Chapter 109 Feigning Innocence
Si Yanxiao was lost in thought, but Jiang Ran remained unmoved on the surface.
She didn't care at all what image she had in Si Yanxiao's eyes; he thought she was nothing more than a money-grubbing, scheming woman.
But then she remembered how he often mocked her, and a hint of mockery flashed across her face. She tilted her head slightly and glanced at him, her lips curving into a slight smile, her eyes filled with a hint of disdain.
Si Yanxiao thought he had already figured him out, but little did he know that the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
The instant he made contact with her, she seized the opportunity to swiftly absorb a large amount of his spiritual energy, while Si Yanxiao was completely unaware of what had just happened.
After finishing her thoughts, Jiang Ran lowered her eyes slightly, and a hint of shock appeared in her eyes as she looked at Si Yanxiao.
She had thought that Si Yanxiao was still weak and frail, but she hadn't expected that he could completely suppress her just now, leaving her with no ability to resist.
Fortunately, nothing serious happened...
Si Yanxiao noticed Jiang Ran's scrutiny of him and guessed what she was thinking.
She pursed her lips and explained, "It was just a moment of panic."
In a moment of panic?
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ran scoffed coldly, curled her lip, and her face was full of disbelief.
It's hard to believe that such power could be unleashed twice in a row.
Unless his body had already recovered, but for some unknown reason he had been pretending.
Si Yanxiao looked up and noticed the change in her expression, but he didn't say anything more to explain. His meaning was already clear enough.
Whether you believe it or not doesn't matter. She's a smart person; she knows what she should and shouldn't say.
There was another knock on the door, just three times, rhythmic and not annoying.
"Daddy?"
"Come in," Si Yanxiao called softly.
Si Zuochen pushed open the door and entered. When he saw Jiang Ran inside, he frowned slightly, but pretended not to see her.
Looking at Si Yanxiao, she gently explained her purpose: "Daddy, dinner is ready."
Upon hearing this, Si Yanxiao nodded slightly, then looked puzzled: "Is this something you really worth coming up here in person?"
A hint of unease crossed Si Zuochen's face. He pursed his lips slightly and explained, "Uncle Butler had something come up, so I came to call you down."
Si Yanxiao did not doubt this, but Jiang Ran listened to Si Zuochen's explanation and looked at him thoughtfully.
Si Zuochen noticed the gaze directed at him and turned his head slightly to look. He met Jiang Ran's gaze, and saw that her eyes were full of scrutiny, and a slight smile appeared on her lips.
Seeing this, Si Zuochen quickly looked away, his brows furrowing slightly, a hint of evasion flashing in his eyes.
For some reason, he always felt that his little thoughts were completely exposed in front of Jiang Ran, and all his secret schemes became instantly exposed under her scrutiny.
He was indeed coming to summon him this time out of personal motives, knowing that the housekeeper usually handled matters concerning his father himself.
Moreover, his father usually ate alone in his room, but this was the first time he and Si Youlin had met their father, and they wanted to learn about him from the little things.
So he deliberately sent the butler away and came himself to act as the persuader.
"Then please have the servants bring the food up for me," Si Yanxiao said, his thin lips slightly parted.
Upon hearing this, Si Zuochen remained calm, as this answer was clearly within his expectations. He then said, "Daddy, Ah Lin and I would very much like to have a meal with you..."
There was also a hint of pleading in his tone.
Upon hearing this, Si Yanxiao's expression froze for a moment, then he slowly nodded and softly replied, "Okay."
He truly didn't expect that Si Zuochen would hesitate over such a trivial matter.
This shows that he was still quite uneasy in front of himself.
Thinking of this, Si Yanxiao lowered his eyes and fell into deep thought. He didn't think he had much affection for the two children, but they were extremely attentive to him.
In doing so, I would appear to be too indifferent.
For them, this was also a heavy blow, though it was invisible.
Thinking of this, Si Yanxiao pursed his lips slightly, a hint of reluctance flashing across his face.
"Let's go," Si Yanxiao said in a low voice.
After saying that, he maneuvered his wheelchair toward the door.
When he arrived at the restaurant, Si Youlin was already there. Upon seeing him, he was surprised and quickly stood up to look at him: "Daddy."
Si Yanxiao nodded slightly in agreement, and then sat down in the main seat.
Jiang Ran wanted to stay away from him, but he grabbed her arm and said softly with a smile in his eyes, "Sit next to me."
Looking at his current posture, Jiang Ran frowned slightly, realizing that he was acting all the time again.
If it weren't for her thorough understanding of him, knowing that beneath his facade lay a ruthless devil, she might have been deceived several times over by his seemingly "gentle" appearance.
Jiang Ran was about to refuse when she noticed the two questioning glances from beside her. She abruptly changed her tone and replied, "Okay."
Since he wants to put on an act, she'll just sit back and play along!
At the dinner table, outwardly peaceful, Si Yanxiao and Jiang Ran appeared harmonious, though they were secretly engaged in a constant battle of wits, though this was not outwardly apparent.
Jiang Ran knew that Si Yanxiao hated onions, but she still silently picked up an onion and put it in his bowl.
Si Yanxiao's expression changed, and he immediately reached out and took her hand.
Jiang Ran was about to break free, but he held her tightly, and then a hint of hostility flashed across his face.
Si Yanxiao raised an eyebrow, leaned closer to her, and said coldly, "An eye for an eye."
However, his expression remained unchanged, still feigning gentleness as before.
A triumphant smile flashed in his eyes. He knew Jiang Ran hated physical contact with him, but so what?
Jiang Ran frowned and was about to step on him under the table when Si Yanxiao noticed her movement, glanced at her, and dodged away.
The two began to maintain a facade of peace while secretly fighting each other behind the scenes.
Si Youlin sat to the side, watching them coldly, always feeling that the relationship between the two was not as peaceful as it seemed on the surface.
There was something strange about it. Throughout the meal, his attention was focused on the two of them. He felt that their personalities didn't mesh and their actions were quite odd.
Observing the anomaly, he lowered his eyes slightly, calmed his thoughts, and remained silent.
It wasn't until the meal ended and Si Yanxiao and Jiang Ran left that Si Youlin shared his insights.
With a look of confusion in her eyes, she looked at Si Zuochen beside her and asked softly, "Brother, do you feel anything is different?"
Si Zuochen frowned slightly, turned his head to look at Si Youlin, and looked puzzled.
Si Youlin pursed his lips slightly and then said, "Don't you think their relationship is fake?"
"Seeing how the two of them interact always gives me a feeling of pretense."
Si Youlin spoke up and shared his opinion.
Si Zuochen lowered his eyes slightly, as if deep in thought.
He knew that Si Youlin was always very observant, so it was no wonder that he hadn't said a word at the banquet today; it turned out that he had his own considerations.
He wasn't unaware of the oddities involved; after all, some of their actions during the fight were far too obvious.
Not only did Daddy throw away the onions Jiang Ran had picked up, but he also kept holding her hand the whole time. Were their relationships really that close? Even during meals, they had to have physical contact, unable to be apart for a moment?
Taking other factors into account, they couldn't help but feel that it was all very deliberate.
Thinking of this, Si Zuochen frowned slightly, his expression softening as he replied in a low voice, "So what?"
"They never really had any feelings to begin with, so it's not surprising that they were just putting on an act."
"On the contrary, if it were true, we should be the ones who would be surprised."
Si Yanxiao spoke slowly to comfort him, but on the surface he didn't seem to care about the doubts raised by Si Youlin.
He is different from Si Youlin. Si Youlin would look ahead and behind, while he is more insightful and only focuses on the present.
Suo Si Zuo Chen paused for a moment, then replied with a dismissive tone, "You don't need to argue about this."
"Whether their relationship is real or fake is none of our business, and even if it is as you say, their current apparent intimacy is just an illusion."
"It doesn't matter anymore. After all, no matter what they do, it can't change the fact that we are children of the Si family."
"Even if they have a good relationship, and that woman wants revenge later, it won't help their identities now."
“But…” Si Youlin hesitated slightly, a hint of doubt flashing across his face. After a moment’s hesitation, he continued, “But I don’t think Daddy likes us.”
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