After finishing the soup, Xiang Wan tidied up the food and said to the two of them, "On the way here, I saw a nice restaurant. Let's go eat there later!"
"Sis, I have something to do later, so I won't go."
Liu Zixi politely declined, but Xiang Wan couldn't let him leave early. The show hadn't even started yet, what was the point of watching if the main character left?
"Ah Chen, can you talk to him for me? How can a younger brother leave as soon as his older sister comes? It's like I, as the older sister, am disgusted by him."
"Sister, that's not what I meant."
As Liu Zixi spoke, she secretly glanced at Nangong Chen, seemingly waiting for his decision.
"Ah Chen, you must persuade Zi Xi. It's rare for the three of us to have a meal together, and you really want that, right?"
Xiang Wan looked at Nangong Chen expectantly, her expression leaving no room for refusal.
Nangong Chen remained expressionless and simply said, "Together."
The three arrived at the place Xiang Wan had mentioned, a hot pot restaurant. For Xiang Wan, who loves spicy food, noticing such a restaurant was purely a matter of following her nose. Nangong Chen remained expressionless throughout, while Liu Zixi was overjoyed; he too was the type who couldn't live without spicy food.
The two foodies got together and had a great time, but Nangong Chen barely touched his chopsticks.
"Oh, I forgot that Ah Chen can't eat spicy food. How about we get a hot pot with two broths?"
As Xiang Wan spoke, she called over the waiter and brought out a new soup pot.
The restaurant was rather ordinary, and Nangong Chen seemed uncomfortable eating hot pot with so many people, frowning the whole time and barely touching his chopsticks. Liu Zixi was perhaps preoccupied, as she slowed down her eating after eating only half full, leaving Xiang Wan to continue the meal alone.
"Zixi, what are your plans after graduation?"
After finishing her meal, Xiang Wan put down her chopsticks with satisfaction, wiped her mouth with a napkin, and then asked Liu Zixi about her.
"Huh? Sis, why are you suddenly asking about this?"
Liu Zixi was a little taken aback. She looked at Xiang Wan, then glanced at Nangong Chen, and stared at her hands without saying a word.
"I'm your older sister, and I have some experience. If you're looking for a job, I can give you some advice."
“Come to me!” Nangong Chen suddenly interrupted, looking up at Xiang Wan. “Don’t bother looking for a job. You’re her sister, I’ll take care of her.”
Xiang Wan smiled and said, "Your brother-in-law cares more than I do, your sister. Zixi, you should be happy."
Liu Zixi's ears turned slightly red at this moment. Faced with Xiang Wan's words, his eyes darted away: "It's all thanks to my sister that I have such a good brother-in-law."
Xiang Wan smiled but remained silent, which made Nangong Chen feel a little uncomfortable. He coughed lightly and said, "We've finished eating. We have work to do this afternoon, so let's go back."
"Wait, I have something to tell you."
Xiang Wan remained seated, so Nangong Chen had no choice but to sit down as well.
"Sis, since you have something to talk about, why don't I leave first?"
Liu Zixi was sitting in a seat towards the back, and Nangong Chen would have to give up his seat if he wanted to leave. After he said this, Nangong Chen did not get up, but put his hand on Liu Zixi's shoulder, indicating that he did not need to leave in a hurry.
Xiang Wan raised an eyebrow. Had these two gotten together overnight? Although Nangong Chen was meticulous, Xiang Wan, as an observer, could see that he had a certain possessiveness towards Liu Zixi, and that Liu Zixi's expression was merely one of affection.
Based on her intuition, Xiang Wan dropped a bombshell: "Zixi, are you in such a hurry to leave because you want to see your boyfriend?"
Liu Zixi's face instantly turned bright red, and she hurriedly shook her head to explain, "No, sis, don't talk nonsense."
Nangong Chen's breath hitched, his face stiffened, and his eyes turned sinister, radiating coldness. Xiang Wan couldn't help but shrink back.
Liu Zixi appeared to be explaining to Xiang Wan, but her eyes kept glancing at Nangong Chen.
"Liu Xiangwan, haven't you made enough of a scene?"
Nangong Chen's voice was low and his words were cold, but they did not hurt Xiang Wan.
"Brother-in-law, please don't be angry. My sister didn't mean it. Maybe she was just joking with me. She's not usually like this. Please forgive her, okay?"
Liu Zixi stepped in to smooth things over without hesitation, as if she had done it many times before.
"Zixi, don't always be so kind. You know your sister better than I do. Don't always make excuses for her. You get bullied and don't even talk back. I really don't know how you've managed all these years."
"That's not true. My sister treats me very well."
As Liu Zixi spoke, her voice grew softer and softer. Her words conveyed her defense of Xiang Wan, but her expression betrayed her deep grievance.
"You're still defending her? I really don't know what to say to you!"
"Brother-in-law, please don't do this. My sister is just concerned about me, she doesn't mean anything by it."
“How can you talk about your own brother like that? I think it’s best to see her less often in the future.”
"She's my sister after all, how can I not see her?"
"From now on, I must be present if I want to see her, otherwise..."
"Brother-in-law..."
With a "click," the moment their eyes met was captured on the phone. Nangong Chen snapped back to reality and reached out to snatch it. Xiang Wan was about to retract her hand when Nangong Chen grabbed it, and before she knew it, the phone fell into the hot pot soup with a "plop," splashing soup onto her hand and burning her.
"Ah Chen, do you really have to do this?"
Xiang Wan lowered her head, and tears streamed down her face. A red burn mark remained on the back of her hand, stinging painfully.
"Sis, are you alright?"
Liu Zixi took the napkin and handed it to Xiang Wan, but Xiang Wan didn't take it and had to awkwardly put it on the table in front of her.
"Why are you taking pictures? If these photos get leaked, what serious consequences will it have!"
Nangong Chen was still furious and stared intently at Xiang Wan.
“Ah Chen, you were never like this before. When we went out to eat, you were always the one who pulled out a chair for me, set the table, and ordered dishes that I liked.”
One day! Just one day, and you've become so unfamiliar. Didn't you know what kind of person I was before we got married? I just thought it looked so beautiful that I couldn't resist taking a picture of you taking such good care of my younger brother. You accused me without even asking what happened. I don't blame you for dropping my phone in the soup, but I got burned, did you even ask about that? I'm your newlywed wife, and on our first day of marriage, you're already so impatient?
If that's the case, why did you marry me in the first place?
Xiang Wan didn't intend to hold back. Taking advantage of the pain, she became more and more aggrieved as she spoke, and tears kept falling down her face.
Liu Xiangwan, can you see this? This is the person you love; he's been lying to you from beginning to end. For someone who doesn't love you, nothing you do is wrong in their eyes. I understand your resentment and hurt, and you may have even thought about making him love you, even just a little. Didn't you do enough in your past life? In the end, he still doesn't care. You've suffered enough pain and endured all the torment you deserved; it's time to wake up!
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