Pampered and Kept by a Gloomy Younger Lover - Chapter 6

After helping Qin Zhuyu finish her only holiday homework assignment, Wen Zhao witnessed Qin Zhuyu receive an invitation from Xu Hexuan.

Wen Zhao, leaning on the desk nearby, let out a yawn.

It looked like she could painlessly gain another day of vacation.

Just as she thought this, another invitation suddenly appeared before her eyes.

Wen Zhao stared wide-eyed at Uncle Liu.

The butler, dressed in an exquisite swallow-tailed coat with a refined, gentlemanly smile, whispered like a devil: “Miss Wen, this one is yours.”

“?!!” Wen Zhao propped her upper body up with her arms, accepting the invitation most unwillingly.

Xu Hexuan, huh.

She had just finished speaking to her with sarcastic undertones a few days ago. For her to send an invitation now, it certainly wasn’t out of the goodness of her heart.

Without a second thought, Wen Zhao tried to hand the invitation back to Uncle Liu.

But out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the equally troubled Qin Zhuyu. Wen Zhao hesitated and pulled her hand back.

If she didn’t attend Xu Hexuan’s appointment, wouldn’t Qin Zhuyu have to face the unknown alone—dealing with someone whose status, seniority, and shrewdness were far superior to her own?

Wen Zhao had no other weaknesses; if it were just her, a refusal would be a refusal.

But Qin Zhuyu had parents. If she offended Xu Hexuan, the idea of their family living peacefully in B City ever again would be nothing short of a pipe dream.

Wen Zhao sighed and accepted the invitation.

“It’s okay. I’ll go with you, don’t worry.” Walking up behind Qin Zhuyu, Wen Zhao gave her shoulder a reassuring pat.

At twenty, she was still just a student. Dealing with someone like Xu Hexuan was indeed a challenge for Qin Zhuyu.

Wen Zhao thought about it carefully; if Xu Hexuan weren’t a character from her own pen, she would absolutely never have the courage to snap at her over the phone or in person.

Of course, if Xu Hexuan weren’t her character, Wen Zhao would never have had the chance to encounter such a person in her entire life.

Comforted by Wen Zhao, Qin Zhuyu nodded hesitantly. “But, why would Ms. Xu think of inviting someone like me?”

“What kind of person are you?” Wen Zhao asked back with a smile.

“I…”

Seeing her at a loss for words, Wen Zhao finished for her: “You are a young and brave person. Your youthful spirit and courage are your greatest assets. No matter how powerful Xu Hexuan is, she wouldn’t openly do anything to a junior like you. So don’t worry too much. Get some sleep; I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Mm.” Meeting Wen Zhao’s eyes, Qin Zhuyu couldn’t help but nod, temporarily setting aside her trepidation and unease.

It was evening, and Wen Zhao habitually prepared to leave the Qin household.

Just as she turned, her hem was grabbed by someone. Wen Zhao didn’t need to look back to know it was Qin Zhuyu. “Is there something you want to say, Zhuyu?”

“Can you stay tonight?” Qin Zhuyu looked up at Wen Zhao, requesting sincerely.

Uncle Liu gave a cough and quickly slipped away.

Wen Zhao pulled her hem free, turned around, and ruffled Qin Zhuyu’s hair. “Fine, but I’m still sleeping in the guest room.”

If it weren’t for her, Qin Zhuyu wouldn’t have received this invitation to a “Hongmen Banquet.”

With Xu Hexuan’s pride, she usually wouldn’t bother glancing at a family like the Qins, let alone a junior.

Wen Zhao was too prone to self-reflection and guilt.

Whenever she felt guilty, her boundaries would shift backward.

Both Zheng Miaoning and Qin Zhuyu used this tactic to manipulate Wen Zhao. Wen Zhao was aware of it herself, but she simply couldn’t change it.

However, Wen Zhao had learned enough of a lesson from Zheng Miaoning; no matter how much her boundaries shifted, they would never shift far enough to share a bed.

The Qin family had also prepared a walk-in closet for Wen Zhao, so she wasn’t worried about what to wear to the event the next day.

The location they were invited to was the Xu family’s equestrian grounds.

Wen Zhao sought only to be decent rather than standing out. After tidying herself up, she went downstairs for breakfast. Only after Qin Zhuyu finished dawdling did the two of them head out together.

For winter travels, the driver would usually bring the car out of the garage in advance to warm it up while waiting for the owners.

Today, however, Wen Zhao noticed a car that didn’t look familiar.

“Did your mom get a new car?”

Qin Zhuyu kept her head down as she walked forward. “No. Her passion cooled off recently; she stopped buying cars and started buying seaside villas instead.”

“Alright.” Wen Zhao nodded doubtfully. Perhaps it was one of the many luxury cars Qin Zhuyu’s mother had bought during a fit of passion.

To this day, she still hadn’t finished counting how many new cars had been added to the parking garage under the Qin villa.

As they approached, the car window slowly rolled down, revealing an extremely glamorous face.

Zheng Miaoning automatically ignored Qin Zhuyu and greeted Wen Zhao enthusiastically.

“Good morning, Sister Zhao.”

Wen Zhao felt a shiver run down her spine. The driver sat in the front seat, with Xu Hexuan in the passenger seat. Wen Zhao kept her expression neutral, glanced at the motionless Qin Zhuyu, and decided to get in first to sit with Zheng Miaoning, leaving the window seat for Qin Zhuyu.

What exactly was wrong with this mother-daughter duo?

Wen Zhao pondered this while greeting Xu Hexuan.

Xu Hexuan gave a soft “Mm” and leaned against the window to play dead. Without a doubt, she didn’t want to see Wen Zhao right now either.

Even more certain was the fact that this was absolutely the result of Zheng Miaoning’s persistent pestering.

Qin Zhuyu, on the other hand, was happier than anyone.

Because Wen Zhao didn’t want to be too close to Zheng Miaoning, she had to press right up against Qin Zhuyu. Hehe ^_^.

Zheng Miaoning wasn’t annoyed either; her toe lightly tapped the back of the driver’s seat.

Before long, the sweating driver abandoned his smooth driving style. At a curve, he turned the steering wheel sharply, causing everyone in the car to lean to one side.

Xu Hexuan was just about to scold him.

“Sister Zhao, are you okay? Just hold onto me, then that won’t happen.”

Zheng Miaoning had pre-emptively moved her arm back. An unprepared Wen Zhao fell right into her arms. While Zheng Miaoning reached out to steady Wen Zhao, she conveniently pushed away Qin Zhuyu, who had fallen onto Wen Zhao’s shoulder.

Hearing this, Xu Hexuan closed her eyes tightly and endured it.

Wen Zhao: “…” Wow.

“No thank you, Miss Zheng. I’m sure that was just a one-off.” She sat up straight and reached out to push Zheng Miaoning away, but she wouldn’t budge.

Surely no one would use such a cheap trick twice in a row?

The hand Zheng Miaoning had on Wen Zhao’s shoulder seemed to have secreted automatic glue; it didn’t move an inch. She said a disappointed “Oh,” and then her toe hit the back of the seat again.

The car body lurched once more.

Even someone as mild-tempered as Wen Zhao was laughed out of frustration when she crashed into Zheng Miaoning’s arms for the second time.

“Sister Zhao, you should just listen to me. Look, you almost fell again.” Meeting Wen Zhao’s speechless gaze, Zheng Miaoning blinked innocently.

If you’re going to do something bad, just do it. Can you stop pretending? Wen Zhao felt utterly powerless.

Now, Wen Zhao really did want to be alone with Zheng Miaoning.

At least when it was just the two of them, Zheng Miaoning acted like a normal human being.

“Fine… alright.”

Wen Zhao had no choice but to agree.

Zheng Miaoning appeared easygoing and sunny on the surface, but in reality, she was petty and vengeful. If anything didn’t go her way, she would harbor a secret grudge for a long time.

In the past, to keep her from getting angry, Wen Zhao always had to accommodate her in everything.

Now, even just to avoid losing face, she still had to go along with her.

“Sister Zhao…” A haunting voice rose from her left, making Wen Zhao’s hair stand on end.

She turned with a smile. “What is it?” She then signaled with her eyes for Qin Zhuyu to stop calling her that.

Don’t learn the bad habits.

Qin Zhuyu pressed her face against Wen Zhao’s shoulder with a pitiful expression and whispered: “I’m dizzy.”

Wen Zhao gave Zheng Miaoning a reproachful look.

“It’s okay, we’re almost there.” Wen Zhao patted Qin Zhuyu’s back and stroked her face to comfort her.

She had to let Zheng Miaoning know that the more tricks she played, the more it would backfire.

Zheng Miaoning, nearly fuming with jealousy and refused to be outdone, stubbornly grabbed Wen Zhao’s hand and pressed it against her own face.

Wen Zhao & Qin Zhuyu: …

They arrived outside the equestrian grounds without further incident.

The driver immediately threw on sunglasses to hide his eyes while stifling a laugh. Xu Hexuan, exasperated by her daughter’s lack of dignity, got out of the car. The two in the back window seats didn’t move.

Zheng Miaoning and Qin Zhuyu were locked in a silent struggle, neither willing to be the first to let go of Wen Zhao’s hands. Wen Zhao was in a bind.

After a long stalemate, Qin Zhuyu curled her lip and opened the door to get out.

“Let go,” Wen Zhao said to Zheng Miaoning.

She breathed a sigh of relief and moved to exit from Qin Zhuyu’s side.

Zheng Miaoning glanced at the waiting Qin Zhuyu, released Wen Zhao’s wrist, but just as Wen Zhao was about to slide over, Zheng Miaoning gripped her forearm tightly again and pulled her toward her own side.

Leaning into Wen Zhao’s ear, Zheng Miaoning said: “Exit through my side.”

She stepped out of the car gracefully and leaned down to look inside, refusing to let go.

Wen Zhao looked at her and finally chose to compromise.

“Let go first, I’ll come out your way.”

Only after getting out did Wen Zhao realize only the three of them were left. Xu Hexuan likely couldn’t stand the sight anymore and had headed into the equestrian grounds the moment she stepped out.

Wen Zhao tucked her hands into her pockets, not daring to make eye contact with either of them.

After walking a distance, she said with utter exhaustion: “My dear young ladies, let’s hurry up.”

I really want to go to a foster home and look after a class of toddlers.

Originally, in the car, she had wanted to probe into Xu Hexuan’s intentions. Thanks to these two young ladies, Wen Zhao had done nothing but suffer in the middle of their tug-of-war.

The horse trainers were leading the horses in circles around the paddock.

Under a massive shaded area, Xu Hexuan was sitting and chatting with two other young women.

The moment she saw those two faces, Wen Zhao knew exactly who this gathering was for.

Xu Qingshi was sitting next to Xu Yingzhi, laughing happily.

Calculating the timeline, it was indeed the time for Xu Yingzhi to appear in the country.

Wen Zhao lowered her head guiltily.

Because of the butterfly effect caused by her transmigrating into the book, Zheng Miaoning had returned to the country years early, so Xu Hexuan had also moved up the timeline to play matchmaker.

In the setting, Xu Hexuan didn’t want her daughter to go through childbirth, so the marriage partners she selected for her were all women.

And Xu Yingzhi was just one of the many choices Xu Hexuan had prepared for her daughter.

But what was the point of calling her and Qin Zhuyu to this matchmaking session?

Zheng Miaoning, beside her, kept a close eye on her.

Before they reached the three women, Wen Zhao decided to ask first: “What do you want to say?”

“My parents want me to marry Xu Yingzhi.” Zheng Miaoning lowered her gaze, her tone carrying an imperceptible trace of grievance.

Wen Zhao nodded. “Mm.”

Her indifferent attitude made Zheng Miaoning choke for a moment before she continued: “But I don’t like her. Yet I have no way to go against my parents…”

That’s definitely not true…

As the author, how could Wen Zhao not know the settings of every character?

Due to her writing ability at the time, Wen Zhao had used a very simple and crude method to create supporting characters: labeling.

The initial setting for Xu Hexuan and Zheng Lihui was that they loved their child.

As long as Zheng Miaoning said she was unwilling, Xu Hexuan wouldn’t force her.

So at this moment, Wen Zhao listened to Zheng Miaoning’s deliberate play for sympathy while nodding perfunctorily without responding.

To Wen Zhao, she had only two goals for being here today: protect Qin Zhuyu and personally tell Xu Hexuan her own intentions.

Equestrianism was an incredibly expensive activity.

Not only did it burn money, but it also tested the student’s perseverance.

Qin Zhuyu had no such perseverance. She followed Wen Zhao around, looking everywhere and exclaiming: “So much green grass.”

“…Yes.” Wen Zhao nodded, stifling a laugh.

There weren’t many people present who could actually ride. Zheng Miaoning was one, and Xu Yingzhi was another.

This was also why Wen Zhao was certain this was a matchmaking setup.

Under Xu Hexuan’s urging, Zheng Miaoning had no choice but to go pick out horses with Xu Yingzhi. Although Xu Qingshi couldn’t ride, she also couldn’t read the room; ignoring Xu Hexuan’s advice and Xu Yingzhi’s polite refusal, she insisted on following them, attempting to share a horse with one of them.

The noisiest person left with the two protagonists.

The surroundings grew quiet.

Wen Zhao looked toward Xu Hexuan and spoke: “Ms. Xu, I wonder what your reason was for inviting us here today?”