Ti ticked. Thirty minutes later, Lanni started getting anxious. What was it that they were talking about for so long? Did she need to go and check?
She was just about to go and check when she saw Xiehan finally exiting the hospital.
She sighed in relief as he walked to her.
"You took so long. What were you even talking about?"
Xiehan grinned as he gave her a sidelong glance. "Are you scared that Uncle will bully ? Don’t you trust him?"
Lanni shot him a glance. "Forget about trust. He looked like he was going to make things difficult for you. Turns out I was worried about nothing."
Xiehan pressed the car key to unlock the car and opened the passenger door for her. She went in, and he also entered to sit in the driver’s seat as he glanced at her teasingly. "Honey, don’t you trust your man’s charm? If I can charm my way into your heart, then I can convince the in-laws too."
Lanni scoffed at his weird analogy and handed the mineral water she had bought to him. He unscrewed the cap and threw his head back, gulping two swigs. She watched his adams apple bob as he swallowed. A stray drop of water rolled its way down his chin and to the adams apple, and Lanni found herself staring at the view. When he had enough water, he closed the bottle using the cap and set it aside.
Lanni coughed and asked, "What did you guys talk about for so long anyway?"
"We were talking about you, naturally." He answered, starting the car.
"Yeah... obviously you would talk about . But what exactly did you say to each other?" She was curious.
Xiehan chuckled at her desire for gossip before answering, "He threatened—promised—to skin alive if I ever did anything to hurt you."
Lanni stared at him, trying to process it. Was that what they talked about for all that ti? Just a threat? Well, that did seem like what fathers-in-law would discuss with their sons-in-law. Just imagining the scene made her want to laugh. She looked up at him with a tiny smile on her lips. "Don’t worry. He does not really an it. He will not skin you alive."
"He looked and sounded serious." Xiehan shrugged with his hands on the steering wheel.
"But he will not have to skin you alive... he will not need to because you will not wrong ."
When Ji Xiehan heard what she said, a smile ford on his lips. "I’m happy that you trust , love."
Lanni took advantage of the fact that he was driving and smacked a kiss on his cheek. Because he was driving, he could only glance at her sideways as she stole kisses.
After leaving the hospital compound, Lanni thought of sothing and frowned in anger. "That Flynn is officially a weirdo."
"Why do you say so?" Xiehan asked, even though he could vividly guess why she would call him that.
Lanni huffed in anger. "Why the hell would he tell my dad such lies? He even said that you forced to be with you! Why is he so hell-set on ssing with us?"
Xiehan shrugged. He couldn’t guess what Flynn was thinking but one thing was for sure—he still wanted to beat the hell out of him. "He must be trying to sow discord between us, and between your dad and ."
Lanni couldn’t agree more. "Indeed. He is causing trouble at every turn. Forget lying to dad. Why the hell would he say that Luna went abroad to study?"
"To buy you more ti?" Xiehan hypothesized.
Lanni blinked as she thought about how scared she was of Xia Hanchen asking about Luna. "Yeah, that seems like a possibility. But then again, he doesn’t look like the kind of guy to do things because he is looking out for . If anything, all he has ever done is jeopardize everything I do. What if he is only doing this to create a misunderstanding between and dad? What if his actual aim is to later have soone tell him that Luna is not abroad but in prison instead? You know, I still don’t get what he was doing in Dad’s ward."
"It is hard to understand. It is even harder to understand the relationship between the two of you." Xiehan said aningfully.
"What are you talking about?" Lanni blinked.
"Do you rember everything about your past with him?"
Lanni shook her head slowly. She only rembered the general stuff. Perhaps that was why she couldn’t understand Flynn at all, especially since he was always an to her in her mory. She couldn’t understand why he had started acting like he sohow cared about her and the thought of it was scary.
"Then you shouldn’t think too much about it. Perhaps you were in fact friends, and he is only trying to help out his friend. You could ask him the next ti he pops up." Xiehan added.
Although that was what he said, Lanni glanced at him and realized that he was trying to supress sothing. Was he perhaps... jealous?
Pfft obviously.
Her boyfriend was the easily jealous type. She shouldn’t have chattered so much about another man with him. "Let’s not talk about him anymore. The thought of it is draining my brain cells."
"Sure." Xiehan didn’t mind changing the topic because he had a better one in mind. "My parents want us ho for dinner."
"Really, when?" Lanni was excited.
"This weekend. Will you be free?" He was happy to see that she was looking forward to it.
"Yes, I don’t have much going on."
"Then I’ll pick you up."
_
On Saturday.
The Jiang Mansion.
A servant knocked on the door to Jiang Xingyu’s room. He had spent the night at ho the previous night. Because he had stayed up late and only slept when it was almost dawn, he had just woken up.
Jiang Xingyu groggily went to answer the door. "Do you need sothing?"
"Young master, sir wants you to go downstairs."
"Why does he need ?" Jiang Xingyu rubbed his eyes. When he got no answer from the oblivious maid, he ran a hand through his hair. "I’ll be there."
The maid left, and Jiang Xingyu took a quick shower and changed into a clean set of clothes.
He went downstairs wondering why his father needed him there. When he reached the dining room, he frowned when he saw a guest at the table.
"Ah, Xingyu is here. Co over." Jiang Xingren enthusiastically announced.
Jiang Xingyu ignored the guest and sat at the table.
However, the guest was evidently here for him. Jiang Xingren smiled as he introduced the young woman sitting so distance from him. "This is Han Xiaoli, from the Han family. The two of you have a lot in common. Go on, say hello to her."
"Mmh." Jiang Xingyu grunted in response, with no intention to say hello to the guest or strike a conversation with her.
Seeing the atmosphere start to get awkward, Jiang Xingren coughed and glanced at Han Xiaoli. "Xingyu hasn’t been feeling well lately, don’t mind his attitude. Actually, he is usually friendly and easy going and you two can make good friends."
"Hello." She said curtly, recoiling when Jiang Xingyu glared at him.
Jiang Xingren couldn’t have it any longer. "You punk. How many years will you lose from your life if you are a little friendly?"
Jiang Xingyu slamd his cutlery pnto his plate, making an ear-shattering noise. He stood up and huffed angrily. "That’s because I know why you brought her here. Is this a match-making session of sorts?" He glared at the dumfounded Han Xiaoli. "Didn’t I already make it clear to you? I have soone in my heart. I will never like you. Why don’t you understand this? What kind of woman are you to keep pestering a man who doesn’t like you?"
"Jiang Xingyu!" Jiang Xingren barked.
Jiang Xingyu turned on his heel and was about to walk out when Han Xiaoli stood up and took her bag. "I only ca here because Uncle invited for lunch. Don’t think too highly of yourself." As soon as she was done speaking, she walked out.
Jiang Xingren glared at his son condensingly. "What the heck is wrong with you? Why would you be so rude to a kind woman?"
"As I said before, it is because of your motive behind bringing her here. I know you are trying to match make with her even though you know fully well that I have a wife." Jiang Xingyu looked back at him accusingly.
"What wife?!" Jiang Xingren reprimanded. "Don’t randomly call won that when you are not married."
"What’s the difference? She is the one I will marry anyway."
Jiang Xingren felt his head hurt. "What kind of man are you? A blind one? How can you not see such a beautiful and smart woman but instead be focused on a murderer?"
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