Pampered and Kept by a Gloomy Younger Lover - Chapter 7

Xu Hexuan picked up the teapot, poured a cup of hot tea, and pushed the teacup toward Wen Zhao.

“Miss Wen, do you feel that I am lacking in sincerity?”

As expected of her, Wen Zhao thought optimistically, opening her mouth with that same flavor of utter disregard for anyone else’s life.

“It has nothing to do with sincerity. It’s simply that you and Chairman Zheng repeatedly ordered that I am not allowed to contact Miss Zheng privately. I’ve just grown accustomed to obeying.”

As she spoke, Wen Zhao noticed a look of confusion creeping into Qin Zhuyu’s eyes. She quickly squeezed Qin Zhuyu’s hand to prevent her from erupting and offending Xu Hexuan once she realized what they were discussing.

The person Xu Hexuan wanted to invite was Wen Zhao alone.

Wen Zhao guessed that by including Qin Zhuyu, the other woman was trying to prevent her from using Qin Zhuyu as an excuse to decline the invitation.

Xu Hexuan’s expression remained unchanged, though her tone grew a bit stiffer. “Miss Wen isn’t usually such a petty person, are you? Besides, that was then, and this is now.”

“Indeed, now is now,” Wen Zhao looked toward several figures in the distance, her words heavy with meaning. “Right now, aren’t you trying to play matchmaker for Miss Zheng and Miss Xu?”

“I thought you called me over specifically to make me give up hope. I was just about to tell you directly that I gave up completely a long time ago. You and Chairman Zheng needn’t worry.”

Wen Zhao threw back all the humiliating words these two had once used against her.

In any case, in another two months, she would be alone again. Whether the Zheng family wanted to retaliate or exert pressure, Wen Zhao no longer cared.

To Wen Zhao’s surprise, Xu Hexuan didn’t lose her temper.

She suppressed her irritation, and her attitude became considerably more amiable. “Regarding what happened back then, my husband and I were in the wrong. Miss Wen, I assume you haven’t told Ningning about those things?”

Xu Hexuan was still uncertain about what Zheng Miaoning was actually thinking.

If she truly cared about Wen Zhao, how could she have ignored her for two years? But if she didn’t care, why would she rush back to the country on a cold winter night, bypassing her parents to go south to H City just to see Wen Zhao?

Because she was uncertain, Xu Hexuan’s attitude toward Wen Zhao remained tempered.

There was still room for negotiation.

However, if Wen Zhao told Zheng Miaoning about what she and Zheng Lihui had done, Zheng Miaoning might develop a rift with them because of it.

Wen Zhao was somewhat shocked; she hadn’t expected Xu Hexuan to care so much about that.

“I haven’t.”

She could have given an ambiguous answer to keep Xu Hexuan guessing, but Wen Zhao didn’t like playing such games.

To her, a ‘yes’ was a ‘yes,’ and a ‘no’ was a ‘no.’

If she asked a question and received a vague answer, she would feel uneasy for a long time.

Treating others as she wished to be treated, Wen Zhao said bluntly, “And I won’t in the future. Keep your own secrets; I’m not that bored.”

“To be honest, Wen Zhao, if you hadn’t influenced Ningning, I would actually quite admire you.”

“To be honest, Mrs. Xu, if I hadn’t met Miss Zheng first, you probably wouldn’t have even noticed my existence in this lifetime,” Wen Zhao replied, politely declining the ambiguous praise.

Xu Qingshi apparently wanted to ride the same horse as Zheng Miaoning, but Zheng Miaoning slapped the horse’s rump, galloped away, and left her behind.

Xu Yingzhi was forced to take in Xu Qingshi.

By the time Xu Qingshi was helped onto the horse, Zheng Miaoning’s horse had already put a great distance between them. No matter what, Xu Yingzhi couldn’t catch up.

The three people sitting to the side witnessed the entire scene.

It was rare for Zheng Miaoning to be so inconsiderate—at least on the surface.

The smile Xu Hexuan had managed to maintain just a moment ago froze. “But you did meet Ningning. Look, Miss Wen—would you say Ningning is doing this as a way to demonstrate against her mother for your sake?”

That sense of eeriness returned.

Wen Zhao frowned.

For some reason, whenever she faced Zheng Lihui and Xu Hexuan, she felt this strange dissonance.

Because of the “settings” she believed in, Wen Zhao had always thought they loved Zheng Miaoning beyond measure.

Yet, when she faced the reality of this parental love, she instinctively recoiled.

Wen Zhao attributed this reaction to her own life experiences.

“Mrs. Xu, she has the right to choose freely. The reason she chooses to exercise that right doesn’t have to be because of anyone else.”

Wen Zhao met Xu Hexuan’s oppressive gaze, every word she spoke coming from the heart.

Her authority challenged, Xu Hexuan stopped smiling.

She glared unkindly at Qin Zhuyu, her voice carrying a hint of a threat. “Fine, Miss Wen is indeed eloquent. I won’t argue with you.”

“Miss Qin is the same age as my Ningning, right?”

“Uh, yes,” Qin Zhuyu answered.

Xu Hexuan nodded thoughtfully. “At your age, none of you truly know what you want. You often clutch a stone with a bit of luster and can’t bear to let go, not realizing it’s just a pebble polished by the river.”

Qin Zhuyu heard the malice in her words. She instinctively looked at Wen Zhao; seeing that Wen Zhao’s expression hadn’t changed, she felt relieved and replied:

“But some people just want the pebble.”

Xu Hexuan’s pupils shook violently.

Wen Zhao nudged Qin Zhuyu behind her. The two of them could only wait passively for Xu Hexuan’s next move.

Instead, Xu Hexuan looked past Wen Zhao at Qin Zhuyu. “Why do you say that, Miss Qin? Would you say that just to spite someone?”

Her gaze became piercing. Qin Zhuyu, usually boisterous, lost some of her fire but kept her neck stiff as she replied, “Of course not. If… if you are using a pebble as a metaphor for someone the respondent likes, I think anyone asked would answer the same way.”

After that, Xu Hexuan fell silent for a long time.

“Like?” After several minutes, Xu Hexuan repeated the word.

Wen Zhao and Qin Zhuyu were confused.

Then Xu Hexuan said, “If the person Miss Qin likes is Wen Zhao, then my advice to you is to stop liking her now.”

Qin Zhuyu: “…?”

Wen Zhao also wanted to ask where the logic was in that, but she didn’t have the chance.

Because Xu Hexuan finally “bestowed” her gaze upon her again.

“I said the same thing to Ningning. Her answer was exactly the same as Miss Qin’s. I always thought she was just being rebellious.”

Rarely, a hint of confusion appeared even on a woman as sharp and capable as Xu Hexuan.

Wen Zhao said, “You should ask her about her true thoughts instead of relying on your own guesses to define her words.”

“I don’t need you to teach me how to interact with my child,” Xu Hexuan snapped, turning her head away.

The sense of strangeness in Wen Zhao’s heart grew deeper.

In the past, when she met Zheng Lihui and Xu Hexuan, their focus was entirely on Zheng Miaoning. Aside from the time she was persuaded to leave, Wen Zhao had never spent time alone with them.

During the conversation, Qin Zhuyu had been sneakily shuffling closer to Wen Zhao. By the time Wen Zhao noticed, it was too late.

Wen Zhao was still holding her hand.

Seeing this, Xu Hexuan asked bluntly, “Are the two of you in a sugar-baby relationship or a romantic one?”

Before Wen Zhao could even think, Qin Zhuyu blurted out, “Prospective lovers!”

Wen Zhao: “…”

In an instant, Xu Hexuan’s gaze became extremely complex.

“Since… Wen Zhao, name your price. No matter how much, I will satisfy it. There is only one condition: you must cooperate with Ningning and do whatever she wants you to do.”

Her tone of “bestowal” left Wen Zhao baffled, as if her words were a grand act of mercy.

“Oh, right. My husband and I will not allow you to become her wife. Other than that, I want you to cooperate with her in everything.”

Wen Zhao held Qin Zhuyu back, her confusion mounting.

The two main characters of the blind date had met up on their horses and no longer seemed as awkward as they had at the beginning.

Wen Zhao pointed at them and asked, “For a request like that, I think it would be easier to find Miss Zheng a wife who is easy to manipulate.”

“A wife is a wife. Even if she marries someone else, I will convince her wife to tolerate your existence. So, Miss Wen needn’t worry,” Xu Hexuan said with complete nonchalance. “And you, Miss Qin, if you need to name a price, that’s up to you as well.”

Wen Zhao was so shocked she was speechless.

That’s quite open.

So open it’s practically feudal.

On one hand, she believed Wen Zhao’s status was insufficient to be Zheng Miaoning’s wife; on the other, she expected someone whose status matched Zheng Miaoning’s to endure an extramarital affair.

Beyond the absurdity, Wen Zhao mostly wanted to laugh.

“If this was your purpose for inviting us today, then let me make things even clearer: setting aside the unpleasantness between us, I will not have any further connection with Miss Zheng. That’s all I have to say. Goodbye.”

Wen Zhao took Qin Zhuyu’s hand and walked toward the exit.

In the distance, the sound of a horse neighing was followed by the thud of something heavy hitting the ground and the scream of a woman.

Wen Zhao looked back. Zheng Miaoning, who had fallen from her horse, was looking directly in her direction.

In those eyes, there was a sense of longing.

Longing for what? You were the one who pushed me away first.

Wen Zhao’s patience had been worn thin by Xu Hexuan. She knew she absolutely could not show any concern for Zheng Miaoning at this moment; she could not give Zheng Miaoning any more hope.

There were so many people around; they wouldn’t let anything happen to her.

They definitely wouldn’t.

Convincing herself, Wen Zhao hardened her heart, turned away, and led Qin Zhuyu out of the area.

The usually talkative Qin Zhuyu noticed her expression was off and looked back at Zheng Miaoning several times.

“You’re very worried about her. Why don’t you go see her?” Qin Zhuyu asked.

Wen Zhao said, “Going near her will only hurt her more.”

“Alright,” realizing she had said something she shouldn’t have, Wen Zhao immediately changed the subject. “Since we’re out, why don’t we go shopping? You’ll be back at school in a few days.”

As expected, Qin Zhuyu’s attention was diverted.

Hearing the word “school,” Qin Zhuyu became unhappy.

It wasn’t just that she didn’t want to go to school; they were the same age, yet Zheng Miaoning was somehow able to finish her studies ahead of time.

“Will you think Zheng Miaoning is more impressive than me and then like her more?” In front of Wen Zhao, Qin Zhuyu was used to asking whatever was on her mind.

Her childish worry eased the gloom in Wen Zhao’s heart.

It’s good that with her parents and me protecting her, Qin Zhuyu only has these tiny worries.

The corners of Wen Zhao’s mouth tilted up, revealing distinct little dimples.

“Answer me!”

Qin Zhuyu couldn’t wait any longer, grabbing Wen Zhao’s sleeve like a brat, making a show of not letting either of them leave until she got an answer.

“Well, finishing school early is certainly impressive. But that doesn’t mean you, who got into a good university, aren’t impressive. It certainly doesn’t mean she is better than you. As for me, I don’t like someone just because they are ‘impressive,’ nor do I dislike someone because they aren’t.” Forced into a corner, Wen Zhao gave her a serious answer.

Qin Zhuyu wasn’t satisfied with the response. “Actually, just saying you like me more would have been enough.”

Wen Zhao only smiled and didn’t respond.

The answer Qin Zhuyu wanted was one Wen Zhao would never say.