Xia Yan and Mo Pei chatted for a long while as Du Xia stood quietly on the sidelines. Then Aunt Lin appeared at the door. "Young Master Mo Pei, Madam Mo wants to see you."
Xia Yan glanced at Mo Pei sympathetically as he left. Then Du Xia approached Xia Yan and said, "I think Old Madam Mo will be thrilled if you showed her your true face, Young Madam Mo."
Xia Yan glanced at Du Xia and said lowly, "You don't need to say anything."
The little girl was stunned before realizing she had overstepped her boundaries. She quickly lowered her head and said respectfully, "Yes, Young Madam Mo. I know that I've overstepped."
Xia Yan looked at Du Xia and said in a cold voice, "I've already told you what you should and shouldn't say. Please, keep your mouth shut."
The little girl lowered her head and seemed unwilling, yet she nodded and said, "Y-Yes, Young Madam Mo."
Xia Yan looked at the sky through the window and asked, "Is Mo He back yet?"
Du Xia replied, "No, he isn't. Young Master Mo He said that he won't be home for dinner."
"He won't be having dinner?!" Xia Yan yelled. "So, I'll have to wait till tomorrow before I can eat again?"
Aunt Xu had prepared dinner for the two since Mo He was around the last two days. Fortunately, Mo He was merciful that morning and told Du Xia to make Xia Yan some food. Despite that, Aunt Lin kept a close watch on the kitchen and didn't give Du Xia a chance to make dinner for Xia Yan.
Xia Yan patted her stomach in annoyance. "But I'm so hungry!"
Xia Yan's actions amused Du Xia. "If you're hungry, I can discreetly ask Aunt Xu to save you some food."
"No need! We'll talk about this later. I wouldn't want to get you guys in trouble," Xia Yan sighed and leaned against the sofa, feeling discouraged.
The little girl grinned and said softly, "Then I shall take my leave. Please call me if you need anything, Young Madam Mo."
Xia Yan picked up her phone and contacted Jiang Tong when Du Xia left. She talked to Jiang Tong about Mo Pei's order and decided to prepare a gift for Old Madam Mo.
Mo Pei mentioned that Old Madam Mo liked Magnolias, so Xia Yan took Mo Pei's suggestion and designed a Magnolia-shaped brooch for Old Madam Mo. Halfway through the sketch, a soft sound echoed from outside the room.
Xia Yan immediately put away her sketchpad, and just as she got up from the sofa, the person outside barged into the room. She glared at Qiu Xin, who barged in, and sneered, "What are you doing in my room?"
Qiu Xin was enraged when she heard Xia Yan's words. She quickly stepped forward and waved her hand, wanting to slap Xia Yan.
Of course, Xia Yan wouldn't just stand around waiting for Qiu Xin to slap her. She grabbed Qiu Xin's hand and fiercely pulled it. Then she kicked Qiu Xin's right foot.
Qiu Xin lost her balance and instantly pounced toward Xia Yan. "How dare you?!" Qiu Xin glared at Xia Yan with her hatred-filled eyes.
"How dare I?! You barged into my room and tried to slap me. Do you expect me not to retaliate?!" Xia Yan crossed her arms and looked down on Qiu Xin.
The servants outside heard the commotion and went into the room only to see Qiu Xin on the ground. They hurriedly ran to report the scene to Madam Mo.
When Jiang Qiu arrived at the room, Qiu Xin was still sitting on the ground. Qiu Xin sensed Jiang Qiu's figure out of the corner of her eyes. Suddenly, she whimpered and cried.
Tears slowly rolled down Qiu Xin's cheeks, looking as pitiful as she could. Xia Yan watched her performance while standing still.
Jiang Qiu ran into the room and helped Qiu Xin get up. She wiped Qiu Xin's tears away and glared at her daughter-in-law. "What did you do to her this time?!"
Xia Yan remained calm and composed as she looked at Jiang Qiu. "She was the one who barged into my room. Shouldn't you be asking her what she did?"
Qiu Xin revealed an innocent expression as she explained, "I only wanted to ask Miss Xia if she was interested in sharing some snacks with me, but before… She threw me to the ground before I could finish speaking."
Du Xia only remained still on the sidelines, not daring to make a peep.
Xia Yan looked at Qiu Xin and sneered, "Did you just call me Miss Xia? I think you've forgotten that I am Mo He's wife. You should be calling me Young Madam Mo instead!"
Qiu Xin's face turned ashen when she heard Xia Yan's words. She bit her lower lip and lowered her hatred-filled eyes.
"Young Madam Mo, eh?" Jiang Qiu snorted coldly. "It would seem that you have forgotten where you came from in the past two days!"
"What you said is wrong, Mother-in-law. I sat in the Mo family's car when I came here, and you were the one who brought me to this very room." Xia Yan said with a smile.
Madam Mo pointed at Xia Ya, trembling as she thundered, "How dare you speak to me that way?!"