After Being Entangled By the Obsessive Heroine [Quick Wear] - Chapter 22

Xian Ning’s hand instantly dropped from Xue Yingxian’s arm as she stiffly mumbled, “Mom.” It was unclear which one she was addressing.

Mother Lu’s lips parted, but no sound came out. The sight before her had clearly left her speechless.

Compared to her, Mother Xue was far more animated, her voice rising to an uncharacteristic volume.

“Xue Yingxian, come here!”

Yingxian shot a reassuring look at Xian Ning before dutifully walking over.

“I’m taking Yingxian home now. You need to have a talk with Xian Ning.”

Yingxian didn’t understand what her mother meant, but if Mother Lu took her advice and did anything to Xian Ning, that was an absolute no-go.

“Mom, this has nothing to do with Xian Ning. It was all my fault…”

“Not another word!”

Mother Xue’s delicate brows furrowed as she pulled her daughter toward the elevator.

Seeing her mother was genuinely angry, Yingxian didn’t dare to argue further. She simply turned back to Mother Lu and said, “Mother Lu, Xian Ning didn’t know anything. I was the one who led her on.”

Mother Lu, however, knew her daughter’s personality all too well. If Xian Ning didn’t want to do something, she wouldn’t do it even with a knife to her throat.

With a sigh, she turned to her daughter. “Xian Ning, you come here, too.”

Xian Ning walked straight over, her first words an apology. “Mom, I’m sorry.”

This was the chance to come clean to both sets of parents, even if it wasn’t part of the plan. Now that things had come to this, there was no way she could ever give up Yingxian, not even if her parents were against it. Her apology was for that.

Mother Lu looked a bit dazed, clearly still in shock, but when Xian Ning reached out to take her arm, she didn’t pull away.

The commotion outside finally caught the attention of the two men drinking and chatting inside. When they emerged, they saw the grim expressions on the women’s faces and realized that Yingxian and her mother were gone.

“Xiao Xian…” Father Lu began.

“Dad, Xiao Xian went home with her mom,” Xian Ning said, lowering her head, unsure of how to explain the situation to him.

Father Xue, a shrewd old man, could feel the tension in the air. He turned to Father Lu and said, “I’ll be heading out then. Let’s catch up another time.”

Father Lu nodded and walked him to the elevator.

*****

On his way down, Father Xue settled the bill and even transferred a substantial amount of spending money to Xian Ning’s account. Looking at the string of numbers, Xian Ning’s heart sank. This card was given to her and the original owner by Father and Mother Xue when the original owner left the family. They often sent money, so even with all the original owner’s impulsive spending, the balance was still considerable.

Father Xue had no idea what was going on, yet he was so generous. She couldn’t help but wonder if he would hate her if he knew she had turned his perfect daughter gay.

This floor was filled with luxurious private rooms, and the surrounding rooms were filled with loud chatter and laughter. Yet, where Xian Ning stood, the air felt sealed off and heavy. The silence was so complete that you could hear every breath.

Father Lu gently nudged his wife’s shoulder, hoping she would fill him in, but she glared at him. Her mind was a complete mess, and she had no time for his guessing games.

“Shall we… go home?” he asked tentatively.

Xian Ning, Mother Lu, and Luhan walked on stiffly without even a glance at him.

Father Lu grew more and more curious. What on earth had happened?

Since Luhan hadn’t been drinking, the responsibility of driving fell to her. Xian Ning sat in the passenger seat, wanting to ask if she had come home specifically for her birthday, but Luhan was in such a dark mood it felt like she would explode at the slightest touch. Xian Ning decided to hold her tongue.

The moment Luhan heard that Xian Ning and Yingxian were together, she had looked ready to kill. Xian Ning figured she must be furious that her family’s “prize cabbage” had been “stolen by a pig.”

Xian Ning knew Luhan had a bit of a sister complex, which usually came with a possessive streak. When someone else tried to claim what was hers, the reaction was often intense.

Luhan’s reaction now was… not as dramatic as Xian Ning had expected, yet it was more terrifying than a direct outburst.

The normally cheerful and close-knit family drove the forty-minute journey home in complete silence.

Mother Lu seemed to want to figure out the situation herself, so she told her husband to go back to his room. But Xian Ning stopped him.

“Dad, sit down, please. I have something important to tell both of you.”

Father Lu glanced at his wife before taking a seat. Mother Lu, wanting to stop her daughter, simply bit her tongue when she saw the look of determination on her face.

Xian Ning took a deep breath. “Dad, you probably don’t know this, but Xue Yingxian and I are together. As in, we’re a couple.”

“I love her.”

The words practically broke Father Lu’s brain. After a moment of processing, he stammered, “So she’s your boy… no, your girlfriend?”

Xian Ning nodded.

He fell silent again. After a lengthy mental battle, he threw the problem to his wife.

“I… I don’t know what to say. This is the first time something like this has happened to me. It’s up to your mom.”

Mother Lu shot him a reproachful look. “You’re just pushing everything on me so you can be the good parent and I can be the bad one.”

Father Lu nervously rubbed his hands together. “It’s just that I’m a rough man. I don’t know what to say about this.”

“What’s so hard to say? Are you telling me you approve of them being together?”

“If our daughter is happy, that’s what matters. As long as the other person is a decent human being and treats her well, I won’t interfere with who she’s with.”

After Father Lu spoke, the air fell silent once more. Xian Ning softly said, “Thank you, Dad.”

Mother Lu’s stance wavered slightly after hearing her husband’s words, but she decided not to give in just yet.

“Our country isn’t that open-minded yet. Do you have any idea how much judgment two girls will have to face? Besides, the Xue family’s business is so big, and Yingxian is meant to inherit it. Her parents will never agree to this.”

With that, Mother Lu stood up and walked to her room. Father Lu patted his daughter’s shoulder. “Don’t worry too much. Your mom is stubborn, but she’s soft at heart. I’ll go talk to her.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

Xian Ning looked up, her gaze meeting Luhan’s. She felt a shiver run down her spine, sensing Luhan had been watching her for a long time.

“So you two are really together?” Luhan asked.

“Yeah.”

“If we were all against it, would you break up with her?”

“No.”

Luhan also stood up and went to her room. Her back looked thin and lonely. She seemed to have lost weight since going abroad.

While things were relatively calm on Xian Ning’s side, they were much more turbulent for Yingxian. Mother Xue had always treated Xian Ning like her own daughter, and in her eyes, this was like two sisters getting together. She absolutely could not accept it.

Yingxian argued her case, but neither could convince the other, and so Yingxian was grounded.

“I’ll request an extended leave for you from school. You can come out when you’ve properly reflected.”

Yingxian couldn’t understand why her usually reasonable mother was being so stubborn. Being with Xian Ning would change nothing other than the fact they wouldn’t be sisters anymore. Xian Ning would have two sets of parents, and the parents would have two daughters. Wasn’t that a win-win situation?

Yingxian sat with her knees hugged to her chest, staring out at the empty flower bed. Just as she was about to call Xian Ning to see how things were, Xian Ning’s call came through.

“How are things on your end?”

“Did you get yelled at?”

They had both spoken at the same time.

Xian Ning answered first. “I didn’t get yelled at. My dad isn’t against it, and my mom… I don’t think she’ll be too difficult to deal with.”

Yingxian felt her heart relax. “That’s good.”

“What about you?” Xian Ning asked. “What did your parents say?”

“Dad didn’t say a word, and Mom…”

Yingxian’s silence was all the answer Xian Ning needed. “The adults have their own considerations. We’ll figure out a way to get their approval eventually. Don’t fight with your mom, okay?”

“How can I fight when I’m locked up?” Yingxian slowly lay down, holding the phone to her ear, her arms spread out in an X shape.

Xian Ning had no idea Mother Xue would be so fiercely against it. She had planned to go to the Xue family’s house that night, but now she didn’t dare.

Yingxian also told her not to come for now. Her mother was probably just trying to scare her, and everything would be fine in a couple of days.

After two consecutive weeks of not seeing Yingxian, they had to rely on phone calls to ease their longing. Just as Xian Ning couldn’t take it anymore and rushed to the Xue family villa, the housekeeper told her that the lady of the house had taken the young lady on a blind date.

“A blind date?!”

“Yes. I heard it’s with the second young master of the Xiao family.”

The second young master of the Xiao family? Xiao Ce? The image of a man flashed in Xian Ning’s mind, and her face fell.

That scoundrel, Xiao Ce, had always had a thing for Xue Yingxian. He would stick to her whenever he saw her, and he would have confessed his feelings long ago if Yingxian hadn’t kept her distance.

Now that he had such a perfect opportunity, would he pass it up?

Xian Ning asked anxiously, “Do you know where they went?”

The housekeeper shook her head, only saying they had headed toward the city center.

Xian Ning tried to call Yingxian, but her phone was off. She called Mother Xue, who hung up on her. It seemed Mother Xue was determined to make Yingxian get a boyfriend.

The original owner of the body had been so arrogant and spoiled that she had no friends. Xian Ning couldn’t think of anyone she could call for information.

Useless!

After a long moment of deliberation, she finally remembered something. Xian Ning scrolled through her contacts and found Zhong Ning’s number. She had no idea when she had saved it, but she was just glad it was there.

The call was answered quickly. “Sister Xian Ning?”

“It’s me. Ningning, do you know where your sister went on her blind date?”

“My sister went on a blind date?” Zhong Ning seemed to be just as surprised.

Xian Ning’s heart sank. “Yeah, with Xiao Ce.”

“With him!” Zhong Ning suddenly understood. “It’s probably at the Jinjiang Hotel. I heard him telling Chu Ling about it, but I didn’t know he was going on a blind date with my sister.”

Hope reignited within Xian Ning. “Ningning, thank you! I’ll treat you to dinner sometime! I gotta go!”

She hung up and hailed a taxi, heading straight for the Jinjiang Hotel.

The hotel was quite high-end, and the Xue family had a permanent private room. Without even asking, Xian Ning went straight to the eighth floor.

Turning a corner, she saw Yingxian pushing Xiao Ce away, and then she started to gag. Xian Ning’s face paled. She rushed over, wrapping her arms around Yingxian and glaring at Xiao Ce.

“What were you trying to do to her?!”

Before Xiao Ce could reply, Mother Xue came out and froze when she saw Xian Ning. She then feigned a cold expression. “What’s going on?”

Yingxian’s hands were shaking and her face was pale. There was no doubt that Xiao Ce had harassed her against her will.

Xian Ning’s heart ached. She gently patted Yingxian’s back to help her catch her breath.

Mother Xue slightly tilted her head. “Xian Ning, if there’s nothing wrong, please go home. Xue Yingxian has business to attend to.”

Xian Ning stared at her. “Is your so-called ‘business’ was forcing her to go on a blind date?”

Mother Xue turned her gaze to Xian Ning, a look of conflict in her eyes. Yingxian’s appearance must have pained her, yet she still wanted to force her to concede.

Seeing this, Xian Ning steeled herself and decided to go all out.

You forced my hand!

She dropped to her knees in a single motion, clutching Mother Xue’s legs. Tears instantly welled up in her eyes.

“Mom, Xiao Xian doesn’t like men. She gets nauseous and wants to throw up when a man touches her. She has nightmares at night and wakes up in a cold sweat. Even if you don’t want her to be with me, please don’t force her to be with a man! Can’t you see how she is right now? Are you trying to kill her?”

Yingxian was stunned. While she disliked men, it wasn’t as serious as Xian Ning was making it out to be. She had felt nauseous just now because her stomach was empty from protesting and starving herself for days. The sudden feast had been too much, and her stomach couldn’t handle it. It had nothing to do with Xiao Ce. She had pushed him away because she didn’t want him to help her. That was all.

After hearing Xian Ning, Mother Xue looked at her daughter with a pained expression.

Sensing her mother’s eyes on her, Yingxian immediately bent over, pretending to gag and even coughed a few times, bringing real tears to her eyes. She didn’t know what Xian Ning was doing, but she was willing to play along.

Mother Xue’s resolve crumbled. Her beautiful brows knitted together in worry. How could she not feel for her daughter? This was her own flesh and blood.

Seeing her expression soften, Xian Ning pressed her advantage, sobbing dramatically. “Mom, if you don’t like me, I can leave. I’ll never appear in front of you again. I just beg you not to force Xiao Xian.”

“I truly love her. If she ends up with a man as you wish, she’ll be miserable. I can’t bear to see her in so much pain, so I’ll just… take my own life first.”

Mother Xue was shocked into silence. After a moment, she said, “Get up first.”

Xian Ning slowly rose, feigning weakness and swaying slightly. Mother Xue’s heart ached just as she had hoped.

“Child, why did you kneel like that? The floor is so cold. Are you okay?”

Xian Ning shook her head, wiping away the tears. “I’m fine.”

Mother Xue sighed, turning to Xiao Ce. “Xiao Ce, please go home. I’m so sorry about today.”

Xian Ning lowered her head, covering her mouth with her hand. She glanced at Yingxian, giving her a playful wink like a victor.

A fond smile spread across Yingxian’s face, her eyes filled with adoration.

Xiao Ce, who was still standing there, just stood there with a puzzled look on his face.

Support