After Being Entangled By the Obsessive Heroine [Quick Wear] - Chapter 5

Lu Han was a little surprised.

She had dealt with the Xue family many times because of Xian Ning. While she wasn’t particularly close with Xue Yingxian, their interactions had always been civil. This was the first time she had seen her act this way.

How to put it? It was a bit… willful, a stark difference from her usual demeanor.

But after thinking about it, it was understandable. After all, she was only twenty and had taken over such a large company. A bit of arrogance was to be expected. Besides, this was their fault to begin with. Three times the damages was a sign of leniency; ten times was still reasonable and legal. There was nothing to fault her for.

What, though, had made her so suddenly angry?

Lu Han’s thoughts spun. Her somber mood brightened considerably.

Xue Yingxian was also observing Lu Han.

Ever since she returned to the Xue family, Lu Xian Ning had been a constant source of trouble, so she didn’t have a good impression of the Lu family in general. Lu Han, however, was an exception. Every time Lu Xian Ning would act out, Lu Han would intervene. While her intention was to protect Xian Ning, she at least seemed to know right from wrong.

Before Lu Han arrived, her father had called specifically to tell her not to give Lu Han a hard time, since she was Xian Ning’s sister and a sort of family member.

She had originally intended to stick to three times the liquidated damages, but…

Her eyes flickered, meeting Lu Han’s gaze again. The woman remained calm and unruffled, as if everything were under her control.

Xue Yingxian felt a sudden surge of resentment and became even more determined to get ten times the amount.

Lu Han smiled politely, breaking the stalemate. “President Xue looks like she’s in a bad mood. Maybe we can talk another day?”

A liquidated damages amount approaching nine figures couldn’t be decided in one sitting. Given Xue Yingxian’s current state, it wasn’t wise to continue the conversation.

“It’s written clearly in the contract. Is there any need for more discussion?”

Xue Yingxian leaned back in her chair, looking down at Lu Han with half-closed eyes, completely at ease and not at all backing down.

Lu Han’s smile didn’t falter. “Alright. Then we’ll proceed according to the contract and let our legal teams handle the negotiation.”

Her part of the job was done. What followed would be a battle between their lawyers.

Xue Yingxian saw she was about to leave and couldn’t stay calm.

Was she going back to continue her “date” with Lu Xian Ning?

That excessively pale face flashed in her mind, innocent and sweet. When she smiled, her eyes curved like crescent moons.

Realizing what she was thinking, Xue Yingxian’s pupils constricted. She had never paid attention to Lu Xian Ning’s looks before. Why was her face so clearly etched in her mind now?

Xue Yingxian stood up abruptly, her chair scraping behind her. Jiang Huai, her assistant, jumped and stood up with her.

Lu Han slowly rose and held out her hand to Xue Yingxian. “Let’s leave it here for today. President Xue, please feel free to contact me with any questions.”

Xue Yingxian looked at her hand but didn’t shake it. Lu Han didn’t seem embarrassed and left with her assistant.

It was a long time before Xue Yingxian’s mood slowly calmed down. She sat back down, propping her forehead on her hands on the conference table, lost in thought.

Jiang Huai stood by, wanting to remind her that they had other documents to go over, but his gut told him to be a ghost right now.

Xue Yingxian slowly raised her head, her eyes slightly lost. “Is there something I should be doing?”

Jiang Huai: “?”

Xue Yingxian glanced at her phone, then felt like she was overreacting. What Lu Xian Ning did was her business. Why should she care?

It must be a side effect of that night. Yes, that must be it!

“Jiang Huai, bring me all the backlog of work.”

Jiang Huai: “All… all of it?”

Xue Yingxian walked out of the conference room with long strides, not a single extra word.

Jiang Huai’s face fell, and he looked like all the life had been sucked out of him. He finally had a full weekend to himself, but now he was working overtime. Does a worker’s life not matter?!

*******

Xian Ning went home. Now that she didn’t have to hide from Xue Yingxian, there was no reason to stay at Lu Han’s. Even though they were sisters, she couldn’t impose on her forever.

After leaving the mall, her phone wouldn’t stop ringing. Xian Ning saw the number and felt annoyed, so she put it on silent.

Her parents didn’t know she had taken a week off and thought she had come home for the weekend. They said they would make her all her favorite dishes. Xian Ning felt a little guilty. She cuddled with her mother for a while before being shooed off to change clothes.

*******

Back in her room, Xian Ning felt a strange sense of peace. She threw herself onto the bed, rolling around in the soft comforter.

She had impulsively confessed to the heroine, but how could she get the plot back on track?

Xian Ning fell deep into thought.

Subjectively, she didn’t want the male and female leads to end up together. Tang Di was violent and gloomy, and she never knew when he would have an episode. Xue Yingxian wouldn’t be safe with him.

But if she unilaterally changed the plot, who knew what it would do to the world? If she messed up and caused a small world to collapse again, the boss would probably throw her into the animal kingdom to live as a pig.

What a headache.

The door slammed shut. Her parents must have left to go grocery shopping. Xian Ning sighed and picked up her phone, which had been tossed aside. The lock screen showed 29 missed calls.

“Psychopath!” The phone was thrown away again.

“033, if the plot breaks down again, can you save me one more time?”

033: “…”

Silence was the best answer. Xian Ning gave up and decided to follow the mission’s requirements. No more messing around.

The house was completely silent. In the profound quiet, Xian Ning fell asleep without a single problem.

033 sighed. One second she was confidently saying she’d find a solution, the next her eyes were closed. It was a blessing to have a host like this!

With a splitting headache, 033 searched for a way to save Xian Ning, because it knew its host would never follow the original plot.

In her drowsy state, Xian Ning felt someone stroking her face. She tried to open her eyes, but she couldn’t lift her eyelids.

Sleep paralysis?

Her consciousness felt awake. The person touched her very, very lightly, gently, as if she were a fragile piece of porcelain.

Xian Ning woke up with a jolt and saw her sister sitting by the bed.

Lu Han was looking at her phone. She met Xian Ning’s gaze and smiled. “Are you awake?”

Xian Ning nodded, a little confused. She threw off the covers and sat up, trying to clear the fog from her mind.

“Go wash your face and wake up. Dinner will be ready soon,” Lu Han said before leaving.

Xian Ning nodded. A strange feeling surfaced in her heart as she watched Lu Han’s back.

Had she just been dreaming, or…

It must have been a dream. Why would her sister touch her face for no reason?

Xian Ning shook the chaotic thoughts from her head, slipped out of bed, and padded out in her slippers.

“Xian Ning, wash your hands and come eat.” Her mother came out of the kitchen with a plate of fish, a smile on her face.

Lu Han was behind her, carrying a pot of soup. After placing it on the table, she touched her ear. Her father was serving rice, pressing it firmly into the bowl with a spoon.

Seeing the scene, Xian Ning felt a warmth spread through her heart, and a smile naturally appeared on her face.

Lu Han looked up at her, a gentle look in her eyes. Xian Ning suddenly felt a little guilty and quickly ducked into the bathroom.

Ever since she took over this body, her sister had always protected her. How could she so casually suspect her sister of something weird?

After washing her hands, Xian Ning sat next to Lu Han. Lu Han naturally scooped food for her, quickly piling her bowl into a small mountain.

Xian Ning laughed and said she couldn’t eat all of it. Lu Han pinched her cheek and said, “You’re too thin. Eat more.”

Before Xian Ning could reply, Lu Han’s phone rang. The name “Xue Yingxian” popped up on the screen, which Xian Ning also saw.

Lu Han gave Xian Ning a subtle glance, then answered the phone.

“The liquidated damages. Let’s talk again.”

Lu Han’s eyes darkened slightly, and a smirk formed on her lips. “Changing your mind so soon, President Xue?”

Xue Yingxian was standing in front of a floor-to-ceiling window, looking down at the people coming and going below. Her long, dark eyelashes shielded her eyes, revealing no emotion.

Hearing Lu Han’s obviously smug tone, she fell silent.

She hadn’t meant to say that, but now that the call was connected, she couldn’t bring herself to say anything else.

Should I just tell Lu Han to put Lu Xian Ning on the phone?

She couldn’t say it. She just couldn’t.

“Come to the office. We’ll talk in person.”

Whatever. A roundabout approach will also work, as long as the two of them don’t end up alone together.

Xian Ning had already lost interest and was happily digging into her meal.

Lu Han glanced at Xian Ning’s puffed-up cheeks and reached out to poke her face. “Slow down. You’ll choke.”

Xian Ning scrunched her nose in annoyance. “Hey, don’t poke my face.”

Lu Han chuckled. “You look like a little hamster.”

Xian Ning’s petulant voice traveled through the phone receiver, and Xue Yingxian’s heart skipped a beat. She grew even more restless.

“Come now, or it’s ten times the damages!”

Lu Han’s eyes darkened slightly. “Fine.”

After apologizing to her parents, Lu Han left, not forgetting to remind Xian Ning to go to class tomorrow.

Xian Ning mumbled a quick “I know” and went back to eating.

*******

After dinner, Xian Ning washed the dishes on her own. As she was watching a show with her mother, she got bored and quietly grabbed her phone. She unlocked it and saw that Xue Yingxian had called her several times.

The unread calls from the two leads were lying one after the other. Xian Ning stared at them for a few seconds before deciding to call Xue Yingxian back. She could guess what Tang Di wanted to say just by looking at him, and she wasn’t in the mood to get involved with the violent man just yet.

The phone rang once before it was answered. Xue Yingxian’s voice was cool and pleasant to listen to.

“Why didn’t you answer?”

Xian Ning quickly explained. “I put it on silent when I was sleeping, so I didn’t hear it.”

It was a passable excuse, but Xue Yingxian didn’t believe her. She paused for two seconds and said, “I haven’t eaten yet.”

Xian Ning: “Then go eat.”

Xue Yingxian: “…”

Shouldn’t she be trying to butter me up right now? So, the ‘I love you’ was all a lie!

After a short silence, Xian Ning got it. She asked, “Are you at the office? Should I order some takeout for you?”

Xue Yingxian: “I don’t eat takeout.”

“Then I’ll treat you to a meal at a restaurant.”

Before Xue Yingxian could agree, Xian Ning’s transfer notification popped up on her WeChat.

“500 yuan. That’s all I can give you, or I’ll be eating dirt for the rest of the month.”

Xue Yingxian took a deep breath, her voice squeezed out between gritted teeth. “I want something you made yourself.”

She wasn’t stupid. She knew Xian Ning used to make bento boxes for Tang Di all the time. She used to scoff at Xian Ning’s fawning, but now she felt a deep sense of unease. Why wouldn’t she make something for her?

She blurted it out impulsively. After she calmed down, Xue Yingxian froze.

Am I… jealous?

Xian Ning gave a small chuckle. “What do you feel like eating?”

The soft sound settled on Xue Yingxian’s heart like a feather. She swallowed hard. “You’ll make it for me?”

“Yes. You asked, so I have to give it to you. I just hope you won’t think my cooking is terrible.”

Xian Ning had her own reasons. Making a meal wasn’t a big deal, and if it could improve her relationship with Xue Yingxian, why not?

Besides…

As the heroine of this world, Xue Yingxian had no choice but to be tied to a lunatic. She was actually a bit pathetic.

Xian Ning’s expression grew heavy and her voice softened even more. “Wait for me. I’ll be done in forty minutes.”

Xue Yingxian listened to the dial tone, unable to ignore the flutter in her heart. She called back.

“Lu Xian Ning, I…”

Xian Ning: “Hmm?”

Xue Yingxian was silent for a while before finally giving in. “I’ll wait for you.”

Xian Ning thought it was strange, but before she could ask why she’d called just to say that, Xue Yingxian had hung up.

“Was that really so important that she had to call back just to say it?”

Xian Ning grumbled to herself and walked into the kitchen. Her mother asked what she was doing. Xian Ning replied, “Making dinner for Xue Yingxian.”

Her mother, who had been leaning back on the couch, shot up.

“For who?”

“Xue Yingxian.”

Xian Ning quickly grabbed some vegetables and meat, processing them with practiced ease. On the television, the male and female leads were having a misunderstanding, but her mother had completely lost interest in the show.

For a moment, she thought she had misheard. She knew how much her daughter loathed Xue Yingxian. She had always thought the two would hate each other until the day they died. But now, Xian Ning was making a meal for her. It was a good thing she had lived long enough to witness this miracle.

Xue Yingxian put down her phone and leaned back in her chair, covering her eyes to calm her agitated heart.

For a split second, she had a sudden, powerful urge to see Lu Xian Ning. She almost blurted out, “I’ll come to you,” but her pride wouldn’t let her.

Lu Xian Ning had played so many tricks on her that she couldn’t just pretend it never happened after one night. What was the difference between her and a person with Stockholm syndrome?

Xue Yingxian dropped her hand. When she opened her eyes, they were clear and serene, with a hint of coldness.

“Madam, the people from Xuanxin (Entertainment) are here.”

Xue Yingxian stood up, smoothed her clothes, and walked to the door with a somber expression.

Xian Ning quickly made a bento box and took a taxi to Xue Group headquarters. At eight in the evening, the Xue Building was still brilliantly lit. Xian Ning explained why she was there, but the receptionist gently blocked her.

“I’m sorry, but President Xue hasn’t given me instructions to let you up.”

Xian Ning thought for a moment, then set the bento box down. “Then could you please give this to President Xue? She knows who I am.”

“Miss Lu.” Jiang Huai walked over to Xian Ning.

Xian Ning looked at him. “Hello. Who are you?”

“I’m President Xue’s assistant, Jiang Huai. President Xue asked me to bring you up.”

Xian Ning gave a polite smile. “Thank you.”

Xue Yingxian hadn’t expected Xian Ning to come so quickly. She had to hurry up and send Lu Han on her way.

“President Xue, you won’t change your mind again, will you?” Lu Han asked.

It had only been a few hours, but Xue Yingxian had already gone from ten times the damages to three. Lu Han couldn’t get a read on her.

Xue Yingxian couldn’t wait another second. She gave a meaningful look to the head of the legal department and strode out.

*******

Xian Ning had just set up the food when Xue Yingxian arrived.

“I didn’t know what you’d like, so I just made a few random things.”

Xue Yingxian looked at the bento box. It had both meat and vegetables, and everything looked delicious. It was clear the person who made it put in a lot of effort. Her mood grew increasingly complicated as she looked at Xian Ning again.

“You don’t like it?” Xian Ning asked, seeing that she wasn’t saying anything.

Xue Yingxian walked over and sat across from her, picking up her chopsticks. “No, I do.”

Xian Ning pushed the dishes closer to her with a bright smile. “Then eat a lot.”

Xue Yingxian’s grip on the chopsticks tightened. Her heart grew noisy again, and though she knew she shouldn’t, she couldn’t help but ask.

“Do you really like me?”

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