Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“How is this place?” Jian Qingying asked her daughter. “This place is pretty good. Let’s go in and try things.” She helped Xia Ruoxin along like a mother teaching a child to walk. She was careful as if she were afraid that her daughter would fall.
Xia Ruoxin was not a child that had just learned to walk, but her every step was startling. Just survival was already tough for her.
This was a newly opened place for Korean cuisine. Jian Qingying had only heard about it recently, but she did not really like it. She still liked Chinese food better and did not see what was good about them. However, she did not mind jumping on the bandwagon and trying it out.
“This place is fine.” Xia Ruoxin did not want to pick, but she really did want a different taste. Otherwise, she would be going back to a pot of soup.
Qin Xuejuan’s soups were good and nutritious, but she could not drink it every day. No matter how delicious, one would get sick of having the same food every day. She really did feel sick now.
She desperately wanted something else to eat. All she had at the hospital was soup so she would take anything but soup right now.
Jian Qingying was not unfamiliar with such restaurants. She ordered a few items off the menu that were relatively easy on the stomach. Things like seafood were definitely off the list.
After a while, the food they ordered arrived.
“Eat.” Jian Qingying placed the chopsticks on her daughter’s hands.
“Thanks, Mom.” Xia Ruoxin took them from her and took a big bite of the food. Since she did not have to pretend to be someone else, her relationship with Jian Qingying improved.
Without the burden of lying, life was much better. People should live more simply.
“Welcome.” Customers came in from outside. The restaurant was not very crowded, perhaps because it was a new establishment, or perhaps because of its price tags. Xia Ruoxin took a look at the menu earlier, and it was rather expensive.
“Brother Lui, shall we sit here?”
The sudden voice made Xia Ruoxin drop the vegetable that she just picked up.
“What’s wrong? Does it taste bad?” Jian Qingying took a bite. It was not bad.
“No, I’m just not used to this taste.” Xia Ruoxin picked up her chopsticks and put a piece of meat in her mouth. She had not had meat in a really long time. However, she had had quite a bit of pig’s liver. Qin Xuejuan had been brewing her pork liver soup since she hurt her liver and bladder.
She looked up, and as expected, the two of them were seated near her.
Chu Lui seemed to have discovered her gaze. He turned and met her sarcastic and plastered smile.
“Brother Lui, what are you looking at?” Xia Yixuan wanted to talk to Chu Lui but found that his attention was not on her. She turned to look, and all the blood disappeared from her face.
It can’t be. That can’t be. Didn’t he say she was dead? That everything had been cleaned?
Xia Ruoxin’s smile grew. Xia Yixuan, are you disappointed that I’m not dead yet? What are you going to do from now on?
“Bro-brother Lui, I suddenly don’t feel like eating here anymore. Let’s go.”
Xia Yixuan stood up as she stammered.
She finally understood why others looked weirdly with a mix of fear and terror at her when she returned after being dead for four years. She finally understood the terror of having a person someone had assumed dead appear before them after seeing Lu Xiaohua who was supposed to be dead.
How can Lu Xiaohua be alive? The knife went in. Song Wan, who had the same injury, is now a vegetable—half-dead and half-alive. How is she fine? Was she here for revenge and to take her down to hell?
No, no. Xia Yixuan calmed herself down. So what if Lu Xiaohua is alive? Don’t forget, Lu Xiaohua was the one who imprisoned me. If we’re talking about revenge, I should be the one taking revenge.
She comforted herself again and again, but she did not want to remain there. Even without Lu Xiaohua, she did not want to visit this place again.
Chu Lui took her coat and pursed his lips with Xia Yixuan in tow as if they had been forced away.
Xia Ruoxin fed herself another piece of meat. Her nose suddenly shriveled, and she forced the tears back. She looked down and fed herself the food little by little.
There were too many people that Xia Yixuan schemed against in this world. Since that was the case, let the scheming continue.
After they left, Chu Lui suddenly stopped. He stared at Xia Yixuan with his dark eyes.
“Brother Lui, what’s wrong?” Xia Yixuan was a little scared by his gaze. She hugged his arm. For some reason, she felt guilty and did not dare to meet his gaze.
“Brother Lui, why are you looking at me like this?” She touched her hair as she looked away.
“You’re scared of her?” Chu Lui took his arm out of her grip.
“Scared, what am I scared of? She should be scared of me,” Xia Yixuan said loudly. Her reaction only confirmed Chu Lui’s belief that she was afraid of Lu Xiaohua. Not just scared. She was terrified.
Xia Yixuan seemed to have found something after she raised her voice. She looked up, and tears rolled down her face.
“Brother Lui, shouldn’t I be scared of her? She almost killed me!”
Chu Lui would probably buy it if it was someone else saying that, but that was Xia Yixuan. She would resort to anything to get everything that she wanted. She would destroy anyone who owed her anything.
He tugged at his lips. He put his hands on Xia Yixuan’s chin and pinched it tightly.
“Yixuan, don’t forget how our marriage came about. If you lie to me, I’ll end our partnership, you understand?” He saw the marriage as a cooperative partnership. No, it was more like a business transaction. He sold himself to Xia Yixuan for a promise. Of course, he did not regret selling himself. Since it was a done deal, it had better not be a bad deal.
He never made a loss.
