Xia calmly walk out of the elevator with the man beside her, the neighbor marveled. That third wheel… was quite handsome.

“The neighbor saw us just now… will it affect you?” Once out of the elevator, Rong Xiu seemed a bit worried.

Fan Xia smiled gently, “It’s fine for me. After all, I’m a woman. However, I’m more worried about you. Although I know you’re just acting to help me, others don’t know that. They’ll really think you’re my affair, and your life might become difficult.”

The neighborhood was quiet at night. The streetlights by the trees cast a dim yellow glow, as if a warm light was emanating from behind him.

He said, “I know my limits. You don’t need to worry about me. I’m already happy that I can help you.”

Fan Xia looked at his light golden hair tips illuminated by the light, a different depth passing through her gentle yet calm eyes. “Thank you.”

Fan Xia watched Rong Xiu drive away before returning home.

At this moment, what she cared about most was no longer how frenzied Wen Lan Sheng might be under Rong Xiu’s provocation. What she truly cared about was Wen Ming Yue.

Under the trap set with Rong Xiu’s cooperation, Wen Ming Yue would certainly not miss this opportunity to ‘get rich quick’.

Her gaze swept around the living room, but she didn’t see Wen Ming Yue. She went to check the balcony, where only Wen Jing was lying on a makeshift bed, focused on playing a game.

Wen Ming Yue wouldn’t go to the master bedroom or kitchen, and the secondary bedroom where Wen Ming Yue and Xie Cen lived was their shared space. Xie Cen could easily barge in, so the only truly private space was the bathroom.

The bathroom door was frosted glass. Although one couldn’t see clearly through it, anyone standing in front of the door would cast a vague silhouette visible to those inside.

So, she deliberately pretended to walk past the bathroom, slowing her steps slightly when passing the door, then left.

As expected, Wen Ming Yue was inside. From the two sentences she vaguely heard as she passed by, Fan Xia discovered that Wen Ming Yue was borrowing money from a former neighbor.

She didn’t know how much was being borrowed, but for someone who would invest all 500,000 yuan they had into the stock market, dreaming of getting rich overnight, the amount borrowed was surely not small.

She felt relieved and slowly walked towards the bedroom.

Wen Lan Sheng was playing on his phone. Seeing Fan Xia return, he smiled slightly, showing no trace of the anger and helplessness he had displayed at the dinner table.

“You’re back. Has senior Rong Xiu left?”

“Mm.” Fan Xia nodded, sitting beside him.

Wen Lan Sheng picked up a pile of clothes just taken from the dryer and began folding them. The clothes covered his phone screen, hiding the new messages constantly popping up.

“On the wedding day, seducing the bride in the storage room. The next day, brazenly entering the house and making moves under the table in front of the OP’s parents. What kind of scum is this! Ahhh I’m so angry!”

“Three hours. I want all the information on this man!”

“Scumbag, get lost! Get lost! Get lost!”

“If we don’t dig up everything about this man and throw paint on this human scum’s doorstep, I’ll write my name backwards.”

“Reading the OP’s posts, my worldview is constantly being refreshed. This isn’t just disgusting anymore, it’s reached a level that would incur the wrath of both gods and men!”

“It’s already reached this level of brazenness. It would be impolite not to doxx him now.”

Zhuang Nian had just put his child to sleep. Humming a tune and applying a face mask, he happily started browsing his phone.

As a lifetime honorary member of the Gossip Lovers Association, it had been a long time since he had surfed the internet. Opening the Four-Leaf Clover Forum, a favorite among men, he immediately saw a highly pinned post on the homepage.

“Late night venting: A brief talk about my fiancée’s green tea male boss”

With such high views and replies, it must be some juicy gossip. Zhuang Nian, his gossip-loving soul burning brightly, excitedly clicked on the post. The more he read, the more uneasy he felt, his smile freezing on his face.

My fiancée and I are childhood sweethearts, set to marry in October.

The green tea boss, relying on his good looks, is my fiancée’s university senior.

My fiancée has to go on a business trip to an island, and I’m worried they might have a fling as a man and woman alone.

Today is my wedding day. I thought I’d be the happiest man in the world, but another man ruined it. He seduced my wife-master away.

Storage room… Entering the house…

It’s a very famous big company.

Familiar plot, familiar flavor. Zhuang Nian let out a scream and jumped up from the sofa.

Oh no! Oh no! This is going to be a disaster!!