Foreign films were still playing inside the theater, while people came and went outside the cinema.
Tang Ning's eyes never left Tang Yin, who was standing in front of her with her head down and her fingers twisting the hem of her clothes. She sighed deeply, "Second sister, you... really disappoint me! If I'm not mistaken, you should be in class at Haicheng University right now, but what are you doing, dating and watching a movie with your male classmate?"
"I didn't... I really didn't..."
Upon hearing Tang Ning's criticism, Tang Yin immediately looked up in alarm and subconsciously denied it.
“I saw everything, and you still want to lie to me? Tang Yin, what happened to you? You used to be so well-behaved, obedient, and sensible! How could you… If you don’t want to study anymore, you should have told me sooner rather than later. Don’t waste my and Mother’s expectations for you! I will definitely tell Mother about this when I get back!”
After saying that, Tang Ning pushed Xu Sinian's wheelchair and turned to leave.
"And what about you? You went to see a movie too, and... and..."
Whether it was because Tang Ning's judgment made her lose face in front of her classmates, or because she felt that Tang Ning herself was not qualified to say such things to her, Tang Yin couldn't help but blurt out her true feelings.
Upon hearing this, Tang Ning paused slightly, her eyes narrowed, and her voice rang out coolly.
"What else is wrong?"
Tang Ning turned her head, raised one eyebrow slightly, and then smiled, "Still..."
The woman's voice trailed off slightly, and then she lowered her head and kissed Xu Sinian's cheek again.
Her eyes sparkled, her beauty captivating. Tang Yin's male classmate, who had never witnessed such alluring charm in his life, blushed instantly and hurriedly lowered his head, his heart pounding wildly.
"Would you do something so immoral? Hmm? I just don't understand. You've studied free and open-minded ideas for so many years, how come you're more pedantic than some old-fashioned scholars? Besides, what business is it of yours what I do with my man? We've done even more intimate things. You don't actually think we've just been chatting under the covers all this time, do you...?"
Tang Ning found it hard to understand.
"Big sister, how could you... how could you even... don't you know any shame? If it were Mother..."
Tang Yin's face immediately turned red from Tang Ning's words, and she stomped her feet on the ground with her brown leather shoes.
"Miss Tang Yin, you have crossed the line."
Xu Sinian's eyes instantly turned cold, catching Tang Yin, who had never seen him so ruthless, off guard and causing her to shrink back in fright.
"I don't understand what right you have to criticize your sister? If it weren't for her, do you think you'd be dressed so well, have food to eat, be able to study, and have time to go shopping and watch movies with your boyfriend? Yes, she owes your parents, but she doesn't owe you anything. You're still spending your sister's money on food, clothing, and other necessities, so what gives you the right to criticize her! Without her, you might already be living on the streets like those beggars, and you might even have several children by now..."
Xu Sinian's words left Tang Yin with absolutely no face in front of her classmates.
Tang Yin stared in disbelief at the heartless Xu Sinian and Tang Ning standing beside him, who hadn't uttered a word to stop him from beginning to end. Tears quickly welled up in her eyes.
An extreme sense of humiliation spread rapidly through her heart. At this moment, Tang Yin felt as if her face had been forcibly ripped off, and even the people walking on the street seemed to be mocking her.
Compared to Xu Sinian, what she found even more unacceptable was Tang Ning. Her sister had truly changed. Before, whenever she was bullied, Tang Ning would always be the first to stand up for her and protect her. Tang Ning had said that no matter how old she grew, she would always be her most beloved second sister, and she would never be angry with her and would always protect her!
But now...
Tears streamed down her face as Tang Yin threw the floral handbag Tang Ning had just bought for her a few days ago onto the ground, uttered "I hate you," and turned to run away, covering her face.
"Tang Yin!"
Seeing this, the male classmate who had been standing aside without any presence quickly chased after her. But after only two steps, he immediately turned around, picked up the handbag that Tang Yin had dropped, bowed quickly to Tang Ning and Xu Sinian to say goodbye, and then chased after her without looking back.
Meanwhile, Tang Ning watched Tang Yin's departing figure, her steps faltering slightly before finally stopping.
Seeing the fleeting sadness and anxiety in her eyes, Xu Sinian spoke up at the right moment, "I'm sorry, I was a bit harsh with my words..."
Upon hearing this, Tang Ning lowered her head and forced a smile, "No, my second sister was indeed spoiled a bit by my mother and me..."
It's more than just being spoiled.
Xu Sinian's eyes flickered slightly. He had never paid attention to Tang Ning's second sister before, but he knew that in the past five years, Tang Ning had never stopped caring about her. Even after they had been together for so long, the first time she asked him for help was for Tang Yin's college education. She would almost never ask him for help when she encountered difficulties herself, but she did so for her second sister...
It was only after Tang's mother was hospitalized last time that Tang Yin came to his door that he realized that Tang Ning's second sister, whom she had always cared about, had also grown up. Although he was surprised that she would come to him instead of Tang Ning, he still went.
On the bus, whether intentionally or unintentionally, she didn't show the respect he expected towards Tang Ning in her words and actions. She even subtly questioned why he still allowed Tang Ning to sing at Lidu. Her behavior of chasing after him from the hospital to give him a scarf also made Xu Sinian feel that she was not very tactful.
Now, this behavior makes Xu Sinian feel even more that Tang Ning's daily concern may have been given to the wrong person.
Just then, Tang Ning received another warm notification that Xu Sinian's favorability rating had risen to 68.
Upon receiving the message, Tang Ning raised an eyebrow inwardly. She turned her head, about to say something, when she noticed a snowflake, pure white and sparkling, slowly landing on Xu Sinian's shoulder...
"It's snowing!"
It almost never snows in Haicheng.
Tang Ning exclaimed with delight, a bright smile spreading across her face, "This is only the second snowfall I've seen since I came to Haicheng..."
Yes, the first snow fell on the night Lu Chen left five years ago.
Tang Ning smiled and reached out her hand. She had just caught two snowflakes when they melted in her warm palm, but she still happily continued to reach out and catch them.
Seeing that she had changed from the disappointment she felt when Tang Yin left and her expression brightened again, Xu Sinian also slightly curled the corners of his mouth.
"The snow is beautiful, but you're not dressed warmly enough today. Why don't we go back to the car?"
"good."
Tang Ning nodded.
Even after getting into the car, her gaze remained fixed on the snowflakes falling outside the window.
As she looked around, she suddenly turned her head and looked expectantly at Xu Sinian beside her. "What should we do? I don't really want to go to Lihui Karaoke tonight. I heard that a new French restaurant recently opened on Wenxiang Road. It's getting dark, how about we go try it together tonight?"
"good."
Xu Sinian's attitude was so gentle that it seemed he would nod and agree to any request Tang Ning made to him.
Night fell quickly, and the streetlights on Wenxiang Road lit up one after another. The snow fell heavier and heavier, with large flakes falling silently. Unlike the cold and desolate streets, the newly opened French restaurant was filled with the fragrance of elegant women and the warmth of spring.
After taking a bite of the steak that had just been served, a flash of surprise crossed Tang Ning's eyes. She then smiled and clinked glasses with Xu Sinian, who was sitting opposite her.
"I didn't expect the rumors to be true; the Western food here really suits my taste..."
"Eat more if you like."
"Um."
Tang Ning nodded.
Almost simultaneously, a black sedan silently pulled up in front of the French restaurant, and a hand slowly lifted the curtain hanging on the car window.
With just one glance, the man sitting in the car could clearly see the scene in the brightly lit Western restaurant across the street, and naturally he did not miss Tang Ning, who was sitting by the window, smiling with her eyes crinkled and her demeanor graceful.
Looking at the woman's increasingly refined and beautiful profile compared to before, the man in the black sedan immediately gripped the curtain tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force. After a long while, he suddenly let out a low snort.
"Oh."
He released the curtain, but his gaze remained fixed on Tang Ning's face, which was devoid of any gloom.
He was like a wild dog patiently and quietly waiting for its prey in the dark night.
Only when he saw that Tang Ning's meal in the restaurant was almost over, and she stood up and put on the coat she had draped over the back of her chair, did the man give a look to the others in the car, then get out of the car, holding a black umbrella, and walk straight toward the Western restaurant.
Just as the man with the black umbrella was about to reach the Western restaurant, Tang Ning, accompanied by A Sheng and others, pushed Xu Sinian's wheelchair out.
"Is there anywhere else you'd like to go?"
"It's so late, and it's snowing so heavily, you should go home early... But really, don't you have anything to take care of today? It wouldn't be good if I delayed your plans!"
Tang Ning belatedly felt a little embarrassed.
"Don't worry, it's nothing..."
Before Xu Sinian could finish speaking, a gunshot rang out right next to them.
Xu Sinian immediately ordered someone to bring Tang Ning back to the Western restaurant. After several back-and-forth exchanges, he still hadn't figured out where the enemy hiding in the shadows was. This attack, which came quickly and retreated even faster, ended without any result.
"Xu Sinian!"
Tang Ning rushed out of the Western restaurant, "How are you? Are you hurt anywhere? It's all my fault. If only I hadn't invited you out for this meal, I promise I won't..."
"It's none of your business. Don't worry, I'm fine."
The two, preoccupied with each other, did not notice the man holding the black umbrella beside them, whose fingers suddenly tightened around the umbrella handle.
"Miss Tang, here's your coat."
Just then, Ah Sheng behind her reminded her, and Tang Ning realized that in her haste, she had dropped the coat she was wearing without even noticing.
Seeing this, Tang Ning immediately turned around to get it. As she was about to jog towards Xu Sinian with her coat in hand, she bumped into the shoulder of the black-clad man who had already closed his black umbrella.
"Excuse me, could you please let me pass?"
After Tang Ning finished speaking politely and courteously, she met the man's cold eyes for a moment, and then walked straight toward Xu Sinian. After taking only a few steps, she suddenly stopped and turned around abruptly, only to find that the man in black who had just brushed past her had already entered the restaurant and disappeared without a trace, as if the familiar eyes she had just seen were just her imagination.
Noticing Tang Ning's unusual behavior, Xu Sinian immediately had someone push a wheelchair to her side.
"What's wrong?"
Upon hearing Xu Sinian's question, Tang Ning suddenly snapped out of her reverie, curved her lips into a smile, shook her head slightly, and said, "It's nothing, I must have misread it..."
"Yeah?"
"Um."
Tang Ning responded softly.
But only Tang Ning knew that she hadn't misread it. In the instant they brushed past each other, she clearly saw the large purple characters above the man's head.
The land sank.
System score: 98.
Current favorability rating: -60.
Tsk.
It was another snowy day, and Lu Chen returned.
I wonder if Xu Sinian's attack just now was a warning from Lu Chen.
Who cares?
All she knew was that things were starting to get interesting...
Author's Note: Next—
Tang Ning (on the surface): Feeling lost and dejected, we can never go back...
Tang Ning (in her mind): Are you even a man? He stole your woman, why don't you fight him right now! Kill one of them if you can!
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