Chapter 48: Reaction

“Xia Xia, did senior Rong Xiu say when he’ll come again?” Wen Lan Sheng asked while folding clothes.

Fan Xia found it a bit strange: “Do you like him that much?”

Wen Lan Sheng smiled sweetly: “Didn’t you tell me to get along well with senior Rong Xiu? I thought about it, and you were right before. He’s not just your senior, but also your direct superior. As your husband, I should also maintain a good relationship with senior Rong Xiu. It’ll be beneficial for your future promotions and raises, don’t you think?”

Something’s off.

That was Fan Xia’s first reaction. Although she didn’t understand what Wen Lan Sheng was up to, she instinctively felt he had ill intentions.

She said, “He’s the chairman, usually too busy to spare time. It’s already rare that he could steal some time to come over once.”

Wen Lan Sheng looked a bit disappointed: “Alright, I was thinking of making West Lake Vinegar Fish according to his method next time he comes.”

Fan Xia quietly watched him hold back.

“By the way, Xia Xia,” Wen Lan Sheng put the clothes in his hands aside and snuggled up to Fan Xia, his bright eyes gleaming: “How was my performance today?”

Fan Xia smiled: “Not bad, not as petty as before.”

“Then… since I’ve performed well, let’s go get our marriage certificate tomorrow.”

No wonder he was so well-behaved today, so this is what he was waiting for.

Fan Xia rubbed his soft short hair, smiling: “Sure, but tomorrow’s a workday, I can’t take time off. Let’s wait for the weekend.”

Wen Lan Sheng’s eyes, bright as black obsidian, reflected her hazy silhouette. He nodded excitedly: “Okay, then we’ll go to the Civil Affairs Bureau together on Saturday.”

“Mm.” Fan Xia smiled and added, “On the way here today, I mentioned your sister’s situation to Rong Xiu.”

Wen Lan Sheng’s eyes froze, not expecting Fan Xia to suddenly bring her up.

“Generally, HR in big companies do background checks during recruitment. Your sister’s expulsion from school due to cheating can’t be hidden at all, and the incident of her hitting someone at the 24-hour convenience store where she previously worked also can’t be concealed. So it’s indeed difficult to arrange a good job position for her.”

“…Xia Xia,” Wen Lan Sheng tightly gripped the clothes in his hands, suddenly at a loss for words.

He hadn’t expected that at this moment, Fan Xia would still be concerned about Wen Jing’s job, especially when just the night before, Fan Xia had been so cold towards him, cold enough to make his heart tremble, fearing she might truly not love him anymore.

But seeing Fan Xia so concerned about his good-for-nothing sister, tears gradually welled up in Wen Lan Sheng’s eyes. He knew it, their years of affection couldn’t just disappear. No matter how much Rong Xiu tried to seduce Xia Xia, in her heart, she would only regard him, Wen Lan Sheng, as her only husband. Rong Xiu was just a wildflower casually picked outside, to be discarded when she tired of him.

“Why are you crying again?” Fan Xia’s eyes curved, gently and preciously cupping Wen Lan Sheng’s face, thoughtfully wiping away the tears at the corners of his eyes: “I haven’t finished yet. It’s impossible to get Jing Jing into a state-owned enterprise or a large corporation now. I can only pull some strings and try to find a way to get Jing Jing into a company with decent welfare benefits. What do you think?”

Wen Lan Sheng’s nose tingled and reddened slightly, he let out a wet “Mm” and hugged Fan Xia tightly, acting coquettishly: “Xia Xia, I actually know that our family is holding you back. You really don’t need to worry about Jing Jing’s affairs. I know those connections you’re asking, those favors, will all have to be repaid in the future. Don’t let that good-for-nothing Jing Jing drag you down.”

Fan Xia smiled, her eyes and brows carrying an irresistibly calm and serene charm: “I’m so happy that my good husband is so considerate of me. That’s why I can’t possibly let your sister become unemployed. Just wait for my good news.”

Wen Lan Sheng wiped away his tears and nodded coquettishly: “Mm.”

“Alright, don’t cry anymore. Why do you always have endless tears after marrying me?” Fan Xia lowered her eyes slightly, her voice gentle.

Wen Lan Sheng sniffled, it was all because of that bastard Rong Xiu. If it weren’t for him, he and Fan Xia would have been so happy.

“You take care of things here, I’ll go out and buy some snacks you like, okay?” Fan Xia stood up and said.

“Mm, I want lava cookies, and preserved plums too.” Wen Lan Sheng reluctantly hooked her fingers.

“Okay.” Fan Xia walked out of the bedroom, inwardly chuckling.

She had just made up a lie, and it moved Wen Lan Sheng to this extent.

How could she possibly help Wen Jing find a job? Not to mention she’s Wen Ming Yue’s daughter, even if she wasn’t, with her lazy nature and tendency to cause more harm than good, if she really pulled strings to find her a job, sooner or later she’d cause trouble again. Then she’d have to apologize to the person who introduced her, owing another favor.

Arriving in the living room, Wen Ming Yue had already come out of the bathroom and was busily fiddling with her phone. Seeing her joyful expression, she must have borrowed money, but it didn’t matter. Wen Ming Yue had already opened a financing account and added leverage. Once it burst, she would lose everything.

Thinking of the day that was about to come, Fan Xia’s lips curved up in pleasure as she went downstairs.

As soon as she walked out of the building, a gentle breeze greeted her face, fresh and pleasant. She looked up at the sparse stars in the imperial capital’s night sky, dimly hidden in the thick clouds, not as bright as the street lamps below, which at least illuminated the path at her feet and the tall, slender cold shadow not far away, lonely and desolate, looking at the myriad lights above.

Fan Xia was stunned for a moment: “Rong Xiu?”

That shadow walked out from the faint, flickering lamplight, the edge of the light scattered by the night’s moist mist. He seemed to be surrounded by hazy light as he approached.

“Didn’t you go back?” Why was he still under her building?

Rong Xiu’s long lashes trembled slightly: “I…”

Fan Xia immediately had a thought – he wasn’t looking at the myriad lights, but at the lights of her home.

This thought was very narcissistic, but seeing Rong Xiu’s obviously hesitant expression, she really couldn’t find a more reasonable explanation. If she hadn’t come down, how long would he have stood here alone?

“Let’s go.” Fan Xia stepped forward, taking his hand on her own initiative: “Since you have nothing better to do, why not accompany me to the night market?”

Rong Xiu could hardly believe it, his cold eyes bursting with dazzling brilliance.

The Firefly Night Market was a famous night market near Fan Xia’s residential area. With barbecue, night beer, food stalls, as well as various fruit stalls, snack stalls, and places selling all kinds of clothes and accessories. There was also a nearby lawn where outdoor movies would be shown. It was hardly affected by workdays or weekends; once night fell, business was particularly good. Even at one or two in the morning, it was still brightly lit.

The night market was crowded, with some popular stalls so packed you couldn’t squeeze through. He followed closely behind Fan Xia, looking at the hand she was holding. His hands were naturally cooler than most people’s, but Fan Xia’s palm was warm and dry.

He had never imagined that one day he would be holding hands with Fan Xia like an ordinary couple, strolling through a night market. It was like walking into a warm little wooden cabin in the midst of ice and snow. The cabin had a burning fireplace, driving away the bone-deep chill.

“They even sell pet supplies here.” Fan Xia stopped in front of a small stall. Most of what was sold here were cat and dog toys. Fan Xia picked up a cat teaser, with a light blue feather at the end. The feather was very soft and fluffy, with a small bell tied to the tip that made a crisp sound when shaken.

Fan Xia shook it to try it out, the light and fluffy feather gently brushed across Rong Xiu’s fingertips. His finger bones contracted, his heart surging as if an electric current had passed through.

“Kittens love this cat teaser the most. Buy one, it’s only 20 yuan. Your little kitty at home will surely be very happy,” the stall owner said with a smile.

Fan Xia smiled and said, “We don’t have a cat at home, only a little dog.”

“Then you can buy this chew toy. It’ll prevent your little doggy from destroying things at home,” the stall owner promptly recommended.

Fan Xia looked at Rong Xiu: “Is Yi Zhi Mei starting to destroy things at home now?”

Rong Xiu thought for a moment and said, “Yi Zhi Mei is about to enter the teething period and is starting to like chewing on things.”

But he had already bought everything the little dog needed. Before he could say this, he was interrupted by the stall owner.

“That’s right, dogs’ teeth get very itchy during the teething period, so they like to chew on things to relieve it. You young couple have to go to work during the day, and the little dog might run wild at home. Who knows, you might come home one day to find the legs of tables and chairs all chewed up.”

Rong Xiu: “…We’ll buy it.”

Seeing business coming, the stall owner grinned and continued, “I have two types of chew toys that sell quite well here. Which one do you think is more suitable?”

Rong Xiu: “We’ll take both.”

The stall owner’s smile widened, and he immediately started packaging.

Fan Xia beat Rong Xiu to scanning the code and paying.

Seeing Rong Xiu’s disapproving look, Fan Xia’s lips curved slightly: “I know the great Chairman Rong is wealthy and generous, but I also have a part in raising Yi Zhi Mei. In a sense, I’m also Yi Zhi Mei’s mother.”

Rong Xiu’s eyes trembled slightly, his cold expression rarely showing a tinge of blushing shyness.

Zhuang Nian was almost dying of anxiety. The post on the forum was obviously posted by Wen Lan Sheng, with Fan Xia and Rong Xiu as the main characters. Naturally, the one bearing the brunt of the attack was Rong Xiu, who had been branded with the title of ‘most disgusting homewrecker’.

After all, women have always been in an invisible state in affairs. Compared to the cheating woman, people are more resentful towards the third party.

Zhuang Nian looked at the astonishing number of reposts of this thread, which had even been reposted on certain Weibo and Douyin accounts. Even some gossip marketing accounts had posted about it. If it wasn’t handled soon, the situation might develop to an irreversible point.

He hurriedly called Rong Xiu, but Rong Xiu’s phone was dead silent, immediately disconnected as soon as he called.

With no choice, Zhuang Nian sent Rong Xiu a text message: “Chairman, recently a post has appeared on the forum slandering and spreading rumors about you being a homewrecker. It has been reposted a lot, and people have started to dig up and expose your personal information. If we don’t handle it soon, they might trace it back to you.”

Zhuang Nian paced back and forth in the living room, waiting for Rong Xiu’s reply.

After all, this matter had a huge impact, especially on men. Once people found out that this homewrecker was Rong Xiu, he would immediately be subject to overwhelming abuse and even threats. Don’t underestimate the fighting power of those men, they are truly terrifying when they start tearing into someone. No man could withstand such great pressure.

Ding dong —

After waiting anxiously, Zhuang Nian finally received Rong Xiu’s reply. He thought that given the urgency of the situation, Rong Xiu would hold an emergency meeting to have the PR department deal with it. But the reply he received was just three simple, cold words.

“I know.” !