Xuan Yanyu: “……”
Yan Yunning pursed her lips and turned to leave his room.
Xuan Yanyu: “……”
Yan Yunning returned to her own room and lay down for a while, then received a call from He Qingxia, who invited her out to play, mentioning that Gu Jingye would also be there. Yan Yunning, who had not planned on going out, immediately sat up from the bed and accepted the invitation.
It was the perfect opportunity to settle the score with Gu Jingye. She tidied herself up and went downstairs. The main hall was very quiet — Xuan Shi’an, Wen Shuyun, Xuan Zhaoyong, and Xuan Zhaoran were all absent, and counting Shiyao, there were only three servants in the hall.
“I’m heading out for a bit. If you see Uncle and Auntie, please let them know.” Yan Yunning’s tone was gentle.
The two servants hovering around Shiyao acted as though they hadn’t heard her.
Yan Yunning understood — they weren’t going to acknowledge her. She picked up her phone, intending to send a message to Xuan Yanyu; after all, she was living in someone else’s home, and leaving without a word would be rude.
When she opened her phone, she discovered that just moments ago, Xuan Zhaoyong had added her to the group chat:
[Family Tea Party — Xuan Xixi is just here to mooch sunflower seeds.]
She tapped to look at the group and saw it included Xuan Shi’an, Wen Shuyun, Xuan Zhaoyong and his wife, as well as Xuan Yanyu, Xuan Zhaoran, and herself.
Yan Yunning pressed her lips together, not wanting to overthink it, and directly tagged Xuan Shi’an and Wen Shuyun in the group: [Uncle, Auntie, I’m going out to play with friends — won’t be back for dinner tonight! cute emoji]
Xuan Shi’an replied quickly, said he understood, told her to have fun, and even transferred money directly to her. Yan Yunning’s eyes paused when she saw the five followed by a long string of zeros.
The reason it was a five followed by so many zeros, Yan Yunning guessed, was because the maximum payment limit Xuan Shi’an had set up was five million.
After the initial shock, Yan Yunning replied with three little “thank you” emojis.
Then she sent another message: [Uncle, I still have money to spend for now — when I run out, you’ll be the first one I come to.]
Xuan Shi’an replied with a “go ahead and spend it” emoji.
Yan Yunning hadn’t yet figured out how to respond when Xuan Zhaoyong posted an emoji as well, then went on a spree of changing the group name:
[Want to spend Xuan Xixi’s money? Easier said than done!!!]
[Has Xuan Xixi’s money grown mold?]
[Asking Xuan Xixi for money? You’d sooner find treasure in a trash can.]
[Getting Xuan Xixi to send a red envelope? Harder than teaching a cat to bark like a dog.]
[The red envelopes Xuan Xixi sends are smaller than the ones mosquitoes give me!]
Yan Yunning laughed in spite of herself. The very next second she saw: [Xuan Shi’an has removed Xuan Zhaoyong from the group.]
Smiling, she closed out of the group chat and noticed that when she had posted about going out with friends, Xuan Yanyu had privately messaged her asking where she was going, telling her to wait for him in the lobby so he could see her off.
Yan Yunning did not reply. She put away her phone.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, Ningning.” Shiyao looked at Yan Yunning with a timid expression, slowly drawing back the mop she had been rubbing against Yan Yunning’s shoes, her face wearing a feigned, insincere apology. “I’m sorry, Ningning — I didn’t see you.”
Yan Yunning stared at the glaring stain on the surface of her heels, her tone devoid of even a trace of warmth. “These shoes were a custom piece my older brother sent me. It’s my first time wearing them today. You can compensate me at the original price — that’ll do.”
Shiyao tilted her chin slightly upward. “Just wipe them off, or send them to a boutique for restoration. It’s not like I did it on purpose.”
“Exactly, Miss Yan. Miss Shi didn’t mean to — surely you can’t hold it against her.”
“Of course not. How could Miss Yan make a fuss over such a small matter with Miss Shi?”
The two servants clustered around Shiyao chimed in one after the other. They had come along with Shiyao to the Xuan residence to look after the pregnant Shiyao, and since Shiyao paid their wages, it was only natural that they would take her side.
The corner of Yan Yunning’s mouth curved into a cold smile. “Once a shoe has been soaked in water, even color restoration won’t bring it back to its original luster. The financial loss is considerable. If you refuse to pay reasonable compensation, then wait for a lawyer’s letter.”
Shiyao laughed. “Yan Yunning, what kind of shoe can’t get wet? That’s truly a joke.”
Yan Yunning looked at her with a furrowed brow, speaking at an unhurried pace. “Shiyao, if you have nothing better to do, you could look it up online and broaden your knowledge. I’ll bring you the purchase receipt shortly — not a single cent of compensation is to be missing.”
Shiyao glanced around. At this hour, the Xuan household’s servants were all on their midday rest; besides the two of them, there was no one else in the hall.
She touched her slightly rounded belly, and scalding tears began to fall. “I’m sorry, Ningning — please forgive me. Next time I’ll definitely watch where I’m going, and I absolutely won’t accidentally brush against your shoes again.”
Yan Yunning watched her performance with cold eyes. If she guessed correctly, Shiyao was about to stir up some trouble in a moment.
With Shiyao staying in the Xuan residence, she didn’t want to remain there a single moment longer. This was the perfect opportunity — let Shiyao create a scene, and she could use it as a reason to leave.
“Ningning, I’m sorry.” Shiyao stepped forward to try to take Yan Yunning’s hand, but in the process, she appeared to accidentally catch her foot on the mop and stumbled directly toward Yan Yunning.
Spotting the calculation in Shiyao’s eyes, Yan Yunning raised an eyebrow and stepped to the side, letting Shiyao fall onto the floor covered in soft carpet. The next instant, a cry rang out beside her ear — Shiyao screaming, “My stomach… my stomach hurts so much…”
“Miss Shi! Miss Shi!”
“Miss Shi — she’s… she’s bleeding…”
The two servants were terrified, and scrambled to run outside to find the bodyguards.
Yan Yunning looked down and saw Shiyao grimacing in pain, curled up on the floor, a small dark-red patch seeping through her trousers. Her brow twitched slightly. What on earth was Shiyao trying to do?
According to what Xuan Yanyu had told her, Shiyao and the child she carried had no relation to him whatsoever, and Xuan Yanyu had only been helping to look after Shiyao because someone — he didn’t know who — had entrusted him to do so. So then, why was Shiyao targeting her?
None of it made any sense. Unless Shiyao simply couldn’t stand the sight of her.
“Ahh… it hurts so much… Ningning… it hurts so much…” Shiyao lay pitifully on the floor, her hand inconspicuously grabbing hold of Yan Yunning’s skirt hem, her tears falling one by one onto the soft carpet.
Yan Yunning noticed the hand clutching her skirt but paid it no mind, because she could see Xuan Yanyu stepping out of the elevator.
“My baby…” Shiyao let out a pained, low groan, and with a sudden forceful tug on Yan Yunning’s skirt, she then released her grip.
Yan Yunning had been mentally prepared, yet she still couldn’t keep her footing, stumbling and beginning to fall toward the floor.
“Yan Yunning!”
Xuan Yanyu, who had witnessed the scene, flashed with alarm in his eyes. Because the floor had just been mopped, as he ran toward Yan Yunning, his foot slipped.
Yan Yunning had just barely managed to steady herself when he grabbed her wrist, and she completely lost her balance. Carried by the momentum of Xuan Yanyu charging over, the two of them tumbled to the ground together.
The man let out a muffled grunt. “Are you hurt?”
“If you hadn’t come running over, nothing would have happened.” Yan Yunning had fallen on top of him, and Xuan Yanyu’s large hand had shielded her head — she was fine.
The tension in Xuan Yanyu’s brow eased. Seeing that she was truly unharmed, he curved his lips into a smile. “And you’re blaming me? I just finished showering, all for nothing.”
Shiyao’s soft, broken cries of pain stuck in her throat — she even forgot to cry — and she stared blankly at the two people entangled together.
“Ningning.” Wen Shuyun, who was being helped downstairs by Xuan Zhaoyong, caught sight of Yan Yunning collapsed on the floor. Her vision went dark, and she toppled straight backward.
“Mom? Mom?” Xuan Zhaoyong went pale with shock.
“Auntie?” Yan Yunning was startled as well.
At that moment she felt a flash of regret — she should have shaken Shiyao off immediately the first time and kept her distance.
“Madam, Young Master Xuan, Young Miss, Miss Yan.” The bodyguard who had been called in by the servants froze for an instant at the sight of those lying on the floor and those who had fainted in Xuan Zhaoyong’s arms.
“Go bring the car around.” Xuan Yanyu helped Yan Yunning to her feet, then took Wen Shuyun from Xuan Zhaoyong’s arms and hoisted her onto his back, striding hastily toward the exit. Xuan Zhaoyong followed close behind.
The bodyguards, no longer paying any mind to the fact that they had originally been summoned because of Shiyao, obeyed Xuan Yanyu’s instructions and went to bring the car around.
Yan Yunning brushed at her skirt — a purely reflexive gesture — and looked down coldly at Shiyao. She had just opened her mouth to say something when Xuan Yanyu, who had turned back, closed his hand around her wrist. The man’s voice was slightly husky. “Come to the hospital with us.”
Yan Yunning parted her lips. “……”