Chapter 90: Smile
Xiao Nian crushed the cigarette in his hand, squinting at Xiao Moyan, looking at her furious eyes, tightly furrowed brows, gently shaking his head.
"Xiao, can't you not completely lose control every time something about Xia Lingying comes up? Women are always trouble, do you want to follow in my footsteps?"
Xiao Moyan’s mind was full of where to find Xia Lingying, she had no mood to argue with Xiao Nian, irritated, she waved her hand.
"You are you, I am me, Xiao Nian, from the day my mother died, we have had nothing to do with each other. Xiaxia and I, you will never understand."
"Don’t understand?"
Xiao Nian shook his head bitterly, looking at Xiao Moyan’s eyes, full of helplessness.
"Xiao, everyone hates me, blames me. What did I do wrong? I just loved someone, emptied everything to treat her well, is that wrong? Your mother’s death will always be a pain burned in my heart, facing your coldness, how hard it is for me, but I just can't stop loving Qiu Muying, even knowing I'm wrong, I still persist. I just don’t want you to fall as deep, and only realize regret when you lose everything, then try to make amends…"
Xiao Moyan looked coldly at Xiao Nian, lightly snorting.
"Xiao Nian, you're too selfish, only thinking about your own pain, never thinking of your family? Xiaxia and I’s love, how could it compare to you and Qiu Muying? That’s why I say, you will never understand, 'cause you have no heart!"
Xiao Moyan’s words pierced Xiao Nian like sharp arrows, each hitting his heart. Over the years, no one dared speak to him like this. His face turned iron gray, right fist gradually clenched.
Beside him, A’Sen was shocked, taking a big step forward to stand in front of Xiao Moyan.
"Master—"
"A’Sen, step aside."
Before Xiao Nian could reply, Xiao Moyan spoke first, her narrow eyes fixed on him without blinking. The black dress made her cold elegance even more striking. Xiao Nian’s face turned iron gray as he looked at Xiao Moyan, who looked more and more like his younger self. He let out a long sigh and turned away, leaving only words that could tear Xiao Moyan’s heart apart.
"Xiaoxiao, take care. With Xia Lingying’s nature, if she doesn’t want to, no one can force her to leave."
Holding her chest with her right hand, Xiao Moyan bit her lower lip tightly. Xiao Nian’s words were like a merciless executioner, stabbing her heart again and again, all the pain flooding her at once.
Xiaxia, do you really not want me anymore? Are you really going to abandon me like this man?!
****
Sitting on the sofa while holding a coffee, Xia Lingying quietly watched Lan Chen feed her sister medicine, her eyes were full of mixed feelings.
Lan Chen, who was half-kneeling on the floor and holding a spoon, fed her sister the medicinal soup spoon by spoon. Looking at her sister with deep care, completely without the previous rage or hatred. She patiently cooled the medicine and fed carefully, while wiping the leftover drops from her sister's lips with a towel. Such a harmonious scene made Xia Lingying's heart churn with pain, she couldn't stay calm.
If it weren't for her father, Lan Chen wouldn't be disfigured, and her sister wouldn't be like this; and if it weren't for her father, Lan Chen wouldn't have made a grudge against Xiao Moyan, and she wouldn't have hurt Mrs. Xu, and Xiao Moyan wouldn't have forced her into such misery.
After finishing the medicine, Lan Chen smiled at her sister and stood, carrying the empty bowl to the kitchen.
Xia Lingying still looked at Lan Chen's sister. Beyond the frail body tormented by illness, she was very pretty. Her soft, smooth hair reached her waist, and her warm eyes full of smiles showed no trace of suffering. Her slightly pursed red lips and delicate smooth neck caught Xia Lingying's attention. Feeling Xia Lingying's gaze, she slowly turned her head and smiled at her.
"Xiaxia."
Unexpectedly, she knew her name, and Xia Lingying felt a little embarrassed and didn't know how to address her, so she could only nod slightly.
"My name's Lan Xi."
Lan Xi knew what she was thinking and kindly reminded her. Xia Lingying looked into her eyes and was stunned for a moment. Maybe it was because Lan Chen protected her too well, but Lan Xi had an unworldly air about her, pure and untouched. “Clean,” was the only word Xia Lingying could think of to describe her.
Noticing Xia Lingying staring blankly, Lan Xi smiled softly.
“Xiaxia, you’re very cute, no wonder Chen fell in love with you.”
“I…”
Lan Xi’s open and straightforward words made Xia Lingying a bit embarrassed. She wanted to deny it, but facing Lan Xi’s gentle eyes, she could only swallow her words.
Lan Xi saw her expression and smiled considerately, not bringing up what she didn’t want to say.
“Xiaxia, Chen is too reckless. She dragged you here and refused to explain anything, I’m sorry.”
Hearing that, Xia Lingying didn’t know what to say. Her anger toward Lan Chen’s half-pleading, half-threatening attitude faded, and she just quietly looked at Lan Xi, this kind and gentle woman. She could finally understand why Lan Chen would risk everything to protect her.
“I’m so tired—”
As she spoke, Lan Chen came over carelessly, plopped herself down on the sofa, and rested her head on her sister’s lap, closing her eyes with a grin.
Lan Xi looked down at her sister lovingly, then raised her head and gave Xia Lingying an apologetic smile.
“She’s always like this, don’t mind her.”
Xia Lingying shook her head and said calmly,
“Sisters are all like that.”
Lan Xi nodded and didn’t say anything more. She lowered her head and gently took off Lan Chen’s hat. Her thin, delicate hand slowly touched the terrifying scar on her sister’s face, her eyes full of love and concern, not a hint of disgust.
She picked up the medicine beside her, poured some into her palm, rubbed her hands together, and softly wiped the scar on Lan Chen’s face.
“I’m sleepy~”
Lan Chen, who had been resting with her eyes closed, protested as she caught her sister’s hand and pouted.
“Don’t put that on today. My face feels like it’s on fire after you do. It’s ruined anyway, so just leave it.”
“Be good—”
Holding Lan Chen’s restless hand down, Lan Xi didn’t stop what she was doing. She cupped Lan Chen’s face and touched it with great care, as if it were a priceless treasure.
Xia Lingying quietly watched from the side. There was a faint change in her eyes, a flicker of something she couldn’t name. She wanted to be sure, but she didn’t dare believe it. For some reason, Xiao Moyan came to her mind again.
She sighed softly, set down her coffee, and walked to the window. Leaning on the doorframe, she looked outside.
She must be losing her mind, she must hate me to death, but…
Xia Lingying knew she was being willful. She knew this would hurt Xiao Moyan, but she had no other choice. She had to force her to choose between her and her hatred.
If she lost…
Thinking of that, Xia Lingying’s crossed arms slowly dropped as she lowered her head.
Lan Xi looked up and saw the lonely figure she made. She gently lifted Lan Chen’s head, placed it carefully on the couch beside her, and covered her with a blanket. Then she stood up and walked over to Xia Lingying, smiling softly.
“Xiaxia, let’s go out and sit for a while.”
Xia Lingying glanced at Lan Chen, who was sleeping soundly on the couch, and nodded. She followed Lan Xi quietly out the door.
Lan Xi led her to the courtyard and went to sit on the swing.
Xia Lingying looked around. The yard wasn’t big, but it had the warmth of a home. There was a pile of coal bricks stacked neatly on one side, and in the middle, a cage held a few chicks pecking happily at millet, chirping now and then. At the gate, Lan Chen’s favorite shepherd dog lay lazily on the ground. Its relaxed look was just like Lan Chen’s.
The afternoon sun poured gently into the yard, coating Lan Xi in a faint glow. With her calm and gentle eyes that seemed untouched by the world, she looked like a saint, pure and untainted.
Since Xia Lingying didn’t know why Lan Xi brought her out, she didn’t say much. She only sat quietly on a chair, watching her.
Holding the swing ropes, Lan Xi still smiled at her.
“Xiaxia, Lan Chen isn’t my real sister.”
A trace of surprise flashed in Xia Lingying’s eyes but quickly faded. She pressed her lips together and stayed silent.
“When I was ten, I was practicing piano,” Lan Xi said, her tone soft as if recalling a distant memory. “Dad brought her to me. You wouldn’t believe it, she was all covered in mud, hiding behind Dad, too scared to even look at me. She wasn’t like the fierce girl she is now.”
Lan Xi’s eyes softened, her gaze full of faint affection.
“That day, Dad told me she was the child of an old friend and asked me to treat her like my own sister. I listened and did as he said. But Chen was naughty. She always bullied me. When I wanted to play with her, she’d run away and throw earthworms at my feet, just to keep me from getting close.”
“Until I was twelve,” Lan Xi said softly, “she had a fight with some kids at school. They ganged up on her and knocked her to the ground. I screamed and ran over to hold her, shielding her with all my strength, not letting anyone touch her. I... I’ll never forget that moment. Through the mud and blood on her face, her eyes were locked on me. But in them, there was only fear and caution.”
“After that, when she woke up, she wasn’t cold to me anymore. She started acting like a little adult, following me everywhere, saying she had to protect me. I only smiled faintly and didn’t take her words seriously. But... when we were seventeen—”
Lan Xi’s voice grew dim as her hands tightened on the swing ropes.
“Lan Chen’s father got out of prison. He burst into the house with a kitchen knife, shouting that my father framed him, ruined his family, and pretended to be a good man who stole his child. I happened to be going to the living room to practice piano. When I saw his messy hair, bloodshot eyes, and crazed look, I couldn’t help but scream. He saw me and grabbed my neck. Dad and Mom rushed over, terrified, begging him to let me go. But he went insane and slashed me over and over with the knife.”
Hearing that, Xia Lingying’s face tensed. She looked up at Lan Xi’s neck and saw faint pink scars on her pale skin, proof that every word she said was true.
“Just when no one knew what to do,” Lan Xi continued, “Lan Chen rushed out. She was already as tall as she is now and had learned taekwondo. When she saw her father, she froze for a moment. But when she saw me crying, she didn’t hesitate. She ran straight at him and kicked him hard. Our family took the chance to subdue him.”
“We all thought Lan Chen acted that way because she didn’t recognize that man as her father. But when he was sent back to prison, Lan Chen grabbed his hand and cried bitterly. She knelt in front of everyone and kowtowed several times, her head hitting the floor hard. After that, when he was taken away, she curled up in the corner of the house, silent for a whole day. When Dad and Mom went to comfort her, she finally burst into tears and clung to Dad's leg, begging him to tell her the truth. When Dad said everything himself, my heart broke. Watching Lan Chen cry as she left, I knew I had lost my sister forever.”
The same blood-deep hatred and the same kind of love made Xia Lingying’s eyes turn red. She looked at the woman in front of her, quietly speaking under the sunlight, and thought of the ugly scar on Lan Chen’s face that could never fade. Her heart twisted in pain.
“But Lan Chen didn’t leave me,” Lan Xi continued. “She stayed by my side just like before, but she refused to step into the Lan family home again. I asked her if she really didn’t recognize the man who hurt me that day as her father. She only shook her head and didn’t answer. She just held me tightly and whispered, ‘Sister, I can’t forget everything from the past, but it won’t change what I feel for you. Even if you’re not Lan Xi, I’ll still protect you. Even if I’m not Lan Chen, you’ll still love me. Isn’t it enough just like this?’”
After speaking, Lan Xi turned and looked at Xia Lingying meaningfully. She pulled her coat tighter around herself and walked back inside. Xia Lingying sat there alone, the same words echoing in her mind again and again:
Isn’t it enough just like this?
Author's Note:
I asked someone to post for Yezi yesterday, and I felt helpless.
The saddest thing in the world is that people who have been on the receiving end from body to mind insist on saying that they are the top attacker... Sigh, this lie is even more unacceptable than Yezi never eating chicken legs again.
P.S. Yezi’s Unspoken Rules is going to open for custom prints soon, so I’m fixing bugs lately, please understand. Updates will usually be at night.
The custom print will include a few sweet side stories she always wanted to write but didn’t dare to.
If you want one, leave a comment below. If too few people want it, Yezi won’t bother, it’s so troublesome…