ng Xi never expected to hear such words from his mouth. In fury, she extended her right hand and slapped him hard across the face!
A sharp "slap" rang out.
After the slap, the two of them froze. ng Xi looked at her slightly reddened palm, her eyes brimming with tears. This slap was certainly not light, but it was delivered from hearing sothing that shattered her heart.
Clearly, his heart still lingered on Bai Shasha, unable to let go even on the eve of her wedding, yet he poisoned her with such cruel words.
What right did he have?
In an instant, the guilt in ng Xi’s heart vanished, replaced by a flood of bittersweet emotions. It felt as though she had just swallowed a glass of bitter wine.
"Are you crazy!?" Cao Yufan covered his stung cheek with his hand, disbelief flashing across his face. She had actually slapped him? This wasn’t the soft-spoken, gentle ng Xi he knew anymore—the ng Xi who obeyed his every wish.
"Yes! I AM crazy! Cao Yufan, I hate you!" ng Xi shouted at him, tears streaming down her face, before sprinting toward the door.
"ng Xi!" The slap seed to snap him back to reality. As the sting jolted his senses, he instantly regretted the hurtful words he’d said. Without hesitation, he chased after her...
Li Si and Bai Shasha, oblivious to what happened after they left, returned to the private room, exchanging toasts and enjoying the lively atmosphere.
Under the table, Leng Mochen took Li Si’s hand, his gaze questioning her on where she had been all this ti.
Li Si glanced sideways. Since no one’s attention was directed her way, she leaned closer to him and whispered, "We bumped into Cao Yufan earlier."
Xu Er, seated next to Bai Shasha, noticed Shasha’s slightly off complexion and asked softly, "What took you so long? Is everything okay?"
Bai Shasha suppressed her emotions and smiled, shaking her head. "Nothing! Sisi and I were just wandering around the hotel for a bit before returning. Co on, eat up!"
Xu Er sensed that sothing wasn’t quite right but chose not to probe further, given the setting. Instead, he casually used his chopsticks to plate food for Bai Shasha.
A bit later, Jiang Fan arrived fashionably late. Today happened to be her grandmother’s 66th birthday celebration. Earlier, Li Si and the others had wanted to visit and wish the elderly woman well.
But Jiang Fan had refused, saying that the event was strictly family-only. Given it was set at a grand hotel with several banquet tables booked for lunch, she felt Li Si and the others would clash with the schedule, as their flight had landed at nine in the morning from Beijing. Plus, having them there would only make the event overly formal.
After arriving, Jiang Fan greeted the Leng Family parents and took a mont to admire the two adorable children. She then found herself naturally seated beside Li Si.
The two whispered to each other, Jiang Fan stealing glances toward Li Si’s in-laws while Long Wu was rrily drinking with several older n.
"What’s the situation?"
Li Si softly replied, "I’ll tell you after the al! By the way, you told us not to attend your grandmother’s dinner earlier. Why?"
Jiang Fan looped her arm through Li Si’s, chuckling. "There was a reason for not letting you guys go. You rember what I’ve told you before, right? They’re too snobbish. If you had gone, wouldn’t it just be putting to sha? Ugh, those relatives of mine aren’t even worth ntioning!"
Li Si imdiately understood Jiang Fan’s reasoning and smiled without pursuing the topic further.
"Alright, not worth ntioning then!"
After the al, Su ng and Long Wu opted not to stay at the hotel arranged by the Bai Family and instead checked into Li Si’s villa.
Jiang Fan, Bai Shasha, and Xu Er tagged along as well. Bai Shasha’s mother, upon parting ways, made sure to remind Shasha to leave after a short while so she could get ample rest. Tomorrow morning, Shasha needed to wake up early to get her makeup done.
Upon arriving ho, Li Si began arranging rooms for everyone. This villa had an abundance of rooms.
Despite not staying here regularly, Sister Tao, who had worked for Li Si’s family in the past, cleaned the villa every few days. Sheets and daily essentials were always well-prepared.
The bodyguards stayed on the first floor, Mrs. Su and the Leng Family parents—due to their age—stayed on the second floor.
Leng Ning volunteered to stay in a room next to Li Si, so she went ahead and joined them on the third floor.
The two little ones had fallen asleep in the car ride ho. Mrs. Leng and Mrs. Su gently placed them in their cribs.
Watching the children’s peaceful sleeping faces, they themselves grew tired from the day’s exertions. Being of a certain age, they bid everyone goodnight and retired to their rooms.
Those remaining—all the younger crowd—gathered in the first-floor living room, chatting and joking around.
Xu Er and Bai Shasha cherished this ti before the wedding, whispering sweetly to each other on a nearby sofa.
The group made a few playful remarks, then left the two to themselves.
In certain local customs, it’s considered best for the bride and groom not to et on the day before the wedding.
Thankfully, they were able to spend ti together today, secretly appreciating this little exception.
Long Wu, having drunk significantly while entertaining the older guests earlier, sat on the living room sofa cradling a cup of tea to sober up.
Even still, he excitedly carried on chatting with Su ng, drawing occasional laughter from Li Si and Jiang Fan, who had been whispering about the Leng Family parents and couldn’t help but join in.
Was Long Wu truly drunk, or was he pretending? Why was he suddenly so chatty?
Leng Ning, standing by the floor-to-ceiling window and talking to Jin Yichen on the phone, couldn’t help but glance back at the lively scene from ti to ti.
Finally, Long Wu shifted topics and said, "ng ng! You have no idea! This is my first ti visiting North City. You know, back when Leng Er woke from his vegetative state, he fell in love with this place. No matter how much I persuaded him, he refused to leave. At the ti, I even said, ’What a great spot this is—when I retire, I’ll co here too!’ If you like it, ng ng, we can buy a villa in this neighborhood and be neighbors. What do you say?"
Su ng already adored North City at first glance—not just for its ideal climate, but also for its exceptionally fresh air and deeply vibrant blue skies, which brought her peace and joy.
But outwardly, she maintained her calm deanor. "If you want to buy it, then buy it."
Noticing Su ng’s lack of enthusiasm despite his rambling, Long Wu teasingly ntioned Leng Mochen, "You know what? Thinking back, I now understand everything. Turns out Leng Er was smitten by our Sisi all along!"
"No need for your comntary!" Su ng shot him a glare and yanked her hand away forcefully. After only a bit of alcohol, this man was already being so annoying—babbling nonstop.
Leng Mochen shot Long Wu a silent, icy glance, causing Long Wu to instinctively feel he had said too much. He quickly raised his cup and sipped on his tea ekly.
Li Si found this scene amusing, but before she could say much, Leng Mochen suddenly tightened his grip on her wrist, his gaze intense. "What’s so funny?"
With an even brighter smile, Li Si tilted her head toward him. "I was thinking—did you fall in love with at first sight, and then a second... decide to pursue all the way to North City?"
Leng Mochen’s eyes glead, a flicker of sothing unreadable in them. "What do you think?"
Li Si couldn’t ignore the searing and tingling sensation left on her wrist by his cool fingers, which were now lightly grazing against her skin.
Fortunately, Bai Shasha’s phone rang at that mont, giving Li Si the chance to break free. She glared at Leng Mochen playfully, scolding him for his lack of decorum.
Leng Mochen interpreted her reaction as playful teasing, his lips curving upward in enjoynt.
Bai Shasha pouted as she answered the call, "Yes, yes, okay, I know!"
Eventually growing impatient, she hung up with a sigh, shrugging at the group. "My mom insists I go ho now. I really wanted us to have one last crazy night before the wedding!"
Li Si couldn’t resist teasing her. "Crazy? You’ve been cozying up with Xu Er ever since you got here. Who’s got ti for partying?"
"Exactly! You didn’t even let interrupt you!" Jiang Fan chid in.
"Exactly, exactly!" Su ng laughed as well.
Bai Shasha nearly stomped her feet in frustration, her finger pointing at everyone. "You guys are so an! Are you teaming up to bully now?"
Her remark sent everyone into peals of laughter.
Reviews
All reviews (0)