Inside the dessert store…
Xu Yuanfei took out the black tea from the cupboard nervously. Her father had given it to her, and it was expensive. As she brewed the tea, she couldn’t help wondering, Why are these two here?
In the past, although she and Jing Hanchuan had a store-owner-customer relationship, she was already very reserved when facing them. Now that their relationship was different, she was naturally even more anxious.
“Boss.” A part-time worker walked to the kitchen.
“Huh?”
“Should we call the police?”
“What?”
“Those people are standing at the door, so no one dares to come in. Moreover, the one with the beard is obviously not a good person. He looks fierce and scary.”
“It’s alright.” Xu Yuanfei smiled and brought the tea out. “Go ahead with your work. Don’t worry about this matter. I’ll handle it.”
At this moment, Sheng Aiyi smiled and joked, “This young lady looks sweet and quiet. How formidable can she be? What are you saying?”
“The first time she came to our house to deliver desserts, I already felt that something was amiss. This young lady is unusual.”
“She’s definitely unusual. She looks familiar, right?” Sheng Aiyi sneered.
“Why do you still remember this? Don’t you find it strange? Everyone who comes to our house for the first time is timid and scared, but she looked very relaxed.”
“Our house isn’t a tiger’s den.”
…
While the two of them were whispering, Xu Yuanfei came over with hot tea. “Auntie, I added some milk to your cup. Please try it.”
Xu Yuanfei looked calm, but she was actually panicking.
Could it be that Hanchuan hasn’t contacted me much recently because his family found out and isn’t allowing it?
Did they ban the two of us from interacting?
In the short moment when she served tea, countless chaotic thoughts flashed across her mind.
“Little Xu, sit.” Sheng Aiyi looked at her with a smile.
“I’ll get you something to eat.” Xu Yuanfei really couldn’t see through these two.
A certain big shot had a fierce expression on his face, but Sheng Aiyi was smiling happily, not knowing what psychological drama was playing in Xu Yuanfei’s mind.
Soon, Xu Yuanfei sat down and praised Sheng Aiyi. “Auntie, you’re dressed very beautifully today. Your figure is good to begin with, and you look especially charming in a cheongsam.”
“Thank you.” Which woman didn’t love to be praised?
“I like cheongsams too. It’s just that my mom says I’m too young and wouldn’t wear them well.”
Sheng Aiyi smiled lightly. “I have many bright-colored ones at home, and I can’t wear them at my age. Many of them are new. You can come and try them on when you have time.”
…
When women talked about clothes and cosmetics, there seemed to be endless topics to talk about.
“Ahem—” A certain big shot coughed.
You’re off-topic!
Don’t forget why we’re here.
Sheng Aiyi immediately smiled and lowered her head to take a sip of hot tea.
At this moment, a certain big shot said, “Little Xu.”
He deliberately suppressed his voice. His voice was rough and low, revealing some deterrence. Coupled with his fierce and piercing gaze, he gave off an inexplicable sense of oppression. The two part-time workers hiding at the cashier had been observing here.
Oh!
It’s a little scary.
Did the boss offend someone?
“Uncle.” Xu Yuanfei forced herself to calm down.
“A few days, Hanchuan didn’t return all night. He stayed with you, right?”
Xu Yuanfei’s heart trembled, but she still pretended to be calm and nodded. “Yes.”
“Where did you two go that night?”
At the thought that the two of them had stayed in a hotel for the night, Xu Yuanfei suddenly felt a little embarrassed and hesitated, not knowing what to say.
“Ahem—” Sheng Aiyi coughed. How can he be so direct?
“We… just chatted for a while.” There was indeed nothing shameful between them. But once she said that they had gone to a hotel, the nature of the matter would change, so she simply covered it up.
“Just purely chatting?” A certain big shot narrowed his eyes, as if he wanted to see through her.
“Yes, just chatting.”
“Then, why did he fall ill when he came back?”
Xu Yuanfei’s pupils dilated slightly. “He’s sick?”
“He went out with you for a night, but when he came back, he was bedridden, and his body collapsed. You’re telling me that you two were just chatting that night?”
A certain big shot took a sip of tea to calm himself down.
What’s wrong with that brat?
He was alone with her all night and didn’t do anything?
Can’t he do it?
He even managed to get himself sick?
The more a certain big shot thought about it, the more disdainful he became.
When Xu Yuanfei heard that Jing Hanchuan was sick, her heart skipped a beat, and she asked nervously, “How is Sixth Master? The flu has been very serious recently. Is he alright?”
She immediately remembered that Jing Hanchuan had waited for a long time that night. He probably hadn’t been in the car the whole time. He must have caught a cold.
A certain big shot coughed. “Although you said that the two of you just chatted, he fell sick after seeing you. What do you think about this?”
Huh? Xu Yuanfei was stunned. Does he mean for me to take responsibility?
“Moreover, he’s not in good health. He’s slept at home for a few days, but he’s still very sick. He hasn’t gotten better at all.”
“Erm…” When Xu Yuanfei heard that he was seriously ill, she became even more anxious. “Can I go see him?”
“Sure.” Sheng Aiyi immediately nodded when she saw that Xu Yuanfei had taken the bait.
Afterward, it was unknown what Xu Yuanfei was thinking. She kept thinking about Jing Hanchuan’s illness and was distracted. Seeing that she wasn’t in the mood to chat, Sheng Aiyi found a reason and said that they were going to the Pear Garden, so they left first.
She indeed had to make a trip to the Pear Garden. Yin Changge still played an important role in a few plays, so she definitely had to adjust properly.
At the same time, she would give her son and Xu Yuanfei some alone time.
***
After Xu Yuanfei sent the two Jing family members away, she put on her coat, grabbed her bag and car key, and went straight to the Jing residence.
The weather was cold, so it took time to start the car. She was anxious and couldn’t wait anymore, so she took a taxi straight to the Jing residence.
There was already someone sitting in the living room of the Jing residence.
Yin Changge.
When she arrived at the Jing residence, because she was Sheng Aiyi’s disciple, she was definitely let in. But she was told that her master wasn’t back yet and that there were many guests currently in the Jing residence.
They were all people she couldn’t afford to offend.
“Miss Yin, Sixth Master is resting upstairs. There are so many guests at home. Look…” The Jing family members were polite to her. After all, she was their madam’s disciple.
In other words, it wasn’t convenient to entertain her today.
But Yin Changge knew very well that if she couldn’t see Sheng Aiyi today, she might really be kicked out of the Pear Garden. At that time, it would be difficult for her to enter again.
It was easy to enjoy the shade of a big tree. With the Jing family around, she would have a guarantee. If she failed her venture outside, she would at least have a way out.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll just wait for Master here.”
The Jing family members were a little surprised. She wasn’t someone without awareness usually. Why was she refusing to leave this time?
But since she wanted to wait, they had no choice but to serve her tea.
“By the way, is Sixth Master still resting at this hour?” Yin Changge looked at the clock on the wall. It was already four in the afternoon. Jing Hanchuan wasn’t a person who liked to sleep a lot.
“Yes, he’s still resting.”
The Jing family members knew very well that she was their madam’s disciple and an outsider. Sixth Master’s affairs had nothing to do with her.
Yin Changge smiled bitterly. She glanced at the stairs from the corner of his eye and lowered her head to continue drinking tea.
Duan Linbai and the others were in the side hall on the first floor. They heard that there was a guest who said she was Sheng Aiyi’s disciple, but they didn’t have any friendship with her. There was no need for them to go out to greet her, so they continued playing cards.
When Xu Yuanfei arrived at the Jing residence, perhaps because Sheng Aiyi had informed people in advance, she entered the living room smoothly.
When she saw the person sitting in the living room, she was stunned.
Yin Changge was very beautiful. She had slender eyebrows, clean and delicate facial features, and an indescribable aura all over her body. Seeing someone enter, she immediately stood up and smiled in greeting.
She was also sizing up Xu Yuanfei. Because she had come in a hurry, she was covered in wind and frost. She wasn’t even wearing a scarf or a mask. Her face was slightly red from the cold wind, making her look a little disheveled. Yin Changge had just finished a competition program, so she was naturally dressed more exquisitely.
Xu Yuanfei nodded at her and smiled. She looked at the Jing family members. “Sixth Master isn’t here?”
“He’s in his bedroom upstairs.” The Jing family members naturally welcomed her. “But he’s still sleeping.”
“Can you find me a cup? I brought him some red date ginger tea.” Xu Yuanfei had come in a hurry and had only brought some drinks from the store.
“Please wait a moment.”
Yin Changge kept sizing her up. “Are you here to look for Sixth Master?”
Xu Yuanfei didn’t expect her to talk to her. She just smiled and didn’t say anything.
“Sixth Master has a bad temper and doesn’t like people who fawn on him.” Yin Changge smiled, seemingly reminding her out of goodwill.
“Really?” Xu Yuanfei looked at her. “From your tone, you’re very familiar with Sixth Master?”
“Not really. We’ve just known each other for many years.”
Yin Changge’s words were very artistic, and she wouldn’t let anyone pick out any flaws. But Xu Yuanfei heard a hint of disdain and contempt.
The atmosphere in the room instantly changed.