Chapter 17: Rival Meets Rival
Liu Yan pushed a bank card toward her. “This is a little gesture from your Uncle Wei and me. There’s 200,000 inside, and the password is your birthday.”
“I don’t want it.”
Wen Xia stared at her, her mature, beautiful face showing no sign of reluctance.
She had known all along, so what was there to expect?
Suddenly, Wen Xia hooked her arm around Wen De’s, tilting her head back and looking up at him with affection. “Dad can take care of me.”
“Right, Dad?”
She smiled at Wen De, her teeth shining white and even.
Wen De froze for a moment, thinking she would be upset when she found out.
He turned to Liu Yan. “Take it back. Xia Xia is my daughter. I won’t treat her unfairly.”
Hearing this, Wen Xia felt a little choked up. In her past life, she had known Liu Yan went abroad and had gone mad, shouting at him, blaming him for everything—blaming him for divorcing Liu Yan.
In her previous life, where everything went smoothly, the only person she had wronged was Wen De.
…
After the tea break, Wen De and Wen Xia drove home. Halfway there, Wen De in the driver’s seat reached for the cigarette pack, pulled one out, and, catching a glimpse of Wen Xia from the corner of his eye, put it back.
Wen De never smoked in front of her, not even holding the cigarette pack.
His mood was clearly bad.
Wen Xia’s throat felt a little dry, but she pretended not to notice. She took the cigarette pack and lighter, smiling as she said, “Dad, let me light it for you. I’ve never lit a cigarette before.”
With a “click,” the cigarette was lit, filling the car with the strong scent of tobacco, which was somewhat pungent.
The smoke made her eyes water.
She handed it to Wen De. “Dad, here you go, but don’t smoke too much. It’s bad for your health.”
Seeing her slightly red eyes, Wen De pulled over to the side of the road, took the burning cigarette from her, and got out of the car.
He quickly returned, started the car again, and with a hint of reprimand in his voice, said, “Girls shouldn’t smoke.” His tone carried no trace of tobacco.
Clearly, he hadn’t smoked.
Wen Xia chuckled, “Hehe, Dad, I got it.”
Passing by the market, Wen Xia asked Wen De to stop the car. “Dad, let’s buy a fish to take home. I’ll make you braised fish.”
She rarely cooked. When she was young, they had a maid who cooked. In middle school, it was Wen De who cooked when she came home, and after she got married, it was Qin Mo who did the cooking.
Wen De didn’t say anything. He found a nearby parking spot, and they walked into the market, one in front of the other.
Wen De was a few steps ahead, and Wen Xia quickened her pace, affectionately linking her arm with his, complaining, “Dad, you walk too fast. You don’t wait for me.”
Wen De paused, then slowed down without saying a word.
When they came out of the market, they were both carrying bags full of vegetables and fruit.
…
On the table were a plate of braised fish, a plate of vegetables, and a large bowl of soup.
Wen Xia picked up a piece of fish, and it tasted pretty good. She took another piece of fish and offered it to Wen De.
“Dad, try the fish I made. It’s really delicious.”
Wen De looked at her expectant eyes and gave a faint smile. He tasted the fish. “It’s okay.”
“Dad, can’t you give me a better compliment?” Wen Xia pouted.
Wen De uttered two emotionless words, “It’s delicious.”
Instantly, Wen Xia burst out laughing. “Dad, that’s not how you compliment someone! It’s too perfunctory.”
Seeing her so happy, Wen De’s expression softened. “Eat your meal. If it gets cold, it won’t taste as good.”
…
After dinner, they returned to the bedroom. Wen Xia did some homework for a while before receiving a call from Jiang Yan.
“Hello? Yan Yan?”
“Xia Xia, let’s go to the amusement park tomorrow.”
“Why did you suddenly want to go to the amusement park?”
“Aiya, I just feel like going.”
Wen Xia thought for a moment, remembering that Qin Mo was going to go over her test papers with her tomorrow.
Well… actually, she just wanted to spend time with Qin Mo.
“I’m not going, I still have homework left to do.”
“Come on, Xia Xia, it’s no fun with just three people.”
Unable to refuse Jiang Yan, Wen Xia reluctantly agreed and asked cautiously, “Can I bring my cousin along?”
She quickly added, “I was supposed to do homework with him, and if I go out to play and leave him behind, it’s kind of unethical.” By the end, she even felt a little guilty.
If she had known that someone else would be there tomorrow, she wouldn’t have invited Qin Mo for anything.
There was a brief silence on the other end before Jiang Yan replied, “Yeah, you’re right. Then I’ll dress nicely tomorrow. Maybe I’ll even get a photo with your cousin, hehe.”
“Dream on.” Wen Xia huffed, not the least bit jealous.
After hanging up, Wen Xia called Qin Mo.
“Hello, Wife,” the boy’s voice was still in the midst of puberty, low and hoarse, but not unpleasant—in fact, it had a magnetic charm.
Through the phone, Wen Xia seemed to hear the sound of running water. “Are you taking a shower?”
“Yeah.”
“Finish your shower first and then call me back.”
“What’s up, Wife?”
“I’m going to the amusement park with Yan Yan tomorrow. Are you coming?”
“Sure.”
Hearing his response, Wen Xia ended the call and resumed her homework.
After finishing her assignments, she took out her high school textbooks and studied seriously. She had no idea how much time had passed, but after a yawn, she glanced at the little yellow clock on the desk and saw that the hour hand pointed to 1 o’clock.
She tidied up her books and went to bed.
…
The next day, around 8 or 9 in the morning, her phone rang, waking her up. She groggily rubbed her messy hair. “Hello?”
“Xia Xia, I’m at your door.”
Jiang Yan heard Wen Xia yawn and then pouted, adding, “Xia Xia, you’re not still asleep, are you?”
“Come up and wait for me for a few minutes. I’ll be ready soon.”
Wen Xia hung up, yawned again, and got up to find a set of sweatpants—a white top and black pants.
Her wardrobe was filled with these casual outfits, all bought by Wen De, probably because he didn’t know how to pick clothes and just bought a whole set.
As soon as she stepped out of the bedroom, she heard a knock at the door. Wen De, who had been sitting on the couch reading the newspaper, stood up to open the door.
Seeing it was Jiang Yan, Wen De nodded slightly, and Jiang Yan shyly greeted him, “Uncle Wen.”
“Mm, come in.” Wen De waited for her to enter before closing the door and sitting back down on the couch.
“Yan Yan, sit for a moment. I’ll brush my teeth,” Wen Xia said, then turned to head to the bathroom.
Jiang Yan, who was worried about staying alone with Wen De, quickly followed her in a whisper, “Xia Xia, you still asked me up when Uncle Wen’s here?”
Her voice was barely audible.
Wen Xia smiled, spitting out the toothpaste bubbles, and joked, “He won’t bite you.”
Wen De always wore a stern face, and almost every child who had seen him was intimidated.
After Jiang Yan and Liu An’an came over once or twice, they stopped coming, only visiting when Wen De wasn’t home.
“Xia Xia, do you think Uncle Wen will let you go out?” Jiang Yan asked, concerned.
Both she and An’an knew that Wen De’s relationship with Wen Xia wasn’t good.
Wen Xia nodded. Wen De was strict with her, but he never restricted her when it came to having fun.
A few minutes later, Wen Xia and Jiang Yan came into the living room. While tying her hair, Wen Xia said, “Dad, I’m going out to play. I won’t be back for lunch.”
“Mm.”
Wen De put down his newspaper, took out his wallet, and pulled out 300 yuan, handing it to Wen Xia. “Come back early this afternoon. Buy breakfast outside.”
Wen Xia accepted it without hesitation, smiling brightly. “Thanks, Dad. You’re the best.”
In the past, when Wen Xia had talked back, Wen De would get angry and scold her. But now, when she was like this, he didn’t know what to say. He just picked up his newspaper and said nothing.
The atmosphere became oddly cold.
Jiang Yan stood by, not daring to breathe too loudly.
Wen Xia, knowing her father’s temperament, didn’t mind at all. “Dad, we’re going now. Remember to eat lunch and don’t smoke.”
“Mm.”
Wen De didn’t even look up.
After going downstairs, Jiang Yan took a deep breath, patting her chest. “That scared me.”
“What’s there to be scared of? My dad just looks fierce.”
Wen Xia made a quick phone call. A few seconds later, she said, “Cousin, I’m waiting for you at the entrance of the community.”
After hanging up, Jiang Yan repeated her earlier words, “I was scared.”
“Alright, alright.” Wen Xia chuckled, playfully poking her.
At the entrance of the community, they saw Jiang Xu holding a cup of milk tea. He was wearing a black hoodie and military green pants, with short, slightly messy hair parted at a 7-3 ratio.
Wen Xia paused for a moment, then turned to look at Jiang Yan. Seeing her mischievous smile, she immediately understood everything.
“…”
Would it still be okay to call Qin Mo now?
“Wen Xia, here’s your drink, less sugar.”
Jiang Xu flashed a bright smile, handing her the milk tea, then turned to give Jiang Yan a cup as well.
Jiang Yan looked at the milk tea with her favorite brand on it, then winked at Wen Xia. ‘Look how thoughtful Jiang Xu is. He even bought the milk tea you like.’
Wen Xia felt like hitting her with the milk tea. Why didn’t she mention Jiang Xu earlier?
“Where’s Cousin? Isn’t he coming?” Jiang Xu suddenly asked.
Wen Xia: “…”
She was about to pull out her phone to tell Qin Mo not to come when, in the next second, she heard Jiang Xu wave toward the direction of the community entrance. “Cousin, over here!”
Wen Xia turned her head, and there, standing in front of her, was Qin Mo. He was wearing a black sweater, with a light blue shirt underneath, and light blue jeans.
She noticed his steps falter for a moment, and in the next second, their eyes met. She gave him an innocent smile.
“…”
Someone, please drop a block of tofu on her head to knock her out.
