Chapter 234 Disheveled

With Xie Yankang's single sentence, the matter was essentially settled and decided.

Xie Hanyue's eyes were filled with resentment as she looked at Xie Qingran, clearly showing her reluctance. However, she couldn't say it in front of Xie Yankang, so she could only grit her teeth and say, "Then congratulations, Aunt Lian!"

Aunt Lian was overjoyed and immediately knelt down and kowtowed: "Thank you for your kindness, Master and Miss!"

“Aunt Lian, you don’t need to do this. You are gentle and of noble character. You are worthy of this position.”

"When my younger brother grows up, he will also have a bright future."

Xie Qingran stepped forward and gently helped the person up, but she pinched the person's wrist and glanced subtly in Xie Hanyue's direction.

Aunt Lian, being incredibly clever, immediately understood Xie Qingran's meaning and nodded almost imperceptibly. Only then did the two of them sit down to eat again.

Xie Zhaoye couldn't possibly understand all these intricacies.

Completely bewildered, he forced himself to finish his meal while suppressing his anger. After putting down his chopsticks, he grabbed Xie Qingran's arm and strode towards the courtyard where Wang Shi used to live!

Seeing Xie Zhaoye like this, Xie Qingran helplessly shook off his hand and rubbed her wrist: "It hurts."

"How could you do this?" Xie Zhaoye gritted his teeth. "Although Mother wronged you, she still left everything to you and me. She loved you as her daughter. How could you arrange Father's marriage while her body is still warm? Isn't this going too far!"

"Can't you use your brain? If I don't make arrangements, won't Father find someone himself?" Xie Qingran frowned deeply as she looked at Xie Zhaoye. "Mother is gone, and Father has a younger son now. Don't you understand? Now, the only two of us can rely on each other and support each other. And you still want to argue with me!"

Xie Qingran was sometimes really curious about what Xie Zhaoye ate to grow up. Why did he only grow taller and not smarter over the years?

Xie Zhaoye was initially furious, but after hearing what Xie Qingran said, he suddenly realized the truth!

He stared at Xie Qingran in shock: "You...you said we would support each other and depend on each other for survival?"

"Is this the point I made?" Xie Qingran was both amused and exasperated. She stepped forward and gently tugged at Xie Zhaoye's sleeve, urging him to sit down with her. She sighed helplessly, "Even if I don't like you, you're still my only blood-related brother. I can't let outsiders bully you!"

"I can protect myself, and I don't need your approval!"

"Besides Xiao Jue, I haven't seen you like anyone else."

Xie Zhaoye turned his face away, rubbed his nose arrogantly, clearly trying to throw a tantrum at Xie Qingran.

Seeing him like this, Xie Qingran felt helpless.

"Fine, fine, if you don't care, then forget it."

"Let's sit here for a while, and there will be a good show to watch soon."

Xie Qingran leisurely swung her legs and looked at Xie Zhaoye with a smile.

Xie Zhaoye tilted his head to look at Xie Qingran. The sun outside shone on her, driving away the coldness she carried and making her feel warm and cozy.

This was the first time Xie Zhaoye had felt warmth from Xie Qingran.

For some reason, Xie Zhaoye suddenly stopped disliking his younger sister. He realized that Xie Qingran was actually quite pretty when she wasn't talking.

Xie Qingran had no idea what Xie Zhaoye was saying. She just sat there quietly, looking at the lotus pond not far in front of her. When she was little, she used to play by the lotus pond and would sometimes go down to catch fish when Wang Shi wasn't paying attention. Once, she slipped and fell into the water, crying loudly.

Wang rushed over without a care, hugged her and trembled, the two of them crying their eyes out.

Those were good times. Back then, she was still the carefree eldest daughter of the Xie family. It's just a pity that everything has changed.

“When you were little, you were lively and loved to laugh. Your mother loved you so much that she built a swing for you in the yard. Back then, you were always naughty and would fall off the swing several times. Your mother had no choice but to take it apart. You cried for several days afterward. Your mother was really helpless, so she made another one for you. Do you remember?”

Xie Zhaoye followed Xie Qingran's gaze and thought of his lively and cheerful little sister.

Actually, when Xie Hanyue was a child and before she came to this family, Xie Zhaoye doted on his younger sister very much. But he didn't know when everything started to change.

Xie Qingran's gaze fell on the crabapple tree not far away, and she said softly, "But now there is no swing that I like there, only the crabapple tree that Xie Hanyue likes."

"Qingran..." Xie Zhaoye felt very uncomfortable after hearing this: "Mother didn't mean it."

However, Xie Qingran was not around at the time, so he focused all his attention on Xie Hanyue.

"I know you didn't do it on purpose, Mother didn't do it on purpose, none of you did it on purpose."

"But I also know that the indifference, darkness, pain, and fear are all real."

"Xie Zhaoye, we can never go back. We can never go back to the way things were before, and we can never be as close as we were when we were kids."

Xie Qingran rarely showed sadness.

After she was reborn, she never felt sad or upset because of these people, because she knew they didn't deserve those emotions.

But now, moved by the scene, she couldn't help but feel a little wronged and choked up.

She should have been the happiest and most vibrant young girl in the entire capital, but unfortunately, everything was ruined by those two selfish and despicable people, Consort Gui and Xie Yankang!

"Yes, we can't go back."

“You will never cry and call me brother like you did when you were little.”

Xie Zhaoye still often misses Xie Qingran from that time, when she was so cute and cuddly, like a little rabbit.

Xie Qingran now seems like a completely different person compared to back then.

Left with no other choice, Xie Zhaoye sighed.

Just as the two were staring at each other, a scream suddenly came from outside, followed by a commotion.

Xie Qingran suppressed all her emotions in an instant, a hint of excitement lingering beneath, and then walked directly out of the courtyard.

Looking at Xie Qingran's back, Xie Zhaoye felt very confused, but he still followed her subconsciously. Then he saw Xie Hanyue lying on Xie Yankang's bed with her clothes disheveled.

Xie Yankang sat on a chair to the side, his face flushed. Aunt Lian was filled with grief and indignation, and for a moment, she didn't know what to say.