Chapter Fifteen: Complaint

"Brother Mingzhou..."

Xu Haiyu's eyes were red and swollen, and she looked as sorrowful and pitiful as a wife who had been abandoned by her husband.

Xin Li was a little embarrassed, after all, she and He Mingzhou were not that familiar with each other, and she didn't know what to say when he suddenly came to pick her up, and she hadn't even thought of a way to address him.

Seeing Xu Haiyu like this, she suddenly had a flash of inspiration, grabbed He Mingzhou's arm, and said with a smile, "I've come to pick you up."

“I see other people coming to pick up their husbands. Since we’re already married, I should follow local customs.”

"What, you don't want me to come pick you up?"

He Mingzhou was taken aback by Xin Li's words.

Having lived on the island for many years, He Mingzhou had long been used to being alone.

Although Xu Haiyu liked to follow behind him, he considered Xu Haiyu his responsibility, and he would not overstep his bounds except for matters that needed to be taken care of.

Therefore, he usually appears to be somewhat of a loner.

This wasn't his first mission, nor was it the first time someone had come back to pick him up.

But looking at the smiling Xin Li standing in front of him, He Mingzhou suddenly had a strange feeling.

It's hard to explain.

But it's not bad.

"Come if you want." He Mingzhou looked away, his gaze flickering for a moment before quickly becoming firm again.

"Go home."

Seeing that He Mingzhou didn't push her hand away, Xin Li's smile brightened even more: "Okay, I'll tell you, when you're not around—"

Xin Li wanted to give He Mingzhou a heads-up, since his home had changed drastically.

This was her first time getting married, and she thought it was important to explain things clearly to her partner.

But Xu Haiyu interrupted him before he could finish speaking.

"Brother Mingzhou, why are you ignoring me?"

Xin Li had to admire Xu Haiyu's shamelessness.

She still insists on intervening at a time like this, either because she thinks He Mingzhou won't blame her, which is why she's so fearless.

Or perhaps she has an inflated sense of self-importance and believes that she can charm all the men in the world.

Xin Li glanced at He Mingzhou and quickly confirmed that Xu Haiyu was the second type.

When He Mingzhou met Xu Haiyu's gaze, his brows furrowed slightly. Although he did not show any impatience, it was clear that he could not discern Xu Haiyu's true nature.

Xin Li was thrilled.

She had previously thought that if He Mingzhou was the kind of man who couldn't distinguish between a younger sister and a romantic sister, she would sleep with him first and then dump him.

—This can't be blamed on her. Although He Mingzhou is a scoundrel, he is very beautiful. Having been widowed for many years in the apocalypse, handsome men do have an extraordinary attraction for her.

Besides, they are a legally married couple; they can't just get married and not get anything in return.

Fortunately, He Mingzhou wasn't a jerk, and Xin Li decided to follow Plan B and get to know him properly.

Didn't I tell you you didn't need to pick me up?

He Mingzhou was unaware of Xin Li's thoughts; he simply treated Xu Haiyu with the same attitude he always had.

After Xu Haiyu came of age, he kept his distance from her. Noticing that Xu Haiyu was overly dependent on him, he sent her to Zhang Jinhua's place.

He thought that having someone accompany her would reduce her dependence on him, but Xu Haiyu kept crying and making a fuss, which made others come to persuade him.

He Mingzhou earnestly told the others that although they were not blood-related siblings, he truly regarded Xu Haiyu as a sister. If others saw how the two of them interacted and misunderstood their relationship, they would be harming Xu Haiyu.

The others thought he was very thoughtful and would take turns helping to take care of Xu Haiyu.

Perhaps seeing his determination, Xu Haiyu also restrained himself a little.

I thought she would become more sensible as she gets older, but I didn't expect her to revert to some of her old ways.

Thinking of this, He Mingzhou suddenly glanced at Xin Li.

Xin Li keenly noticed his gaze and returned him a questioning look.

He Mingzhou pursed his lips, thought for a moment, and then formally introduced Xu Haiyu to Xin Li: "This is my comrade's sister. He saved my life and sacrificed himself for me, so I promised him that I would take care of his sister."

The man's words made the two girls in front of him widen their eyes.

Xinli was pleasantly surprised.

Having witnessed so much deceit and treachery in the apocalypse, she was genuinely excited to suddenly encounter He Mingzhou, a man who was both upright and handsome.

As expected, all the good men have been handed over to the country.

But now it belongs to her!

Xu Haiyu clenched her fists tightly, looking incredulously at the man who had been so good to her since childhood. She really couldn't understand what kind of magic Xin Li possessed, and why everything had changed so much in just a few days since she arrived on the island.

“I know about this.”

Xin Li shook He Mingzhou's arm, with a charming air of a young lady from a wealthy family: "Sister-in-law Lu told me about it before."

He Mingzhou nodded: "It's enough that you know."

This blatant explanation was like a slap in the face to Xu Haiyu.

Xu Haiyu desperately wanted to confront He Mingzhou about why he had embarrassed himself in front of Xin Li.

But she ultimately didn't dare.

He could only follow behind the two of them with a sense of grievance, his arrogance from when he arrived completely gone.

He Mingzhou and Xin Li ignored her and continued their previous conversation. When He Mingzhou learned that Xin Li had brought a lot of "dowry", he raised an eyebrow and said, "When I asked someone to ask you before, you didn't say what you wanted, so I took the liberty of bringing these. See if there's anything you like."

He Mingzhou took out the bulging bag from his purse.

Xinli was pleasantly surprised: "You really brought it?"

He Mingzhou met her incredibly bright eyes and smiled slightly.

Xinli quickly opened the bag and searched through it.

Inside were all sorts of small trinkets, all exquisitely crafted, clearly chosen with care. Xin Li happily hugged them to her chest: "I really like them, thank you."

He Mingzhou breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she liked it.

Turning his head, he saw Xu Haiyu staring at him expectantly. He paused, then took a notebook out of his bag and handed it to her: "This is for you."

Xu Haiyu looked at the notebook in He Mingzhou's hand, then at the package in Xin Li's arms, and felt so jealous she was about to burst.

Why!

This shouldn't be happening!

In her mind, He Mingzhou’s return should have been a complete victory for her, since how could an outsider like Xin Li compare to her who had been with him for over a decade?

However, reality was the opposite: He Mingzhou was very close to Xin Li, but very indifferent to her.

She couldn't accept this outcome.

As Xu Haiyu reached out to take the notebook, large tears streamed down her face, making her look extremely pitiful.

Unfortunately, He Mingzhou was a typical straight man and had no idea why Xu Haiyu was crying. It was good enough that Xin Li didn't gloat or make sarcastic remarks, and of course, she wouldn't care about Xu Haiyu.

When the three of them returned to Zhang Jinhua's house, Xu Haiyu's eyes were already swollen from crying.

Zhang Jinhua was shocked when he saw it.

"Xiaoyu, what happened? Why are your eyes swollen? Did someone bully you? Why didn't you tell your brother Mingzhou and sister-in-law?"