Bidding farewell to the two easygoing uncles who had presented him with such "grand gifts" upon meeting, Xiang Ri couldn't be bothered to search for the two young ladies who had long disappeared to who-knows-where. Just as he was about to say goodbye to the lovely Miss Shu and take his leave, the corner of his eye caught sight of Miss An descending the stairs.
"Xiang Kui!" Before she had even approached, An Xin sweetly called out.
Xiang Ri's eye twitched. Quickly, he responded with a hasty "An Xin" and walked toward her, consciously keeping a safe distance from Miss Shu to avoid any misunderstandings. Unfortunately, Shu Ying seemed entirely oblivious to his intentions. She quickened her pace to catch up and, upon seeing Miss An in her stylish menswear, boldly linked arms with him. "Xiang Kui, who is she?"
Cold sweat trickled down Xiang Ri's back. Just as he was about to free himself from Miss Shu's grasp, Miss An, standing across from them, spoke with a half-smile, "I'll be leaving now. Enjoy yourself."
Without waiting for his response, she turned and left.
Panic surged through Xiang Ri. He wanted to forcefully break free from Miss Shu's hold but hesitated—after all, she had been the only one to approach him and exchange pleasantries earlier when everyone else had shown nothing but disdain. He couldn't repay her kindness with ingratitude. Yet, he couldn't stand idly by and watch An Xiao Niu leave in anger—she was his actual girlfriend.
In a moment of desperation, Xiang Ri blurted out, "She's my sister!"
"Huh?" Shu Ying froze, momentarily too stunned to question why a sister would call her brother by his given name. Her face flushed crimson, realizing she had been jealous of her boyfriend's sister.
Mortified, Shu Ying covered her face with both hands, and Xiang Ri seized the opportunity. The instant she let go of his arm, he dashed off. By the time Shu Ying recovered and tried to catch up, he had already vanished, leaving her standing there with a hint of disappointment before she reluctantly returned to the hall.
Xiang Ri's speed allowed him to quickly catch sight of Miss An walking ahead alone. Eagerly, he called out, "An Xin, An Xin…"
However, Miss An seemed not to hear him and continued walking, her pace noticeably quickening.
Understanding that she was still upset about what had just transpired—seeing another woman clinging to his arm—Xiang Ri changed his approach. "Honey! Honey!"
As expected, Miss An froze upon hearing him and turned around, her expression frosty. "Don't call me that. I don't know you, and your 'wife' is still back there." With that, she turned on her heel, ready to leave.
Xiang Ri couldn't bear to watch her walk away so easily. He quickly chased after her and grabbed her sleeve. "An Xin, listen to me—I have absolutely nothing to do with her…"
Before he could finish, An Xin interrupted coldly, "Her? Who is 'her'? I have no idea what you're talking about."
Xiang Ri knew this was her way of venting her dissatisfaction. With a wry smile, he raised his hand as if swearing an oath. "An Xin, I swear, I truly have nothing to do with her!"
An Xin scoffed lightly. "Why are you telling me this? I'm no one to you! If you need to explain, go find Chu Chu!"
Seeing her childish tantrum, Xiang Ri's mind raced, and he decided to adopt a pitiful tone. "Wife…"
To his dismay, the attempt at humor only fanned Miss An's anger. Her hand shot out, grabbing his ear in frustration. "Spit it out! What's your relationship with that vixen?"
Xiang Ri could have easily avoided her grip, but knowing he needed to soothe her rage, he stayed put. Thankfully, her strength wasn't enough to cause him real pain, and his tough skin spared him any discomfort.
Even so, Xiang Ri cried out in exaggerated misery, pleading for mercy while recounting the entire story. From the arrival of his troublesome "aunt" to the forced meddling in others' relationships and the unexpected encounter at the evening event, he left nothing out.
Though An Xin was aware of Xiang Ri's talent for fabricating tales, she also knew crafting such an elaborate story wasn't easy. Besides, she could always verify the details with his "aunt" later. Her skepticism began to fade, though her hand remained firmly on his ear.
"You might not be interested in her, but that vixen clearly has her eye on you! Didn't you see how she clung to you the moment I called your name? And you didn't even push her away! Hmph, typical unfaithful men!"
By now, Xiang Ri could tell from her expression that she was softening, despite her harsh words. Lowering his voice, he pleaded even more humbly, "Wife, please forgive me this time. If something like this happens again, I'll push her away immediately!"
An Xin, clearly displeased, declared, "If you want me to forgive you, fine! But you're not allowed to see her again. If I catch you with her even once, don't expect me to ever speak to you again!"
"Yes, yes!" Xiang Ri nodded fervently, apologizing with utmost care. However, his attention was soon captured by An Xin's charmingly petulant demeanor. The way she said "don't expect me to ever speak to you again" sent a wave of unbidden desire coursing through him. He swallowed hard, entranced.
Noticing his unrelenting gaze and sensing his intent, An Xin hurriedly changed the subject, her voice flustered. "Why were you at Wen Wen's house anyway?"
"Uh…" Xiang Ri froze. It wasn't that he didn't want to answer, but the truth involved a certain female officer, and he wasn't sure if it would topple the precariously balanced bottle of jealousy An Xin had just set upright.
"Why aren't you answering? Did you do something else behind my back?" she asked, her dissatisfaction growing as she watched him stammer, clearly hiding something.
After a moment's thought, Xiang Ri came up with an idea. Feigning embarrassment, he replied, "It's not that I don't want to tell you. I'm just afraid you'll laugh at me."
"Laugh at you?" An Xin frowned, though a sense of relief began to replace her earlier irritation. His tone suggested it wasn't what she had initially feared, but she wasn't entirely reassured. "What is it? How do you know I'll laugh if you don't tell me?"
"Well… I was working as a tutor," he confessed, his expression so convincing it appeared genuinely shy.
"A tutor?" An Xin's skepticism deepened as she scrutinized him. "With all the money you have, why would you need to work as a tutor?"
She still remembered how casually he mentioned lending a certain vixen a billion yuan earlier. Surely, someone that wealthy wouldn't need to scrape by tutoring, she thought. Though curious about the source of his wealth, she knew better than to ask right now.
"I just wanted to experience what it's like to be a teacher," Xiang Ri explained, beads of sweat forming in his mind as he scrambled to patch the glaring hole in his story. Luckily, the excuse was plausible enough for the moment.
Seeing the suspicion in An Xin's eyes deepen, he decided to present solid evidence. "The other day, I saw an ad looking for a tutor. So, I gave it a shot, and surprisingly, I got the job. If you don't believe me, you can ask Wen Wen. She knows everything!"
He emphasized the words "knows everything," skillfully steering her focus towards his role as a tutor rather than the dubious ad itself. If An Xin chose to verify the story, she would likely ask Wen Wen about his tutoring, not the trivial detail of how he found the job.
As expected, after hearing his impassioned explanation and assurance, An Xin finally let go of his ear. But her next words made Xiang Ri tense. "Let me warn you—if you're tutoring, fine. But don't you dare try to seduce that little girl, Meng Meng. If you do, don't blame me for what happens next!"
"How could I?" Xiang Ri protested hastily. "She's just a kid! I wouldn't even think about it." His mouth formed the words with ease, but his mind involuntarily replayed the earlier scene in the girl's room.
He quickly shook off the thought and returned to the present, his gaze falling on An Xin's threatening expression. Unable to resist her allure, he felt an impulsive urge to kiss her.
But An Xin, ever perceptive, dodged his advance. Laughing as she ran, she called back, "I knew you'd try that! Not a chance!"
"An Xin, you won't get away!" Xiang Ri shouted, chasing after her. "Stop right now, or when I catch you, I'll kiss you ten times and spank you fifty!"
"Catch me first, then we'll see!" she teased over her shoulder.
Grinning wickedly, Xiang Ri didn't rush to catch her immediately. He decided to play the cat-and-mouse game a bit longer, savoring the chase. When the moment was right, he'd grab her and—well, he couldn't help but chuckle at the thought.
But as he passed a residential building, a van with its headlights off suddenly darted out from the shadows, heading straight for him.
An Xin, still running ahead, heard the commotion and instinctively turned back. The sight that met her eyes nearly stopped her heart.
"Bang!" A deafening crash echoed as a figure was thrown seven or eight meters through the air, blood splattering the ground in its wake. The van didn't stop; instead, it sped away, turning a corner and vanishing into the night.
An Xin's mouth opened to scream, but no sound came out. It was as if her vocal cords had ceased to exist. Stumbling in panic, she rushed towards the motionless figure lying on the ground.
Pain. Such overwhelming pain. An Xin had never felt anything like it. Her heart felt as though it had been torn apart, only to be crudely glued back together and shattered again.