"You -" Xue Ning spluttered, before remembering that she was supposed to deny all romantic feelings. "Of course not, he's just my friend. You've never made my friends sit on the floor."
"You've never brought anyone home before, friends or otherwise. So how do you know if I would make them sit on the floor or not?" was her brother's smartass reply.
At that, Xue Ning could only grumble, sinking into the sofa. She had nothing to say to that. Her school life was pretty depressing after all.
Meanwhile, Jingwei's mouth fell open at his words. Xue Ning never had a friend that came over to her house before? That sounded hard to believe! Even a loser like him had Shang Jing, before everything burst into flames.
Maybe Xue Ning went to her friends' houses more often. That was a possibility.
"Wow, then I'm honoured to be your first friend to visit your house!" Jingwei said cheerfully. He was also her first boyfriend and fake husband, but he couldn't say all that out loud.
Yue Niang heard his words from the kitchen, and couldn't help but think better of him. Even if this kid came from Sun Haowei's loins, he clearly inherited his nature from his mother! Bi Yu had always been the more friendly party that knew what to say to diffuse awkward situations.
But then Yue Niang reminded herself that she still had to keep her guard up, until Sun Jingwe finally revealed his true motive for coming here. She wasn't going to discount the thought that he was here to 'settle' things on behalf of his father.
No one from the Sun family should be underestimated! They learnt that too well.
"Here, have some water," Yue Niang said, deciding to make her presence known. She handed them glasses of water in clean mugs, and Jingwei took his without complaint, drinking it immediately.
"You know, you shouldn't be so trusting," Yue Niang idly commented to Jingwei. "What if I had poisoned the water in your cup?"
Jingwei choked and spluttered.
"What? No way!"
"Mom, stop teasing him," Xue Ning said sulkily. "He's awfully delicate. A fragile flower. An idiot!"
"Xue Ning!" Jingwei whined, before turning to her mother. "Auntie I swear, I'm not that much of an idiot!"
Yue Niang scoffed, highly doubtful. If he wasn't that much of an idiot, her daughter wouldn't have needed to save him to begin with!
But then perhaps this was a blessing in disguise. Idiots were always easier to deal with.
"While I'm thankful that you bothered to personally escort my daughter back home to me, forgive me for being suspicious of your motives. You could have just gotten one of your people to send her back, there's no need to go above and beyond like this. May I know what's the real reason for your actions?"
Jingwei was startled. It seemed like the interrogation had begun, and he couldn't tell her it was because he was so hopelessly in love with Xue Ning and vice versa that he was already planning the names of their future children. He would be murdered while Ming Guang and Wei Yan stood outside, oblivious.
So he settled for another, more practical truth.
"I've come to clear up the matter regarding my father's actions. Or what you believe to be my father's actions." Jingwei began, putting his cup gently on the table.
"I know my father is not a good man, and he's definitely guilty of many crimes, but I'm almost certain he's not responsible for the attack on your restaurant."
"What rubbish!" Tai Xuan declared hotly, rising from the sofa as though he longed to punch Jingwei in the face. Xue Ning pulled him down, scowling. "Did you think that we're five year old kids, so easily scammed by your words?"
"Ge, can you listen to him for a moment?"
"Xue Ning, you believe this man? Did you get hoodwinked by his honeyed words?! I thought you were supposed to be smart!" Her brother lamented, sinking back to his seat in disappointment.
"I have a good reason!" Xue Ning retorted, upset at her brother's insinuations that she would be so easily taken in. How little faith he had in her!
"Let's hear it then," Yue Niang said, sitting cross-legged on the floor primly. The temperature of the living room suddenly seemed to drop a few degrees as she gazed at Jingwei imperiously. Jingwei willed himself to show polite deference to an elder, but not fear.
Xue Ning's mom reminded him of a predator animal in the wild. If he showed fear and panic, he would be finished for good!
"Auntie, this is secret knowledge, but my father had a serious heart attack on the very same day your restaurant got attacked. He went into cardiac arrest, and is now still hospitalised, yet to wake. There's no way he could have ordered the attack!"
"He could have ordered the attack before his heart gave out," Yue Niang argued, even as her eyes widened with this unexpected news. Two very different emotions flooded through her in that moment - there was smug spiteful satisfaction, that she lived long enough for someone who hurt her received their karma, but there was also worry and concern, feelings she thought she would never feel for Sun Haowei.
Clearly her heart was softer than she realised! Even after the destruction and degradation of their working and personal relationship, it seemed that there was still a tiny part of her that cared for his well-being.
"Mom, that's highly unlikely." Xue Ning cut in. "His heart attack happened on the same day as Jingwei's press conference, but only a while after that - "
"You mean the very same press conference that announced to the world that you were his fiancee? I get it now!" Tai Xuan declared, new understanding dawning in his eyes.
"Mom, you see, it's definitely his fault! Now it makes sense, that man didn't like you marrying his son, so he called the thugs on us, then he got a heart attack because God had eyes and wanted to punish him for his evil actions!"
Jingwei listened with increasing horror. This wasn't how he expected things to go!
The source of this c𝐨ntent is freewe(b)nov𝒆l