"Two wives?" An Xin snarled, her face twisted in fury as she aimed another kick at Xiang Ri. "Bastard! Chu Chu is yours, Qing Qing is mine! Are you trying to have it both ways? I'll kill you!"
"Murder, really?" Xiang Ri caught hold of her small foot, kneading it with firm hands. A cool sensation traveled to his fingertips as he realized why the earlier "push" had packed so much power—An Xin had used her foot. Thankfully, it was an adorable, translucent little foot. If it had been some stinking man's big foot, he wouldn't have hesitated to kick back just as hard.
"Exactly!" An Xin gritted her teeth, her voice filled with venom. Suddenly aware that her bare foot was still trapped in his grasp, she began to struggle fiercely. "Let go of me, you scoundrel!" She lashed out with her other foot in frustration.
Xiang Ri, with his injured right hand, couldn't fend off both attacks simultaneously. After enduring a flurry of harmless kicks, he finally subdued her by wrapping his left arm around both of her legs, pinning her movements completely.
This maneuver brought their bodies much closer, so close that their quickened breaths intertwined audibly in the tension-filled air.
"What do you think you're doing?" An Xin stammered, panic flashing in her eyes as she realized how close they had become. The thought of her thighs being encircled by his arm sent her into a fluster, momentarily forgetting to demand her release.
"What do you think?" Xiang Ri smirked wickedly, his laughter dripping with menace. An Xin squirmed under his intense gaze, suddenly recalling his criminal record. She swallowed hard, her bravado faltering. "Don't forget, I'm the one who bailed you out of the police station this afternoon, you ungrateful jerk!"
Xiang Ri shrugged, his expression laced with disdain. "Honestly, An Xin, I do appreciate your help earlier today. But let's call it even—you kicked me, after all. However..." He paused, a cold glint flashing in his eyes. "What about you flirting with my wife? That's not something I can just let slide."
Her fear mounting, An Xin faltered, her voice dropping to a nervous whisper. "What… what do you want to do?"
"Nothing much," Xiang Ri replied nonchalantly, though his sinister grin betrayed his amusement. "Just return the favor, that's all."
Casting a glance toward the kitchen, he ensured that Chu Chu and Qing Qing were still busy before leaning in closer to An Xin. Though his intention was merely to scare her, he couldn't risk the women in the kitchen seeing this ambiguous scene and misconstruing it.
But An Xin didn't know his true intentions. Her body tensed, shrinking back as far as it could. "If you so much as touch me, my father will kill you!"
"Your father? Old Tiger An?" Xiang Ri paused, not out of fear, but because something clicked in his mind.
That arrogant man in white from the afternoon—the one who had demanded Xiang Ri leave An Xin—clearly disapproved of him. But why? Xiang Ri hadn't offended him before. Then he remembered: the man's disdain had only surfaced after learning he was a student of Gao Da. Could it be that the guy considered Xiang Ri unworthy of his sister due to his supposed mediocrity?
As this realization sank in, anger surged through him. His grip on An Xin's legs unconsciously tightened. That smug bastard looked down on him? Fine. If that's the case, Xiang Ri thought with a wicked grin, I'll make sure to win over your sister just to spite you.
"You're hurting me." At first, An Xin thought the man had been intimidated by her father's reputation when he paused. But seeing him clench his teeth one moment and reveal a menacing glint in his eyes the next, she dared not say another word. It wasn't until the sharp pain in her thigh forced her to cry out.
"Oh, sorry, my bad... really sorry..." Xiang Ri snapped out of his thoughts and quickly released her. Though the pompous man in white had left a sour impression, An Xin had nothing to do with that. After all, her actions stemmed from genuine goodwill.
However, there was something he needed to clarify. "By the way, An Xin, do you have an older brother who likes to dress all flamboyantly in white?"
"Huh?" An Xin was taken aback by the question but answered honestly, "That's my eldest brother, An Wen."
"An Wen? What a fitting name!" Xiang Ri chuckled darkly, already plotting when and how to exact revenge. After all, he wasn't someone who let a threat slide without striking back. Casually, he added, "Since you call him your eldest brother, does that mean you have a second or third brother too?"
Completely baffled by his seemingly nonsensical questions, An Xin replied absentmindedly, "I have another brother, An Ding."
"An Ding?" Xiang Ri's expression turned peculiar as he regarded her. "So, your father's name is An Quan, your eldest brother is An Wen, your second brother is An Ding, and you're An Xin?"
At this point, Xiang Ri couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Your family is hilarious! An Quan, An Wen, An Ding, An Xin—not only is your surname great, but your names are even better! Hahaha..."
An Xin, however, seemed entirely unbothered by his mockery. Her voice dropped to a murmur as she said, "Is it good? My mother picked these names. My father's name wasn't originally An Quan. She made him change it because she was worried about his safety..." As she spoke, her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
"Hey, you're not crying over that, are you?" Xiang Ri initially thought his teasing had hurt her feelings, but knowing An Xin's temperament, she didn't seem the type to crumble so easily.
In fact, when he made the joke, he had braced himself for an angry outburst, yet her reaction completely caught him off guard. Seeing her tears, Xiang Ri immediately felt a pang of guilt and stopped laughing. "Hey, I was just joking. Don't take it to heart—really, it was just a joke..."
An Xin ignored the man, her tears flowing even more freely. "My mother passed away when I was seven. I still remember her words—she hoped our family could live peacefully, without constant fear and worry. Sob… sob…" As she cried, she suddenly flung herself into the man's arms.
Xiang Ri finally understood. It wasn't his teasing that had upset her but rather that his words had stirred up painful memories. Gently patting her shoulder, he consoled her in a soft voice, "Don't dwell on the sad past. Isn't life good now? Don't worry—with me around, you'll always have a happy life. How about I take care of you from now on?"
"Who needs your care!" An Xin, who had just regained her composure after crying, immediately shoved herself out of his embrace at his words and furiously retorted, "You're so fake! All you do is bully me, even stealing my wife!"
Xiang Ri nearly choked on his own breath. What did she mean by stealing *her* wife? That's clearly *his* wife! To avoid further provocation, he decided to lay out the facts. "An Xin, you have to understand—you're a woman."
"So what if I'm a woman? Does being a woman mean I can't love another woman?" An Xin shot back, her tear-streaked face filled with indignation.
"Fine, fine, you're absolutely right!" Seeing her emotions spiraling out of control, Xiang Ri hastily appeased her. Yet, he couldn't help but admit that her tear-streaked face, so delicate and heart-wrenching, stirred something deep inside him.
"As long as you understand! Let me warn you—stay away from Qing Qing, or else I won't let this go!" An Xin threatened fiercely. Suddenly recalling something, she whipped her head toward him. "Let me ask you—this afternoon, when you were in my room—"
"Ah—!" Xiang Ri let out a dramatic cry, cutting her off. He knew exactly what she was about to ask, and since he was indeed guilty of that act, he quickly found an excuse to flee. "Oh no, I'm starving! I can't take it anymore—I need food right now!" With that, and before An Xin could react, he darted toward the kitchen.
"Bastard!" An Xin cursed furiously. From his rushed escape, she knew without a doubt that he had taken her personal belongings. The thought made her both angry and mortified—those were her unwashed undergarments, worn all day. What on earth could that scoundrel possibly want with them?