Chapter 73: Warmth
A long black dress that hugged the waist, light blue eyes like a ghostly demoness, long hair coiled high up, a slim platinum necklace hanging over her endlessly sexy collarbones, and bright silver high heels that made her look even more like a queen. Xiao Moyan raised her head and looked at Xia Lingying with a charming smile. Her red lips were slightly pressed together, and her eyes were seductively inviting in a way words could not describe.
Without thinking, Xia Lingying swallowed hard. She saw the smile in Xiao Moyan’s eyes, turned her head with a red face, and pretended to keep tidying her things. She could not help feeling a little annoyed. She was the one going out, but look at her instead—dressed up this beautifully—how many people was she planning to flirt with and bring home?!
"I’m going with you."
A soft, sweet voice floated from Xiao Moyan’s mouth. She smiled lightly at Xia Lingying’s awkward look and thought to herself, so Xiaxia really is a bit perverted. Just changing my clothes made her look at me differently!
"What are you going for?"
Xia Lingying was still a bit sulky. She tilted her head and fiddled with her little purse, refusing to look up at Xiao Moyan.
Xiao Moyan knew exactly what she was thinking. She chuckled softly, took a long stride forward, pulled Xia Lingying into her arms by the waist, reached out and pinched her chin. Looking into her bright, twinkling eyes, she said in a low voice,
"Can’t I go out with my woman?"
"Who is your woman—go away..."
Xia Lingying mumbled with her head down and a red face. She pushed at Xiao Moyan lightly, but a soft sweetness rose inside her heart. These plain and simple words sounded even better than sweet talk.
Xiao Moyan smiled softly and said no more. She lowered her head and kissed Xia Lingying’s red lips, then looked at the time and pulled her along by the waist to head out. Just as the door opened, out of nowhere, Mrs. Xu’s enlarged smiling face popped up in front of them. The two of them were startled and stepped back at the same time. Xia Lingying’s bag dropped onto the floor.
"Mrs. Xu, what do you want now?"
Xiao Moyan was still shaken. She glanced at Xia Lingying, who was just as startled, and snapped with a bad temper.
Mrs. Xu pouted, clearly unhappy. Her wrinkled old face scrunched up like a dried orange peel.
"Miss, even if you're head over heels, there should still be a limit. I worked hard to raise you, and this is how you treat me? Besides, you should at least follow traditional Chinese values—respect your elders, right? Look at your attitude. You're like the reincarnation of the Howling Celestial Dog!"
*哮天犬” (Xiàotiānquǎn) refers to the Howling Celestial Dog, a divine dog from Chinese mythology. It is most famously known as the loyal companion of Erlang Shen (二郎神), a powerful god with a third eye who subdues demons. It is known for its fierce loyalty, sharp instincts, and strong combat abilities.
"..."
Xiao Moyan’s face darkened. She was so angry she couldn’t speak. Beside her, Xia Lingying was laughing so hard her whole body was shaking. She rarely saw Xiao Moyan suffer a loss, but whenever Mrs. Xu made a move, she’d definitely win. Seeing her smug expression, Xiao Moyan reached out and gave Xia Lingying a hard pinch.
So Mrs. Xu and Xiaxia really were the perfect pair of scoundrels.
Mrs. Xu chuckled honestly and looked up at Xia Lingying with a flattering smile.
“Xiaxia, to celebrate your first day back, once you two finish your business, Mrs. Xu’s decided to show off her skills at lunch and cook a few of her signature dishes for you.”
“What signature dishes do you even have? Xiaxia’s not like me—she’s vegetarian!”
Xiao Moyan cut in, feeling a little sour inside. How could the two of them be this close?
“Who said I’m cooking for you? When grown-ups are talking, keep quiet!”
“…”
Xia Lingying held back her laughter and glanced at the gloomy-faced Xiao Moyan next to her. She shook her head, looked at Mrs. Xu, and said,
“Mrs. Xu, do you want me to do something?”
As soon as she heard that, Mrs. Xu’s wrinkled face lit up with a smile and she quickly nodded.
“Xiaxia, you’re way smarter than Miss. Since it’s rare for everyone to gather, I just called Ruolin and Lianxue and told them to come back for lunch. We’ll all cook together. As soon as Ruolin heard, she said she’s bringing a few live chickens. Said we’ve got to eat the real natural stuff no matter what.”
“...I don't know how to kill a chicken.”
This time, Xiao Moyan reacted fast. She spoke up first, her face not looking too good either. Since young, she had only ever eaten, never cooked. The thing she hated most were bloody and hairy things. Seeing Mrs. Xu’s sly smile, she knew it was nothing good. She wanted to break through Xiaxia first, then use beauty tricks to trap her too? No way! That scheming old lady spent all day thinking of how to set her up!
Mrs. Xu rolled her eyes at Xiao Moyan and ignored her. She kept smiling at Xia Lingying.
“Well, once you and Miss finish your business, go to the supermarket and buy me some essentials. No one's been home for a while, the kitchen’s empty.”
“Mm, okay.”
Xia Lingying nodded lightly. She even shook her head at Xiao Moyan, who looked ready to fight again, signaling her to shut up. Sometimes, she really felt that Xiao Moyan was like a child who never grew up. She loved bickering with family, and whenever she lost, she takes it to heart. She was probably fuming inside right now. Was going to the supermarket really that big of a deal?
Mrs. Xu let out two sneaky laughs, gave Xiao Moyan a smug glance, puffed up her chest, and walked out like a proud rooster. Hmph, I might not be able to handle you, but I can take down your wife. You gave me a hard time when you had that breakup the other day. Now I’ll get it all back with interest!
Sitting in the car, Xiao Moyan still had a sullen face, clearly unhappy. Xia Lingying looked at her sulky expression and let out a soft laugh. She reached out and pinched her right cheek, giving it a gentle rub, then asked softly,
“What is it? Still mad? It wasn’t easy for Mrs. Xu too. Don’t be childish.”
“I’m not…”
Xiao Moyan replied lazily, resting her left hand against the glass, glancing sideways out the window. Her whole body gave off a lazy beauty that made Xia Lingying watch in a daze. But deep down, she was a little worried—could someone this charming really belong to her forever?
Hearing no response from Xia Lingying, Xiao Moyan turned her head and glanced at her. Seeing her frowning with her head down, she slightly curled her lips and said with a smile,
"Miss Xia, you can rest easy. I, Xiao Moyan, will always belong to you alone. That mark, too, can only ever fall on you."
Having her thoughts guessed, Xia Lingying blushed. She reached up and brushed her hair, covering the hickey on her neck. But her heart was secretly pleased by Xiao Moyan’s words. She looked up, gazed at her, and asked softly,
"Then why aren’t you happy?"
Xiao Moyan curled her lips and shook her head.
"Xiaxia, don’t get too close to Mrs. Xu in the future. I’ll be honest—she’s totally the reincarnation of Fahai*, dead set on pressing me under Leifeng Pagoda and breaking us up alive. Just think, we’ve only just made up, barely had time together, and she’s already giving you tasks. Go to the supermarket? Kill chickens? A'sen clearly took care of everything, but she just has to stir things up. Isn’t she obviously targeting me? Think I don’t know? Mrs. Xu’s just getting back at me for ignoring her a while ago!"
*Fahai is a Buddhist monk in the famous Chinese legend "The Legend of the White Snake". He is often portrayed as the antagonist who opposes the love between Bai Suzhen, a white snake spirit, and Xu Xian, a mortal man. Fahai ultimately imprisons Bai Suzhen under Leifeng Pagoda, believing he is protecting Xu Xian from supernatural forces. Leifeng Pagoda is a historic tower in Hangzhou, China, originally built in 977 AD.
"So she’s luring you to kill chickens?"
Remembering Mrs. Xu’s sinister grin when she talked about killing chickens, Xia Lingying could not hold back and burst out laughing.
As the two teased and joked, the car soon arrived at the radio station. When they opened the door and looked at the huge floor-to-ceiling forest green windows, and the young men and women coming and going, Xia Lingying felt a wave of nervousness.
Just then, her right hand was gently held. The soft, smooth sensation spread from her palm to her heart. Xiao Moyan smiled and comforted her,
"Xiaxia, you handled first-tier actors just fine. Getting nervous over second-tier announcers?"
As soon as she finished speaking, her foot was heavily stomped on. Xiao Moyan sucked in a sharp breath from the pain, looked up with wide eyes at Xia Lingying.
What was that for? What was that for? I was comforting you, comforting!
"You’re not allowed to look down on broadcasting!"
Xia Lingying stared at Xiao Moyan in fake anger. This person—she just could not stop until she threw in a jab or two! But when she saw Xiao Moyan’s completely wronged expression, she could not help but laugh, shook her head, reached out and wrapped her arms around Xiao Moyan’s waist. She did not care about the people coming and going, and simply burrowed into her fragrant arms, rubbing her forehead lightly against her cheek, muttering softly,
"Xiao, thank you. It’s really nice to have you."
"You’re not allowed to say thank you to me ever again!"
Hugging that fragrant body, Xiao Moyan mimicked Xia Lingying’s angry tone, then lowered her head and stole a sweet kiss. In her triumphant laughter, Xia Lingying blushed red and walked into the broadcasting building.
Watching Xia Lingying’s back, a happy smile remained on Xiao Moyan’s face. She folded her arms and stood quietly for a moment, then got back into the car, picked up the stack of documents that had piled up over the past few days, and started dealing with them.
Although Tianhuang had gone through two major personnel changes, shifting between the Xiao family and the Xia family, the experience and reputation Xiao Moyan had built up over the years were not for nothing. Solving problems came easily to her. Most importantly, now, she was not alone. With Xiaxia by her side, everything would be fine.
In the blink of an eye, half an hour passed. Xiao Moyan stretched lazily and looked out the window—there was not even a shadow of a person. Although she trusted Xia Lingying’s handover work would be fine, she still felt a little worried. After thinking about it, she put down the documents, opened the car door, and got out.
The black sunglasses sat on her palm-sized face. Her coffee-colored, springy long hair hung around her waist. Her figure was seductive, and her aura was charming. In this radio station full of beautiful women, Xiao Moyan still caused quite a stir. Everyone kept glancing at her and whispering about where this beauty came from.
Holding her head high and chest out, she pushed open the door and looked around. Just as she was about to ask someone for directions, she saw Xia Lingying walking out with a very classy-looking woman. Xiao Moyan smiled a little, took off her sunglasses, and quickly walked over.
Xia Lingying was chatting casually with the director who interviewed her. The interview went smoothly. Xiao Moyan had been right. With her background and ability, she really could take a step back and stay low-profile. Her joining the station had surprised the director. They just talked briefly and did a voice test, then signed the contract. The two of them got along very well and casually talked about life. The director's last name was Fang. She was in her thirties and still unmarried. She had been working in this field for nearly ten years. People said someone recommended her back then. Seeing her look lost in memories, Xia Lingying quietly sighed inside. It must be that she had buried someone deep in her heart whom she could never forget.
Xia Lingying was very satisfied with the station's environment. There were not too many idle people. There would not be paparazzi causing trouble. Her coworkers all seemed kind. After the interview, Director Fang insisted on buying her a cup of coffee. Not wanting to seem rude, Xia Lingying agreed, but her heart kept thinking about the person who had been waiting outside for a long time.
"Xiaxia—"
Xiao Moyan waved and called her. When she heard her voice, a smile lifted the corner of Xia Lingying’s lips, and she immediately looked up at her. But Director Fang, who was beside her, shook slightly when she heard that voice. She looked up in disbelief and turned to follow the source of the voice.
Author's Note:
Happy New Year~ Also, don’t stop leaving comments just because it got sweet, okay? It makes Yezi so depressed.
I made a wish in 2011, hoping that Yezi’s writing could tend to be more like farming writing, with feelings inside plainness, not have big ups and downs again.