After Becoming a Spare Tire, I Got Together with My White Moonlight - Chapter 40.1

When Mr. Wen turned to leave, he was visibly displeased, his steps noticeably quicker than when he had arrived.

The lights in the Yan family’s living room were all on, but instead of heading back inside, Mrs. Meng glanced toward the direction of the forest path.

Even in the dim light, she spotted Yan Guiqiu and Jiang Xuehe at a glance.

“Aren’t your legs numb from squatting there?” Mrs. Meng asked with a laugh.

“Not really,” Yan Guiqiu replied, pulling Jiang Xuehe out with her. She couldn’t help but ask, “How did you know we were there?”

“With two bright lights behind you, it’d be strange if I couldn’t see you,” Mrs. Meng chuckled. “Did you go to see the lanterns?”

Yan Guiqiu hummed in agreement.

As Mrs. Meng beckoned them to come inside, she asked Jiang Xuehe, “Was it your first time? Did you enjoy it?”

Jiang Xuehe nodded and said it was quite lively.

Yan Guiqiu noticed she was still thinking about what had just happened and asked on her behalf, “Mom, was Uncle Wen upset just now?”

“What does he have to be upset about? There are over a dozen girls waiting to meet his son,” Mrs. Meng said without even a frown. “Losing one won’t cost him anything.”

So he was just a player casting a wide net to catch as many fish as possible.

“Back then, his family backed the wrong side, and now they’re counting on what’s left of the Meng family’s assets to turn things around. They wouldn’t dare to cross me so easily,” Mrs. Meng explained. “Otherwise, they wouldn’t have come knocking on our door again two years ago.”

When the Meng family had faced trouble, Mrs. Meng, as a married daughter, had been in a car accident and was on the brink of death. Forget protecting the family business even their so-called friends had scrambled to distance themselves.

Later, Xinglan began to recover, and with the Yan family’s fortunes on the rise, many regretted their earlier actions, though most didn’t dare approach again.

Some were too proud, while others simply had no pressing need.

But the Wen family clearly fell into neither category.

Mrs. Meng paused mid-sentence, remembering that Yan Guiqiu wasn’t particularly interested in these matters, so she didn’t delve further into the intricacies.

“You don’t need to worry too much about him. Our family has plenty of business partners he’s not indispensable. And right now, he wouldn’t dare to offend me,” Mrs. Meng said, trying to reassure Jiang Xuehe. “If anything, I’m the one who should be angry at him for disrespecting my daughter.”

As the three of them entered the house, Mr. Yan came to greet them. Seeing his wife’s expression, he couldn’t help but ask, “Who upset you this time?”

“Old Wen,” Mrs. Meng replied, her brow twitching slightly. She turned back to Yan Guiqiu and Jiang Xuehe and continued, “I didn’t even want to bring it up, but tonight he claimed it was a business dinner, and it turned out to be the same old story. If I weren’t going on a business trip for the next two months, I’d have thrown the contract in his face tonight.”

Hearing this, Mr. Yan immediately understood what had happened.

But he was prepared. He handed her a cup of warm honey water, took her bag, and patted her back, his expression stern as he comforted her, “Calm down.”

Mrs. Meng drank half the cup, then looked at his face and couldn’t help but laugh.

The simmering anger vanished completely.

“Forget it, let’s not talk about it anymore,” Mrs. Meng said, glancing at the clock on the wall and waving for the two younger ones to go rest. “It’s late. Go wash up and get some sleep. If you wake up early tomorrow, your dad can take you for morning tea.”

The two younger ones could only nod in agreement.

The doors to Yan Guizhou and Gu Yuyin’s rooms were tightly shut. Yan’s father mentioned they had said they were going to sleep half an hour ago, so they were probably already in bed.

It was indeed quite late, so the two of them went straight upstairs.

Yan Guiqiu pulled Jiang Xuehe into her room, closed the door, and patted her back gently as she asked, “Feeling reassured now?”

Jiang Xuehe smiled and gave a soft “Mm.”

Though Madam Meng’s words had been somewhat exaggerated, it was likely meant to put her at ease.

Jiang Xuehe still didn’t fully understand the intricacies of the grudges and affections between the two families, but the thoughtfulness behind it all moved her.

Two small flower lanterns sat side by side on the table. Jiang Xuehe stared at them for a while before realizing just how bright they were.

Yan Guiqiu went to take a shower first. Worried that the injury on her hand might make it difficult, Jiang Xuehe waited outside. But Yan Guiqiu seemed quite accustomed to such situations and quickly adapted.

After Yan Guiqiu finished her shower, Jiang Xuehe gave her a once-over and, seeing she was fine, felt relieved and got up to return to her own room.

Yan Guiqiu wanted to ask her to stay a little longer, but a glance at the clock on the table made her swallow her words. It was already past eleven.

“Get some rest early,” Yan Guiqiu said, walking Jiang Xuehe to her room door. Taking advantage of the empty hallway, she stood on her tiptoes and planted a loud kiss on her forehead. “Good night.”

Jiang Xuehe kissed the corner of her lips and replied, “Good night.”

Yan Guiqiu, beaming with joy, cupped her face and headed back to her room. Even for such a short distance, Jiang Xuehe stood by the door, watching until she entered before turning to go back to her own room.

But just as the door diagonally across closed with a soft thud, Jiang Xuehe hadn’t noticed someone coming up the stairs.

Madam Meng stood at the staircase landing, smiling at her.

When Jiang Xuehe caught sight of her out of the corner of her eye, she was startled not to exaggerate, her heart nearly stopped.

It wasn’t the spine-chilling fear of someone suddenly appearing late at night, but the indescribable awkwardness of being caught in an intimate moment by a parent.

Jiang Xuehe, who had been relatively composed around Yan Guiqiu, now flushed bright red.

“Auntie, hello,” Jiang Xuehe greeted as calmly as she could.

Madam Meng seemed to find her reaction amusing and chuckled for a moment before clearing her throat and trying to adopt a more serious expression.

“Good evening,” she said gently. “Did you eat enough earlier? Are you still hungry?”

Jiang Xuehe nodded, then shook her head, saying, “I’m not hungry.”

Madam Meng replied, “Then get to bed early. Who knows where Guiqiu will drag you off to tomorrow.”

It was all in good humor. Though Jiang Xuehe felt a bit reserved at first, seeing that Madam Meng didn’t bring up anything else, she gradually relaxed.

After a brief exchange, Madam Meng went upstairs.

Jiang Xuehe touched her warm cheeks and quickly slipped into her room.

Lying in bed, she found it hard to fall asleep, her mind replaying countless scenes.

One moment, it was Yan Guiqiu’s surprised and delighted face under the lantern light, her soft gaze; the next, it was Madam Meng’s sharp, knowing look in the dim light at the Yan family’s doorstep.

She had thought Madam Meng would stop her at the door to say something, but in the end, she hadn’t mentioned a thing.

There didn’t seem to be any particular trigger, but she easily accepted Jiang Xuehe as part of the family.

However, Jiang Xuehe was well aware that not just anyone could receive such treatment.

Moreover, no matter how friendly someone was, accepting such a thing would always take some time.

Was it Yan Guiqiu?

Jiang Xuehe’s thoughts circled back to Yan Guiqiu once again.

She didn’t like sweets, finding them cloying, yet at this moment, a faint sweetness in her heart surged like waves, carrying layers of joy, and she suddenly felt that it might be the most wonderful taste in the world.

Just like the scent that clung to Yan Guiqiu.

In a daze, as Yan Guiqiu’s smiling face appeared before her, Jiang Xuehe slowly drifted into sleep.

The next morning, aside from Ms. Meng, who had gone to the company for an impromptu meeting, the entire family happened to be home, including Gu Yuyin, who had finished washing up on time and appeared in the living room.

Yan’s father kept his promise and took the whole bustling group out for morning tea.

After breakfast, Yan’s father went to the company, Yan Guizhou went to school, and the remaining three returned to the Yan residence.

Gu Yuyin sat on the sofa watching TV and, noticing that the other two showed no intention of leaving, couldn’t help but express surprise, “Aren’t you two going out on a date today?”

Before Yan Guiqiu could answer, Jiang Xuehe spoke first, “Guiqiu’s hand is injured, so she’s resting at home today.”

“It’s just a bump, the skin isn’t even broken,” Yan Guiqiu argued in her own defense. “It’s not that serious.”

She still didn’t know where she had bumped it, guessing it happened when she moved aside to let someone pass around a corner and accidentally hit a stone statue.

When she woke up this morning, she saw a large bruise, which Jiang Xuehe discovered while checking the scratches on her arm.

Yan Guiqiu didn’t think much of it, but Jiang Xuehe was very concerned.

Jiang Xuehe gently touched her arm over her clothes, and Yan Guiqiu couldn’t help but hiss in pain.

Yan Guiqiu swallowed her retort, “Staying home to rest is good too.”

That was the truth.

Although she had brought Jiang Xuehe back for a vacation to relax, from the moment they boarded the plane, it had been a whirlwind of travel and one thing after another.

Even though they had fun, the exhaustion was real.

Not only physical fatigue but mental weariness as well.

One of the culprits behind the mental exhaustion, completely unaware, expressed regret on their behalf, “Such a rare honeymoon break, it’s such a waste not to make the most of it.”

Yan Guiqiu corrected her, “We’re not at that stage yet.”

After a strangely awkward pause, she added, “There will be more in the future.”

Gu Yuyin collapsed onto the sofa, covering her ears with a pillow in a “I don’t want to hear it” pose.

As if whatever was about to be said next would be some unspeakable vulgarity.

Yan Guiqiu, “…”

Before they could say much more, the doorbell rang again.

Jiang Xuehe stood up to answer the door, “It’s probably the medicated oil I ordered.”

Gu Yuyin watched her retreating back, her expression a mix of envy and pity, eventually tinged with a hint of worry.

She turned to Yan Guiqiu and asked, “What about the Jiang family?”

Yan Guiqiu, “What about them?”

“Do you think everyone is as easygoing as your family?” Gu Yuyin said, reaching for her phone tossed on the other end of the sofa. “Wasn’t it said a while ago that Qin Xiangxi confessed to Jiang Xuehe, got rejected, and ended up in a car accident and hospitalized?”

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